Markets & Policy Shock: New Zealand First’s plan to buy back the Bank of New Zealand and fold it into a new state-owned “National Bank of New Zealand” is drawing fire as “headline-grabbing” rather than serious policy, while the party also pushes automatic KiwiSaver enrolment for newborns with a $1,000 government top-up. Gold & Inflation Pressure: Gold slid more than 3% as a stronger US dollar, rising sovereign yields and Middle East-driven inflation fears dent rate-cut hopes. Germany’s Industrial Mood: BASF’s company-town Ludwigshafen is feeling the squeeze from weak demand, high energy costs and China competition, with further job cuts looming and apartment sales adding to local unease. Bundesliga Surprise: Elversberg clinched promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time ever, becoming the smallest town to reach Germany’s top flight. Ukraine Tech Diplomacy: Ukraine is courting drone deals abroad, with Germany among the interested countries, as Kyiv leans on battlefield tech to win partners. Legal/Finance: The US DOJ says a German citizen allegedly laundered darknet proceeds into gold bars shipped to his home, tied to the Dream Market case.