General elections: Money will fail in 2019 – Fela Durotoye

Bitcoin was beginning to look like a better store of value than traditional currencies — even gold — until the cryptocurrency crashed 44% last month. DW unpicks the complicated world of currencies.

Post-conflict peacebuilding is an international, multi-million euro industry that often relies on top-down initiatives. But what if the most effective methods of fostering peace happened predominantly at the local, community level? We speak to former #humanitarian #aid #worker and political sciences professor Séverine Autesserre about her new book "The Frontlines of Peace", in which she makes a powerful case for entirely rethinking the traditional aid model to make #peacebuilding not only more effective, but also cheaper.

Moscow does not financially support any other country as generously as it does Belarus. DW spoke with economic experts to learn about this lopsided relationship, and the strain it places on the Russian budget.

Bundestag parliamentarians are paid by the state so that they do not need a second job. But many still find ways to make an additional income — that is now being significantly restricted.

It won't be long before Iceland implements the four-day working week. Some 86% of the country's workers are already down to 35 hours on full pay. A study has shown it improves well-being and productivity.

The US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the government could run out of money by October 18, if Congress doesn't raise or suspend its borrowing limit before then. Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a measure to raise the debt ceiling, ahead of a looming federal shutdown on Friday. Also today, we report on how a car parts factory near Paris has been adapting its working methods to cope with a shortage of raw materials.

Kinshasa, a megalopolis of at least 12 million people, is known for its heaps of rubbish and rivers covered with plastic bottles. The Clean Plast company collects, processes, and recycles all types of plastic waste in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the aim of cleaning up the city.

European Union leaders are meeting with their counterparts from the African Union in Brussels this Thursday. Several major economic issues will be discussed, including the €150 billion investment plan promised by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Ahead of that gathering, French President Emmanuel Macron promised a deal on reallocating of up to $100 billion of International Monetary Fund finance to African countries. Also today, we bring you the latest on the fuel shortage crisis in Nigeria.

Switzerland's second-largest bank stands accused of handling funds for dictators, drug traffickers and torturers after a whistleblower leak led to a year-long investigation by a consortium of journalists. And the United States and Britain have raised the stakes for potential sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine. Finally, Italy's famed glassblowers are cracking under red-hot energy prices.

With the city of Kharkiv devastated and Kyiv braced for attack by an approaching Russian convoy, we are asking whether the US has made the right calls on Ukraine. The message of Biden's State of the Union address was one of solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelensky. But seen from Kyiv, will this feel like enough?

There is currently more trade with western and eastern countries than there is within the continent. Printing banknotes in Africa would boost profits on the continent and, at least theoretically, African countries could choose those with printing capabilities since there's likely some idle capacity.

We take a closer look at the bid by the world's richest man to buy Twitter for $43 billion. Elon Musk would need the backing of major investment firms for the hostile takeover. We explore what a potential purchase could mean for free speech on Twitter and find out why Musk's asking price may have a drug-related reference. Also on the show, we report on why the price of fertilisers is skyrocketing and we get the latest on a fuel shortage in Kenya.