China to overtake Germany as world’s largest exporter

In its annual report on trade, the WTO reaffirms that it expects trade to drop 10 percent this year. And with Asia leading the recovery, China looks set to overtake Germany as the biggest export nation.

Last year, Germany was still barely holding on to its position as the world’s leading merchandise exporter, with exports of $1.47 trillion just edging out China, with some $1.43 trillion.

But with Asian nations starting to see a rebound in trade and Europe still turning in a weak performance, Germany’s dominance in exports may be a thing of the past. Discussing the World Trade Organization’s annual report on world trade, WTO chief economist Patrick Low expects China to overtake Germany as the world’s biggest exporter this year.

Redford weds in Germany

Robert Redford married his partner, a 51-year-old German artist, over the weekend, a German church said yesterday.

St. Catherine Church in Hamburg said the 72-year-old U.S. actor and artist Sibylle Szaggars were wed at the luxury Louis C. Jacob Hotel. The Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper said 30 friends and family members attended the service.

Redford has starred in dozens of films, including “The Sting” and “The Natural.” He won the Academy Award for best director for the 1980 film “Ordinary People.” In 1981, he founded the Sundance Institute, which encompasses the Sundance Film Festival.