Author: DW

Amazon confirmed a further 16,000 job cuts in its corporate sector in a blog post to employees on Wednesday, completing a move to cut around 30,000 corporate jobs that began last October.  The job cuts aimed to strengthen the company by “reducing layers, increasing ownership and removing bureaucracy” at the online retail giant, top human resources official Beth Galetti wrote.  The 30,000 jobs are a small portion of the more than 1.5 million Amazon employees worldwide, most of whom work in warehouses or distribution centers, but they represent almost 10% of the company’s corporate workforce. The written announcement came shortly after…

In the face of thousands of killings, leading figures in Iranian sport have been vocal about the need for help and action. Former Iran and Bayern Munich star Ali Karimi signed an open letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, calling on him to “publicly condemn the mass killing of civilians in Iran, including members of the football community.” Karimi, along with 20 other signatories that include other former internationals, a coach, a referee and sports journalists, also asks FIFA to act in the face of human rights being violated. In the letter, the other two formal demands are to publicly acknowledge that the…

Canadian-born actress Catherine O’Hara has died at the age of 71, her management agency said on Friday.  O’Hara was an Emmy-winner who starred in the series “Schitt’s Creek” and the movie “Home Alone.” She also starred in the movie “Beetlejuice” and the Hollywood satire show “The Studio.” The management agency said O’Hara died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness.” According to US entertainment news outlet Page Six, O’Hara was rushed to a hospital before dawn from her home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The cause of death remains unknown. “I join Canadians and fans…

Tesla’s annual profit sank to its lowest level in years as the company faces an array of challenges from increased competition to reputation issues caused by CEO Elon Musk’s political engagements.  The electric vehicle (EV) company on Wednesday reported that net income last year plunged 46%, to $3.8 billion (€3.17 billion). It marked the second year in a row of steep declines. For the fourth quarter of last year, profits came in at $840 million, down from $2.1 billion a year earlier. Total revenue for the year also fell about 3% to roughly $94.83 billion, marking the company’s first annual decline…

The build up to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina have been far from ideal. The ice rink has been delayed and riddled with issues. The bobsleigh track has been controversial from the start. History shows that many Winter Olympic hosts have also been plagued by late construction completions and rising costs, but perhaps 2026 represents a tipping point. “Quite frankly, this is inexcusable, especially for something like a multi-purpose arena,” Victor Matheson told DW, referring to the delayed ice rink. “It might be a bit more understandable for specialized venues that need to be constructed specially for the…

In the run-up to the Oscars on March 15, all eyes are on Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” nominated for a record-breaking 16 Academy Awards.  The horror film, set in the early 1930s southern United States, follows twin brothers who return to their hometown, hoping to start over by opening a place for the African American community amid the pressures of Jim Crow-era life. As the opening night unfolds, the celebration reveals that the brothers and their community are being targeted by vampires.Vampire film ‘Sinners’ sucks up 16 Oscar nominationsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web…

What happened to the price of silver in 2025? Silver has experienced a remarkable bull market, more than quadrupling in value from around $30 (€24.54) per ounce at the start of the year to an all-time high of $120.44 per ounce (28 grams) on Thursday (January 29). At the beginning of last year, the metal traded on COMEX — the commodity division of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) — near $30 in January and hovered between $37 and $40 through the summer before breaking decisively higher.  Silver’s 2025 gains represent a dramatic turnaround for the precious metal, long regarded as the poorer cousin of gold, whose price…

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India’s intention to host the 2036 Olympics, pointing to recent reforms such as the National Sports Governance Act. “The 2030 Commonwealth Games will be held in India, and the country is making strong efforts to host the 2036 Olympics, with the aim of giving more and more players greater opportunities to compete,” Modi said. In July last year, Indian officials visited the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne to present Ahmedabad, Gujarat state’s fast‑growing megacity, as the proposed host. Ahmedabad and the neighboring capital Gandhinagar have outlined an Olympic plan with cost…

Russian President Vladimir Putin bathes in the blood of Ukraine, while US President Donald Trump tears up the climate protection agreement like an angry child: These Düsseldorf carnival floats made by German artist and float builder Jacques Tilly are meant to provoke. They’ve now also provoked the Russian state, which has taken him to court — a first for the famed artist.  A trial against Tilly is now underway in Moscow. It was scheduled to continue this past Wednesday in the defendant’s absence, but after a brief opening session, it was postponed for the second time until February 26.Move over, Vladimir:…

The US dollar continues to fall sharply in value against other major currencies, continuing the trend that saw its steepest annual drop in almost a decade in 2025. The dollar fell by 1.3% against a basket of currencies on Tuesday, meaning that it has fallen by 2.6% since the start of 2026. It slumped by 9.5% in 2025. The fall in the dollar has implications for the euro and other currencies. The single European currency has now hit the $1.2 level for the first time since 2021, while the British pound and Japanese yen have also reached recent highs against the US currency.…