About this Episode
German carmaker Volkswagen plans to cut around 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 after profits fell sharply. Net earnings dropped about 44 percent last year to €6.9 billion. Chief executive Oliver Blume said the reductions would affect the wider group, including Audi and Porsche. The company cites weaker demand in China, stronger competition from Chinese manufacturers, United States tariffs and high costs linked to the shift to electric vehicles.
United States forces say they destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes followed Iranian warnings that oil exports to its enemies could be blocked. President Donald Trump described the attacks as pre-emptive. The conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran has entered its twelfth day. Lebanese authorities report nearly 400 deaths and more than 667,000 displaced people.
Five members of Iran’s women’s national football team have received humanitarian visas from Australia. The players had refused to sing the Iranian national anthem during an Asian Cup match. Authorities moved them to a secure location before approving the visas.
Spain will formally pardon 53 women imprisoned as teenagers during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. They had been labelled “morally at risk”. The government will recognise them as victims of repression and declare their sentences void. Victims’ groups say broader justice measures are still needed.
