Business

Some things are hard to calculate in dollars and cents. NASA's space programs definitely fall into this category. The agency has an enormous annual budget, and its portfolio includes powerful spacecraft, telescopes and weather and asteroid forecasting. It's difficult to measure the scientific and material gains born from its basic research that have entered everyday life, such as memory foam, scratch-resistant lenses or home air purifiers. But while the Artemis II mission made history when the Orion capsule carried four astronauts farther away from Earth than any humans in history, many questioned the cost and overall point of space travel. Artemis II, Orion and $93 billion During its 10-day mission, much attention has focused on Artemis II's onboard toilet. Not only has it malfunct...

Energy security has once again taken on urgent priority in the European Union, as the Iran war reveals how exposed many member states still are to abrupt oil and gas supply shocks — despite the lessons of Russia's full‑scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago.   The crisis has prompted member states to reexamine their efforts to diversify and cut their reliance on external energy sources. It has also sparked a fresh push for nuclear power. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last month that Europe's turn away from nuclear energy had been a "strategic mistake." Brussels is now considering additional funding for nuclear, prioritizing the deployment of so-called Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in the bloc by the early 2030s. Even in Germany, which completely switched off...

The commercial real estate sector has been reshaped in multiple ways in recent years, from the boom in e-commerce to the rise in remote working. Now a new force is making arguably the biggest impact of all — artificial intelligence. AI's impact is being felt in multiple sectors, but commercial real estate might not immediately come to mind as an industry primed for disruption. After all, what's more "real" than the bricks and mortar of real estate. Yet increasingly, commercial real estate services firms face a battle in convincing their clients they need as many humans to do the work as previously assumed, whether that be brokers negotiating office leases or managers guiding investment decisions. Last month, the stocks of several leading commercial real estate service firms sank in a se...

Telenor is facing a class action lawsuit in Norway over the actions of its subsidiary in Myanmar.  The case alleges that Telenor Myanmar passed phone data of more than 1,200 people to the country's military junta following the 2021 coup. The company, which is 54% owned by Norway's government, has since withdrawn from Myanmar as internal conflict intensified in the aftermath of the removal of a more civilian-led government under Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi that temporarily ruled the troubled the country. In 2014, amid hopes for a new system of governance in the Myanmar, Telenor set up a subsidiary in the countryImage: Khin Maung Win/AP Photo/picture alliance What wrongdoing is Telenor accused of?  The class action lawsuit, filed by a Swedish non-profit called the Justice a...

Air Canada's CEO Michael Rousseau will retire later this year, the airline said on Monday, following criticism of his English-only message of condolence after the death of two pilots in a collision at New York's LaGuardia Airport.  Canada's largest airline, based in Montreal in French-speaking Quebec, said Rousseau told the board he would retire by the end of the third quarter.  The chairman of Air Canada's board of directors, Vagn Sorenson, thanked Rousseau for his years of service as chief financial officer, deputy CEO and then CEO.  "We are grateful for the determined leadership he has provided not only in steering our company through the 2007-2008 financial crisis, COVID and other challenges, but also in capturing opportunities such as the acquisition of Aeroplan, in restoring the s...

On April 2, 2025, Donald Trump shocked the world by announcing "economic independence" for the US, imposing sweeping tariffs on every country in the world. The US Supreme Court has since ruled against the unprecedented move, but the US president seems keen to double down.  DW analyzed trade data on the origin of US imports over the past year to find out: What have Trump's tariffs achieved? How is the rest of the world adjusting to this new economic order? And who, if anyone, is reaping the benefits?  April 2, 2025: White House announces 'Liberation Day' tariffs  Under the "Liberation Day" tariffs, the White House announced that every country — with a few exemptions due to sanctions and pre-existing trade deals — would be subject to a 10% baseline tariff on all goods they export to the U...

Not many people enjoy paying taxes. But many voters don't see a problem taxing the superrich and making them pay their "fair share." One way is to increase income taxes. There's also the option for an annual or one-off wealth tax on everything someone has above a certain mark. A few governments want to tax extreme wealth to lower taxes on a stagnating middle class or to make up for social inequality. Others want to fill budget holes.Still others argue philosophically that excessive wealth should be limited since it no longer adds to the well-being of those individuals.  Calls to raise US income taxes The definition of rich is in the eye of the beholder. But generally, ultra-high-net-worth individuals have at least $30 million (€25.9 million) in investable assets, while the superrich ha...

Just as optimists sensed that the United States-Israel war with Iran was on the verge of winding down, the monthlong crisis takes yet another twist. One moment, US President Donald Trump signals that negotiations are progressing and a ceasefire deal is near at hand; the next, he threatens toredouble the bombing of Iranian energy and manufacturing facilities, Iran, meanwhile, is allowing a small number of ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, while denying that any real ceasefire talks are taking place. Most experts agree on one key point: The longer this conflict goes on, the more devastating its impact will be on the world's energy supplies, inflation and economic stability. Every extra week of disruption raises costs for consumers and businesses while growth slows. The Federal ...

Since the Iran war began, the surge in oil prices has stirred memories of the dramatic oil shocks of 1973 and 1979.    In 1973, oil-producing Arab countries imposed an embargo against Western nations to punish them for supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Oil prices skyrocketed, forcing many Western governments to implement energy-saving measures such as gasoline rationing. Germany, for instance, declared several car-free days, banning private vehicles from the streets on four consecutive Sundays. Is the world once again on the brink of a similar crisis? Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), gave a stark warning on Monday, describing the Iran war as "already the biggest threat to energy security in history." He views the current crisis as worse than th...

The world is naturally fixated on the oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers missing from the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war. After all, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman carries around a fifth of global crude and LNG exports from the Gulf to the rest of the world. The more fragile cargo, however, is the fertilizer that helps feed the world and the food imports that keep Arabian Gulf states like the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia alive.  Gulf nations account for 20% of global traded volumes of key fertilizers such as ammonia, phosphates and sulfur, data from the maritime intelligence company Signal Group show. Nearly half the world's traded urea — the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer — comes from the Gulf region, with Qatar acc...