Business

Russia plans to stop oil exports from Kazakhstan to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline from May 1, threatening a key refinery which supplies the vast majority of diesel, petrol and heating oil needed for the city of Berlin. The PCK refinery, located in the town of Schwedt about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Berlin, receives oil supplies via the pipeline. Previously run by Russian oil major Rosneft, the German government seized the refinery's operations following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since 2022, the refinery has imported Kazakh crude oil in increasing volumes, which is transported from the Central Asian nation, across Russian territory, to Berlin. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy confirmed the news to DW in a statement....

Apple announced on Monday that after more than a decade as chief executive, Tim Cook will step down in September. Cook will hand leadership to company veteran John Ternus, currently Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, marking Apple's first CEO transition since the death of founder Steve Jobs. "Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor," Ternus said. "It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another," he added.Ternus has played a key role in reigniting sales of products such as Apple's Mac computers, which have gained market share in recent years [FILE: October 18, 2021]Image: App...

Weeks after Apple's 50th anniversary, the US technology titan announced on Monday that its CEO Tim Cook would step down in September, to be succeeded by hardware engineer John Ternus. Ternus will step into some of the biggest shoes in corporate America. Cook is credited with turning Apple from a $350 billion (€298 billion) company when he started to a valuation of over $4 trillion today. Ternus takes over a tech giant that must keep its premium edge — the iPhone recently retook the crown as the world's most popular smartphone by sales — while pushing harder into artificial intelligence (AI). At the same time, Apple faces intense competition, regulatory pressures and supply-chain challenges as it searches for the next phase of expansion beyond the iPhone. In a media statement, Ternus sa...

Brazil is presenting itself with confidence at the Hannover Messe, the world's largest trade fair for the manufacturing industry, opening on April 20 in Hannover, Germany. "We want to show that Brazil is not only an agricultural powerhouse, but also a global player in industrial technology," said Patricia Gomes of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. The goal, she explained, is to position Brazil as a leader in green, digital and resilient industries like renewable energy and electric mobility. A focus on energy and technology Brazil is already a regional leader in Latin America when it comes to electric mobility and the expansion of smart charging infrastructure. Last year, 224,000 electric vehicles were registered in the country — an increase of around 40% compared t...

Brazil is presenting itself with confidence at the Hannover Messe, the world's largest trade fair for the manufacturing industry, opening on April 20 in Hannover, Germany. "We want to show that Brazil is not only an agricultural powerhouse, but also a global player in industrial technology," said Patricia Gomes of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. The goal, she explained, is to position Brazil as a leader in green, digital and resilient industries like renewable energy and electric mobility. A focus on energy and technology Brazil is already a regional leader in Latin America when it comes to electric mobility and the expansion of smart charging infrastructure. Last year, 224,000 electric vehicles were registered in the country — an increase of around 40% compared t...

How will Trump's blockade of Iranian oil work? After US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan collapsed at the weekend, US President Donald Trump said the US Navy would block ships entering or leaving any Iranian port or coastal facility via the Strait of Hormuz. Until the war began in late February, a fifth of the world's seaborne oil trade passed Hormuz, the narrow stretch of water between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. If successful, the blockade would sever Iran's main source of revenue by halting its nearly 2 million barrel-per-day oil export trade, which Trump is betting will force Tehran back to the negotiating table. US officials said the goal was to strip Iran of leverage gained from its control of the waterway, which Tehran effectively shut when the war began, stranding hundre...

Jennifer Herb spends a lot of time alongside railway tracks in all kinds of weather. As a shunting attendant at DB Cargo, a subsidiary of German railway giant Deutsche Bahn, she checks brakes, inspects undercarriages and couples and uncouples freight cars. Her work clothes have to move with her every step: bending, climbing, turning and walking kilometers on uneven ground. They must be visible day and night and protect her from snow, wind, sun and rain. Herb usually wears a high-visibility jacket and trousers in bright orange with reflective stripes. They were made specifically for women and have a high stretch content. "The clothing works with me, like another colleague," wrote the shunting attendant on the blog of the Cologne-based workwear manufacturer Bierbaum-Proenen. Poorly fitt...

Pilots with Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and subsidiary Eurowings began a 48-hour strike on Monday morning. The airline is also facing a cabin crew work stoppage right after the pilots end their strike. Lufthansa is struggling to negotiate terms both with the pilots' trade union Vereinigung Cockpit and the UFO cabin crew union that called on members to strike just last week.  On Monday afternoon, UFO said that it had called on its members to strike again on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, meaning Lufthansa could face four consecutive days of disruptions.  Hundreds of flights were canceled on Monday, with the major hubs of Frankfurt and Munich hit hardest, in the fourth strike of 2026 at the airline. Middle Eastern flights are exempt from the strike, amid t...

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...