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☆ Volkswagen plans to close ‘at least’ 3 German plants and lay off thousands of workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Volkswagen plans to close “at least” three factories in Germany, lay off tens of thousands of staff and downsize remaining plants in the country, the company’s employee group said Monday. The plans are already facing pushback from labor unions in the country, where Volkswagen employs 295,000 people, setting the stage for possible strikes in the coming weeks. Volkswagen has been locked in negotiations with unions for weeks over its plans to cut costs and restructure business operations. A Volkswagen employee holds a placard reading "Hands off the collective agreement" during a VW works council event in Zwickau, eastern Germany on October 28, 2024. It has previously said that it would seek to terminate an employment protection agreement with labor unions, which has been in place since 1994, to “future proof” the business.

Persons: ” Thorsten Groeger, Metall, IG Metall, Volkswagen’s, Daniela Cavallo, ” Cavallo, Jens Schlueter, Gunnar Kilian, ” Thomas Schaefer, ”, Volkswagen Organizations: London CNN, Volkswagen, VW, IG, CNN, ”, Getty, Labor Locations: Germany, Zwickau, AFP, China, Europe

☆ Ian Happ: Chicago Cubs player throws beer money to fans in left field stands
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Jamie Barton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

To show his appreciation for the Cubs faithful, left fielder Ian Happ chucked a ball wrapped in $100 bills to the left stands on Sunday. The gesture marked the team’s final game of the season, in which the Cincinnati Reds claimed a 3-0 shutout win over Chicago. Dominant starts from Caleb Kilian and Hunter Greene on the mound eventually led to extra innings being required at Wrigley Field with the score tied at 0-0. De La Cruz also stole two bases during the game, meaning he ends the regular season with an MLB-high 67. You don’t take them for granted,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said afterwards, according to MLB.com.

Persons: don’t, Ian Happ, Beers, Ian, ” Happ, ”, Caleb Kilian, Hunter Greene, Elly De La, Tyler Stephenson, De La Cruz, Craig Counsell, “, ‘, there’s Organizations: CNN, Chicago Cubs, Cubs, MLB, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago, Wrigley, Cincinnati, Reds, ” Cubs Locations: Chicago, Windy City, De La Cruz

German automotive giant Volkswagen on Tuesday said it was scrapping six labor agreements as the company's standoff with unions and its works council intensified. "The company sees itself forced to do so because of the current economic challenges," Volkswagen said in a statement translated by CNBC. That applies to the company as well as the wage agreement levels," Volkswagen human resources chief Gunnar Kilian said in the statement. In a statement released Tuesday, VW Works Council head Daniela Cavallo reiterated that there would be pushback to Volkswagen's plans. We will not accept this silently and without action," he said in a statement translated by CNBC.

Persons: Gunnar Kilian, Daniela Cavallo, Thorsten Gröger Organizations: Volkswagen, VW, CNBC, VW Works, IG Metall Locations: Zwickau, Germany

☆ Ancient text reveals details of Plato’s burial place and final evening, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It was previously only known that he was buried in the academy, but not specifically where, Ranocchia told CNN Tuesday. A statue of ancient Greek philosopher Plato in Athens, Greece. Brigida Soriano/AlamyThe text also provides more detail about Plato’s final night – and he wasn’t a fan of the music that was played. The project, called the Greek Schools project, is a five-year study using various technologies and methods to help decipher the fragile papyri. “The new readings often draw on new and concrete facts about Plato’s Academy, Hellenistic literature, Philodemus of Gadara and ancient history in general.”

Persons: Plato, Graziano Ranocchia, Ranocchia, Roman general Sulla, Brigida Soriano, ”, ” Ranocchia, Socrates, Julius Caesar, Lorenzo Di Cola, ” Kilian Fleischer Organizations: CNN, Platonic Academy of Athens, of Philology, University of Pisa, Platonic, Spartans, University of Naples, European Union, ERC – European Research Council, Greek Schools, Plato’s Academy Locations: Vesuvius, Athens, Greece, Thrace, Naples, Mesopotamia, Aegina, Sicily, Herculaneum, Italy

☆ A man deliberately got 217 Covid shots. Here’s what happened
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Mira Cheng | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The man, who is not named in the correspondence in compliance with German privacy rules, reported receiving 217 Covid shots between June 2021 and November 2023. Raising suspicionsAccording to his immunization history, the man got his first Covid vaccine in June 2021. The adaptive immune system is the subsection of the immune system that learns to recognize and respond to specific pathogens when you encounter them throughout your life, Miller said. Last week, the CDC updated its guidance to recommend an additional dose of the current Covid vaccine for people 65 and older. Less than a quarter of adults and only 13% of children in the US have gotten the most recently recommended Covid vaccine, according to CDC data.

Persons: hypervaccination ”, ”, Emily Happy Miller, ” Miller, “, Dr, Kilian Schober, Friedrich, hypervaccination, ” Schober, Schober, Miller, Hypervaccination, that’s, Johnson, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Alexander University Erlangen, Red Cross, RTL, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson, Sanofi, CNN Health, Centers for Disease Control, CDC Locations: Magdeburg, Nürnberg, Saxony, Dresden, Eilenburg, United States

☆ Volkswagen to reduce headcount at 'no longer competitive' VW brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Volkswagen logo is seen during the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 5, 2023. "With many of our pre-existing structures, processes and high costs, we are no longer competitive as the Volkswagen brand," Schaefer told a staff meeting at the carmaker's headquarters in Wolfsburg, according to a post on the company's intranet site and seen by Reuters. The company had previously said it planned to take advantage of the "demographic curve" to reduce its workforce, having pledged that it would not carry out dismissals until 2029. In Monday's meeting, human resources board member Gunnar Kilian said this would be achieved through agreements on partial or early retirement. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Reporting by Victoria Waldersee Writing by Matthias Williams Editing by Miranda Murray and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Thomas Schaefer, Schaefer, Gunnar Kilian, Kilian, Victoria Waldersee, Matthias Williams, Miranda Murray, David Goodman Organizations: New York, REUTERS, BERLIN, VW, Volkswagen, Reuters, Victoria, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Wolfsburg

☆ Volkswagen to cut administrative personnel costs 20% in savings drive -Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) plans to cut administrative personnel costs by a fifth as part of a cost-cutting package to save 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) by 2026, the Handelsblatt daily reported on Monday, citing an internal company podcast. Gunnar Kilian, Volkswagen's board member for human resources, said in conversation with VW brand chief Thomas Schaefer that the cuts would focus on cost reduction rather than headcount, according to the Handelsblatt report. The specific details of the drive at Volkswagen's passenger car brand, announced in June and currently being defined in talks between management and the workers council, are due to be set by December. Volkswagen has signed an agreement with the workers council to secure jobs until 2029, and the council has repeatedly said it will not allow changes to that agreement. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Christina Amann; Writing by Victoria Waldersee, Miranda Murray; Editing by Stephen Coates and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Gunnar Kilian, Volkswagen's, Thomas Schaefer, Victoria Waldersee, Christina Amann, Miranda Murray, Stephen Coates, Bernadette Baum Organizations: VW, REUTERS, Rights, Volkswagen, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Wolfsburg, Germany

☆ From non-native bluegrass in Antarctica to beautiful spotted bugs in the middle of NYC, here are 5 invasive species that are as stunning as they are threatening to humanity
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Here are 5 of the most obvious examples of how invasive species are impacting all of us right now. Scientists say invasive species are one of the top five drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide (alongside other environmental issues like pollution and climate change). The authors of the new UN report estimate that only about 6% of non-native plants and 11% of non-native microbes are invasive species. AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, invasive species are an outsized driver of animal and plant extinctions, contributing to over half (60%) of them. Even Antarctica isn't safe from the threat of invaders like a non-native bluegrassPoa annua is an annual bluegrass species native to Eurasia.

Persons: Peter Stoett —, Stoett, we're, Gary Hershorn, Michael M, Joe Biden, Mandel Ngan, Melani Spielman, it's, Dan Kitwood, Wolfgang Kaehler, South America —, Kilian Fichou, Hu Weibin, Anibal Pauchard Organizations: UN, Service, United Nations, Ontario Tech University, Washington Post, Services, East, New, US Department of Agriculture, Getty, Cornell University, South America, Publishing, University of Concepción Locations: New York, Antarctica, New York City, China, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York , New Jersey , Michigan, Ohio, Inwood, Park, Maui, Marine, AFP, Waimea Valley, Africa, Hawaii, Somoria, Guinea, South America, Brazil, Kenya, Bangladesh, Florida, South, Europe, Lakes, Lake Ontario, Canada, Great, North America, Michigan, Eurasia, Chile

☆ US companies face less pressure for climate and social reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jeenah MoonJune 9 (Reuters) - Shareholder support for proxy resolutions on topics including climate change and workforce diversity dropped significantly this spring, analysts said, as tough proposals from activists met with growing political pressure on fund firms' voting. Support for resolutions on social issues fell to 20% this year so far, from 26% in 2022 and 33% in 2021, Georgeson said. He declined to discuss specific companies, but his description fit results like at major U.S. banks that defeated calls to wind down financing for major fossil fuel projects. "These dynamics have led to an overall decline in investor support for environment and social shareholder proposals," Colton said. Both have previously said they vote on a case-by-case basis and noted an increasing number of proposals affect support rates.

Persons: Russell, Georgeson, Kilian Moote, ESG, Sow, Andrew Behar, Ford, Behar, Benjamin Colton, Colton, Scott Shepard, Ross Kerber, Sabrina Valle, Lincoln Organizations: New, REUTERS, Ford, eBay, Exxon, Street Global Advisors, BlackRock, Vanguard, Center for Public Policy Research, IBM, National Center, Thomson Locations: New York City, Manhattan, Weehawken , New Jersey, U.S, China, Houston

☆ Inside the AI talent wars: Tech companies are ransacking university AI programs at Stanford, MIT, and Cornell in search of engineers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Driven by the recent AI boom, companies are raiding top college campuses for rare technical talent. She's currently on leave from her Stanford AI Ph.D. program to focus on Moonhub. In 2011, new AI Ph.D. graduates took jobs in the tech industry and academia in about equal measure. But since then, the majority of new grads have headed to the AI industry, with nearly double the percentage of AI Ph.D. grads taking industry jobs versus academic roles in 2021, according to Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered AI's 2023 AI Index Report. "All AI companies have roles for people with Ph.D.s and without," said Attaluri, the soon-to-be researcher at DeepMind.

☆ Inside the AI talent wars: Tech companies are ransacking university AI programs at Stanford, MIT, and Cornell in search of rare talent
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

☆ Prediction Capital just closed the first tranche of its $30 million fund to back early-stage fintech and consumer startups in the DACH region
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Prediction Capital has launched its first fund to back early-stage fintech and consumer startups. The $30 million fund, backed by Swiss family office Infinitas Capital, will focus on the DACH region. The Malta-based firm, which has reached the first close of its new $30 million early-stage fund, will focus on startups in the DACH region. Its focus is early-stage startups, across pre-seed to Series A, and initial ticket sizes will range from $250,000 to $500,000. With the help of the family office, Prediction Capital has been able to close four deals so far.

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