Global Turmoil: Layoffs, Probes, and Protests Grip World Stage

Pinterest Fires Engineers for Tracking Layoff Data

Pinterest recently fired two engineers for improperly accessing confidential company information to track which employees were affected by recent layoffs, according to BBC Technology. The company, which recently announced it would cut 15% of its workforce, or roughly 700 roles, is "doubling down on an AI-forward approach," according to a memo from Chief Executive Bill Ready that was posted on LinkedIn.

The engineers reportedly wrote custom scripts to identify the locations and names of dismissed employees. Pinterest had not publicly specified which teams or workers would be affected by the job cuts.

The layoffs come as other companies in the tech and media sectors are also making significant cuts. The Washington Post announced it is laying off one-third of its workforce, sharply scaling back the paper's coverage of sports and foreign news, according to BBC Business. Executive editor Matt Murray said the cuts would bring "stability," but the announcement was met with condemnation from the paper's employees.

Meanwhile, in other news, prosecutors in Italy have placed a man under investigation as part of a probe into alleged sniper tourism in Sarajevo during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, Al Jazeera reports. The man, an 80-year-old former truck driver, is the first individual to be identified in the inquiry that began last year.

In Iran, authorities have launched an online portal for people to report the names of loved ones missing from a government list of thousands killed during recent nationwide protests, as calls for accountability grow, according to Al Jazeera. Authorities say 3,117 people were killed during the anti-establishment protests that began in late December.

In economic news, the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is expected to hold interest rates steady at its upcoming meeting, according to BBC Business. The MPC cut the Bank rate from 4% to 3.75% in December and suggested rates were "likely to continue on a gradual downward path."