Tesla workers from IG Metall at a protest in Germany

Tesla has labor disputes in the United States, Germany and Sweden, including an ongoing strike in Sweden. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has expressed his opposition to unions on Twitter (now called X). These tweets are currently under scrutiny by US courts to determine whether they are protected free speech or unlawful. All unionization efforts at the Tesla Fremont Factory and Gigafactory New York in the United States have been unsuccessful. In Germany, Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg and Tesla Automation have elected works councils, but they have not signed collective bargaining agreements with the German trade union IG Metall (members pictured). The Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg works council is divided into pro-union and anti-union factions. In Sweden, mechanics who are members of the trade union IF Metall have been on strike since October 27, 2023, making it the longest strike in Sweden since 1938. The strike has since spread, with other Swedish, Danish and Norwegian unions calling for solidarity strikes. (Full article...)

Sukuma mask from Tanzania

• ... that the catalogue for Tanzania. Masterworks of African Sculpture highlighted traditional artworks such as a Sukuma mask (pictured)?
• ... that Ankarette Twynho's hanging for poisoning a duchess was a cause célèbre, and has been described by one modern historian as "judicial murder"?
• ... that China has sanctioned more than 100 foreign individuals and entities with asset freezes and other restrictions?
• ... that technical issues in the minute before their November 2024 BBC Radio 1 performance meant that South Arcade had to set up while the presenter was announcing them?
• ... that Kasey Morlock was one of five NCAA Division II women's basketball players selected for the 25th-anniversary team?
• ... that Doctor Who series 13 told only a single story, the first time for the show since 1986?
• ... that the scientific name of a species of crustacean is named after ambassador Lamtiur Andaliah Panggabean and her two children?
• ... that Milton Nascimento did not enter himself into the second edition of the Festival Internacional da Canção, yet placed second?
• ... that one-dollar pizza slices, a unique part of the culture of New York City, were originally sold near homeless shelters?

Edward Berger

• At the British Academy Film Awards, Conclave (director and Outstanding British Film co-winner Edward Berger pictured) wins four awards, including Best Film.
• Mahamoud Ali Youssouf is elected chairman of the African Union Commission.
• President of Romania Klaus Iohannis resigns from office, and is succeeded by Ilie Bolojan in an acting capacity.
• A bus falls off a bridge over the Las Vacas River in Guatemala City, killing at least 55 people.

February 20: Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes in Ukraine (2014)

Avro CF-105 Arrow

• 1685 – The French colonization of Texas began with the landing of colonists led by Robert de La Salle near Matagorda Bay.
• 1959 – Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker cancelled the Avro CF-105 Arrow (pictured) interceptor-aircraft program amid much political debate.
• 1970 – Wat Phra Dhammakaya, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Thailand, was founded in Pathum Thani.
• 1998 – At the age of 15, American figure skater Tara Lipinski became the then-youngest winner of an Olympic gold medal in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.