Tag: amazon

Bezos a $100-billion man as Amazon rises on cyber shopping

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) o– Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was a $100-billion man on Monday as the online retail colossus raked in cash from the holiday weekend’s cyber shopping spree. Forbes magazine’s real-time ranking of the richest people had Bezos on top, with a personal net worth of $100.3 billion. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates saw his net worth climb to a dizzying $89.4 billion but was relegated to being the second most affluent person […]

Brazil exports murder-tainted illegal logging: Greenpeace

by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Endangered Amazon hardwood trafficked by a Brazilian exporter allegedly behind the massacre of nine farmers this year is being sold unimpeded around the world, according to environmental pressure group Greenpeace. The group said Tuesday that the purchase of products by importers from as far apart as Japan and the United States illustrates lack of control over a logging industry ravaging the world’s greatest […]

For Amazon tribe, rainforest is a whole world

by Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse Waiãpi, Brazil (AFP) — When Japarupi Waiapi looks into the dense foliage of the Amazon rainforest, he sees the equivalent of a supermarket, pharmacy, furniture store — and that’s just the beginning. Food like coconuts, roots and bananas grows plentifully. Animals and fish are readily available for hunting, and the bark of many trees has medicinal uses. Just in terms of different wood types, “we see thatch for our roofs, we see […]

In reversal, US tech firms back bill on human trafficking

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Major US tech firms reversed course Friday and endorsed a proposal in Congress which could hold website owners liable for human trafficking. The Internet Association, which includes giants Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon, said in a statement it supported the measure after reaching a compromise with legislative sponsors. The association “is committed to combating sexual exploitation and sex trafficking online” president Michael Beckerman said in endorsing the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA). “Important […]

Amazon to provide economic growth to Jacksonville, Florida

(Eagle News) – Amazon announced earlier this year that it plans to expand in Jacksonville by building an 800,000 square foot fulfillment center. The City of Jacksonville enticed the retail giant with its $18 million in tax breaks providing an economic impact to the city that is worth about $200 million. “Jacksonville has all the attributes that make for a great place to do business,” Mayor Lenny Curry stated, “including a strong labor force, a […]

Bidding war heats up for $5 billion second Amazon Headquarters

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — It’s the prize of a lifetime — a $5 billion investment creating 50,000 well-paid jobs that everyone wants, but only one US city will get. From East to West, from North to South, metropolies across the United States are locked in a frenzied bidding war desperate to woo Amazon into favoring them as the site of the e-commerce giant’s second headquarters. From $7 billion in tax breaks in Newark, […]

Solar panels shine in darkest Amazon, the ‘last frontier’

by Paula Ramon Agence France-Presse ITUXI Extractive Reserve, Brazil (AFP) — In the darkest reaches of Brazil’s Amazon, solar panels are bringing light — and could help save the rainforest. Aurelio Souza is working to install solar panels in villages along the remote Purus and Ituxi rivers in the western Amazonas state. “The Amazon is the last big frontier for electricity in the country,” says the consultant for a joint program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) […]

Wal-Mart profits fall as it ramps investment to fight Amazon

by John Biers Agence France-Presse Walmart updated investors Thursday on its latest new gadgets and time-saving pickup options to lure shoppers to stores and away from arch-rival Amazon. The good news? The company’s array of investments in e-commerce, store beautification, low prices and higher employee pay are indeed driving up store traffic. The bad news? Profits are down. Walmart US, the biggest division at Wal-Mart Stores, scored a 1.8 percent rise in comparable sales in […]

Bezos sells $1 bn in Amazon stock yearly to pay for rocket firm

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Billionaire entrepreneur Jeff Bezos said he is selling $1 billion in stock of his retail giant Amazon each year to finance his rocket company, Blue Origin, which aims to carry tourists to space by 2018. Speaking Wednesday at the 33rd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Bezos vowed to lower the cost of space travel and start taking customers to space by next year. The entrepreneur did not say how […]

Amazon drops appeal, to pay $70 million for kids app buys

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Amazon has dropped its appeal of a United States regulator’s order and will pay refunds up to $70 million for app purchases by children on its tablet computers, officials said Tuesday. The Federal Trade Commission announced it filed a joint request with Amazon to withdraw a court challenge to an order from last year, which was similar to actions taken against Apple and Google for failing to get parental authorization for […]

Google, Amazon eye Toshiba’s chip unit: report

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Google and Amazon joined a list of potential buyers eyeing Toshiba’s lucrative memory chip business as the Japanese conglomerate seeks bidders to cover huge losses, a newspaper said Saturday. Toshiba has reportedly completed the first round of bidding for its prized memory chip business, seen as key for the cash-strapped company to turn itself around. Some 10 foreign companies and funds, including Google and Amazon, tendered bids, the mass-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun […]

Bill Gates again world’s richest man; Trump slips

by John BIERS Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates once again topped the Forbes magazine list of the world’s more than 2,000 billionaires, while US President Donald Trump slipped more than 200 spots, the magazine said Monday. Gates, whose wealth is estimated at $86 billion, led the list for the fourth straight year, and has been ranked as the richest person in the world for 18 of the […]