Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Catholic bishops gathered at a special Vatican assembly called on Pope Francis Saturday to open the priesthood to married men in the Amazon, as well as giving women a greater role to play and making damaging the environment a sin. The bishops issued a …
Read More »Why is part of the Amazon burning?
Washington, United States | AFP | The thousands of fires burning in the Amazon don’t look like the major forest fires of Europe or North America — instead, they are fueled mainly by branches, vegetation and other byproducts of deforestation in cleared areas, experts say. The dramatic scale of this year’s …
Read More »French winemakers jittery over Trump tariff threats ahead of G7
Paris, France | AFP | French winegrowers are on tenterhooks as they wait to see whether Donald Trump will follow through with his repeated threats to raise tariffs on French wine in retaliation for the new GAFA tax. As the leaders of the world’s richest countries gather for the G7 opening …
Read More »Amazon, Microsoft, ‘putting world at risk of killer AI’: study
Washington, United States | AFP | Amazon, Microsoft and Intel are among leading tech companies putting the world at risk through killer robot development, according to a report that surveyed major players from the sector about their stance on lethal autonomous weapons. Dutch NGO Pax ranked 50 companies by three criteria: …
Read More »Amazon workers strike as ‘Prime’ shopping frenzy hits
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Amazon workers walked out of a main distribution center in Minnesota on Monday, protesting for improved working conditions during the e-commerce titan’s major “Prime” shopping event. Amazon workers picketed outside the facility, briefly delaying a few trucks and waving signs with messages along the …
Read More »France passes law taxing digital giants in defiance of US anger
Paris, France | AFP | France on Thursday became the first major economy to impose a tax on digital giants, with parliament passing the legislation in defiance of a probe ordered by President Donald Trump that could trigger reprisal tariffs. The new law aims at plugging a taxation gap that has …
Read More »Amazon dethrones Google as top global brand
London, United Kingdom | AFP | US retail giant Amazon has moved past hi-tech titans Apple and Google to become the world’s most valuable brand, a key survey showed Tuesday. The brand value of Amazon surged by 52 percent to $315 billion, global market research agency Kantar said in its 2019 …
Read More »Fact-check: Does Amazon pay ‘$0’ in taxes?
Washington, United States | AFP | A tweet by a popular US Congresswoman spotlighted a report about US tech behemoth Amazon’s tax burden for the past two years. While the company paid no US federal income tax, it reported “cash taxes paid” of $1.2 billion last year and $957 million in …
Read More »Bezos case exposes billionaires’ vulnerability to hackers
New York, United States | AFP | The stunning revelation that a tabloid obtained below-the-belt selfies of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — the world’s richest man — suggests that even billionaires are not out of the reach of hackers. Bezos came out fighting this week, accusing the National Enquirer of blackmailing …
Read More »Oscar nominations: all the fun facts
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | The nominations for the 91st Oscars were announced Tuesday, with “Roma” and “The Favourite” leading the pack. But the statistical quirks that the annual event throws up can be as intriguing as tracking which movies get the most nods. Here are some fun …
Read More »