A group of Brazilian anthropologists and environmentalists has put forward Chief Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapó tribe as a candidate for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for a lifetime of work protecting the Amazon rainforest. Raoni, an unmistakable Amazon icon with his large lip plate, yellow macaw-feather headdress, and earrings, …
Read More »New high-voltage electric eels revealed.
Call it a shocking discovery: DNA research has revealed two entirely new species of electric eel in the Amazon basin, including one capable of delivering a record-breaking jolt. The findings are evidence, researchers say, of the incredible diversity in the Amazon rainforest — much of it still unknown to science …
Read More »Brazil to reject G7 money to fight Amazon fires.
The Brazilian government has said it will reject G7 countries offer of aid from to help tackle fires in the Amazon rainforest. French President Emmanuel Macron – who hosted a G7 summit that ended on Monday – said $22m (£18m) would be released. But Brazilian ministers say the money is …
Read More »Moon can’t bear watching Earth do this to itself.
Gazing down with a vaguely orange tint at a new fire blossoming on the Earth where a fire should not be, the Moon confided that it felt sad and powerless watching the Earth destroy itself. “At first it was small things. Losing a species here or there. Just careless, really. …
Read More »As EU threatens trade retaliation, Brazil sends army to fight Amazon fires.
European leaders on Friday threatened to tear up a trade deal with South America, reflecting growing international anger at Brazil as a record number of fires in the Amazon rainforest intensified an unfolding environmental crisis. Amid a global chorus of concern and condemnation, Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro pledged in …
Read More »Trump orders US companies ‘to immediately start looking for an alternative to China’
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he has ordered American companies to exit China after Beijing unveiled retaliatory tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. goods, throwing a new twist into the bitter trade war between the world’s two largest economies. Trump said on Twitter he will issue a response …
Read More »Videos: Worst rainforest fires in history in Brazil.
It came, witnesses said, quickly and without warning. One compared it to the “apocalypse”. Sao Paulo – the largest city in the Americas – was plunged into afternoon darkness after vast plumes of smoke from forest fires burning across the continent suddenly swept over the city. Brazilians living in the …
Read More »Ever wondered whether your phone is listening to you?
Yes, your iPhone Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant devices are listening to you, and it turns out that the smart devices can record what you say and share those recordings with Apple, Amazon and Google employees.
Read More »Hey Siri! Stop recording and sharing my private conversations.
“Voice assistants have a dark side, and we may be paying for their limited benefits with our privacy” A news story in the Guardian last week confirmed what many Apple users likely already suspected: Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, has the power to record private conversations, and these audio clips aren’t …
Read More »Opinion| Facial recognition technology: The criminal among us
The use of facial recognition in law enforcement takes us one step closer to our dystopian future. When I was a child, I used to dream of growing up to live in a magical world where every move would be monitored by cameras tracking my identity, behavior, and emotions. Just …
Read More »Amazon’s new drones to start delivering packages in months.
Amazon.com Inc has new drones that will deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less in the coming months, a step toward a goal that has eluded the retailer for years. Jeff Wilke, head of Amazon’s consumer operations, unveiled the newest design for its “Prime Air” fleet during the …
Read More »At least 40 inmates strangled to death in Amazon prison gang clashes.
At least 40 prisoners in Brazil were found strangled to death on Monday in four jails in the Amazon jungle city of Manaus, where a fight between rival prison gangs resulted in 15 dead the day before, authorities said. A federal task force is being sent to Manaus in an …
Read More »Tech giants vow to limit online terror content.
Five global technology companies have pledged to limit terrorist material online. Facebook, Amazon, Google, Twitter, and Microsoft will develop shared tools to detect and remove terrorist or extremist content among other measures. The pledge was made at a Paris summit, which was called after the terror attack in Christchurch, New …
Read More »Alibaba exceeds revenue expectations on cloud boost.
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd beat fourth-quarter revenue forecasts on Wednesday, thanks to growth in its core business and its diversification into cloud computing and other services. Alibaba has invested in new business lines such as cloud computing as a boom in its core e-commerce has peaked and …
Read More »Amazon rolls out machines that pack orders and replace jobs.
Amazon.com Inc is rolling out machines to automate a job held by thousands of its workers: boxing up customer orders. The company started adding technology to a handful of warehouses in recent years, which scans goods coming down a conveyor belt and envelopes them seconds later in boxes custom-built for …
Read More »Deforestation: Tropical tree losses persist at high levels.
Around 12 million hectares of forest in the world’s tropical regions were lost in 2018, equivalent to 30 football fields per minute. While this represents a decline in 2016 and 2017, it is still the fourth highest rate of loss since records began in 2001. Of particular concern is the …
Read More »Amazon staff listen to customers’ Alexa recordings: reports.
When Amazon customers speak to Alexa, the company’s AI-powered voice assistant, they may be heard by more people than they expect, according to a report. Amazon employees around the world regularly listen to recordings from the company’s smart speakers as part of the development process for new services, Bloomberg News …
Read More »Mystery surrounds Humpback whale found dead in depths of Amazon jungle.
Brazilian wildlife experts have been left baffled after discovering a dead humpback whale in the Amazon rainforest. The 10-ton mammal was found in the jungle undergrowth on the island of Marajo, which sits at the mouth of the Amazon River. Although scientists presume the enormous creature was hurled onshore during …
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