# Amazon
This month
January 2023
# Davos
Varadkar says Ireland will be affected by Microsoft job losses
Varadkar is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.
# Brazil
Brazilian Amazon deforestation up 150% in Bolsonaro's last month in office
Under Bolsonaro, average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rose by 75.5% from the previous decade.
# tech jobs
Amazon to cut more than 18,000 jobs globally
In September the company shipping items from a new fulfilment centre in Dublin which employs 500 people.
Last month
December 2022
# deforestation
Amazon loses a tenth of its vegetation in four decades, report says
From 1985 to 2021, the deforested area surged from 490,000 square kilometres to 1,250,000 square kilometres.
Last year
2022
# Neighbours
TV soap Neighbours set for revival on Amazon streaming services
Production on the revitalised drama is set to start in early 2023.
# Morning Memo
Newsletter: What's behind the global tech sector job cuts?
Political leaders here are attempting to sound reassuring amid global cuts.
# Layoffs
Amazon begins mass layoffs among its corporate workforce
No job cuts are expected in Ireland.
# Amazon Rainforest
'Brazil is back': President-elect Lula vows to fight deforestation at COP27
Lula has offered to host UN climate talks in the Amazon region in 2025.
# Amazon
No job cuts expected at Amazon Ireland despite reports of lay-offs, Varadkar says
The tech giant is set to axe up to 10,000 workers from its global operation.
# Job Losses
Tech firm Intercom to cut workforce by almost 13%, leaving 39 jobs in Ireland at risk
The New York Times is reporting that Amazon plans to lay off approximately 10,000 people starting as soon as this week.
# deforestation
Brazil sets new Amazon deforestation record for October ahead of government change
Under outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro, average annual deforestation increased 75% compared to the previous decade.
# Brazil
More fires in Brazil's Amazon so far this year than all of 2021, new figures show
Satellite monitoring has detected 75,592 fires from 1 January to 18 September this year.
# fulfilment centre
Amazon announces launch of new Dublin fulfilment centre
The centre will employ 500 people.
# Amazon
Amazon opens first Irish fulfilment centre in Dublin
Recruitment for the site is currently underway.
# alexa
Amazon’s Alexa could mimic the voices of dead relatives
The capability was unveiled at Amazon’s Re:Mars conference in Las Vegas.
# Brazil
‘Exhaustive’ search fails to find Amazon murder victims' boat as tests begin on bodies
Fisherman Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, 41, confessed to killing the men and led officers to two buried bodies.
# Amazon
Second man arrested in case of missing British journalist and Brazilian indigenous expert
The suspect, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, is a brother of the man so far considered by police as the main suspect in the case.
# Amazon
Conflicting reports on developments in search for British journalist and Brazilian expert
Brazilian Federal Police said the latest development was the discovery of personal items belonging to Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira.
# Brazil
Brazil police questioning suspect over disappearance of Amazon explorers
Local Indigenous activists said the pair received threats last week for their work in the remote region.
# Brazil
British journalist and Brazilian indigenous expert missing in remote part of Amazon
Two people have been arrested in connection with their disappearance.
# Data Centres
Amazon secures green light for data centre in Meath despite opposition
An Bord Pleanála granted permission to Amazon to allow construction of the new data centre
# Amazon
Amazon workers vote to unionise in New York, in a US first
“We want to thank Jeff Bezos for going to space because while he was up there we were signing people up,” one union organiser said.
# CLIMATE CRISIS
Amazon rainforest reaching ‘tipping point’ faster than expected, research shows
A new paper said three-quarters of the Amazon is showing dwindling resilience against droughts and other adverse weather events.
# the good information project
'We have to think hard about prioritisation': The environmental impact of Ireland's data centres
With around 70 data centres in Ireland and more to come, tech companies are now using a massively outsized amount of energy.
# Brazil
Area more than six times the size of Manhattan destroyed in Brazilian Amazon in January
Deforestation levels in the Brazilian Amazon hit a new record for January.
# Jeff Bezos
Rotterdam to dismantle historic bridge to allow Jeff Bezos superyacht to pass
The decision has angered some in the Netherlands.
# Ecuador
Oil spill pollutes nature reserve in Ecuador's Amazon
Neither the government nor OCP Ecuador have quantified the extent of the spill.
All time
# warehouse collapse
US inspectors launch probe into Amazon warehouse collapse that left six dead during tornado
The regulators will look into whether or not workplace safety rules were followed by Amazon at the site.
# Frozen Out
Amazon server outage hits thousands of Disney+ and Netflix customers
The e-commerce giant said it has “identified the root cause and are actively working towards recovery.”
# Brazil
Deforestation of Brazil's Amazon up 22% in a year, highest level in 15 years
13,235 square kilometres of forest was lost from August 2020 to July 2021.
# card declined
Amazon to stop accepting UK Visa credit cards due to post-Brexit 'high fees'
The online retail giant said it has made the decision due to ‘the high fees Visa charges for processing credit card transactions’.
# Amazon
Deforestation of Brazil's Amazon rainforest hit new record in October
An area more than half the size of the city of Rio de Janeiro of Amazon’s lush rainforest was cleared.
# Not Rocket Science
Musk and Bezos make separate grand gestures over global hunger
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has also offered millions to tackle desertification
# Workplace Relations
Irish trade unions voice concern over Amazon worker surveillance and alleged union-busting
“Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
# Baldonnell
Amazon to create 500 jobs at new Irish warehouse
The facility is due to open next spring and will be the first of its kind in Ireland.
# Working Conditions
Bezos attracts criticism for thanking Amazon workers after space flight
The company is facing increasing pressure to improve working conditions.
Voices
Opinion: As we gradually return to normal, we need to stop the creeping Amazon-ification of our economy
Everyone should have the right to a living wage, job security and decent work conditions, writes Victor Duggan.
# final frontier
Amazon's Jeff Bezos just launched himself to the edge of space
Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson made the voyage on 11 July, narrowly beating Bezos.
# Teamsters
Major US union project aims to organise Amazon workers
“Amazon workers face dehumanizing, unsafe and low-pay jobs, with high turnover and no voice at work.”
# Scotland
Millions of new smart TVs, laptops and other items in Amazon warehouse marked 'destroy'
A probe found that items earmarked for destruction at a Scottish warehouse.
