Germany pledges $222 million for Brazil environment, Amazon
SAO PAULO — (AP) — German development minister Svenja Schulze announced Monday that her government will make 204 million euros ($222 million) available for environmental policies in Brazil. Of this total, $38 million is a donation to the Amazon Fund, Schulze told reporters in capital Brasilia. It is the most important international cooperation effort to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and is mostly funded by Norway. Germany also pledged to provide $87 million in low-interest loans for farmers to restore degraded areas and $34 million for Amazon states to protect the rainforest. ___Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.
wftv.comAmazon axes free grocery delivery on Prime orders under $150
NEW YORK — (AP) — Amazon is axing free grocery delivery for Prime members on orders less than $150. Currently, the company offers members free grocery deliveries on orders above $35, with the exception of New York, where it’s $50. Amazon Fresh deliveries over $150 will remain free. “We’re introducing a service fee on some Amazon Fresh delivery orders to help keep prices low in our online and physical grocery stores as we better cover grocery delivery costs and continue to enable offering a consistent, fast, and high-quality delivery experience,” Amazon spokesperson Lara Hendrickson said in a prepared statement. The company has dozens of Amazon Fresh stores across the U.S. and has opened some abroad.
wftv.comTRAFFIC ALERT: Part of I-4 shut down for hours near downtown Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. — A section of Interstate 4 near downtown Orlando is shut down and has been for several hours. All eastbound lanes of I-4 are closed at John Young Parkway. Drivers are able to use the I-4 Express Lanes in the area to help get around the shutdown. Watch: ‘Terrifying’: Two convicted felons caught on camera robbing Amazon delivery driverTraffic is building south of downtown Orlando as other drivers are maneuvering through alternates to get back on the highway. As of 5 a.m. it is unclear when the eastbound lanes of I-4 will be reopened.
wftv.comWalmart raises minimum wage to $14
>> Read more trending newsThe company announced on Tuesday that the minimum wage would go from $12 to $14 an hour, CNN reported. Amazon and Target have their minimum pay set at $15. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, which was last raised in 2009, The Wall Street Journal reported. Twenty states, especially in the south, do not have their own minimum wages, CNN reported, so Walmart’s pay is often the benchmark used for a local minimum wage in those areas. Of the states that do have a minimum wage, Washington has the highest at $15.74, CNN reported.
wftv.comAmazon workers hold first UK strike, adding to labor turmoil
LONDON — (AP) — Amazon warehouse workers went on strike for the first time in Britain on Wednesday because of a dispute over pay and working conditions, adding to a wave of industrial labor action across the country fueled by the soaring cost of living. Amazon, which operates 28 fulfillment centers in the United Kingdom, said 2,000 workers are employed at the Coventry facility. The union says 98% of those who took part in the vote decided to strike, and Amazon said that amounts to only 178 workers. Amazon staff are the latest group of British workers to join the picket lines as high food and energy prices drive the highest inflation in decades. Amazon routinely faces protests and walkouts from workers who want higher wages and better working conditions, including elsewhere in Europe, such as Spain and Germany.
wftv.comHow (and where) to watch Oscar-nominated films online
Some of the nominated films are still in theaters but many are also available online to stream now. Butler snagged a best actor nomination and the film received a nod for best picture and director. Spielberg is nominated for best director and his film is nominated for best picture, while Michelle Williams up for best actress. Best animated film nominee. The film, nominated for best song, topped Netflix's streaming charts over the summer and is still available to watch there.
wftv.comRXPass: Amazon launches $5 prescription plan, but not all people will qualify
Amazon is offering a new prescription plan that is an add-on for Prime members but there is a catch, not all people will qualify for the service. >> Read more trending newsAmazon announced the launch of RXPass which will be available in many states, except California, Texas and Minnesota, CNN reported. In all more than 80 conditions may be covered including Bupropion, Cephalexin, Doxycycline, Estradiol and Sertaline, CNN reported. This is not the first time Amazon has offered a lower-cost option for prescription medications. The $3.9 billion deal is waiting for regulatory approval, CNN reported.
wftv.comAmazon launches a subscription prescription drug service
Amazon is adding a prescription drug discount program to its growing health care business. The retail giant said Tuesday that it will launch RxPass, a subscription service for customers who have Prime memberships. Last year, the company shuttered its hybrid virtual, in-home care service called Amazon Care after it failed to get traction from employers. And Haven, a company Amazon created in collaboration with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway to improve health costs, dissolved a year earlier than that. Amazon has said its online drug store Amazon Pharmacy is a key part of its health care plan, along with primary care organization One Medical, which the online giant is seeking to acquire for $3.9 billion.
wftv.comBrazil declares public health emergency for Yanomami people
BRASILIA, Brazil — (AP) — Brazil’s government has declared a public health emergency for the Yanomami people in the Amazon who are suffering from malnutrition and diseases such as malaria as a consequence of illegal mining. It determines that the team in charge has to publish reports regarding the Indigneous group’s health and general well-being. Earlier this week, the Health Ministry had already designated a team for a special health mission in the Yanomami region. The same report shows that 570 Yanomami children died between 2019 and 2022 from curable diseases. Lula tweeted that the government received information on the “absurd situation” of malnourishment in Yanomami children.
wftv.comNew this week: Jennifer Lopez, Sam Smith and 'You People'
This week’s new entertainment releases include fresh albums from Sam Smith and Elle King, the return of Jennifer Lopez in the rom-com “Shotgun Wedding,” and the TV show “Poker Face,” starring Natasha Lyonne as a wise-cracking, friendly drifter who has an uncanny ability to immediately know if someone is lying.
Amazon Music expands catalog to 100M songs for members
Amazon Music is gearing up for a massive content expansion: The streaming giant will offer a full catalog of music with more than 100 million songs for members The streaming service tells The Associated Press that members will gain hundreds of millions of songs — up from 2 million — in shuffle mode without any advertisement at no additional costs.
Big Brazilian gold refiner delisted amid Amazon mining probe
One of Brazil’s biggest gold refiners, which processes gold suspected of being mined illegally in the Amazon rainforest, has been stripped of an important industry seal of approval that global manufacturers from Apple to Tesla rely on to root out abuses in their supply chains.