Around the World

The fine was imposed on July 16 and disclosed Friday in a financial filing. It is the largest in the law’s three-year history, followed by Google’s 2019 fine of €50 million. Regulators said Amazon’s processing of personal data didn’t comply with GDPR requirements, and the company acknowledged it has been ordered to change its business practices. Amazon said the regulatory decision was “without merit” and added that it plans to “defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.” “The decision relating to how we show customers relevant advertising relies on subjective and untested interpretations of European privacy law, and the proposed fine…

A Briton and a Romanian were killed amid what the company described as a “suspected piracy incident” onboard the Mercer Street tanker on Thursday. A US defense official familiar with the details of the incident said the tanker was attacked by an armed drone believed to be operated by Iran, and that the US navy was escorting the ship to port. The defense official would not say which US warships were conducting the escort, but ships from the USS Ronald Reagan strike group are in the region. The tanker’s crew reported that the drone exploded into its super structure on…

The 37-year-old had been out walking alone near the border between Spain and France and was last seen on November 22. Since Dingley went missing, French and Spanish police carried out extensive searches in a bid to locate her. Her partner, Daniel Colegate, is said to have walked hundreds of miles in the months since her disappearance, searching the mountains for any trace of her. LBT Global, the charity representing her family, said in a statement on its website that it was “saddened to announce that human remains found in the search for Esther Dingley have today been confirmed via…

Nauka — a long-delayed laboratory module that Russian space agency Roscosmos’ launched to the International Space Station last week — inadvertently fired its thrusters after docking with the International Space Station Thursday morning. NASA officials declared it a “spacecraft emergency” as the space station experienced a loss of attitude (the angle at which the ISS is supposed to remain oriented) control for nearly one hour, and ground controllers lost communications with the seven astronauts currently aboard the ISS for 11 minutes during the ordeal. A joint investigation between NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos is now ongoing. Joel Montalbano,…

The agency confirmed that no food trucks have been allowed into the region for two weeks. They told CNN in a statement that 100 trucks need to arrive every day in order to address the “vast humanitarian needs in the region,” and that the shortfall has left “400,000 people on the verge of famine.” The situation comes a week after forces from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region mounted attacks in the neighboring Afar region, a move which marked an expansion of an eight-month-old conflict into a previously untouched area. David Beasley, the WFP’s executive director, initially warned earlier this week that…

The e-commerce giant on Thursday posted $113.1 billion in revenue during the three months ended June 30, an increase of 27% from the same period in the prior year but falling short of the $115.2 billion analysts had expected. It also marks a slowdown from the 40% sales growth Amazon posted during the second quarter of 2020, despite the fact that Prime Day fell during the June quarter this year. Amazon is also forecasting weaker sales growth in the upcoming quarter. The company predicts net sales will increase between 10% and 16% from the prior year. That would mark a…

Before the pandemic, heat stroke was the biggest risk to athletes for the Tokyo Olympics, but during the first week of the Games the heat has been compounded by humidity values ranging from 66 to 84%, making it feel much hotter, and limiting the body’s ability to cool down through sweat and evaporation. “When you take into account not only the temperature, but also humidity, I would say that a Tokyo Summer is the worst in the history of Olympics,” says Makoto Yokohari, professor of environment and urban planning at the University of Tokyo and adviser to Tokyo 2020, who…

The company, controlled by the related Porsche and Piëch families that turned Volkswagen into a global powerhouse, on Wednesday unveiled an investment into Germany’s Isar Aerospace, a space startup attempting to rival Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX with rocket production and satellite launch services. While Blue Origin and SpaceX are backed by billionaires and already racing ahead with manned space missions, Isar Aerospace believes it can compete in the growing market for launching small satellites into Earth’s orbit. It’s planning its first test flight for next year. Porsche SE is investing alongside venture capital company HV Capital…

Facebook (FB) on Wednesday reported revenue of nearly $29.1 billion for the three months ended June 30, a 56% jump from the same period last year when online advertising took a hit as businesses grappled with Covid-19. The company also more than doubled its quarterly profit to almost $10.4 billion, well above the $8.7 billion analysts projected. However, the outlook for the rest of 2021 is not so sunny, CFO David Wehner said in a statement with the earnings report. Sales growth could slow thanks to “regulatory and platform changes,” Wehner said, specifically pointing to Apple’s recent iOS app tracking…

The company announced on Wednesday that it was adapting its health and safety guidelines based on “guidance from health and government officials.” The resorts — which are located in Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California — will require employees, known as “Cast Members,” and guests aged 2 and up to wear masks and face coverings indoors starting Friday. This is “regardless of vaccination status,” according to Disney. The move comes as the Delta Covid-19 variant is rapidly spreading, leading major companies to rethink their plans to bring employees back to the office and even making vaccinations mandatory. For example, Google (GOOGL)…