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Hurricane Melissa was only hours away Tuesday from expected landfall on Jamaica, bringing devastating flooding and winds that officials warn will smash the small Caribbean nation’s infrastructure.Evacuations were underway as the slow-moving Category 5 storm — potentially the biggest ever to hit Jamaica — crept forward.Four deaths — three in Jamaica and one in Haiti — have already been blamed on the deteriorating conditions but officials were concerned that many people were ignoring pleas to get to safety.In the worst-hit areas, said Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, “I don’t believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm.””For Jamaica it will be the storm of the century so far,” Anne-Claire Fontan, at the World Meteorological Organization, said.The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported  early on Tuesday that Melissa was about 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the Jamaican capital Kingston, reaching maximum wind speed of 175 miles (280 kilometers) per hour.Surging ocean, together with rainfall expected to be measured in feet not inches, will likely trigger deadly floods.But officials were worried that many had refused to heed evacuation calls.Local government minister Desmond McKenzie said late Monday that many of the island’s 880-odd shelters remained empty.”I want to urge persons… to get to high ground as quickly as possible,” he said.Roy Brown, a plumber and tiler, told AFP he’d had bad experiences in government shelters during previous hurricanes and was “not moving.””I don’t believe I can run from death,” he said.- Lumbering giant -Melissa was forecasted to reach the nearby eastern end of impoverished Cuba late Tuesday after pummeling Jamaica.The Jamaican Red Cross, which was distributing drinking water and hygiene kits ahead of infrastructure disruptions, said Melissa’s “slow nature” made the anxiety worse.The hurricane was creeping along at human walking pace, meaning there will be no quick relief once it hits, likely lingering over the tropical island renowned for tourism, sprint star Usain Bolt and reggae.”You anticipate that maybe within four hours it would be gone… but Melissa is not looking like that,” Red Cross spokesperson Esther Pinnock told AFP.Up to 40 inches (one meter) of rainfall were forecasted, with flash flooding and landslides also expected in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.A “life-threatening” storm surge is likely along Jamaica’s southern coast, with waters potentially rising 13 feet (4 meters), along with “destructive waves,” the NHC said.There were fears that Melissa will wreak devastation on par with historic hurricanes, including 2017’s Maria or 2005’s Katrina, which left indelible impacts on Puerto Rico and the US city of New Orleans, respectively.Scientists say human-driven climate change has exacerbated massive storms, increasing their frequency.- Global warming -Meteorologist Kerry Emanuel said global warming was causing more storms to rapidly intensify as Melissa did, raising the potential for enormous rains.”Water kills a lot more people than wind,” he told AFP.The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in July 2024 — an abnormally strong storm for the time of year.”Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse,” said climate scientist Daniel Gilford.

US online retail and cloud computing giant Amazon said Tuesday that it is reducing its workforce by 14,000 posts to streamline operations as it invests in artificial intelligence, without saying where the cuts will be made.  Amazon said the reductions were a continuation of efforts “to get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets and what matters most to our customers’ current and future needs.””While this will include reducing in some areas and hiring in others, it will mean an overall reduction in our corporate workforce of approximately 14,000 roles,” said the statement signed by senior vice-president Beth Galetti.  Galetti called AI “the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet,” adding that “it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before.” On Monday, American media reported had that large-scale layoffs were on the way at the online retailer, citing a worldwide total of 30,000 job cuts over several months. According to the reports, the cuts would target areas such as human resources, advertising, and management in a group that has 350,000 office positions, out of a total of more than 1.5 million employees.Warehouse workers, who make up the majority of Amazon’s workforce, will likely not be affected, according to Galetti, who indicated that Tuesday’s job cuts were just a first step.”Looking ahead to 2026, we expect to continue hiring in key strategic areas while also finding additional places we can remove layers, increase ownership, and realize efficiency gains,” she said.Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy has lauded the potential of AI to streamline workplace operations, from engaging with customers online to making offices more efficient.”Our conviction that AI will change every customer experience is starting to play out,” Jassy said during Amazon’s last quarterly earnings call.Amazon will next report earnings on Thursday, and is among the tech titans under pressure to show the merit of huge investments in AI.Amazon will also likely be pressed for details about a recent AWS outage. Popular internet services ranging from streaming platforms to messaging services to banking were offline for hours last week due to an outage in Amazon’s crucial cloud network, illustrating the extent to which internet life depends on the tech titan.

Jamaican officials urged people to get to higher ground and shelters ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s expected landfall Tuesday, with the prime minister warning it could bring massive devastation.The Category 5 storm — which could be the island’s most violent on record — is charting a painstakingly slow path through the Caribbean, and has already been blamed for three deaths in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported on early Tuesday that Melissa was about 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the capital Kingston, and reaching maximum wind speed of 175 miles (280 kilometers) per hour.Its heavy rains combined with intense winds could wreak devastation on par with historic hurricanes, including 2017’s Maria or 2005’s Katrina, which left indelible impacts on Puerto Rico and the US city of New Orleans, respectively.Scientists say human-driven climate change has exacerbated massive storms, increasing their frequency.The Jamaican Red Cross, which has already started to dispatch drinking water and hygiene kits, said Melissa’s “slow nature” was intensifying anxiety.”There’s some areas where landslides are already happening,” the Red Cross’s communications officer Esther Pinnock told AFP.”It’s looking quite eerie on the outside, and every once in a while we have some gusty winds, but the system is creeping in,” Pinnock said. Some “daredevils” have also made the choice to stay on their properties despite urgent warnings, she added.Local government minister Desmond McKenzie said late Monday that many of the island’s 880-odd shelters standing by were empty.”I want to urge persons… to get to high ground as quickly as possible,” he said.According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, some 1.5 million people may be impacted by the storm.- ‘Saving lives’ -Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the island’s western end faced the worst destruction.”I don’t believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation,” he told CNN.But despite pleas to evacuate, many Jamaican residents were staying put.”I am not moving. I don’t believe I can run from death,” Roy Brown told AFP in Kingston’s seaside area of Port Royal.The plumber and tiler said he was reluctant to flee because of his past experiences with the poor conditions of government hurricane shelters.Fisherwoman Jennifer Ramdial agreed, adding: “I just don’t want to leave.”Holness told a press briefing that the evacuation was about “the national good of saving lives.””You have been warned… Make the right decision.”Part of Melissa’s punch stems from its slow pace: it is lumbering along slower than most people walk, at just three miles per hour or less.That means areas in its path could endure punishing conditions for far longer than during most hurricanes.- ‘Catastrophic’ -“You anticipate that maybe within four hours it would be gone… but Melissa is not looking like that type of a storm,” said Pinnock of the Jamaican Red Cross.The NHC warned of “catastrophic” winds and flash flooding on the island on Tuesday that could cause lengthy power and communications outages, along with “extensive infrastructural damage.”Up to 40 inches (one meter) of rainfall are forecast, with flash flooding and landslides also expected in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.A “life-threatening” storm surge is likely along Jamaica’s southern coast, with waters potentially rising 13 feet (4 meters), along with “destructive waves,” the NHC said.In the farming community of Flagaman in the south, residents hunkered down in a store.Owner Enrico Coke said he opened his place for fear that his neighbors had nowhere to go: “I’m concerned about farmers, the fishermen will be suffering after this.””We’ll need help as soon as possible.”- ‘Water kills’ -After pummeling Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night.On Monday, officials in Jamaica said three people had died while preparing for the storm, cutting tree branches and working on ladders. In the Dominican Republic, a 79-year-old man was found dead after being swept away in a stream, officials said. A 13-year-old boy was missing.Haiti’s civil protection agency said three people died in storm conditions over the weekend.Meteorologist Kerry Emanuel said global warming was causing more storms to rapidly intensify as Melissa did, raising the potential for enormous rains.”Water kills a lot more people than wind,” he told AFP.The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in July 2024 — an abnormally strong storm for the time of year.”Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse,” said climate scientist Daniel Gilford.

For years few issues drew more unanimity in the polarized United States than China — it was the arch-adversary, which Washington was destined to confront.President Donald Trump, as he has on so many topics, has scrambled many long-held assumptions as he plans to meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea, their first in-person encounter since 2019.Trump, who boasts of his dealmaking prowess and has shown a fondness for strongmen, has hailed his relationship with Xi in ways that echo his warm words for Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he has tried and failed to achieve a breakthrough on the Ukraine war.In a Fox News appearance during his campaign, Trump, despite otherwise harsh rhetoric on China, called Xi a “brilliant guy.” “He runs 1.4 billion people with an iron fist — smart, brilliant, everything perfect. There’s nobody in Hollywood like this guy,” Trump said.Trump pointed again to the power of his relationship with Xi last week as he voiced doubt China would invade Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that it claims.Trade has been at the top of Trump’s agenda as he seeks a deal between the world’s two largest economies.The volatile US leader has ramped up and then lowered threatened tariffs on China, and both sides have signaled that a trade agreement is edging closer following weekend talks in Kuala Lumpur.Ryan Hass, who served as former president Barack Obama’s top China advisor, said there was a disconnect between the deal-seeking Trump and a US bureaucracy still focused on countering Beijing.He also doubted China had an interest in pursuing a deal with Trump to unlock some “golden era” of economic cooperation.”China is interested in centering itself and pushing the United States to the periphery, not in having the United States and China sitting in the center together,” said Hass, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.China may want a deal with Trump that for them is “potentially temporizing — playing for time — but I don’t see their interest as being advanced by unlocking some grand-bargain economic deal between the United States and China.”- Both sides transactional -Trump similarly in 2019 lauded what he called a historic trade deal with China, which was supposed to buy $200 billion in additional US exports.The deal flopped, at least partly due to the Covid pandemic. By the end of his initial 2017-2021 term, Trump was lashing out in angry terms over the “Chinese virus” which tainted his presidency.Joe Biden took over and further ramped up pressure on China, including restricting sensitive technology imports, but also seeking deals on narrow issues of concern.Yun Sun, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, said China may not be seeking a warm relationship with Trump but Beijing, like him, was transactional.”The Chinese have an issue with his style, but they see Trump as someone they can work with,” she said.”I think there’s a recognition in China that Trump has been very cooperative, or at least amicable, to a lot of the things that the previous Biden administration was not willing to make any concession on,” she said.She pointed to the Trump administration’s reported refusal to let Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visit New York during a trip to Latin America, the type of stopover that was once routine, even if it angered China.- Sudden uncertainty on Taiwan -Henrietta Levin, a former State Department official, said she could recite by heart how China and the United States would lay out their standard positions on Taiwan during meetings and then move on.”Now I think there is an uncertainty about how President Trump will respond when President Xi inevitably presents these Taiwan demands to him,” said Levin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.”Trump is comfortable, in a way that prior US presidents were not, connecting strategic issues to tactical economic questions and to the prospect of cooperation with China on different issues,” she said.China has long opposed US arms sales to Taiwan and has sought for Trump to state explicitly that the United States opposes Taiwan independence, going beyond the current line that Washington merely does not support it.For his part, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a staunch backer of Taiwan while a senator, told reporters Saturday that the United States was not considering “walking away from Taiwan” in exchange for a trade deal with China.

Zohran Mamdani may not solve all of the beleaguered US Democrats’ problems, but the surprise frontrunner in the race for New York mayor does offer hints on how to win back voters and power.The Democrats — shut out of power in the White House and both chambers of Congress — are seen negatively by 63 percent of US voters, according to a July poll in the Wall Street Journal, the party’s lowest approval rating in 30 years.John Kane, a professor of political science at New York University, said the party needs to reconnect with parts of their traditional base, such as lower-income Americans and young voters. Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has developed a plan aimed at luring working-class people and young adults, for whom famously expensive New York is becoming harder and harder to call home.His platform’s highlights include a freeze on rent hikes as well as free bus service and day care.Mamdani’s virulent opposition to President Donald Trump has a strong symbolic appeal for a Democratic base “which feels almost entirely powerless in the present moment,” Kane told AFP.He has a more than 10 point lead over his main rival in the November 4 election for mayor, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a scandal-tainted veteran Democrat who is running as an independent this time.- ‘Still has some juice’ -“Mamdani is evidence that the American left still has some juice in it in 2025,” said Daniel Schlozman, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University.But New York — America’s biggest city, and an ethnically diverse and historically Democratic one — does not reflect the United States overall, Schlozman said.And while enthusiasm over Mamdani is one thing, his success is “a very different matter from Democrats at large winning the elections they need to win to take control of the House next year, maybe the Senate, and the presidency in 2028,” he added.Schlozman said Mamdani is a compelling leader who understands that issues of affordability in New York are critical, but cautioned that the national electorate is probably not ready for his policies.Democrats would need to address affordability in a very different way from him to satisfy voters even in other Democratic-leaning states, much less swing states that can go either way, he continued.Kane also said that outside large cities, where people are used to seeing all kinds of nationalities and heritages, Mamdani’s origin and religion and his past statements calling the police “racist” might fail to win over some voters. The candidate was born in Uganda to a Muslim family of Indian origin and became a US citizen in 2018.- ‘Right message, wrong messenger’ -Then there is also the risk of Republicans seizing on Mamdani to ridicule Democratic policies, just as Trump has dimissed him as a “little communist” who is too willing to spend taxpayer money.Many in the party “might regard Mamdani as a case of right message, wrong messenger,” said Kane in reference to Mamdani’s policies.Most moderates in the Democratic Party, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — who is from New York — have abstained from endorsing Mamdani so far.”Some moderate Democrats may shy away from Mamdani based on policy stances, while others shy away simply because they don’t view him as an electable candidate at the national level,” said Kane.Indeed, political experts say that New York differs enough from the rest of the United States that it is not necessarily the best place for a Democrat to launch a national campaign.In any case, Mamdani could only go so high in US politics — since he was not born in the United States, he cannot run for president.

Donald Trump told Japan’s new leader Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday that Washington is an ally of the strongest level, as the US president visited Tokyo on an Asia trip taking aim at a trade deal with China.Takaichi greeted Trump at the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo, her first face-to-face meeting with the US leader just days after she took office. “We are an ally at the strongest level, and it’s a great honour to be with you, especially so early in what will be, I think, one of the greatest prime ministers,” he told Takaichi at their meeting.Takaichi also emphasized the nations’ bond, saying “I would like to realise a new golden age of the Japan-US Alliance, where both Japan and the United States will become stronger and also more prosperous.” Trump arrived in Tokyo on Monday for a visit sandwiched between a trip to Malaysia and a meeting in South Korea with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that could ease the bruising trade war between the world’s two biggest economies, sparked by sweeping US tariffs.Negotiators from Beijing and Washington have both confirmed a “framework” has been agreed.In Tokyo, Trump and Takaichi are expected to focus on security and trade between their allied countries.Takashi Ito, a 58-year-old Tokyo resident, said that “what’s important is finding some kind of middle ground” on trade.”Simply pushing to raise tariffs has already created various issues.”On security, long-pacifist Japan is adopting a more muscular military stance as relations with China worsen.Takaichi, a China hawk who last week became the first woman to serve as Japan’s prime minister, said her government would achieve its target of spending two percent of gross domestic product on defence this year — two years ahead of schedule.The United States, which has around 60,000 military personnel in Japan, wants Tokyo to spend even more, potentially matching the five percent of GDP pledged by NATO members in June.Yee Kuang Heng, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy, told AFP that in a bid to “deflect US pressure” on Japan to boost defence spending, Takaichi has “preemptively” brought forward the target.Apart from his meeting with Takaichi, Trump is due to deliver a speech on Tuesday on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, docked at the US naval base Yokosuka.He will also have dinner with business leaders, likely including the chairman of carmaker Toyota.- ‘Phenomenal’ -Most Japanese imports into the United States are subject to tariffs of 15 percent, less painful than the 25 percent first threatened but still contributing to a 24-percent slump in US-bound car exports in September in value terms year-on-year.The car industry accounts for around eight percent of jobs in Japan.Under the terms of a July trade deal shared by the White House, Japan is expected to invest $550 billion in the United States.Takaichi will be at pains to establish a good relationship with Trump, who had a close personal relationship with assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe.Trump has said he heard “phenomenal things” about Takaichi, “a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend”.”I think she’s going to be great.”Media reports said Trump is expected to ink deals on critical minerals and shipbuilding, adding to a flurry of agreements signed in Malaysia, where the president kicked off his first Asia tour since returning to office.The greatest prize for Trump — and for global markets — remains a China trade deal.Trump is due to meet Xi on Thursday in South Korea for their first face-to-face talks since the 79-year-old Republican’s return to office in January.”I have a lot of respect for President Xi and we are going to, I think… come away with a deal,” Trump told reporters en route from Malaysia, where comments from US and Chinese negotiators raised hopes of an accord.Trump also indicated he was willing to extend his trip in order to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though no such meeting has been announced.

Jamaican officials called on the public to get to higher ground and shelters on Monday evening ahead of Hurricane Melissa, with the prime minister warning it could be a massively destructive storm — the island’s most violent on record.Melissa is charting a painstakingly slow path through the Caribbean as a monster Category 5 storm, which has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.Its heavy rains combined with intense winds — Melissa’s maximum speeds are 175 miles (280 kilometers) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest update — could wreak devastation on the scale of historic hurricanes including 2017’s Maria or 2005’s Katrina.Those massive storms, which have grown increasingly common as the climate warms, left indelible impacts on Puerto Rico and the US city of New Orleans.Local government minister Desmond McKenzie said Monday evening that of the island’s 880-odd shelters standing by, only 133 were hosting locals.They “should be seeing people now,” McKenzie said, adding “I want to urge persons in these parishes to get to high ground as quickly as possible.”Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the island’s western end faced the worst.”I don’t believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation,” he told CNN.But despite pleas to evacuate, many residents in Jamaica were staying put.”I am not moving. I don’t believe I can run from death,” Roy Brown, speaking from the historic seaside area Port Royal in Kingston, told AFP.The plumber and tiler cited poor conditions and bad past experiences at government hurricane shelters for not wanting to flee.Fisherwoman Jennifer Ramdial echoed that view, also adding: “I just don’t want to leave.”Holness said evacuation was about “the national good of saving lives.””You have been warned. It’s now up to you to use that information to make the right decision,” he said during a briefing.- ‘Catastrophic’ -Jamaica was expected to see deteriorating conditions through Monday night, with landfall expected early Tuesday.Part of Melissa’s punch stems from its slow pace: it is lumbering along slower than most people walk, at just three miles per hour or less.That means areas in its path could endure punishing conditions for far longer than during most hurricanes.The NHC warned of “catastrophic” flash flooding, landslides and destructive winds that could cause lengthy power and communications outages, along with “extensive infrastructural damage.”Up to 40 inches (about a meter) of rainfall were forecast, with deluges expected to bring flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica as well as Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.Storm surge was likely along Jamaica’s southern coast, with waters potentially rising some 13 feet, along with “destructive waves.”In the farming community of Flagaman in St. Elizabeth, residents hunkered down in a store.Owner Enrico Coke said he opened his place for fear that his neighbors had nowhere to go: “I’m concerned about farmers, the fishermen will be suffering after this.””We’ll need help as soon as possible, especially water for the people.”- Dangerous flooding -After pummeling Jamaica, Melissa was forecast to head north and cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night.The storm has already left tragic consequences.A 79-year-old man was found dead in the Dominican Republic after being swept away in a stream, officials there said Saturday. A 13-year-old boy was missing.In Haiti, the civil protection agency reported the deaths of three people in storm conditions. Meteorologist Kerry Emanuel told AFP a warming climate was causing more storms to rapidly intensify as Melissa did, and especially raises the potential for enormous rains.”Water kills a lot more people than wind,” he told AFP.The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in July 2024 — an abnormally strong storm for the time of year.”Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse,” said climate scientist Daniel Gilford.

Venezuela claimed Monday to have dismantled a CIA-financed cell plotting a false-flag attack on a US warship deployed to the southern Caribbean, as Washington stepped up pressure on Caracas by flying bombers nearby.Venezuelan authorities said they uncovered an operation targeting the USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer that docked Sunday in Trinidad and Tobago — within firing distance of the Venezuelan mainland.The ship’s arrival sparked outrage in Caracas, which called it a “provocation” and claimed it was “aimed at provoking a war in the Caribbean.”It also deepened tensions with Trinidad and Tobago, whose Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is a strong critic of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, and a supporter of US President Donald Trump’s military campaign against drug traffickers in the Caribbean.Maduro on Monday evening announced he had suspended a gas agreement with Trinidad and Tobago, accusing Persad-Bissessar of transforming her nation “into an aircraft carrier of the American empire against Venezuela.”As part of Trump’s campaign, the Pentagon has so far deployed seven warships to the Caribbean and one to the Gulf of Mexico.The United States has also announced the imminent arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and its accompanying fleet.Venezuela and some observers believe Trump’s administration is using the military deployments to build pressure on the government and depose Maduro, whom Washington does not recognize as the legitimate president.Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Monday that a cell “financed by the CIA” planned to attack the USS Gravely and frame Caracas.Four people were arrested, Cabello said, without providing details of the alleged suspects. Venezuela regularly claims to have arrested US-backed mercenaries working to destabilize Maduro’s administration.Alongside his naval buildup, Trump recently confirmed authorizing CIA operations in Venezuela and considering ground strikes.Since September, US forces have destroyed at least 10 boats they said carried narcotics, killing 43 people in international waters.Experts question the legality of the deadly attacks, and Washington has offered no proof other than aerial videos of the strikes to link the vessels to trafficking.- Bombers -Tensions rose further Monday as two US B-1B bombers flew over the Caribbean near Venezuela, the third such show of force in recent weeks.Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed the two bombers — which took off from a base in the northern US state of North Dakota — flying parallel to the Venezuelan coast before disappearing from view.Earlier missions included a B-1B sortie last week and a B-52 flight earlier this month, signaling Washington’s readiness to escalate pressure on Maduro’s government.Washington and Caracas have for years been at loggerheads, with the United States rejecting Maduro’s election victories in 2018 and 2024 as fraudulent.Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez had urged earlier on Monday for the suspension of gas deals with Trinidad, to raise the cost of the crisis for the United States and its ally.Trinidadian PM Persad-Bissessar rejected what she called Venezuelan “blackmail,” telling AFP her country remains committed to security and energy cooperation.Washington recently cleared Trinidad and Tobago to exploit the Dragon gas field in Venezuelan waters despite a US oil embargo, deepening friction between the neighbors.Maduro, who denies US allegations he leads a drug-trafficking network, has accused Washington of “fabricating a war” for political purposes.burs/arb/des/bjt

Amazon will lay off tens of thousands of office workers as the e-commerce and tech giant trims costs amid ramped-up investments in artificial intelligence, according to US media reports.Some 30,000 positions will be cut in a belt-tightening move expected to begin on Tuesday, multiple news outlets reported.The reduction will represent nearly 10 percent of the approximately 350,000 office jobs at Amazon but is reported not to affect the distribution and warehouse workforce that makes up the majority of the company’s more than 1.5 million employees.Seattle-based Amazon did not reply to AFP queries regarding the planned cuts reported by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and other outlets citing anonymous sources.Amazon shares ended the formal trading day up slightly as word of the potential cost-cutting move spread.Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy has lauded the potential of AI to streamline workplace operations, from engaging with customers online to making offices more efficient.”Our conviction that AI will change every customer experience is starting to play out,” Jassy said during Amazon’s last quarterly earnings call.Amazon will next report earnings on Thursday, and is among the tech titans under pressure to show the merit of huge investments in AI.”AWS will be under pressure to both show revenue acceleration and operating margin improvement in light of its massive AI investments,” Emarketer principal analyst Sky Canaves said, referring to Amazon Web Services cloud computing unit.Amazon will also likely be pressed for details about a recent AWS outage. Popular internet services ranging from streaming platforms to messaging services to banking were offline for hours last week due to an outage in Amazon’s crucial cloud network, illustrating the extent to which internet life depends on the tech titan.The disruption affected streaming platforms, including Amazon’s Prime Video service and Disney+, as well as Perplexity AI, the Fortnite game, Airbnb, Snapchat and Duolingo.Mobile telephone services and messaging apps Signal and WhatsApp were affected in Europe, according to Downdetector.People also reported problems reaching websites including Amazon’s own e-commerce shop.Some banks such as Lloyd’s were also impacted, and pointed to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing platform as the source.Amazon said it identified the “trigger of the event” as an issue involving the Domain Name System (DNS), which acts as an internet address book directing data traffic.AWS leads the cloud computing market, followed closely by Microsoft Azure, with Google Cloud in third place.Businesses, governments and consumers worldwide rely on their infrastructure for online activities.

US President Donald Trump is set to meet Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, sitting down with the newly elected conservative leader ahead of high-stakes trade talks with China on a tour of Asia.Trump arrived in Tokyo on Monday for a visit sandwiched between a trip to Malaysia and a meeting in South Korea with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that could ease the bruising trade war between the world’s two biggest economies, sparked by sweeping US tariffs.Negotiators from Beijing and Washington have both confirmed a “framework” has been agreed.In Tokyo, in their first face-to-face meeting, Trump and Takaichi are expected to focus on security and trade between their allied countries.Takashi Ito, a 58-year-old Tokyo resident, said that “what’s important is finding some kind of middle ground” on trade.”Simply pushing to raise tariffs has already created various issues.”On security, long-pacifist Japan is adopting a more muscular military stance as relations with China worsen.Takaichi, a China hawk who last week became the first woman to serve as Japan’s prime minister, said her government would achieve its target of spending two percent of gross domestic product on defence this year — two years ahead of schedule.The United States, which has around 60,000 military personnel in Japan, wants Tokyo to spend even more, potentially matching the five percent of GDP pledged by NATO members in June.Yee Kuang Heng, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy, told AFP that in a bid to “deflect US pressure” on Japan to boost defence spending, Takaichi has “preemptively” brought forward the target.Apart from his meeting with Takaichi, Trump is due to deliver a speech on Tuesday on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, docked at the US naval base Yokosuka.He will also have dinner with business leaders, likely including the chairman of carmaker Toyota.- ‘Phenomenal’ -Most Japanese imports into the United States are subject to tariffs of 15 percent, less painful than the 25 percent first threatened but still contributing to a 24-percent slump in US-bound car exports in September in value terms year-on-year.The car industry accounts for around eight percent of jobs in Japan.Under the terms of a July trade deal shared by the White House, Japan is expected to invest $550 billion in the United States.Takaichi will be at pains to establish a good relationship with Trump, who had a close personal relationship with assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe.Trump has said he heard “phenomenal things” about Takaichi, “a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend”.”I think she’s going to be great.”Media reports said Trump is expected to ink deals on critical minerals and shipbuilding, adding to a flurry of agreements signed in Malaysia, where the president kicked off his first Asia tour since returning to office.The greatest prize for Trump — and for global markets — remains a China trade deal.Trump is due to meet Xi on Thursday in South Korea for their first face-to-face talks since the 79-year-old Republican’s return to office in January.”I have a lot of respect for President Xi and we are going to, I think… come away with a deal,” Trump told reporters en route from Malaysia, where comments from US and Chinese negotiators raised hopes of an accord.Trump also indicated he was willing to extend his trip in order to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though no such meeting has been announced.