Here’s what you need to know
1. Amazon is being investigated for possible abuse of power
It’s not a new concept; big tech getting too powerful. Now, Amazon is under further scrutiny from California and Washington about whether the ecommerce giant is abusing its sellers online.
California has asked about the company’s private label products and whether it uses data from sellers to inform which products it sells.
Washington has launched an investigation into whether Amazon makes it harder for sellers to list their products on other websites, according to the New York Times.
What else? Amazon has also been accused of poor working conditions in its warehouses.
The company, of course, has argued that it empowers sellers.
Amazon has long been finding ways to subtly nudge people to buy the in-house merchandise and it’s hyper aware of what is happening on the digital shelves, much more than its competitors do.
Amazon is not a normal store, and it has access to infinite information.
Along with investigations back home, regulators in the European Union are also looking into charging Amazon with violating antitrust rules.
It’s hard to see a future without Amazon, though. The question is, will we let big tech get even bigger?
2. Starbucks will allow workers to wear attire and accessories to support BLM
A slight walkback by Starbucks. Initially, the global coffee chain banned employees from wearing clothing that supported the Black Lives Matter movement. You can imagine that did not go down well on social media. Their reason? It may evoke violence or be misunderstood.
Now, the company is reversing its policy and coming out with 250,000 shirts with a design that includes “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace”
When news first hit, netizens were campaigning to boycott Starbucks in favor of the movement, it seems like they took it seriously and quickly reversed.
3. CDC warns US ‘not out of the woods’ on coronavirus:
For most parts of the US, they’re not experiencing a second wave, they’re still dealing with the first outbreak.
The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended that organisers of large public events enforce strict safety standards, sparked by a series of protests across the country for George Floyd. it also warned that strict measures may be enforced again if things get worse.
New data on Friday showed the outbreak was continuing to spread in the south and west, with states such as Alabama, Arizona, Florida and North Carolina reporting record one-day increases in new coronavirus cases.
Another 23,752 people in the US tested positive for coronavirus just on Friday. Here’s what’s happening across states
• Oregon has paused its re-opening for a week as cases rise, reporting 178 infections last Thursday.
• Eight states, from Texas to Arkansas experienced an increase of more than 5% in the average number of currently hospitalized patients compared to the average a week earlier.
•Restaurants in Texas are allowed to operate at 75% capacity
• Select regions in New York entered the third phase of reopening which allowed indoor dining and nail salons to re-open at 50% capacity.
4. Beijing’s largest food market closed due to local infections
Beijing’s largest food market was closed over the weekend due to workers who tested positive for the Coronavirus. The Xinfadi market in the Chinese capital will now be disinfected.
This marks Beijing’s first local transmission in over 50 days. And a reminder that the virus can sometimes bounce back.
Seven of the 53 people who tested positive over the previous three days had shown symptoms, while 46 were asymptomatic, according to Beijing health officials. According to reports, Beijing is now in “full wartime mode” in an attempt to control the virus.
To ensure the market supply, special sections have been set up for sales of vegetables and fruits with close-off management. The market reportedly supplies 90% of Beijing’s fruits and vegetables.
