Chris Young, who joined Microsoft in 2020, worked on the software company's investments, its OpenAI relationship and the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

E-commerce giant Amazon.com is exiting its operations in Quebec, leading to the loss of about 1,700 full-time jobs, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.The online retailer will phase out operations across seven sites in the province the only location in Canada with unionized Amazon employees over the next two months.It will return to a third-party delivery model, relying on local small businesses, similar to its approach before 2020.Following a recent review of our Quebec operations, weve seen that returning to a third-party delivery model will allow us to provide even more savings to our customers, Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait said.The move will also affect approximately 250 seasonal workers. Amazon will offer affected employees a package including up to 14 weeks pay and transitional benefits such as job placement resources, Agrait added.In May, Amazon warehouse workers represented by the Canadian labor union Confdration des syndicats nationaux (CSN) unionized, citing dissatisfaction with wages and inadequate health and safety measures at the facilities.The CSN, which represents 300 workers at the site north of Montreal, said in a statement on Wednesday that Amazons decision made no business sense and directly targets the companys only unionized warehouse in Canada.The workers were in the process of negotiating their first collective agreement.There is no doubt that the closings announced today are part of an anti-union campaign against CSN and Amazon employees, said CSN president Caroline Senneville in a French-language statement.This move contradicts the provisions of the Quebec Labour Code, which we will strongly oppose, Senneville added, without providing immediate specifics.Deborah Sophia and Allison Lampert, Reuters

U.S. oil and gas producers are thrilled that President Donald Trump wants to encourage domestic energy development but say his decision to withdraw the United States from international climate cooperation will not help their investment plans in the global transition to cleaner energy.The position reflects a rare note of discord between Trump and Big Oil, one of his most important constituencies and long considered the top villain behind climate change for pumping and selling the fossil fuels driving planetary warming.Removing the United States from the Paris climate deal for the second time was among a flurry of first-day moves by Trump aimed at pumping up already record high domestic energy production, sending a signal to the rest of the world the U.S. will no longer engage in multilateral efforts to combat climate change.He called the decade-old pact to limit global warming a rip off that puts the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage to China.Big U.S. oil companies, however, believe the withdrawal only limits Washingtons ability to influence an ongoing global energy transition and exposes them to an uneven regulatory environment, according to Reuters interviews with industry representatives.Marty Durbin, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerces Global Energy Institute representing U.S. energy companies, said its members would have preferred Trump keep the U.S. involved in the pact.While we prefer that the U.S. government remain engaged in the UN climate process, the private sector is committed to developing the solutions necessary to meet the energy needs of a growing global economy while addressing the climate challenge, he said.Bethany Williams, a spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute whose members include Exxon Mobil and Chevron said the group has long supported the ambitions of the Paris Agreement.Exxons CEO Darren Woods had made an early plea to the newly-elected president at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in November to keep the U.S. in the Paris pact, saying the cycle of exiting and re-entering the agreement would create long-term policy uncertainty for companies.Exxon and other big oil companies are planning long-term investments in technologies intended to fight climate change, including green hydrogen and carbon capture, while also navigating decisions about new oil and gas exploration.Exxon and Occidental did not respond to requests for comment. Chevron and ConocoPhillips declined to comment.Asked about the Paris withdrawal order, the president of the American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC), representing U.S. independent drillers, said it was important for U.S. industry to be part of the global climate discussion.Its critical that any conversation about addressing climate change must be global in nature, and also recognize that America is the world leader in both energy production and emissions reductions, said AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury.A shift in the U.S. power industry away from coal has contributed to a roughly 17% decline in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions since 2007, according to government data.Climate liability risk specialist Wynne Lawrence of insurance law firm Clyde & Co said policy volatility around international climate participation puts U.S. companies at risk.The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement will increase regulatory ambiguity, creating increased complexity and, potentially, lead to legal disputes as companies deal with the resulting uncertainty around transition strategies across multinational groups and supply chains, said Lawrence.In recent years, oil majors had begun sending executives to annual UN climate conferences, where they touted investments in clean energy projects and cuts in the operating emissions.Frank Maisano, senior principal at law firm Bracewell, which represents energy industry clients, said it makes little sense to give up a seat at the table.U.S. industries in all sectors continue to invest in new technologies and innovations that are driving the global energy transition in a way that reduces emissions and protects our economy, he said. We should be shouting that success story from every rooftop and in every venue.Valerie Volcovici and Sheila Dang, Reuters

LVMH Watch Week is one of the biggest annual events on a watch enthusiasts calendar. With the dawn of the new year, the sixth edition of Watch Week is already underway and the event features the finest names in LVMH tutelage showcasing their latest creations. One of the new attendees is the LEpe 1839, which has made its first major release since its acquisition by LVMH in 2024.LEpe was first founded in 1839 and has been a phenomenon amid mechanical Swiss watch fans through the years. For me, its exceptional table clocks have always stood out from the rest, not to mention its watches in collaboration with MB&F. Of course, then you would expect larger-than-life complications and complexities in their creations. However this one time, the Maison has chosen to keep it simple and revealing which is interesting.Designer: LEpe 1839Introducing the LEpe transparent watch box which is nothing more than what the name suggests precisely. But for some integrity, it has mechanical functioning to become an enticing presentation box. Meant excessively to offer a full view of the watch beating under its hood, the translucent box mechanically elevates your precious timepiece to wear or simply impress your friends.LEpe Watch Box measures 215mm long, 150mm wide, and 140mm high. It is made from inox, acrylic glass and microfiber, and is hand-finished painstakingly with polished, satin and lacquer. The mechanical elements of the box are brass-plated supposedly. Owing to its construction it weighs 3.4 kg which is quite heavy.The watch box comes to life from a dull translucent container into a lively mechanical lift system with the push of a button on its acrylic housing. When the button is pushed, the mechanical system on the inside elegantly opens the top lid and lifts the watch-securing cushion up and out of the box. At this point, you can choose to remove the watch and wear, or push it back down when youre down showing off.Pressing the housing down rewinds the mechanical system to settle the cushion platform back in the box. Of course, LEpe Watch Box does not wind nor secure your timepiece inside, but if you like the idea of a transparent watch container with an elevating display, you can get it now for 9,900 CHF (approximately $12,000). Quite a lot for a watch box but if you can afford it, the price doesnt matter!The post LEpe 1839 unveils transparent watch box to showcase your precious timepiece first appeared on Yanko Design.

Under Donald Trump, the United States Digital Service is morphing into Elon Musks cost-cutting machine.

With the app still unavailable on US app stores, people are betting on TikTok being a profitable added extra to secondhand handsets.

Unions had gained a foothold in one of the companys warehouses in the province, though Amazon would not say if there was a connection.

A proposed class-action lawsuit against Apple, which alleges that the company underpays its female staff, is going forward after all.A proposed class-action lawsuit against Apple is moving forward.Even though Apple claims it takes the issue of gender discrimination seriously, with the company even having an entire webpage dedicated to diversity, the iPhone maker has faced serious criticism. In June 2024, a class-action lawsuit against Apple alleged that the company systematically underpays its female employees across multiple divisions, including AppleCare, engineering, and marketing.According to the class-action lawsuit, Apple based its employee pay on "prior pay and pay expectations to set starting salaries," meaning that women are paid less from the get-go. The company's performance evaluations are also said to favor men, who are often rewarded with bonuses and raises based on talent, while their female coworkers are not provided with the same treatment. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

France 24 is reporting that David Adjayes forthcoming National Cathedral of Ghana project is being investigated by state authorities over an apparent misuse of public funds in the procurement process. The $400 million (USD) design had been at the center of a row between rival political factions in his birth country since 2023, when Adjaye told a local outlet that nothing was "hidden or opaque" in regards to its commission and the $21.37 million USD design fees his firm received for their effort.The project's construction has allegedly stalled in the midst of Ghana's economic crisis. France 24 also reported: "Contractors have abandoned the site due to unpaid invoices, and at least five trustees have resigned from the project's board, further eroding public confidence."

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. It is native to Central Asia, South Asia, and northeastern Iran. It has long been used as a seasoning and culinary ingredient worldwide, with a history of several thousand years of human consumption and use, including use in traditional medicine. It was known to ancient Egyptians and other ancient cultures for which its consumption has had a significant culinary cultural impact, especially across the Mediterranean region and across parts of Asia. It is produced globally, but the largest producer is China, which produced 73% of the world's supply of garlic in 2021. This photograph shows a bulb and cloves of garlic, and was focus-stacked from 37 individual images.Photograph credit: Ivar LeidusRecently featured: Cattle tyrant and capybaraIn the LogeRacial segregation in the United StatesArchiveMore featured pictures