Amazon.com defeats lawsuit by Prime Video subscribers over commercials
Subscribers who paid $139 a year for Prime Video said Amazon had led them to believe the service would remain ad-free. They said the ads amounted to a price increase that breached their subscriber agreements and violated Washington state consumer protection laws.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein in Seattle concluded, however, that the ads were a "benefit modification" specifically contemplated and authorized by Amazon and the subscribers. The change went into effect in January 2024.
Lawyers for the subscribers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Reuters
5 minutes ago
- Reuters
New Ghana mining laws to shorten licence periods, boost community investment
ACCRA, July 23 (Reuters) - Ghana plans to shorten mining licence durations and mandate direct revenue-sharing with local communities in its most sweeping mining law reforms in nearly two decades, details of which were announced by a government minister on Wednesday. The planned overhaul reflects a broader trend across West Africa, where governments are rewriting mining codes to capture more value from rising commodity prices. Ghanaian Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah said the changes, which include scrapping automatic renewal of some licences - will apply only to future contracts, a departure from the stance in Mali and Burkina Faso where military-led governments have applied reforms retroactively, 'In Ghana, we don't do retrospective laws,' Buah said at a presentation in the capital, Accra. 'Existing agreements are sanctified and will be respected.' He added that the overhaul of the Minerals and Mining Act and mining policy was 85% complete following extensive stakeholder consultations. Ghana, Africa's top gold producer, expects output to rise to 5.1 million ounces this year. Major miners in the country include Newmont (NEM.N), opens new tab, Gold Fields (GFIJ.J), opens new tab, AngloGold Ashanti (AU.N), opens new tab, Zijin ( opens new tab, Asante Gold ( opens new tab, and Perseus ( opens new tab. It also exports bauxite and manganese with plans to start lithium production. Under the proposed law changes, prospecting licences would no longer be held indefinitely, and the maximum term for mining leases would be reduced from 30 years to a shorter period agreed by the government and firms. Companies failing to meet environmental, social or production obligations would lose the right to automatic licence renewal. In a major shift, the government plans to abolish development agreements, in which companies send money to the central government. Instead, companies will be required to sign agreements committing a fixed percentage of gross mineral sales revenue to fund local development projects as the government seeks to address long-standing grievances from communities that they have seen little benefit from mining operations. The reforms also propose a three-tier mineral rights regime, introducing a new medium-scale licence category to bridge the gap between large multinational operators and small-scale artisanal miners. Another key change under consideration is the reduction or abolition of stability agreements, which currently offer up to 15 years of tax and regulatory protection to large investors. Future agreements would be limited to capital recovery periods for major investments.
The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Wealthy families could consider Trump's gold cards over fears about birthright citizenship
More and more wealthy people may turn to President Donald Trump's proposed $5 million Gold Card visa program as birthright citizenship is under threat, a new report claims. Trump issued an executive order earlier this year seeking to end birthright citizenship, which is safeguarded by the U.S. Constitution, for parents who are in the U.S. illegally. A U.S. District Judge has since blocked the order, but the Supreme Court could still hear another case on the issue. Ali Jahangiri, head of the EB5 Lending Alliance, told Newsweek the interest in Gold Cards and EB-5 visas — which can grant permanent residence to certain foreign investors — could skyrocket if birthright citizenship is restricted or removed. "Removing or restricting birthright citizenship would close a loophole used by many foreign nationals and shift demand toward investment-based and merit-based immigration pathways like EB-5 and Gold Cards, which provide more secure, legal, and long-term immigration solutions for wealthy families looking to secure a future for their children in the U.S,' Jahangiri said. The Gold Card costs $5 million, while the EB-5 program grants green cards to foreign nationals who invest a minimum of $800,000 in a U.S. business that creates at least 10 jobs. It also offers a direct path to permanent residency for the investor, their spouse and any children under 21. The Gold Card program could grant families who 'would have considered birth tourism' another path to legal residency and citizenship, Jahangiri said. 'Birth tourism' refers to the act of traveling to a country to give birth in order to secure U.S. citizenship for the child. The administration launched the Gold Card website in June. The site allows users to enter their contact information so they can be 'notified the moment access opens.' Trump first proposed the idea in February, then touted it again in April as economists warned about the economic impacts of his sweeping tariffs. About 700,000 people were on the waiting list as of last month, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the Financial Times. In March, Lutnick told the All In podcast the administration had sold 1,000 Gold Cards, adding that Trump had estimated that they could sell one million cards in total. The Independent has contacted the White House and Commerce Department for comment on the status of the Gold Card program. Lutnick said the revenue from the cards will help pay down the $36 trillion national debt. Some experts told The Washington Post earlier this month that the program is unlikely to take off, noting legal challenges are likely and Congressional approval could be a barrier. In response, Commerce Department spokesperson Kristen Eichamer told the Post that Lutnick is 'determined to follow through on President Trump's vision to create a Gold Card visa program that will raise unprecedented revenues for the United States.' "There does not appear to be broad or coordinated support within Congress for the program, even among Republicans, due to concerns relating to the viability of the program and its optics," Morgan Bailey, a former senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, told Newsweek. The Gold Card is also already appearing on the application for Global Entry, a program operated by Customs and Border Protection that allows pre-approved U.S. citizens, green card holders and travelers from some countries to enter a fast lane at the airport. Those who apply for Global Entry using a foreign passport are currently given an option to say that they have 'submitted an application for a Trump Card Visa,' Wired reported in May.
The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Hershey and other chocolate makers hike prices as cocoa remains near record highs
Here's the good news: The Hershey Co. says it's not raising prices for Halloween candy this year. But here's the bad news: Hershey and other chocolate makers are continuing to hike prices, saying a volatile cocoa market gives them no choice. Hershey, the maker of Reese's, Whoppers, barkThins and other chocolate candies, said Wednesday that it will be raising U.S. retail prices later this fall. In some cases, pack sizes will get smaller; in others, list prices will rise. The average price increase will be in the low double-digit percentages. 'This change is not related to tariffs or trade policies. It reflects the reality of rising ingredient costs including the unprecedented cost of cocoa,' Hershey said in a statement. Hershey stressed that the price increases won't apply to products specially packaged for Halloween. On Tuesday, Swiss chocolatier Lindt said it raised prices by 15.8% in the first half of this year. The company said it was able to offset some of the higher cost of cocoa with long-term contracts but had to pass much of it on to consumers. 'The development of the global chocolate market in the first half of 2025 was a continuation of what we saw in 2024, with cocoa prices remaining close to record highs,' said Adalbert Lechner, Lindt's CEO, in a conference call with investors. Cloetta, a Swedish confectionary company, told investors last week that it raised chocolate prices in the second quarter. And Nestle raised U.S. prices for products like Toll House chocolate chips in the spring. Cocoa prices have more than doubled over the past two years due to poor weather and disease in West Africa, which supplies more than 70% of the world's cocoa. Cocoa futures, which are binding contracts for a specific quantity of cocoa, stood at $7,380 per metric ton on Wednesday, according to the International Cocoa Organization, which releases a daily average of prices in London and New York. That's down from December's peak of $11,984, but it's still 121% higher than two years ago. And the situation remains volatile. According to the International Cocoa Organization, prices surged in early June on concerns about production in Ivory Coast but eased on optimistic forecasts for production in Ghana and Latin America. They rose again in late June after heavy rains in West Africa, which could worsen the outbreak of diseases that harm crops. 'It's almost a bit dangerous to comment on this because it's changing so fast,' Cloetta Chief Financial Officer Frans Ryden said last week in a conference call with investors. 'This is something that's moving hugely up and down all the time.' Meanwhile, prices have been rising on store shelves. The average unit price of a chocolate bar in the U.S. in July 2021 was $2.43, according to Nielsen IQ, a market research company. As of last week, it was $3.45, a 41% increase. That's hurting customer demand. Nielsen said unit sales of chocolate fell 1.2% in the year ending July 12. Tariffs could also impact U.S. prices. President Donald Trump threatened a 21% tariff on cocoa and other products from Ivory Coast in April, for example, but then paused the tariffs' implementation. The National Confectioners Association is asking the Trump administration to protect cocoa from tariffs. The group says the U.S. imports nearly $4.4 billion in chocolate, cocoa and candies each year, and the association's members export nearly $2 billion in American-made chocolates and candy annually.
