Category Archives: International News

How Amazon plans to fix its massive returns problem

Amazon is handling a rapidly growing number of returns that are causing a massive problem for the e-commerce giant and the planet.

A National Retail Federation survey found a record $761 billion of merchandise was returned to retailers in 2021. That amount surpasses what the U.S. spent on national defense in 2021, which was $741 billion. 

Amazon wouldn’t share its overall returns numbers, but in 2021, the National Retail Federation estimates 16.6% of all merchandise sold during the holiday season was returned, up more than 56% from the year before. For online purchases, the average rate of return was even higher, at nearly 21%, up from 18% in 2020. With $469 billion of net sales revenue last year, Amazon’s returns numbers are likely staggering. 

Read more from CNBC…

Grapevine demonstration in support of Ukraine yields insights

The First Presbyterian Church in Grapevine sponsored a peaceful demonstration in support of Ukraine on Sunday, March 20 at Peace Plaza, located under the clock tower of the new Grapevine Main.

According to the church’s Communications Elder Deb Hinton, approximately 300 people came by during the two-hour event.

“It was obvious that there were a lot of both conservatives and liberals there. I mean, I was shocked at how everybody seemed to be on the same page about this subject. So, people brought signs about the no-fly zone and more military support from the U.S. and things like that,” Hinton said.

Read more from NewsBreak…

Photos courtesy of Deb Hinton

Grapevine Demonstration in Support of Ukraine Scheduled for March 20

A peaceful demonstration in support of Ukraine has been scheduled for March 20th from 2 – 4pm at Peace Plaza, which is located at 815 S. Main St. in downtown Grapevine.

This demonstration is spearheaded by the First Presbyterian Church of Grapevine.

Everyone is welcome!

For more information, call or email Debra Fantz at 682-465-4468 or debfantz@gmail.com

Huge 1,174-carat diamond unearthed in Botswana

An enormous 1,174-carat diamond has been unearthed in Botswana, a mining company has said, the second massive diamond to be found in the country in the space of a few weeks.

A member of the Botswana cabinet holds a 1,174-carat diamond in Gaborone, Botswana. (Credit: Monirul Bhuiyan/AFP/Getty Images)

The rare rock was recovered at the Karowe diamond mine last month and presented to the government in a ceremony on Wednesday. It is the third diamond of more than 1,000 carats found at the site, and it will now be made into, “valuable collections of top color polished diamonds,” Canadian mining firm Lucara Diamond said in a press release.

The diamond is larger than a 1,098-carat stone also found in Botswana in June, which was believed to be the world’s third-largest diamond. Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi attended a ceremony on Wednesday to view the stone.

Naseem Lahri, the managing director of Lucara Botswana, said [the diamond’s] unearthing “is history in the making, for us and Botswana as well. The stone is, ‘a cleavage gem of variable quality with significant domains of high-quality white gem material,'” Lucara said in the press release.

In 2019, the firm discovered what is believed to be the second-biggest diamond in history — a staggering 1,758-carat stone — at the Karowe mine. At present, the largest diamond ever recorded is the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, found in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was subsequently cut into smaller stones, some of which form part of British royal family’s crown jewels.

Read more from CNN.com…

What Dropping 17,000 Wallets Around The Globe Can Teach Us About Honesty

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Photo: Christian Zünd

So picture this: You’re a receptionist at, say, a hotel. Someone walks in and says they found a lost wallet but they’re in a hurry. They hand it to you. What would you do?

And would that answer be different if it was empty or full of cash?

Those are questions researchers have been exploring; Thursday, they published their findings in the journal Science.

Read more from NPR…

 

McDonald’s Happy Meals Now Come With Roald Dahl Books Instead of Toys in New Zealand

BY EMILY PETSKO

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Would you like a Matilda or BFG to go with your burger and fries? If you’re a young Kiwi, you just might get your wish. McDonald’s restaurants in New Zealand are ditching the Pokemon and Hello Kitty toys and filling their Happy Meal boxes with excerpts of Roald Dahl books instead, The Independent reports.

Read more from Mental Floss…