Artificial intelligence is proving to be a boon to Amazon. The e-commerce market leader’s record first-quarter sales were powered by growth in its cloud-computing unit, helping the company continue to shake off last year’s post-pandemic slump. The WSJ’s Sarah E. Needleman reports that overall revenue rose 13% to $143.3 billion, an all-time high in the January-to-March period, and profit more than tripled to $10.4 billion. The earnings were more modest in the e-commerce business, where first-quarter sales at online stores rose 7% from last year. Revenue from third-party sellers rose even faster, surging 16% from the year before. Amazon’s world-wide shipping costs rose 10% from the year-ago quarter. For now, the faster sales growth is in the cloud, with AWS now at $100 billion in annual revenue. AWS growth had slowed last year after years of rapid expansion, but AI now has the operation outpacing e-commerce business.

• Walmart is launching a premium food line aimed at new, upscale shoppers. (WSJ)
• Adidas slashed its inventories 22% last quarter and improved gross margin by 6.4 percentage points. (WSJ)
• The U.S. Postal Service is considering changes to how it works with parcel consolidators. (Supply Chain Dive)

The web of sanctions that have complicated shipping networks and supply chains in recent years is showing signs of fraying. A U.N. panel that has been overseeing restrictions on trade with North Korea is shutting down after Russia vetoed an extension of its mandate. The WSJ’s Timothy W. Martin reports that the panel’s end will leave a significant gap in sanctions enforcement, highlighting how deepening divisions among global powers are making it more difficult to rein in rogue actors such as North Korea. Russia and China, which supported international sanctions after North Korea’s nuclear tests as recently as 2017, are now pushing to ease them. Other bars on trade are also looking weaker. A group of Western insurers said this week that a “ghost fleet” of tankers had made unenforceable the price cap on Russian oil, part of the broad array of sanctions imposed on the country.

• Former President Donald Trump says if he wins the presidency he plans to build “a ring around the country” with tariffs that may surpass 10%. (MarketWatch)

Proxy firm Institutional Shareholder Services endorsed Norfolk Southern’s CEO in the railroad’s battle with an activist investor. (WSJ)

A measure of U.S. consumer confidence fell in April to a 21-month low. (MarketWatch)

Labor costs for U.S. companies accelerated in the first quarter at the fastest pace in a year and a half. (MarketWatch)

China’s factory sector grew at a slowing pace in April. (WSJ)

Taiwan’s economy grew 6.5% in the first quarter on improving global demand for electronics. (WSJ)

Samsung Electronics’ quarterly profit more than quadrupled on a rebound in its semiconductor business. (WSJ)

Huawei Technologies’ net profit rose more than sixfold in the first quarter, helped by smartphone sales in China. (WSJ)

Australian low-cost passenger airline Bonza entered administration and suspended flights. (WSJ)

The U.S. Coast Guard plans to open a 45-foot-deep channel at the Port of Baltimore on May 10 following the removal of the damaged containership Dali. (gCaptain) 

Yemen's Houthis extended their reach by targeting a Mediterranean Shipping containership in the Indian Ocean. (Reuters)

The CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen says a wave of new car-carrying vessels will soon flood ports with vehicles. (Financial Times)

Container lines are launching direct services between Asia and Mexico to target growing investment in the country by Chinese companies. (Journal of Commerce)

Ocean Network Express is projecting improved earnings this fiscal year after swinging to a $356 million profit in the fourth quarter. (Seatrade Maritime)

China’s Cosco Shipping started operating an electric containership between Shanghai and Nanjing. (Times of India)

First-quarter operating profit at ArcBest’s trucking business rose to $53.5 million as improved pricing offset declining revenues and shipments. (Arkansas Business)

Automotive transport roll-up Proficient Auto Logistics hopes to raise roughly $195 million to $225 million through an initial public offering. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Regional grocer H-E-B plans to build a large campus of distribution facilities in the Houston area. (Houston Chronicle)

The city of Hamburg, Germany, is pleading with port workers to not cooperate with drug smugglers. (Maritime Executive)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on X at @WSJLogistics.