DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Musician Paul McCartney performs during his Got Back tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, U.S., May 13, 2022. Tickets priced between 200 reais ($41) and 400 reais ($82), much lower than most of those for the tour, sold out in just a few minutes. Fans who managed to buy tickets received wristbands for the concert. Upon arrival, event organizers sealed up fans' mobile phones and cameras to prevent images being recorded. Reporting by Bernardo Caram; Writing by Steven Grattan; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Paul McCartney, Mario Anzuoni, McCartney, Amanda Cardoso, I'd, Bernardo Caram, Steven Grattan, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Cavern Club, Beatles, Clube, Choro, Thomson Locations: Inglewood , California, U.S, Rights BRASILIA, Liverpool, Brazil, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro

☆ Webb telescope reveals new details in Milky Way’s heart
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has looked into the heart of the Milky Way galaxy, unveiling new features and mysteries within the chaotic region that could help astronomers unravel more details about the early universe. Astronomers used Webb to glimpse Sagittarius C, or Sgr C, an active region of star formation located about 300 light-years from the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. A light-year, equivalent to 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers), is how far a beam of light travels in one year. Astronomers are still trying to determine what has created the vast amount of energized gas, which surpasses what would normally be released by young massive stars. “Webb has provided us with a ton of data on this extreme environment, and we are just starting to dig into it.”

Persons: James Webb, Webb, ”, Samuel Crowe, “ There’s, ” Crowe, “ Webb, ” Young, Jonathan Tan, Rubén Fedriani Organizations: CNN, NASA, University of Virginia, Instituto Locations: Andalucía, Spain

"The revenue service is already organizing the implementation of this minimum taxation on multinationals," she said in an interview on Wednesday. The revenue service did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It advocates that this mechanism will ensure that large multinational companies pay a minimum 15% tax on their profits in all jurisdictions where they operate to deter profit-shifting to tax-favorable locations. The OECD estimates that the global minimum tax, already under way in countries including South Korea and Japan, could generate up to $200 billion in additional annual revenue. She also said Brazil aims to go further in the global tax discussion to reduce differences between advanced and emerging economies and to promote the green agenda.

Persons: India Narendra Modi, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Kenny Holston, Tatiana Rosito, Maria Carolina Sampaio, GVM, Rosito, Marcela Ayres, Bernardo Caram, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S, UK, Rights, Finance, Reuters, Organization, Economic Cooperation, Development, OECD, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: India, Brazil, New Delhi, Rights BRASILIA, South Korea, Japan, United States, Rosito, Brasilia

BRASILIA, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Brazil's Finance Ministry is preparing a decree that nearly doubles the tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition, arguing that the measure is necessary to boost revenue and reduce crime, according to a draft document seen by Reuters. Prepared by the revenue service at the request of Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, the decree raises the industrial tax on revolvers, pistols, shotguns, carbines, pepper spray, and other equipment from 29.25% to 55%, in addition to also increasing the tax on ammunition. The proposal was sent by the revenue service to the ministry's executive secretary, Dario Durigan, on Wednesday night. The revenue service declined to comment. The move aligns with other actions by leftist Lula, who has consistently opposed policies that encourage the sale and use of firearms.

Persons: Fernando Haddad, Dario Durigan, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Jair Bolsonaro, Bernardo Caram, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Brazil's Finance Ministry, Reuters, Finance, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA

FDI in Brazil fell 36% in the first eight months of 2023 to $37.9 billion. Currently, investors in long-term projects in Brazil with exposure to foreign currency pay taxes on currency appreciation over the course of the project - which the central bank has long flagged as a deterrent for FDI. Haddad said he was confident that policymakers had found a tool to shield investors from currency risks keeping them away. Executive orders in Brazil have immediate validity but must be endorsed by lawmakers within four months or they expire. Without that measure, Haddad said it will be "very challenging" to erase the deficit in next year's budget bill.

Persons: Fernando Haddad, Haddad, Luiz Inacio Lula da, Marcela Ayres, Bernardo Caram, Brad Haynes, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Finance, Reuters, Sao Paulo, leftist Workers Party, Executive, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil, Brasilia, Sao, United States

☆ Soccer-Blood Donors Offered Free Tickets to Watch Copa Do Brasil Final
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Blood donors have been given the chance to watch Sunday's Copa do Brasil final at the Maracana for free after the Rio de Janeiro State Sports Superintendence which runs the stadium announced it was giving away 100 tickets. The campaign organised in partnership with the Rio State Health Department is offering free entry to the first leg of the final between Flamengo and Sao Paulo. The first 100 fans to donate blood at the Hemorio (Instituto Estadual de Hematologia Arthur de Siqueira Cavalcanti) on matchday will get the tickets. The match marks the reopening of the Maracana, which had to close last month for repairs to the pitch after heavy rain. (Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City)

Persons: de Hematologia Arthur de Siqueira, Luiz Antonio, Luizinho, Angelica Medina Organizations: Reuters, Brasil, Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Sports, Rio State Health Department, Flamengo, Instituto Locations: Rio de, Sao Paulo, Mexico City

☆ Blood donors offered free tickets to watch Copa do Brasil final
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 11 (Reuters) - Blood donors have been given the chance to watch Sunday's Copa do Brasil final at the Maracana for free after the Rio de Janeiro State Sports Superintendence which runs the stadium announced it was giving away 100 tickets. The campaign organised in partnership with the Rio State Health Department is offering free entry to the first leg of the final between Flamengo and Sao Paulo. The first 100 fans to donate blood at the Hemorio (Instituto Estadual de Hematologia Arthur de Siqueira Cavalcanti) on matchday will get the tickets. The match marks the reopening of the Maracana, which had to close last month for repairs to the pitch after heavy rain. Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico CityOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: de Hematologia Arthur de Siqueira, Luiz Antonio, Luizinho, Angelica Medina Organizations: Brasil, Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Sports, Rio State Health Department, Flamengo, Instituto, Thomson Locations: Rio de, Sao Paulo, Mexico City

☆ Where in the World Are People Back in the Office?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In London, a politician wrote not-so-subtle notes to remote workers last year, hoping to persuade them to spend more time in the office: “Sorry you were out when I visited,” Jacob Rees-Mogg, then a government minister, recalled writing in messages left on the desks of Cabinet Office staff members who were working from home. When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in 2020, many industries across the world shifted to remote or hybrid work. It was an immense experiment that yielded different results for different cities — with long-term standoffs between executives and workers in some cases, and a sweeping return to the office in others. Whether a person is more likely to do work at a cubicle in a big office tower or on the living room couch now depends on where in the world those cubicles and couches are. Many Asian countries have lower levels of remote work than countries in Europe and North America.

Persons: ” Jacob Rees, Mogg, Jem Kim, videoconference, Autónomo, México Organizations: Sequoia, Stanford, Instituto, Ifo Institute Locations: London, Seoul, San Mateo, Calif, Europe, North America, Britain, Canada, United States

☆ The state of return-to-office policies: a post-Labor Day reset?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Some big-name employers are signaling they will get tough on enforcing their return-to-office mandates after Labor Day. It’s hard to say whether such moves by well-known companies signal a broader trend of employers getting serious about enforcing RTO policies. Meanwhile, one study suggests the hours employees spend at work on the days they do go in may be changing. The state of enforcementFor all the various data and research that seeks to capture the reality and impact of hybrid work policies, it’s hard to find nationally representative, statistically significant samplings of HR executives detailing their organization’s return-to-office policies or enforcement strategies. For example, the HR team at Gartner, which helps clients design and implement workplace policies, did a live poll survey of 225 of its HR clients during a webinar on May 31.

Persons: Andy Jassy, unaddressed, haven’t, webinar, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Labor, Amazon, Meta, Business, Merck, Kastle, Kastle Systems, Survey, Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo, Stanford University, The University of Chicago, Gartner, ” Locations: New York, Kastle, Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico

China, Brazil's largest trading partner, funneled $1.3 billion in direct investments into the country last year, the lowest level since 2009, according to a CEBC study. The performance contrasts with overall foreign direct investment (FDI) in Brazil in 2022, which skyrocketed by 95% to $90.6 billion, highest in a decade. Last year, just 28% of announced Chinese projects worth $4.7 billion went ahead, the CEBC said. That compares poorly with 2021, when pledged investments of $5.9 billion were fully realized, bolstered by two oil projects worth nearly $5 billion. Chinese mining firm Honbridge (8137.HK), for example, announced investments worth $2.1 billion that failed to proceed due to a pending environmental license.

Persons: Cariello, Hua Sheng, Getulio Vargas, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bernardo Caram, Tom Hogue Organizations: Brazil tanked, China Business Council, HK, U.S ., Sao Paulo Business Administration School, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil, China, Ukraine, U.S, Asia, Beijing

An aerial view shows trees as the sun rises at the Amazon rainforest in Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRASILIA, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Brazil's government is looking to create a regulated carbon market with emissions caps for major companies and protections for indigenous communities involved in carbon-offset activities, a senior official said. After passing Congress, the regulations would require two years of emissions monitoring before the cap takes effect. For example, some developers have approached indigenous communities with unfair contracts offering meager payments, he said. The proposed legislation would establish criteria for such deals, guaranteeing broad consensus and equitable terms for indigenous communities involved.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Rafael Dubeux, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Lula, Dubeux, Marcela Ayres, Bernardo Caram, Brad Haynes, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Climate, Thomson Locations: Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil, Rights BRASILIA

☆ Mexican city will fine anyone performing misogynistic songs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Authorities in the Mexican city of Chihuahua have moved to ban performances of songs that “promote violence against women,” citing high levels of domestic violence. The law bans the performance of songs that promote violence against women, as well as their discrimination, marginalization or exclusion, said Bonilla. Narcocorridos and corridos tumbados, types of homegrown Mexican music linked to violence and the drug trade, could also be affected. In 2012, the city banned popular Mexican group Los Tigres del Norte after the band played three songs categorized as narcocorridos. Chihuahua city is the capital of Chihuahua state in northern Mexico.

Persons: Marco Bonilla, ” Bonilla, Valerie Macon, ”, Bonilla, councilwoman Paty Ulate, Ulate, “, corridos, Natanael Cano, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, corridos tumbados Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Facebook, Getty, Instituto Municipal de, Tigres del Norte, Ciudad Juárez Locations: Mexican, Chihuahua, AFP, Mexico, Ciudad

BRASILIA, July 18 (Reuters) - Brazil's government is considering changes to the taxation of closed-end funds and shareholder payouts in order to shore up revenue in next year's budget, said three senior economic officials with direct knowledge of the matter. The government signaled on Tuesday it would propose a comprehensive income tax reform only after the Senate has passed a consumption tax reform that cleared the lower house of Congress this month. A more complex and structural reform, involving income tax exemptions, taxation of profits and dividends and reductions to payroll taxes, would be presented after the consumption tax reform clears the Senate, the sources said. "When the budget bill is sent, revenue measures to meet the targets must also be sent, and some of these measures will already appear in the proposal," said one of the sources. Closed-end funds offer favorable investment opportunities to wealthier Brazilians by taxing earnings only when they are distributed to investors.

Persons: Marcela Ayres, Bernardo Caram, Brad Haynes, Matthew Lewis, Richard Chang Organizations: Finance Ministry, Finance, Senate, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brasilia

"Everyone is expecting a rate cut," Finance Minister Fernando Haddad noted in an interview with RedeTV journalist Kennedy Alencar. Planning Minister Simone Tebet was even more emphatic, saying at an event in Rio de Janeiro that the central bank must start its easing cycle with a 50-basis-point cut. She said high interest rate levels were hurting the retail sector. However, they still diverge on the size of the cut, with 55% of those polled betting on a 25 basis point move while 32% expect a 50 basis point cut. On Thursday, Lula himself renewed calls on the central bank to cut interest rates.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Fernando Haddad, Kennedy Alencar, Haddad, Simone Tebet, Lula, Gabriel Galipolo, Ailton Aquino, Lula's, Bernardo Caram, Rodrigo Viga Gaier, Gabriel Araujo, Steven Grattan, Josie Kao, Frances Kerry Organizations: RIO DE, Finance, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, RIO, RIO DE JANEIRO, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brasilia

☆ Mexican officials find 129 migrants in truck amid heat wave
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Instituto Nacional de... Read moreMEXICO CITY, June 17 (Reuters) - Mexican authorities found 129 migrants, mostly from Guatemala, crowded into a truck trailer in the eastern state of Veracruz, the National Migration Institute (INM) said in a statement on Saturday. The migrants were crammed into a trailer in the midst of a heat wave in Mexico, where higher-than-normal temperatures have topped 45C (113F) in several states, including Veracruz, where the operation took place. Immigration agents in late May had uncovered another 175 migrants further south, mainly from Central America, in Chiapas state. Migrants fleeing violence and poverty in Latin America frequently pay smugglers in an attempt to pass through Mexico bound for the U.S. Among the travelers found on Friday were adults from Guatemala, Honduras, India and El Salvador, and 19 unaccompanied minors, the migration institute said.

Persons: Francisco Garduño, Lucinda Elliott, Aida Pelaez, Fernandez, Franklin Paul Organizations: Mexico's National Institute of Migration, INM, Instituto Nacional de, Read, MEXICO CITY, National Migration Institute, U.S, Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, India, MEXICO, Veracruz, Mexico, Central America, Chiapas, America

☆ Coffee research group progresses on naturally decaffeinated varieties
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Roberto Samora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAO PAULO, June 16 (Reuters) - A Brazilian coffee research institute has started a decisive stage in a two-decade project to develop arabica coffee varieties that are naturally decaffeinated, a development the researchers think could have significant commercial potential. The program is being developed at the Instituto Agronomico de Campinas (IAC), a leading coffee research center that has provided many of the high-yield coffee plants that have helped Brazil become a powerhouse in the global coffee market, supplying more than a third of the trade. Companies selling decaffeinated coffee as well could benefit with reduced costs, since they could skip the industrial processes to remove caffeine from regular coffee varieties. Coffee trees usually take two to three years to produce the first fruits, so there are still some years ahead until the researchers can harvest that coffee and test it. Consumption of decaffeinated coffee accounts for around 10% of the market in the United States, according to data from the National Coffee Association (NCA).

Persons: Julio Cesar Mistro, Roberto Samora, Marcelo Teixeira, Sandra Maler Organizations: SAO PAULO, Instituto Agronomico, IAC, National Coffee Association, Thomson Locations: Campinas, Brazil, Europe, United States, New York

☆ Birds in the Atlantic are pecking baby whales to death, eating blubber from their backs as they surface for air
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gulls off the coast of Argentina have developed a peculiar food habit: pecking at whales' back fat. The birds used to feed on skin shed by the whales, but they figured out how to go straight to the source. The birds — kelp gulls — used to feed off sheets of skin from right whales, which the animals naturally shed. The birds flutter about waiting for the whales to surface, then they pounce, pecking at the whale's hide to get to the blubber. "Our analysis supports recent studies indicating that gull harassment at Peninsula Valdés may impact southern right whales population dynamics," the scientists said in the study.

Persons: —, peck, Mariano Sironi, wildestanimal, LUIS ROBAYO Organizations: Service, Gulls, Instituto, New York Times, Times, Getty Locations: Argentina, Conservación, Ballenas, AFP

BRASILIA, May 16 (Reuters) - Brazil's Finance Ministry is preparing a new set of initiatives to increase tax revenue, including a review of deductions and exemptions for income tax on individuals, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Previous administrations have tried - and failed - to restrict income tax deductions, which allow taxpayers to use proof of certain expenses, such as medical and educational costs, to reduce their tax bills. The government estimates it is set to lose 51.1 billion reais ($10.2 billion) from exemptions, along with 31.3 billion reais from deductions in its 2024 budget bill. The finance ministry's revenue chief Robinson Barreirinhas said last month that the government was working on additional revenue measures to be announced in the second half of this year. He mentioned "very solid and consistent" studies regarding the potential to boost annual revenue by 155 billion reais as a result of combined efforts.

BRASILIA/BUENOS AIRES, May 4 (Reuters) - Argentina is seeking new easing of targets in its $44 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund and faster payouts, and is pushing to get key IMF members the United States and Brazil to support it, government officials said. It has ramped up pressure on Argentina and the IMF to revamp the debt program, the largest extended to any country worldwide. The ministry official said backing from the United States and Brazil was key for the IMF talks, and was "positive" about it given the countries' broader support for Argentina's economy. The U.S. Treasury and White House did not comment on record about potential support for Argentina's talks with the IMF. Argentina would need to reach a technical deal with IMF staff before any agreement went to the board for approval.

BRASILIA, April 5 (Reuters) - A Supreme Court judge backed a government move to crack down on illegal gold mining in Brazil, suspending a legal practice of buyers accepting the origin of the precious metal with paper receipts based on the "good faith" of the seller. The injunction by Justice Gilmar Mendes gave the government 90 days to adopt a new regulatory framework for the gold trade to stop the sale of gold mined illegally from indigenous lands and other environmentally protected areas. The previous government of President Jair Bolsonaro eased environmental protections and encouraged wildcat mining in the Amazon rainforest. A surge in illegal mining on the Yanomami indigenous reservation caused disease and malnutrition that led the Lula government to declare a humanitarian crisis. The Brazilian Institute of Mining (Ibram), which represents gold mining companies such as AngloGold Ashanti Ltd (ANGJ.J) and Yamana Gold Inc (YRI.TO), as well as multinational giants such as Vale (VALE3.SA), Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO.AX) and BHP Group Ltd (BHP.AX), said 20% of Brazilian gold had no declared origin in 2021, citing data from the National Mining Agency.

BRASILIA, March 29 (Reuters) - The goal of Brazil's new fiscal framework will be a zero primary deficit in 2024, followed by surpluses in subsequent years, as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva seeks a sustainable trajectory for the country's public debt, government sources told Reuters on Wednesday. According to one of the sources, the primary surplus will be equivalent to 0.5% of GDP in 2024, rising to 1% of GDP in 2025. The new framework will combine a target for primary results with a spending rule and will have adjustment mechanisms in case of noncompliance. Sources spoke anonymously, as the topic is being addressed in private conversations with congressmen. Talking to reporters, Padilha said that the leaders of Brazil's Congress have indicated that, once submitted, the fiscal rules should be quickly approved.

☆ Brazil declares emergency over deaths of Yanomami children from malnutrition
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRASILIA, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Brazil's ministry of health has declared a medical emergency in the Yanomami territory, the country's largest indigenous reservation bordering Venezuela, following reports of children dying of malnutrition and other diseases caused by illegal gold mining. In four years of Bolsonaro's presidency, 570 Yanomami children died of curable diseases, mainly malnutrition but also malaria, diarrhea and malformations caused by mercury used by wildcat gold miners, the Amazon journalism platform Sumauma reported, citing data obtained by a FOIA. Lula visited a Yanomami health center in Boa Vista in Roraima state on Saturday following the publication of photos showing children and elderly men and women so thin their ribs were visible. In recent violent incidents, men on speed boats on the rivers have shot with automatic weapons at indigenous villages whose communities oppose the entry of gold miners. Lula said the new government will put an end to illegal gold mining as it moves to crack down on illegal deforestation in the Amazon, which surged to a 15-year high under Bolsonaro.

SAO PAULO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Brazilian lenders BTG Pactual, Bradesco and Santander Brasil are among those most exposed to debt of Americanas SA (AMER3.SA), analysts' estimates showed on Monday, after the retailer obtained an injunction protecting it from creditors. Analysts at JPMorgan and Citi said in research notes that Banco Bradesco SA (BBDC4.SA) had the largest nominal exposure to the firm, while Banco BTG Pactual SA topped exposure as a proportion of loans. Considering JPMorgan's and Citi's estimates, BTG had a 1.9 billion-real exposure to Americanas, which was seen accounting for roughly 1.5% of its loans, while Bradesco had exposure of 4.7 billion reais, or 0.5% of loans. Banco Santander Brasil SA , the local unit of Spain's Banco Santander (SAN.MC), had 3.7 billion reais in exposure, or about 0.6% of loans. Sergio Rial, the outgoing Americanas chief executive who uncovered the accounting inconsistencies, is a former head of Santander Brasil, where he still serves as chairman of the board.

Proof of work and proof of stake are the two main ways cryptocurrency transactions are verified. Proof of stake requires participants to put cryptocurrency as collateral for the opportunity to successfully approve transactions. Proof of work is more secure than proof of stake, but it's slower and consumes more energy. Proof of stake requires network participants to stake cryptocurrency as collateral in favor of the new block they believe should be added to the chain. While proof of stake avoids the massive energy consumption of proof of work, it hasn't been proven to be as secure and stable as proof of work at scale.

☆ Brazil's presidential election may determine the fate of the Amazon rainforest — and the entire planet's climate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

An aerial photo shows virgin Amazon jungle in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, on May 18, 2005. An aerial view of logs cut from Amazon rainforest near of the road BR-319 highway in city of Realidade, Amazonas state, Brazil, on August 22, 2019. Ueslei Marcelino/ReutersBolsonaro promises to increase deforestation in the Amazon, while Lula promises to slow it. But it's also the most consequential election on the planet," Christian Poirier, program director at the advocacy group Amazon Watch, told Insider. A miner works in an illegal gold mine at an environmental preservation area in the Amazon rainforest, in Itaituba, Para state, Brazil on September 3, 2021.

Search resuls for: "Instituto"

25 mentions found