DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

In doing so they should deploy the financial innovation which helped to halt the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s: Brady bonds. It requires a 21st-century Marshall Plan led by America and joined by European allies. For example, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has 520 projects in Ukraine and will play an important ongoing role. Specifically, the government in Kyiv should investigate an equivalent to the Brady bonds. For Ukraine to benefit from similar relief, the U.S. Treasury and other key finance ministries should back new Brady bonds.

Commotio cordis occurs less than a few dozen times a year in the U.S. Could chest protectors prevent the problem? It wasn't until 2019 that the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, developed standards for chest protectors. In 2022, USA Lacrosse mandated that all youth lacrosse players wear chest protection. Though doctors have not said whether Hamlin's injury was indeed commotio cordis, Acompora is glad to see the condition getting national attention. Chest protectors such as this one from Unequal Technologies have been in demand since Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest Monday.

☆ M&A Is Expected to Pick Up in 2023 as Companies Adapt to Tougher Conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

But many companies adapted, structuring deals to sidestep market volatility and minimize financing costs. Deal advisers expect M&A to pick up in 2023 following last year’s slump, though when that will happen remains an open question. That is especially true in the technology and healthcare sectors, where deals for high-growth companies are most common, she said. In addition to macroeconomic pressures, companies faced a tougher regulatory environment in 2022, with antitrust enforcers globally applying greater scrutiny to large transactions. Demand for such facilities in the U.S. jumped 17% in 2022 through Dec. 29 compared with the full-year 2021, to $317.3 billion, according to Dealogic.

☆ Homebuyers will be able to get bigger mortgages in 2023 but it could be a bad idea for Americans to stretch their budgets too far
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Federal Housing Finance Agency raised its conforming loan limit values for mortgages in 2023. In most of the US, the agency raised the conforming loan value from $647,200 to $726,200. However, updates from The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which has increased its conforming loan limit values for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages in 2023, will likely change the equation for many homebuyers. However, in high-cost areas of the country, such as New York City or San Francisco, the loan limit ceiling has been changed to $1,089,300. Higher loan limits are a double edged sword for first-time buyersCohn is not alone in her thinking.

William Rick Singer, the mastermind of a nationwide college admissions cheating scheme, will be sentenced in a federal courtroom in Boston Wednesday. His sentencing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.Singer, 62, had pleaded guilty in March 2019 to charges including racketeering conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy in connection with the scandal, dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. The operation involved bribes, cheating on entrance exams, and fraudulently getting unqualified applicants into schools as elite recruited athletes. The cheating scheme ensnared Hollywood with actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman charged in the case. “For most of my life, if not all of it, I have thrived on winning at all costs,” he wrote.

☆ The typical mortgage payment is now $200 cheaper than it was several weeks ago, and homebuyers with renewed purchasing power are coming back into the market
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mortgage rates have now fallen for six consecutive weeks, marking the largest drop since 2008. And over the last six weeks, mortgage rates have declined more than three quarters of a point — marking the largest drop since 2008. November's reading highlights the negative impact higher mortgage rates have had on purchasing demand — and ultimately the entire housing ecosystem. "The principal factor was the rapid increase in mortgage rates, which hurt housing affordability and reduced incentives for homeowners to list their homes." Indeed, a combination of surging inflation and higher interest rates — the Federal Reserve raised rates by 75 basis points during its November meeting — sent mortgage interest rates soaring in November.

☆ After this week’s Fed rate hike, where are mortgage rates headed?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mortgage rates have run up so far and so fast this year that many would-be homebuyers can no longer afford to buy a home. By fall, mortgage rates had more than doubled, eventually topping 7% in October. When Treasury yields go up, so do mortgage rates; when they go down, mortgage rates tend to follow. “We have to remember mortgage rates come down much slower than they go up,” said Cohn. “Volatility increases the level of mortgage rates, compared to Treasury rates, because of the prepayment option,” said Chester Spatt, professor of finance at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.

Mortgage rates have inched up slightly compared to last week, but today they're holding steady. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage refinance rates todayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage calculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. Whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect.

[1/7] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers keynote remarks at a U.S.-Africa Business forum at the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, U.S., December 14, 2022. "The United States is 'all in' on Africa's future," Biden told African leaders attending a three-day summit in Washington. Beijing has held its own high-level meetings with African leaders every three years for more than two decades. For their part, many African leaders reject the idea that they need to choose between the United States and China. "The fact that both countries have different levels of relations with African countries makes them equally important for Africa's development," Ethiopia's U.N. ambassador, Taye Atske Selassie Amde, told Reuters.

Mortgage rates are holding steady as the Federal Reserve gears up for its last meeting of the year. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage calculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. Whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage calculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates would impact your monthly payments. 30-year fixed mortgage ratesThe current average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.33%, according to Freddie Mac. 15-year fixed mortgage ratesThe average 15-year fixed mortgage rate is 5.67%, a decrease from the prior week, according to Freddie Mac data. Mortgage rates started ticking up from historic lows in the second half of 2021 and have increased over three percentage points since January 2022. But average 30-year fixed rates will likely remain somewhere in the 5% to 6% range throughout 2023.

In their appeal to the Supreme Court, the Republicans argued that North Carolina's top court usurped their authority by throwing out the map. In that context - a fight over counting ballots in Florida - Rehnquist said the U.S. Constitution limits the authority of state courts. "This court has never second-guessed state court interpretations of their own constitution," said Katyal. Thomas Wolf, an attorney at New York University School of Law's Brennan Center for Justice, said if the Supreme Court gives itself too much leeway to intervene in state court disputes, it risks appearing politically motivated and lawless. The Supreme Court's ruling is due by the end of June.

☆ Trump isn’t the only thing that could rock American democracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In a rare bright spot for democracy in the wake of the US Capitol insurrection, Walker – unlike Trump after 2020 – conceded his loss. But looking to the next election, there’s a brewing fight over which states should have the first say in the presidential primary process. The most core question raised this week is being put to Supreme Court justices. Removing a check from the systemThe leap from Trump’s call to end the Constitution to the independent state legislature theory isn’t that far. Under the map approved by the state Supreme Court and after last month’s midterm elections, the delegation will be an even 7-7 when the new Congress is seated in January.

Another state court then replaced that map with one drawn by a bipartisan group of experts. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts wondered whether such broadly worded provisions provide proper "standards and guidelines" for state courts to apply. The Republican lawmakers argued that the state court usurped the North Carolina General Assembly's authority under that provision to regulate federal elections. Justice Brett Kavanaugh emphasized the "historical practice" that "nearly all state constitutions regulate federal elections in some way." David Thompson, arguing for the North Carolina lawmakers, said the Constitution "requires state legislatures specifically to perform the federal function of prescribing regulations for federal elections.

The position of others including Chief Justice John Roberts was harder to read, raising the possibility of a ruling less broad than the Republican state lawmakers pursuing the appeal seek. The Republican lawmakers are asking the Supreme Court to embrace a once-marginal legal theory that has gained favor among some conservatives called the "independent state legislature" doctrine. The Republican lawmakers have argued that the state court unconstitutionally usurped the North Carolina General Assembly's authority to regulate federal elections. Thompson also argued that state constitutions cannot impose substantive limits on the actions of legislatures on federal elections. A lower state court subsequently rejected the legislature's redrawn map and adopted one drawn by a bipartisan group of experts.

☆ DOJ seeks 6.5 years in prison for Jan. 6 rioter who described himself as 'Hitler on steroids' and posted a meme with the caption: 'I rushed the Capitol. Hi Feds'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Prosecutors are recommending 6.5 years in prison for a Florida man convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes. William Rogan Reid was found guilty in August of multiple felonies and misdemeanors related to the siege. Reid showed "absolutely no remorse" in the aftermath of the attack, according to prosecutors. William Rogan Reid, 37, was convicted in August on several felony and misdemeanor charges related to the insurrection, including obstruction of an official proceeding and altering, destroying, mutilating, or concealing a record. Authorities ultimately arrested William Rogan Reid on April 1, 2021 — the same day he told his Discord followers that he wanted to stage an April fools joke on the FBI.

☆ Gates Foundation pledges $7 billion for Africa as Ukraine war diverts donor cash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said on Thursday it was committing $7 billion to Africa over the next four years, as Bill Gates warned that the Ukraine crisis was reducing the amount of aid flowing to the continent. Humanitarian groups in Africa are grappling with the diversion of funding away towards Ukraine, and as Russia’s invasion increases goods prices globally, impacting aid operations. Drought, compounded by conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic, has pushed more than 10 million people in the region “to the very brink of a hunger crisis”, the U.S.-based Christian relief group World Vision said this week. Following a meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto, Gates said on Wednesday that the Foundation would establish a regional office in Nairobi. The Foundation in 2021 gave charitable support of $6.7 billion and last week pledged $1.4 billion to help the world’s smallholder farmers cope with climate change.

☆ Buyers need a six-figure income to afford a 'typical' home, report finds. Here's how to reduce the cost
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In October, U.S. buyers needed to earn $107,281 to afford the median monthly mortgage payment of $2,682 for a "typical home," Redfin reported this week. That's 45.6% higher than the $73,668 yearly income needed to cover the median mortgage payment 12 months ago, the report finds. The primary reason is rising mortgage interest rates, said Melissa Cohn, regional vice president at William Raveis Mortgage. "The bottom line is mortgage rates have more than doubled since the beginning of the year," she said. "Home prices have gone up substantially, mortgage rates have more than doubled and that's just crushing affordability," said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of mortgage website HSH.

Two of his revenge picks to knock off House Republicans who voted to impeach him lost critical general election races in Michigan and Washington. To Mr. Trump, none of that had any bearing on his desire to return to power. “A perfect call.” Absconding with classified documents from the White House? “I think the question is who is the current leader of the Republican Party. In light of what unfolded at Mar-a-Lago, that felt more like the wishful thinking of a born optimist than the judgment of a seasoned student of Mr. Trump.

☆ It’s a terrible time to buy a house. Here’s what to know if you have to do it anyway
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“It is something I’ve never seen a combination of, this lack of inventory and higher interest rates,” Lafferty said. “If that comes to pass, you can do a refinance and secure a lower interest rate and lower payments. Buy down your interest rate with pointsBorrowers can lower their payments by paying more upfront to buy down their mortgage rate. The downside: While getting a lower interest rate is very appealing, it means shelling out more money up front. In September, when mortgage rates were around 5.75%, Kelly worked with borrowers who were buying a $590,000 house.

☆ COP27: What are they saying at the climate summit?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - World leaders, policymakers and delegates from nearly 200 countries are at the COP27 U.N. climate summit in Egypt, where they hope to keep alive a goal to avert the worst impacts of climate change. MIA MOTTLEY, PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS[1/4] Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres speaks during the COP27 climate summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt November 7, 2022. FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE"We have a credibility problem all of us: We're talking and we're starting to act, but we're not doing enough." MA'RUF AMIN, VICE PRESIDENT OF INDONESIA"One year after Glasgow, there has been no significant global progress. For this reason COP27 must be used not only to enhance ambition, but also implementation, including the fulfilment of support from developed to developing countries."

☆ Kenya deploys troops to Congo to help end decades of bloodshed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Edwin Waita | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaNAIROBI, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Kenya's President William Ruto on Wednesday officially deployed troops to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to join an East African regional force aiming to end decades of bloodshed. The seven countries of the East African Community (EAC), which Congo joined this year, agreed in April to set up a joint force to fight militia groups in Congo's east. Despite billions of dollars spent on one of the United Nation's largest peacekeeping forces, more than 120 armed groups continue to operate across large swathes of east Congo, including the M23 rebels, which Congo has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting. Uganda has already sent troops into Congo as part of separate deployment to chase down an Islamic State-linked armed militants, one of the warring groups in eastern Congo. "We have been working very hard to mobilise the international community to support the east African force," Kenya's defence minister Aden Duale said at the event.

☆ Homebuyers are making the biggest down payments in these 5 metros. Here’s how much you actually need for a house
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

nd3000 | iStock | Getty Images5 metros with the biggest down paymentsIn 2022, these five metros have had the highest down payments based on LendingTree mortgage data from from Jan. 1 through Oct. 10, 2022. A larger down payment means a smaller mortgage, which can "certainly help offset the cost of rising interest rates to a degree," he said. While certain kinds of mortgages allow down payments as low as 3%, you'll have to pay mortgage insurance on loans with less than 20% down, and you may see higher interest rates, Gumbinger said. While smaller down payments mean higher interest rates and mortgage insurance, home buyers may reduce these expenses in the future, she said. When interest rates drop, there may be a chance to refinance, and buyers may remove mortgage insurance once they reach 20% equity in the home, Cohn said.

A senior police officer told The Star newspaper that the shooting was being treated as a case of mistaken identity. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Twitter that he had spoken by phone to Kenyan President William Ruto about the incident. Former prime minister Imran Khan condemned the death and said Sharif had been murdered for his journalistic work. “We're deeply saddened by the death of Arshad Sharif. We encourage a full investigation by the government of Kenya into his death," U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters.

Nairobi CNN Business —Arshad Sharif, a prominent Pakistani journalist who fled the country after he was charged with sedition, has died in Kenya after he was shot by police responding to reports of a stolen vehicle, authorities said. Sharif was “fatally wounded by a police officer,” he said, adding that the incident was being investigated. “I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist @arsched today, as per police he was shot in Kenya,” Sharif’s wife, Javeria Siddique, tweeted Monday. Sharif had “only been in Kenya for a few weeks since that is one of the few places Pakistani passport holders don’t need a visa for entry,” the associate said. “Sharif’s death has robbed the media fraternity globally of a dedicated and forthright journalist,” FPA Africa said in a statement.

Search resuls for: "William R"

25 mentions found