DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

He voted against the Puerto Rico Status Act on the floor last week, calling for "letting a full and robust legislative process take place." One of the bill’s main negotiators, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, is confident about more congressional hearings on Puerto Rico's territorial status in the new year. That’s intentional, said Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican nonvoting member of Congress representing Puerto Rico who favors statehood and helped negotiate the Puerto Rico Status Act. What’s next for Puerto Rico’s territorial status? Excluding Puerto Rico’s territorial status also gives Wicker and others pause.

They have found that in Puerto Rico, people have a higher propensity for Alzheimer's and part of the reason could be a genetic variant they have uncovered. While, in the U.S., 10.7% of the population age 65 and older has Alzheimer's, in Puerto Rico the number is 12.5%. In the U.S., it's the fifth-leading cause of death in those over 65 but in Puerto Rico, it ranks fourth in the same age group. It was more than three decades ago when Alzheimer’s genetic research pioneer Margaret Pericak-Vance was at Duke University that she began trying to involve more diverse populations in research. A variant only found among Hispanic CaribbeansDr. Katrina Celis, Director of Research Support Larry Adams, and Dr. Parker Bussies prepare to see Alzheimer’s patients and their families in Puerto Rico for Puerto Rico Alzheimers Disease Initiative, known as PRADI.

It would assign over $17.6 billion in Medicaid funds to Puerto Rico over the next five years. That temporarily changed after the pandemic, when Congress passed legislation increasing Medicaid funding by 6% to states and U.S. territories. The current bill seeks to increase the federal government’s share of Medicaid costs paid to Puerto Rico to 76 cents. The bill's failure would also trigger a significant decrease in the allotment Puerto Rico gets to fund its Medicaid program. Since the start of the pandemic, Puerto Rico has received roughly $3 billion annually for its Medicaid program based on an interpretation of the Medicaid funding cap provision from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

As the new network comedy "Lopez vs. Lopez" airs its midseason episode Friday, Afro Latina actor Selenis Leyva said she's excited about a TV series that wants to change the way Americans see Latinos. “Specifically during these times, we’re always talking about Latino representation.”“Lopez vs. Lopez,” which airs on NBC (NBC News and NBC are part of NBCUniversal), focuses on the generational tension between Mayan Lopez and her estranged father George Lopez — who's also her father in real life. “That connects with a lot of people.”Matt Shively, Selenis Leyva, Brice Gonzalez and Mayan Lopez in "Lopez vs. She believes that “Lopez vs. Lopez” will do the same for other Latinos in TV and film. It feels like I’m representing a group of people that you don’t necessarily see in roles like this.”The midseason episode will feature cameos from the original cast of the "George Lopez" show.

The House voted Thursday in favor of the Puerto Rico Status Act, which seeks to resolve the U.S. territory's status and its relationship to the United States through a binding plebiscite. The Puerto Rico Status Act also lays out terms for a November 2023 binding plebiscite including all three nonterritorial status options. Lawmakers from both sides debated the merits of the Puerto Rico Status Act on the House floor Thursday. While Democrats insisted the legislation is a significant step toward Puerto Rico's decolonization, Republicans worried over the economic implications of changing Puerto Rico's status. Venator- Santiago, who has been tracking Puerto Rico legislation in Congress for years, said this is the first time since 2010 that the House votes in favor of legislation dealing with changes to Puerto Rico’s territorial status.

☆ House Passes Bill to Set Up Puerto Rico Vote on Statehood, Independence or Sovereignty
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Eliza Collins | Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The House passed legislation Thursday that would allow Puerto Ricans to vote on three options for their future: independence, to become the 51st state or a third approach called sovereignty in free association with the U.S. The legislation passed 233-191, with Democrats joined by some Republicans, and now moves to the Senate. It isn’t known if it will be brought up for a vote in the Senate, which has limited time before breaking for the holidays and a new term beginning next month. The bill would need significant bipartisan support in the evenly divided Senate, where 60 votes are required to advance the legislation. The Biden administration said Thursday it supports the bill.

☆ Puerto Rican independence bill goes to U.S. House vote on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A House committee approved the Puerto Rico Status Act on Wednesday, paving the way for the full House vote. Puerto Rico, which has about 3.3 million people and high rates of poverty, became a U.S. territory in 1898. If the bill passes the House, it will need 60 votes in the closely divided Senate and Democratic President Joe Biden's signature to become law. The legislation has the support of lawmakers of both parties and Puerto Rican officials. A new Congress with a Republican-controlled House will be sworn in on Jan. 3, at which point any legislative process would have to start over.

☆ Japan depart with big wins but quarter-final dream unfulfilled
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Moriyasu transformed the game with five substitutions and was rewarded with late goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano for what was probably Japan's greatest victory on a football pitch. His confidence in his players was rewarded as lightning struck twice in their final group match against 2010 champions Spain. As group winners, they went through to face a streetwise Croatian team in the last 16 with the golden uplands of the quarter-finals within their grasp. It was difficult to lose but Japanese soccer is without a doubt making progress." Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Luma Energy secured an extension on its temporary contract Wednesday following a 4-1 vote by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s board. Government officials promised Luma Energy and the partial privatization of the power grid would improve electric services. On other occasions, Luma Energy blamed outages on bad weather and sargassum, a type of seaweed. Still unresolved is the bankruptcy proceeding for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, which owes nearly $9 billion, the largest debt of any government agency. As soon as a federal judge approves a debt restructuring plan for the power authority, Luma Energy's contract will become permanent for 15 years.

☆ First female referee is 'positive step' says Costa Rica coach Suarez
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Stephanie Frappart's appointment as match referee for Thursday's crunch World Cup clash between Germany and Costa Rica is a step forward for women in a "sexist sport", according to Costa Rica manager Luis Fernando Suarez. The 38-year-old Frappart will be joined by Brazil's Neuza Back and Mexico's Karen Diaz as she puts down another marker for female officials having also been the first woman to referee a men's World Cup qualifier in March. Last week, she became the first female official at a men's World Cup when she was fourth official for the Poland v Mexico Group C tie, but on Thursday she will be more in the spotlight. "I think it's great and it's a huge achievement for women globally," Borges, who is playing in his third World Cup for the Costa Ricans, told reporters. "I just hope she has a good match and that we can help her make it an easy match."

☆ Federal control board supervising Puerto Rico’s finances has a new director
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A federal control board that supervises Puerto Rico’s finances announced a new executive director on Thursday after its last one stepped down in April following a historic debt restructuring for the U.S. territory. Robert Mujica, budget director for New York state, is expected to assume his new role in January. In 2017, Puerto Rico filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. So far, auditors are still reviewing Puerto Rico’s 2019 budget. Critics also have noted that the ongoing bankruptcy process has cost Puerto Rico around $1 billion in consultants, lawyers and other expenses, and that the board’s director earns $625,000 a year.

MIAMI — Florida Democrats are reeling and coming to terms with devastating Election Day losses, particularly among Latino voters who turned out solidly for Republicans in statewide contests. Most Republicans running in the state won by large margins, turning Florida into a solid red state. “Republicans became the real spokespeople for this community,” said Gamarra, referring to the governor, senators, and South Florida members of Congress. DeSantis always hammers down the message that Florida is a “free state.” Over 80,000 people have died of Covid in Florida. Meanwhile, the number of Democratic Latino registered voters decreased from 947,853 in 2020 to 901,481 in 2022.

Forum, founded in 1948 to ensure that Mexican American World War II veterans could access their government benefits. “Latinos have a long and honorable tradition of military service,” he said, “only somehow it is not as well-known as that of other groups. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, there are nearly 1.3 million Latino veterans, or about 8 percent of the veteran population. Issues for Latino veterans, Vazquez-Contes noted, range from accessing medical care through the Veterans Administration system to homelessness to suicide. “The promotion rates for the top enlisted ranks, and the top officer ranks, are just basically void of Hispanic names.”Ricardo Aponte of the Hispanic Veterans Leadership Alliance.

Share this -Link copiedWisconsin Senate race too close to call Wisconsin's Senate race between GOP Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes is too close to call, NBC News says. Vance wins Ohio Senate race, defeating Democrat Tim Ryan, NBC News projects COLUMBUS, Ohio — J.D. Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance is leading The Senate race in Ohio is too early to call, NBC News says, but Republican candidate J.D. Share this -Link copiedGeorgia Senate race too close to call Georgia's Senate race is too close to call about three hours after polls closed at 7 p.m.

The prosecutor assigned to investigate the killing of gay Puerto Rican rapper Kevin Fret in 2019 said this week that she was instructed to stop her probe and was never given an explanation. Betzaida Quiñones Rodríguez made the allegations in multiple local media outlets in Puerto Rico. She said the investigation was shut down just three months after Fret's death by order of Olga Castellón, who was the chief prosecutor at the Puerto Rico Justice Department at the time. Vázquez was Puerto Rico’s secretary of justice from 2017 to 2019, but later became the governor of Puerto Rico after embattled Gov. Quiñones Rodríguez is still the prosecutor in charge of investigating Fret's death as of Friday.

Under no circumstances is it safe at this time, or responsible, to have anyone other than us touching the power lines." A child rides a scooter past downed electricity lines in Salinas, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 20. Many such former employees worked fixing power lines before Luma took over the island's electric transmission and distribution last year. In Villalba, the brigade dubbed "Villalba Power" started unhooking power lines tangled in ravaged trees. Hernandez said he is confident Puerto Rico will be fully energized in less than a month.

☆ Puerto Rican municipal workers pitch in as power outages persist
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Ivelisse Rivera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cars drive under a downed power pole in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico September 21, 2022. She pointed to hurdles such as storm-damaged roads and factors beyond LUMA's control, such as the generation capacity of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). POWER CRUNCHThe widespread outages have led to a cascade of energy problems for Puerto Rico. Health officials in Puerto Rico attributed 12 deaths to the storm in Puerto Rico. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Ivelisse Rivera in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

☆ About 746,000 still without power in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterCars drive under a downed power pole in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo/File PhotoSept 26 (Reuters) - An estimated 746,000 homes and businesses were still without power in Puerto Rico on Monday morning after Hurricane Fiona caused an island-wide power outage for its roughly 3.3 million residents. Fiona, which was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone by the U.S. National Hurricane Center on Saturday, battered Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean a week ago, killing at least eight people. The storm reminded many Puerto Ricans of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria five years ago, which knocked out power for almost all 1.5 million customers for a week. The widespread power outages have led to cascading energy problems for Puerto Rico, where fuel distribution limitations and surging demand for fuel to run backup generators has left many gas stations dry.

Workers with Luma Energy attempt to restore power on a flooded street in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 24. Since the hurricane, fuel and diesel have become essential to daily life in Puerto Rico, mainly to power the generators. People play pool in a bar on Sept. 20, in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. 'Puerto Rico is completely devastated'When asked what she would want to see from the federal response and from President Joe Biden, she said she wanted Biden to come to Puerto Rico and see the extent of the damage. A house that was washed away by Hurricane Fiona at Villa Esperanza in Salinas, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 21.

☆ Puerto Ricans from town in ‘terrible destruction’ after Hurricane Fiona despair over town's initial exclusion from aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Daniella Silva | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The landslides cut off Rivera’s farm, where he still lacks power and water, until heavy machinery arrived to attempt to clear the destruction. Most of the towns excluded were in the southwestern region, where Hurricane Fiona entered and left incalculable devastation. 'Almost all lost'But residents in San Germán were frustrated at not being able to apply immediately for individual assistance. Gone were hundreds of avocados, the coffee, the eggplants, zucchini and other crops Rivera produces and sells to the community, mostly to nearby restaurants. Jorge Luis Rivera, 36, a farmer in San Germán, Puerto Rico, who lost most of his crops to Hurricane Fiona.

JAYUYA, Puerto Rico — When Hurricane Fiona completely knocked out power and water to the mountain town of Jayuya, in the heart of Puerto Rico, it quickly became a life-or-death matter for Luis De Jesús Ramos, who has throat cancer and a tracheostomy. Luis De Jesús Ramos, 63, and his daughter Ashly Pérez, 26, in their home in Jayuya, Puerto Rico. Members of the company LUMA work restoring energy on Sept. 20, 2022 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Direct Relief Puerto Rico team came to the neighborhood to bring 10 portable oxygen concentrators and other supplies to partners in the area. Edwin Quiles Martínez, 66, and his wife Graciela Pérez Alvarado, 73, in their home in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Cars drive under a downed power pole in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo/File PhotoSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Javier Rivera-Aquino is a lawyer who supplemented his income by raising bananas on a 17-acre plot of land in the mountains of west-central Puerto Rico until five years ago, when Hurricane Maria plowed into the island and swept away his plantation. For Rivera-Aquino, this week revived painful memories of 2017 as another powerful storm, Fiona, inflicted a fresh round of destruction on an island still struggling to recover from Maria. Rivera-Aquino knows too well the challenges now facing his neighbors around Lares, about 62 miles (100 km) southwest of San Juan, the capital city. While Cidra, about 31 miles (50 km) south of the capital, suffered multiple landslides in the wake of the catastrophic 2017 hurricane, Fiona has brought its own significant problems, he said.

☆ Son's late free kick earns South Korea draw with Costa Rica
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSept 23 (Reuters) - Son Heung-min's late free kick earned South Korea a 2-2 draw with fellow World Cup qualifiers Costa Rica in a friendly international in Goyang on Friday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSon and Kwon Chang-hoon both saw efforts cleared off the line within seconds of each other as the home side sought a second before Costa Rica levelled with four minutes left in the half. Bennette added a second for the Costa Ricans in the 63rd minute when he slotted in from close range after Kim Seung-gyu had saved Anthony Contretas' initial header. South Korea will take on Uruguay, Ghana and Portugal at the World Cup while the Costa Ricans have been drawn to face Japan, Germany and Spain. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

“Thank you Bad Bunny, thank you for being who you are, thank you for representing us and having us in your heart and soul,” she wrote in a Facebook post. It’s excellent that Bad Bunny is raising his voice for Puerto Rico. He said Bad Bunny's video is a “clear description” of the reality that Puerto Ricans live day by day. The theme of displacement also connects to the last sentences in Bad Bunny's song, which are sung by Bad Bunny’s girlfriend, Gabriela Berlingeri. “We are proud and grateful to Bad Bunny,” Cruz said, “for giving a voice to the people of Puerto Rico during Hurricane Fiona.”Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for Puerto Rico as it reels from Hurricane Fiona, Gov. The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, began touring affected communities in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, conducting initial damage assessments to support the governor's request. A man on Tuesday collects donated water bottles for drinking after Hurricane Fiona damaged water supplies in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. Hurricane Fiona is the first major hurricane to directly hit Puerto Rico since it was ravaged by Hurricane Maria five years ago. "With regard to Hurricane Maria, the people of Puerto Rico, we believe, were treated in a manner inconsistent with the mandate toward equality, fairness and impartiality," Yaki said.

Search resuls for: "Ricans"

25 mentions found