DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Low-tax Switzerland votes on global minimum corporate tax rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In 2021 almost 140 countries including Switzerland agreed to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) deal to ensure large companies pay a minimum tax rate of 15%, to prevent them trying to avoid taxation by transferring profits to low tax countries. Reuters GraphicsEach of Switzerland's 26 cantons can set its own corporate tax rate, but the federal government would impose a top-up tax to ensure companies are paying 15 percent, raising up to 2.5 billion Swiss francs ($2.76 billion) in tax revenue. She said last month, "this minimum tax is coming, with or without Switzerland." Swiss Holdings, a group representing 62 multinationals in Switzerland including Nestle, Johnson & Johnson, and IKEA, supported the minimum tax. Stefan Kuhn, Head of Tax and Legal at KPMG Switzerland, said the top-up tax "gives cantons the money to do something smart to remain competitive."

Persons: Arnd, Fabian Molina, Karin Keller, Johnson, Christian Frey, Stefan Kuhn, Kuhn, John Revill, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Switzerland Broad, Economic Cooperation, Development, GFS, Google, Nestle, Reuters, Union, Social Democrats, Sutter, OECD, Swiss Holdings, Johnson, IKEA, KPMG Switzerland, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Bernese, Lake Zug, Zug, Switzerland, ZURICH, Swiss, GFS Bern, Germany, Japan, Basel, Economiesuisse

☆ Berlusconi’s Legacy Lives On Beyond Italy’s Borders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Amanda Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In Venezuela, a series of corruption scandals opened a power vacuum that Hugo Chávez easily filled with populist appeals, leading to to an authoritarian government that, by the time of his death, oversaw a country racked by crises. When the U.N.-backed group that had investigated Molina began looking into Morales as well, he expelled it from the country. The United States has not had a massive corruption scandal that sent politicians to courtrooms and jail cells and decimated faith in its political parties. That kind of institutional weakness creates an opening for outsider politicians who might once have been kept out of politics by robust political parties. In Italy, Berlusconi presided over and helped maintain decades of weak coalition governments and political turmoil, not to mention the multiple corruption scandals he landed in.

Persons: Bolsonaro, Hugo Chávez, Otto Pérez Molina, Jimmy Morales, ”, Molina, Morales, Trump, Berlusconi Organizations: United, Republican Party Locations: Venezuela, Guatemala, United States, Italy

☆ Rikers Monitor Expected to Take Aim at City Jails Chief in Hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But violence and chaos have continued at Rikers Island and, this year, Mr. Molina and New York City’s mayor Eric Adams have limited public information about conditions inside. They have stopped informing news outlets when deaths occur and have made it difficult for a city watchdog to access video and other information from Rikers Island. In April 2022, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan raised the prospect of a federal takeover of Rikers Island, through an official known as a receiver. If Mr. Martin has lost confidence in Mr. Molina, it could signal a shift in the attitude of the federal judge overseeing his work. Mr. Martin’s latest report, filed Monday, suggests that his goal is more modest: To get timely, accurate information about deaths and other serious incidents on Rikers Island.

Persons: Mr, Molina, Eric Adams, Molina’s, Martin, Laura T, Swain, Judge Swain, Martin’s Locations: Rikers, Molina and New York, U.S, Manhattan, New York City

☆ N.Y.C. Jails Chief Is Hiding Dysfunction at Rikers, Federal Monitor Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Hurubie Meko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A year and a half into Louis A. Molina’s tenure as correction commissioner, the federal monitor overseeing the Rikers Island jail complex on Thursday took direct aim at his leadership, saying that the violence there remains unabated and that officials are hiding information about it. “The commitment to effective collaboration, as evidenced by the department’s recent performance, has deteriorated,” the monitor, Steve J. Martin, wrote in a report filed in federal district court. “The department’s approach to reform has recently become characterized by inaccuracies and a lack of transparency.”“These problems have grave consequences for the prospect of reform and eliminating the imminent risk of harm faced by incarcerated individuals and staff,” he added. A request for comment from the Department of Correction was not immediately answered. The report, the second that the monitor has filed in recent weeks, is the latest in a series of reports, court filings and statements in which those who oversee the jail and groups with vested interests in its improvement have sounded increasingly urgent alarms about the complex.

Persons: Louis A, Steve J, Martin, ” Organizations: Department of Correction

☆ Make Your Garden Look Bigger With This Smart Decorating Move
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Nina Molina | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE An arched window with mirrors for panes adds romance and depth to a courtyard garden in Surrey, England, designed by Nic Howard. Photo: GAP Photos/Leigh ClappNO ONE hesitates to deploy mirrors inside a house—lengthening a cramped entryway or bouncing light around a dim dining room. Why not in the garden, then, where a mirror could multiply lush hydrangeas, reflect cloud-dotted skies and make sunshine dance? Garden designer Toby Musgrave, the Copenhagen-based author of “The Garden: Elements & Styles” (Phaidon Press) considers looking glasses a fantastic way to play with your patch of green: “I like the idea of optical illusions—a bit of fun, drama and theater.” Besides, an open-air mirror yields the same benefits as one indoors. A garden becomes more cozy and warm, said Karen Rogers, a London landscape designer, and the reflection “makes it actually look bigger.”

Persons: Nic Howard, Leigh Clapp, Toby Musgrave, ”, Karen Rogers Organizations: Phaidon Press Locations: Surrey, England, Copenhagen, London

☆ Prehistoric cave paintings discovered in Spain using drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Archaeologists in Spain have discovered prehistoric paintings in hard-to-reach caves in the east of the country using drone technology. The use of drones allowed researchers to quickly gather evidence of previously unseen cave paintings dating from 5,000- 7,500 years ago, according to a statement from the team at the University of Alicante, Spain. A cave painting of deer found using drones. Courtesy Javi MolinaExploring new heightsResearchers came up with the idea of using drones because “on many occasions we have risked our lives to access cavities located in rugged geographical areas,” Molina told CNN Tuesday. “Secondly, the discovery of new cave paintings in this type of cave indicates that prehistoric man developed sophisticated means of climbing, perhaps by means of ropes or wooden scaffolding,” said Molina.

Persons: Javi Molina, ”, Francisco Javier Molina Hernández, Hernández, Virginia Barciela, ” Molina, Molina Organizations: CNN, University of Alicante, ”, Indiana Locations: Spain, Penàguila, Alicante, Valencia, Portugal, Europe

ONE OF grilling’s greatest virtues: the way the smoke does most of the work for you, infusing every bite of the food it touches with intense flavor. But even pitmaster-level proteins can use a saucy soul mate—just a quick swab of something sweet, sour, rich or spicy to translate a grill-hatched slab of beef or salmon or maitake mushroom into a meal.

Fox Corp. , Disney , Warner Bros. Media executives' messaging to advertisers could center around value this year, particularly as companies continue to offer more content on their streaming services. Cost cuttingWhile media executives will try to convince advertisers to maximize their spending, they'll be pushing that narrative while making fewer shows. The logo of the streaming service Paramount+ on a logo wall at the Paramount+ launch event. Jörg Carstensen | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesParamount, in particular, has seen a big reliance on franchises, especially for its Paramount+ streaming service.

☆ The St. Louis Cardinals Replace a Legend—but There’s a Big Catch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

At the end of last season, the retirement of homegrown legend Yadier Molina forced the St. Louis Cardinals to consider a question they had been able to avoid for nearly 20 years: What does the ideal modern-day catcher look like? Molina had held the job since 2004, tallying 10 All-Star appearances over 19 seasons. During his long career, however, the job changed. Molina was the Cardinal’s reliable backstop, and he provided a solid offensive foundation in St. Louis.

She was arrested at the same place in Montgomery County that suspected gunman Francisco Oropesa was arrested Tuesday night, case records show. Law enforcement also tracked Oropesa’s wife to the home, which is associated with one of the suspect’s family members, a law enforcement source told CNN. Courtesy Eva GutierrezAuthorities now have 90 days to indict Oropesa, a law enforcement source involved said. Due to his status as a Mexican national, the Mexican consulate will be formally notified of his circumstances on Wednesday, the law enforcement source said. Officials’ efforts may have been stymied by a lack of trust in law enforcement.

Cleveland, Texas CNN —The man accused of fatally shooting five neighbors, including a mother and her 9-year-old son, in a Texas home has been taken into custody after a dayslong manhunt, two law enforcement sources told CNN. The arrest was made in the town of Cut and Shoot, Texas, according to a federal law enforcement source. “One of the people who died saw when my wife fell to the ground,” Garcia told CNN. Family Photograph“Two people who died were protecting my 2 1/2-year-old daughter and my 1-month-old son,” Garcia said, sobbing. Sonia Argentina Guzman and her son, Daniel Enrique Laso-Guzman, were shot and killed by a neighbor Friday in Cleveland, Texas, officials said.

☆ Cleveland, Texas shooting: Suspect in massacre had been deported 4 times after entering US illegally, ICE source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Ed Lavandera Holly Yan Elizabeth Wolfe Rosa Flores | Ed Lavandera | Holly Yan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The suspect, identified as Francisco Oropesa Perez-Torres by ICE, was first removed by an immigration judge in March 2009, the ICE source said. The suspect was convicted of driving while intoxicated in 2012 in Montgomery County, Texas, and was sentenced to jail time, the ICE official said. Family photo“One of the people who died saw when my wife fell to the ground,” Garcia told CNN. Go Nakamura/Getty ImagesThere had been 15 people in the house at the time of the shooting, Garcia told CNN. He was in my county,” Capers said.

May 1 (Reuters) - A Texas man accused of killing five neighbors after being asked to stop shooting his assault-style rifle because of the noise had been deported from the U.S. four times since 2009, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Monday. He was apprehended and deported again in September 2009, January 2012 and July 2016, ICE said. Oropesa was convicted of driving while intoxicated in January 2012 in Montgomery County, Texas, and sentenced to jail, ICE added. "We do not know where he is," FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge James Smith told reporters on Sunday. Capers said police have recovered the weapon used in the shooting, but the suspect might be armed with a pistol.

☆ Gov. Greg Abbott prompts swift rebukes after calling Texas mass shooting victims 'illegal immigrants' in a statement offering condolences to their loved ones
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Greg Abbott announced a reward for information and offered condolences to the victims. But the governor is getting criticized for identifying the victims as "illegal immigrants." Greg Abbott is getting criticized for identifying the victims of a Friday mass shooting in Cleveland, Texas, as "illegal immigrants" in the same statement in which he offered condolences to their loved ones. The governor also offered condolences to the families, but not before the statement identified the victims as "illegal immigrants." "Five human beings lost their lives and Greg Abbott insists on labeling them 'illegal immigrants,'" Julián Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary, said.

☆ Cleveland, Texas, shooting: Search continues for man suspected of killing his neighbors after being asked to stop firing his rifle outdoors
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The FBI is helping in the manhunt for a gunman accused of shooting and killing five people – including a child – at a Cleveland, Texas, home after neighbors asked him to stop firing his rifle outdoors, officials said. After declining their request, the suspect at some point was seen in footage from a doorbell camera approaching the neighbors’ front door with a rifle, according to Capers. Exterior of a crime scene where five people, including an 8-year-old child, were killed after a shooting inside a home on Friday in Cleveland, Texas. The suspect was known to shoot a .223 rifle, according to Capers. “The tracking dogs from Texas Department of Corrections picked up the scent, and then they lost that scent,” the sheriff said.

☆ Police still searching for Texas man accused of killing five neighbors
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 30 (Reuters) - Over 200 law enforcement officers in Texas searched on Sunday for a man accused of shooting to death five neighbors after being asked to stop firing a semiautomatic rifle in Cleveland, Texas. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said over 200 law enforcement personnel were going door-to-door looking for the suspect or any tips on how to find him. Oropesa's name had been spelled "Oropeza" in early communications from law enforcement but was changed "to better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems," the FBI said on Sunday. Oropesa "topped off his magazine and walked down his driveway" onto the street then "into the people's house and started shooting," Capers said. Police had been called to the suspect's house on a couple of previous occasions over complaints about noise from gunfire in his yard, Capers said.

☆ Need More Light in the Kitchen? Here’s a Stylish, Adjustable Fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Nina Molina | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

DOUBLE DIP Landed Interiors & Homes, which is based in New York City, draped a couple of matte-black adjustable pendants above a kitchen island in Piedmont, Calif. Photo: Haris KenjarHAVE YOU ever yearned to yank the ceiling light in your kitchen closer to the radishes you’re julienning? Adjustable pendants can get you out of your own way. London designer Susie Atkinson thrifted a 1960s double adjustable pendant for a local Queen-Anne style kitchen. This discreet concealing trick is still available on some models, but Los Angeles interior designer Martha Mulholland, for one, admires the visible, “industrial meets decorative” look of those with visible ballast. “It’s a design born out of a practical function,” said Ms. Mulholland.

This week marked halfway point of the earnings season, with 50% of S & P 500 companies having now posted their quarterly results. The S & P 500 is up about 0.7% week to date through Friday afternoon trading. Here are of the stocks that saw the largest gains this week, and where analysts see them going forward. Almost 70% of analysts covering Hasbro are bullish on shares, according to FactSet dating. Meta shares rose 11.5% this week after the company reported its first sales increase in four quarters, as well as higher-than-expected quarterly earnings.

☆ ‘I Never Spend a Lot On…’ Interior Designers Open Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Nina Molina | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

CUT CORNERS New York City design firm White Arrow draped a bed in Parachute sheets in this Brooklyn bedroom. Photo: Thomas RichterEVERYONE LOVES a bargain—and savvy designers know that when it comes to outfitting your home, even if you have a fortune, it doesn’t always pay to spend one. The trick, according to high-end stylists, is to think strategically, pinching pennies on inexpensive yet well-designed utility pieces and flexing your budget on statement items that really wow. Need guidance? Here, six items pros won’t pay a lot for.

☆ Mexico investigates top migration officials after deadly fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, April 11 (Reuters) - Mexican prosecutors have launched criminal proceedings against top immigration officials as they investigate a fire that killed 40 migrants in a detention center last month, the Attorney General's office said on Tuesday. The Attorney General's office said in a statement it had launched criminal proceedings against six public officials in connection with the fire, identifying them only by first name, as is customary in Mexico. It did not specify whether the people had been charged or would face charges, and neither the office nor INM provided additional details. "They indicate a pattern of irresponsibility," the Attorney General's office said. The statement also alleged that Gonzalez and three other officials were linked to conduct that led to the deaths of the migrants.

☆ Prosecutors probe Mexico immigration chief over fire that killed 40 migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view shows migrants camp outside the immigration detention center where several migrants died after a fire broke out at the center, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico April 10, 2023. The fire, which authorities say began after one or more of the migrants set alight mattresses as a protest, claimed the lives of 40 male migrants, most of them from Central America. "Today we discussed the possibility of some being accused of negligence, others of homicide," Lopez Obrador said, noting prosecutors have yet to give more details of the probe. Lopez Obrador said Tuesday the migrants were unable to escape from the facility located near the U.S. border because the person holding the key to their cell was absent. The prosecutors' statement Tuesday accused top immigration officials of failing to "watch over, protect and ensure the safety of the people and facilities in their charge."

☆ These 7 global stocks are bucking the bearish trend, with analysts hiking price targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"I think the analysts are a bit too optimistic. Despite this gloomy outlook, there are a handful of stocks that appear to be bucking the bearish trend. For investors with an appetite for U.S. stocks , the following table shows stocks that meet the same criteria in the S & P 500 . Delta Air Lines , also included on this list, stood out for having a 50% upside potential from its current share price. The stock, up 3.38% so far this year, is rated as buy or overweight by all 21 analysts covering it.

☆ Walmart chases higher profits powered by warehouse robots and automated claws
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Tasks are powered by giant automated claws and rolling robots, instead of people. The company took investors on a tour of an approximately 1.4 million-square-foot facility in Brooksville, Florida — the first automated distribution center for packaged foods and other shelf-stable household items. By the end of January, roughly a third of stores will get distribution from the automated facilities, the company said. He declined to share specific turnover numbers, but said the first year after the Brooksville facility became automated, no employees left the job. With the automation, Molina watches the robots unload the truck and intervenes if they run into a problem, he said.

☆ How to Avoid the 5 Most Common Dining Room Decorating Mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Nina Molina | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DINING ROOM décor gone awry can kill appetites. Whether your guests are flinching from an eerie portrait their chairs face or squeezing into too-tight seats, bad decorating can take the joy out of even the most well-concocted meal. Los Angeles-based designer David Netto believes dinner guests are rarely eager to enter these stuffy rooms. “So what a dining room must have, above all, is atmosphere,” he said. Here, interiors pros detail five mood crushers in dining rooms, and palate-pleasing alternatives.

☆ Bolsonaro lands back in Brazil to lead right-wing opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ton MolinaBRASILIA, March 30 (Reuters) - Brazil's far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro returned from the United States on Thursday, welcomed back after three months by hundreds of chanting supporters at capital Brasilia's airport. Bolsonaro, who never conceded defeat in last year's election, is expected to lead the opposition to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, officials in Bolsonaro's PL party said. Supporters with Brazil flags draped around their shoulders sang the national anthem and chanted "legend" as they awaited Bolsonaro to exit the arrivals area, where security was tight. The Lula government is just doing everything wrong," said 45-year-old small business owner Anderson Clayton, wrapped in a Brazil flag. Bolsonaro left for the United States two days before he was due to hand over the presidential sash to Lula on Jan. 1.

Search resuls for: "Molina"

25 mentions found