DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Factbox: Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway at a glance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/2] Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett walks through the exhibit hall as shareholders gather to hear from the billionaire investor at Berkshire Hathaway Inc's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., May 4, 2019. REUTERS/Scott Morgan/File PhotoMay 4 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people are descending on Omaha, Nebraska to attend the annual shareholder weekend for billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N). Susan Buffett and Howard Buffett are Berkshire directors. His Berkshire stock will go to philanthropy after he dies. (Interview with CNBC, April 12, 2023)Abel on Berkshire managers' relationship with him: "It's not the same as working for Warren.

☆ Warren Buffett eats McDonald's for breakfast, drinks 5 Cokes a day, and devours cookies and ice cream. Here are the investor's 11 best quotes about his iconic diet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The famed investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO counts burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream among his favorite foods. He munches on McDonald's for breakfast, guzzles five cans of Coke every day, and demolishes cookies and chocolates. If a three-year-old doesn't eat it, I don't eat it." If I'd been eating broccoli and Brussels sprouts all my life, I don't think I'd live as long. "I don't eat any Chinese food.

Its peak sales forecast is of more than $2 billion annually together from the maternal vaccine and an RSV shot for older adults. The case highlights how equitable global access will require better advance planning by drugmakers, governments and health organizations, health officials say. "They could have tried sooner," said Erin Sparrow, WHO's technical officer for the RSV vaccine, referring to Pfizer. Pfizer has yet to take a number of steps needed to make the vaccine available in developing countries, according to global health officials and the company. She still expects it to be several years before the RSV vaccine is launched in lower-income countries.

☆ Melinda French Gates' former chief of staff, who cofounded a unicorn startup, says 'Do you have any questions?' is the most important interview question to nail. Here's how to answer it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Jeffrey Spector | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

His top interviewing tip is to knock the "question" question out of the park. Job candidates are focused on giving the right answers. My top interviewing tip is to knock the "question" question out of the parkSometimes, job candidates say they don't have any questions. Can you prove that you did your due diligence and have the competencies needed in the job you're applying for? Interviewers want to see candidates think specifically about this sector, this organization, and this role.

Nasyrova brought a slice of cheesecake laced with a highly potent sedative, the release said, adding that after Tsvyk ate the offered dessert, she felt sick and passed out. Her “last memory was of seeing Nasyrova walking around her room,” according to the DA’s office. Nasyrova was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Wednesday. “(Nasyrova) laced a slice of cheesecake with a deadly drug so she could steal her unsuspecting victim’s most valuable possession, her identity. Nasyrova was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Wednesday.

☆ Lean Into Negative Emotions. It’s the Healthy Thing to Do.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Melinda Wenner Moyer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It is likely to increase both the intensity of our negative feelings and the amount of time we suffer from them. Those who tried to suppress their feelings reported more pain and couldn’t endure the ice water for as long as those who accepted their discomfort. Participants who said they didn’t usually accept their emotions reported experiencing more negative feelings while they gave the speech. In a follow-up experiment, the researchers found that subjects who didn’t usually accept their emotions reported worse psychological well-being and had more depression and anxiety symptoms six months later. Negative feelings can even serve a purpose, she added.

☆ Warren Buffett says he worries about nuclear threats and more pandemics—but never the future of Berkshire Hathaway
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says he worries about a few things. I worry about a pandemic in the future, all kinds of [things]," Buffett said. "99 and a fraction percent of my net worth in Berkshire," Buffett told "Squawk Box," adding that multiple of his family members also heavily invest in the company. "I worry about things nobody else worries about, but I can't solve them all," Buffett said. As for feeling secure about Berkshire's future, Buffett has already handpicked his company's next CEO — and his successor, Greg Abel, has said he doesn't plan to diverge from Buffett's winning formula.

☆ Bloomberg insiders can't be sure if Mike Bloomberg will choose an internal successor because he 'believes in stability, and then change,' report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sources told the FT that Bloomberg may decide to shun internal frontrunners and bring in an outsider. Bloomberg, who turned 81 in February, is worth nearly $95 billion, according to Forbes. "Only two people" run the company – Zammitt and Kliatchko – a former senior Bloomberg executive told the FT. He gave $1.7 billion to the organization last year, bringing his lifetime charitable donations to more than $14 billion, according to the site. Bloomberg didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider made outside normal working hours.

☆ Singapore rent prices are still sky-high. Long-time expats are having to consider drastic changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

If rents continue to grow steadily, more residents will bite the bullet and purchase a property before paying higher prices for rent, Knight Frank's Christine Li said. Whether one's renting a room, an apartment or a house, long-time expatriates living in Singapore are digging deep into their pockets and making drastic changes to cope with rising rents. Some foreigners living here say their landlords may be taking advantage of an overheated property market to jack up prices — with some doubling the rent. "If rents continue to grow steadily, more people will just bite the bullet and purchase a property before paying higher prices for rent," she said. Justin Paget | Stone | Getty ImagesFrancesca said many potential landlords offered her "rent free deals" to convince her to agree to higher prices — that essentially translates to no rent for the first few months.

On Easter Monday, the hottest ticket in Washington, DC, is the annual Easter Egg Roll. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden participate in the 2023 White House Easter Egg Roll in April 2023. Evan Vucci/APWashingtonian families have spent the day on the South Lawn of the White House rolling and playing with their dyed Easter eggs since President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the gates to the Executive Mansion in 1878. Since then, the affair has become one of the most high-profile events that takes place at the White House each year. In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, Melinda Bates, who organized eight years of Clinton-era Easter Egg Rolls said, "The White House and the first lady are judged on how well they put it on."

☆ Bill Gates shared his first photo with his first grandchild: 'I can't wait to watch you discover the world'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

New grandfather Bill Gates shared his first photo with his grandchild on Instagram. His daughter Jennifer, who he had with ex-wife Melinda French Gates, welcomed her child in March. Gates became a grandfather in March when his daughter with ex-wife Melinda French Gates, Jennifer Gates, gave birth to her first child with equestrian Nayel Nassar. "There is nothing quite like holding your first grandchild," French Gates wrote on her Instagram post with a smiling emoji surrounded by hearts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Bill Gates says pausing the development of AI systems will not 'solve' challenges ahead, days after Musk and others cautioned about 'risks to society' from the tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bill Gates said he didn't think a halt on advanced AI development for six months is practical. His comments came a week after an open letter called for a six-month pause on advanced AI development. Gates, however, isn't the only high-profile voice cautioning about pausing AI development. Last week, billionaire investor Bill Ackman warned that shutting down AI development for six months would allow bad actors six more months to catch up to current technology. Bill Gates did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation outside regular business hours.

LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - Calls to pause the development of artificial intelligence will not “solve the challenges” ahead, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told Reuters, his first public comments since an open letter sparked a debate about the future of the technology. The technologist-turned-philanthropist said it would be better to focus on how best to use the developments in AI, as it was hard to understand how a pause could work globally. “I don’t think asking one particular group to pause solves the challenges,” Gates said on Monday. While currently focused full-time on the philanthropic Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates has been a bullish supporter of AI and described it as revolutionary as the Internet or mobile phones. He also said in the interview the details of any pause would be complicated to enforce.

☆ Ron DeSantis orders Florida's inspector general to see if Disney execs were personally involved with making the loophole to thwart him
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis wants Florida's inspector general to look into the loophole that a Disney-backed board used to thwart his plan. The last-minute agreement hamstrings DeSantis' board, keeping them from having any real power for decades. DeSantis asked the state's inspector general to specifically look into whether Disney's executives, staff, or agents were involved in the scheme. In a letter dated Monday, DeSantis called on Inspector General Melinda Miguel to look into the agreement, which he said was "designed to usurp the authority of the CFTOD board." Still, the feud between DeSantis and Disney is likely entering a new phase, as the governor declared last week that the fight against the entertainment giant wasn't over.

March 30 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc (WMT.N) was sued on Thursday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency's second lawsuit this week accusing the largest U.S. retailer of discrimination against workers with disabilities. The lawsuit was filed three days after the EEOC sued Walmart for firing Adrian Tucker, a deli worker in a Statesville, North Carolina store, because she had too many "unauthorized" absences related to her Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel condition. Both lawsuits accused Walmart of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, and sought back pay and punitive damages. The case is EEOC v Wal-Mart Stores East LP, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina, No.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which on Tuesday accused the largest U.S. retailer of illegally firing a North Carolina deli worker with Crohn's disease. According to a complaint filed in the Charlotte, North Carolina federal court, Walmart did not excuse several absences though Tucker provided doctor's notes, and rejected her requests for periodic leave or a transfer to a job nearer the bathroom. Crohn's disease is an chronic bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, and can lead to diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. Tucker was a long-term employee who needed "flexibility" from Walmart because of her debilitating health condition, EEOC lawyer Melinda Dugas said in a statement. The case is EEOC v Wal-Mart Stores East LP, U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina, No.

☆ Walmart sued by EEOC for firing deli worker with Crohn's disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Walmart for firing a North Carolina employee with Crohn's disease after the retail giant allegedly refused to grant her disability-related leave. The EEOC's complaint, filed in Charlotte federal court, accuses Walmart of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act in its treatment of deli worker Adrian Tucker. Tucker worked for Walmart between February 2014 and April 2017 at its Statesville store. According to the complaint, Tucker suffers from Crohn's disease, a chronic bowel condition that causes inflammation of the digestive tract, which can lead to stomach cramps, dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea. The EEOC alleges Walmart refused to provide reasonable accommodation to her when she experienced symptoms multiple times between November 2016 and April 2017.

☆ Fact Check-Video shows an aphid, not a genetically modified mosquito ‘released by Bill Gates’
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video circulating online shows a small sap-sucking insect called an aphid, not a genetically modified mosquito with a number stamped on it released by philanthropist Bill Gates, as online posts claim. Bill Gates was very vocal about releasing millions of GMO [genetically modified organism] mosquitos into the public.”Another example can be seen (here). However, the video shows a small insect called an aphid, not a GMO mosquito. A representative for the Gates Foundation said the claim that the video showed a genetically modified mosquito with a number or barcode stamped on it released by the Gates Foundation was false. The video shows an aphid, not a mosquito with a number stamped on it and released by Bill Gates.

☆ Hong Kong government announces measures to lure wealthy family offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, March 24 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's government announced a series of measures on Friday to attract wealthy family offices to set up in the financial hub as authorities try to restore business confidence and investor allure after three years of severe COVID-19 rules. "The policy statement demonstrates our determination to develop Hong Kong into a leading global family office hub," Paul Chan, the city's financial secretary said. Chan said this would help bolster Hong Kong's financial sector as well as areas including technology, green, arts and culture and philanthropy. City leader John Lee said last year that he had set a target of attracting 200 large family offices to set up in Hong Kong by 2025. Hong Kong's push to attract wealthy families comes as many wealthy individuals and companies shifted to rival financial hubs such as Singapore after Beijing's imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020.

☆ Fact Check-Video of Australian news interview featuring Bill Gates edited using AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The version of the clip with altered dialogue being shared was created using deepfake technology, which manipulates audio and visuals to make it appear that an individual is saying something (here). There are signs of several techniques used to create the fake video, according to Dominic Lees, an associate professor of filmmaking at the University of Reading. “Voice cloning has been used to create the fake voices of Gates and his interviewer…The fake audio has been applied to a re-edited version of the interview,” Lees told Reuters. So, this analysis suggests the video is likely to be manipulated.”A spokesperson for ABC News told Reuters, “The video is clearly fake. The video shared on social media has been manipulated using deepfake technology and does not show an authentic interaction between ABC News journalist Sarah Ferguson and Bill Gates.

☆ MacKenzie Scott wants to know why she should give your nonprofit a $1 million donation from a $250 million pot of cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

MacKenzie Scott launched a $250 million "open call" for nonprofits. She plans to make 250 donations of $1 million apiece through her organization, Yield Giving. However, Scott's charity is now asking nonprofits to tell them why they should get a $1 million donation from a $250 million pot of cash. Jeff Bezos's ex-wife says the "open call" will support 250 "organizations making positive change in their communities." "So there are three big headlines here in my heart: community changemakers can nominate themselves.

☆ This credit card debt payoff strategy may sound 'too good to be true,' but it could save you thousands
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

If you don't know what a credit card balance transfer is, you're not alone. Say you have $5,805 in credit card debt, the average amount Americans hold, according to TransUnion. If you want to qualify for one, you need a good to excellent credit score. Pitfalls of credit card balance transfers to avoidThere are a few downsides to balance transfers. Commit to paying off credit card debt

☆ Bill Gates says 'we need a fire department for pandemics' as he worries we're unprepared for the next one
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bill Gates wrote a New York Times op-ed Sunday warning about future pandemics. He supported the WHO's global health emergency corps, calling it a "fire department for pandemics." "We can't afford to get caught flat-footed again," Gates wrote. But he added he was "optimistic" about the global health emergency corps – a network of health leaders around the world designed to promote collaboration between different countries. "The Global Health Emergency Corps will represent massive progress toward a pandemic-free future," Gates wrote in the Times.

☆ Vaccine-derived poliovirus detected in Burundi, Congo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG/LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - Health officials in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus, the World Health Organization and Global Polio Eradication Initiative said. Five other samples from environmental surveillance of waste water confirmed the presence of circulating poliovirus type 2 in Burundi, the WHO added in a statement. Circulating poliovirus type 2 is different to wild poliovirus, with infections occurring when a weakened strain of poliovirus contained in the oral polio vaccine circulates among under-immunized populations for long periods. The detections are significant as they are the first linked with the use of a new vaccine, the novel oral poliomyelitis vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), which was developed specifically to reduce this risk. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) said in a statement that circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 was found in six children in the DRC's eastern Tanganyika and South Kivu provinces.

Search resuls for: "Melinda"

25 mentions found