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☆ A new bill in Florida would require bloggers writing about Ron DeSantis to register with the state or be fined
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Florida senator filed a bill mandating that anyone blogging about DeSantis must register with the state. Ron DeSantis to register with the state. 1316 would require any blogger who writes about DeSantis — and is paid for their work — to register with the state ethics commission or the Florida Office of Legislative Services. Brodeur's suggested law does not appear to apply to news organizations but instead would target individual bloggers who write about DeSantis and other officials. Brodeur told the website Florida Politics that he believes "paid bloggers are lobbyists who write instead of talk."

☆ Mexico's Grupo Bimbo sees Q4 net profit skyrocket to 30.2 billion pesos
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MEXICO CITY, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Mexican breadmaker Grupo Bimbo's (BIMBOA.MX) net profit increased to 30.234 billion pesos in the fourth quarter of 2022 from 4.824 billion pesos in the year earlier period, according to a filing published Wednesday. Company revenue totaled 109 billion pesos, a jump from the 94.550 billion pesos reported the same period a year before. Reporting by Valentine Hilaire and Marion Giraldo; Editing by Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexico's Grupo Bimbo's Q4 net profit surges aided by sales, Ricolino deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Mexican breadmaker Grupo Bimbo's (BIMBOA.MX) net profit surged 526% in the fourth quarter of 2022 from the year-earlier period, driven by rising sales and the exit of its Ricolino unit, according to a filing published Wednesday. Grupo Bimbo's net profit totaled 30.23 billion pesos ($1.5 billion). Company revenue totaled 109 billion pesos, a 15% jump from the year before, aided by a favorable price mix and higher sales volumes, the filing said. Adjusted earnings before interests, tax, depreciation and amortization stood at 14.64 billion pesos, up 12% from the previous October to December period. ($1= 19.5089 Mexican pesos at end December)Reporting by Valentine Hilaire and Marion Giraldo; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Jimmy Carter's biggest challenges while president
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces new sanctions against Iran in retaliation for taking U.S. hostages, at the White House, Washington, D.C., U.S., April 7, 1980. Library of Congress/Marion S. Trikosko/Handout via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, 98, has decided to receive hospice care, the Carter Center said on Saturday. Here are several key events from the Georgia Democrat's time in office from 1977 to 1981. CAMP DAVID ACCORDSThe Camp David Accords were a series of agreements signed in 1978 between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. The hostages were released minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn into office to replace Carter in 1981.

☆ Walmart's Mexico unit posts nearly 12% jump in Q4 net profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MEXICO CITY, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Walmart's Mexico unit on Wednesday posted a nearly 12% annual jump in its fourth-quarter net profit, standing at 14.82 billion pesos ($759.65 million), boosted by strong same-store sales in both Mexico and Central America. Revenue for the company stood at 237.82 billion pesos for the quarter, up 11% from the prior October-December period. Same-store sales in the period grew 12.7% in Central America and 10.2% in Mexico, although the company's gross margin fell 20 basis points overall. The company's EBITDA in the quarter stood at 25.34 billion pesos, up 7.5% from last year's 23.56 billion. ($1 = 19.5089 Mexican pesos)Reporting by Valentine Hilaire and Marion Giraldo; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

It is the worst violence in Peru in two decades and threatens to destabilize one of region's most reliable economies. Armas' comments come a day after the central bank maintained its benchmark interest rate at 7.75%, making it the first time since the second half of 2021 that the bank did not hike its rate. On Thursday, the International Monetary Fund called inflation Peru's most immediate policy challenge, in a statement following a staff visit to the country. Armas highlighted that inflation was seen to be on a "downward" trend, with January's figures slightly better than expected. The bank now forecasts inflation for early 2024 to reach 4.62%, above the previous forecast of 4.3%.

☆ Walter Mosley Thinks America Is Getting Dumber
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times Talk Walter Mosley Thinks America Is Getting DumberWalter Mosley is best known as one of contemporary literature’s pre-eminent crime novelists, but he’s actually four or five different writers rolled into one. You have to tell stories about real people experiencing it and not real people with a Ph.D. People who are not stupid but ignorant, who don’t know things about the world. There are people who don’t know how to spell, they don’t know how to think. You have these people coming out into the world, and they don’t know what to do. That’s going to happen.

☆ NYC bike path killer convicted, could face the death penalty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Sayfullo Saipov, the suspect in the New York City truck attack is seen in this handout photo released November 1, 2017. An Islamic extremist who killed eight people with a speeding truck in a 2017 rampage on a popular New York City bike path was convicted Thursday of 28 federal crimes and could face the death penalty. A death sentence for Saipov, a citizen of Uzbekistan, would be an extreme rarity in New York. A federal jury in New York has not rendered a death sentence that withstood legal appeals in decades, with the last execution in 1954. Saipov's lawyers have said the death penalty process was irrevocably tainted by former President Donald Trump, who tweeted a day after the attack that Saipov "SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!"

☆ Exclusive: WHO investigating links between cough syrup deaths, considers advice for parents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The deaths of children from acute kidney injury began in July 2022 in Gambia, followed by cases in Indonesia and Uzbekistan. The WHO has said the deaths are linked to over-the-counter cough syrups the children took for common illnesses and which contained a known toxin, either diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. The WHO, working with Indonesia’s drugs regulator, also issued an alert in October about cough syrups made by four Indonesian manufacturers and sold domestically. The manufacturers are: PT Yarindo Farmatama, PT Universal Pharmaceutical, PT Konimex, PT AFI Farma. PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries’ lawyer, Hermansyah Hutagalung, said it had pulled from the market all cough syrups deemed dangerous.

☆ WHO urges 'immediate action' after cough syrup deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Anushree FadnavisLONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization has called for "immediate and concerted action" to protect children from contaminated medicines after a spate of child deaths linked to cough syrups last year. The medicines, over-the-counter cough syrups, had high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. It called for action across its 194 member states to prevent more deaths. It also issued a warning last year for cough syrups made by four Indonesian manufacturers, PT Yarindo Farmatama, PT Universal Pharmaceutical, PT Konimex and PT AFI Pharma, that were sold domestically. It also asked governments and regulators to assign resources to inspect manufacturers, increase market surveillance and take action where required.

☆ Scientists unearth megaraptors, feathered dinosaur fossils in Chile's Patagonia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Marion Giraldo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Scientists in Chile's Patagonia region are unearthing the southernmost dinosaur fossils recorded outside Antarctica, including remains of megaraptors that would have dominated the area's food chain before their mass extinction. The specimens, according to University of Chile researcher Jared Amudeo, had some characteristics not present in Argentine or Brazilian counterparts. "The enormous variation we are seeing, the biological diversity, was also responding to very powerful environmental stimuli," Leppe said. "This world was already in crisis before (the meteorite) and this is evidenced in the rocks of the Rio de las Chinas Valley," he said. Reporting by Marion Giraldo; Writing by Sarah Morland, Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Notorious Russian arms dealer freed in Brittney Griner exchange awkwardly backs out of pledge to fight in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Freed arms dealer Viktor Bout appeared to reverse his position on whether he'd fight in Ukraine. After being freed in exchange for Brittney Griner last December, Bout said he'd "readily volunteer." It was a strong about-face from comments Bout made to Russian state TV only a month ago. Bout was freed from US jail on December 9, in exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner, in a high-profile prisoner swap engineered by the Biden administration. Bout attracted the nickname of "The Merchant of Death" over his prominent arms dealing operation in the 1990s, as Insider previously reported.

☆ An 82-year-old Walmart cashier finally retires after TikToker helps raise more than $100,000 in online donations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

TikToker Rory McCarty helped raise more than $100,000 so an 82-year-old Walmart employee could retire. Butch Marion, of Cumberland, Maryland, was finally able to retire after receiving a check for $108,682 in online donations from GoFundMe. His initial post introducing Marion, shared on Dec. 16, garnered more than 3.3 million views. McCarty wrote on the GoFundMe page that he was inspired after seeing a video of a fellow TikToker raising money for another older Walmart employee who wasn't financially able to retire. "I wanted to help this navy veteran to live the remainder of his years traveling to see his kids in Florida," McCarty wrote on GoFundMe.

☆ A mysterious 'Doe 183' is trying to keep Jeffrey Epstein documents under seal. Could it be Les Wexner?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"In the court's view, there's no reason to redact Doe 183 from the documents." And when Insider asked that lawyer about his work for Doe 183, a representative for Wexner responded, declining to comment. But if Doe 183 wins their fight to keep the documents redacted, their name and the context surrounding it would remain behind those blacked-out lines. While he never identified himself verbally, the transcript's cover sheet identifies him as an attorney representing Doe 183. Of those 21 documents, there are seven docket entries where Doe 183 is the sole Doe mentioned.

The conforming mortgage borrowing limit is $726,200 for all Oregon counties. If you'd like to get an FHA mortgage, the maximum borrowing amount varies per county. In Oregon, some counties have higher FHA borrowing limits than others. Oregon borrowing limits in 2022 for conforming and FHA mortgages by countyTake note, Clackamas County, Columbia County, Hood River County, Multnomah County, Washington County, and Yamhill County have the highest FHA mortgage borrowing limits in Oregon. How to determine if a conforming, jumbo, or FHA mortgage is right for youAn FHA mortgage is a government-backed loan with more lenient eligibility requirements than conforming loans.

Mortgage borrowing limits are the same in all Alabama counties. Mortgage borrowing limits in Alabama are the same in every county in 2022: $726,200 for conforming mortgages and $472,030 for FHA mortgages. How do mortgage borrowing limits work? If you want to buy a home that costs more than the conforming mortgage limit in your county, you'll need to get a jumbo mortgage. Alabama borrowing limits in 2023 by countyCounty Conforming mortgage limit (single-family home) FHA mortgage limit (single-family home) Autauga $726,200 $472,030 Baldwin $726,200 $472,030 Barbour $726,200 $472,030 Bibb $726,200 $472,030 Blount $726,200 $472,030 Bullock $726,200 $472,030 Butler $726,200 $472,030 Calhoun $726,200 $472,030 Chambers $726,200 $472,030 Cherokee $726,200 $472,030 Chilton $726,200 $472,030 Choctaw $726,200 $472,030 Clarke $726,200 $472,030 Clay $726,200 $472,030 Cleburne $726,200 $472,030 Coffee $726,200 $472,030 Colbert $726,200 $472,030 Conecuh $726,200 $472,030 Coosa $726,200 $472,030 Covington $726,200 $472,030 Crenshaw $726,200 $472,030 Cullman $726,200 $472,030 Dale $726,200 $472,030 Dallas $726,200 $472,030 DeKalb $726,200 $472,030 Elmore $726,200 $472,030 Escambia $726,200 $472,030 Etowah $726,200 $472,030 Fayette $726,200 $472,030 Franklin $726,200 $472,030 Geneva $726,200 $472,030 Greene $726,200 $472,030 Hale $726,200 $472,030 Henry $726,200 $472,030 Houston $726,200 $472,030 Jackson $726,200 $472,030 Jefferson $726,200 $472,030 Lamar $726,200 $472,030 Lauderdale $726,200 $472,030 Lawrence $726,200 $472,030 Lee $726,200 $472,030 Limeston $726,200 $472,030 Lowndes $726,200 $472,030 Macon $726,200 $472,030 Madison $726,200 $472,030 Marengo $726,200 $472,030 Marion $726,200 $472,030 Marshall $726,200 $472,030 Mobile $726,200 $472,030 Monroe $726,200 $472,030 Montgomery $726,200 $472,030 Morgan $726,200 $472,030 Perry $726,200 $472,030 Pickens $726,200 $472,030 Pike $726,200 $472,030 Randolph $726,200 $472,030 Russell $726,200 $472,030 St. Clair $726,200 $472,030 Shelby $726,200 $472,030 Sumter $726,200 $472,030 Talladega $726,200 $472,030 Tallapoosa $726,200 $472,030 Tuscaloosa $726,200 $472,030 Walker $726,200 $472,030 Washington $726,200 $472,030 Wilcox $726,200 $472,030 Winston $726,200 $472,030Note: In every county in Alabama, if you want to borrow more than the baseline loan limit of $726,200, you'll need to get a jumbo mortgage.

☆ Leading WHO advisers call for 'realistic' COVID data from China at key meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The World Health Organization logo is pictured at the entrance of the WHO building, in Geneva, Switzerland, December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseLONDON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Leading scientists advising the World Health Organization said they wanted a "more realistic picture" about the COVID-19 situation from China's top experts at a key meeting on Tuesday as worries grow about the rapid spread of the virus. The WHO has invited Chinese scientists to a virtual closed meeting with its technical advisory group on viral evolution on Tuesday, to present data on which variants are circulating in the country. Speaking to Reuters ahead of the meeting, she said some of the data from China, such as hospitalisation numbers, is "not very credible". A WHO spokesperson said that a "detailed discussion" was expected about circulating variants in China, and globally, with Chinese scientists expected to make a presentation.

☆ Indian maker of cough syrup linked to Uzbekistan deaths halts production
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The Indian maker of a cough syrup that was linked to the death of 19 children in Uzbekistan said on Friday that it had halted production of all medicines after an inspection by the drug regulator. Indian media reported that the inspectors had found deviation from rules on manufacturing at one of Marion Biotech's units. Uzbekistan's health ministry said at least 18 children died in Samarkand city after consuming Marion Biotech's Dok-1 Max syrup. Hasan Harris, Marion Biotech's legal head, told Reuters partner ANI, "We await the reports, the factory was inspected. The Uzbekistan case follows deaths of at least 70 children in Gambia that had been linked to cough and cold syrups manufactured by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

☆ Indian maker of syrup linked to Uzbekistan deaths halts production; facility inspected
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Anushree FadnavisNEW DELHI, Dec 29 (Reuters) - India's drug regulator said on Thursday that it had inspected Marion Biotech's production facility and promised more action based on the probe report after the company's cough syrup was linked to death of 18 children in Uzbekistan. A legal representative of Marion Biotech said the Indian maker of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics regretted the deaths and the company has halted production of the Dok-1 Max syrup. The drug regulator reviewed the company's Noida facility in the Uttar Pradesh state and is in regular touch with its Uzbekistan counterpart, the Indian health ministry said in a statement. "The samples of the cough syrup have been taken from the manufacturing premises and sent to Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory, Chandigarh for testing," the ministry said. Uzbekistan's health ministry said on Wednesday that at least 18 children in the country died after consuming the syrup, manufactured by the Indian drugmaker.

☆ Peru announces $1.6 bln economic reactivation plan after protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Peru will launch an economic reactivation plan at the cost of some 5.9 billion soles ($1.55 billion) after weeks of protests following the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo, the country's economy minister said Thursday. The push comes as protests and roadblocks have crippled trade and commerce in Peru, causing the country to lose around 100 million soles ($26.30 million) a day, Contreras said. The total losses come to 1 billion soles, or 1% of Peru's December GDP, a ministry presentation showed. The plan will also expand public works on federal, state and local levels and invest in industry like mining and agriculture, Contreras said. With the plan, called "Con Punche Peru," the Andean nation will maintain its growth estimate of 3.1% to 3.9% for 2023, Contreras said.

☆ Uzbekistan says 18 children die after consuming India-made syrup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Uzbekistan's health ministry has said at least 18 children have died after consuming a medicinal syrup manufactured by Indian drugmaker Marion Biotech Pvt Ltd. The ministry said 18 out of 21 children who took the Doc-1 Max syrup while suffering from an acute respiratory disease died after consuming it. The syrup was imported into Uzbekistan by Quramax Medical LLC, the ministry said in its statement released on Tuesday. An Indian government source said the health ministry was looking into the matter. The Uzbek health ministry said it had dismissed seven employees for negligence for not analysing the deaths in a timely manner and not taking the necessary measures.

☆ Will 2023 be a better year for the chip sector? Wall Street pros weigh in and share their top picks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It's been a tough year for the once-booming semiconductor sector. But several Wall Street pros are urging investors to take a longer-term view on the sector, given the importance of the semiconductor chip in several key secular trends. The bank said the next leg of growth for the sector will be led by government spending on renewable energy and carbon neutrality. The bank named Analog Devices , Marvell Technology , Globalfoundries and Microchip Technology among its top stock picks in the chip sector. TSMC in the headlines One chip stock that has consistently been on investors' radars is semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

The events of the year took many investors by surprise and made the task of predicting bitcoin's price that much harder. The crypto market was awash with pundits making feverish calls about where bitcoin was heading next. When asked about his $250,000 target earlier this month, the Draper Associates founder told CNBC $250,000 "is still my number" — but he's extending his prediction by six months. The entrepreneur says he's also done making bitcoin price predictions. Buehler said lack of risk management in the crypto industry, missing regulation and fraud have also been major factors affecting prices.

☆ Potential China wave is 'wild card' for ending COVID emergency - WHO advisors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"It's clear that we are in a very different phase [of the pandemic], but in my mind, that pending wave in China is a wild card." Last week, he told reporters in Geneva that he was "hopeful" of an end to the emergency some time next year. Tedros's earlier comments spurred hopes that the United Nations agency could soon remove the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) designation for COVID, which has been in place since January 2020. Some global health experts had expected China to wait for the WHO to lift the emergency status before easing its own pandemic response measures. WHO member states are currently working on re-designing the rules that govern global health emergencies to potentially address issues like this.

☆ Researchers discover over 100 new ancient designs in Peru's Nazca lines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Carlos Valdez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jorge Olano, head archaeologist for the Nazca Lines research program, said the new figures averaged between two and six meters (6.56 to 19.7 feet) in length. The purpose of the Nazca lines, which could only be seen from the air, remain a mystery. This month's findings, however, are smaller and can be seen from the ground, Masato Sakai, a professor from Yamagata University who led the study, told Reuters. The figures, iconic vestiges of Peru's rich history, are about a three-hour drive from the capital Lima. Yamagata University said the research will be used in artificial intelligence-based surveys to help inform the lines' preservation.

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