DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

[1/4] Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa attends the informal meeting of European heads of state or government, in Granada, Spain October 6, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLISBON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa resigned on Tuesday, just hours after prosecutors detained his chief of staff in a probe into alleged corruption in his administration's handling of lithium mining and hydrogen projects. Costa, who prosecutors said was the target of a separate investigation, announced the decision in a televised statement after meeting President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Over 40 searches were carried out on Tuesday at several government buildings, including Escaria's office and the infrastructure and environment ministries, the prosecutor's office said. "At stake may be ... facts capable of constituting crimes of malfeasance, active and passive corruption of politicians and influence peddling," the prosecutor's office said.

Persons: Antonio Costa, Juan Medina, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Costa, Rebelo de Sousa, Vitor Escaria, Joao Galamba, Nuno Lacasta, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Sergio Goncalves, Andrei Khalip, Emelia Organizations: Portugal's, REUTERS, Rights, Costa's Socialists, of State, TAP, APA, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Rights LISBON, Portuguese, Costa, Portugal, Sines

☆ Last-gasp penalty miss denies Portugal first win
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The excellent Raffaele Storti grabbed a brace of tries for Portugal, who will rue their inability to manage the final few minutes. "That’s rugby, it isn’t one half," Georgia coach Levan Maisashvili said. "We played really hard in the first half but in the second Portugal dominated everywhere. Portugal rode out the 10 minutes a man light and scored the first points of the second half through two Samuel Marques penalties. Georgia finally got into the Portugal half in the closing stages and when Lucas gave away his needless penalty, they were able to set up an attacking lineout and drive over through Zamtaradze to level the score.

Persons: Nuno Sousa Guedes, Portugal agonisingly, scrumhalf Pedro Lucas, Tengiz Zamtaradze, Luka Matkava, Guedes, Patrice Lagisquet, Akaki Tabutsadze, Zamtaradze, Raffaele Storti, Levan Maisashvili, Niniashvili, Flyhalf Tedo Abzhandadze, Storti, Francisco Fernandes, Shalva Mamukashvili, deservedly, Samuel Marques, Jeronimo Portela, Lucas, Mitch Phillips, Nick Said, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Georgia, Portugal, Thomson Locations: TOULOUSE, France, Portugal, Georgia, Tabutsadze, Georgian, Zamtaradze

☆ Side hustles could become a $1.4 trillion industry by 2030 thanks to ChatGPT and AI, Morgan Stanley says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

ChatGPT could transform side hustles into a $1.4 trillion industry, according to Morgan Stanley. "Multi-earning has evolved into a secular growth theme, with generative AI the differentiator," strategists said. The bank said generative AI will boost gig workers' income by $83 billion, or 21%, in its base-case scenario, and by $300 billion in its bull-case outcome. Insider has previously reported on how gig workers have used OpenAI's intelligent language tool to plan vacations for clients, make pitch decks for startups, and generate marketing articles. This isn't the first time Morgan Stanley has backed AI to fuel trillions of dollars' worth of economic growth.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Edward Stanley, Leonardo Sousa, ChatGPT Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Jays blank Red Sox behind Jose Berrios' gem
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Field Level Media | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/51] Sep 15, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox left fielder Masataka Yoshida (7) looks up outside the dugout before playing the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays (81-67) ended a four-game losing streak and are 4-4 on a 10-game homestand. The Red Sox (74-74) were coming off a split of a doubleheader against the visiting New York Yankees on Thursday. Bo Bichette walked with two outs and Guerrero hit his 23rd home run of the season on a blast to left-center field. Red Sox reliever Chris Murphy, recalled from Triple-A Worcester, struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh and added a perfect eighth.

Persons: Masataka Yoshida, Kevin Sousa, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Jose Berrios, Justin Turner, Berrios, Brayan Bello, Alejandro Kirk, Kirk, grounder, Bo Bichette, Guerrero, Turner, Alex Verdugo, Jordan Hicks, Jordan Romano, Roberto Clemente, Triston Casas, Chris Murphy Organizations: CAN, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Rogers Centre, USA, Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, Red Sox, New York Yankees, Boston, Toronto, Triple, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Guerrero, Worcester

Francis was speaking in Lisbon at the start of a five-day visit to the country in which he hopes to energize young Catholics during World Youth Day, the world's largest Catholic festival. The Vatican added the victims were accompanied by some representatives of institutions of the Portuguese Church responsible for the protection of minors. YOUNG CATHOLICS CONVERGE ON LISBONThe pope landed in Lisbon to a sea of young Catholics who have poured into the city from around the globe for the World Youth Day festival, held every two or three years in a different city. In Lisbon, young believers jumped and sang as they proudly waved their country's flag outside the Vatican embassy, where the pope is residing. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneWorld Youth Day "is a sign of faith and union in which all of us get together for a cause," said 20-year-old Carlos Hernandez.

Persons: Pope, Francis, Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Carlos Hernandez, Australian Andrew De Santos, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Philip Pullella, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Alison Williams, Conor Humphries, Grant McCool Organizations: Catholic, Wednesday, Catholic Church, Vatican, Bishops, Conference, Cultural, Belem, REUTERS, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Portugal, LISBON, Lisbon, Portuguese, Vatican, Australian, Brazil, Rome, Ukraine, Europe

[1/8] Pope Francis speaks as he meets with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps in the Cultural Centre of Belem during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneLISBON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to continue to "stir things up" in the Catholic Church as he moves on with reforms and changes that could leave a lasting legacy. The 86-year-old pope is making his first trip since intestinal surgery in June and uses a wheelchair and cane. A huge billboard raising awareness of clerical sexual abuse was put up overnight in Lisbon hours before Francis' arrival. Francis will also visit Fatima, the town north of Lisbon where the Church believes that the Virgin Mary appeared to three poor shepherd children in 1917.

Persons: Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane LISBON, Francis, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Filipa Almeida, Almeida, Coracao Silenciado, Fatima, Virgin Mary, Philip Pullella, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Alexandra Hudson, Alison Williams Organizations: Cultural, Belem, REUTERS, Catholic Church, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, Rome, Brazil, Ukraine, Europe, Western

Santos, 16, is a violinist in an orchestra made up of young musicians from the sprawling Mare "favela", home to more than 140,000 people, where violent police raids and clashes between drug gangs are commonplace. Created in 2010, the "Mare do Amanha" orchestra is the brainchild of Carlos Prazeres and his father, Armando, a musical conductor who was kidnapped and killed in 1999. Instead of turning his grief into hatred, Prazeres decided to use music to get children off the streets and away from drug dealing. Sousa was part of the orchestra group that met Francis in the Vatican in 2017, an experience she will never forget. Reporting by Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira and Pedro Nunes; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro de Alcantara, Read, Caué Santos, Pope Francis, Santos, Francis, Carlos Prazeres, Armando, Prazeres, Amanha, Ana Beatriz Sousa, Sousa, Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira, Pedro Nunes, Andrei Khalip, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Mare, Thomson Locations: Pedro, Lisbon, Portugal, LISBON, Rio de Janeiro, Mare ., Brazil

July 18 (Reuters) - The European Union (EU) said on Tuesday that Europe's slave-trading past inflicted "untold suffering" on millions of people and hinted at the need for reparations for what it described as a "crime against humanity". The idea of paying reparations or making other amends for slavery has a long history but the movement is gaining momentum worldwide. EU and CELAC agreed on one paragraph that acknowledged and "profoundly" regretted the "untold suffering inflicted on millions of men, women and children as a result of the transatlantic slave trade". It said slavery and the transatlantic slave trade were "appalling tragedies ... not only because of their abhorrent barbarism but also in terms of their magnitude". The CARICOM reparations commission "sees the persistent racial victimisation of the descendants of slavery and genocide as the root cause of their suffering today", the plan said.

Persons: Ralph Gonsalves, Saint Vincent, CELAC's, CELAC, Dutch King Willem, Alexander, King Charles, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Catarina Demony, Belen Carreno, Andrew Gray, Grant McCool Organizations: European Union, EU, of, Caribbean, Caribbean Community, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Brazil, Caribbean States, Brussels, Grenadines, Dutch, Netherlands

☆ Analysis: Pakistan and Argentina bonds' surge belies bigger reform hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Libgeorge Jorgelina Do Rosario | Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Reuters GraphicsBut the boost in the bonds belies the difficulties both nations face implementing major reforms once new leaders arrive after upcoming elections. Pakistan's 11th hour deal for $3 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), after months of talks got official approval this week. Saudi Arabia and the UAE followed with $2 billion and $1 billion infusions. This fresh cash means Pakistan is unlikely to default on its debt in the next six to nine months, said de Sousa. Investors and pollsters said the tough times could force Pakistan and Argentina's leaders to reckon with needed fiscal reforms.

Persons: Carlos de Sousa, de Sousa, JPMorgan, Roberto H, Sifon Arevalo, refinance, Jimena Blanco, pollsters, Alejandro Catterberg, Sergio Massa, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, Patricia Bullrich, Javier Milei, Shamaila Khan, Libby George, Jorgelina, Rodrigo Campos, Karin Strohecker, Toby Chopra Organizations: JPMorgan, Vontobel Asset Management, International Monetary Fund, UAE, Elections, Pakistan, P, Reuters, Peronist, Asia Pacific, UBS Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Asia, Rosario

[1/4] Police gather drugs ahead of burning six tonnes of cocaine, hashish and other substances to mark the United Nations' International Day Against Drug Abuse, in Lisbon, Portugal, June 26, 2023. REUTERS/Miguel PereiraLISBON, June 26 (Reuters) - Portuguese police on Monday burned six tonnes of cocaine, hashish and other substances to mark the United Nations' international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking at a time the illegal trade is booming worldwide. Sousa said 11 tonnes of cocaine, 30 tonnes of hashish and smaller amount of other types of drugs have been seized in Portugal so far in 2023, already above the amounts seized last year as a whole. He said most of the cocaine was trafficked from Latin America and the Caribbean, while the hashish came from Morocco. Sousa said Portuguese authorities needed more resources to tackle the surge as the southern European nation, facing the Atlantic Ocean, was a key entry point of drugs into the European continent.

Persons: Miguel Pereira LISBON, Rui Sousa, Sousa, Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Police, Nations, REUTERS, United Nations Office, Drugs, Portuguese, Thomson Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, America, Caribbean, Morocco, Europe, European

☆ Portugal's president to address the nation after rift with PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, May 4 (Reuters) - Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will address the nation at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Thursday, a spokesperson for the presidency said, after his rift with Prime Minister Antonio Costa increased the risk of a political crisis. The conservative president had made clear he wanted Galamba out and said he disagreed with Costa's decision after previously having warned that he could disband parliament if the government lost credibility. Costa's Socialists won an outright parliamentary majority in January 2022, but his third government in a row has been plagued by instability, although analysts see it surviving - for now at least. More than 10 ministers and secretaries of state have left their posts in the past year, at least two of them linked to scandals at airline TAP. Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LISBON, May 2 (Reuters) - Portugal's infrastructure minister submitted his resignation on Tuesday as a scandal around state-owned airline TAP widened, just four months after his predecessor resigned over the same issue, but the prime minister said he would keep him in the job. Galamba's predecessor, Pedro Nuno Santos, resigned in December in the wake of a scandal involving an irregular severance payment to a former executive board member of TAP. Ourmières-Widener has since been fired after an official inspection found that the severance was illegal. On Sunday, Costa said that neither he nor any member of the government had given orders to SIS to recover the laptop. ($1 = 0.9089 euros)Reporting by Sergio Goncalves and Catarina Demony; Editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Napoli on verge of first Serie A title in 33 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Tommy Lund | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Napoli on brink of winning titleInter under pressureRoma battling injury issuesApril 27 (Reuters) - Runaway Serie A leaders Napoli could seal their third Scudetto in record fashion this weekend if they beat lowly visitors Salernitana and second-placed Lazio drop points at Inter Milan. Spalletti urged his Napoli players not to get ahead of themselves despite being tantalisingly close to ending the city's 33-year wait for the Serie A title since Diego Maradona led the team to two championships in 1987 and 1990. Salernitana have improved dramatically since Paulo Sousa took over from Davide Nicola in mid-February and have pulled well clear of the relegation scrap. Gian Piero Gasperini's seventh-placed Atalanta, who have 52 points, travel to Torino on Saturday while Juve, with 59 points, visit another mid-table side in Bologna on Sunday. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

From the 15th to the 19th century, 6 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic by Portuguese vessels and sold into slavery, primarily to Brazil. But so far Portugal has rarely commented on its past and little is taught about its role in slavery in schools. Reparations and public policies to fight inequalities caused by Portugal's past were essential, Cardoso said. "We continue to suffer in Brazil the effects of a legacy of slavery," Almeida said in a statement. Europe's top human rights group previously said Portugal had do more to confront its colonial past and role in the transatlantic slave trade in order to help fight racism and discrimination today.

Buarque was awarded in 2019 the Camoes Prize, which every year recognises an author from a Portuguese-speaking nation. The prize, named after Portuguese poet Luis de Camoes, was created by Portugal and Brazil in 1988. When Buarque won, Bolsonaro refused to sign the award diploma, delaying the ceremony. Buarque was also an opponent of the two decade-long military dictatorship in Brazil that began in 1964. "It is for me a satisfaction to correct one of the biggest mistakes ... committed against Brazilian culture in recent times," Lula said.

☆ Under Lisbon's streets, ancient Roman galleries tell story of the past
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] View of Roman galleries under downtown is seen in Lisbon, Portugal, April 20, 2023. The city remained under Roman control for several centuries. The galleries were first discovered in 1771, when Lisbon was being rebuilt after the devastating Great Earthquake of 1755. Tickets to visit the galleries usually sell out within 15 minutes. Reporting by Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira and Pedro Nunes in Lisbon; Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Lula has been criticised in the West for suggesting Ukraine and Russia are to blame for the conflict that began when Moscow invaded its neighbour in February 2022. Last week he said the United States and European allies should stop supplying arms to Ukraine saying they were prolonging the war. Lula arrived in Portugal on Friday for a five-day visit as he strives to improve foreign ties. Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who accompanied Lula at the news conference, said their countries' stance on the war were different. Rebelo de Sousa said Ukraine had the right to defend itself and "recover" its territory.

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - Angola's next sovereign debt issuance will be an ESG bond of up to $1 billion, its finance minister told Reuters on Thursday, but she added that the southern African oil producer's government would not tap the market this year. "We are open to get funding from whoever is interested to participate," she said. But any ESG issuance will be the first one for us, so we want to start with the hard work." "We are very cautious about the moment to step into the markets because we want to stabilise our debt," she said, noting the current challenging market conditions. Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Study reveals how treating hearing loss could impact dementia risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Treating hearing loss could mean reducing the risk for dementia, according to a new study. Hearing loss may increase the risk for dementia, but using hearing aids lowered the risk so it’s similar to those without hearing loss, according to the study published Thursday in The Lancet. A 2020 Lancet commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care suggested hearing loss may be associated with around 8% of dementia cases, but this study found that the use of hearing aids reduced the risk to levels similar to people without hearing loss, the study said. “A recent study showed that only 15% of US adults with hearing loss use hearing aids,” De Sousa said. The Hearing Loss Association of America still supports multiple avenues for addressing hearing loss, Hamlin said.

☆ A jar of 'ethical' foie gras will cost you over $200. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Irene Anna Kim | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In Extremadura, Spain, Eduardo Sousa produces "ethical foie gras" from wild geese. Foie gras is typically produced by force-feeding ducks or geese — a controversial process. The reason for the cost and the controversy is that it's produced by force-feeding ducks and geese. But in Extremadura, Spain, fifth-generation farmer Eduardo Sousa is trying something different: natural foie gras. Instead of force-feeding, Eduardo allows his geese to feed naturally on acorns and olives, and his processes have been certified by Spain's National Association of Ethical Food Producers.

[1/2] Police officers stand amid the rubble of a damaged building at the site of a rocket attack in the Kafr Sousa neighbourhood of central Damascus, Syria, February 19, 2023. Its support for Damascus and the Lebanese group Hezbollah has drawn regular Israeli air strikes meant to curb Tehran's extraterritorial military power. A source close to the Syrian government with knowledge of Sunday's strike and its target said it hit a gathering of Syrian and Iranian technical experts in drone manufacturing, though he said no top-level Iranian was killed. "The strike hit the centre where they were meeting as well as an apartment in a residential building. On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as attacks on "residential buildings in Damascus which killed and maimed innocent Syrian citizens".

☆ Russia condemns Israeli strike on Damascus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova listens during the annual news conference of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) in Moscow, Russia January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Shamil ZhumatovFeb 19 (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry on Sunday said that it strongly condemned an Israeli air strike on the Syrian city of Damascus and its surroundings, calling it a "flagrant violation" of international law. "We strongly urge the Israeli side to stop armed provocations against the Syrian Arab Republic and refrain from steps that are fraught with dangerous consequences for the entire region," spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Witnesses and officials said an Israeli rocket strike early on Sunday hit a building in central Damascus's Kafr Sousa neighbourhood near a large, heavily guarded security complex close to Iranian installations, killing five people. Reporting by Reuters Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israeli missile strikes building in central Damascus, several casualties
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - An Israeli rocket strike hit a building in the Kafr Sousa neighborhood of central Damascus early on Sunday, near a large security complex close to Iranian installations, witnesses and an official source said. The strike damaged several buildings in the densely populated district close to Omayyad square in the heart of the capital, where multi-storey security buildings are located within residential areas. A police official said on state media that there were several casualties and injured. An Israeli military spokesperson declined comment. For almost a decade, Israel has been carrying out air strikes against suspected Iranian-sponsored weapons transfers and personnel deployments in next-door Syria.

☆ Explainer: What is at stake for investors in Nigeria's election?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Rachel Savage | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Multiple exchange rates, widespread insecurity and low oil production due to massive crude theft are all problems that worry investors. Another focus is soaring fuel subsidy costs that devour government revenues and drive up debt. "No investor's going to want to buy into a market where you can't sell stock and get your money out," he said. Foreign investors held 16% of shares on Nigeria's stock exchange last year, sharply down from 58% in 2014, Nigerian Exchange Group data showed. Many investors, however, were cautiously optimistic that Nigeria would see improvements, whoever wins on Feb. 25.

☆ ‘In the Garden of the Righteous’ Review: Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Diane Cole | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In June 1940, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Portugal’s consul general in Bordeaux, France, watched from his office window as a stream of Jewish men, women and children flooded his sidewalk. Hitler’s army had conquered France with shocking speed, and the Jews, now made stateless by Nazi racial laws, were at the consulate to plead for transit visas to Portugal—and to freedom. Sousa Mendes wrestled with their desperate appeal. His prime minister, António de Oliveira Salazar, had ordered him to deny all such requests, trapping the refugees in place as targets for Nazi arrest and deportation to concentration camps. Sousa Mendes knew that the visas were their only chance of escape but knew also that defying Salazar would mean the end of his career and his ability to support his family of 15 children.

Search resuls for: "Sousa"

25 mentions found