DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Brazil prepares to bury Pelé in the city he made a soccer mecca
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Forty-five years after Pelé played his last game, it’s hard to imagine modern soccer, or Brazil, without him. Pelé will be buried Tuesday in the city where he grew up, became famous, and helped make into a global capital of soccer. The coffin of Brazilian soccer great Pelé is carried Monday to the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos, Brazil. He made soccer important for Brazil and he made Brazil important for the world,” he said. Pelé led Brazil to World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and remains one of the team’s all-time leading scorers with 77 goals.

☆ NFL roundup: 49ers clip Raiders in OT, win 9th straight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Jones completed 19 of 24 passes for 177 yards and had 11 carries for a team-high 91 rushing yards. Buccaneers 30, Panthers 24Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes to Mike Evans and orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback as Tampa Bay clinched the NFC South by beating visiting Carolina. Jerick McKinnon caught two touchdown passes and Blake Bell also made a scoring grab for the Chiefs (13-3). Cooper caught touchdown passes of 46 and 33 yards and running back Nick Chubb had 104 yards on 14 carries. Seahawks 23, Jets 6Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes as Seattle remained in the playoff race with a win against visiting New York.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ NHL roundup: Alex Tuch, Sabres knock off Bruins in OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 37 saves for Buffalo, facing 11 shots in the second period and 19 more in the third. Nic Dowd had a goal and an assist, while Dylan Strome, Anthony Mantha and Garnet Hathaway also scored. Emil Bemstrom and Kirill Marchenko also scored for the Blue Jackets in the comeback victory over the NHL's last-place team. They netted goals three times in the second, including Alex Killorn's go-ahead breakaway goal for a 4-3 lead. Stamkos scored his 498th career goal and had an assist, and Brayden Point notched a goal and a helper.

Jailed for graft in 2018 - the year right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro was elected - Lula's convictions were overturned in 2019, allowing him to oust Bolsonaro in October's election. The more ideological Lula who emerged from jail in 2019 should not be a cause for concern, friends and allies said. Lula's spokesman Jose Chrispiniano said the president supported fiscal responsibility and believes that strengthening the economy is the best way to combat poverty. "Good morning, President Lula," his devotees would chant as the day began, followed by "Good night, President Lula," as he went to bed. From his 15-square-meter cell on the third floor of the Federal Police headquarters in Curitiba, Lula set about reorganizing the PT and managing his legal defense.

☆ ‘The Lie Detector’ Review: The Truth About the Polygraph
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

But he was also among the first to debunk it. Others were not so scrupulous, according to this “American Experience” presentation, which pegs the phenomenon of the polygraph (once a brand name, now generic) as particularly American. “The lie detector persists, even though we understand it’s not necessarily accurate, because of the uniquely American confidence in technology,” says historian Douglas Flowe . The device, he says, provides “in our imagination” control over that which can’t be controlled, thus providing an illusion of certainty. “Americans are looking for certainty.”

☆ Here are the people who will lose out most if student loan forgiveness falls through
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People of colorThe student debt crisis is cited as a main factor for the wide racial wealth gap in the U.S. today. Black college graduates owe an average $7,400 more than their white peers, a Brookings Institution report found. And that inequity only gets worse with time: Black college students owe more than $52,000 four years after graduation, compared with around $28,000 for the average white college graduate. WomenWomen were widely recognized as the biggest winner of Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, since they owe two-thirds of the country's outstanding student debt. "Women will be the most affected if loan forgiveness fails," Kantrowitz said.

☆ Simone Tebet seen accepting Lula's offer of Brazil planning minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has invited centrist Senator Simone Tebet to be his planning minister, a close Lula aide said on Tuesday, and she is expected to accept. Tebet backed Lula over far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro after ditching her own presidential bid when she failed to make the run-off. Her support was seen as crucial for leftist Lula's election, helping him secure moderate votes in the second round. The planning minister job was first offered to economist Andre Lara Resende, a member of Lula's transition team, but he declined. On Monday, incoming Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said there would be no problems working with Tebet, whom he called "very qualified" and "someone who knows how to work in a team."

George Washington de Oliveira Sousa was arrested on Saturday, the day after police said they foiled his plot to set off an explosive device near the Brasilia airport. A 54-year-old gas station manager from the northern state of Para, Sousa told police that Bolsonaro's sowing of election doubts inspired his Dec. 12 journey to the capital. He added that he planned to share his weapons with other CAC-holders in the Brasilia camp. After the Dec. 12 attack, he said police and firemen near the camp told him they would not arrest any protesters for vandalism, as long as they did not attack cops. That same day, Sousa saw on the news that police had found the bomb near the airport.

☆ Pressure builds to keep Donald Trump off Facebook ahead of his possible reinstatement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Left-leaning groups point to his Truth Social posts pushing false election fraud claims and QAnon content. Another study by Accountable Tech found more than 350 of Trump's Truth Social posts would violate Facebook's safety guidelines. He has said prefers Truth Social. "His activity on Truth Social speaks to his potential activity if he's allowed back on some of these more mainstream platforms, like Facebook," Gogarty said. Democratic members of Congress, meanwhile, are urging Meta to uphold Trump's suspension beyond January, arguing that the risk of violence persists.

SummarySummary Companies Auditors cite past 'financial irregularities'Utility reports $719 mln net loss for 2022Expects bigger loss this yearEskom says reliant on government supportJOHANNESBURG, Dec 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's Eskom said on Friday that auditors have questioned the utility's ability to survive as a going concern citing past financial irregularities. Auditors Deloitte & Touche LLP in a report said there is “a material uncertainty relating to Eskom’s ability to continue as a going concern,” the utility said in its annual financial report. [1/2] Locals walk past electricity pylons during frequent power outages from South African utility Eskom, caused by its aging coal-fired plants, in Orlando, Soweto, South Africa, September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo 1 2In response, Eskom said it was investigating the incident and was finalising a disciplinary process against an individual. Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter resigned this month saying a lack of political support had made his position "untenable".

☆ Credit Suisse clients are returning, CEO of bank's Swiss business says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ZURICH, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse's client withdrawals have stabilised and reversed in some cases, Andre Helfenstein, the head of Credit Suisse's Swiss business said in an interview with local newspaper NZZ. Last month, Switzerland's second-largest bank said it expected to make a pre-tax loss of up to 1.5 billion Swiss francs ($1.62 billion) during Q4 and revealed that wealthy clients had made hefty withdrawals. Credit Suisse is battling to recover from a string of scandals by focusing more on its flagship wealth management franchise and pruning back investment banking. Helfenstein was asked in the NZZ interview if the bank had had to offer clients special conditions to keep them. Credit Suisse chairman Axel Lehmann has said that client fund outflows at Credit Suisse had partially reversed and very few clients had left entirely.

ETMeta up on J.P. Morgan rating upgradeDigital World Acquisition down on CFO exitFutures down: Dow 1.16%, S&P 1.05%, Nasdaq 0.60%Dec 16 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main stock indexes were set to extend losses on Friday as fears of a looming recession, sparked by the Federal Reserve's relentless battle against inflation, hammered sentiment. The Bank of England and the European Central Bank were the latest ones to indicate an extended rate-hike cycle on Thursday. The simultaneous expiration of stock options, stock index futures and index options contracts later in the day, known as triple witching, could cause volatility through the trading session. ET, Dow e-minis were down 384 points, or 1.16%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 41.25 points, or 1.05%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 68.5 points, or 0.6%. Reporting by Shubham Batra, Ankika Biswas and Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil's Oi exits bankruptcy protection after more than 6 years; shares jump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAO PAULO, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Shares in Brazilian telecom firm Oi SA (OIBR4.SA) soared on Thursday after it revealed it was exiting bankruptcy protection, marking the closure of a restructuring process that lasted more than six years. Oi filed in June 2016 for Brazil's then-biggest ever bankruptcy protection after running out of time to reorganize operations and restructure a multibillion-dollar debt amid a harsh recession in Latin America's largest economy. After the announcement, common shares in Oi jumped as much as 53% to 0.26 real in morning trading. Analysts at Genial Investimentos said the move was positive for the firm, even though they still thought Oi was financially weakened. Guide Investimentos echoed the concern and noted that despite being postponed several times, the end of the bankruptcy protection was already expected.

☆ The US may have lost in the World Cup, but soccer is more popular than ever in America
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +36 min

The Atlas Lions made history as the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal. They made history as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. It was Morocco's first World Cup win since 1998 — and its third-ever at the tournament. Less spoken about is that they also rate better on television than the men do in the World Cup. We’ll just have to wait and see, though with the US, Canada and Mexico hosting the 2026 World Cup, soccer isn’t going away anytime soon.

☆ NFL Week 14 preview: Playoff seedings on the line as season enters business end
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Whether it be draft position or playoff seedings, each game means something to each team as Week 14 of the NFL season kicks off in earnest on Sunday. And, as a result, the Jets’ season has metamorphosed from shoots of optimism to playoff hopes. Sunday will see Tom Brady face off against seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel west to face the San Francisco 49ers. Despite playing his first meaningful action and with his team’s season possibly on the line, Purdy never looked fazed, leading the 49ers to an important victory. Australia: NFL Game Pass, ESPN, 7PlusBrazil: NFL Game Pass, ESPNCanada: CTV, TSN, RDS, NFL Game Pass on DAZNGermany: NFL Game Pass, ProSieben MAXX, DAZNMexico: NFL Game Pass, TUDN, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sky SportsUK: NFL Game Pass, Sky Sports, ITV, Channel 5US: NFL Game Pass, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime

☆ Walmart Investigated in Early 2020 Complaints About Chesapeake Shooter From Co-Workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sarah Nassauer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

More than two years before a Walmart supervisor shot and killed six workers, Walmart Inc. executives investigated employee workplace complaints against him, according to former and current employees. Last month, Andre Bing killed six co-workers and left four others injured before fatally shooting himself at the Chesapeake, Va., store where he worked, police say. The 31-year-old had worked at Walmart since 2010 and was the overnight shift manager. A number of the victims were shot in the store’s break room.

☆ Walmart reportedly investigated the manager who carried out the recent deadly shooting in Virginia two years before the attack following worker complaints
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart executives investigated manager Andre Bing 2 years before he carried out a mass shooting, according to WSJ. Walmart is facing 2 lawsuits from Chesapeake, Virginia, employees who allege that management had been warned about Bing. Walmart employees told Insider that the company's active shooter training was inadequate and outdated. Walmart is facing two lawsuits from Chesapeake employees who allege that management had been warned about Bing's problematic behavior before the mass shooting. In response to the lawsuits, Walmart released a statement that read, in part, "We are focused on supporting all our associates with significant resources, including counseling.

"The legal precedent is not on the side of the FTC," said Andre Barlow, an antitrust lawyer at Doyle, Barlow & Mazard PLLC. Barlow pointed to three recent mergers challenged by the FTC or Justice Department that were ultimately allowed to proceed. Those cases share something else in common with the proposed Microsoft deal: in each instance, a company would merge with a supplier in a so-called "vertical" merger. "Vertical merger challenges are really difficult to win so it will be an uphill battle for the FTC," said Roger Alford, who teaches law at the University of Notre Dame. Reuters reported last month that Microsoft was expected to offer remedies to EU antitrust regulators in the coming weeks to stave off formal objections to the deal.

☆ Brazil central bank grants Google Pay payment institution status
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google Pay has received approval to operate as a payment institution in Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, the country's official gazette showed on Thursday, allowing it to initiate payment transactions. Payment initiators, according to Brazil's central bank, initiate a transaction ordered by the final user but never manage the payment account, nor hold the funds of the transactions. A press spokesperson for Google confirmed the central bank's authorization and said the move offered "more payment options to users through our platforms in Brazil." Google Pay currently operates an app serving as a virtual wallet, which allows the user to include their credit and debit cards, vaccination cards and concert tickets, for example. The approval comes days after Brazil's National Monetary Council also authorized fintechs to initiate payment transactions in the country.

☆ Portugal young gun Ramos faces tough test from wily Saiss
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Shady Amir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ramos, 21, made headlines when the teams were announced, picked to lead the attack in place of Portugal's all-time leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo who was relegated to the bench. It did not take long for the youngster to become one of the biggest stories of the Qatar World Cup. Ramos made his debut in Portugal's 4-0 win over Nigeria in a warm-up game before the World Cup and played a total of 10 minutes as a substitute in two of the three group matches. Perhaps Ramos, who helped Benfica reach the Champions League last 16 this season, benefited from being the third striker in the squad behind Ronaldo and Andre Silva. He will now be firmly in the spotlight when Morocco coach Walid Regragui considers his tactics.

☆ Heavy rains trigger floods in Portugal's capital, one dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Local authorities put Portugal's capital, Lisbon, on high alert on Wednesday evening and urged people to stay indoors as heavy rains killed at least one person, washed cars away and flooded several buildings. In Lisbon, the Civil Protection authority has reported hundreds of incidents, from flooded streets, train stations, a theatre and even a hospital. Images shared on social media showed flooding in parts of Lisbon's airport, and two flights were diverted. Civil Protection commander Andre Fernandes said at a news conference that a 55-year-old woman had died in a flooded basement in Alges, near Lisbon. "We appeal to people not to leave their homes during these periods of heavy rain," Fernandes said, urging those who live in low-lying areas to "seek shelter" in safer places.

☆ Regular homebuyers feel they struggle to compete with investors who turn properties into Airbnbs and Vrbos. Government officials are trying to change that.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Atlanta lawmakers want short-term rentals to be licensed and to fine owners who violate city laws. In some cities, government officials are trying to regulate the number of short-term rentals that investors can purchase. The debate over short-term rentals in Atlanta is emblematic of similar debates in other cities. For instance, voters in Colorado towns like Dillon, Aspen, and Steamboat Springs this year approved measures to tax short-term rentals to help regular homebuyers afford homes. There are more than 1,300 short-term rentals in Joshua Tree, according to AirDNA, compared with a population of 7,700.

As the COP15 biodiversity summit kicks off in Montreal, businesses and corporate leaders are pushing for an ambitious agreement with strong policies that will provide guidance to companies seeking to change. They are under increasing pressure to show progress in tackling climate change and reducing harm to the environment. The agency has said some $384 billion will be needed each year for nature projects by 2025. "If we take that mindset to nature, it leads to the investment models that would allow us to invest in nature as infrastructure," he said. "Two years ago, all these governments around the world said 'let's put trillions of dollars into nature.'

☆ Brazil, a Bastion of Hydropower, Is Gaining Traction in Wind and Solar
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Paulo Trevisani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

The government, meanwhile, welcomes renewables projects as they can generate jobs and extra income for communities plagued by poverty. The wave of solar, wind and other clean-energy projects is expected to take market share from historically predominant hydroelectric generation. Wind and solar power are abundant in areas thousands of miles north of metropolitan centers where it is mostly needed, industry officials said. New solar and wind plants are generally welcomed by environmentalists and can often offer much-needed income to small farms. Of this total, 83% is expected to come from renewable sources, including hydro, solar, wind and others.

Search resuls for: "Andre"

25 mentions found