DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Popes are for life, resignations should not become a fashion, Francis says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Pope Francis looks at the coffin of former Pope Benedict during his funeral, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiVATICAN CITY, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said that pontiffs resigning instead of ruling for life should not become a "fashion" in the Roman Catholic Church and happen only in truly exceptional circumstances. "This does not, however, in any way mean that popes retiring should become, let's say, a fashion, a normal thing," he said. In 2013, Pope Benedict, citing frail physical and mental health, became the first pontiff to resign in 600 years. The tone of Francis' comments to the African Jesuits was in a marked contrast to that which Francis used in the past when discussing the possible resignations of popes, including himself.

☆ Elon Musk said he fears a single world government could lead to the 'collapse' of civilization while speaking at a World Government Summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk spoke at the World Government Summit via video link on Wednesday. He warned that a "single world government" could lead to the collapse of civilization. "If we are too much of a single civilization, the whole thing may collapse," he said. "If we are too much of a single civilization, the whole thing may collapse," Musk said. At Wednesday's conference, Musk also encouraged politicians to "speak authentically" on social media, and said he plans to find a new Twitter CEO by the end of the year.

☆ Kraft Heinz issues soft profit guidance after price increases boost revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Kraft Heinz Co. is scheduled to release earnings figures on July 27. Kraft Heinz on Wednesday beat Wall Street's earnings and sales expectations, but offered soft profit guidance for the year, a sign of rising pressure from higher costs. Kraft Heinz boosted pricing 15.2% with a 4.8% decline in volume. Despite beating on revenue and EPS, Kraft Heinz earnings contrast with companies such as Oreo maker Mondelēz International , which saw little demand pushback despite price increases. Kraft Heinz launched a campaign titled "LVII Meanz 57," protesting the use of Roman numerals, ahead of Super Bowl 57.

☆ Seen Big Ben already? Here's a Londoner's guide to visiting other parts of the city
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Central London's City of Westminster is its political heart, while the City of London is where the capital's financial decisions happen. But be warned: Several paths across Hyde Park are pedestrian-only, and police often fine people who cycle on them. The City of London is a blend of old and new, with St Paul's Cathedral close to skyscrapers as well as Roman ruins. While north London has Hampstead Heath, south of the river is Richmond Park, which dwarfs its northern counterpart in size. There's also a branch in central London's Covent Garden — the flower-filled restaurant The Petersham — that has an sit-down deli and bar.

☆ NHL roundup: Tim Stutzle helps Senators rally past Flames
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

February 14 - Tim Stutzle scored 1:55 into overtime to cap off a four-point night and give the Ottawa Senators a 4-3 comeback win over the visiting Calgary Flames on Monday. Stutzle had assists on all three of the Senators' earlier goals, and the forward matched a personal best with four points in a game. The Flames are 12-9-11 in one-goal games this season, with the 20 combined one-goal losses leading the NHL. Roman Josi and Colton Sissons scored goals for the Predators, who lost for the second time in their last three games. Sheldon Dries replied for the Canucks, who have just one win in their past five games (1-3-1).

☆ Defense stocks still have a good long-term setup, says Cowen's Roman Schweizer
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDefense stocks still have a good long-term setup, says Cowen's Roman SchweizerRoman Schweizer, Cowen defense and aerospace analyst, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss the state of national security and how it could affect defense stocks.

☆ Know what's in your ETFs: Balloon incidents put focus on aerospace and defense stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The flurry of unidentified objects that have been shot down over North America this month could bring yet another boost to aerospace and defense stocks, but investors looking to use ETFs should be aware of some key differences between the largest funds. While defense stocks have outperformed the broader market over the past year, in part due to the war in Ukraine, the latest shoot downs don't appear to have significantly moved the sector. The biggest fund on the market is the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) , with about $5 billion in assets under management. Another market-cap weighted fund is the Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF (PPA) . The third fund on the market is the SPDR S & P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) .

☆ A Russian general was poisoned by a letter laced with an unknown toxin, close Putin ally says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said his top general in Ukraine has been poisoned. Apti Alaudinov was poisoned after handling a letter sent to him earlier this month, Kadyrov said. Kadyrov, who is also a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said his top general in Ukraine has been poisoned after handling a letter that was sent to him on February 8. Apti Alaudinov, who commands the Akhmat special forces, picked up a letter that was "saturated with a poisonous substance," Kadyrov said. In March last year, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich briefly went blind after an apparent poisoning during peace meetings with Ukrainian negotiators.

☆ Jerusalem Christians say they feel growing harassment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Ammar Awad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Ammar AwadJERUSALEM, Feb 13 (Reuters) - For several weeks, members of the small Christian community in Jerusalem's Old City say they have felt under pressure from what they say is growing harassment and intimidation from violent Jewish ultranationalists. The church stands at the place where Christ is held to have taken the cross after being condemned to death by crucifixion. "In the past two months, I would say, since the beginning of the new government, attacks like this are becoming very, very usual," said Miran Krikorian, a restaurant owner in the Old City. Israeli police say they have stepped up patrols around Christian sites in Jerusalem as churches report abuse by Jews following the swearing-in of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government. The cramped warren of alleyways that makes up the Old City surrounds some of the holiest sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims, and the local communities have long developed ways of living together.

☆ The 19th-century 'miracle' heart relic of holy French woman and no trace of disease, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists found no trace of disease in the preserved heart of a French woman who a pope beatified. Pauline Jaricot, whose health was poor, was supposedly "cured" after a visit with the Pope in 1837. Some members of the Catholic Church see the recent findings as a sign of a miracle. Despite living with poor heart health for most of her life, Catholics have said a visit to Pope Gregory XVI in 1837 miraculously "cured" her of heart disease. "No evidence that was inconsistent with natural and spontaneous conservation not mediated by the hand of man, which can be considered a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church, could be retrieved," the scientists said.

☆ I'm a wedding planner in Ukraine. I've adapted ceremonies to curfews and blackouts, and one bride asked for money toward a vehicle for her father's army unit instead of gifts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Oksana Bratseiko has spent seven years working in the wedding industry in Kyiv, Ukraine. My team organized very few weddings in 2022 because most couples didn't bother with a big event: they opted for modest, last-minute weddings at Kyiv's City Hall. Wedding planning in wartime Ukraine is special — but challengingThe Forever Bride wedding team in August 2022. We started planning our first wartime wedding in May 2022Vadym and Anna at their wedding in August 2022. Planning weddings during wartime is like a light in the dark.

☆ Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna claimed she was raised Jewish. Some relatives question that, and say her grandfather fought for the Nazis.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna may have misrepresented her religious background. She says she was raised as a Messianic Jew by her father, but relatives dispute that. Luna also claims to be Hispanic, but registered to vote as "White, not of Hispanic origin" in 2015. But according to three relatives who spoke with the Post, her father, George Mayerhofer, was Catholic, and they were unaware of him practicing any form of Judaism. One relative, Jolanta Mayerhofer, told the Post that Heinrich Mayerhofer had no choice in the matter.

☆ Italy's right poised to win regional vote after national triumph
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lazio, which is centred on the national capital Rome, and Lombardy, home to the financial capital Milan, account for just over a quarter of the national population and generate a third of the Italy's total gross domestic product (GDP). Although victory seems assured, the vote might yet destabilise the ruling coalition if Meloni's Brothers of Italy party continues to cannibalise its partners. "We can't be held hostage by Brothers of Italy," said Angelo Ciocca, a European parliamentarian with the League. "We need a strong League that does not let the autonomy bill end up in the Roman swamps," he told Reuters. Polls are open on both Sunday and Monday, with voting due to end at 1400 GMT on Monday.

☆ A disappointing 2022 has led some Goldman Sachs partners to ask: Is it time for a change at the top?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On tap, we've got stories on why not-so-flashy land is actually the hottest investment on Wall Street, the firms minting money by navigating FTX's bankruptcy, and the coolest houses on Airbnb. It's only February, but the Ides of March might be coming to Goldman Sachs. We've talked at length over how people are looking to pin the blame on Solomon as things have soured at Goldman. Certain issues have been easier to overlook than others, but the bank recently broke a cardinal rule of Wall Street: Don't mess with bankers' compensation. Forget beachfront, the hottest real estate for Wall Street is industrial land.

☆ In San Francisco, a Home Theater That Also Makes Guests Feel at Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Rima Suqi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Enter Kendall Wilkinson, a San Francisco-based interior designer who had worked with this client for almost two decades on both this 7,500-square-foot Pacific Heights home and another in Honolulu, Hawaii. “This was originally a chopped-up space with a bedroom, kitchen and closet,” Ms. Wilkinson says. With a wall of windows, there is plenty of natural light to flood the approximately 1,000-square-foot space when not in use as a cinema, providing views of the garden and the San Francisco Bay beyond. When it is in use, the Roman shades and draperies are drawn and lighting dimmed to create a home-theater experience. In the end, says Ms. Wilkinson, “there’s a lot going on in a very small space.”

☆ The Paradox of Prosecuting Domestic Terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( James Verini | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +52 min

The preventive approach to domestic terrorism goes back even further than the 1990s and it begins with the basic police work and surveillance of the joint terrorism task forces. In fact, there is no section of the U.S. Criminal Code that criminalizes domestic terrorism as such. The absence of clear law around domestic terrorism, and the imperatives of prevention, mean that investigators and prosecutors who work domestic terrorism cases must focus on more common charges: weapons violations, illegal drug possession, burglary, aiding and abetting and so forth. But this was not enough to overrule the fear of domestic terrorism that was gripping the nation and that hung in the courtroom. It reflected the legal paradoxes of the case and domestic terrorism law in general or, maybe more accurately, the absence of it.

☆ These heat maps show the dramatic change in the movements of oligarchs' superyachts since Russia invaded Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian oligarchs' superyachts were detected in different regions after the Ukraine war began. Heat maps show oligarchs' yachts have avoided America's west coast and the Mediterranean. The MediterraneanSpire MaritimeSpire's data found that the Mediterranean was a hotspot for Russian oligarchs' superyachts before Russia invaded Ukraine. Turkey still offers a safe haven for Russian oligarchs' assets because it's yet to sanction Russia for its aggression against Ukraine. Arabian SeaSpire MaritimeSpire's data also honed in on the movements of Russian oligarchs' yachts around the Arabian Sea.

☆ 75% of LGBTQ+ startup founders hide their identity from investors, UK survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Proud Ventures, with the backing of Founders Factory and Investec Wealth, surveyed 118 founders and 61 investors based in the U.K. for the research. It is the first report of its kind in the U.K. startup community, according to Proud Ventures. A survey from Proud Ventures, a network of LGBTQ+ venture capitalists and angel investors, found that 75% of LGBTQ+ startup founders and 79% of investors conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity. A number of startup founders reported facing discrimination as a result of their LGBTQ+ identity. It is feared the contraction in startup funding, declining technology valuations and a worsening macroeconomic backdrop could worsen the situation for LGBTQ+ founders.

☆ U.S.-China relations just got more fragile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indefinitely postponed his visit to Beijing due to a Chinese surveillance balloon flying over the United States. Brown | AFP | Getty ImagesBEIJING — U.S.-China relations look increasingly fragile, analysts say, after a now-downed Chinese balloon forced U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to indefinitely postpone his trip to Beijing. "A key question is why the Biden administration decided to publicize this balloon but not previous [reported] ones," Wildau said. While discussion of the balloon — including memes — circulated on Chinese social media, China's official Chinese-language mouthpieces have been more muted so far. "That alone would mean the Chinese leadership would be more restrained and would not want to let this balloon situation blow out of proportion."

☆ A Chinese balloon over U.S. should concern us all, says Longview Global's Dewardric McNeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailA Chinese balloon over U.S. should concern us all, says Longview Global's Dewardric McNealCowen’s Roman Schweizer and Longview Global’s Dewardric McNeal join 'The Exchange' to discuss defense stocks as U.S.-China tensions rise.

☆ Pope says Church conservatives exploited death of ex-pope Benedict
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said some in the conservative wing of the Roman Catholic Church had exploited the death of the former pope, Benedict, in an unethical way for their own gains. Francis used a Spanish expression "Cuento Chino", meaning tall tales, to describe allegations by some conservatives that Benedict was saddened by some of Francis' decisions after Benedict resigned in 2013. The pope said he often consulted Benedict in the nearly 10 years between his resignation in 2013 and his death. Francis did not name any of the conservatives he was referring to. Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, a conservative ally of Benedict who has criticised Francis, also wrote a book in January.

OVER THE LAST decade, backbars across the U.S. have filled up with colorful, ornately labeled bottles of amaro, an Italian liqueur infused with herbs, roots and/or spices. The bitter option pulls from the often more than 15 amari (including Italian and domestic options) in stock. In fall and winter, amari mingle with aged spirits, like whiskey, often on the rocks. In the spring, they find their way into spritzes or drinks made with clear spirits like gin or tequila. There’s only one rule, said general manager Brittany Tinelli, who selects the spirits at Roman’s: “The bitter needs to be the star.”

[1/6] People wait before Pope Francis arrives for a meeting with priests, deacons, consecrated persons and seminarians at the Cathedral of Saint Therese during his apostolic journey, in Juba, South Sudan, February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiJUBA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of Scotland Moderator will meet people displaced by war in South Sudan and hear their stories on Saturday in one of the high points of their visit to the struggling African nation. South Sudan, the world's newest country, broke away from Sudan in 2011 but plunged into civil war in 2013 with ethnic groups turning on each other. There are 2.2 million internally displaced people in South Sudan, out of a total population of about 11.6 million, and another 2.3 million have fled the country as refugees, according to the United Nations. In his own speech, Kiir said his government was firmly committed to consolidating peace in South Sudan.

☆ 3M Investor Raises Concerns About Company Leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( John Keilman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An investor said 3M’s revenue and earnings have been disappointing since Mike Roman became CEO. One of 3M Co.’s largest investors has raised concerns about Chief Executive Mike Roman ’s leadership and questioned whether a change may be needed at the top of the manufacturing giant. In a letter to Mr. Roman dated Jan. 28, Bert Flossbach, the co-founder and senior portfolio manager of German mutual-fund firm Flossbach von Storch AG, said 3M’s revenue and earnings have been disappointing since Mr. Roman became CEO in 2018, citing a total shareholder return of negative 32% during that time, compared with a 62% gain in the S&P 500.

☆ Australian Cardinal Pell's funeral marked by arrival of protesters, mourners
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People queue to enter the pontifical requiem Mass for Cardinal George Pell at St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, February 2, 2023. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts via REUTERSSYDNEY, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Protesters gathered and mourners began to arrive in Sydney on Thursday ahead of the funeral service of Australian Cardinal George Pell, a former top Vatican official who was acquitted in 2020 of sexual abuse accusations. Australian police said it had dropped a court bid to block the gathering after protesters agreed to change their initial protest route and gather in a road adjacent to St Mary's Cathedral, the venue of the funeral service. On Thursday morning, protesters gathered in a park opposite the cathedral, some holding signs reading "Pell Burn In Hell". The ribbons symbolised the pain inflicted on child sexual abuse victims, the protesters said.

Search resuls for: "Román"

25 mentions found