greenlights

Countries in the European Union are set to start collecting additional taxes in 2024 under a long-stalled global deal to set a minimum rate on company profits, after Hungary and Poland dropped their objections to the move. In October 2021, 137 countries agreed to impose a 15% minimum tax on large companies, paving the way for the most significant overhaul of international tax rules in a century. By imposing the tax in each jurisdiction where a company operates, large countries aim to reduce tax-rate…

A Denver Water crew works to replace a lead water service line installed in 1927 with a new copper one at a private home on June 17, 2021, in Denver.Photo: Brittany Peterson (AP)The Environmental Protection Agency recently approved an almost $700 million plan to remove lead water pipes in the Denver, Colorado area. The agency has called the local water utility’s efforts an “example”to other utilities around the country looking to replace their old lead water lines, the Associated Press reported.The push to rapidly…

The long-teased Blade Runner sequel series is real. Variety has confirmed Amazon has ordered production of Blade Runner 2099 for Prime Video. Original movie director Ridley Scott will serve as an executive producer alongside Silka Luisa (Halo and Shining Girls), who will also be the showrunner. The premise of 2099 isn't yet clear beyond its setting 50 years after Blade Runner 2049, but Amazon's global TV head Vernon Sanders claimed the follow-up would preserve the "intellect, themes, and spirit" of the movies. The cast…

VW Group’s board and supervisory board has said the company will seek to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at the end of September or early October – to be completed by the end of the year. The move would enable the Porsche and Piëch families, which are the VW Group’s main shareholders, to have a blocking minority in Porsche (25% plus one share), ensuring they can influence any key…

Over-the-counter hearing aid sales should soon become a practical reality in the US. The Food and Drug Administration has issued a final rule allowing the sales of hearing aids for mild-to-moderate impairment without requirements for exams, prescriptions or audiologist fittings. The measure is expected to take effect in mid-October, when you should see aids reach physical retail stores. You'll still need a prescription for severe hearing loss, or for anyone under 18. The FDA has also set design and performance…

Photo: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP (Getty Images)For the past year, one of the most powerful companies in adult entertainment has been weathering a lawsuit that claims it intentionally hosted and profited off of child porn. The suit accuses MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub, of knowingly monetizing videos involving minors, as well as a variety of other nonconsensual sex videos—including those involving rape and “revenge porn.”The suit also accuses Visa—MindGeek’s payment processor—of knowingly profiting off of the…

The first generation-IV nuclear reactor design has been approved for certification by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). NuScale's small modular reactor design promises safe, clean energy at radically reduced cost, land use and installation time.The NRC released news last week that its staff have been directed to make a final rule certifying the NuScale reactor design for use in the United States. This is just the seventh design approved by the NRC since it was established in 1974, and the first of a coming…

If you're ready for connectivity on the move, SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband may soon be the answer. The US Federal Communications Commission on Thursday gave the internet provider the greenlight to provide service on moving vehicles, boats and planes. The new authority should help SpaceX meet "the growing user demands that now require connectivity while on the move," wrote FCC international bureau chief Tom Sullivan wrote in the approval, "whether driving an RV across the country, moving a freighter from Europe to…

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Tuesday gave investors his blessing to consider purchasing beaten-down tech stocks after Target's latest quarter indicated good news for the Federal Reserve's fight against inflation."The real greenlight here is on the beaten-down tech. … They might deserve a bit of a resurgence if they have profits and a total romp if they have buybacks and dividends," he said."This is not a subtle market. I don't want you to overthink it because sometimes it can be easy," he added.Cramer's comments come after Target…

The US Department of Defense has announced that its Strategic Capabilities Office will go ahead with its plan to build and demonstrate a small nuclear reactor capable of being moved, and delivering between 1-5 megawatts of power for a minimum of three years. This "Project Pele" microreactor, to be assembled and initially operated at the Idaho National Laboratory, will be the first American-built "Generation IV" nuclear reactor to generate electricity.There are multiple goals here: the US military uses a prodigious amount…