DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ How the US Army botched a $1 billion upgrade of the Stryker armored vehicle's gun
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Fearing that its Stryker armored vehicles were outgunned by Russian and Chinese designs, the US Army had an idea for a quick fix: Develop an unmanned Stryker turret with a 30-mm autocannon. The Army obliged in 2018 with the Infantry Carrier Vehicle-Dragoon, which added a remote-controlled 30-mm gun turret — manufactured by Norwegian firm Kongsberg — to 91 flat-bottom-hull versions of the Strykers. This would be enough to upgrade Strykers in three brigades of 83 vehicles each, plus an additional 20 for testing. Instead of a Kongsberg MCT-30 turret, the vehicles would receive a Samson turret made by Israeli firm Rafael. A big red flag should have been the glitches in the turret software that degraded the 30-mm cannon's accuracy.

Persons: Germany —, Rafael, Stryker, Kevin Payne, Mona Sehgal, Sehgal, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Stryker, US Army, Business, Army, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, General Dynamics Land Systems, VN, Infantry Carrier Vehicle, Dynamics, The Army, Systems, Oshkosh Systems, Northrop, Hull, GAO, Oshkosh, Department of Defense, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Europe, Asia, Germany, Russia, Norwegian, Kongsberg, Oshkosh, Forbes

☆ Vietnam wants to take China's place as a new factory of the world — but a $12 billion financial fraud case is getting in the way
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vietnamese real-estate tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death for her role in a $12.5 billion fraud case. Lan's fraud case is part of Communist Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's corruption crackdown. Lan, the chairwoman of real-estate developer Van Thinh Phat Group, was arrested in 2022 over the fraud case. AdvertisementThe high-profile fraud case has scandalized the country and is raising questions about the one-party state. For context on the scale of the Vietnam fraud case, consider the 1MDB case, which rocked Malaysia and the world when it started to unravel in 2015.

Persons: Truong, Lan, Communist Party Secretary Nguyen Phu, —, Van Thinh, Zachary Abuza, Trang Bui, Bui Organizations: Communist Party Secretary, Service, Prosecutors, Vietnamese Communist Party, National War College, Washington DC, Bloomberg, Cushman, Nikkei Locations: Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Malaysian, Hanoi, Washington, Wakefield

☆ Tycoon’s death penalty in $12.5 billion fraud case highlights Vietnam’s corruption crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The scale of the fraud was said to be equivalent to roughly 3% of Vietnam’s economy. Though widely considered ceremonial, the presidency is one of the top three positions in Vietnam’s political hierarchy after the CPV’s Secretary General, currently Nguyen Phu Trong. In fact, the International Monetary Fund expects Vietnam’s economy to grow by 5.8% this year, compared to 4.6% for China. Their fate remains unclear, given the highly secretive nature of Vietnam’s political system. But Vietnamese political experts said a permanent appointment would not end the instability.

Persons: Truong My Lan, Van Thinh, siphoned, “, Eric Chu, Vietnam’s, Vo Van, Trong, Thuong, Vo Van Thuong, Richard A, Brooks, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Pham Binh, Le Hong Hiep, Yusof, ” Hiep, ”, Thu, General Trong, Xi Jinping, ” Zachary Abuza, Salt Bae, Lam, ” Abuza, Nguyen Phu Trong, Evelyn Hockstein, Abuza, Bui Thanh Soh, ” Soh, Vo, Xuan, Thuong’s, Le Hong Organizations: CNN, Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters, SCB, Express, Communist Party, Institute, Crisis Group, National War College, Vietnamese Communist Party, Public Security, Vietnam, International Monetary Fund, Companies, Apple, Intel, Vietnam's Communist Party General, Yusof, Brookings Institution, “, Crisis Locations: Vietnam, Saigon, People’s, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Duc, Singapore, Asia, China, Washington, “, London, Turkish, Hanoi, Bangkok

☆ The world’s best dumplings
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The best way to sample these dumplings is from a street vendor carting a steamer on his bicycle. KartoffelknoedelCarbtastic kartoffelknoedel ExQuisine/Adobe StockFound across Germany, kartoffelknoedel, or potato dumplings, usually accompany meat dishes. Artit_Wongpradu/iStockphoto/Getty ImagesSome dumpling purists say that the Australian dim sim is merely a bastardized version of Chinese dumplings. Joshua Resnick/500px Plus/Getty ImagesFound on Chinese takeout menus in the United States, crab rangoon are deep-fried dumplings served as a side dish. Shish barakShish barak are lamb dumplings served with yoghurt.

Persons: ., Ravioli, –, chao shou, chao, bryndzové, Lisa Wiltse, dumpling, Edward Wong, there’s, Beata Zawrzel, Mayur, Lord Ganesha, Ganesh Chathurthi, Pelmeni, Dim sims, Peng, Kimchi, Jonathan Wong, manti, speck, you’ll, Deb Lindsey, Uszka, Gyoza, Joshua Resnick, Ihor, it’s, It’s, DiAnna Paulk, Paolo Bernardotti, Shish barak Shish barak, Julia Buckley Organizations: CNN, South China Morning, Adobe, Central Asia, Kazakhstan –, Turks, Adobe Stock, Corbis, China Morning, Getty, Turkish, Fascism, Washington Post Locations: . Cheng, South, Italy, Rome, Sichuan, Central, Turkey, China, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Mongol, Slovakia, Slovakian, Indonesian, Bandung, Hong Kong, Eastern Europe, Maharashtra, Germany, Brazil, Siberia, European, Australia, North America, Europe, Tunisian, Argentina, empanadas, Mendoza, USA, Southern, United States, Central Asian, Korea, Alto Adige, Austrian Tyrol, Kathmandu, Poland, Tokyo, rangoon, Asia, Russia, Georgia, Japan, Pennsylvania, Piedmont, Afghanistan

☆ Former Wagner fighters are having to find new careers. One started a 'Wagner Taxi' company using the group's logo.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former Wagner Group soldiers are being forced to seek out new employment, per Russian reports. One soldier has started a taxi company named after the notorious mercenary group. Valery Bogdanov, a resident of Bolotnoye in Russia's southern Novosibirsk region, has even printed business cards using the Wagner Group's emblem of a grinning skull against a set of wings, Russian outlet VN.ru reported. Both Prigozhin and the rumored co-founder of the Wagner Group, Dmitry Utkin, were on the passenger list of the flight that plunged catastrophically to earth on August 23, 2023. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe representative also said the group had been forced to look for more opportunities in Africa and the Middle East, Important Stories reported.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Valery Bogdanov, Wagner, Bogdanov, they're, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, catastrophically, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Central African Republic —, — Wagner, Touadera Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Wagner, Daily, Central African, Eye, Faustin, Kremlin Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Bolotnoye, Russia's, Novosibirsk, Ukraine, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Africa, Central African Republic

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Greg Abbott tweet about migrants bussed to DC on Christmas Eve circulates online
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A screenshot purporting to show a tweet about migrants published on Christmas Eve by Governor of Texas Greg Abbott has misled some online. The fabricated tweet purportedly published via Abbott’s official Twitter account (@GregAbbott_TX) features a photograph of Abbott and his family and reads: “We celebrated Christmas Eve by putting migrants on a bus and kicking them out into the freezing cold. Merry Christmas from the Abbott family.”The screenshot circulated after busloads of migrants from the Texas border were dropped near Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve, and The White House accused Abbott of endangering lives (here). A spokesperson for Abbott did not respond to a request for comment about the fabricated screenshot or whether the governor was behind the incident in Washington D.C. Abbott did tweet the same photograph of his family on Dec. 25, although with a different comment that reads: “From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!” (here)VERDICTFalse.

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Elon Musk tweet about journalists shared online
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A screenshot purporting to show a tweet about journalists published by Twitter CEO Elon Musk has misled some social media users online. The image appears to show a tweet sent via Musk’s official Twitter account (@elonmusk) on Dec. 16, 2022, which reads: “You know, in some parts of the world, journalists get murdered for crossing the wrong people. Banning the reporters I don’t like from my own platform feels like a pretty innocuous alternative to me.”Examples of the image shared online can be viewed (here), (here) and (here). A Twitter advanced search did not reveal any such tweet published via Musk’s account (archive.vn/wip/i4v4l). A Google advanced search did not reveal any news report on the supposed tweet (archive.vn/wip/rQ01S).

☆ Fact Check-Hooters not shutting down or rebranding to suit millennial tastes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The restaurant chain Hooters, known for servers wearing revealing uniforms, is not shutting down or rebranding, contrary to claims circulating online. Examples of the claim shared online can be viewed (here) and (here). The 2017 article did not claim that Hooters made the reported move to close certain stores specifically due to the Pornhub study, however. Nor did the article claim that the chain was shutting its doors to rebrand for a millennial clientele. Hooters is not shutting down or rebranding to suit millennial tastes, a spokesperson for the chain said.

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Charlie Hebdo magazine cover featuring Ukraine’s Zelenskiy circulates online
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A fabricated image purporting to show a cover of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo featuring Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy has circulated online. The screenshot appears to show a special edition released ahead of the festive period, with the Charlie Hebdo logo visible across the upper-third of the image. The image purports to show the cover of the magazine’s issue number 1,588, dated Dec. 22, 2022. Beneath the logo, a cartoon of Zelensky can be seen appearing to steal gifts from Jesus’ crib, with a speech bubble that reads: “Stop whining, we need it! No such Charlie Hebdo cover featuring Zelensky was released on Dec. 22, 2022.

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated CNN headline claiming that Biden pledged billions toward classes for women in Africa circulates online
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An altered image has been circulating online purporting to show a CNN headline that reports U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged billions toward educational courses for women across Africa. A CNN logo is viewable at the top left, with the purported article published under the “CNN politics” banner. (here)A search through CNN’s website did not reveal any article with the fabricated headline (archive.vn/wip/jJunx), nor did archived versions of CNN’s homepage reveal the alleged report. (archive.vn/wip/0uBPY)A Google advanced search did not reveal any report published by any news outlet with the fabricated headline. No headline reporting that the Biden administration had pledged $350 billion toward education courses for women across Africa was published by CNN.

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Forbes cover featuring Elon Musk circulates online
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A fabricated cover of Forbes magazine featuring the Twitter CEO Elon Musk calling him the “weakest man on Earth” has misled some online. The Forbes masthead can be seen across the upper third of the screenshot, with an image of Musk centered. The purported headline reads: “The weakest man on Earth.”While most considered the image satirical, others were duped into thinking the screenshot was authentic. A Twitter advanced search via the Forbes official Twitter account did not reveal any related posts pertaining to the fabricated cover (archive.vn/wip/ckDS6). No such cover was published by Forbes magazine calling Elon Musk the “weakest man on Earth.”This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

☆ Fact Check-WEF did not issue guidance to slaughter millions of pets to curb climate change
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The World Economic Forum (WEF) did not issue advice to slaughter millions of pets to curb climate change. Reuters found no evidence that the organization suggested slaughtering pets, and searches through the WEF website did not reveal any such guidance (archive.vn/wip/UgC3L). A Twitter advanced search did not reveal any social media post advocating for the slaughter of pets published via WEF’s official Twitter account (archive.vn/WR6Oz). A spokesperson for the WEF told Reuters that no such guidance was issued. The WEF is not encouraging the slaughtering of animals to curb climate change.

☆ Fact Check-Screenshot shows fabricated Guardian tweet on a ‘leaked audio’ featuring Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A fabricated screenshot purporting to show a tweet published by The Guardian on Twitter CEO Elon Musk has circulated online. The fake screenshot appears to show a tweet published by the British outlet on Dec. 12 supposedly reporting that an audio had been leaked featuring Musk “ranting” about “transgender ideology.”Examples of the fabricated image can be viewed (here) and (here). Web archived versions of The Guardian’s homepage saved on Dec. 12 did not find a similar report either (here), (here). Reuters found no tweets mentioning the alleged Musk story replying to The Guardian’s account on Dec. 12 (archive.vn/wip/k44xC), (archive.vn/wip/4Wpy2). Reuters did not find any news sources reporting on the supposed audio mentioned in the screenshot of the fabricated tweet via Google advanced search (archive.vn/wip/fywq0).

☆ Fact Check-Digitally altered clip shows Elon Musk saying that he intends to buy Meta
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An altered clip is circulating online, making it appear as if Twitter CEO Elon Musk said that he intends to buy the social media company Meta in a recent interview. The clip augments video and audio to make it appear as if Musk expressed his intentions to buy the rival social media platform (here). A Google advanced search did not reveal any news reports suggesting that Musk expressed his intention to buy Meta during the TED discussion (archive.vn/wip/Tnj3k). There are other indications that the clip circulating online is altered, such as the audio lag between the apparent movement of Musk’s facial features. The video and audio were manipulated to make it appear as if Musk said that he intended to purchase Meta.

☆ Fact Check-ESPN did not mistakenly publish image of Larry Fitzgerald in article on Brittney Griner release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Users shared a screenshot of an ESPN report on Griner’s release that seemingly featured an image of Fitzgerald instead of Griner. The ESPN article features an embedded video news report preceded in some versions by a still image of Griner. In the video, an image of Griner can also be seen in the graphic across the bottom of the screen (here). A Twitter advanced search via ESPN’s official Twitter account showed Griner’s image linked to reports of her release, not Fitzgerald (archive.vn/wip/pVTh6). The ESPN report on Griner’s release featured an embedded video report with Griner viewable in a still image and in a graphic.

☆ МИДЕИ: Граждане Молдовы не пострадали при ДТП в Украине
▼ + stars: | 2020-10-13 | by ( ) moldovainform.md time to read: +1 min

Министерство иностранных дел и европейской интеграции Республики Молдова приняло к сведению новости молдавских СМИ про ДТП на территории Украины с участием автобуса, следовавшего по маршруту Кишинэу - Москва. В связи с этими публикациями посольство Молдовы в Украине обратилось в Главное управление Национальной полиции Украины в Виницкой области. ГУ НПУ подтвердило, что в воскресенье 11 октября около 18:40 на трассе Могилев-Подольский - Житомир - Выступовичи, близ села Горай (Мурованокуриловецкий район) произошла дорожная авария с участием автобуса из Молдовы с 35 пассажирами. В результате ДТП получила травмы гражданка Российской Федерации. Граждане Молдовы не пострадали и продолжили путь в Москву на другом автобусе, предоставленном транспортной компанией из Молдовы.

Organizations: Министерство иностранных дел и европейской интеграции, СМИ, МИДЕЯ, Главное управление, Национальная полиция, ГУ НПУ Locations: Республика Молдова, Украина, Кишинэу, Москва, Молдова, Виницкой область, Могилев-Подольский, Житомир, Выступовичи, Горай, Мурованокуриловецкий район, Российская Федерация

Search resuls for: "VN"

16 mentions found