DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ The CEO of the world's biggest record company just got a new contract with stock options worth as much as $100 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Universal Music's CEO could receive stock options worth up to $100 million under a new contract. He took a annual pay cut to $5 million in the new contract that runs to 2028. Half of the $100 million equity option will be paid out in installments if the share price hits the targets of 26.50 euros, 30 euros, and 38 euros. The stock closed Friday at 23.30 euros in Amsterdam, valuing the company at just over 42 billion euros ($45 billion). Apple CEO Tim Cook collected almost $100 million last year alone, making about $83 million in stock awards, $12 million in incentives and salary of $3 million, CNBC reported.

☆ Women's Tennis Association partners with CVC to advance commercial growth of women's tennis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( John Lynch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Women's Tennis Association has partnered with CVC Capital Partners in an effort to advance the commercial growth of the sport. Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973, the WTA is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. The ambition is to materially grow women's tennis — its profile, value, and prize money — for the benefit of the players, tournaments, and its fans. "I'm inspired to be a part of the evolution of women's tennis and building out the next 50 years of the WTA." "This is exactly what women's tennis needs and I'm excited for what's to come," Jessica Pegula, WTA world No.

☆ The US Air Force is finally getting rid of its A-10s, and its focus may be straying from the Warthog's unique mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Those retirements would shrink the Air Force's A-10 fleet to 260 aircraft, and Air Force leaders plan to continue decommissioning A-10s in the years ahead. Not so closeUS Air Force joint terminal attack controllers during a close air support training with an A-10 in Nevada in September 2011. Michael HolzworthCurrent and former Air Force officials have said that the F-35 would take over the A-10's mission after the Warthog left the fleet. So it will perform the mission very differently," said Kendall, who is now the Air Force's top civilian official. Those skills "are perishable," Boeding added, "and the stakes are too high to not train dedicated crews (ground and air) in purpose build close air support aircraft."

☆ Alcaraz signs up for relaunched Hopman Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - World number two Carlos Alcaraz will headline the Hopman Cup as the relaunched mixed-gender team event returns to the tennis calendar after a four-year absence in June. The 19-year-old Alcaraz will be part of the Spain team, one of three confirmed by the International Tennis Federation on Tuesday, alongside Paula Badosa. "Alongside the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, the Hopman Cup is another ITF event that gives players the opportunity to represent their countries, and compete for something bigger than themselves," ITF President David Haggerty said at a news conference. The last edition of the competition, which began in 1989 and was named after Australian great Harry Hopman, saw Roger Federer lead Switzerland to the title against Germany. The Hopman Cup has a rival in the United Cup mixed-gender team event, featuring 18 nations playing matches across three Australian cities, taking place before this year's Australian Open.

☆ BRITS' all-male best artist list casts shadow ahead of music awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/PoolLONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Hitmakers gather in London on Saturday for Britain's pop music honours, the BRIT awards, where an all-male contender list for the artist of the year prize has cast a shadow over the event's introduction of gender-neutral categories. But it added that organisers "acknowledge and share in the disappointment" of no women making the list. "A key factor is that, unfortunately, there were relatively few commercially successful releases by women in 2022 compared to those by men." We recognise this points to wider issues around the representation of women in music that must also be addressed." Last year, women won prizes in 10 of the awards' 15 categories.

☆ Venus 'overwhelmed' by hamstring injury, preparing for rehab grind
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Aug 30, 2022; Flushing, NY, USA; Venus Williams of the United States serves against Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium on day two of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Williams was set to play in her 22nd Australian Open after being given a wildcard but the twice finalist sustained the injury while preparing at the Auckland Classic. "To be honest, I was super overwhelmed by the injury," Williams said on her YouTube channel. "I've been injured a long time now and I couldn't believe I had to go back to rehab. Hopefully, I'll be running soon, but for now, I'll not be playing tennis."

☆ Michael Jackson's nephew to play 'King of Pop' in biopic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Danielle Broadway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The late pop singer Michael Jackson will be portrayed by his 26-year-old nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the biographical movie “Michael," the Lionsgate studio said on Monday. "Michael" will explore “the complicated man who became the King of Pop,” Lionsgate said in a statement. The Jackson family denied those accusations and the Michael Jackson estate won its appeal that year. Jaafar Jackson is the son of Michael Jackson’s older brother, Jermaine Jackson, who is also a singer and producer. “Jaafar embodies my son," said Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, in the news release.

☆ Sabalenka subdues Rybakina to win maiden Grand Slam at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Aryna Sabalenka bludgeoned her way to a maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win over Kazakh 22nd seed Elena Rybakina on Saturday in a thrilling final between two of the most exciting power-hitters in the women's game. "Thank you so much for an amazing atmosphere," said Sabalenka, who received the trophy from former world number one Billie Jean King. "And of course my team, the craziest team on tour, I would say. Sabalenka served with venom and hammered deep returns in the decider to punch holes through Rybakina's defence for a 5-3 lead. It was an amazing two weeks for me and hopefully I'm going to have the same results and even better."

☆ Djokovic’s dad stays away from Australian Open semifinal after posing with Russian flag
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Novak Djokovic’s father decided to stay away from the 21-time Grand Slam champion’s semifinal after getting embroiled in a flap involving spectators who brought banned Russian flags to Melbourne Park, Tennis Australia said Friday. “Throughout the event, we’ve spoken with players and their teams about the importance of not engaging in any activity that causes distress or disruption,” Tennis Australia said. Four people were kicked out of the tournament because of the flags and for threatening security guards that night, police and Tennis Australia said. A supporter waves a Russian flag during the men's singles match between on day one of the Australian Open in Melbourne. William West / AFP - Getty ImagesNormally, flags can be displayed during matches at Melbourne Park.

☆ Grand Slam Board says safeguarding Davis Cup is a priority
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 27 (Reuters) - All four tennis Grand Slams will make it a priority to safeguard the Davis Cup men's team tournament, the governing body of the sport's most prestigious events said on Friday, two weeks after the ITF's partnership with investment group Kosmos ended. "Protecting the heritage of the sport and safeguarding major teams competitions such as the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup is a priority for the global tennis community and will appropriately get the Grand Slams' full attention," the Grand Slam board said in a statement. The board added that the Grand Slam tournaments were united in their support for the Davis Cup "recognising its historical significance and important role in growing engagement in our sport around the world." The ITF welcomed the statement and said it was looking forward to "leading further positive conversations" with the Grand Slam Board and the ATP in the build-up to this year's Davis Cup. "We are excited for another successful edition of the Davis Cup in 2023 and look forward to discussions to continue the future growth of the competition," the governing body added.

☆ Pliskova rues misfiring serve after Australian Open exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The former world number one slipped into the second week of the tournament with little fanfare and reached her second straight Grand Slam quarter-final after her run at last year's U.S. Open. "Super disappointed about today, because I just thought this was a match which I should win and I could win," Pliskova, who missed last year's tournament due to an arm fracture, told reporters. "Obviously the serve was not great today at all. I have been serving really well for like all my matches, and pretty much like for the last two, three weeks." "I think she really made it like difficult for me, not missing many balls, not giving anything for free, any mistakes.

☆ Belarusian and Russian charge in Melbourne throws spotlight on Wimbledon ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Friday, Russia's Karen Khachanov faces Stefanos Tsitsipas as he bids to reach his first Grand Slam final. With the conflict in Ukraine showing no sign of ending, a decision about Russian and Belarussian players competing at the All England Club is pressing. Australian Open organisers even banned Russian and Belarusian flags from Melbourne Park last week after a complaint from Ukraine's ambassador to the country. 'SITUATION NO-ONE WANTS'Nine-times Australian Open champion Djokovic has urged Wimbledon to allow Russian and Belarus players to enter the 2023 tournament, a view also backed by American great John McEnroe. "I disagreed with it last year that Wimbledon didn't allow the Russians or Belarusian players to play.

☆ Why we love to anthropomorphize space-faring robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

We know Mars rovers are robots, but they feel like friends, or pets. "It's the way the rovers are designed," Abigail Freeman, the deputy project scientist of the Curiosity rover, told Insider. The first selfie NASA's Opportunity Mars rover snapped. Their ability to snap selfies on the Martian surface make them seem self-awareNASA's Curiosity Mars rover created this selfie in front of Mont Mercou. On February 12, 2019, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, sent the last commands to ask NASA’s Opportunity rover on Mars to call home.

☆ After Indiana Univ. stabbing, Asian American students say they haven’t received enough support from school
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Since the incident, a sense of shock has rippled through the school’s Asian community. The students say that conversations around the incident have been active among the Asian Americans on campus. Karen Cheng, a senior at the university and the president of the school’s Asian American Association, noted a similar sense of fear. As an Asian American woman, she said, public safety concerns predate the tragedy. But the community is also flanked by some areas with white supremacist activity, something many Asian American students are aware of, Cheng said.

☆ Billie Eilish seeks restraining order against man accused of breaking into her parents' home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dianadasrath-Headshot.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Billie Eilish has requested a restraining order against a man who allegedly broke into her parents' California home earlier this month and professed his love for her. He "claimed that at some point in time Billie had been watching Mr. Anderson and writing songs about Mr. Anderson, and that Mr. Anderson really wanted to meet Billie,” O'Connell wrote. The order seeks to bar Anderson from harassing her and contacting her in person or via social media platforms. In February 2021, Eilish was granted a temporary restraining order against another man accused of harassing her outside her family’s home and sending a letter containing a death threat. Prior to that, she got a temporary restraining order against another man who allegedly showed up at her parents’ home seven times.

☆ Australian Open bans flags from Russia, Belarus on site
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Flags from Russia and Belarus were banned from the site of the Australian Open on Tuesday after more than one was brought into the stands by spectators on Day 1 of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. Normally, flags can be displayed during matches at Melbourne Park. Another was offered to Russian player Daniil Medvedev to autograph after his 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron in Rod Laver Arena on Monday night. “I mean, if everyone feels better this way, then it’s OK,” said Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist who is seeded No. Russia invaded, with help from Belarus, in February.

☆ Stabbing of Indiana student was racially motivated, university says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 14 (Reuters) - An Indiana woman was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery for repeatedly stabbing in the head an 18-year-old student of Indiana University, an attack the university said was racially motivated. Last week's assault on a public transport bus and the suspect, 56-year-old Billie Davis, were reported to authorities by a witness on the bus, police have said. The victim told police she was waiting for the bus doors to open when another passenger began hitting her in the head, law enforcement officials said in a statement. Video from inside the bus showed the victim and her alleged attacker had no interaction before the stabbing. Local ABC affiliate WRTV said the suspect told police she stabbed the woman because it "would be one less person to blow up our country."

Indiana University says an 18-year-old student was targeted and stabbed on a bus in Bloomington for being Asian. An 18-year-old Carmel, Indiana, woman told investigators that while waiting for the doors of the bus to open, another passenger began to strike her repeatedly in the head, police said in a statement. Police did not respond to a question about whether the attack is being investigated as a hate crime. The university's Asian Culture Center called the attack "a horrific and targeted anti-Asian hate crime." Indiana's hate crime law, enacted in 2019, allows judges to consider harsher sentences where “bias” factors, including “color, creed, disability, national origin, race, religion,” motivated the crime, according to the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

☆ Naomi Osaka announces she is expecting her first child
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 11 (Reuters) - Four times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka said on Wednesday that she is expecting her first child, days after withdrawing from the Australian Open. The 25-year-old said this week that she was pulling out of the year's first Grand Slam after not competing on the WTA Tour since the Pan Pacific Open in September. loadingAug 30, 2022; Flushing, NY, USA; Naomi Osaka of Japan hits to Danielle Collins of the United States on day two of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. But she said on Wednesday that she would return to competition and expected to be at the Australian Open in 2024. Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fritz delivers as U.S. win inaugural United Cup crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Tennis - United Cup - Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney, Australia - January 8, 2023 Taylor Fritz of the U.S. reacts during his match in the final against Italy's Matteo Berrettini REUTERS/Asanka Brendon RatnayakeSYDNEY, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Taylor Fritz edged Matteo Berrettini 7-6(4) 7-6(6) as the United States justified their status as favourites to outclass Italy in a one-sided final at the inaugural United Cup mixed team tournament on Sunday. It's amazing for the team to win this event. We came in with really high hopes, or at least I did," Fritz said. SHOULDER INJURYA shoulder injury forced the 20-year-old Musetti to concede to Tiafoe after his first serve of the second set. The Americans top the table with most titles in the Davis Cup (32), Billie Jean King Cup (18) and Hopman Cup (6).

☆ Lisa Rinna is leaving ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Samantha Kubota | Liz Calvario | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Longtime “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Lisa Rinna announced on Jan. 5 that she is leaving the show, Bravo confirmed to TODAY.com. The 59-year-old reality star is “excited” for the next chapter in her career, after being on the reality show for eight seasons. “RHOBH” star Denise Richards also called out Rinna after the Season 12 reunion, writing on Instagram, “I watched #RHOBH last night. While I have empathy for Lisa Rinna losing her mom, what is her excuse all the other years on the show for being so cruel & so vindictive?”Rinna’s mother, Lois Rinna, died in November 2021 at age 93. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve made it.’”After news of her departure broke on Jan. 5, Rinna’s former costar Lisa Vanderpump seemingly shaded her on Twitter, writing simply “Ding dong.”

☆ Kids are pranking their parents on TikTok by telling them celebrities have died. Angela Bassett's son may have killed the trend by bluffing about her colleague, Michael B. Jordan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Slater Vance joined in on a TikTok trend where users lie about celebrity deaths to their parents. Many social media users have called the trend distasteful. That's what 16-year-old Slater Vance learned last week, after joining in on it using his own famous parents: actors Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance. The trend involves users pranking their families on camera, pretending that celebrities — usually ones beloved to their parents — have died. "Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance just put an end to that TikTok trend and we owe them a debt of gratitude," one user said.

☆ Kathy Whitworth, winningest golfer in history, dies at 83
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

“Kathy left this world the way she lived her life — loving, laughing and creating memories,” Odle said in a statement released by the LPGA Tour. Whitworth won the first of her 88 titles in the Kelly Girls Opens in July 1962. After briefly attending Odessa (Texas) College, she turned pro at age 19 and joined the LPGA Tour in December 1958. Whitworth won eight times in 1963 and 1965, and she had 11 victories in 1968. All these years later, the LPGA Tour total prize fund for 2023 will top $100 million.

☆ Starbucks union organizers wanted credit-card tipping. Now they’re being left out
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

They also wanted a better tipping option. “One of the first public demands that we made last fall, when our campaign launched, was for credit card tipping,” the Starbucks Workers United said in a statement to CNN. The coffee chain has for years allowed customers to tip when they pay using their Starbucks card in the Starbucks app, or to leave a cash tip. But Starbucks (SBUX) only started rolling out the credit and debit card tipping system, which is now available nationally, in September. “Even though union-representated workers do not have credit card tipping at the moment, it still feels like a union victory,” she said.

☆ Quinton Simon’s mother indicted on murder charges weeks after his body was found in a Georgia landfill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The mother of Quinton Simon, the 20-month-old Georgia toddler whose remains were found in a Savannah landfill last month, was indicted on murder charges on Wednesday, weeks after being arrested and charged in connection with his death. The false statements allegedly included repeated claims about what she had been doing during the hours around Quinton's alleged murder, the indictment states. Chatham County Police Dept. A spokesperson for the Chatham County District Attorney's office could not immediately be reached. Cook Jones told reporters Wednesday that that arrest is a "separate legal matter under investigation" and declined to elaborate.

Search resuls for: "billie"

25 mentions found