DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Fuel Tanker Explosion on Connecticut Bridge Kills at Least One Person
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Remy Tumin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Buildings below the Golden Star Memorial Bridge, a pair of steel truss bridges on the Thames River, were also on fire, the Connecticut State Police said on Twitter. “Injuries reported but extent is unknown at this time,” the police wrote, warning people to avoid the area. Officials closed the highway between exits 86 and 88, Trooper Muniz said, and the bridge was closed in both directions for part of the day. Amtrak reported some delays along the Northeast corridor, which has tracks near the accident. Several agencies, including the Coast Guard, are responding.

☆ Wrexham gears up for Hollywood-style promotion party
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Wrexham are on the verge of winning promotion to the English Football League having amassed a record 107 points to sit top of the National League table with two games to go. Victory over Boreham Wood on Saturday would guarantee promotion to Football League Two, the fourth tier of English soccer, and people in the northern Welsh city are gearing up for a memorable evening. . . no chance," Mark Jones said from the Turf Hotel, the pub on the corner of the team's Racecourse Ground. Games draw huge viewing audiences, even in North America and the success story has left virtually no-one in Wrexham untouched. Inside The Turf, pictures of Reynolds, McElhenney and Deadpool battle for space on the red walls with Wrexham logos and longtime supporters' names.

☆ A Swinging Duo of Duke Ellington Films
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Will Friedwald | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

John Lamb on bass, Duke Ellington on piano, Johnny Hodges on alto sax and Lawrence Brown on trombone at Grace Cathedral Photo: Bettmann ArchiveDuke Ellington is between sets in his dressing room at San Francisco’s Basin Street West. “Do you want the snore in there?” he says, as he starts to lie down for a nap. Then, surprisingly, he chooses instead to engage with the interviewer—the music critic and television producer and host Ralph J. Gleason —and the camera crew who, by that time, have been trailing Ellington for a month. He also demonstrates a piece that he is in the middle of writing with his musical partner, Billy Strayhorn . It’s a rare example of a very candid Ellington letting the rest of us into his world and creative process.

☆ Search Halted for 3 Americans Missing Off the Mexican Coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Johnny Diaz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The search for three Americans who were reported missing two weeks ago, after sailing off the coast of Mexico to California, has been called off, the authorities in both countries said. The missing people, a woman and two men identified as Kerry O’Brien, Frank O’Brien and William Gross, were sailing aboard the Ocean Bound, a 44-foot La Fitte sailboat. They were last heard from on April 4, when they were near Mazatlán, Mexico, the Coast Guard said in a news release. The Coast Guard did not specify their ages on Thursday. The three travelers had left Mazatlán on their way to San Diego, and they were scheduled to stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on April 6 to resupply with provisions, according to the Coast Guard.

☆ Two more suspects arrested in Alabama 'Sweet 16' shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Authorities in Alabama on Thursday said they had made two more arrests in connection with last week's shooting at a "Sweet 16" birthday party that left four people dead and 32 others wounded. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a written statement that Willie George Brown Jr., 19, of Auburn, and Johnny Letron Brown, 20, of Tuskegee, were both arrested on Thursday, bringing the total number of suspects arrested to five. The other three suspects arrested are: Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, both from Tuskegee; and Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20, of Auburn. The shooting followed separate outbreaks of deadly gun violence in Tennessee and Kentucky that prompted local leaders to call for tighter gun control measures. The nonprofit group defines a mass shooting as any in which four or more people are wounded or killed, not including the shooter.

In February, the first full month since China's border reopened, Australia recorded 40,430 short-term visitors from China, government data showed. Government marketing body Tourism Australia declined to comment. Trade promotion office Austrade said Tourism Australia's managing director visited China in March to meet strategic partners such as airlines and the body would "continue to work closely with its key distribution partners in the market to realise tourism opportunities between Australia and China". China was Australia's biggest source of foreign students until 2019, but students of other nationalities have filled its foreign student ranks since Australia reopened its border in 2021. "When Chinese tourists return en masse, I'm worried that the supply will not catch up with demand," he said.

☆ Bob Marley and the Wailers’ ‘Catch a Fire’ Turns 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jamaican music was hardly foreign to American ears or the U.S. pop charts in 1973. Starting with Harry Belafonte ’s recording of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” in 1956, singles became hits using Jamaica’s brassy ska and mellow rocksteady styles. These included Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop” (1964), Johnny Nash ’s “Hold Me Tight” (1968) and “I Can See Clearly Now” (1972), the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” (1968) and Desmond Dekker & the Aces’ “Israelites” (1968). Then, in February 1973, the Jamaican crime film “The Harder They Come,” starring singer Jimmy Cliff , was released in the U.S. along with the soundtrack album. Many Americans were exposed for the first time to reggae—a bass-heavy rhythmic style that emerged in 1968 with the Maytals’ “Do the Reggay.”

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's total pay plummeted in 2022 — but there's more to it than meets the eye
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AWS CEO Andy Jassy, who is set to become Amazon CEO, helped oversee the cloud unit's rise. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's total compensation plunged last year to $1.3 million. It may still seem like a lot of money, but in 2021, Jassy's total pay was over $200 million. Also, keep in mind that Jassy's base salary in 2022 was $317,500, an 80% leap from $175,000 in 2021. Musk's reign of chaos at Twitter may have saved it from collapse, but there's a long way to go.

☆ NHL roundup: Knights wrap up West's No. 1 seed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Reilly Smith, Alec Martinez and Chandler Stephenson scored for the Golden Knights (51-22-9, 111 points), who closed the regular season with an eight-game points streak (5-0-3). Liam O'Brien led the Coyotes with a pair of goals and Nick Schmaltz and added a goal and an assist. The Stars, who are looking to win a division title for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, are atop the division. The Bruins set NHL records for most wins and most points in a single season. Tage Thompson scored his 47th goal of the season for Buffalo, which improved to 8-2-1 over its last 11 games.

☆ Wes Anderson, Ken Loach among big names competing at Cannes Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] 72nd Cannes Film Festival - Photocall for the film "Sorry We Missed You" in competition - Cannes, France, May 17, 2019. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File PhotoApril 13 (Reuters) - Wes Anderson, Ken Loach, Todd Haynes and Wim Wenders are among the directors who will compete for the top prize at next month's Cannes Film Festival, where a spate of Hollywood stars will also premiere their latest works on the famed Croisette waterfront. At a press conference on Thursday, festival director Thierry Fremaux announced the line-up for the 76th edition of major cinema showcase from May 16-27. "It's a competition that will mix young filmmakers competing for the first time with veterans whose names and works we know," Fremaux said. Adventurer Indiana Jones will also return to the festival 15 years since his last appearance in Cannes.

☆ Remote Jobs Going Back to the Office, Outsourcing to Cheaper Workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Finding a remote job is getting more and more difficult. That's because competition for remote work in the US remains fierce, the number of job postings are on the decline, and some of the remote jobs that remain are being outsourced overseas. Companies are moving remote jobs overseasSome companies are embracing remote work, but not in the US. Instead, they're outsourcing jobs overseas and saving on labor costs. For Americans who are eager to snag that remote job, it's not all doom and gloom.

Japanese-Brazilian singer-songwriter Kauan Okamoto alleged during a press conference that over the course of four years, beginning in 2012 when he was 15, he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Kitagawa, who died age 87 in 2019. In 1999, Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun published accounts of other young men and boys who claimed they were sexually abused by Kitagawa. They ‘knew it was my turn’Singer-songwriter Okamoto joined Kitagawa’s agency in February 2012 while he was in junior high school. Okamoto said Kitagawa would often invite these young recruits to spend the night in his apartment, and pick “favorites” among the boys. “He began massaging my feet,” Okamoto said, and alleged that Kitagawa touched his genitals and performed oral sex on him.

☆ Next Wave of Remote Work Is About Outsourcing Jobs Overseas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Konrad Putzier | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The idea came to Johnny Taylor Jr . early last year, after one of his employees made a case that her technology position could be done anywhere. She wanted to leave Virginia, where she held a job at the Society for Human Resource Management, a professional association based in Alexandria. She asked to work remotely in North Carolina.

☆ An employee reportedly asked to go remote. Her CEO says he outsourced her job to India instead and saved 40% on labor costs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CEO Johnny Taylor Jr. told WSJ he outsourced an employee's job after she requested it be remote. Hiring someone in India saved the company around 40% in labor costs, he told the Journal. Since the pandemic, some tech companies have hired remote workers overseas, sometimes amid layoffs. Some tech companies have already turned to overseas labor, including in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Insider's Aki Ito reported. The year before, 17% of job postings offered remote work.

☆ NBA roundup: Mavs' playoff hopes dashed by Bulls
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

The result ended the Mavericks' hopes of reaching the Western Conference play-in tournament. Chicago, which had already clinched an Eastern Conference play-in spot, played without leading scorers DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine as well as Patrick Beverley. Orlando, which was in contention for a play-in spot over the past month following a 5-20 start, played its second game since being eliminated Tuesday. Grizzlies 137, Bucks 114Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 36 points to lead seven Memphis players in double figures as the Grizzlies clinched the No. Pascal Siakam scored 19 points, Precious Achiuwa added 16 points, and Fred VanVleet had 12 points and eight assists.

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstApril 5 (Reuters) - Johnny Depp's first live-action film since the widely watched defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard was selected as the opening movie for next month's Cannes Film Festival in France, organizers said on Wednesday. The French-language film "Jeanne du Barry" stars director Maïwenn Le Besco, known as Maiwenn, as Jeanne Becu, a woman who rose from poverty to the circles of King Louis XV. Depp plays the king in the movie, which will have its world premiere at Cannes on May 16. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor has made few film or TV appearances since his trial concluded in June 2022. Depp also voiced an animated puffin in last month's "Johnny Puff: Secret Mission."

☆ MLB roundup: Padres go back-to-back in 9th, edge D-backs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The A's were down 10-8 when Seth Brown followed a walk to Aledmys Diaz with a two-run homer off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase in the last of the ninth. Angels 7, Mariners 3Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward hit two-run homers as Los Angeles defeated host Seattle. Yankees 8, Phillies 1Anthony Rizzo ignited a five-run fifth inning with a two-run homer, and host New York cruised to victory over Philadelphia. His counterpart, Jose Berrios (0-1), allowed eight runs, nine hits and two walks while striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer and Austin Riley had a solo shot for the Braves, who have won three of four games to start the season.

☆ Saudi money is flowing to US media and entertainment, from Live Nation to LIV Golf, 5 years after Jamal Khashoggi's murder: 'The ice has thawed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment. Insider identified some key people connecting Middle East investors with American companies. Saudi Arabia is trying to pitch itself to the world as a cultural and economic reformer and spur tourism. Vince McMahon's WWE has a long-term partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a major live WWE event there slated for May. Vince McMahon's WWE was one of the first US companies to create unique events in Saudi Arabia.

☆ 9 Middle Eastern funds and investors pouring money into US media, sports, and entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Governments and investors in the Middle East are pouring money into Western media and entertainment. Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment, and they're finding plenty of takers. The channels for money from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East are complex. Insider broke down the key entities — their owners, leaders, and high-profile investments and joint ventures — in the top three Middle Eastern nations pouring money into US entertainment and media. It describes itself as the largest media company in the Middle East and North Africa and runs one of the largest TV news channels, Al Arabiya.

☆ If Trump's mugshot is made public it would cement him as an 'outlaw' and could make him a folk hero like Al Capone, presidential historian says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

If Trump's mugshot is made public, it could turn him into a folk hero, historian Douglas Brinkley says. New York law generally bars the release of mugshots but it's possible that Trump's could be leaked. During an episode of his YouTube show "Justice Matters" on Thursday, legal analyst Glenn Kirschner suggested that Trump's mugshot "will become publicly available pretty promptly." If the public does get a chance to see the mugshot, it would cement Trump's status as an "outlaw" among presidents and could make him a folk hero for some Americans, Brinkley said. "But Trump fits very easily into a narrative of folk heroes, like outlaw folk heroes like Al Capone and Dillinger, Billy the Kid."

☆ Three children, 3 adults shot dead by ex-student at Tennessee Christian school
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Kevin Wurm | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, March 27 (Reuters) - A heavily armed 28-year-old fatally shot three children and three adult staffers on Monday at a private Christian school the suspect once attended in Tennessee's capital city before police killed the assailant, authorities said. Drake said the school was singled out for attack but the individual victims were targeted at random. [1/6] Students from The Covenant School hold hands after getting off a bus to meet their parents at the reunification site following a mass shooting at the school in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., March 27, 2023. Reacting in Washington to the latest school shooting, U.S. President Joe Biden urged the U.S. Congress again to pass tougher gun reform legislation. Nashville Mayor John Cooper expressed sympathy for the victims and wrote on social media that his city "joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting."

☆ Mistakes by the US's top spies allowed China to turn a deadly mid-air collision into an intelligence coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

On April 1, 2001, a US EP-3 spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. One of eleven left in the fleet, the tired 1960s-era spy plane bristled with porcupine-like antennas. Within minutes, however, the fighters had reached the lumbering spy plane, and while Zhao Yu hung back about a half-mile, Wang Wei rapidly closed in. In severe trouble, he immediately radioed the base, telling them he was unable to maneuver and being sucked in by the spy plane. "You are not allowed aboard the aircraft," Osborn said.

☆ Imperious Ireland beat England to clinch Six Nations Grand Slam
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

DUBLIN, March 18 (Reuters) - Ireland completed their fourth Six Nations Grand Slam with a 29-16 victory over England at a pulsating Aviva Stadium on Saturday, emphatically underlining their status as the world's top-ranked team heading into September's World Cup. What a group of coaches," Ireland captain Johnny Sexton, playing in his final Six Nations game, said in a pitchside interview. If it looked like Ireland would cruise towards a Grand Slam in Dublin, following success in Twickenham (2018), Cardiff (2009) and Belfast (1948), England had other ideas and another Owen Farrell penalty after the break made it 10-9. "We've built some foundations over the course of the Six Nations but clearly we want to be a better team." The defeat consigned England to fourth place in the table and a third successive Six Nations with more defeats than victories after winning the championship in 2020.

☆ A US veteran joined Ukraine's International Legion, then made a shock defection to Russia. Ex-comrades say he was incompetent and left behind a trail of chaos.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Alia Shoaib | Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Those who fought with him in Ukraine told Insider he was unstable and erratic on the battlefield. "Bama is a highly unstable character," Nance told Insider. The warning signs continued, as McIntyre told Smith that he was wanted by the FBI for threatening to kill personnel at the White House, Smith. "As time went on, he confided to me that he had converted to Islam and that he was planning to do a jihad," Smith told Insider. "When you screw up, a company gets rid of you, pulls you off the line, and sends you back to the battalion," Nance told Insider.

☆ French bulldog claims title of top US purebred, dethroning Labrador retriever
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Rich Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

2 spot the previous year, according to the club, which maintains the largest registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the country. They're great companions, cute and show great affection," said breeder Johnny Danley Jr., of Atlanta. But we sell to blue-collar, 9-to-5 people who want to spend a little for a great companion," Danley said. The breed's rising popularity - and price tag - has led to a surge in French bulldog thefts in recent years, according to the club. The former top dog, the even-tempered Labrador retriever, still has plenty of fans, as it slipped a notch to the No.

Search resuls for: "johnny"

25 mentions found