DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Ukrainian pilots are finally learning to use F-16s, and NATO training plans have said they could be taught to fly other fighter jets too
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

NATO and European countries have started training Ukrainians on advanced F-16 fighter jets. The months-long program intends to cover language training, flight training, and conversion to the F-16 platform, according to an undated copy of the F-16 training concept that Insider obtained from the Danish defense ministry. The document also hints that Ukraine might get its hands on other fighter jets at some point. It's not immediately clear which fighter aircraft the statement is referencing, but one aircraft that the Ukrainians have been eyeing is Sweden's JAS 39 Gripen. However, the jet is operated by just six countries — only two of which support Ukraine with military aid (Sweden and the Czech Republic) — and has not yet seen combat experience.

Persons: Netherlands —, It's, JAS, Saab JAS, Matthew Horwood, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Petr Josek PJ, AA Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Kyiv, NATO, Saab, RAF Fairford, Royal Military Air, Getty, Gripen, REUTERS, AA, Pentagon Locations: Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Denmark, Netherlands, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Sweden, Czech Republic, NATO, Stockholm, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, United Kingdom, Prague, Europe

☆ Europe's Stripe rival Adyen saw $20 billion wiped off its value in a single day. Here's what's going on
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Pavlo Gonchar | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesSpirits were high when Dutch payments firm Adyen floated on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 2018. The company was riding a wave of growth in Europe's technology sector and snapping up competition from its mega U.S. rival PayPal. Since then, the company has weathered a turbulent ride, including a global pandemic that knocked volumes from travel clients significantly. Company shares plummeted 39% on Thursday, erasing 18 billion euros ($39 billion) from Adyen's market capitalization, as investors dumped the stock after the firm reported its slowest revenue growth on record. Adyen has typically been viewed as a growth stock, after consistently reporting revenue growth of 26% each half-year period since its 2018 stock market debut.

Persons: Pavlo Gonchar, Adyen, Pieter van der, Arnout Schuijff, Ethan Tandowsky, CNBC's, Tandowsky, EBITDA, Simon Taylor, Taylor Organizations: Amsterdam Stock Exchange, PayPal, Company, CNBC, Netflix, Meta, Spotify, Enterprise, Financial Locations: North America

☆ Take Five: Summer at Jackson Hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Jason Reed Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - It's summer camp season and not to be left out, U.S. rate setters and overseas pals gather in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to talk central banking. U.S. Federal Reserve officials (plus friends from the ECB, BoE and BOJ) descend on Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Aug. 24-26 for their annual central bank confab. Inflation remains sticky in places and investors want to know how long it will take for central banks to switch to easing. European PMIs could provide a bigger signal on whether the European Central Bank will hike again in September and if the Bank of England opts for a big rate increase. Turkey's central bank is poised to raise rates on Thursday for the third time in a row since Hafize Gaye Erkan was appointed as governor in early June.

Persons: Jason Reed, Ira Iosebashvili, Li Gu, Yoruk, Rosario, Marc Jones, Rachel Savage, BoE, Jackson, Vladimir Putin, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Erkan, Tayyip Erdogan, Dhara Ranasinghe, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S . Federal, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, ECB, Nvidia, CARE, HK, China, European Central Bank, Bank of England, West, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington, U.S, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, China, Ira, New York, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Jorgelina, London, Johannesburg, confab, CHINA, Beijing, United States, European, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Turkey

At current prices shares are now down about 16% in the year to date, surrendering gains up to Wednesday's close. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were 320 million euros ($348 million), down 10% from a year earlier and below analyst forecasts of 386 million euros, Refinitiv data showed. Revenue rose 21% to 739 million euros, against Adyen's mid-term forecasts of more than 25% growth. He said the economy overall is slowing and online payments growth may not be quite as fast as it was in the pre-COVID era. A similar margin decline led to a sell-off in Adyen shares when the company reported full-year earnings in February.

Persons: Eva Plevier, Hannes Leitner, Adyen, Toby Sterling, Sinead Cruise, David Goodman, Barbara Lewis, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Company, Netflix, Microsoft, Spotify, JPMorgan, Revenue, Adyen's, PayPal, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, AMSTERDAM, North America, Stripe, Braintree, Fiserv

☆ McLaren Applied's Lavoie in talks to buy Dutch e-bike maker VanMoof - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Nick Carey Tosterling | Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Lavoie, the electric scooter unit of Formula One engineering and technology firm McLaren Applied, is in advanced talks to buy bankrupt Dutch e-bike maker VanMoof, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The source said talks are at "quite an advanced stage" and would involve Lavoie taking over "as much as possible" of VanMoof's operations. The company had raised more than $180 million from investors including private equity firm Hillhouse, Silicon Valley venture capital fund Norwest Venture Partners and venture firm Felix Capital. According to another source familiar with the matter, McLaren Applied is one of two suitors remaining for VanMoof. Bought from McLaren by private equity firm Greybull Capital in 2021, McLaren Applied recently launched the premium Lavoie e-scooter brand.

Persons: de Wouw, Lavoie, VanMoof, Felix Capital, Jan Padberg, Nick Carey, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Formula, McLaren, Reuters, Norwest Venture Partners, Nasdaq, Capital, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, Silicon Valley

☆ Mild recession ends Dutch economy's strong post-COVID boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People walk past restaurants and bars following the new social restrictions announced by the Dutch government, as the Netherlands battle to control the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Amsterdam, Netherlands October 14 2020. Growth is set to drop to 0.7% in 2023 and 1.4% in 2024, the CPB said, after hitting almost 5% per year in 2021 and 2022 during a strong recovery from the pandemic lockdowns. The CPB in March had predicted an expansion of 1.6% in 2023 and 1.4% the year after. With unchanged policies the government deficit is seen rising from 2.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) to almost 4% by 2028. Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: de, Bart Meijer, Jacqueline Wong, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Netherlands, Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Investment company Exor (EXOR.AS) was able to build a 15% stake in Dutch healthcare group Philips (PHG.AS) without triggering the usual disclosures thanks to derivatives deals through Goldman Sachs, regulatory filings show. Exor's investment was seen as a vote of confidence in Philips and boosted the Dutch company's shares. Filings by the Dutch Financial Market Authority AFM dated Aug. 14 but published late on Wednesday showed Goldman Sachs had taken an 12.11% stake in Philips using a derivatives structure that included 95 million call options. Sources confirmed to Reuters earlier this week that Goldman Sachs acted on behalf of Exor but could not give more details. Exor and Goldman Sachs (GS.N) declined to comment.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Italy's Agnelli, Roy Jakobs, Exor, Allen, Overy, De Brauw, Philips, Toby Sterling, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Andres Gonzalez, Valentina Za, Victoria Farr, Jane Merriman Organizations: Investment, Philips, Dutch, US Securities and Exchange, Reuters, Overy, Thomson Locations: Philips, Dutch

☆ Payments company Adyen's shares drop more than 20% after earnings miss
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were 320 million euros ($348 million), down 10% from a year earlier and below analyst forecasts of 386 million euros, Refinitiv data shows. Revenue rose 21% to 739 million euros, against Adyen's mid-term forecasts of more than 25% growth. Adyen's EBITDA margin fell to 43% from 59%, which the company said was mostly because of higher wage costs as it takes on more staff. A similar margin decline led to a sell-off in Adyen shares when the company reported full-year earnings in February. Adyen maintained its medium-term targets for revenue growth above 25% and an improving EBITDA margin that it expects to reach 65% in the long term.

Persons: Eva Plevier, Adyen, Toby Sterling, David Goodman, Barbara Lewis, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Netflix, Microsoft, Spotify, JPMorgan, Revenue, Adyen's, North, PayPal, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, North America, United States

The Adyen share plunge "was because expectations were much higher. Analysts believed that Adyen would take significantly more share in this difficult market environment," said Jefferies equity analyst Hannes Leitner. Was the share price reaction justified? One European equities trader, who asked not to be named, noted there were orders to sell Adyen shares at any price and referred to "apocalypse selling." According to data from Refinitiv, 17 analysts rated Adyen "buy", 12 "hold", and 4 "sell" before the earnings announcement.

Persons: Eva Plevier, Jefferies, Hannes Leitner, Refinitiv, Adyen, Worldline, Italy's, Marco Simion, Pieter van der, ”, Samuel Indyk, Elizabeth Howcroft, Danilo Masoni, Toby Sterling, Dhara, Alun John, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Analysts, Citigroup, UBS, KPMG, Privately, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, MILAN, North America, Swiss, Adyen, EMEA, Refinitiv, London, Milan

☆ Scientists unlock mysteries of magnetars, the most magnetic objects in the universe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But it could be explained by magnetic fields — fields that were, in fact, found to be so strong that it was determined to be the most magnetic massive star ever recorded. It even gave rise to a new definition: a “massive magnetic helium star.”Now, scientists suspect that one day, the star will collapse in a supernova explosion. But it’s a massive step forward in unlocking the mysteries of magnetars, which have confounded scientists for decades. The mysteries of a magnetic starThe massive magnetic helium star at the heart of the study is part of a two-star system called HD 45166. Scientists already knew that about 10% of neutron stars are also magnetars.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Tomer Shenar, “, ” Shenar, Julia Bodensteiner, “ It’s, gauss, —, ” Dr, Harsha Blumer, It’s, can’t, Shenar, there’s, that’s, you’d Organizations: CNN, Science, University of Amsterdam, West Virginia University Locations: Netherlands, Canada, France, Hawaii

☆ Dutch economy enters recession as inflation bites
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The Dutch economy has entered a recession as it shrank 0.3% on a quarterly basis in the second quarter, a first estimate published by Statistics Netherlands on Wednesday showed. The euro zone's fifth largest economy shrank for the second consecutive quarter, after a 0.4% contraction in the first three months of the year. The first recession since the pandemic was driven by a drop in consumer spending and exports, as surging inflation drove up food prices and energy bills in the Netherlands and its trading partners. Consumer spending fell 1.6%, while exports were 0.7% lower than in the first three months of the year. Inflation in the Netherlands has dropped since hitting a peak of 14.5% in September last year, but was still relatively high at around 6% in the second quarter of 2023.

Persons: Bart Meijer, Mark Potter Organizations: Statistics Netherlands, Wednesday, Consumer, Thomson Locations: Netherlands

☆ Bruce Springsteen has ‘been taken ill,’ postpones two concerts with the E Street Band
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Bruce Springsteen is taking some time to rest and putting off two concert dates. In May of this year, the “Born in the U.S.A.” crooner took a fall on stage while performing in Amsterdam. They then traveled to Europe, with stops in France, Italy, Germany, Zurich, Birmingham, Oslo, London, Vienna, Munich, England and more. The tour came back to the United States this month, where they played Wrigley Field in Chicago last week before taking this hiatus. They are next scheduled to play Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on August 24.

Persons: CNN — Bruce Springsteen, Springsteen, “, ” Springsteen Organizations: CNN, Citizens Bank, Wrigley Field, Gillette Locations: Philadelphia, U.S.A, Amsterdam, Europe, France, Italy, Germany, Zurich, Birmingham, Oslo, London, Vienna, Munich, England, United States, Chicago, Foxborough , Massachusetts

☆ Arsenal defender Timber sidelined with ACL injury, set to undergo surgery
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Nottingham Forest - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - August 12, 2023 Arsenal's Jurrien Timber is substituted off after sustaining an injury Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 16 (Reuters) - Arsenal's new signing Jurrien Timber will be sidelined due to a knee injury, the Premier League club said on Wednesday, with the Dutch international set to undergo surgery. "We can confirm that Jurrien Timber has sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee," Arsenal said in a statement. "Jurrien will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be out of action for a period of time. Arsenal next travel to face Crystal Palace on Monday. ($1 = 0.9158 euros)Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: John Sibley, hobbled, Crystal, Aadi Nair, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Soccer Football, Premier League, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Emirates, Dutch, Ajax Amsterdam, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Bengaluru

☆ Sex in self-driving cars: Passengers are reportedly hooking up in San Francisco's driverless taxis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Kylie Kirschner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Riders are reportedly using San Francisco's self-driving taxis, operated by Cruise, to hook up. A 2018 study predicted that more autonomous vehicles could mean more sex on the road. With no one in the front seat driving, some people are using self-driving taxis for a little bit more than just transportation. A 2018 study by Scott Cohen and Debbie Hopkins in the Annals of Tourism Research journal predicted that passengers might use robotaxis for sex. "Hotels-by the hour are likely to be replaced by connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs)," the researchers wrote.

Persons: Cruise, Waymo, Alex, he's, Megan, Scott Cohen, Debbie Hopkins, Elon Musk Organizations: Cruise, San Francisco, California Public Utilities Commission, Tourism Research, Tesla Locations: San Francisco, California, robotaxis

☆ Agnelli family's Exor buys $2.8 bln stake in Philips
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Tosterling Bart H. Meijer | Bart H. Meijer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Philips Healthcare headquarters is seen in Best, Netherlands August 30, 2018. The group combines two of the three sectors Exor targets in its investment strategy: healthcare and technology. While not an activist investor, Exor aims to play an active role in supporting Philips' strategy, the source said. "Exor's substantial investment underlines their confidence in Philips' transformation into a healthcare technology company and its growth and value potential," Philips Chairman Feike Sijbesma said in a statement. Philips last month reported core profit of 453 million euros and slightly upgraded financial targets for the full year.

Persons: de, Exor, Italy's Agnelli, Philips, Feike Sijbesma, John Elkann, Lifenet, Louboutin, Roy Jakobs, Valentina Za, Kim Coghill, David Goodman, Susan Fenton Organizations: Philips Healthcare, REUTERS, Philips, Philips AMSTERDAM, Exor, Institut, Ferrari, Italian soccer, Juventus, ING, U.S . Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: , Netherlands, Exor, Louboutin . New York, Italian, Milan

☆ Six Ways to Enjoy Your Time in Amsterdam
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Noëlle De Leeuw | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

And understandably so — you’re meandering along the canals one minute, mingling with a van Gogh the next. Looking for a little latitude in Amsterdam is far from impossible — it just takes a bit of strategy. Be your own captainThe best way to enjoy Amsterdam is, quite undeniably, from the water. All over the city, there are stations where you can rent small electric boats that suit the size of your group. Motor a little outside the city, to, say, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel — a small town on the Amstel River, about six miles south of Amsterdam — where it’s wonderfully serene.

Persons: you’re Organizations: Amsterdam Locations: Amsterdam, Amsterdam —

☆ Danish air force intercepts Russian bombers headed to Dutch NATO airspace
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The Danish air force has intercepted two Russian bombers that were identified over Denmark and flying towards the area that the Netherlands monitors for the NATO military alliance, the Dutch Royal Airforce said on Monday. It added that Dutch F-16s were called into action Monday morning, but the Russian bombers were intercepted before they could enter Dutch NATO airspace and have now turned back. A spokesperson for the Dutch Royal Airforce said that planes are intercepted if they do not have a unique identifying code, did not provide a flight plan, and if there is no two-way conversation. He also said that it's not rare for Russian airplanes to violate a European country's airspace or approach it. Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Charlotte Van Campenhout, Devika Organizations: NATO, Dutch Royal Airforce, Russian, Reuters, Danish Ministry for Defence, Thomson Locations: Danish, Denmark, Netherlands

☆ Factbox: Resistance to green policies around Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Europe faces growing pushback against policies to address climate change and protect the environment, causing its green agenda to start to fray as severe heatwaves and wildfires rage. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month warned of climate policies that "unnecessarily give people more hassle and more costs", days after his ailing Conservatives unexpectedly clinched a local election after opposing charges for the most polluting vehicles. Riding a wave of protests against the government's environmental policies, it unexpectedly beat the conservative VVD party in regional elections in March. POLANDPoland's government, long conservative on environmental policies at home and facing elections in October, has gone a step further by suing Brussels. The row has helped propel the far-right Alternative for Germany to second place in the polls.

Persons: Kuba, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Mark Rutte, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James Organizations: REUTERS, Union, EU, BRITAIN, Conservatives, Farmer, Movement, Justice, Greens, Thomson Locations: Gryfino, Poland, Europe, ITALY, Italy, BRITAIN Britain, Britain, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, Brussels, GERMANY, Germany, Berlin, Bremen, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

Poland's government, which faces October elections, is even suing Brussels over climate policies. Britain has already quickly gone from being a leader on the world stage to looking quite weak on green policies, he said. CITIZENS, BUSINESSESEurope's green policies are still more credible than U.S. ones, given see-sawing between electoral cycles in the United States, some analysts said. Rows over green policies have propelled right-wing populist parties to second place in both Dutch and German polls. "Otherwise citizens might start to feel that climate policy is always financially overwhelming and bad, and that sentiment is then exploited by populists."

Persons: Timm Reichert, Virginijus Sinkevicius, Sinkevicius, Anna Moskwa, Nathalie Tocci, Mats Engström, GREEN, Bob Ward, Ward, Rishi Sunak, Rob Jetten, Nina Scheer, Simone Tagliapietra, Tagliapietra, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James, Alexnder Smith Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Reuters, European People's Party, European Council, Foreign, United States, Grantham Research, London School of Economics, Political, Climate, Energy, Democrats, Thomson Locations: Gruenberg, Germany, EU, BERLIN, BRUSSELS, Netherlands, Brussels, Europe, United States, Grantham, India, China, Britain, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

☆ ABN Amro profit jumps on higher rates, may miss 2024 cost targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An ABN Amro Group NV bank branch in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022. Dutch bank ABN Amro beat second-quarter net profit expectations with growth of 83% on Wednesday, but said it no longer expects to reach its 4.7 billion euro ($5.16 billion) 2024 cost saving target due to rising inflation and anti-money laundering (AML) measures. Full-year costs for 2023 improved and are now expected around 5.2 billion euros, the group said, from 5.3 billion euros previously. The lender reported a net profit of 870 million euros for the three months to June, beating a company-compiled poll by analysts forecasting a net profit of 570 million euros, up from 475 million euros a year before. Rival ING Groep, the largest Dutch bank, last week also reported a forecast-beating 83% jump in second-quarter net profit, as higher interest rates helped income from lending and fees grow, as well as low loan provisions.

Persons: Robert Swaak Organizations: ABN Amro Group, ABN Amro, ABN, ING Groep, ABN Amro's Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands

☆ Chaos in the Hamptons: Tracy Anderson devotees gripe about $5,500 mats, $90 classes, and power struggles among 'queen bees'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Katie Warren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"You can't just work out; you can't just enjoy it," another former Hamptons trainer added. Several pointed out that TA's longtime Hamptons studio manager left just before the summer season, and a current Hamptons trainer said the manager hadn't been replaced. One person who attends drop-in Hamptons classes said she tried to get into classes for weeks but couldn't get off the waiting list. Katia Pryce, the founder of DanceBody in NYC, worked as a TA trainer more than 10 years ago. A-listers such as Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. have had TA trainers come to their Hamptons homes for private sessions.

Persons: Tracy Anderson, Michael Rubin's, —, Anderson, Anna Kaiser, Dani Levi, they're, Anderson didn't, Neil Rasmus, BFA.com, nonmembers, nonmember, hadn't, Nonmembers, couldn't, Katia Pryce, Pryce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, She's, Megan Roup, Roup, Tracy Anderson's, Rachel Murray, Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr, Elisa Arcaya, they'd, Arianna Siegel, Levi, Irene Nederlof, Claudia Saez, Fromm, she'd Organizations: White Party, Hamptons, TA, Hampton, Getty Locations: Southampton, Sag, Tribeca, Water, California, Madrid, NYC, New York, Manhattan, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, New York City, London, Miami

☆ Factbox: Patrick Drahi, the telco tycoon facing debt woes, arrest of aide
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

* Drahi, who lives between Switzerland, the United States and Israel, controls France's second-biggest telecoms firm SFR on top of the most-watched news channel in the country, BFM TV. He also owns the largest telecoms firm in Portugal. * To ease investor concerns about the sustainability of the business, Drahi spun off the U.S. division, restructured debt and took the European arm private. * By 2023, Altice's combined debt, including its three units of Altice France, Altice International and Altice USA stood at around $60 billion. Altice's debt prices trade at stressed levels, having come under further pressure since Pereira's detention in July.

Persons: Patrick Drahi, Violeta Santos Moura, Altice, Drahi, Altice's, Armando Pereira, Pereira, Silvia Aloisi, Ingrid Melander, Sharon Singleton, Louise Heavens Organizations: French, REUTERS, Polytechnique, SFR, U.S ., Altice, Altice USA, BT, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, French, Israeli, Morocco, Drahi, Amsterdam, Belgium, Portugal, Israel, United States, Dominican Republic, Switzerland, London, New York

☆ Byju’s blowup makes its investors look bad
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo/File PhotoBENGALURU, Aug 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Byju’s says it provides learning programs to over 150 million students. The biggest lesson may be for the Indian education giant’s global investors including Prosus (PRX.AS) and Peak XV, formerly part of Sequoia, who watched founder power run amok in a country they have pinned high hopes on. But so long as the blowup at the hot startup once valued at $22 billion goes from bad to worse, its backers will struggle to create enough distance. For early supporter Peak XV Partners, the mess comes at a sensitive time, hot on the heels of announcing a separation from its U.S. parent. Representatives of the Amsterdam-listed investor and Peak XV Partners, formerly Sequoia’s India unit, both quit Byju’s board in June.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Byju Raveendran, Davidson, Byju’s, Reuters Breakingviews, Prosus, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Bloomberg, XV Partners, HK, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, BENGALURU, Sequoia, U.S, Byju’s, Amsterdam, China, Delaware

☆ Clifton Oliver, Broadway actor who starred as Simba in ‘The Lion King,’ dies at age 47
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Maria Sole Campinoti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Clifton Oliver, a stage actor who starred in “The Lion King” on Broadway and a number of other productions, has died at the age of 47, according to social media posts from family and friends. The Broadway actor died following an undisclosed illness early Wednesday morning, according to a Facebook post by his sister, Roxy Hall. Clifton Oliver performs as Simba in the "Lion King" in Los Angeles on September 28, 2000. In 2010, he moved to New York to pursue a career on Broadway, where he notably starred as Simba in “The Lion King,” the highest-grossing Broadway show of all time, according to Playbill. Other Broadway shows he took part in include “Wicked” and “In the Heights,” as reported by Playbill.

Persons: Clifton Oliver, “, King ”, Roxy Hall, Simba, Kirk McKoy, ” “, Richard, ”, Oliver, ’ Organizations: CNN, Broadway, Los Angeles Times, Playbill, Pride, American, New Amsterdam Theatre Locations: Los Angeles, Jacksonville , Florida, New York, ”, Las Vegas

☆ Fuelled by Rice, Arsenal ready for next step in title race
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Those three signings were all completed early in the close4 season meaning Arsenal should be ready to hit the ground running when they kick off at home to Nottingham Forest next Saturday. While Rice's price tag appears over-inflated, he looks capable of giving Arsenal the drive their midfield began to lack in the closing months of the campaign. Timber offers the sort of defensive depth Arsenal sadly lacked after France's William Saliba was injured in March. "The players will have learned a hell of a lot with that title run, and this year is about going that one step ahead. ($1 = 0.7843 pounds)($1 = 0.9112 euros)Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Arsenal's Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Peter Cziborra, Mikel Arteta's, Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Havertz, Mikel Arteta, Granit Xhaka, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Rice, Arsenal's, Martyn Herman, Ken Ferris Organizations: Soccer, Arsenal, AS Monaco, Emirates, Peter Cziborra LONDON, Manchester City's, Premier League, City . Arsenal, West Ham United, Ajax Amsterdam, Nottingham Forest, Bayer Leverkusen, Timber, City, Barcelona, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, West, Chelsea, Arsenal's, California

Search resuls for: "amsterdam"

25 mentions found