DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

[1/7] BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 30: King Charles III addresses members of the German Bundestag at the Reichstag Building on March 30, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The king, on the second day of a three-day trip to Germany, alternated between German and English for the half-hour speech, which won a standing ovation from lawmakers. Both Britain and Germany had shown "vital leadership", Charles said, praising Berlin's decision to provide large military support to Ukraine as "remarkably courageous, important and appreciated". Throughout his visit, German officials have praised his interest in environmental causes and sustainability that has shone through in the engagements he has chosen to understake. Charles had been due to travel first to France but cancelled that part of the tour due to violent social unrest there.

☆ Donald Trump wants his '74 million' supporters to sign a petition railing against his potential arrest. Those who sign it are asked to donate $3,300 and more.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Donald Trump emailed voters on Monday asking them to sign a petition protesting his possible arrest. His team says they're compiling "millions and millions" of signatures decrying the "threats." Signing this petition, however, leads people to a page where they're asked to give $3,300, or other suggested amounts of cash, to his 2024 campaign. "Which is why the Trump for President 2024 campaign is compiling millions and millions of petition signatures from Americans like you CONDEMNING these threats of a possible arrest," the email said. It also called on "74 million patriots" to answer the call and sign the petition.

☆ Citi sees chip stocks hitting 'new lows.' Here are its top picks to ride out the storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Although chip stocks have broadly rebounded this year , Citi warns that they could be about to hit new lows as companies trim guidance. Given this "defensive stance," the analyst said Analog Devices remains its top pick in this environment, describing it as the "most defensive name." Citi also named a few semiconductor stocks to consider once the dark times are over. Analog Devices, Micron, ON Semi and GlobalFoundries are all buy-rated by the bank. The bank gives Analog Devices, ON Semi, and GlobalFoundries each around 22% upside potential.

☆ Coinbase to lay off 20% of staff as crypto winter continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Coinbase announced Tuesday that it was laying off 950 people, about 20% of its staff. Coinbase, like many other publicly traded and privately held crypto companies, has been hit hard by the massive plunge in the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is up more than 4% since the start of the year, suggesting that crypto prices may have finally bottomed out. The hope is that bitcoin and other crypto prices may start to stabilize, especially if financial regulators start to provide more guidance and clarity about their stance on cryptos. Several high profile crypto companies have gone belly up, most notably one-time crypto darling (and Coinbase rival) FTX.

"As counterintuitive as it may sound, this layoff left me in a really good position," the 24-year-old said. U.S. tech giants including Meta, Microsoft (MSFT.O), Twitter and Snap (SNAP.N) have purged more than 150,000 staff, according to Layoff.fyi, which tracks technology job losses. Day One Ventures, an early stage venture fund in San Francisco, launched a new initiative in November to fund startups founded by people who had been laid off from their tech jobs, touting the slogan "Funded, not Fired". Silicon Valley investor U.S. Venture Partners and Austrian VC firm Speedinvest have meanwhile earmarked a similar amount for newly founded companies. Fong told Reuters that experience in Big Tech firm gave founders a "strong brand that can be leveraged to meet investors, potential customers, and recruit team members".

PARIS, Dec 23 (Reuters) - A gunman killed three people at a Kurdish cultural centre and nearby Kurdish cafe in central Paris on Friday, prompting violent protests in nearby streets as night fell. President Emmanuel Macron said France's Kurdish community had been the target of a heinous attack. All three of those who died were Kurdish, a lawyer for the Kurdish cultural centre told Reuters. Julien Verplancke who works at another local restaurant, Chez Minna, said staff from the Kurdish restaurant emerged from the premise in tears after the shooting. Salih Azad, a prominent figure from the Kurdish community in Marseille, said he knew one of the victims, a 26-year-old woman who had lived in Paris for several years.

☆ David Letterman interviews Ukraine's Zelenskiy in underground subway
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] David Letterman arrives at the Statue Of Liberty Museum Opening Celebration at Battery Park in New York, U.S., May 15, 2019. REUTERS/Demetrius Freeman/File PhotoDec 12 (Reuters) - U.S. talkshow host David Letterman has done many interviews in his life - but never one quite like this. In October, the late-night host traveled to Kyiv to interview Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the safest part of the city — a subway platform 300 feet (90 meters) below ground. Letterman also spoke with the head of Ukraine's railways - vital to the war effort - and visited a comedy club. "My Next Guest... with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskiy" airs on Netflix from Monday.

☆ Russians are angry Putin is spending billions on an unpopular war as they freeze back home, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russians are accusing Putin of ignoring domestic problems while focusing on the war in Ukraine. Forbes Ukraine estimated last week that Russia has spent around $82 billion in the war so far. It is unclear how much exactly Putin is spending on the war in Ukraine, which continues nine months after the Russian leader launched his large-scale invasion. The war will not get any cheaper for Putin, Forbes Ukraine said, estimating that it will cost at least $10 billion a month going forward. Other reports of mobilized Russian soldiers being deployed with little training and poor equipment have prompted more Russians to publicly voice their criticisms.

Former President Donald Trump made official his plan to run for president again. Here's a look inside the exclusive resort that the public doesn't get to see. Former President Donald Trump announced his intent to run for a second presidential term at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. During Trump's presidency, the exclusive resort was often referred to as "the winter White House." Following the end of his presidential term, Trump decamped to the ornate resort.

☆ Matthew Perry opens up about serious addiction problem and how his ‘Friends’ castmates ‘saved’ him
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Drew Weisholtz | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

It could be said that (doing the show) saved me,” he told the magazine in advance of the book’s release. When he got the part, his alcohol addiction was just starting, but it was only the beginning of his troubles. “If you gauge my weight from season to season — when I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; when I am skinny, it’s pills. Perry has been to rehab 15 times and undergone 14 surgeries related to his addiction. In 2021’’s “Friends” reunion, Perry opened up about the stress he felt to perform while on the show.

☆ 'Star Wars' series 'Andor' looks at everyday life under the Empire
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Rollo Ross | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File PhotoLOS ANGELES, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The new "Star Wars" television series "Andor" promises a look at the day-to-day lives of the people who eventually become heroes in the ongoing battle set in a galaxy far, far away. "Andor," which debuts on the Disney+ (DIS.N) streaming service on Wednesday, is a prequel to hit 2016 film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." I don't think we've seen that," Luna said. "I don't think we've been in the most intimate life of the people that were having to live under the control of the Empire. "We want to make everything real - real emotions, real stakes, real threats, real fear, real betrayal, real love, real desperation, real families, real domestic drama, real adventure," he said.

Search resuls for: "Dark Times"

11 mentions found