DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A T. rex skeleton sold at auction for more than $5 million. It's been named Trinity and will reside in Europe's oldest skyscraper.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nearly 300 T. rex bones dug up from three US sites were assembled into a single skeleton dubbed "Trinity." It was the first time such a T. rex skeleton was put up for auction in Europe. Including the "buyer's premium" and fees, the sale came to 5.5 million Swiss francs (about $6.1 million), Koller said. The Koller auction house in Zurich identified the new owner as The Phoebus Foundation, which is backed by the engineering and logistics conglomerate Katoen Natie-Indaver. The auction house said the skull was particularly rare and also remarkably well-preserved.

☆ Russia has a plan to sabotage European wind farms, gas pipelines, and internet cables, report say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has been using ships to spy in Nordic waters, a joint investigation by four countries' public broadcasters found. They are collecting intel on wind farms, gas pipelines, and power and internet cables, report said. Norway's NRK reported at least 50 Russian ships gathered intelligence there in the last ten years. DR reported that intercepted Russian navy communications showed Russian ships who had turned off their transmitters sailing in Nordic waters. One of the ships, Russian marine research vessel "Admiral Vladimirsky," sailed near current and future offshore wind farms, and stayed there for a few days, the outlets found.

☆ Russian spy ships suspected of gathering intelligence in Nordic waters, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou Allegra Goodwin Anna Chernova Vasco Cotovio | Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou | Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Russia has a fleet of suspected spy ships operating in Nordic waters as part of a program for the potential sabotage of underwater cables and wind farms in the region, according to a joint investigation by the public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The investigation also said Russian ships appear suddenly following NATO exercises. One ship at the center of the investigation, the Admiral Vladimirsky, is officially used for underwater research expeditions, but is, according to the report, a Russian spy ship. A masked man emerged on the deck of the Admiral Vladimirsky, the ship at the center of an investigation that found a Russian fleet of suspected spy ships in Nordic waters. The investigation comes after Dutch intelligence officials warned Russia had tried to gain intelligence to prepare for the potential sabotage of critical infrastructure in their patch of the North sea.

As a result, the stakes of the inaugural trip by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have risen, with many EU members hoping Berlin will use this opportunity to set out a clear and united EU line on China, analysts said. Baerbock must now make Germany's position on Taiwan clear during her visit, German foreign policy parliamentarian Nils Schmid told Reuters, adding Macron's remarks had destroyed a hoped-for impetus for a common European China policy. The foreign minister is due to meet her counterpart Qin Gang and China's top diplomat Wang Yi on the two-day trip. Europe's view of China as partner, competitor and systemic rival is the compass of its policy, she added. "More von der Leyen than Macron should be her guideline," conservative foreign policy lawmaker Johann Wadephul, who will join Baerbock on her trip, told Reuters.

[1/4] Chinese President Xi Jinping and France's President Emmanuel Macron meet at the Guandong province governor's residence, in Guangzhou, China, Friday, April 7, 2023. Macron's comments came in an interview on a trip to China that was meant to showcase European unity on China policy, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also taking part, but highlighted differences within the European Union. A senior diplomat from Central and Eastern Europe, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "President Macron is not speaking for Europe or the European Union. The French foreign ministry cancelled a planned debrief on the trip for foreign diplomats in Paris on Tuesday as officials scrambled to make sure they had a consistent message and to limit any fallout with Washington. But even some of those broadly supportive of Macron's agenda lamented the handling of the China trip, in which von der Leyen received a much more muted welcome than the French president.

A DB spokesperson told Reuters that under current IT security legislation it did not have to run network components by Germany's cybersecurity office, the BSI, unlike public telecoms network operators. A BSI spokesperson said it was not aware of any law that determined the DB IT systems as "critical components". A Huawei spokesperson said the firm would never harm any nation or individual. The December contract with Deutsche Telekom Business Solutions, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, is for Huawei tech like switches and routers. A government source said it had detected some operators had already built in Huawei critical components without waiting for a BSI green light and could be required to replace those.

☆ NHL roundup: Bruins bounce Rangers for 10th straight win
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

At the end of a board battle behind Elliott in the second period, Hinostroza one-timed his second goal off a pass from Casey Mittelstadt at 5:35 for Buffalo's first lead. Captain Dylan Larkin scored in the second period and Magnus Hellberg made 32 saves for the Red Wings, who have lost five straight games (0-4-1). Bennett, who had missed six straight games, scored one goal. Capitals 8, Sharks 3Craig Smith scored twice in Washington's four-goal second period and the visitors rallied for a win against San Jose. Predators 3, Blackhawks 1Philip Tomasino, Tyson Barrie and Colton Sissons scored for visiting Nashville in a win against Chicago.

☆ NHL roundup: Connor McDavid's 49th, 50th goals can't stop Bruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Edmonton's Connor McDavid scored twice for the first 50-goal season of his NHL career. Rantanen has goals in five straight games and MacKinnon recorded at least a point in his eighth consecutive game. Andrei Kuzmenko scored the winner 48 seconds into the overtime for the Canucks, who are 3-1-1 in their past five games. Isac Lundestrom, Jakob Silfverberg and Troy Terry also scored goals for the Ducks, with Silfverberg recording his 150th in an Anaheim uniform. Tyler Johnson and Andreas Athanasiou each scored goals for the Blackhawks, who saw their season-best five-game winning streak come to an end.

☆ NHL roundup: Lightning win Cup Final rematch vs. Avs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

In the first meeting between the clubs since last June's Stanley Cup Final, Vasilevskiy stopped 30 shots to extend his franchise-record shutout total to 29. Hagel had two goals and an assist to lead the Lightning offensive output as they broke a two-game skid (0-1-1). Boeser, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Nils Aman added goals for the Canucks. Nicolas Roy, Alex Pietrangelo and Paul Cotter also scored for the Golden Knights while Jonathan Marchessault added two assists. Red Wings 2, Flames 1Filip Zadina scored his first goal of the season after missing over three months as host Detroit edged Calgary.

☆ A subsidy arms race is kicking off between Europe and America
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

This premium is expected to shrink as clean energy technologies become more advanced and infrastructure to produce them is scaled up. Most of the money the IRA has earmarked for clean energy initiatives comes in the form of tax credits. In the meantime, government officials are lobbying the United States to rethink parts of the IRA. “Europe and other allied countries have nothing to fear from the Inflation Reduction Act and quite a bit to gain,” said Brian Deese, Biden’s top economic adviser. The fight over green subsidies also comes as geopolitical tensions are pushing countries to focus on greater localization of production — not just for green energy, but also for sensitive technologies like computer chips.

☆ NHL roundup: Devils blow lead, top Canucks in OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Bratt, stationed in the right faceoff circle, took a no-look pass from Jack Hughes and fired a shot well beyond the glove of Canucks goalie Collin Delia. Hughes and Ondrej Palat had two goals apiece for the Devils, who scored three goals in a 50-second span midway through the second period. The Ducks scored their goals 1:26 apart in the third period to tie the score. Silfverberg tipped in a point shot from Kevin Shattenkirk to cut the lead to 2-1 at 11:04. Karel Vejmelka stopped 33 shots for the win as Arizona improved to 3-1-1 in its past five games.

☆ NHL roundup: David Pastrnak's hat trick carries Bruins past Ducks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY SportsJanuary 9 - David Pastrnak registered his 13th career hat trick as part of a four-point performance as the Boston Bruins rolled past the host Anaheim Ducks 7-1 on Sunday night. Trevor Zegras scored the lone goal and John Gibson stopped 35 shots for Anaheim, which had won back-to-back games. Jets 7, Canucks 4Kyle Connor had a hat trick and Winnipeg extended its win streak to five games with a high-scoring victory against visiting Vancouver. Travis Konecny and Nicolas Deslauriers scored one goal each for the Flyers, who had their season-best four-game winning streak snapped. Alex Stalock stopped 44 shots to help Chicago win consecutive games for the first time since October.

☆ Aldi is the US' fastest-growing grocer. Here's how a small German convenience store run by 2 brothers turned into one of the world's biggest retail chains.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

From the start, Aldi was profit-focusedA photograph from 1930 shows the interior and employees of the Karl Albrecht Spiritousen and Lebensmittel shop at Huestrasse 89 in Essen-Schonnebeck, Germany. Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG via Getty ImagesIn the aftermath of the war, "scarcity and necessary frugality demanded the avoidance of waste," Dieter and Nils Brandes wrote in their book "Bare Essentials: The Aldi Success Story." Because of its below-average price model, Aldi was able to slowly dominate the market in Germany and its stores spread across Europe. "We wanted our stores to be like other retail outlets, offering a wide range of groceries," Karl said in 1953, as quoted in "Bare Essentials: The Aldi Success Story." This insight became the basic principle of our business."

Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced to 19 1/2 years in prison Wednesday, more than what was meted out to a co-defendant. “I do think of Mr. Croft as the more seriously culpable … more so than even Mr. Fox," Jonker said. “I think he was the person who gave Mr. Fox something to grab on to." Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said Croft needs to go away for an extended period of time to protect the public. I say all of this to say that Mr. Croft needed some intervention."

☆ Aldi is the US's fastest-growing grocery chain and more middle-income households are shopping there. Here are the no-frills tactics that help make it so cheap.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

More middle-income households are shopping there, lured by low prices and Aldi's "treasure hunt" approach. Smaller properties are cheaper to buy and maintain, and Aldi has said that its store layout enables "quick and easy shopping." Monford added that consumers "don't mind" that products aren't taken out of their boxes because they're shopping at Aldi for value. Campbell said the Aldi stores near her generally had just four or five aisles. Vadakkepatt said Aldi's stores have fewer employees and shorter hours than at other chains.

☆ Aldi customers are scrambling to buy a $13 dress. That's the power of its 'treasure hunt' Aldi Deals aisle.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A limited-edition Aldi dress gained traction in a Facebook group of 1.5 million members. The dress was a feature in the Aldi Finds aisle, which is responsible for about 20% of total sales. The wrap-style dress from the brand Serra was featured in Aldi's weekly "Aldi Finds" advertisement for the week of November 9. Aldi's "Aldi Finds" aisle is a grab bag of products that changes throughout the year. Aldi did not respond to Insider's request for comment, but as Aldi plans to continue its rapid expansion, its Aldi Finds aisle likely will remain a key part of future store designs.

Bankman-Fried could face a host of potential charges – civil and criminal – as well as private lawsuits from millions of FTX creditors, legal experts told CNBC. There are three different, possibly simultaneous legal threats that Bankman-Fried faces in the United States alone, Levin told CNBC. He told CNBC, "prosecutors would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Bankman-Fried or his associates committed criminal fraud." (Carter was not an FTX investor, and told CNBC that his fund passed on early FTX rounds.) "People should not jump to the conclusion that something is not happening just because it has not been publicly disclosed," Levin told CNBC.

☆ Sweden's H&M to lay off 1,500 staff in drive to cut soaring costs and rescue profits
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Stine Jacobsen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The cuts by H&M, which employs roughly 155,000 people, are part of a plan laid out in September to save 2 billion Swedish crowns per year. "Keeping the lights and heating on in vast stores is becoming increasingly unaffordable with energy prices so volatile," she added. In contrast to H&M, Inditex reported in September quarterly sales growth and said it planned to hike prices to offset soaring costs. British fashion retailer Primark has announced plans to add 1,800 jobs in Spain and Britain as it expands. H&M said its savings would start to kick in from the second half of next year, while it will take a restructuring charge of 800 million Swedish crowns in the fourth quarter.

☆ Sweden's H&M first big European retailer to cut jobs as inflation hits demand
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Stine Jacobsen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COPENHAGEN, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Swedish fashion giant H&M (HMb.ST) on Wednesday became the first big European retailer to start layoffs by announcing 1,500 job cuts owing to softening demand as consumers cope with soaring inflation. The move by the world's No.2 fashion retailer comes as surging cost of living and the blow from the Ukraine war hurt consumer spending and pressured companies across Europe and the United States to save cash. The company said the savings would start to kick in from the second half of next year, while it will take a restructuring charge of 800 million Swedish crowns ($75.80 million) in the fourth quarter. The H&M clothing store is seen in Times Square in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 15, 2019. While high-street retailers are struggling due to stiff competition from online-only brands, British fashion retailer Primark has recently announced plans to add 1,800 jobs in Spain and Britain as it benefits from shoppers trading down in price.

☆ NHL roundup: Spencer Knight, Panthers blank Hurricanes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Nov 9, 2022; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight (30) watches the puck on the shot of Carolina Hurricanes right wing Stefan Noesen (23) during the third period at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY SportsNovember 10 - Spencer Knight made 40 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Wednesday in Sunrise, Fla. The 40 stops were a season-high for the 21-year-old goalie, and when Carolina pushed back in the third period, Knight was particularly sharp, stopping 18 shots in the final stanza. Nick Cousins, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett scored for Florida, which has won back-to-back games despite missing Matthew Tkachuk because of a suspension. Jason Zucker, Brock McGinn and Jeff Petry each scored during a three-goal second period and Jake Guentzel tallied into an empty net in the third for the Penguins.

☆ An airline CEO says that airports were to blame for the summer travel chaos because they were not ready to welcome passengers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Stephen Jones | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Airports are to blame for flight cancellations and delays this summer, an airline CEO said. Icelandair's CEO told Insider that some airports were not ready to welcome passengers. The CEO of transatlantic airline Icelandair told Insider that he believed the blame for the disruption rested with airports. "Some airports were not ready to welcome passengers," Bogi Nils Bogason said. Despite the challenges this summer, Bogason said he "firmly believes" that the industry should be back to normal, pre-COVID-19 levels, by next summer.

☆ Weapons in Ukraine aren't flooding Europe's black markets, but that could change
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The volume of weapons sent to and in Ukraine has raised concern that some could end up on the black market. The United Kingdom has sent Ukraine more than 4,200 such weapons since Russia invaded. Similarly, the UK has sent more than 5,000 point-and-shoot NLAW anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, weapons that can readily target and destroy most moving vehicles. However, "At the moment," he said, "there is no evidence of increased arms trafficking from Ukraine to other countries." In September, the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the creation of a new unit dedicated to combating illicit arms trafficking.

☆ Aldi is the US's fastest-growing grocery chain and more households earning $50-100K are shopping there. Here are the no-frills tactics that help make it so cheap.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Aldi is the US's fastest-growing grocer for the third year running, the real-estate firm JLL said. Aldi almost always has the lowest prices for core products like bread, milk, and eggs, Monford said. Monford added that consumers "don't mind" that products aren't taken out of their boxes because they're shopping at Aldi for value. Campbell said the Aldi stores near her generally had just four or five aisles. Vadakkepatt said Aldi's stores have fewer employees and shorter hours than at other chains.

☆ NHL roundup: Sabres top Flames behind Alex Tuch's hat trick
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY SportsOctober 21 - Alex Tuch produced his first career hat trick to help the visiting Buffalo Sabres earn a 6-3 win against the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt each added a goal and an assist while Rasmus Dahlin also scored for the Sabres. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterTuch extended his goal streak to three games 46 seconds into the second period. Dahlin has scored in each of the Sabres' first four games, the longest season-opening goal streak by a blue-liner in NHL history. The Canadiens also got first period goals from Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield and Brendan Gallagher to get off to a 5-0 start.

☆ Only one city has foiled Blackstone's $320 billion real estate empire
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-01 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Danish parliament even passed a "Blackstone law," which prevents new landlords from raising rents. Blackstone has one of the largest real estate portfolios in the world, with $320 billion invested in commercial and residential properties spanning the US, Spain, and, at one time, Sweden. In the Guardian, reporter Hettie O'Brien details how a Copenhagen tenants group thwarted Blackstone's expansion, aided by a national political mood wary of international investors. Blackstone's journey to becoming a worldwide player in residential real estate began after it seriously invested in American properties following the 2008 housing and stock-market crash. Blackstone's involvement in the Copenhagen housing market angered locals for two reasons, according to the Guardian.

Search resuls for: "NILs"

25 mentions found