DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ What We Know About the Drone Attack on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Moscow came under a drone attack early Tuesday, according to Russian officials, the first strike to hit civilian areas in the capital city and another sign that the war in Ukraine is increasingly touching the heart of Russia. Here is what we know about the attack. Explosions were reported in Moscow early on Tuesday morning, with Russia’s Defense Ministry saying that at least eight drones had targeted the capital city and the surrounding region. All of the drones were intercepted, the ministry said in a statement, saying that electronic jamming measures forced some to deviate from intended targets and that others had been shot down outside the city limits by air defenses. It did not specify what the targets may have been.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine was behind what it described as a “terrorist attack” and that all eight were intercepted. Several buildings in Moscow were damaged, and some residents were evacuated early Tuesday, the city’s mayor said. At least two of the drones crashed into residential towers, Russian state media reported, citing state emergency services. It was the 17th assault on the city this month, a spate of attacks that has taken a toll on residents. On Monday, Kyiv was targeted with 11 ballistic missiles shortly after 11 a.m.

☆ A 'Slavery Simulator' game on Google Play Brazil that allowed players to sell, torture, or sexualize enslaved people was downloaded more than 1,000 times before it was removed: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An app that simulated colonial Brazil in the 17th century allowed users to be slave masters. The game was called "Slavery Simulator" and was available in Brazil for about a month. A Brazilian lawmaker filed a complaint against Google and alleged that some users praised the app. The game — called "Simulador de Escravidão" or "Slavery Simulator" — was available to Google Play users in Brazil starting April 20 before it was taken down on Wednesday, according to The Post. The game was downloaded more than 1,000 times before it was removed from the digital store, the Post reported.

☆ Ukraine has squeezed out of the US-Patriot missile system a capability that the Pentagon did not think possible, military analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine claims it has used US-made Patriot missile systems to down Russian hypersonic missiles. The weapons are among the most advanced surface-to-air missiles sent to Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have claimed they have used the weapon to shoot down several Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, which Moscow previously boasted were unstoppable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had long been requesting the US to send defensive surface-to-air missile systems, which can strike aircraft, cruise missiles, and shorter-range ballistic missiles. It is unclear how many Patriot missile systems Ukraine has, but they are among the most advanced surface-to-air missiles sent to Ukraine.

☆ Russian warship protecting pipelines attacked by 3 Ukrainian marine drones in the Black Sea, Russian officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine attacked the Ivan Khurs with three uncrewed speedboats, Russian officials said. The raid on the Russian warship in the Black Sea failed to cause any damage, they claimed. Footage posted by Russian officials shows the Russian ship firing shots, striking and destroying one of the uncrewed boats. The Ivan Khurs is one of Russia's most modern ships in the Black Sea fleet and has a crew of 120. Last year, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of purposefully slowing grain shipments in the area, the New York Times reported.

CNN —A Russian politician died of – as of yet – unknown causes after falling ill on a plane on Saturday, the latest in a string of mysterious deaths among Russian elites. Russia’s Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education, Pyotr Kucherenko, 46, died while returning from a trip to Cuba on Saturday, according to the ministry. “Kucherenko was feeling ill while on a plane with a Russian delegation that was returning from a business trip to Cuba. Russia's Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Pyotr Kucherenko died while returning from Cuba. Mysterious deaths pile upKucherenko’s demise is not the first unexplained Russian death to spark interest.

☆ Belarus Pardons Opposition Activist Who Was Hauled Off a Ryanair Flight, State Media Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Belarus has pardoned an opposition activist who was arrested in 2021 after the Belarusian government forced the landing of a commercial flight he had been on that was transiting its airspace, state media reported on Monday. The activist, Roman Protasevich, 28, was the editor of Nexta, a channel on the Telegram messaging app that was instrumental in organizing mass protests against President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko after his disputed election victory in 2020. The details of Mr. Protasevich’s arrest drew international attention. A Belarusian court in May sentenced Mr. Protasevich to eight years in prison for crimes including acts of terrorism and insulting the president. But on Monday, Belta, the Belarusian state news agency, reported that Mr. Protasevich had told journalists he had been pardoned, calling it “great news.”Such leniency for someone who had been an active member of the opposition is unusual in Belarus, where, during nearly three decades in power, Mr. Lukashenko has a longstanding pattern of silencing dissent and violently suppressing opponents.

☆ The ruthless Sinaloa Cartel has flooded the US with fentanyl — and business is booming. A shocking DoJ indictment reveals how they do it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Sinaloa Cartel is the driving force behind the US's deadliest-ever drug threat — fentanyl. A recent DoJ indictment shed light on how the cartel has successfully flooded the US with the drug. This is largely due to the ruthless Sinaloa Cartel crime empire, one of the world's most powerful drug trafficking organizations. He was quickly released the same day after a violent confrontation between cartel members and security forces. As the Sinaloa Cartel's operations have expanded, it has also established secret fentanyl laboratories around Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state.

☆ At least 10 people killed, nine injured in shootout in northern Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 20 (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed and nine injured in a shootout at a car show in northern Mexico's Baja California on Saturday, the municipal government reported. The attack occurred during an all-terrain car racing show in the San Vicente area of the city of Ensenada. Municipal and state police, the Marines, the Fire Department and Mexican Red Cross, among other agencies arrived at the scene. Mayor Armando Ayala Robles said state Attorney General Ricardo Ivan Carpio Sanchez commissioned a special group to investigate the shooting. Reporting by Sarah Kinosian; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tesla's Cybertruck is finally coming. It's going to rattle rivals and transform the EV market as we know it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The futuristic-looking truck is going to redefine what a pickup truck can look like. Tesla’s entry to the pickup truck market could be exactly what the segment needs. Tesla is finally ready to enter the most lucrative vehicle segment in the US: pickup trucks. The Cybertruck's arrival is expected to shake up the electric pickup truck market – and the entire stalwart truck market – with its arresting design and high-tech features. "This is going to be Tesla's take on the pickup truck, which is enough on its own, and competitors should be very wary of that."

☆ Tensions Flare in Georgia as Direct Flights Resume With Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As passengers on the first direct flight from Russia to Georgia in more than three years disembarked on Friday, they were met by protesters cursing their arrival. Your country is an occupier!” echoed through the arrivals hall at Tbilisi International Airport. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, and it wields military control over 20 percent of its territory. Graffiti that says “Russians go home” is commonplace in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. A determination to join NATO is enshrined in the former Soviet republic’s Constitution.

☆ Chile's SQM to start lithium talks with state miner Codelco in coming weeks, says CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] An aerial view shows the brine pools of SQM lithium mine on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama desert of northern Chile, January 10, 2013. REUTERS/Ivan AlvaradoMEXICO CITY, May 18 (Reuters) - Chile's lithium miner SQM is set to start talks about lithium projects with state miner Codelco in the coming weeks, the firm's Chief Executive Officer Ricardo Ramos told analysts in a quarterly earnings call on Thursday. It did not specify quarterly prices in its latest report. "We are positive about volumes for the second quarter and semester," Ramos said when asked about the company's outlook, citing a ramp up of activity in China. "The second quarter is showing a more stable pattern," he said.

☆ Australia employment unexpectedly drops, reinforcing rate pause bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, May 18 (Reuters) - Australia employment unexpectedly dipped in April after two months of outsized gains, and the jobless rate also ticked up in a sign the red-hot labour market might be cooling, bolstering the case for a pause in interest rate hikes next month. The jobless rate ticked up to a three-month high of 3.7% from a near 50-year low of 3.5%, when analysts had expected no change. Markets reinforced bets of a rate pause next month but were pricing in some risk of a move in August or September. "We expect to see a gradual softening in labour market conditions over 2023 as the impact of interest rate increases to date start to bite," said Sean Langcake, head of macroeconomic forecasting for Oxford Economics Australia. "NAB's view is that there will likely be at least one further rate increase, but we remain close to the peak of this interest rate cycle."

☆ Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe's deadliest ground combat since World War Two. Ukraine's gains have been accompanied by a deepening public split within Russia's forces between Wagner, which has led the Bakhmut campaign, and the regular Russian military. The Russian defence ministry has acknowledged some withdrawals from positions near Bakhmut over the past week but denies Prigozhin's assertions that flanks are crumbling, or that it has withheld ammunition from Wagner. "Using the principle of active defence, we resort to counteroffensive actions in some directions near Bakhmut. Russia has also been experiencing attacks and explosions both in Ukrainian territory it controls and in Russian territory near the border.

☆ Toyota unveils new Tacoma pickup hybrid option
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Toyota Tacoma has been the best-selling mid-sized pickup in America for the last 20 years but its territory is getting much more competitive. To help it stay ahead in a crowded auto-industry battle for small-truck customers, Toyota just unveiled an entirely new Tacoma. The Toyota Tacoma Limited is the most luxurious version of the truck. ToyotaPopular with off-road enthusiasts, the new Tacoma will be available in several different off-road-focused versions: the TRD Pro, TRD Off-road, and the new Trailhunter model. TRD Off-Road, on which the hybrid system will be optional, will be engineered for more rugged terrain.

☆ Ivan Toney: Brentford and England striker banned for eight months and fined for breaching betting rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( David Close | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Ivan Toney, the star striker for English Premier League club Brentford, has been suspended from soccer and fined £50,000 ($62,407) due to “breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules,” England’s Football Association announced on Wednesday. According to the FA, Toney “was charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8 in total between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232.”Rule E8 in the FA’s handbook highlights the rules around betting. Brentford said the club was aware of the eight-month ban decision and is awaiting the written report from the independent Regulatory Commission who ruled on the case. According to the FA, Toney can return to training only with the Bees for the final four months of his suspension starting September 17.

BOGOTA, May 16 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Colombia during 2022 is forecast to have fallen by up to 10% versus the previous year, Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said on Tuesday, citing significant decreases in the country's Amazon. Deforestation in Colombia in 2021 rose 1.5% versus the previous year to 1,741 square kilometers (430,218 acres), representing an area twice the size of New York City. A 10% decrease in deforestation would take the total area of forest destroyed during 2022 in Colombia to below the 1,589 square kilometers registered in 2019, the first full year of the administration of former President Ivan Duque. Between 2001 and 2021, more than 31,000 square kilometers of forest were destroyed in Colombia, of which some 18,600 square kilometers were deforested in the country's Amazon. Colombia's government will publish full deforestation figures for 2022 in June, Muhamad said.

It's a very effective gadget," the soldier, who uses the call sign Kakrurt, told Reuters in the central-eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk. Kakrurt fights for Ukraine's 35th Marine Brigade, which modifies commercially-available drones and uses them to attack Russian forces who are occupying swathes of Ukraine's east and south. The brigade shared two video clips with Reuters showing its drones flying into what they said were Russian trenches before detonating. Drones have been used extensively by both Moscow and Kyiv's forces since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. That's why the Ukrainian Armed Forces are developing very, very quickly in this direction," he said.

☆ The Wagner leader disputes a report that he offered to betray Russia.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The head of the Wagner private military group on Monday rejected a report that he had offered to share with Ukraine the positioning of Russian Army troops around Bakhmut in exchange for a withdrawal of Kyiv’s forces from the area in eastern Ukraine. The Wagner group has been a driving force behind Russia’s monthslong battle to take Bakhmut, which has cost thousands of lives on both sides and reduced much of the city to rubble. Its founder, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, has publicly clashed with Russia’s military leadership over the fight for the city, accusing them of starving his forces of ammunition. The Washington Post reported on Sunday that a U.S. intelligence document leaked on the messaging platform Discord said that Mr. Prigozhin told contacts in Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate that he was willing to betray the Russian army’s locations around Bakhmut if Kyiv agreed to withdraw from around Bakhmut. A Ukrainian official told The Post that Mr. Prigozhin’s offer — made “more than once” — had been rejected.

Biden administration rules released on Friday that will determine which companies and manufacturers can benefit from new solar industry tax credits are being criticized by U.S.-based makers of solar products, who say the guidelines do not go far enough to try to lure manufacturing back from China. The Treasury Department, in guidance issued on Friday, said it would offer a 10 percent additional tax credit for facilities assembling solar panels in the United States, even if they import the silicon wafers used to make those panels from foreign countries. Under the Biden administration’s new climate legislation, solar and wind farms can apply for a 30 percent tax credit on the costs of their facilities. Senior administration officials told reporters on Thursday that they were trying to take a balanced approach, one that leaned toward forcing supply chains to return to the United States. But China’s dominance of the global solar industry has created a tricky calculus for the Biden administration, which wants to promote U.S. manufacturing of solar products but also ensure a plentiful supply of low-cost solar panels to reduce carbon emissions.

"In three days of counter-offensive activity, the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Bakhmut sector have liberated 17.3 sq. miles) of territory," Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the "east" group of Ukrainian forces, said on the Telegram messaging app. Ukrainian servicemen ride atop of a tank on a road to the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 12, 2023. Prigozhin, whose fighters have been battling to push Ukrainian forces out of Bakhmut's Western outskirts, has said the north and south flanks, guarded by regular Russian troops, were crumbling. Prigozhin called that deceptive and said the Bakhmut advances amounted to the start of Kyiv's campaign.

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a son of former Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the Treasury Department said. El Chapo, who was leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has denied the presence of fentanyl labs in the country, alleging it comes from China. Guzman Lopez's cousin, Saul Paez Lopez, was also sanctioned for his alleged role in coordinating drug shipments. Washington also sanctioned Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano, saying he purchased precursor chemicals from Ludim Zamudio Lerma to operate drug labs.

☆ On Muted War Holiday, Putin Tries to Justify Invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin on Tuesday used a scaled-down commemoration of triumph in World War II as a platform to denounce the West and make fictitious claims about Ukraine, equating his war of choice against that country with the Soviet Union’s fight for survival against Nazi Germany. With Russia struggling on the battlefield, the annual celebration of Victory Day, Russia’s most important and deeply emotional secular holiday, was far more muted than in the past. But Mr. Putin tried to seize on his nation’s proud memory of what it calls the Great Patriotic War to rally support for the war he launched against Ukraine last year, explicitly comparing the two. “A real war has been unleashed against our motherland again,” Mr. Putin said in a 10-minute speech in Moscow’s Red Square, whose themes were quickly repeated by state media. But his rhetoric has shifted from talk of a limited war — in his telling, one of self-defense — to drawing direct parallels to the colossal fight against Nazism.

Russian service members rehearsing last week for the military parade in Moscow on Tuesday, when Russia celebrates the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. More recently, he has tried to wrap Ukraine into that narrative, falsely depicting it as a Nazi redoubt. The parade is likely to be subjected to closer scrutiny than usual, both inside Russia and beyond its borders. This year, the jets have skipped their usual practice runs over Moscow, raising questions about whether they will participate. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said the march was canceled as a “precautionary measure” against possible attacks.

☆ How El Chapo’s sons built a fentanyl empire poisoning America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Headed by Iván, El Chapo’s oldest son, the siblings have emerged as key figures in the Sinaloa Cartel, U.S. and Mexican anti-narcotics officials said. But he was killed in 2008 in Culiacán in a hail of bullets amid infighting between warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The agency in April placed Iván on the list of its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, joining Jesús Alfredo and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a Sinaloa Cartel legend and El Chapo’s alleged former business partner. They also kidnapped eight soldiers and surrounded military housing where wives and children of Mexican soldiers lived, Mexican officials said. Despite that blow to the Sinaloa Cartel, fentanyl keeps flowing north.

Search resuls for: "IVAN"

25 mentions found