DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ News publishers sound alarm on Google’s new AI-infused search, warn of ‘catastrophic’ impacts
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In other words, users will soon no longer have to click on the links displayed in search results to find the information they are seeking. Why spend time clicking on a link when Google has already scoured the internet and harvested the relevant information with its A.I.? Coffey, whose organization represents more than 2,000 news publishers and has taken an aggressive posture toward A.I. This time with a product that directly competes with our content, using our content to fuel it. Most recently, it drew scorn after temporarily blocking some California news outlets from search results in response to a bill that would force it to pay publishers.

Persons: —, ” Danielle Coffey, Coffey, newsrooms, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Mark Zuckerberg, “, we’ll, ” Marc McCollum Organizations: New York CNN, Google, News / Media Alliance, Big Tech, The New York Times Locations: New York, California

☆ Netflix and the N.F.L. Sign a Three-Season Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, the streaming giant announced a three-season deal with the National Football League that will include showing two Christmas Day games on its service this year. It’s the first time Netflix has become partners with a major sports league, and it likely won’t be the last. The move follows Netflix’s increasingly aggressive push into the business of live events. “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences N.F.L. football attracts.”The streaming business has matured in the United States, and though Netflix is the dominant service, it still needs to keep growing.

Persons: Tom Brady ”, John Mulaney, Katt Williams, Foke ”, “, Bela Bejaria Organizations: Netflix, National Football League Locations: Los Angeles, United States, America

☆ A Leading Free Expression Group Is Roiled by Dissent Over Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jennifer Schuessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When PEN America celebrated its 100th birthday two years ago, it was a rousing if sober celebration of a nimble defender of free expression around the world. Once a small writers group best known for its staunch defense of imperiled writers in authoritarian regimes, it had become a leading fighter against book bans, educational gag orders and other surging threats across the United States. Today, amid spiraling protests over the Israel-Hamas war, battles over free speech are pitched as high as ever. But PEN America has found itself roiled, and at times hobbled, by escalating controversy over its response to the war. But far from quelling controversy, the cancellations have unleashed a war of words over just who is trying to silence, shame and bully whom.

Persons: Salman Rushdie Organizations: PEN America, PEN Locations: United States, Israel, New York

A gunman shot Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia, who is known for defying his fellow leaders in the European Union, multiple times at close range on Wednesday, in the most serious attack on a European leader in decades. Mr. Fico was shot after emerging from the House of Culture in Handlova, a town in central Slovakia, as he greeted a small crowd in Banikov Square. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, then airlifted to another hospital for emergency surgery. Hours later, the deputy prime minister, Tomas Taraba, told the BBC that Mr. Fico’s situation was no longer life-threatening, and he expected the prime minister to survive. The gunman, identified by Slovak news outlets as a 71-year-old poet, was immediately wrestled to the ground by security officers.

Persons: Robert Fico of, Fico, Tomas Taraba Organizations: European Union, Culture, BBC Locations: Robert Fico of Slovakia, Handlova, Slovakia, Slovak

☆ Costco shares may be getting ahead of themselves into earnings. A bearish trade using options
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Tony Zhang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

We'll review a "broken wing put butterfly" options trade to position bearishly on Costco. With a business model focused on memberships and rock-bottom prices, Costco (COST) has grown much faster than its peers and commands a significantly higher valuation. Over the past year, COST stock has rallied over 55%, nearly double what the S & P 500 returned over the same period. Additionally, with such a high-priced stock and options premiums elevated with earnings on deck in two weeks, we have to get creative to structure a trade to seek bearish exposure heading into earnings. I'm looking out to the June 7 th weekly expiration and buying a $700/730/775 broken wing put butterfly for $9.72 debit.

Organizations: Costco

Maps Show Scarce Shelter and Medical Care as Rafah Operation Is UnderwayHundreds of thousands of Gazans have fled the southern region of Rafah over the past week, after Israel has expanded its evacuation orders amid continued bombardment and fierce fighting there. Satellite imagery taken after the May 6 incursion shows extensive new damage to eastern parts of Rafah. Additional damaged buildings were identified in satellite imagery collected from May 5 to May 7. As of Tuesday, new high resolution satellite imagery of the evacuation area in Rafah was not available after May 7. ISRAEL Rafah crossing N EGYPT Kerem Shalom crossing 1 mile Source: World Health Organization; International Committee of the Red Cross press releases Note: Data is as of May 14.

Persons: Younis, Copernicus, Israel, Corey Scher, Den, Abu Yousef al, EGYPT Al Helal, Helal, EGYPT Kerem Organizations: Planet Labs, The New York Times, Health, United Nations, The United Nations, New York Times, Copernicus Sentinel, CUNY, Center, Den Hoek of Oregon State University, Labs, Najjar, Maternity, Health Organization, International Committee, Red Cross Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, Rafah Egypt Israel Rafah, Kerem Shalom, Israel Egypt Rafah, Egypt, GAZA, Rafah ISRAEL EGYPT Rafah, Rafah ISRAEL EGYPT, Shalom, Den Hoek of, Kuwait, EGYPT, EGYPT Al Helal Al, ISRAEL Rafah, Helal Al, EGYPT Kerem Shalom, Jabaliya, Gaza City

☆ Manchester City takes huge step toward fourth consecutive English Premier League title with win against Tottenham
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The celebrations during Manchester City’s 2-0 win against Tottenham on Tuesday were testament to the importance of the high-stakes match as the reigning champion took a huge step towards a fourth straight English Premier League title. But, just as it looked as though City’s title hopes were about to be handed a major blow, Ortega stuck out a strong right leg to block the striker’s shot. Stefan Ortega makes an incredible save from Son Heung-Min to keep City's title hopes alive. However, if Arsenal drops points at home against Everton in its last game, City will win the league regardless of its result. No Premier League team has ever won four consecutive league titles, and the achievement would come after City’s treble-winning feat last season.

Persons: Erling Haaland, Pep Guardiola, ”, “, ” Haaland's, Dylan Martinez, Ange Postecoglou, Haaland, Stefan Ortega, Ederson, Ortega, Dejan Kulusevski, Manuel Akanji, Heung, Son Heung, Min, Marc Atkins, Guardiola, Jérémy Doku, ” Guardiola, ’, Stefan, I’ve Organizations: CNN, Manchester, Tottenham, Premier League, Arsenal, West, Reuters, City, Spurs, Tottenham Hotspur, Getty Images, Ham, Etihad, Everton Locations: West Ham, London, ”

☆ YouTube blocks videos of Hong Kong protest song after local court order
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —YouTube has blocked access to a popular protest song in Hong Kong, a week after a court in the city granted a government request to ban the anthem. The ballad contains lyrics that reference the phrase “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” a protest slogan that was already outlawed in 2020. The Hong Kong government and courts had said the phrase had secessionist and subversive connotations. CNN has reached out to the Hong Kong Department of Justice for comment. Hong Kong was promised key freedoms and autonomy to run its own affairs after it was handed over from British rule to China in 1997.

Persons: We’ll, ”, Hong Kong ”, Jeff Paine, Paul Lam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s Organizations: CNN, YouTube, Google, ” CNN, Spotify, Hong, Asia Internet Coalition, Meta, Hong Kong Department of Justice, Hong Kong, “, Volunteers, ”, Hong Kong’s Department of Justice Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Hong, China

☆ Inside the Rent Inflation Measure That Economics Nerds Love to Hate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s a three-letter abbreviation that economists have started pronouncing with the energy of a four-letter word: “O.E.R.”It stands for owner’s equivalent rent, and it has been used to measure American housing inflation since the 1980s. As its name suggests, it uses a combination of surveys and market data to estimate how much it would cost homeowners to rent the house they live in. But three years into America’s price pop, it has become almost cliché for economists to hate on the housing measure. The most intense haters insist that it is giving a false impression about where inflation stands. “It’s just not adding anything to our understanding of inflation,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics and a frequent adviser to the Biden administration.

Persons: There’s, “ It’s, ”, Mark Zandi, Biden, Zandi, grousing, “ Organizations: New York Times

☆ Peloton's demise is another in a long line of failed fitness fads
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Peloton isn't going under imminently, but let's be real here: No fitness fad lasts forever. While there was a lot that went wrong, the long and short of it is that Peloton failed to read the room on its pandemic popularity. "It's not that Peloton isn't a good business model; it's that it simply isn't a mass product but more of a niche, luxe one," she said. Investors have soured on the company, and Peloton's once $50 billion market cap has fallen to under $2 billion. It also has to contend with the gym, which has all sorts of classes and fitness equipment that let people mix things up, including, in many cases, Pelotons or other connected-fitness devices.

Persons: I've, Tae, monthslong, Rina Raphael, Simeon Siegel, It's, That's, Siegel, Paul Golding, it's, Golding, there's, Raphael, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Emily Stewart Organizations: Private, BMO Capital Markets, Macquarie Capital, Google, YouTube, New School, Facebook, Business Locations: COVID, unsubscribing, Barre, America

☆ Opinion | ‘There Are Layers of Mistrust and Fear’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jyoti Thottam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The editorial board and our colleagues in Times Opinion met on Monday with Dr. Mandy Cohen, who became the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year. Dr. Cohen was the top public health official in North Carolina during the Covid pandemic, winning praise for working with Gov. to be prepared for the next big public health challenge “in a disease-agnostic way,” rather than focusing on a specific threat, like avian flu, dengue or an as yet unknown pathogen. ?” The first is to be ready to respond no matter the health threat — that might be something like avian flu or it might be something like drowning. We are really planning as one team in a disease-agnostic way.

Persons: Mandy Cohen, Cohen, Roy Cooper Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Gov Locations: North Carolina, C.D.C

☆ Chart analysis signals the bull market has further to go with possible S&P 500 upside target of 6,100
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Frank Cappelleri | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

With the S & P 500 making a fresh all-time high Wednesday morning, it has erased the 6% pullback in short-order. By late March, momentum began to slow, and it became clear that it would take some time to see the next bullish pattern. That means there still has not been a successful bearish pattern (big or small) since last October. If the S & P 500 can't hold this latest push to new highs, then a bullish formation like this could be constructed. The bottom line is this: Strong trends are made from both bullish patterns working and bearish patterns failing.

Persons: Frank Cappelleri Organizations: CNBC Pro

☆ Biden trolls Trump as the two agree to debate in June
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewPresident Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump agreed on Wednesday to an unprecedented June presidential debate. It will easily be the earliest televised, major presidential debate in history. In comparison, 16 networks aired live coverage of the first 2020 presidential debate. AdvertisementEarlier in the day, Biden's campaign proposed two presidential debates outside the traditional nonpartisan organization that has scheduled such contests for decades. Biden's reelection team started selling a "Free on Wednesdays" shirt to tout their debate proposal before Trump accepted the June proposal.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, there's, Biden's, Juan Merchan, Biden, doesn't, Let's Organizations: Service, Atlanta, Business, Nielsen, CNN Locations: Manhattan

☆ Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ could be worth almost $1 billion to British economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Taylor Swift’s smash-hit “Eras Tour” is set to boost spending in the United Kingdom by nearly $1 billion, according to estimates by Barclays. The concerts sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale, with fans spending £206 ($260) on average on a single ticket, Barclays said. While the price tag may seem hefty, it’s much less than many Americans will pay to see the “Eras Tour” back home. “For ‘Eras Tour’ ticketholders, every pound they spend is an investment in the memories they’ll create,” he added. The European leg of the “Eras Tour” includes concerts in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria this year.

Persons: London CNN — Taylor Swift’s, Swift, Peter Brooks, Taylor Swift, Elvis, Beatlemania, ” Brooks, That’s “ Organizations: London CNN, Barclays, Barclays ’, “ Locations: United Kingdom, United States, England, Wales, Scotland, Europe, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Austria

☆ There are currently no plans for 'Baby Reindeer' season 2, but the Fiona Harvey controversy is ripe for dramatization
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewNetflix seemingly has no plans for "Baby Reindeer" season two, but the Fiona Harvey controversy could easily be turned into a drama series of its own. Netflix could now dramatize the controversy surrounding Harvey and Gadd, which has unfolded since the show's release on April 11. Piers Morgan and Fiona Harvey on "Piers Morgan Uncensored." Piers Morgan Uncensored/YouTubeA second season could take a similar approach to another biographical Netflix drama: "Scoop." Considering the delicate nature of the events surrounding Gadd, Harvey, and Morgan, it would make sense to cast actors to play them.

Persons: —, Fiona Harvey, Richard Gadd's, Donny Dunn, Martha Scott, Dunn, Scott, Gadd, Harvey, Piers Morgan, Viewers, Richard Gadd, Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, Prince Andrew, Morgan, Netflix hasn't, Gadd's Organizations: Service, Business, Netflix, BBC, Lions

Behind a big shake-upA day after OpenAI announced major updates to its ChatGPT chatbot, the company said its chief scientist and co-founder was leaving. There were signs that Ilya Sutskever would quit, six months after he helped lead the rebellion that briefly ousted Sam Altman as OpenAI’s C.E.O. But it also raises questions about the future of a leading developer of generative A.I. “OpenAI would not exist without him and certainly was shaped by him,” Altman told The Times about Sutskever. But Sutskever’s presence at OpenAI may have become untenable.

Persons: OpenAI, Ilya Sutskever, Sam Altman, OpenAI’s, “ OpenAI, ” Altman, Altman, Elon Musk, Sutskever Organizations: Times

The Biden administration is increasingly concerned that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is gathering enough momentum to change the trajectory of the war in Ukraine. Credit... Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, Nanna Heitmann Organizations: The New York Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Biden Offers to Debate Trump, With Terms, Shunning the Debate Commission
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jonathan Swan | Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden is willing to debate former President Donald J. Trump at least twice before the election, and as early as June — but his campaign is rejecting the nonpartisan organization that has managed presidential debates since 1988, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times. The letter by the Biden campaign lays out for the first time the president’s terms for giving Mr. Trump what he has openly clamored for: a televised confrontation with a successor Mr. Trump has portrayed, and hopes to reveal, as too feeble to hold the job. Mr. Biden and his top aides want the debates to start much sooner than the dates proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates, so voters can see the two candidates side by side well before early voting begins in September. They want the debate to occur inside a TV studio, with microphones that automatically cut off when a speaker’s time limit elapses. And they want it to be just the two candidates and the moderator — without the raucous in-person audiences that Mr. Trump feeds on and without the participation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or other independent or third-party candidates.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, —, Mr, Robert F, Kennedy Jr Organizations: The New York Times, Biden, Commission

Across the United States, more frequent extreme weather is starting to cause the home insurance market to buckle, even for those who have paid their premiums dutifully year after year. Christopher Flavelle, a climate reporter, discusses a Times investigation into one of the most consequential effects of the changes.

Persons: Christopher Flavelle Locations: United States

☆ Slovakia Has Charted Its Own Course Since the Fall of the Soviet Union
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Slovakia, which was left reeling on Wednesday after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, is a relatively young country whose history is closely intertwined with that of its central European neighbors. Slovakia is one of two nations born out of the former Czechoslovakia amid the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the waning years of the 20th century. Czechoslovakia was a multiethnic nation established at the end of World War I that endured dismemberment by the Nazis and more than four decades of Communist rule. After several years of economic and political upheaval following its independence, Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, and adopted the euro in 2009. As the country navigated the establishment of its national identity, some tensions remained with the Czech Republic, its richer and larger neighbor, which has roughly twice Slovakia’s population of five million.

Persons: Robert Fico Organizations: European Union, NATO Locations: Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Czech Republic

☆ Robert Fico: Slovakia’s PM in life-threatening condition after being shot multiple times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico was in a life-threatening condition in hospital Wednesday after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico attends a European Council summit in Brussels, on April 18, 2024. Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images/FILEFico previously served as Slovakia’s prime minister for more than a decade, first between 2006 and 2010 and then again from 2012 to 2018. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tweeted: “I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family.”And Hungarian Prime Minister Orban added: “I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Persons: CNN —, Robert Fico, Fico, Zuzana Čaputová, “ I’m, Roberto Fico, ” Čaputová, upend, “, ”, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Kenzo Tribouillard, Jan Kuciak, Martina Kušnírová, Kuciak, Ursula von der Leyen, Orban Organizations: CNN, CNN — Slovakia’s, Facebook, Ukraine, NATO, Kremlin, Hungary’s, European Union, Slovakia's, Getty Locations: Handlova, Banska Bystrica, Bratislava, Slovak, Ukraine, Brussels, AFP, Hungarian

☆ Video shows Slovakia’s Prime Minister bundled into car after being shot multiple times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Hazel Tang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

How relevant is this ad to you? Video player was slow to load content Video content never loaded Ad froze or did not finish loading Video content did not start after ad Audio on ad was too loud Other issues

☆ Despite Billions in Investments, Biden Trails in Arizona and Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden’s economic policies have helped spur billions of dollars in new investments in Arizona and Georgia, two crucial battleground states in the 2024 election. Yet so far, Mr. Biden’s policies appear to have done little to lift his support in either region. Arizona and Georgia have been major beneficiaries of the Biden administration’s key policy initiatives — the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law. Georgia has been a big beneficiary of Mr. Biden’s clean energy and infrastructure laws. Still, former President Donald J. Trump has maintained a significant lead over Mr. Biden in both states, according to new polls by The New York Times and Siena College.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Semiconductor Industry Association . Georgia, Mr, The New York Times, Siena College Locations: Arizona, Georgia

☆ How my family of 6 spent nearly $9,000 on a Disney vacation — and what we'll do differently next time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Daryl Austin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

First off, driving instead of flying saved us a lot of moneyMy family added a road-trip component to our trip. Daryl AustinWe saved money by driving to Disney instead of flying. AdvertisementLastly, we saved money by cutting back on character-dining experiences and sharing most of our mealsOur family split meals at Disneyland when we could. In hindsight, this means we could've saved some serious money on tickets and food costs by cutting out our last two days at Disney. Otherwise, my wife and I will be dreading the next Disney vacation nearly as much as our kids will be eagerly anticipating it.

Persons: —, Daryl Austin, That's, we'd, we've, Dole, would've, could've, Daryl Austin Disney Organizations: Service, Universal Studios, Business, Marriott, Gas, Disney, we've, Disneyland, Minnie Locations: Utah, Southern California, California, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Marriott Anaheim, Disneyland

☆ Mapping Russia’s Sudden Push Across Ukrainian Lines
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Marco Hernandez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Mapping Russia’s Sudden Push Across Ukrainian LinesAll of a sudden, Russian forces are making progress in many directions at once. Vovchansk RUSSIAN TROOPS Ohirtseve RUSSIAN ADVANCE MAY 14 RUSSIA Another line of Russian attack was near the town of Krasne. UKRAINE Tykhe RUSSIA Vovchansk Ohirtseve RUSSIAN TROOPS Another line of Russian attack was near the town of Krasne. The real goal may be to divert already-weakened Ukrainian forces from critical battles elsewhere. Russia’s broad range of attacks appears to be stretching Ukrainian forces thin.

Persons: Shestakove, Slatyne Rohan Derhachi, RUSSIA Vovchansk, Franz, Stefan Gady, Chasiv Yar, Kyrylo Budanov, ”, “ Organizations: Slatyne Rohan Derhachi Kharkiv, American, New York, Ukrainian, Kharkiv Kupiansk, RUSSIA, Makiivka Donetsk Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, UKRAINE, Russia, Ohirtseve, RUSSIA, Krasne, Hlyboke, Kut, Slatyne Rohan Derhachi Kharkiv, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk, RUSSIA Russian, Vienna, “, Chasiv Yar

Search resuls for: "Times"

25 mentions found