DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' set UK-Ireland box office double debut record
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File PhotoLONDON, July 24 (Reuters) - "Barbie" grossed an estimated 18.5 million pounds ($23.7 million) and "Oppenheimer" 10.9 million pounds at the UK-Ireland box office at the weekend, Screen International said on Monday - the first time two films opened to over 10 million pounds each. Greta Gerwig, who helmed "Barbie", beat the record for the biggest opening for a film directed by a woman. "Oppenheimer", starring Irish actor Cillian Murphy as the American scientist who developed the atomic bomb, also secured director Christopher Nolan's second-biggest UK opening weekend. Cinema operator Vue International said it had enjoyed its biggest weekend since "Avengers: Endgame" opened in 2019, with "Barbie" on track to become the biggest film of 2023. "Barbie", which stars Margot Robbie, also ruled in U.S. and Canadian theatres, taking an estimated $155 million to set the record for the biggest domestic opening of 2023.

Persons: Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Maja Smiejkowska, Oppenheimer, Barbie, Cillian Murphy, Christopher Nolan's, Farouq Suleiman, Paul Sandle Organizations: REUTERS, Vue, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Ireland, U.S

☆ Women's World Cup: How to watch as Brazil great Marta is set to make tournament bow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —As the Women’s World Cup reaches day five, fans are set to finally get a chance to see the great Marta feature for Brazil in what will be her sixth World Cup. Only former Brazil legend Formiga, who has played in seven, has starred in more Women’s World Cups than Brazil’s talismanic No. Sebastian Widmann/Getty ImagesItaly vs. ArgentinaArgentina will be hoping for a first Women’s World Cup win. In nine previous World Cup games, Argentina has lost seven and drawn two. Like Argentina, Italy has qualified for a fourth World Cup but has fared better than its opponents in previous editions.

Persons: Marta, Alexandra Popp, Maja Hitij, Formiga, Cristiano Ronaldo, Christine Sinclair, – Sinclair, ” Brazil’s Kerolin, “, Christopher Hanewinckel, agonizingly, Popp, Lena Oberdorf, Sebastian Widmann Organizations: CNN, Morocco, FOX Sports, Telemundo, Seven Network, Optus Sport, BBC, ITV, FIFA, Argentina, Getty, USA, Sports, Reuters, England, Panama, Wolfsburg Locations: Brazil, Panama, Italy, Argentina, Germany, Australia, United Kingdom, Morocco, France, Jamaica, Reuters Germany, Morocco Germany, Qatar, Argentina Argentina

Economic output fell 0.1% in May from April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, after growth of 0.2% in the previous month. All sectors of the economy contracted with the exception of services, which showed no growth. Finance minister Jeremy Hunt said high inflation continued to hamper the economy and he called for patience in bringing it down. Some companies in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector said they had benefited from the extra bank holiday, as well as hotels and restaurants, the ONS said. Britain's economy often shows some rebound in subsequent months when output is temporarily dented by extra bank holidays.

Persons: Maja Smiejkowska, King Charles, Paul Dales, Dales, BoE, Jeremy Hunt, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg, Kate Holton, Peter Graff, Toby Chopra Organizations: Charing Cross, REUTERS, National Statistics, Bank of England, Capital Economics, Reuters, ONS, European Union, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Germany

☆ UK's BMA union willing to cancel strikes for suitable pay offer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Junior doctors hold placards during a strike, amid a dispute with the government over pay, in London, Britain April 11, 2023. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File PhotoJuly 3 (Reuters) - The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents about 45,000 junior doctors in England, said on Monday its members were willing to cancel strikes if the government presented them with a suitable pay offer. Separately, BMA's consultants committee also called on the government last month asking for a credible pay offer, to avoid strikes on July 20 and 21. The consultants committee said it is willing to cancel strikes if a suitable offer is presented. The BMA has said the latest pay offer of a 5% increase for 2023/24 was not credible since it was "nowhere near addressing pay erosion over the last 15 years."

Persons: Maja Smiejkowska, Vivek Trivedi, Rishi Sunak, Vishal Sharma, Steve Barclay, Barclay, Lavanya Ahire, Robert Birsel, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, British Medical Association, BMA, BMA Junior, British Health, Times, of Health, Social, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, England, Bengaluru

☆ Summer transfer window: The biggest moves so far as Saudi Arabia becomes major factor
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —European soccer’s summer transfer window is in full swing, with several household names already moving to pastures new. Karim Benzema – Real Madrid to Al-IttihadIn the first major coup of the summer for the Saudi Pro League, Karim Benzema has agreed to join Al-Ittihad once his contract expires with Real Madrid. After a disappointing season, Real Madrid will be hopeful that Bellingham will be a star midfielder for years to come once the ageing Luka Modric and Toni Kroos depart. The 32-year-old midfielder has signed a contract worth around £86 million ($109.8 million) a year, according to UK media. Rice, who was in the youth ranks at Chelsea and then West Ham, was voted Conference League player of the season.

Persons: Cristiano Ronaldo’s, Al Nassr, Karim Benzema –, Karim Benzema, Ittihad, Benzema, Frenchman, Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid Jude Bellingham, Florencia Tan Jun, Bellingham, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, N’Golo Kanté, Ittihad N'Golo Kanté, Justin Tallis, Kanté, Christopher Nkunku –, Chelsea Christopher Nkunku, Annegret Hilse, Germain, Chrisopher Nkunku, Nkunku, Todd Boehly, Kai Havertz, Germany's, Maja Hitij, Kai Kavertz, Mikel Arteta, Havertz, Boehly, Declan Rice –, Declan Rice, Richard Heathcote, Rice, West Ham’s, Mateo Kovačić –, Mateo Kovačić, Pep Guardiola’s, İlkay Gündoğan, Bernardo Silva, Alexis Mac Allister, Alex Pantling, Lionel Messi, Mac Allister, Jurgen Klopp, Mac, Roberto Firmino’s, Rúben Neves, Al Hilal Rúben Neves, Naomi Baker, Al Hilal, Neves Organizations: CNN, Super League, CNN Sport, Saudi Pro League, Al, Real Madrid, League, La Liga, Real, Champions League, Borussia Dortmund, Birmingham City, English, Ittihad N'Golo, France, Getty, Benzema, Chelsea, Premier League, FA, Europa League, UEFA Super, Leicester, Leipzig, RB Leipzig, Bundesliga, Reuters, Paris Saint, Arsenal, Ukraine, Gunners, Manchester City, football’s, Europa Conference League, Gent, Manchester United, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Manchester, Argentina, Brighton, Liverpool, Anfield, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wolves, Everton, Molineux, Portugal Locations: England, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Portuguese, Saudi Arabian, Karim Benzema – Real Madrid, Al, Ittihad, Bellingham, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Leicester, Paris, Leipzig, Bremen, Germany, Declan Rice – West Ham, West Ham, Mateo Kovačić – Chelsea, Madrid, Spain, Croatian, Brighton, Argentina, Qatar, Barcelona

☆ 'Transformers': Rise of the Beasts' brings new characters to franchise
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Huge statues of the film's characters, Autobot leader Optimus Prime and Maximal leader Optimus Primal, towered over the red carpet where cast members Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback and Tobe Nwigwe premiered "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts". It brings in a new faction of Transformers, the Maximals, who join forces with the Autobots to fight off planet-eating villain Unicron. “When you're on movie number seven, you're like, what can we bring fresh and what can we bring new to the table?" How do we do that?’ And so we did our best to bring that home,” Fishback said on Noah and Elena's key roles in the movie. Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mark Vahradian, Steven Caple Jr, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Dominique Fishback, Anthony Ramos, Tobe Nwigwe, Maja Smiejkowska, Optimus, Ramos, Fishback, Noah, Elena, Anthony, Steven, ” Fishback, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Maja Smiejkowska LONDON, Leicester, Paramount Pictures, Hasbro, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Leicester Square, London, Britain

CNN —When Erin Kennedy returns to the boat at the upcoming European Rowing Championships, the occasion will certainly be a joyful one. “It’s something I’ve been sort of dreaming of and kind of manifesting and trying to work towards for the last year. Erin Kennedy is hoping to defend the title she won in Munich alongside Francesca Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Edward Fuller and Oliver Stanhope. Kennedy will be back in the boat exactly a year to the day since her diagnosis. So that’s that’s my goal: if I can keep the tears in until after we finished, hopefully on the top of the podium.”

☆ Joy, Loneliness, ‘Rejuvenation:’ Becoming a Mother After 40
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

Still, Ms. McQueen longed for a baby. Terry Ratzlaff for The New York TimesEach year, she and her girls celebrate the anniversaries of their embryo transfers, Ms. McQueen said. Together, they look at the balls of cells on the girls’ ultrasound images and talk about the lengths Ms. McQueen went to in order to have them. Then, in 2016, Ms. Allen was diagnosed with a seizure disorder, which forced her to stop working and focus on her health. Caring for Ezra, who is now 5, has come with “overwhelming guilt” over the things she can’t do, Ms. Allen says.

☆ How to build a giant? Sauropod dinosaurs did it 36 different ways
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A new study has calculated for the first time the number of different sauropod lineages that achieved whopping proportions - 36 of them in a span of about 100 million years bridging the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The heavyweight champion was Argentinosaurus, which lived about 95 million years ago in - you guessed it - Argentina, and weighed about 76 metric tons. Next were Brachiosaurus, at 63 metric tons, and Barosaurus, at 60 metric tons, both living approximately 150 million years ago in western North America. D'Emic identified 45 species from 36 sauropod lineages that beat those. "I think it's amazing that we are still learning so much about these animals," D'Emic said.

[1/2] Royal fans wait on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation of Britain's King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, in London, Britain, May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Maja SmiejkowskaLONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - Heavy bursts of rain could dampen King Charles' coronation celebrations in London on Saturday, according to Britain's Met Office forecaster. Charles is due to leave Buckingham Palace and travel along a mile-long ceremonial procession through the capital before the coronation ceremony at 1000 GMT. If it does rain on his parade, Charles will not be alone: the last two monarchs endured wet weather on their big day according to Met Office data. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth in June 1953 saw "light rain throughout the day" while 8.2 millimetres (0.32 inches) of rain fell during George VI's 1937 crowning.

☆ UK police well prepared for King Charles's coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Muvija M | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, May 3 (Reuters) - More than 11,000 police officers will patrol London's streets for King Charles' coronation on Saturday, the biggest ceremonial event staged in the British capital for 70 years, and they are well prepared to handle any incident, officials said on Wednesday. However, demonstartions are also planned by anti-monarchists in Trafalgar Square and along the procession route. Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told Times Radio the event was one of the most important security operations the country has ever mounted. [1/4] A police officer keeps guard ahead of King Charles' coronation, in London, Britain, May 3, 2023. "Republic will not be deterred and we will be protesting on Trafalgar Square and along the route of the coronation procession on Saturday," Smith said in a statement.

☆ From US to London, royal super fan makes 'once-in-a-lifetime' coronation pilgrimage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jeevan Ravindran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Royals super fan Donna Werner from the U.S. and fellow royals fan show their outfits ahead of the Coronation of King Charles, in London, Britain, May 2, 2023. Now she is ecstatic to be in London for her first coronation. Next to her tent, Werner has hung an American flag and a sign reading "US loves King Charles." She has also painstakingly created a hat covered with flags, photos and cut-out figures of King Charles. It really does, it really, really does."

EY is dealing with the aftermath of an effort to split the firm’s auditing and consulting operations. Photo: MAJA SMIEJKOWSKA/REUTERSWhen Ernst & Young dropped its breakup plan, the firm’s executives said they remained committed to achieving the split. Since then, it has become clear that the effort is dead, at least for the next few years, according to internal webcasts and people familiar with the matter. Leaders of EY’s dominant U.S. and U.K. operations are focused on repairing the damage from the 18-month effort to split the firm’s auditing and consulting operations, known as Project Everest.

☆ From caviar to cardboard cutouts, businesses hope for coronation boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A view of souvenirs designed for the Coronation of Britain's King Charles in Windsor, Britain, April 29, 2023. Mugs, plates, tea towels, magnets, cushions and teddy bears are staple memorabilia for royal occasions and an array of these to mark King Charles' coronation on May 6 are already filling shop windows. Others are selling coronation varieties of the games pass the parcel, bingo and charades. John Lewis Partnership, the owner of the eponymous department stores and supermarket chain Waitrose, said last week searches for coronation products on its website had risen more than 262% on the previous week. “Our royal family selection of cardboard cut-outs have always been a favourite of our customers, with King Charles proving himself to be a top seller," an Argos spokesperson said.

☆ 'Queen Charlotte': 'Bridgerton' character gets her own spin-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Natasha Mulenga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Maja SmiejkowskaLONDON, April 21 (Reuters) - Regency-era London took over the British capital's Leicester Square on Friday as the "Queen Charlotte" cast premiered the first spin-off from hit Netflix (NFLX.O) period drama "Bridgerton" dedicated to the fan favourite character. "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" is an origin story of the "Bridgerton" monarch, explaining her rise to power and love life. With two timelines, Golda Rosheuvel reprises her "Bridgerton" role as the monarch while India Amarteifio plays the young Queen Charlotte. Showrunner Shonda Rhimes, also behind "Bridgerton", said it was "very exciting" to make Queen Charlotte the centre of her own story. "Queen Charlotte" begins streaming on May 4.

☆ Film 'Peter Pan & Wendy' reimagines familiar tale
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Cast member Alexander Molony attends the world premiere of the film 'Peter Pan and Wendy' in London, Britain April 20, 2023. "Peter Pan & Wendy" is based on Scottish author J.M. Barrie's beloved characters and the 1953 Disney animation "Peter Pan". Directed and co-written by David Lowery, the film stars Jude Law in the role of Captain Hook, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Ever Anderson, 15, as Wendy, and Alexander Molony, 16, as Peter Pan. "Peter Pan & Wendy" starts streaming on Disney+ on April 28.

☆ Ernst & Young, After Its Failed Split, Could Find Itself Vulnerable to Staff Poaching
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The botched split attempt, after more than a year of work on it, has raised questions over whether rivals will more aggressively seek Ernst & Young talent. Photo: MAJA SMIEJKOWSKA/REUTERSErnst & Young risks losing staff to competing firms after scrapping its plan to split into separate businesses and then announcing a round of layoffs, blemishes that rivals could say reflects a wounded firm. The Big Four accounting giant last week decided not to move ahead with plans to separate into one firm focused on consulting and another centered on auditing, after a revolt led by some U.S. partners and urged by a group of EY retirees. Then earlier this week, in a move the company said was unrelated to the split, EY announced it would cut about 3,000 U.S. employees, or less than 5% of its U.S. workforce.

☆ Britain braces for 'unparalleled' disruption from doctors' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Junior doctors hold placards during a strike, amid a dispute with the government over pay, outside St Thomas' Hospital, in London, Britain April 11, 2023. REUTERS/Maja SmiejkowskaLONDON, April 11 (Reuters) - Junior doctors in Britain began a four-day strike on Tuesday over pay that is likely to cause unprecedented disruption to the health service, prompting the government to warn of a risk to patient safety. Tuesday's walkout followed a three-day doctors' strike last month. The BMA has said the strikes by junior doctors, some of whom are very experienced, could be stopped if health minister Steve Barclay put a credible pay offer forward. He says the BMA's demands are unreasonable and would mean an increase of more then 20,000 pounds ($24,840) for some doctors.

☆ Gilbert & George to open London art centre with after-life exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Hannah Ellison | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Art duo Gilbert & George debut 'The Gilbert & George Centre' a permanent home for their artworks in East London, in London, Britain March 24, 2023. The Gilbert & George Centre, in the city's Spitalfields area, is less than 5 minutes from the life and work partners' home and studio. Normally it's limited what you can see in cities, here they can see an intense Gilbert & George feeling," Italian-born Gilbert, whose full name is Gilbert Proesch, told Reuters on Friday. "They're experiencing Gilbert & George art, that's what it is, our vision of the world, our morality, our behaviour and everything." British-born George, whose full name is George Passmore, added: "The Gilbert & George centre is going to be a cultural force."

☆ Starry 'Dungeons & Dragons' film brings fantasy game to big screen
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Hannah Ellison | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Elz the Witch attends the premiere of 'Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves' in London, Britain, March 23, 2023. "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" hits cinemas from next week hoping to entice a new generation of fans with the game which first came out in 1974. "It made me understand why (Dungeons & Dragons) has been around for 50 years." Page, who plays Xenk, said he played his first Dungeons & Dragons game just before starting filming. "I wasn't a player but I had actually watched people play Dungeons & Dragons, which is quite possibly even more involved," he said.

☆ Inflation shock puts Bank of England on course to raise rates again
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] A general view of the Bank of England (BoE) building, the BoE confirmed to raise interest rates to 1.75%, in London, Britain, August 4, 2022. Most economists had believed inflation was on course to fall steadily, after hitting a 41-year high above 11% in October. But Wednesday's data - showing inflation rising to 10.4% in February rather continuing its descent - immediately turned Thursday's announcement into an almost one-way bet on a quarter percentage-point increase in Bank Rate. As recently as Tuesday, investors were split almost 50-50 on whether the BoE would leave Bank Rate unchanged for the first time since November 2021. The European Central Bank last week stuck to its plans and raised rates by 50 basis points despite the Credit Suisse turmoil.

☆ Miner BHP potentially faces $44 bln bill in Brazil dam case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Members of the Krenak indigenous people, Daniel Krenak, Andreia Krenak, Djanira Krenak, Maycon Krenak and Marcelo Krenak, demonstrate outside the High Court in London, Britain December 13, 2022. BHP (BHP.AX) was initially sued by around 200,000 Brazilians over the 2015 collapse of the Fundao dam, owned by the Samarco joint venture between BHP and Brazilian iron ore mining company Vale (VALE3.SA). BHP, the world's biggest miner by market value, denies liability and in December applied to join Vale to the case. BHP has said the London lawsuit duplicates legal proceedings and reparation and repair programmes in Brazil. BHP has applied to the Supreme Court to overturn that decision and its application is pending.

☆ Britain's King Charles hands Duke of Edinburgh title to Prince Edward
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File PhotoLONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles named his younger brother Prince Edward as the new Duke of Edinburgh on Friday, handing him the title last held by their father Prince Philip, Buckingham Palace said in a statement. Edward, 59 on Friday, becomes the latest member of the royal family to be granted a new title since Charles became king in September after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth. William, Charles's eldest son and heir to the throne, was named Prince of Wales, while the children of his second son Harry, no longer a working royal, were officially named as prince and princess earlier this week. Edward's new title comes after he took on a number of his father's roles, including at The Duke of Edinburgh Award charity which encourages young people to undertake challenges. Philip had held the title of the Duke of Edinburgh since his marriage to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947 until his death in 2021.

☆ Jobs of the Future: ChatGPT, AI Will Create Careers That Need Humans
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Paris Marx | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Automation technology has ushered in a fleet of secret workers behind screens, machines, and smiling robot faces. On the AI side, tools like ChatGPT have been used to write real articles and take college exams. Truck drivers are still in high demand, and self-driving technology is nowhere near replacing human jobs. The human behind the curtainAmid the fear-mongering about a robot takeover, people often miss the degree to which machines still require human workers in order to function. Maja Hitij/Getty ImagesThese technologies are often deployed to de-skill work — jobs are broken down into more specific tasks and can be done with less training.

☆ Film academy says it will not disqualify surprise Oscar nominee Riseborough
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Cast member Andrea Riseborough arrives at the premiere for 'Matilda the Musical' in London, Britain, November 21, 2022. REUTERS/Maja SmiejkowskaLOS ANGELES, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Hollywood's motion picture academy will not revoke the unexpected best actress nomination for "To Leslie" star Andrea Riseborough, the group's chief executive said on Tuesday after a review of an aggressive campaign on her behalf. The surprise nomination sparked questions about whether a campaign for Riseborough had violated lobbying rules set by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Several A-list stars posted social media comments touting her performance. "However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern.

Search resuls for: "maJa"

25 mentions found