DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Analysis: Israel's judicial reform turmoil threatens economic growth, investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Libgeorge Marc Jones | Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Nir Elias/Illustration//File PhotoLONDON, July 30 (Reuters) - Israel's economy may face ratings downgrades, falling foreign investment and a weaker tech sector if turmoil arising from the government's contentious judicial reforms continues, investors and analysts warn. Reuters GraphicsMaplecroft's Kinnear said comparatively low inflation versus similar countries had buoyed investment, but more civil unrest could derail incoming cash. The reform backlash "threatens to push the economy onto a permanently lower growth path," Nicholas Farr, emerging Europe economist with Capital Economics wrote in a note. Moody's cut Israel's sovereign credit to a "dislike" stance, while S&P said on Thursday the unprecedented protests would lower economic growth this year. S&P warned in May that it could lower its AA- Israel rating "if regional or domestic political risks escalated sharply, depressing Israel's economic, fiscal, and balance-of-payments metrics."

Persons: Nir Elias, Benjamin, Hamish Kinnear, Reuters Graphics Maplecroft's Kinnear, Morgan Stanley, Roger Mark, Mark, Kinnear, Nicholas Farr, Moody's, Fitch, Natalia Gurushina, VanEck, Libby George, Marc Jones, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Middle East, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Copley Fund Research, Reuters Graphics, Gross, TECH, Israeli Innovation Authority, Capital Economics, P, Fitch, AA, Thomson Locations: Israel, North Africa, Europe

☆ Opinion: I’m a conservative who’s waiting for Republicans to come to their senses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Yaffa Fredrick | Opinion Adam Kinzinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Traditionally committed to national security, global stability and law and order, my Republican Party — yes, I am still a Republican — is now weakening on all three fronts. And House members who cling to his message in an effort to win primary voters may very well suffer defeat in a general election. And then there’s the hostility these GOP extremists are directing at law enforcement, traditionally a wellspring of Republican support. Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio and several equally exercised Republicans members attacked a “weaponized” bureau for serving as an anti-conservative attack dog. On this evidence, I’d say that the extremists are hurting, not helping, the national Republican Party.

Persons: Adam Kinzinger, Kinzinger, Adam Kinzinger CNN That’s, Joe Biden, Let’s, Ron DeSantis, Republican Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tuberville, Tuberville’s grandstanding won’t, It’s, it’s, Vladimir Putin, Christopher Wray, Jim Jordan of, Jordan, —, Wray, Donald Trump’s, Hunter, Matt Gaetz, FBI “, defund, Trump Organizations: CNN, Republican, Air National Guard, Republican Party, Adam Kinzinger CNN, GOP, National Defense, Defense Department, Pentagon, Pew Research Center, Republicans, Florida Gov, Senate, Defense, Reuters, Committee, FBI, Twitter, Trump Locations: Illinois, America, Washington ,, Georgia, Alabama, Ukraine, Russian, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Florida

☆ A failed US Navy experiment during World War II hinted at how exploding drones would change the battlefield 80 years later
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Loitering munitions have become a staple on modern battlefields, especially in Ukraine. The technology is not new, and a US Navy experiment during World War II hinted at its utility. Loitering munitions and armed UAVs in general are often regarded as a 21st-century development, but they have a long history. During World War II, the US Navy was behind some of the first such drone strikes during an experiment that was ultimately scrapped but hinted at what was to come. Russian forces have used domestically made Lancet loitering munitions against Ukraine's military and employed Iranian-made Shahed-136 and 131 loitering munitions in attacks on military and civilian targets.

Persons: —, it's, Oleksii Organizations: US Navy, Service, Heritage Command, US, Interstate Aircraft, Company, Schwinn Bicycle Company, Navy, Interstate, Task Air, US Naval Heritage, Command, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Solomon Islands, Banika, Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, Marcus, South Pacific, Bougainville, Solomons, Russian, Kyiv, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Soviet

☆ Trump faces federal charges in classified documents case, adding to legal woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Trump lawyer Jim Trusty told CNN those charges include conspiracy, false statements, obstruction of justice, and illegally retaining classified documents under the Espionage Act. It is the second criminal case for Trump, currently the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election. He describes himself as the victim of a witch hunt and accuses the Justice Department of partisan bias. Trump is not the only top government official to draw scrutiny for retaining classified documents. The Justice Department last week closed its investigation into Pence without filing any charges.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Jim, Jack Smith, Joe Biden, Smith, Biden, Trump's, Mike Pence, Pence, Sarah N, Lynch, Andy Sullivan, Noeleen Walder Organizations: Former U.S, Republican, Trump, White, Trump's Mar, Reuters, Justice Department, Democrat, Biden, Democratic, U.S . Senate, Department, Thomson Locations: Former, Miami, U.S, Lago, Palm Beach , Florida, New York, Georgia, Washington, Florida, Lincoln

☆ Trump faces U.S. criminal charges for mishandling documents - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

He already faces a criminal case in New York that is due to go to trial in March. Trump faces seven criminal counts in the federal case, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Justice Department has been investigating whether Trump mishandled classified documents he retained after leaving the White House in 2021. He describes himself as the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt and accuses the Justice Department of partisan bias. Trump also faces a second federal criminal investigation into efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Trump's, Jack Smith, Joe Biden, Costas Pitas, Sarah N, Lynch, Nathan Layne, Andy Sullivan, Christopher Cushing, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Former U.S, U.S . Department of Justice, Trump, Biden Administration, Justice Department, FBI, The, Department, White House, Investigators, Trump's Mar, Republican, Thomson Locations: Former, New York, Miami, Lago, Palm Beach , Florida, Los Angeles, Washington

LIV had filed an antitrust lawsuit in the United States seeking punitive damages against the PGA Tour for its "tortious interference" with contracts with golfers. PGA Tour had countersued, making similar claims. PGA Tour and LIV have now signed a framework agreement that calls for investment banks M Klein & Co and Allen & Co to carry out a valuation analysis of the assets of LIV and PGA Tour, respectively. A new company will be created that will be majority-owned by the existing PGA Tour, which is a nonprofit. The U.S. Department of Justice had already been looking at the dispute between PGA Tour and LIV as part of a broad antitrust probe into professional golf.

Persons: LIV, PIF, Milana Vinn, Greg Roumeliotis, Matthew Lewis Organizations: PGA Tour, PGA, Klein, Co, Allen, WHO, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Regulators, U.S . Department of Justice, Foreign Investment, Thomson Locations: Saudi, United States, New York

☆ Richard Handler, CEO of investment bank Jefferies, reminds incoming interns that working hard is no guarantee of a job
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Investment banking internships kick off across Wall Street this week. Richard Handler, CEO of investment bank Jefferies, has some tips for incoming interns, including a harsh reminder that working hard is no guarantee of a job. Handler's comments come as investment banking internships kick off at a difficult time for Wall Street. Handler acknowledged that some interns decide that investment banking is not for them. Insider's Reed Alexander spoke to an investment banking intern for a midsize bank who said he hated being chained to his desk and seeing junior bankers being reamed out in public.

Persons: Richard Handler, Handler, Richard Handler's, Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, aren't, Brownstein, Insider's Reed Alexander Organizations: Jefferies, Morning, Twitter, Wall, Bank of America

☆ A US Navy battleship all but sunk at Pearl Harbor was brought back to life to battle the Germans on D-Day. The military later blasted it with a nuclear bomb.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The USS Nevada saw the world and multiple combat operations during its three decades of service. It was severely damaged at Pearl Harbor but later restored to hit German positions during D-Day. After returning to duty, the Nevada spent the next 11 years operating around the Pacific, and as tensions increased with Japan, the Nevada spent much of 1941 carrying out training exercises in the region. The USS Nevada burns following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese military. Damaged and radioactive, the Nevada survived the tests and returned to Pearl Harbor to be decommissioned later in August.

Persons: —, Pearl Harbor's Organizations: Service, US, USS, Getty, Army, Marshall Locations: Nevada, Massachusetts, Caribbean, USS Oklahoma, Ireland, USS Utah, Atlantic, Pacific, Americas, Japan, Island, USS, Attu, Alaska, Normandy's, Iwo Jima, Okinawa

☆ At the height of the Cold War, the US Navy used a historic round-the-world operation to show off its new nuclear force
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

On July 31, 1964, three US Navy ships set off on a mission to sail around the world. Construction began on USS Long Beach in 1957 and it entered service in 1961, becoming the world's first nuclear-powered surface warship. USS Bainbridge, front, and USS Long Beach sail behind USS Enterprise in 1964. USS Bainbridge sails behind USS Enterprise during Operation Sea Orbit in August 1964. Nuclear navyNuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers USS California, USS South Carolina, USS Virginia, USS Texas, USS Mississippi, and USS Arkansas in February 1981.

Persons: —, Bainbridge —, Bob Haswell, US Navy Long, SCANFAR, Bainbridge, Theodore Roosevelt's Great, Bernard Strean, USS Bainbridge, PH1 Anthony A, Alleyne Afterward, Strean, Nimitz, Admiral Nakhimov, Pyotr Velikiy Organizations: US Navy, Service, USS Enterprise, US, Daily, Nautilus, Navy, RIM, Long, Westinghouse, Enterprise, Fleet, Nuclear, USS Locations: Mallorca, Long, —, Bainbridge, Karachi, India, Indonesia, Australia, Fremantle, Long Beach, Melbourne, Sydney, USS, Wellington, Cape Horn, Rio de Janeiro, Charleston, Norfolk, Perth, San Juan, California, USS South Carolina, USS Virginia, USS Texas, USS Mississippi, USS Arkansas, Soviet, Kirov

McCarthy called the bill the "most conservative deal we've ever had." The pair, Representatives Chip Roy and Ralph Norman, said they may vote against it if it is not changed to their liking. "I think it's important to keep in mind the debt limit bill itself does not spend money," he wrote on Twitter. A successful vote there would set up a vote by the full House on Wednesday. The debt-ceiling standoff prompted ratings agencies to warn that they might downgrade U.S. debt, which underpins the global financial system.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Calif, Jacquelyn Martin, McCarthy, we've, Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Roy, MASSIE, Thomas Massie, Biden, Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries, Republican Mike Lee, White, Moira Warburton, David Morgan, Richard Cowan, Gram Slattery, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Matthew Lewis, Mark Porter Organizations: Capitol, WASHINGTON, Republican, Democratic, U.S . Treasury Department, Republicans, Twitter, Top, Internal Revenue Service, Thomson Locations: Washington

☆ The Russian navy's biggest warships are becoming its biggest headaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ongoing problems with the Russian navy's biggest warships illustrate that trend. This seems most evident with Russia's largest surface warships: its Kirov-class nuclear-powered battlecruisers, Admiral Nakhimov and Pyotr Velikiy, and the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's sole aircraft carrier. Admiral Kuznetsov in a floating dry dock in a shipyard in Murmansk in August 2010. Other Russian navy sources quickly denied the report to another state media outlet. Izvestia has also reported that the Russian navy is reforming the Kuznetsov's crew, which was mostly disbanded when the ship began its refit.

One recipient of Parnas’ donations -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis -- has said he was barely an acquaintance. Two sources close to DeSantis during his 2018 campaign confirmed the texter’s number belonged to DeSantis at that time. “We became very friendly.”In 2018, Parnas was a well-known figure in Trump’s orbit, often seen with Giuliani. On June 21, 2018, Parnas’ company, Global Energy Producers, donated $50,000 to DeSantis’ campaign for governor. Three weeks later, DeSantis added, “Make sure he gives a lot.”Pereira later co-hosted a fundraiser for DeSantis with Parnas and his company donated $115,000 to DeSantis’ 2018 campaign, campaign finance records show.

☆ Texts tie DeSantis closely to Trump insider Lev Parnas in 2018 race, says report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

One recipient of Parnas' donations -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis -- has said he was barely an acquaintance. Six days later, DeSantis told reporters that Parnas "was just like any other donor, nothing more than that." Two sources close to DeSantis during his 2018 campaign confirmed the texter's number belonged to DeSantis at that time. On June 21, 2018, Parnas' company, Global Energy Producers, donated $50,000 to DeSantis' campaign for governor. Pereira later co-hosted a fundraiser for DeSantis with Parnas and his company donated $115,000 to DeSantis' 2018 campaign, campaign finance records show.

If Biden and McCarthy reach a deal, possibly as soon as Sunday, Congress could struggle to get enough votes for passage ahead of a June. Liberal Democrats, including Senator Raphael Warnock and Representative Ro Khanna, put Biden on notice that they do not support more stringent requirements to existing law. Republicans have called for saving $120 billion by expanding work requirements to qualify for food aid, monetary help for poor families and other assistance. Warnock accused Republicans of "using poor people as pawns" in negotiations, saying their proposal "presupposes that poor people are in some way morally deficient. The Republican-controlled House Ways and Means Committee describes the steps as "common-sense work requirements to help lift families out of poverty and revitalize the American workforce."

☆ The US could 'screw up' Ukraine's counter offensive by exerting too much pressure on the country to deliver a decisive blow against Russia, former Army general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But a former Army general told Insider that too much Western pressure could tank the attack. "I would reject the talk that Ukraine's only got one shot," said Ben Hodges, a retired Army general. But global expectations of a triumph could torpedo the offensive before it even begins, a former Army general told Insider. While the exact timing of Ukraine's much-anticipated counteroffensive is still unknown, military experts told Insider earlier this month that the assault could start as soon as the coming weeks. But framing this offensive as make-or-break for Ukraine sets a dangerous precedent, said Ben Hodges, a retired lieutenant general and former commander of US Army Europe.

☆ Utah changed its state flag to honor Mormon work ethic — but it was a total flop. Now, even the state's governor admitted he 'should have known better.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Utah's new flag design is ruffling feathers, and people are already trying to replace it. Spencer Cox said that he should "have known better" that the new flag would be unpopular. Brandon Beckham, a member of Utah's Republican party central committee, told the Journal that the new design is "just a logo." "The original Utah flag has built in its ideals that are true to the founding of the state that are linked to history," Beckham told the Journal. Ryan Woods, a conservative drag performer known as Lady MAGA USA, said the change flies in the face of history.

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

☆ After a 35-year break, the US Navy is building frigates again, and it has a lot of catching up to do
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Fincantieri plans to lay the keel of that ship, USS Constellation, this August. It will be the US Navy's first frigate since the retirement of its last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate in 2015. FrigatesUS Navy first-in-class frigate USS Oliver Hazard Perry in late 1977. Though not intended to operate alone against enemy capital ships, frigates are now primarily used to support destroyer squadrons and carrier battle groups by performing escort, anti-submarine, anti-air, and limited anti-surface missions. US Navy guided-missile frigate USS Curts in a dry dock at a shipyard in California in January 1982.

☆ Moscow's 'special' forces: An inside look at how Russia's famed Spetsnaz really operate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Mark Galeotti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +24 min

Russia's Spetsnaz forces are often depicted as a kind of Russian super troops. Osprey PublishingMost countries' special forces emphasize physical fitness, determination and aggression. Special people, for special tasksMembers of the Russian military's 16th Separate Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in 2018. Even so, being better than most of the Soviet army's miserable and recalcitrant conscript forces did not make most of them truly special, special forces. The special operations commandMembers of Russian's 22nd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in November 2017.

☆ Netanyahu tells CNN Israel will remain a ‘robust democracy’ despite judiciary plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Richard Allen Greene | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Jerusalem CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN Sunday his country would remain a “robust democracy” despite controversial plans to overhaul the country’s judicial system. With the Israeli parliament starting its summer session on Sunday the proposals could be back in play. “Israel has been thrown off balance,” Netanyahu argued, as he often does when defending the judicial overhaul program. “The onus is on all of us” – Israel, the United States and our Arab neighbors – “to stop Iran from becoming a military nuclear power,” he said. Netanyahu also rejected Zakaria’s suggestion that the flare-up of violence between Israel and the Palestinians could torpedo Israel’s warming relations with its Arab neighbors.

☆ 5 reasons fighting Disney is a political winner for DeSantis — and 6 reasons it could hurt his shot at the presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It does a ton of business in China, which many GOP voters view as a threat to the US. DeSantis already ran on being anti-Disney — and wonTaryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director, has described the Disney fight as being "the will of Florida voters." And they might not vote for DeSantis if they think the Disney fight is a killer in a general election. Families often work hard and save for years to take their children to Disney World. If DeSantis can't bring a resolution to the Disney fight, can he handle the job of president?

☆ A fighter plane designed for the US Navy during World War II was still taking down jet fighters over Vietnam 20 years later
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was designed for the US Navy in the final years of World War II. The US Air Force and its South Vietnamese counterpart also began operating the plane that year. Navy Skyraider pilots even managed to down MiG-17 fighter jets on two occasions. By the end of the war, Air Force Skyraiders conducted more than 90,000 combat sorties, including more than 1,000 a month during the peak of the fighting. The last Air Force Skyraider mission was on November 7, 1972, and all of the service's remaining Skyraiders were transferred to the South Vietnamese air force in 1973.

☆ Russia conducts surprise inspection of Pacific Fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 14 (Reuters) - Russia will conduct missile launches and torpedo tests as part of a surprise inspection of its Pacific naval fleet, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday. "The main objective of this inspection is to increase the ability of the Armed Forces to repel the aggression of a probable enemy from the direction of ocean and sea," Shoigu said on state television. "This is a common practice, it has been constantly carried out in recent years and it continues. This is about maintaining the necessary level of combat readiness of our armed forces," Peskov told a daily news briefing. In other recent military activity in the area, Russia's navy fired supersonic anti-ship missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan on March 28.

☆ Hippo attacks: How to avoid one of Africa's most dangerous animals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

“Hippos attack not to eat people, but to get them the hell away from them,” Lewison said. Larger vessels can offer more protection from a sudden hippo attack. photocech/Adobe StockGet to know the signs of disturbed hippos, Muruthi advised, in case you wander too closely. … If you slap the water, the percussion 99.9 times out of 100 will turn the hippo,” Templer said. Remember to suck in air if on the surface.”Another hippo attack survivor in this National Geographic video also was able to conserve her breath.

☆ Washington trying to wreck Russia-Africa summit -Russia's Lavrov
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Ronald Popeski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. is trying to wreck Russia's planned summit with African countries as part of efforts to isolate Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Tuesday. Moscow is preparing for its second summit with African countries, scheduled for the end of July in St. Petersburg, including work on infrastructure, technology and energy projects. "It is true that the United States and its vassals are doing everything possible to achieve Russia's international isolation," Lavrov told the website. "In particular, they are trying to torpedo the planned second Russia-Africa summit ... to persuade our African friends not to take part." U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a U.S.-Africa leaders summit in 2022 in Washington, seeking to bolster alliances amid the growing Russian and Chinese presence on the continent.

Search resuls for: "torpedo"

25 mentions found