DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Lisa Lane, Chess Champion Whose Reign Was Meteoric, Dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Dylan Loeb Mcclain | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lisa Lane, an early star of American chess who was a two-time United States women’s champion and the first chess player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, died on Feb. 28 at her home in Carmel, N.Y., in Putnam County. Her death was confirmed by the town clerk’s office in nearby Kent, N.Y., which registered her death. Ms. Lane was a late bloomer in chess. Within two years, she had won the United States women’s championship. Wherever she went, people commented on her looks as much as on her chess ability, if not more so.

Persons: Lisa Lane, Lane, bloomer Organizations: Sports Illustrated, Temple University, United, United States women’s Locations: States, Carmel , N.Y, Putnam County, Kent, N.Y, Philadelphia, United States

☆ China faces ‘fork in the road,’ IMF chief says, urging Beijing to embark on pro-market reforms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Kristalina Georgieva, Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), speaks during the China Development Forum 2024 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on March 24, 2024 in Beijing, China. China has two choices right now: return to its old economic policies, or choose reforms to spur growth, according to the International Monetary Fund's Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. "China is poised to face a fork in the road — rely on the policies that have worked in the past, or update its policies for a new era of high-quality growth," Georgieva said Sunday at the China Development Forum in Beijing. "With a comprehensive package of pro-market reforms, China could grow considerably faster than a status quo scenario," she said, according to prepared remarks by the IMF. The measures coincide with other moves Beijing has made in recent weeks to boost confidence among foreign investors and businesses as it pursues a growth target of about 5% this year.

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva, Li Qiang Organizations: International Monetary Fund, International Monetary Fund's, China Development Forum, IMF, World Bank Locations: China, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Bulgarian

☆ Kevin O'Leary wants to buy TikTok at up to 90% discount. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Kevin O'Leary is putting together a syndicate for a potential purchase of TikTok, with a starting bid of $20 billion to $30 billion — an up to 90% cut in valuation from the company's last funding round. Any deal for the short video-sharing platform — valued at $220 billion in 2023, according to PitchBook data — will likely exclude the user preference-based algorithms that have helped make it so successful, the O'Leary Ventures Chairman said on CNBC's "Street Signs Asia." "It's the largest entertainment and business network in America as it stands today, so it's of great interest and great value," he said on Friday. But it is not likely that the Chinese government will sell the algorithms, "so what you're getting is the valuable domestic brand TikTok and 170 million users, with no data," O'Leary said. A potential buyer will have to "re-emulate" those algorithms with U.S. code and act as a "steward" to transform the platform from "TikTok China to TikTok U.S.A." Hence the valuation cut.

Persons: ByteDance, Kevin O'Leary, O'Leary Organizations: U.S . House, O'Leary, TikTok Locations: TikTok, Culver City , California, America, China

☆ Why a small China-made EV has global auto execs and politicians on edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

The rise of BYD and other Chinese automakers led Tesla CEO Elon Musk in January to warn that Chinese automakers will "demolish" global rivals without trade barriers. Caresoft, an engineering benchmarking and consulting firm, has already torn down one China-built BYD Seagull and is preparing to do another. Michael Wayland / CNBCThe consulting firm tore apart the BYD Seagull piece by piece to benchmark the small EV against vehicles from other startups and traditional automakers. Its initial study of the BYD Seagull found it to be efficiently and simplistically designed, engineered and executed, but with unexpected quality and anticipated reliability. Growing concernsBYD's rise comes at a precarious time for global auto industry dynamics.

Persons: It's, Terry Woychowski, Warren Buffett, —, BYD, Tesla, Elon Musk, Caresoft Bernstein, Nissan, Michael Wayland, Caresoft, simplistically, Woychowski, Mathew Vachaparampil, CNBC BYD, Stellantis —, Donald Trump, Zach Gibson, Jennifer Granholm, Republican Sen, Marco Rubio, Trump, –, GM Dong, Tang, Marin Gjaja, Gjaja, Ford, you've, Evelyn Cheng, Dylan Butts Organizations: Shanghai International Automobile Industry, National Exhibition, Convention Center, Visual China, Getty, U.S, General Motors, Caresoft, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Overseas, Chevrolet, Nissan Leaf, Bolt, Chicago Federal Reserve, BYD, CNBC, Cox Automotive, Seagull, Tesla, Toyota Motor, Nissan Motor, Honda Motor, Hyundai, Kia, — GM, Ford, Chrysler, U.S ., Washington , D.C, Bloomberg, Republican, North American Free Trade, Republicans, Buick, SAIC, GM, GM Dong Yue Motors Co, Detroit Locations: Shanghai, LIVONIA, Mich, –, China, Europe, Latin America, Detroit, Texas, Germany, Japan, U.S, Livonia , Michigan, America, XPENG, Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia, Hungary, Uzbekistan, ., Washington ,, United States, Marco Rubio of Florida, Yantai, Shandong Province

☆ How the MS-13 Gang Actually Works, According to a Former Member
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Victor Hugo Febres | Dylan Brzezinski | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Alex Sanchez is a former high-ranking member of MS-13. He became involved in the gang in the 1980s in Los Angeles and participated in its expansion. He is now the executive director of Homies Unidos and is a violence-prevention worker and expert on gang culture. He speaks with Business Insider about the Los Angeles Police Department, tattooing, rules and codes, media perception, and the political language used to depict the gang, such as Donald Trump's comments in 2018. Sanchez's story is profiled in the books "MS-13: The Making of America's Most Notorious Gang" and "Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and Revolution in the Americas."

Persons: Alex Sanchez, Sanchez, Donald Trump's Organizations: El, Homies, Los Angeles Police Department Locations: Los Angeles, El Salvador, Americas

☆ See Timothée Chalamet transform into Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Leah Asmelash | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —After multiple delays in production, the new Bob Dylan biopic has started filming — which means a first look at actor Timothée Chalamet as the legendary folk singer. “This is not Bob Dylan, it’s simply every man who has ever tried to talk to me about Bob Dylan,” wrote author Marissa R. Moss. After first being announced in 2020, production for “A Complete Unknown” experienced numerous lags, from the pandemic to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Still, the movie has retained complete support from Dylan himself, who gave director James Mangold detailed annotated notes on the script. “A Complete Unknown” does not yet have a release date.

Persons: Bob Dylan, Timothée Chalamet, ”, it’s, Marissa R, Moss, Dylan, James Mangold, “ I’ve, ” Mangold, “, Mangold, Woody Guthrie, Chalamet, Austin Butler, ” Dylan, Todd Haynes, Martin Scorsese Organizations: CNN, SAG Locations: New York, “ Elvis

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored twice and became the third player in NHL history to have at least 20 goals in 19 consecutive seasons as the Washington Capitals beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Monday night. The 38-year-old Ovechkin had two power-play goals in the second period as Washington won its third straight game. He was the spark we needed tonight.”The Capitals have been helped in their playoff chase by a rejuvenated power play. “ ... It’s on the penalty kill guys have to do a better job, myself right up there.”Calgary was 0 for 3 on the power play. For me, that was the difference in the game,” Calgary coach Ryan Huska said.

Persons: — Alex Ovechkin, Ovechkin, Gordie Howe, Brendan Shanahan, ”, Spencer Carbery, “, ” Dylan Strome, Hendrix Lapierre, Tom Wilson, We’re, Kevin Rooney, MacKenzie Weegar, Charlie Lindgren, Dustin Wolf, Wolf, Max Pacioretty, John Carlson, ” Wolf, — Wayne Gretzky, ” Lapierre, we’re, Lapierre ’, —, ” Rooney, It’s, Ryan Huska, ” Jacob Markstrom, ___ Organizations: Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames, Washington, Eastern Conference, Capitals, Calgary, The Flames, Flames, NEXT, Toronto, Vancouver Locations: CALGARY, Alberta, ” Washington, Detroit, Washington, Pacioretty, Calgary

STR | AFP | Getty ImagesIn the race against Tesla for the global electric car market, Chinese automaker BYD is pushing hard overseas despite rising barriers to the U.S. market. Given policy uncertainty around Chinese EV exports to major markets like the U.S. and Europe, BYD is seeking to bolster overseas sales by moving production to regions perceived as more friendly. The U.S. has tried to support adoption of electric cars domestically, but sales penetration is well below that of China. EY predicts the electric car market in the region will grow exponentially to at least $80 billion a year in sales in the next decade. The rapid growth of BYD and other Chinese electric car companies has other automakers worried.

Persons: Tesla, BYD, Xiao Feng, Biden, it's, EY, Alvin Liu, Liu, BYD's, Sime Darby, Stella Li, Reuters BYD, Bill Russo, CNBC's, Li Organizations: AFP, Getty, Toyota, Counterpoint Research, Tesla, Sime, Americas, Reuters, Alliance for American Manufacturing, U.S Locations: Taicang Port, Suzhou, China's, Jiangsu, U.S, Shenzhen, Europe, Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia, Hungary, Uzbekistan, China, Marklines, Southeast Asia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico, Americas, North America, United States, Canada, Washington

☆ Timothée Chalamet already has audiences' hearts. The latest box-office numbers show he has their wallets, too.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Jason Guerrasio | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Timothée Chalamet's recent films, 'Wonka' and 'Dune: Part Two,' have both surpassed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. No film had crossed $200 million domestically since "Oppenheimer" last August. Chalamet, whose global box office total is over $2.5 billion, is proving he'll be a box-office draw for years to come. And now Timothée Chalamet has the box-office coin to prove he's one of the biggest draws in the movie business. Both titles have also surpassed the $200 million milestone domestically, something no other titles released this year have done so far.

Persons: Timothée, Wonka, Oppenheimer, Chalamet, —, He's, Bird, Leonardo DiCaprio, Roald Dahl's, Charlie, Frank Herbert's, Tom Cruise, Luca Guadagnino, John Travolta, Paul Dergarabedian, Dergarabedian, Timothée Chalamet, Alberto E, Rodriguez, Bob Dylan Organizations: Service, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros ., Business, Hollywood

When it comes to fiction, humor is serious business. If tragedy appeals to the emotions, wit appeals to the mind. “You have to know where the funny is,” the writer Sheila Heti says, “and if you know where the funny is, you know everything.” Humor is a bulwark against complacency and conformity, mediocrity and predictability. With all this in mind, we’ve put together a list of 22 of the funniest novels written in English since Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22” (1961). That book presented a voice that was fresh, liberated, angry and also funny — about something American novels hadn’t been funny about before: war.

Persons: Sheila Heti, we’ve, Joseph Heller’s “, John Yossarian, Bob Dylan Locations: Vietnam

(Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) (Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)At Japan's highly anticipated "shunto" spring wage negotiations this year, the world's largest automaker Toyota agreed to the biggest annual pay increase for workers in 25 years. Market speculation reached fever pitch this week as various corporate giants announced robust negotiated salary increments that in some instances exceeded what unions petitioned for. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda has repeatedly said the outcome of this year's wage negotiations will influence the central bank's decision on when to exit the world's last negative interest rate policy. Japan's largest trade union grouping, known as Rengo, will announce the first collation of ongoing wage negotiations on Friday. Here's what you need to know about this year's spring wage talks, which takes place annually in March.

Persons: Kazuhiro NOGI, KAZUHIRO NOGI, Kazuo Ueda Organizations: Bank of Japan, The Bank of Japan, Getty, Toyota Locations: Tokyo, AFP

☆ Documentary reveals stars including James Marsden and Alan Thicke wrote letters of support for the acting coach charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old Drake Bell
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Kate Taylor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The "Growing Pains" star Joanna Kerns told the producers of "Quiet on Set" that her letter was based on misinformation. He appeared in minor roles in the 1980s, '90s, and early aughts, including in the sitcoms "Growing Pains" and "Boy Meets World," the film adaptation of "Holes," and the blockbuster "X-Men." AdvertisementStrong and Friedle discussed their support of Peck on a February episode of "Pod Meets World," the "Boy Meets World" rewatch podcast they cohost with their former costar Danielle Fishel. The "Boy Meets World" actors said on the podcast that Peck acknowledged he was guilty of something involving a minor. They said that when they asked him about the case, Peck "simply replied that 'the problem had been resolved.'"

Persons: Drake Bell, Brian Peck's, Peck, Bell, " Peck, Maxine, James Marsden, Alan Thicke, Friedle, Rider Strong, Taran Killam, — Rich, Beth Correll —, Zack, Cody, Joanna Kerns, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dan Schneider, Drake, Josh, Strong, Danielle Fishel, Forrest Gump, Bell's, Dylan, Cole Sprouse, Rich Correll, Beth Correll, Corrells, Disney, Jason Handy, Kate Taylor, Mary Robertson, Emma Schwartz Organizations: Service, Kids, Maxine Productions, Hollywood, Disney, Nickelodeon, Los Angeles Times, Disney XD, Nickelodeon Studios, Ezell, Sony Pictures, Business Locations: Hollywood

☆ Karl Wallinger, Who Sang With World Party and the Waterboys, Dies at 66
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Clay Risen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Karl Wallinger, a Welsh singer-songwriter who helped define college radio in the 1980s and ’90s as a member of the Waterboys and the founder of World Party, died on Sunday at his home in Hastings, England. His daughter, Nancy Zamit, confirmed the death but did not provide a cause. Mr. Wallinger suffered a brain aneurysm in 2001 that forced him to stop performing for several years. Following on the heels of the post-punk, new wave and new romantic movements of the early 1980s, Mr. Wallinger embodied something of a throwback to the classical pop and folk styles of an earlier era, with music and lyrics influenced by the Beatles and Bob Dylan. Though he rejected the label “retro,” onstage he looked like a stylish hippie, with long stringy hair and tinted round glasses that would have fit in at Woodstock.

Persons: Karl Wallinger, Nancy Zamit, Wallinger, Bob Dylan Organizations: Waterboys, World Party, Beatles Locations: Welsh, Hastings , England, Woodstock

☆ FAA audit of Boeing's 737 Max production reportedly found 'dozens of issues'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An Alaska airlines Boeing 737 is taking off from Los Angeles International AirPort (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, on March 6, 2024. U.S. air safety regulators found "dozens of problems" at facilities owned by Boeing and one of its key suppliers after a six-week audit of the production of the 737 Max jet, according to The New York Times. The Federal Aviation Administration started the probe after a door panel blew off a 737 Max 9 flight on Alaska Airlines in early January, an incident that has attracted intense scrutiny of Boeing's quality-control practices. FAA auditors found that out of 89 product audits that were conducted, Boeing passed 56 tests and failed 33 of them, according to the report. During the six-week audit, the FAA also conducted 13 product audits that focused on Spirit AeroSystems, which makes fuselages for the Boeing 737 Max — of those, only six audits resulting in passing grades, and seven failed, the NYT said.

Persons: Max — Organizations: Boeing, Los Angeles International AirPort, The New York Times, Federal Aviation Administration, Max, Alaska Airlines, Times, FAA Locations: Alaska, Los Angeles , California

☆ Southeast Asia's smartphone market is booming so far this year as China remains sluggish, research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Smartphone shipments in Southeast Asia continued a resurgence at the start of 2024, contrasting to a lull in other regions, as the promising market for mobile makers continues to attract more brands and investment. The top five markets in the region saw 7.26 million smartphone units shipped, marking a significant 20% increase from the same period last year, according to research from technology market analyst firm Canalys published Wednesday. The results continue a market rebound that began in the fourth quarter of 2023 when Southeast Asia phone shipments increased year-over-year for the first quarter in almost two years amid a broader post-pandemic industry recovery. "To capitalize on this market resurgence, smartphone manufacturers, which adopted conservative strategies in the last six months, are now deploying aggressive tactics to gain market dominance," he said in the release, noting trends such as affordable 5G, AI integration, ecosystem development, and channel optimization. Xiaomi, the second largest phone brand by shipments in January for that region, saw year-on-year growth of 128%, while Transsion, a relative newcomer to the market, saw growth of 190%.

Persons: Canalys, Le Xuan Organizations: Samsung Locations: Surakarta, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

☆ Generative AI is the talk of the town, but businesses are still not ready for it, survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"There is a misconception about how easy it is to run mature, enterprise-ready, generative AI," said Stela Solar, Inaugural Director at Australia's National Artificial Intelligence Centre in the survey report. Meanwhile, 56% of the respondents said their IT investment budgets, in general, were a limiting factor in rolling out generative AI. Other barriers to generative AI adoption according to the survey respondents included the lack of relevant generative AI skills. Disruptors versus the disruptedStill, the survey reflected overall positive sentiments about the future role of generative AI in business. While six of 10 respondents expect generative AI to substantially disrupt their industry in the next five years, 78% see it as a competitive opportunity.

Persons: skilling, Chris Levanes, Laurence Liew, Geraldine Kor Organizations: Istock, MIT Technology, Telstra, Artificial Intelligence, South, MIT, Singapore, Telstra International Locations: Australia, South Asia, Singapore

☆ Right-wing boycotters take aim at another brand: Doritos
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRight-wing boycotters have set their sights on another major brand: Doritos. Representatives for Doritos, PepsiCo, and Hudson did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment. AdvertisementOn Tuesday, Doritos Spain announced it was cutting ties with Hudson because of comments she reportedly made that resurfaced online, Newsweek reported. Advertisement"I don't remember having written such barbarities," she wrote, according to a Rolling Stone translation. While brand boycotts are nothing new, experts previously told Business Insider that political polarization in the US, combined with culture wars and panic-stoking media coverage, have been gaining steam in recent years.

Persons: —, Samantha Hudson, Hudson, Doritos, Rolling Stone, BoycottDoritos, Dylan Mulvaney, aren't Organizations: Service, PepsiCo, Hudson, NBC News, Business, Doritos, Newsweek, Stone, Bud Light Locations: Spain, Doritos Spain, Spanish

☆ AMD reportedly hits U.S. regulatory roadblock for China-tailored chip
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A smartphone with a displayed AMD logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. The report said AMD designed the chip to have lower performance than its premium products in order to comply with U.S. export restrictions. But Bloomberg reported the Commerce Department did not clear the chip for sale in China because it was still too advanced. AMD will now have to obtain a license from the department's Bureau of Industry and Security, the report said. AMD and the Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment.

Persons: It's Organizations: Devices, Bloomberg, AMD, Commerce Department, department's Bureau of Industry, Security, Commerce's Bureau of Industry Locations: China, department's, U.S, Beijing

☆ The deep Biblical spirituality of Bob Marley’s music is being overlooked
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

They hiked, jet-skied and spent much of the time listening to Scott’s favorite musician, reggae superstar Bob Marley. He found refuge, though, in Marley’s music. “But Bob Marley’s music is what got us through. These Marley fans and scholars say it’s time to stop glossing over or editing out Marley’s “subversive spirituality.”“The Bible was as important to Marley’s music as his guitar,” MacNeil says. Actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays Marley in "Bob Marley: One Love," attends the movie's premiere on January 23, 2024, in Kingston, Jamaica.

Persons: CNN — Dean MacNeil couldn’t, “, MacNeil, Scott, Bob Marley, ”, Marley, ” MacNeil, Bob Marley’s, Rita Marley, Kingsley Ben, Adir, Marcus Ingram, Matthew, Jesus, Luke, Vivien Goldman, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, Goldman, King James Bible, Judah, Haile Selassie I, Selassie, “ Jah, it’s, “ He’s, ” Rastafarians, Collin Reid, Adam Hochschild, ” Hochschild, Deepak Sarma, ” Marley, Marcus Garvey, Marley’s, didn’t, White, ” Marley didn’t, Jamaicia, Angela Weiss, Gibson Les Paul, John Lennon, John Blake Organizations: CNN, Time, BBC, Getty, Case Western Reserve University, National, Forbes Locations: Connecticut, Vermont, Jamaica, Kingston , Jamaica, America, Jerusalem, British, Ethiopia, “ Bury, United Kingdom, Jamacia, Ohio, ganja, Jamaican, Africa, Miami, Trench, Hollywood, Kingston

☆ China might have a friendlier face now, but it's not giving up on its aggressive Wolf Warrior diplomacy, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The move has also fueled speculation about the end of Wolf Warrior diplomacy. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty ImagesChina is also aware that the shock value of Wolf Warrior diplomacy brings diminishing returns. "I think the limits of wolf warrior diplomacy are apparent," Loh said. The Wolf Warrior will be backThat said, Wolf Warrior diplomacy will return, depending on the issue at hand, said Loh. LEAH MILLIS/Getty ImagesSo why did Liu tell reporters and academics in New York that Wolf Warrior diplomacy would never return?

Persons: —, Liu Jianchao, Liu, China's, Antony Blinken, ROBERTO SCHMIDT, Ian Ja Chong, Chong, Zhao Lijian, Zhao, Rather, Stanley Rosen, Rosen, you'll, Zhao dismissively, Nancy Pelosi's, Anthony Kwan, Pan Chengxin, Donald Trump's, Pan, Dylan Loh, Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, Loh, Qin Gang, LEAH MILLIS Organizations: Service, Communist Party's International Department, of Foreign, Business, US, AFP, Getty, National University of Singapore, Foreign Ministry, University of Southern, China Institute, U.S . House, Deakin University, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, Getty Images, Chinese Foreign Locations: New York, China, West . China, Beijing, University of Southern California's US, Maryland, Ukraine, Weibo, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, Gaza, AFP, Getty Images China, West

☆ Over 60% of illegal crypto activity is tied to sanctioned groups or terrorist organizations, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The American blockchain analysis firm's "2024 Crypto Crime Report" found that $24.2 billion of illicit cryptocurrency was transferred in 2023, based on already identified illicit crypto wallets. Chainalysis retroactively updates its yearly crypto figures when new illicit wallets come to light. watch nowCrypto to avert sanctionsEntities like the crypto "mixer" Tornado Cash and Garantex took the lion's share of illicit funds in 2023. The amount of crypto transferred to sanctioned entities has climbed in recent years in tandem with a greater share of new trade restrictions specifying crypto wallets. Terrorist financingIllicit crypto volume identified by Chainalysis as terrorist financing accounted for a much smaller proportion than that of transactions to sanctioned entities in 2022.

Persons: Andrea Gacki, cryptocurrency, Chainalysis, Andrew Fierman, Garantex, Tornado Cash, Lazarus, Lazarus Group ., Sinbad.io, Chanalysis's Fierman, Tawfiq Muhammad Said Al, Law's, Hayat Tahrir Organizations: Foreign Assets, U.S . Department of, Treasury, Bloomberg, Getty, Hezbollah, CNBC, Tornado, Lazarus Group, U.S . Office, Foreign, Lazarus, National Bureau for, Iran's Quds Force, Al, ISIS, Hayat Locations: New York, Korean, Chainalysis, China, Latin America, North Korea, Iran, Iran's Quds, Syria, cryptocurrency

☆ It's not just Nvidia: The AI boom could create semiconductor jobs across the US and reduce reliance on risky Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The demand for Nvidia's AI chips could bolster job growth across the semiconductor industry. It could also help bring more semiconductor chip manufacturing stateside and reduce the US's reliance on Taiwan — which remains vulnerable to Chinese invasion that would wreak havoc on the global economy. AdvertisementEven without the AI boom, the semiconductor industry was already poised for big job gains in the near future. Of the 115,000 US new semiconductor jobs the Semiconductor Industry Association is projecting by 2030, it said roughly 67,000 of these positions risk going unfilled given current college degree completion rates. In an effort to prevent a worker shortage, community colleges and universities across the country have partnered with semiconductor companies.

Persons: —, Pat Gelsinger, It's, who've, TSMC, Syed Alam, Ed Kaste, GlobalFoundries, Mark Muro, Muro, Jensen Huang, hasn't, Dylan Patel, SemiAnalysis, Patel, Accenture's Alam, Alam Organizations: Nvidia, TSMC, Service, Deloitte, Semiconductor Industry Association, Accenture, Meta, Intel, AMD, Brookings Institution, Samsung, Google, IBM, Lam Research, Materials, KLA Corporation Locations: Taiwan, Arizona

☆ Bud Light boycott likely cost Anheuser-Busch InBev over $1 billion in lost sales
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The world’s largest brewer may have lost as much as $1.4 billion in sales because of the backlash to its brief partnership with a transgender influencer to promote Bud Light beer. Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) reported record revenues for 2023 Thursday but said its “full growth potential was constrained” by its US business, where sales were hurt by a boycott of Bud Light over a sponsored Instagram post with Dylan Mulvaney. In North America, organic revenue, seen as the best measure of operating performance, plunged $1.4 billion last year as beer sales by volume tumbled in the region, primarily due to a decline in Bud Light sales in the United States. Bud Light sales tanked after the company’s partnership with Mulvaney sparked an anti-trans backlash and calls for a boycott. The firestorm saw Mexican lager Modelo Especial dethrone Bud Light last May as America’s top-selling beer, a title the brand had held for more than two decades.

Persons: BUD, Bud Light, Dylan Mulvaney, Beer, Mulvaney, Bud, Aarin, Hargreaves, ” Organizations: London CNN, Bud, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Bud Light, Modelo, “, Teamsters, InBev, InBev’s, Budweiser Brewing Company Locations: North America, United States, InBev’s Asia, Hong Kong, South Korea, China

☆ I worked as a Starbucks barista for over a year. Here are 9 signs you're about to get a bad drink.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Dylan Clair | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

As someone who worked as a Starbucks barista for over a year, here are some of the biggest red flags to look out for. It's not always wise to mobile-order a drink with cold foam or shaken espressoCold foam won't last that long on top of a drink. Mary Meisenzahl/InsiderCold-foam cold brews have boomed in popularity over the past few years — pumpkin cold foam, Irish-cream cold foam, almond milk-honey cold foam, the list goes on. A little mixing can taste nice, but you lose the texture of the cold foam, which is a delight in itself. The same principle applies to any shaken espresso drink.

Persons: Baristas, —, aren't, Mary Meisenzahl, barista, I'm, It's, Ramin Talaie, Getty, it's, that's, Sarah Jackson, I've Organizations: Starbucks, Service

☆ I Trafficked $5 Million Worth of Cocaine Internationally
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Dylan Brzezinski | Ju Shardlow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pieter Tritton, a former cocaine smuggler, returns for a second interview with Business Insider about his experience trafficking drugs from South America to the United Kingdom. Tritton says he started selling cocaine in the illegal rave scene in the UK in the 2000s. The National Crime Agency estimates the UK cocaine market is worth $13.8 billion, or £11 billion, a year. In the year ending March 2023, over 92 metric tons of illegal drugs were seized by police and Border Force, the highest volume since 2003 to 2004. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Pieter Tritton, Tritton, Garcia Moreno, El Organizations: Business, Crime Agency, Border Force Locations: South America, United Kingdom, Europe, Ecuador, Quito, Litoral Penitentiary, Guayaquil

Search resuls for: "Dylan"

25 mentions found