DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ The Star Wars timeline: All movies and shows in chronological order
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

These details are pulled from the official “Star Wars” resources “Ultimate Star Wars” and “Star Wars Character Encyclopedia,” as well as experts from outlets like USA Today and the AV Club. ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (animated series)Ahsoka is Anakin's padawan in "The Clone Wars," and he lovingly calls her "Snips." ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’"Solo" shows how Han and Chewie became best friends. ‘Star Wars Rebels’Kanan Jarrus, Zeb Orrelios and Sabine Wren take on the Empire in "Star Wars Rebels." ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’Heroes attempt to find the plans to blow up the Death Star in "Rogue One."

☆ Apple’s balance sheet is golden and delicious
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But for Apple (AAPL.O), the sharp change in monetary conditions is golden and delicious. The iPhone maker said on Thursday that it ended the first quarter with cash and saleable investments $57 billion greater than its debts. That’s nearly enough to cover its newly-raised dividend for a year, and $90 billion buyback program, without touching the balance sheet. While the first two initiatives sit on Goldman’s balance sheet, the buy-now-pay-later product sits on Apple’s. Apple had $57 billion more in cash and saleable securities on its balance sheet than its debts at the end of the quarter.

☆ Ron DeSantis is polling at RFK Jr.'s level
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ron DeSantis has spent the past few months running to the right ahead of his expected entry into the 2024 Republican presidential primary campaign. So far at least, those efforts have not paid off in Republican primary polling, with DeSantis falling further behind the current front-runner, former President Donald Trump. Early polling problemsThe Fox poll is not alone in showing DeSantis floundering. Candidates polling the way DeSantis is now have gone on to win about 20% of the time. Moderates and liberals made up about 30% of potential Republican primary voters in the Quinnipiac poll.

☆ Opinion | How the Oklahoma City Bombing Case (and the O.J. Simpson Case) Shaped Merrick Garland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jeffrey Toobin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A few days after he arrived in Oklahoma, Mr. Garland served as prosecutor in Mr. McVeigh’s bail hearing. The Justice Department was embarrassed by its failure to catch the mysterious perpetrator, and Ms. Gorelick told Mr. Garland to take over, which he did. For the trials of Mr. McVeigh and Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing, Mr. Garland helped select a prosecution team led by Joseph Hartzler and Larry Mackey, who never became as famous as the O.J. A fair verdict on Mr. Garland should await the outcome of Mr. Smith’s work. (In my interview with him, Mr. Garland not only refused to draw any comparisons between Mr. McVeigh and the Capitol rioters but also refused even to utter the words “January 6.”)

☆ George Santos' campaign has refunded more money this year than it received in contributions, finance disclosures show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. George Santos' campaign has refunded more money this year than it received, FEC filings show. His campaign refunded just over $8,000 — $3,000 more than it got in donor contributions in Q1 2023. The most recent financial disclosures, which were filed over the weekend, reveal that Santos' campaign received just $5,333.26 in individual contributions in the first quarter of 2023. But in the same period the campaign refunded $8,352.78 to at least four individuals, resulting in a loss of $3,019.52. The filings also showed that the campaign had $715,000 in debts and obligations, owing the money to Santos himself.

☆ Inside the Rise and Fall of Kittyhawk, Larry Page's Failed Flying Car Company
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

Killing off projects had become something of a tradition at Kittyhawk, the secretive flying-car startup launched by the Google cofounder Larry Page. Larry Page has used his Google money to found a series of flying car companies with one common goal: "to free the world of traffic." "When Bloomberg did their original exposé, that's when urban air mobility became a thing," a former Kittyhawk employee recalled. Everyone thought: If Larry Page is in this space, there must be something here." Interpreting "Larry-isms" or "learning to speak Larry" were essential skills for any Kittyhawk employee who wanted to retain their sanity.

LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - A year on from the nickel crisis the London Metal Exchange (LME) is still struggling to regain trading momentum. Volumes dropped sharply after the controversial decision to suspend nickel trading and cancel trades. In this subdued metals trading landscape there are currently two unlikely star performers: London lead and Shanghai tin. The Shanghai nickel contract took a big collateral hit from the LME's crisis and volumes remain depressed, down by half year-on-year in the first quarter. ShFE volumes year-on-year change in Q1 2023LEAD GETS INDEX BOOSTERThe two metallic stand-outs in terms of first-quarter trading activity were LME lead and ShFE tin.

☆ Google's AI chatbot Bard is still being rushed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google contractors say they don't have enough time to verify correct answers from the company's AI chatbot, Bard. Bard got off to a less-than-ideal start when it gave an incorrect answer at Google's launch event earlier this year. Some of the contractors told Insider that they just aren't given enough time to corroborate and check the most accurate answer. Google CEO said he sticks to fun and creative questions with Google's Bard AI chatbot. Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, told The New York Times that he learned through trial and error what type of questions to ask Google's AI chatbot.

☆ The US is bleeding tech workers to other countries — it needs to move fast or risk falling behind.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US is losing tech workers to other countries. And so, many tech workers are opting to move and work there instead of the US. Plus, many of these countries are making their immigration systems easier for tech workers. My teammates Emilia David and Paayal Zaveri break down how the US is on the brink of losing an entire generation of tech workers. And it showed that Boomers and Gen Z both love many of the same cars, including the Toyota RAV4.

☆ Female leadership in tech is falling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Mikaela Cohen | Kevin Travers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

With the backdrop of Women's History Month, Tacy Byham, chief executive officer of DDI, an international human resources and leadership development consultancy company, says it's no surprise the number of women in tech leadership roles is still low. Her company's research over the past 20 years shows that while the number of women in technology leadership roles has been rising, it's only ever reached 33%. But across the entire tech sector, the percentage of women in tech leadership roles is trending down, currently at 28%, according to DDI's 2023 Global Leadership Forecast, which surveyed 1,827 human resources professionals and 13,695 business leaders from over 1,500 companies around the world. Compounding the problem is the fact that on average, most companies don't offer leadership training to employees until nearly four years after they start their role. "These tasks don't always give them the points they need to help them move from a mid-level leader to an executive-level leader," she said.

☆ Top US general says it will be really hard and cost a lot of 'blood and treasure' for Ukraine to 'kick out every single Russian' invader
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The top US general believes Russia's war in Ukraine will likely end at the negotiating table. It'll cost Ukraine a lot of "blood and treasure" and be really difficult to expel all the invading Russians, he said. "At some point people will figure out that the cost of continuing to execute this war through military means is extraordinarily challenging. "But there's also the practical matter of being able to physically kick out every single Russian out of all of Ukraine," he continued. "That's really hard to do militarily, and it's an enormous cost in blood and treasure."

☆ Looking for higher yields? These short-term bond ETFs come out on top
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Treasury yields are taking markets by storm. Investors with those preferences have also been flocking to short-term Treasury exchange-traded funds with durations of one to three years. Some examples include Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF and the Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF. Top-rated, short-term bond ETFs But there's another corner of the short-term bond market with yields that could go even higher. CNBC Pro screened for top-rated, ultra-short term bond funds using Morningstar data.

☆ How US-supplied shells crammed with anti-tank mines helped defeat a brigade of Russian marines in the battle for Vuhledar
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's unexpected use of remote mines helped give it the upper hand in fighting in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has been using US-supplied remote anti-armor mines fired in shells to destroy Russian tanks. The US has sent Ukraine at least 7,200 RAAM shells in its aid packages. Russian forces have struggled to counter Ukraine's mines, particularly RAAM shells raining from above. Despite multiple assaults, Russian forces appear to be floundering and facing mounting losses as Ukraine continues to push back.

☆ Apple and Meta's cold war over privacy is coming to a head
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Do you know any marketing/ad execs who are figuring out how to use generative AI? But experts told my teammate Paayal Zaveri that Meta needs to entirely reinvent its advertising model to escape Apple. Microsoft's new ChatGPT-powered Bing loves to pick fights and sling insults — and people are sharing their wild, wild, wild experiences with the chatbot. Generative AI like ChatGPT can do these side-hustles for you. Freelancers are relying on generative AI to increase their productivity and take on more projects.

☆ Putin's new recruits filling gaps in a decimated Russian unit keep bunching up into a 'pile of people' in battle, making them easy targets, Ukrainian troops say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The small mining town of Vuhledar is the site of ongoing fighting as Russia aims to take more territory. Ukraine's 72nd Mechanized Brigade, an armored unit, has been leading Vuhledar's defense, aided by members of the country's 68th Jaeger infantry brigade, The Guardian reported. "We can see very clearly that they're poorly trained," a senior lieutenant who goes by the call sign of Tykhyi, told The Guardian. The new recruits often "gather in one pile of people" making them easy to target, Tykhyi, 23, told The Guardian. One Ukrainian estimate cited by The Guardian suggested Russia is losing 17 soldiers for each slain Ukrainian defender.

☆ Satellite photos show carnage in Vuhledar where Russian losses are mounting amid Ukrainian defense
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia continues to face failure and losses in the Donetsk region near the town of Vuhledar. Satellite images show what three months of fighting in the region have done to the land. Satellite image ©2023 Maxar TechnologiesPetrivka: AfterAn aerial shot of Petrivka on Feb. 10, 2023. Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies PetrivkaUkrainian forces continue to push back against Russia's head-on attacks near Vuhledar. Armored vehicles near the treeline of VuhledarArmored vehicles deployed along tree line southeast of Vuhledar on Feb. 8, 2023.

Surging Shanghai metal stocks have injected an element of doubt into the bull narrative and the LME Index is now showing year-to-date gains of only 3% after a February pull-back. Shanghai Futures Exchange stocks of aluminium, copper and zincSEASONAL SURGEMetals bulls have been nervously watching the fast build in Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) stocks over the past few weeks. Copper stocks have grown equally dramatically, from 69,268 tonnes to 242,009 tonnes over the same period. It is currently assessed by Shanghai Metal Market at a bombed-out $22.50 a tonne, down from an October high of $152.50. WAIT AND WATCHIt's difficult to say until China's seasonal stocks pattern plays out in full.

☆ Russia is expected to launch a new Ukraine offensive, but it faces a familiar obstacle: Mud
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesUkraine and many Western analysts believe Russia is on the precipice of launching a new, large-scale offensive but it's likely to encounter a familiar obstacle: mud. Ukrainian servicemen push a car stuck in mud on a field road on the frontline in Donetsk region, on December 17, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesUkraine has urgent, pressing problems to contend with before the mud arrives with its forces observing Russian forces slowly but surely approaching and encircling the Donetsk city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian tankers near an undisclosed front line position in eastern Ukraine on Nov. 28, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yevhen Titov | Afp | Getty Images

☆ Fact Check-Video of people damaging ATM machines is years old
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A 30-second video of people damaging ATM machines has been falsely claimed online to show violence in Nigeria ahead of a government deadline for citizens to swap their banknotes. Shared on Facebook and Twitter between Feb. 8-9, the video shows a group of people using planks to break a row of ATMs. On Feb. 8, Nigeria’s Supreme Court suspended the deadline as the International Monetary Fund flagged disruptions to trade and payments. The video, however, is unrelated to the note swap deadline. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

☆ U.S. trade deficit widens; goods exports at 10-month low
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The trade deficit increased 10.5% to $67.4 billion, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. The trade deficit widened to a record $948.1 billion in 2022 from $845.0 billion in 2021. Consumer goods exports fell $1.0 billion, but food exports rose $0.7 billion. A smaller trade deficit was one of the contributors to the economy's 2.9% annualized growth pace in the fourth quarter. "The economy isn't floundering, but it is unlikely to pick up much speed looking at today's trade deficit data."

☆ Huawei turns to patents for a lifeline — including those in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In 2022, Huawei announced it signed more than 20 new or extended licensing agreements for its patents. But the sheer number of patents filed meant Huawei ranked fourth last year by the number of patent grants in the U.S., IFI said. For Huawei, licensing its patents to other companies has the potential to claw back a bit of that revenue. Huawei did not break down specific figures, and only said it met its intellectual property revenue expectations for 2021. "I don't think they had a choice in terms of sort of boosting their licensing revenue."

[1/2] A man is reflected in an electronic board showing Britain's FTSE 100 outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Toru HanaiLONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index hit a record high on Friday, in what could mark a potential turning point for UK assets, which have been dogged by a floundering economy. The FTSE 100 rose to 7,906.58 at 1545 GMT, surpassing a previous record high of 7,903.50 hit on May 22 2018. "Is it realistic that the FTSE being at an all-time high when we consider the state of the UK economy? The FTSE 100 closed Friday up 1.04% higher and has rallied 4.9% so far this year.

☆ TikTok's opposite approach to Instagram is winning the social media race.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This is pretty bleak for tech workers who were living large this time last year. TikTok's algorithm takes an opposite approach with spontaneous discovery, keeping users engaged for longer — and less likely to check Instagram. This creates a Catch-22 for the company, Chris adds. Its original model successfully captured a loyal and engaged audience, but is now an outdated approach for a social media platform. The chicken spot's snaking drive-thru made it a hazard to pedestrians, so a local North Carolina city ordered its demolition.

“If it’s a room of five people, Anita and Bob are two of them,” said a former White House aide, who asked to remain anonymous because the person was not authorized to speak on the record about White House business. The White House declined to comment for this piece. The group of White House aides that were looped in on the discovery immediately was slightly larger and included Dunn, this person said. “Whatever strategy they had has not served him well — the lack of transparency from November to January,” said a second former White House official. Bauer, who didn’t join the administration, has acted as a sounding board for White House lawyers on potential hires.

☆ Everton name former Burnley boss Dyche as new manager
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIVERPOOL, England, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Everton have named former Burnley boss Sean Dyche as their new manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract until June 2025, replacing Frank Lampard, the Premier League club announced on Monday. "It's an honour to become Everton manager. My staff and I are ready and eager to help get this great club back on track," Dyche said in a statement. He was the longest-serving English top flight manager when he was relieved of his duties as Burnley headed towards relegation last season. Dyche had previously coached Watford for one season in 2011-12 before joining Burnley.

Search resuls for: "floundering"

25 mentions found