DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Norfolk Southern’s Second Ohio Derailment Is Investigated
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | Costas Paris | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Officials on Sunday were investigating what caused a Norfolk Southern Corp. train to leave a track near Springfield, Ohio, in the company’s second derailment in the state in recent weeks. Unlike the Feb. 3 derailment near East Palestine, Ohio, which spilled toxic chemicals, no hazardous materials were aboard the train that went off track on Saturday, officials said.

☆ Biden and EU's von der Leyen to meet amid subsidies dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 2 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will discuss clean energy and supply chains with President Joe Biden in Washington on March 10, the White House said, as European nations worry that new U.S. subsidies will hurt their economies. "They will ... discuss U.S.-EU coordination to combat the climate crisis through investing in clean technology based on secure supply chains," the statement said. During a December visit by France's President Emmanuel Macron to the White House, Biden said that bills aimed at boosting U.S. renewable energy and the semiconductor industry have "glitches" that can be addressed. Washington and its allies have said in recent weeks that China was considering providing weapons to Russia, which Beijing denies. Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Writing by Costas Pitas; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Idled Ships, Empty Containers. Ocean Shipping Faces Its Biggest Slump in Years.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Costas Paris | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONG BEACH, Calif.—Global shipping executives are wrestling with plunging exports, falling freight rates and mounting suspense over whether the industry is headed for a price war. Traffic from China’s ports has slowed significantly, empty containers are stacked six high and trucks with no cargo dot the highway leading to the major terminals. The world’s largest box-ship operator plans to return dozens of chartered vessels to their owners.

☆ US State Department approves potential sale of F-16 munitions to Taiwan- Pentagon
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of F-16 munitions and related equipment to Taiwan in a deal valued at $619 million, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The Pentagon said Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) and Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) were the principal contractors. Reporting by Eric Beech and Costas PitasOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Eric ThayerMarch 2 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday added 37 companies to a trade blacklist, including units of Chinese genetics company BGI (300676.SZ) and Chinese cloud computing firm Inspur, in a move that promises to further ratchet up tensions with Beijing. The Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, added BGI Research and BGI Tech Solutions (Hongkong), over allegations that the units pose a "significant risk" to contributing to Chinese government surveillance. The Commerce Department accused Inspur of acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S. goods to support China's military modernization efforts. Commerce added 26 other Chinese entities to the list - which makes it hard for targeted companies to receive shipments of U.S. goods from suppliers. In 2020, the Commerce Department added two units of BGI Group, the world’s largest genomics company, to its economic blacklist over allegations it conducted genetic analyses used to further the repression of China’s minority Uyghurs.

☆ Fiery train collision kills 26, injures at least 85 in Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A cargo train and a passenger train collided in the Evangelismos area of Larissa, Greece on March 1, 2023. A passenger train and an oncoming freight train collided in a fiery wreck in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing 26 people and injuring at least 85, Fire Service officials said. Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the rail cars to search for trapped people. ... We're getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki had about 350 passengers on board when the collision occurred.

The move against Sun Ship and other offshore entities is the start of a broader campaign to keep Russia from finding offshore workarounds to sanctions. The European Union sanctioned a Dubai-based subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned shipping giant, the manager of dozens of oil tankers that ferry Russian oil and natural gas around the world. The sanctions targeting Sun Ship Management include an EU asset freeze and ban on financing the company, which the EU said is part of government-controlled shipping company Sovcomflot. EU officials discussed listing the company under a new power to go after companies or people that are knowingly helping Russia circumvent Western sanctions. In the end, however, it targeted the company as a subsidiary of Sovcomflot, which is generating revenue for Moscow.

The move against Sun Ship and other offshore entities is the start of a broader campaign to keep Russia from finding offshore workarounds to sanctions. The European Union sanctioned a Dubai-based subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned shipping giant, the first time it has used new powers to hit foreign-based entities that help Moscow circumvent Western restrictions. The sanctions target Sun Ship Management , the manager of dozens of oil tankers that ferry Russian oil and natural gas around the world. The new sanctions include an EU asset freeze and ban on financing the company, which the EU said is part of government-controlled shipping company Sovcomflot .

☆ 'Not rational' for China to negotiate outcome of Ukraine war -Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden told ABC News in an interview on Friday that the idea China would be negotiating the outcome of the Ukraine war was not rational, following the release of Beijing's peace plan for the conflict. Biden told ABC News on the one-year anniversary of the war. "The idea that China is going to be negotiating the outcome of a war that's a totally unjust war for Ukraine is just not rational." Biden also repeated comments that he would not be sending F-16s to Ukraine for now, saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not need the fighter jets for the moment. Reporting by Eric Beech and Costas Pitas; Editing by Sandra Maler and Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. transfers two Guantanamo Bay detainees to Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - The United States has transferred two brothers from the Guantanamo Bay U.S. detention facility in Cuba to Pakistan, bringing the total number of people held at Guantanamo down to 32, the Pentagon said on Thursday. There were 40 detainees when President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in 2021. The federal government is barred by law from transferring Guantanamo detainees to U.S. mainland prisons. "The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Pakistan and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility," the Pentagon said in a statement. A total of 32 detainees remain, of whom 18 are eligible for transfer, the Pentagon said in its statement.

☆ Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 'Rust' shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Actor Alec Baldwin entered a not guilty plea on Thursday to a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a fatal shooting on the New Mexico set of the film "Rust," court documents show. Baldwin made the plea while exercising his right to waive a first court appearance that was set for Friday, according to a court filing. New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies in January charged Baldwin and the movie's set armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. First assistant director Dave Halls also plead not guilty in a Thursday court filing in which he waived a Feb. 24 first court appearance. Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed now faces a maximum of 18 months in prison if convicted.

☆ Florida TV journalist fatally shot while reporting on a murder scene -police
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire on two television journalists reporting on a murder scene near Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, killing one and injuring the other, authorities said. The two journalists shot in Pine Hills, a suburb of Orlando, were a reporter and a photographer for central Florida cable TV outlet Spectrum News 13, which is owned by Charter Communications (CHTR.O), Mina said. The suspect, who has a lengthy arrest record, already has been charged with killing the woman in her 20s, who was shot in a vehicle hours earlier, Mina said. Mina said no motive had been determined for any of the shootings, but he said Moses was believed to be an acquaintance of the first victim. Reporting by Steve Gorman and Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Beech and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia isolated as U.N. marks one year of Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The United Nations overwhelmingly isolated Russia on Thursday, marking one year since Moscow invaded Ukraine by calling for a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace" and again demanding Moscow withdraw its troops and stop fighting. Just a day after China's top diplomat visited Moscow and pledged a deeper partnership with Russia, Beijing abstained on the vote - the fourth time it has done so on such action since the Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year. Six countries joined Russia to vote no - Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy dismised the action at the United Nations as "useless," posting on Twitter: "Will it bring peace? Western powers have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in weapons since Russia invaded.

☆ Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump subpoenaed in Capitol attack probe, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump have been subpoenaed by Special Counsel Jack Smith to testify before a federal grand jury regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith in November last year to take over two investigations involving Trump, who is running for president in 2024. The first probe involves Trump's handling of highly sensitive classified documents he retained at his Florida resort after leaving the White House in January 2021. Grand juries in Washington have been hearing testimony in recent months for both investigations from former top Trump administration officials. Ivanka Trump could not immediately be reached for comment.

WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he did not read into Vladimir Putin's decision to temporarily suspend participation in a nuclear arms treaty as a signal the Russian president was considering using nuclear weapons, even though the U.S. leader called it a "big mistake." But I don't read into that that he's thinking of using nuclear weapons or anything like that," Biden told ABC News in an interview. Putin earlier this week backed away from the New START arms control treaty - a 2010 agreement that limits the number of Russian and U.S. deployed strategic nuclear warheads - and warned that Moscow could resume nuclear tests. "The idea that somehow this means they're thinking of using nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missile, there's no evidence of that," Biden said. Moscow has demanded that British and French nuclear weapons targeted against Russia be included in the arms control framework, a position seen as a non-starter for Washington after over half a century of bilateral nuclear treaties with Russia.

[1/2] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the bilateral meeting at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany February 17, 2023. Michael Probst/Pool via REUTERSFeb 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris discussed challenges posed by China with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and agreed to remain closely aligned during meetings with the leaders in Munich, the White House said on Friday. Harris "discussed challenges posed by the People's Republic of China, including the importance of upholding the rules-based order, and agreed to remain closely aligned," the White House said in a statement. Harris defended the United States' handling of the balloon incident and the shooting down of three other unidentified objects. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly demanded that foreign officials not visit the democratically governed island.

But U.S. and Canadian authorities also announced they had called off searches for three unidentified objects shot down over last weekend, without locating any debris. The last of the debris from the Chinese balloon, which was downed by a Sidewinder missile, is heading to an FBI laboratory in Virginia for analysis, the U.S. military's Northern Command said. Reuters was first to report the conclusion of the recovery efforts for the suspected Chinese spy balloon, which were halted on Thursday. Kirby said the United States had already learned a lot about the balloon by observing it as it flew over the United States. "We will maintain the perspective that we have in terms of what should be the relationship between China and the United States," she said.

☆ Pentagon's top China official travels to Taiwan, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018. Speaking earlier, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said he was "not very certain" about a report that the trip would take place. Chase would be the most senior U.S. defence official known to have visited the island since 2019. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly demanded that foreign officials not visit the democratically governed island. In 2020, a two-star Navy admiral overseeing U.S. military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region made an unannounced visit to Taiwan.

☆ Former Trump Chief of Staff Meadows subpoenaed in Capitol attack probe -CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows greets supporters in front of senior aide Cassidy Hutchinson during a presidential campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Newtown, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File PhotoFeb 15 (Reuters) - Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff to ex-U.S. President Donald Trump, has been subpoenaed as part of a probe by Special Counsel Jack Smith regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the matter. Smith's office wants documents and testimony related to Jan. 6, and Meadows received the subpoena in January, the report added. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith in November last year to take over two investigations involving Trump, who is running for president in 2024. Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/6] A firefighter walks at a car park near an apartment block that was heavily damaged by a missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 15, 2023. "Even the more fortified second line of defence of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military." Later on Wednesday, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar said Russian forces were mounting "round-the-clock" assaults on government positions, without specifying where. Near Bakhmut, Russian forces fired on more than 15 towns and villages, including the city itself, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its evening report. Russia calls the invasion a "special military operation" against security threats, saying NATO shows hostility to Russia daily and is growing more involved in the conflict.

"The enemy's offensive continues in the east, (with) round-the-clock attacks," Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said. Earlier, the Russian Defence Ministry said Ukrainian forces had retreated in the face of Russian operations in the Luhansk region, although it gave no details and Reuters was not able to verify this and other battlefield reports. "Even the more fortified second line of defence of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military." BAKHMUT ATTACKSRussia's main effort has been an artillery and ground onslaught on the city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk. Russian forces have launched attacks on several settlements, including Paraskoviivka on the northern approaches to Bakhmut, over the past day, Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said.

☆ U.S. backs Philippines in laser dispute with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 13 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday said it stood with the Philippines after Manila accused China's coast guard of using a laser to try to disrupt a resupply mission to troops in the South China Sea. "The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Coast Guard's reported use of laser devices against the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard ship on February 6 in the South China Sea," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. China's foreign ministry said its coast guard conducted actions according to the law. Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Zelenskiy urges speedy help from allies as Russia pounds Ukraine's east
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Much of Russia's artillery fire was focused on Bakhmut, a bombed-out city in Donetsk province and a principal target for President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy said Russia was in a hurry to achieve as much as it could with its latest push before Ukraine and its allies could gather strength. Speed saves people's lives, speed brings back security, and I thank all our partners who realize that speed is important." Russian forces had made incremental progress in their assault on Bahkmut, White House spokesperson John Kirby said. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russian forces would not be able to capture the town anytime soon.

☆ New Russian offensive underway in Ukraine, says NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian defenders, who have already held out for months, were braced for new ground attacks, Ukrainian military officials said on Monday. The Russian assault on Bakhmut has been spearheaded by mercenaries of the Wagner group, who have made small but steady gains. The Ukrainian military reported Russian shelling all along the frontline and said 16 settlements had been bombarded near Bakhmut. The Ukrainian governors of Luhansk and Donetsk have recently said that a predicted Russian offensive had begun. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, in what it calls a "special military operation" to "denazify" the country and protect Russian speakers.

[1/2] Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, U.S., October 19, 2022. Pence was issued a subpoena by special counsel Jack Smith, though the nature of the request was not immediately known, ABC News reported, citing sources. The first probe involves Trump's handling of highly sensitive classified documents he retained at his Florida resort after leaving the White House in January 2021. Last month, Garland named a separate special counsel, Robert Hur, to probe the improper storage of classified documents at President Biden's home and former office. In late January, Pence said he was not aware though he takes "full responsibility" after classified documents were found at his Indiana home.

Search resuls for: "Costas"

25 mentions found