DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Opinion: ‘A nasty smell that lingers in the nostrils.’ What it’s really like inside Italy’s hellish heatwave
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Opinion Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But this year the usual “solleone” (an Italian term used to indicate the hottest summer days) is overwhelming. The dizzying heat is expected to peak early this week, with temperatures climbing above 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). It’s not just Italy suffering, with the giant oven of hot air blasting other parts of southern Europe, like Greece and Spain. Experts are warning temperatures might even break the continent’s record of 48.8 degrees Celsius (118.4 degrees Fahrenheit), set two years ago. A sign outside a pharmacy in Rome displays 45 degrees Celsius (118.4 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures as Italy -- and southern Europe -- braces for even higher numbers this week.

Persons: Silvia Marchetti, Read, it’s, Silvia Marchetti Silvia Marchetti, It’s, Guglielmo Mangiapane, –, Riccardo De Luca, ’, Dante, I’ve Organizations: CNN, Italy CNN, Anadolu Agency, Twitter, Facebook, Housewives Locations: Rome, Capena, Italy, Europe, Greece, Spain, Italian, Roman, UAE

☆ BridgeBio's heart disease drug meets late-stage study goal, shares soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Khushi Mandowara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 17 (Reuters) - BridgeBio Pharma Inc's (BBIO.O) experimental drug for a rare heart disease showed significant improvement in patients in a late-stage study, sending its shares surging 65% on Monday. BridgeBio's drug improved survival by 81% in the study patients compared to 74% on the placebo, and also reduced frequency of heart disease-related hospitalization by 50%. The California-based company also provided additional data comparing it with Pfizer's drug. Acoramidis showed 92% improvement on heart failure test, compared to patients on placebo and Pfizer's drug at 30 months. The additional data suggests that BridgeBio's drug was better than tafamidis in controlling the disease, said TD Cowen analyst Tyler Van Buren.

Persons: acoramidis, Acoramidis, Cowen, Tyler Van, Luca Issi, BridgeBio, BridgeBio's, Khushi, Nivedita Bhattacharjee Organizations: BridgeBio Pharma, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Ionis Pharmaceutical, RBC Capital, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: U.S, California, Tyler Van Buren, Bengaluru

ATHENS/ROME, July 13 (Reuters) - Southern Europe sweltered under a fierce heatwave on Thursday, with a warning that temperatures could hit record highs for the continent next week. Health authorities issued a top, red alert warning for 10 Italian cities for the next two days, including Rome, Florence, Bologna and Perugia. Weather forecasts and official records are based on the air temperature which is significantly lower than the land surface reading. The record European temperature of 48.8C was registered in Sicily in August 2021 and could be exceeded next week, according to the European Space Agency. "With this solitude and this heat emergency, we see an explosive mix," he told a press conference.

Persons: Europe's sweltering, Luca Lombroso, Marco Impagliazzo, It's, Michele Kambas, Pietro Lombardi, Emma Pinedo, Keith Weir, Crispian Balmer, Emelia Organizations: Italian Meteorological Society, Health, Agency's Sentinel, European Space Agency, Catholic, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, ROME, Southern Europe, Islands, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Athens, Europe's, Lodi, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Perugia, Spain, Extremadura, Sicily

CNN —A blistering and deadly heat wave in Italy this week could break records, with temperatures predicted to soar past 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some parts of the country. The warning comes on the heels of a report published in Nature on Monday, which found that last year’s heat wave killed 61,672 people in Europe. The heat wave is also affecting other European countries including France, Germany and Spain. This heat wave follows another one in Spain in April, which saw temperatures soar to 38.8 degrees Celsius, smashing the previous national monthly record. Scientists found that this heat wave – which also affected Portugal, Morocco and Algeria – was made 100 times more likely by the human-caused climate crisis.

Persons: ” Luca Mercalli, Nicola Fratoianni, ” Fratoianni, Giuseppe Napolitano, Emanuele Perrone, Mercalli, Gregorio Borgia, Cerberus, Algeria – Organizations: CNN, Italian Meteorological Society, Twitter, Health Locations: Italy, Italian, Lodi, Rome, Tempio Pausania, Sardinia, Europe, Florence, Bologna, Nature, United States, Sicily, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria

[1/4] Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Venus of the Rags' is displayed in Piazza Municipio before being destroyed in a fire, in Naples, Italy July 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ciro De LucaROME, July 12 (Reuters) - An open-air installation of "Venus of the Rags", one of the most famous works by Italian contemporary artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, was destroyed by an arson attack in Naples, Mayor Gaetano Manfredi said on Wednesday. The "Venus of the Rags", a symbol of the Arte Povera movement which counts Pistoletto among its leading members, shows the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility standing next to a pile of rags. The installation, first created in 1967, is meant to convey the juxtaposition between eternal beauty, represented by the goddess Venus, and modern society's social degradation and consumerism. Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Michelangelo Pistoletto's, Ciro De Luca ROME, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Gaetano Manfredi, Manfredi, Venus, Adnkronos, Pistoletto, Raissa Kasolowsky Organizations: REUTERS, Arte, Thomson Locations: Italian, Piazza Municipio, Naples, Italy, Piazza del

☆ Tsitsipas brothers ousted by French teenagers in first round
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Pritha Sarkar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 9 (Reuters) - Stefanos Tsitsipas and his younger brother Petros finally got a chance to finish off their first-round Wimbledon doubles match that started on Friday but, unfortunately for the Greek duo, their day out on Sunday proved to be short and not very sweet. Stranded at one set apiece when they were called off court on day five of the championships, the Greek duo emerged second best after they were beaten 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 by French teenagers Arthur Fils and Luca Van Assche. It is unlikely Apostolos would have approved of what he saw next as the young French duo then streaked through to win the next six games, ending the Tsitsipas challenge with a volley winner. While 19-year-olds Fils and Van Assche celebrated with a leaping chest bump, the Tsitsipas brothers had to make do with the look of irritation they were given by dad Apostolos. Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, editing by Clare FallonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tsitsipas, Petros, Arthur Fils, Luca Van Assche, Serbia's Laslo, Apostolos, Van Assche, Pritha Sarkar, Clare Fallon Organizations: Wimbledon, All England Club, Thomson

[1/5] Firefighters work at the scene following a fire in a retirement home in Milan, Italy, July 7, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia GrecoMILAN, July 7 (Reuters) - An overnight fire in a retirement home in Milan killed six people and injured around 80, including three who are in a critical condition, Italian authorities said on Friday. Two residents burned to death in their room, while four others died from intoxication, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said, speaking to reporters on the scene. Having said that, six dead is a very heavy death toll," Sala said, indicating that the facility housed 167 people. They evacuated about 80 people, including many in wheelchairs, while another 80 or so were taken to hospital, local firefighters' chief Nicola Miceli told RAI public television.

Persons: Claudia Greco MILAN, Giuseppe Sala, Sala, Firefighters, Luca Cari, Nicola Miceli, Lucia, Giselda Vagnoni, Keith Weir Organizations: REUTERS, Milan, Firefighters, RAI, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, Corvetto

☆ A Year After July 4 Parade Shooting, Some Americans Rethink Big Gatherings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Julie Bosman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Luca and Lennyn Fantasia, ages 7 and 5, were bouncing around the Park Ridge, Ill., Memorial Day parade in May in giddy holiday mode. They wore red, white and blue outfits, admired the marching band and darted in the street to scoop up hard candy. Their parents, Megan and John, were quietly discussing whether it was safe to even be there. “The kids love this kind of stuff,” she said. But is it really worth it?”Americans will gather in packed, public celebrations around the country on Tuesday, in both big cities and small towns, marking the Fourth of July with festivals, Main Street parades and fireworks shows.

Persons: Luca, Lennyn, Megan, John, “, ” Locations: Ill

☆ Zaslav brings in Spielberg, Scorsese, Anderson to help curate TCM film lineup after shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Warner Bros. "This unique arrangement, initiated by David Zaslav, reflects his commitment to honoring the TCM legacy while also involving us on curation and programming." The inclusion of the filmmakers came after Warner Bros. Part of that was a major shakeup at TCM, recognized as a place for preservation of classic films and a carefully curated lineup augmented by guest star introductions. The changes had caused concern among movie buffs and those dedicated to film preservation, who voiced their distress on social media.

Persons: Steven Spielberg, helmer Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy, Mike, Pam, David Zaslav, Charles Tabesh Organizations: Warner Bros, Turner, TCM, Discovery

☆ Renault CEO says free float of future electric unit will be more than 10%
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 27 (Reuters) - A sizeable chunk of Renault's (RENA.PA) planned electric vehicle spinoff could remain in free float on the stock market, its CEO said in an interview published on Tuesday, declining comment on any further strategic investor who would join partners Qualcomm and Nissan (7201.T). "We need to leave some free float, because we still want to retain a significant majority ourselves", Luca De Meo told business daily La Tribune. "Porsche has left 10% free float, and I think that we are aiming for a higher percentage, a minority, but sufficient to ensure liquidity", he added, referring to the luxury carmaker's $72 billion stockmarket debut last year, the biggest in Germany since 1996. Sources have said Renault's future electric vehicle unit, Ampere, could be valued at up to 10 billion euros ($10.96 billion). And we have created a solid and excellent relationship with Makoto Uchida (...)."

Persons: Luca De Meo, Ampere, De Meo, Makoto Uchida, Tassilo Hummel Organizations: Qualcomm, Nissan, La Tribune, Porsche, Thomson Locations: Germany

☆ Rossi sees Reynolds' winning touch boosting Alpine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ENSTONE, England, June 27 (Reuters) - Renault-owned Alpine believe Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds has the Midas Touch to help get the team back to the top in Formula One. "Most of you were probably expecting Ryan Reynolds," Otro Capital founder and partner Alec Scheiner jokingly told analysts at Alpine's Enstone factory for a strategy presentation. Alpine chief executive Laurent Rossi pointed to Reynolds' track record in business. Rossi said the investors, who have paid 200 million euros ($218.88 million), would develop revenues through merchandising, licensing and hospitality. The deal values Alpine Racing at around $900 million and Rossi said the numbers were only going up.

Persons: Ryan Reynolds, Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, Alec Scheiner, Laurent Rossi, Rossi, Otro, Goldman Sachs, Gerry Cardinale, RedBird, Scheiner, Luca de Meo, Alan Baldwin, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Renault, Formula, Wrexham soccer, Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners, Aviation, Mobile US, Ka'ena Corp, Mint Mobile, Diageo, Gin, Wrexham, English Football League, RedBird, Fenway Sports Group, Premier League, Liverpool, Boston Red Sox baseball, Toulouse, Milan, Liberty Media, Thomson Locations: ENSTONE, England, Wrexham, RedBird, Americas, Las Vegas, U.S

☆ Deal for Formula 1 Team Reflects Growing U.S. Interest in the Sport
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Lauren Hirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They are buying a 24 percent stake in Alpine F1 Team owned by Renault Group. The investors are paying about 200 million euros ($218 million) for the stake, valuing the team at roughly $900 million. Formula 1 has jumped in popularity in the United States since its sale to Liberty Media in 2017. For Renault, the Alpine deal is aimed at raising the visibility of its Alpine electric vehicle line, as it pushes to have more than half its sales in E.V.s by 2030. In a news release, Renault’s chief executive, Luca de Meo, said the deal would increase the value of the Alpine F1 brand.

Persons: Ryan Reynolds, ”, Luca de Meo Organizations: RedBird Capital Partners, Otro, Alpine F1 Team, Renault Group, Liberty Media, Netflix, Renault, Alpine Locations: United States, Las Vegas, Miami, E.V.s

☆ Bezzecchi breaks lap record to take pole at Dutch Grand Prix
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] MotoGP - TT Assen - TT Circuit Assen, Assen, Netherlands - June 26, 2022 Mooney VR46 Racing Team's Marco Bezzecchi in action during the race REUTERS/Piroschka Van De WouwJune 24 (Reuters) - Marco Bezzecchi smashed the Assen lap record on Saturday to claim pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix ahead of championship leader Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati and VR46 Racing team mate Luca Marini. Japanese manufacturer Yamaha have struggled this season but Fabio Quartararo finished a creditable fourth and will be joined on the second row by Red Bull KTM's Brad Binder and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro. Honda's troubles followed them to Assen as Marc Marquez collided with the back of Ducati's Enea Bastianini in Q1, bringing out the yellow flags. Marquez, who has yet to finish a race this season, will start 17th on the grid as a result. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mooney VR46, Marco Bezzecchi, Van De Wouw, Francesco Bagnaia, Luca Marini, Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin leapfrogged, Bezzecchi, Fabio Quartararo, Red Bull, Brad Binder, Marc Marquez, Marquez, Rohith Nair, Ken Ferris Organizations: TT, REUTERS, Ducati, VR46, Speed, Yamaha, Thomson Locations: Assen, Netherlands, Germany, Bengaluru

TOKYO, June 24 (Reuters) - Nissan (7201.T) has launched an investigation into claims by a senior adviser that Chief Executive Makoto Uchida carried out surveillance of his deputy Ashwani Gupta, four people with direct knowledge of the matter said. In the letter, Nada said Uchida carried out surveillance over a long period. Asked to comment on the surveillance investigation, Nissan said in response to Reuters: "Independent third parties have been retained to verify facts and carry out appropriate actions." Nada did not detail in the letter how he knew of the alleged surveillance of Gupta. Nada is a member of two executive committees established by Nissan in 2019 as part of a governance reform after the Ghosn scandal.

Persons: Makoto Uchida, Ashwani Gupta, Hari Nada, Nada, Uchida, Renault, Gupta, Nissan, Akira Takeuchi, Anderson Mori, Tomotsune, Carlos Ghosn, Ghosn, Jean, Dominique Senard, Luca de Meo, de Meo, Greg Kelly, Nissan's, Ampere, David Dolan, Gilles Guillaume, Kevin Krolicki, David Clarke Organizations: Nissan, Financial Times, Reuters, Renault, NISSAN, RENAULT, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo, Lebanon, Japan, Paris

☆ Renault names Luca de Meo as new head of Ampere electric vehicle unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, June 19 (Reuters) - French carmaker Renault (RENA.PA) appointed on Monday its group chief executive Luca de Meo as the future chairman and CEO of Ampere, the electric vehicle division which Renault is aiming to list on the stock market. Renault added that its board of directors had also set up an ad-hoc committee, chaired by Jean-Dominique Senard, to oversee the envisaged initial public offering (IPO) of Ampere. Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: carmaker, Luca de Meo, Ampere, Jean, Dominique Senard, Sudip Kar, Alison Williams Organizations: carmaker Renault, Renault, Thomson

☆ Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ Falls Flat, Adding to Worries About the Brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“The Flash,” a Warner Bros. superhero spectacle that cost about $200 million, also struggled, taking in a lethargic $55.1 million, according to Comscore, which compiles ticketing data. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers. Questions about Pixar’s health have swirled in Hollywood and among investors since last June, when the Disney-owned studio released “Lightyear” to disastrous results. Or maybe, as some box office analysts speculated, Disney had weakened the Pixar brand by using its films to build the Disney+ streaming service. Starting in late 2020, Disney debuted three Pixar films in a row (“Soul,” “Turning Red” and “Luca”) online, bypassing theaters altogether.

Persons: ”, David A, Gross, “, Buzz Lightyear, Disney, “ Luca ” Organizations: Pixar, Warner Bros, Disney Locations: Hollywood

For some, the answer to exuberant markets lies in the ample cash still sloshing around the financial system. Total global liquidity, a measure of cash and credit in the world economy, has risen to almost $170 trillion in June, Crossborder calculates, from $158 trillion in October. Central banks have added a net $1.7 trillion into money markets since November, it also estimates, a move that correlates with a risk-taking trend. But an alternative scenario is that U.S. money market funds, stuffed with cash after depositors fled regional banks in March, buy enough newly issued Treasuries to keep rates stable. "Liquidity is not a force that reverberates immediately into financial markets," said JPMorgan global market strategist Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou.

Persons: Michael Howell, Crossborder, Richard Clarida, Georgina Taylor, Ken Taubes, reverberates, Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, Morgan Stanley, Luca Paolini, Paolini, Naomi Rovnick, Harry Robertson, Dhara Ranasinghe, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: U.S . Treasury, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Crossborder Capital, U.S, Reuters, BNP, JPMorgan, Apple, Thomson Locations: Japan, U.S

The movie is projected to debut with a modest $31 million to $41 million this weekend in the U.S., according to the Box Office Pro website. That is well shy of the recent $120.5 million haul for Sony’s critically acclaimed animated hit "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." Pixar is looking to rebound from the box office disappointment of 2022 release "Lightyear," the origin story of "Toy Story" hero Buzz Lightyear. "Judging Pixar on the recent past, history would not be kind," said SVB MoffettNathanson media analyst Michael Nathanson. But the move dealt a blow to creatives who had hoped their films would be seen on the big screen, according to one Pixar director who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Persons: Athie, Leah Lewis, Pete Docter, Denise Ream, Peter Sohn, Adele Exarchopoulos, Vincent Lacoste, Jim Morris, Read, Buzz Lightyear, Pixar, Michael Nathanson, Sohn, Mario, Shawn Robbins, Robbins, Bob Chapek’s, Luca, creatives, Sohn’s, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Nathan Frandino, Kenneth Li, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Cannes Film, Pixar Animation Studios, Box, Pixar, Reuters, Walt Disney Co, Reuters Television, Comcast, Universal Pictures, Mario Bros, Sony Pictures, Pro, Disney, U.S, Cannes, Rotten, Thomson Locations: U.S, City, Los Angeles, San Francisco

☆ How Berlusconi got his billions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire former prime minister of Italy, died Monday, leaving behind a sprawling business empire. It was through Fininvest that Berlusconi acquired big stakes in some of Europe’s major media firms, as well as AC Milan. Berlusconi owned a 61.3% stake in the holding company at the end of 2021, Reuters has reported. AC Milan players won the Italian championship in 1988 when Silvio Berlusconi was the club's president. Marina Berlusconi, left, Pier Silvio Berlusconi, center, and Mrs. Rosa, Silvio Berlusconi's mother, photograhed in 1998 Luca Bruno/AP/FILEPier Silvio, 53, is the chief executive of MediaForEurope.

Persons: London CNN — Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Silvio Berlusconi, Ferdinando Meazza, MediaForEurope —, Fininvest, ”, Marina, Marina Berlusconi, Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Rosa, Silvio Berlusconi's, photograhed, Luca Bruno, Silvio, — Niamh Kennedy, Sammy Mncwabe Organizations: London CNN, AC Milan, Bloomberg, Media, Milan, Reuters, Mondadori, Italy’s, Prosecutors, Mediaset Locations: Italy, Fininvest, MediaForEurope, Spain, Germany’s ProSiebenSat, Milan

☆ Apple hits record high one week after announcing Vision Pro VR headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Apple stock rose more than 1.5% Monday to close at $183.79 per share, which is the all-time-high share price for the company. The milestone comes a week after Apple's biggest product launch of the year. Last Monday, the company kicked off its developers conference, WWDC, and unveiled the Vision Pro headset, its first entirely new product line since 2014. In May, Apple CFO Luca Maestri suggested Apple's revenue may decline about 3% on an annual basis during the current quarter. Although Monday's stock price is a split adjusted all-time high, Apple's market capitalization isn't currently a record because the company has bought back some of its shares.

Persons: Luca Maestri Organizations: Apple, MacBook, Apple Watch

☆ One Dead After Boat Capsizes on Underground Cave Tour, Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Ed Shanahan | Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One person died and more than a dozen others had to be rescued after a tour boat capsized Monday morning while carrying passengers through an underground cavern in western New York, prompting an all-out rescue effort, officials said. Twenty-nine people were on board when the boat tipped over at the Lockport Cave in Lockport, N.Y., Luca Quagliano, Lockport’s fire chief, said at a news conference. Emergency workers rescued 16 people from the water, Chief Quagliano said; the rest were able to get to safety on their own. In addition to the person who died, eleven people were hospitalized with minor injuries after being pulled from the water, Chief Quagliano said. The city’s police and fire departments and other public safety agencies immediately began rescue efforts, officials said.

Persons: Luca Quagliano, Quagliano, capsizing Locations: New York, Lockport, N.Y, Niagara Falls

☆ An extinct species buried their dead and carved symbols 100,000 years before humans. The findings challenge our understanding of human evolution, researchers say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An extinct species called Homo naledi buried their dead 100,000 years before humans. The species, called Homo naledi, had brains about one-third the size of a modern human's, according to CNN. Until now, these behaviors had only been associated with larger-brained species such as Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. "These recent findings suggest intentional burials, the use of symbols, and meaning-making activities by Homo naledi. Homo naledi walked upright and manipulated objects by hand like humans, Berger said, but they were shorter, thinner, had smaller heads, and were more powerfully built, per CNN.

Persons: —, Homo naledi, paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, Berger, Lee Berger, Luca Sola, Agustín Fuentes Organizations: Service, Privacy, CNN, Geographic, Getty Locations: South Africa, Maropeng, AFP

☆ Middle Eastern investors are pouring money into US media, sports, and entertainment — here are the 9 most active players and their key leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Investors in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates are pouring money into Western media and entertainment. Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment, and they're finding plenty of takers. The channels for money from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East are complex. Insider broke down the key entities — their owners, leaders, and high-profile investments and joint ventures — in the top three Middle Eastern nations pouring money into US entertainment and media. It describes itself as the largest media company in the Middle East and North Africa and runs one of the largest TV news channels, Al Arabiya.

Persons: Jamal Khashoggi's, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, —, WME, Jimmy Finkelstein's, Abu Dhabi's, It's, Yasir Al, Rumayyan, Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, Sam Barnett, Peter Smith —, Christina Wayne, SRMG, Mohammed bin Salman, Alrashid, Johnny Depp, Jeanne du Barry, Sharon Stone, Bruno Mars, Luca Guadanigno, Vince McMahon's, Turki Al, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Dayel, Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al, Mahmoud, Peter Chernin, Nasser Al, Germain, BeIN, Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad, Khalifa Al, Vincent, Asghar Farhadi's Oscar, Nart Bouran, JAF, Jeff Zucker, Graydon Carter's, it's, Semafor, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mansour, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber Organizations: United, Sovereign, Saudi, Washington Post, Saudi Crown, Endeavor, UFC, IMI, Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, Public Investment Fund, Saudi Aramco, Newcastle United, English football, PGA, MBC, Shahid, Netflix, Vice Media, Variety, MBC Group's, Antenna Group, Cineflex Studios, NBCUniversal International, Amazon, AMC, Saudi Research, Media, Publicly, Red Sea, Cannes, Penske Media Corporation, Bloomberg Media, Vince McMahon's WWE, country's General Entertainment Authority, Development, Cultural Development Fund, George Washington University, American University . Qatar Qatar Investment, Qatar Investment Authority, Providence, BeIN Media, Paris Saint, Miramax, Paramount, Doha Film, Doha Film Institute, H.E, Hollywood Reporter, United Arab Emirates Abu, Investment Authority, UAE, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Hollywood, Dubai Studio, Dubai Media City, National Geographic, BBC News, International Media Investments International Media Investments, National, CNN, Sky News Arabia, Reuters, JAF Communications, Grid, RedBird Capital Partners, Punchbowl News, New York Times, Manchester City, The, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Locations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Saudi, East, North Africa, Al Arabiya, Netherlands, Greece, Dubai, Jeddah, SRMG, Riyadh, Doha, Europe, Americas, ViacomCBS, Qatari, Thani, Abu Dhabi

Brands fearful of right-wing backlash are discussing scaling back their Pride Month activities. Right-wing media personalities have declared a "war on woke," with The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh recently rallying his Twitter followers to "make 'pride' toxic for brands." This month, the LGBTQ+ dating app Taimi initiated an ad campaign that included billboards in states including Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, and others. Those billboards were largely on privately-owned farmland and most of the landowners rejected Taimi's ad campaign, many requesting "no nudity" in the images. The North Face, which debuted its "Summer of Pride" ad campaign starring drag queen Pattie Gonia late last month, is holding firm.

Persons: Bud Light, Matt Walsh, Ross Martin, Martin, Bud Light's, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Hannah Lewman, Pattie Gonia, rightwing firebrands, Amy Luca, Media.Monks, Brian Stout, It's, We've, Dean Crutchfield, Crutchfield, Mark Borkowski, I've, Mekanism's, There's, Benjamin Cohen Organizations: Target, Daily, Brands, Partners, Gay and Lesbian Alliance, Defamation, Pink Locations: Florida , Oklahoma , Texas, Taimi's

☆ Mercedes won't join Renault's new electric van project-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) - Mercedes Benz Group (MBGn.DE), a longtime partner of Renault (RENA.PA) in vans, won't take part in the French company's FlexEvan electric project and will focus instead on its own premium electric vehicle VAN.EA, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. A spokeswoman of Mercedes confirmed that the group had no plan to launch a mid-sized van or a large one on a different platform than VAN.EA. Renault has long sought to expand its cooperation in vans with Mercedes, but in vain. "It is true that for light commercial vehicles, the bulk (of the cooperation with Mercedes) has been done", one of the sources said. Reporting by Gilles Guilaume; Editing by Silvia Aloisi and David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: FlexEvan, Mercedes, Luca de Meo, Carlos Ghosn, Gilles Guilaume, Silvia Aloisi, David Holmes Organizations: Mercedes Benz Group, Renault, Nissan, Renault Trucks, Sweden's Volvo, Mercedes, Daimler, Thomson Locations: U.S

Search resuls for: "Lucà"

25 mentions found