DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Why Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other major Dems are going all out for a state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Stakes are high in an April Supreme Court election in the battleground state of Wisconsin. Normally, you wouldn't see high-profile figures like former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton weighing in on an upcoming state Supreme Court election. That's nearly double that of the previous record for a state Supreme Court seat. Wikler said the results could affect control of the US Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House in 2024. The state Democratic Party is helping fund Protasiewicz's campaign while other Democratic power players are working to drive interest in the race.

☆ Dollar slips as Fed outlook shifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

That's a contrast to Europe where markets see another 50 bp or so to go, and the gap sent the euro surging. Dollar/yen fell 0.7% overnight and was edging lower in the Asian morning at 131.19. "From the foreign exchange perspective, we think that argues for further dollar weakness as the ceiling for the Fed cycle has clearly come down." The risk-sensitive Australian dollar recoiled sharply from a two-week high of $0.6759 to be back at $0.6707 on Thursday morning. The New Zealand dollar also gave up overnight gains, but was firm in morning trade at $0.6238.

☆ Crowds swarm Art Basel Hong Kong as galleries report sales bonanza
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] An installation titled "Calligraphic Wig" by Daniel Knorr is displayed at Art Basel in Hong Kong, China, March 23, 2023. Art Basel Hong Kong is one of the first big events the city has held since dropping its COVID-19 mask mandate this month. City authorities are welcoming the art fair as they try to reinvigorate the economy and promote Hong Kong as a vibrant cultural hub. Teresa Choi, a visitor from Macau, said Hong Kong was much busier than during COVID times. "Hong Kong has always been the international financial hub for Asia ... Travellers are regaining their confidence about Hong Kong and the economy and want to come."

While big banks have dominated headlines, the country's 4,258 community banks, which are more risk-averse, account for more than 90% of all chartered banks. Her comments marked a shift in emphasis to include community banks that were not mentioned in her earlier testimony. "The community banks in this country, we know, are strong and resilient. Yellen's shift to include community banks "was certainly better, it was an attempt for her to kind of restate what she was saying and acknowledging the importance of the community banks," Williams said. Community banks play an important political role.

MADISON, Wis. — Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly has released his first campaign ad of the general election to fill a vacant Supreme Court seat where the ideological balance of the court is at stake. Protasiewicz has also run ads accusing Kelly of being soft on crime for the work he did as a defense attorney. He's spent $53,000 on the airwaves so far, and has reserved $107,000 worth of additional ad time through April 4 -- Election Day -- per AdImpact, an ad tracking firm. She's reserved an additional $4 million worth of airtime through Election Day. Other outside allies have helped her effort too, and Everytown for Gun Safety just announced a $500,000 ad campaign that includes an ad attacking Kelly on gun rights and abortion.

☆ Miner BHP potentially faces $44 bln bill in Brazil dam case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Members of the Krenak indigenous people, Daniel Krenak, Andreia Krenak, Djanira Krenak, Maycon Krenak and Marcelo Krenak, demonstrate outside the High Court in London, Britain December 13, 2022. BHP (BHP.AX) was initially sued by around 200,000 Brazilians over the 2015 collapse of the Fundao dam, owned by the Samarco joint venture between BHP and Brazilian iron ore mining company Vale (VALE3.SA). BHP, the world's biggest miner by market value, denies liability and in December applied to join Vale to the case. BHP has said the London lawsuit duplicates legal proceedings and reparation and repair programmes in Brazil. BHP has applied to the Supreme Court to overturn that decision and its application is pending.

Rising CDS spreads signal investors are hedging bets on a deterioration in credit quality. In money markets, a closely watched indicator of credit risk in the U.S. banking system edged up on Monday. With investors worried about possible bank runs, the Federal Reserve on Sunday unveiled a new program to ensure banks can meet needs of all their depositors. "Hedge funds are probably the ones that are buyers in this case," said Dan Bruzzo, a strategist at Santander US Capital Markets. Other banks with California exposure were taking the brunt of the selloff in the debt capital markets, he added.

☆ Studio A24 captures Oscar spotlight with big wins for best picture, acting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

LOS ANGELES, March 13 (Reuters) - Independent studio A24 was the big winner at Sunday's Academy Awards, taking nine awards out of its 18 nominations, including best picture and all four acting prizes. The studio's "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won seven Oscars, the most of the evening, including best picture. However, Brendan Fraser took the best actor prize for A24's "The Whale," which also won for best makeup and hairstyling. Not since the heyday of Miramax in the 1990s has an independent studio garnered such attention, talent and box office success, entertainment industry insiders say. EVERYTHING EVERYWHEREThe first film A24 produced and financed, together with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, was “Moonlight,” which won the Oscar for best picture in 2017.

☆ Backstage moments at the Oscars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang pose with the Oscar for Best Picture for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" along with cast Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu and James Hong in the photo room. REUTERS/Mike...more

☆ Factbox: Full list of winners at the 2023 Oscars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LOS ANGELES, March 13 (Reuters) - The 95th Academy Awards took place at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday and were broadcast live on ABC television. The following is the full list of 2023 Oscar winners:BEST PICTURE"Everything Everywhere All at Once"BEST ACTRESSMichelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once"BEST ACTORBrendan Fraser, "The Whale"BEST DIRECTORDaniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"BEST SUPPORTING ACTORKe Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSJamie Lee Curtis, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM"All Quiet on the Western Front," GermanyBEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM"Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio"BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM"Navalny"BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY"Everything Everywhere All at Once," written by Daniel Kwan and Daniel ScheinertBEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY"Women Talking," screenplay by Sarah PolleyBEST ORIGINAL SCORE"All Quiet on the Western Front," Volker BertelmannBEST ORIGINAL SONG"Naatu Naatu," from "RRR," music by M.M. Keeravaani; lyrics by ChandraboseCINEMATOGRAPHY"All Quiet On The Western Front," James FriendVISUAL EFFECTS"Avatar: The Way of Water"SOUND"Top Gun: Maverick"FILM EDITING"Everything Everywhere All at Once"PRODUCTION DESIGN"All Quiet On The Western Front"COSTUME DESIGN"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," Ruth CarterMAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING"The Whale"DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM"The Elephant Whisperers"SHORT FILM, LIVE ACTION"An Irish Goodbye"SHORT FILM, ANIMATED"The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse"Reporting by Mary Milliken; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NEW YORK, March 13 (Reuters) - Credit risk indicators flashed red on Monday, as investors worried about contagion risks across corporate debt markets after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and New York's Signature Bank in the space of 72 hours. Investment grade credit spreads, which indicate the premium investors demand to hold corporate bonds over safer government debt securities, have also been widening. The BlackRock Investment Institute said that after recently trimming its 'overweight' recommendation for investment grade credit, it was reassessing its view due to tighter financial conditions. In money markets, a closely watched indicator of credit risk in the U.S. banking system edged up on Monday. Other banks with California exposure were taking the brunt of the sell-off in the debt capital markets, he added.

☆ Filmmaking duo behind 'Everything Everywhere' win directing Oscar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

By Lisa RichwineLOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the filmmakers who brought to life the off-kilter action-adventure movie "Everything Everywhere All at Once," won the Academy Award on Sunday for best director. It was the first Oscar for Kwan and Scheinert, who became friends in college and are known professionally as the Daniels. It starred Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse, the only companion for a man stranded on a deserted island. Prior to their movie careers, Kwan and Scheinert, both 35, directed music videos for artists including DJ Snake and Jack Johnson. On Sunday, the duo beat celebrated filmmaker Steven Spielberg, "Banshees of Inisherin" director Martin McDonagh and others who were nominated for the directing prize.

☆ Offbeat multiverse movie 'Everything Everywhere' dominates the Oscars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The movie claimed seven awards overall, including three of the four acting Oscars for stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis, who built a career in horror films such as "Halloween," won best supporting actress for playing a frumpy tax agent named Deirdre Beaubeirdre. "The Whale" star Brendan Fraser, known for 1990s roles such as "The Mummy" and "Encino Man," won best actor for playing a severely obese man trying to reconnect with his daughter. "Naatu Naatu," a song from the Indian movie "RRR" that created a viral dance sensation, was honored as best original song. The 95th Academy Awards ceremony was broadcast live on Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) ABC network.

The film dominated nominations for major categories, showing up in the fields of best picture, best director, best actress, best supporting actress, best supporting actor and best original screenplay. Throughout the awards season, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" has snared wins for acting, directing and best picture from various groups. Many expect it to sweep best picture, best director, best actress and best original screenplay. Yeoh, 60, is the first Asian-identifying woman nominated for best actress. Ana De Armas is the first Cuban actress to be nominated for best actress for her role as Marilyn Monroe in Netflix movie "Blonde."

☆ ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ studio A24 captures Oscar spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

LOS ANGELES, March 10 (Reuters) - A24, the independent studio behind such films as “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and "The Whale," is poised to dominate this year’s Academy Awards, eclipsing Hollywood’s established studios and awards-hungry streamers that are spending millions on Oscar campaigns. Not since the heyday of Miramax in the 1990s has an independent studio garnered such attention, talent and box office success, entertainment industry insiders say. EVERYTHING EVERYWHEREThe first film A24 produced and financed, together with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, was “Moonlight,” which won the Oscar for best picture in 2017. The studio has garnered 53 Oscar nominations in less than a decade, including best picture nods for “Lady Bird, “Minari” and “Room.”A24's film slate has grown at the pace of its cash flow - starting with three movies in 2016 to 15 in 2022. This year, it’s on track to produce about 15 films for theatrical release, eight documentaries and 10 television shows.

☆ Money really does buy happiness for most people, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It found that for the vast majority of people, money does buy you happiness. Meanwhile, happiness "increases steadily" along with income among the rest of the population, Killingsworth, Kahneman, and Mellers found. For the happiest 30% of people, happiness rises at an accelerated rate beyond $100,000. "In other words, the bottom of the happiness distribution rises much faster than the top in that range of incomes. Killingsworth, Kahneman, and Mellers noted, however, that the correlation between income and well-being was "weak, even if statistically robust."

“The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead,” the FAA said in a statement. The NTSB says neither airplane was damaged and nobody on board was hurt. The FedEx plane, meanwhile, climbed as its crew aborted their landing to help avoid a collision, the FAA said. Air traffic controllers had “noticed another aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner,” the FAA said in a statement. Audio recordings detail swift action by an air traffic controller kept the airplanes from colliding as they drew closer.

☆ Atos in talks with Kretinsky over sale of Tech Foundations business-Le Monde
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, March 1 (Reuters) - French technology consultancy Atos (ATOS.PA) is in talks with Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky about the possible sale of its Tech Foundations business, Le Monde reported on Wednesday. According to our information, the management is also talking with Daniel Kretinsky ... who for his part is interested in the group's historic business of IT services Tech Foundations," the French newspaper said. Kretinsky holds a minority stake in Le Monde. Spokespeople for Kretinsky and Atos declined to comment. In October, Atos said it had been approached by several players interested in buying Tech Foundations, which groups activities the company defines as approaching maturity, such as data centres and business process outsourcing.

[1/5] An employee prepares online grocery orders in the storage area of Czech online grocer Rohlik Group in Prague, Czech Republic February 1, 2023. HUGE GROWTH POTENTIAL Rohlik, founded in 2014, leads the Czech market by mainly targeting customers in big cities through its string of distribution warehouses. "Competition is still mainly driven by stationary retail but a small number of online grocery players are gearing up in each market to become leading e-grocery platforms." KOSIK TURNS EASTAs Rohlik bets on Germany, Kosik is looking eastward, entering the Slovak market and expanding in Bulgaria. CEO Ivan Utesil said the company would also seek to cut into Czech market share by capitalising on its tie-in with German wholesaler Metro (B4B.DE) in some regional areas.

It was not clear what specific sanctions Washington will propose. Washington and its allies have said in recent weeks that China was considering providing weapons to Russia, which Beijing denies. Before that in New Delhi on Wednesday and Thursday, the war will be discussed by foreign ministers from dozens of countries, including Russia, China and the United States. The initial outreach by Washington on sanctions has not yet led to broad agreement on any specific measures, the sources said. Washington should make China choose between access to the U.S. financial system or aiding Russia's war, Ruggiero said, citing the sanctions approach to Iran and North Korea.

☆ Hot dog fingers and googly-eye rocks from 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' could be yours as A24 auctions dozens of props and costumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A24 announced an auction of dozens of props and costumes from "Everything Everywhere All at Once." There are over 40 items for sale, including the famous "hot dog finger" gloves and several costumes. A mix of props and costumes are available in the auctions, including the famous "hot dog finger" gloves worn by Yeoh's character Evelyn. Many of the other props and costumes, including a rock with googly eyes and the fanny pack worn by Quan's character Waymond, are selling for a few hundred or thousand dollars. A24 has also auctioned items for charity from some of its past films including "Uncut Gems" and "Midsommar," as well as other general Hollywood memorabilia.

☆ Light show meets opera as new 'Turandot' seeks to lure people back to theatre
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Irene Wang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Cast members perform Giacomo Puccini's Turandot with immersive laser lights created by 'teamLab' during a dress rehearsal at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, Japan February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A kaleidoscopic light show has helped reinvent Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot" currently playing in Tokyo - a production which aims to bring people back into theatres now that the pandemic has eased. The opera, reimagined by American director Daniel Kramer in collaboration with teamLab, the Japanese group famed for its digital art installations, employs dazzling displays of lasers and three-dimensional light sculptures. The light-infused Turandot made its debut in Geneva last year and will be performed at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan until Feb. 26. Reporting by Irene Wang; Writing by Elaine Lies; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ You can own 'Racacoonie': A24 is auctioning off 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' props and memorabilia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Some of the biggest props from "Everything Everywhere All at Once" will soon be going once, going twice, sold. A24 is auctioning off memorabilia from one of the year's top Oscar-nominated films over the next week and a half, with proceeds going to a trio of charities selected by the film's directors, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Among the items available for auction are over a dozen costumes worn in the film, as well as props including the now-iconic "hot dog hands," "Raccacoonie" and the fanny pack worn by best supporting actor nominee Ke Huy Quan's Waymond.

☆ Liberal, conservative advance in Wisconsin Supreme Court race with abortion rights at stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Former state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, a staunch conservative who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump when he ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 2020, took second place, the AP projected. With a Democratic governor, Tony Evers, and a Republican-majority legislature often at loggerheads, the state Supreme Court's 4-3 conservative majority has issued a string of decisions that typically favored Republicans. But a conservative justice is leaving the bench this year, putting the political leaning of the court in question. Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit claiming the statute is invalid - a case eventually headed for the state Supreme Court. A new liberal majority could also revisit other statutes, such as laws requiring voter identification, permitting concealed carry of firearms and weakening public sector unions.

☆ U.S. House panel to hold hearing on policy toward China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Karen Freifeld | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 21 (Reuters) - The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing next Tuesday with top officials on China policy to identify gaps in pursuing what it called a "more holistic approach" to countering aggression by the Chinese Communist Party. The hearing, announced by the panel's chair, Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican, is called, "Combating the Generational Challenge of CCP Aggression." Alan Estevez, the U.S. Commerce Department's under secretary for industry and security, who oversees restrictions on tech exports to China, is among the witnesses. McCaul has been pressing Estevez on the need to ensure China is not transferring U.S.-origin technology to state sponsors of terrorism, and has called for tighter restrictions on exports to blacklisted companies like China's Huawei, which are viewed as a threat to U.S. national security. Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Search resuls for: "Daniel K"

25 mentions found