DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ South Africa's new ground station to help NASA track space flights
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Wendell Roelf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MATJIESFONTEIN, South Africa Nov 8 (Reuters) - A new deep-space ground station being built in South Africa's semi-desert Karoo region will come online by 2025 to help track history-making NASA missions to the moon and beyond, space agency officials said Tuesday. The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) will establish, operate and maintain the station. South Africa has committed an initial 70 million rand ($3.93 million) to build the infrastructure and communications needed to ready the site, part of the government's investment in building its space infrastructure and research base. "NASA would not come to South Africa if they didn't feel that we have capacities to do the work in partnership with them," said Phil Mjwara, director general at South Africa's department of science and innovation. ($1 = 17.8206 rand)Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China Covid: Death of boy in lockdown fuels backlash against zero-Covid policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The boy’s father said his wife and child both fell ill around noon on Tuesday, showing signs of gas poisoning. The mother’s condition improved after receiving CPR from the father, but the boy fell into a coma, according to the man’s social media post. The father claimed in his social media post that the police did not show up until after he had taken his son to hospital. Demand for answersThe boy’s death also ignited anger from local residents. Videos circulating on social media show residents taking to the streets to demand an answer from authorities.

☆ Magic mushroom compound psilocybin can help treat depression, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The naturally occurring psychedelic compound psilocybin can significantly reduce symptoms of depression, according to data from the largest trial of its type ever conducted. LONDON — The naturally occurring psychedelic compound psilocybin can significantly reduce symptoms of depression, according to data from the largest trial of its type ever conducted. The trial found that a 25mg dose of psilocybin, given alongside psychological support, triggered a reduction in levels of depression three weeks after treatment. The study, published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, was carried out internationally by London-based COMPASS Pathways. Critics have also expressed concern that this could lead to a rise in usage of magic mushrooms in non-pharmaceutical settings.

☆ Analysis: Why is North Korea testing so many missiles?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seems to genuinely dislike the allied drills, and particularly the involvement of U.S. stealth fighters. After North Korea conducted an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test on Thursday, the allies announced they would be extending Vigilant Storm past Friday. "North Korea is aiming to increase its deterrence capabilities," he said. If North Korea prefers to conduct a nuclear test in a crisis, it is well on its way to manufacturing one." North Korea has completed all the technical preparations for a nuclear test - its first since 2017 - according to South Korean and U.S. officials.

An earlier study in adults showed that the drug did indeed help with weight loss. “We’ve entered the phase where we are seeing the kind of weight loss where teens come to us in tears. In addition to the weight loss, the drug reduced some cardiovascular risk factors, including waist circumference and bad cholesterol. As it turns out, even when people get weight loss surgery, “three years out, there is significant weight gain,” Li said. When a weight loss drug like this is prescribed to patients, that shouldn’t be the end of things, Li said.

☆ 40 justice organizations and media watchdog groups call on top Twitter advertisers to demand Elon Musk adhere to brand-protecting community safety rules or stop advertising on the platform altogether
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

40 nonprofits and advocacy groups sent a letter to top Twitter advertisers in light of Musk's takeover. The groups said brands like HBO and Amazon should push Musk to embrace content moderation or suspend their ads. Musk has expressed contempt for both ads and moderation and said he aims to decrease Twitter's reliance on ad revenue. Tesla competitors Ford and GM have already suspended ads on the platform since Musk's takeover. Musk has previously expressed contempt for both ads and content moderation and, in promises to investors, said he aims to decrease Twitter's reliance on ad revenue.

☆ Kit Connor's sexuality is none of your business
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Allison Hope | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The pressure for 18-year-old actor Kit Connor to come out had been building on social media for months. It is one of the first to center LGBTQ characters — both Nick and Charlie, as well as others in the main cast — geared towards a teen and young adult audience. Rob Youngson/NetflixThe truth about Nelson’s character, as well as Connor’s real-life identity, may be much more nuanced. (From left) The cast of "Heartstopper" — Kizzy Edgell, Corinna Brown, Kit Connor, Joe Locke, Tobie Donovan and Sebastian Croft — attend London Pride on July 2. Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty ImagesNow LGBTQ audiences are rightfully asking the hard questions about who gets to play LGBTQ characters.

☆ Netflix CEO once handed out army berets to his execs in response to an insult from the former Time Warner boss, and it shows the rivalry between Netflix and HBO stretches over a decade
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes implied Netflix was overrated in a 2010 interview. A new book about HBO reveals that Netflix CEO Reed Hastings took the comments in stride. "We didn't have the financial flexibility to make that commitment," former HBO CEO Richard Plepler told the book's authors, Gillette and Koblin. In other words, Netflix wanted to be more like HBO and HBO's corporate overlords wanted it to be more like Netflix. HBO's content chief, Casey Bloys, was recently elevated to CEO of HBO, HBO Max, and HBO Content.

☆ Analysis: 'The Surreal Life' reboot brings together another wild group of celebrity roommates
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

No judgment if Halloween is your thing, but I don’t like to be scared so I don’t indulge. Three things to watch‘The Surreal Life’The new cast of "The Surreal Life" sit down for dinner -- and some heated conversation -- in a scene from the VH1 show. From VH1/YouTubeI should probably start by mentioning that Dennis Rodman likes to walk around the house in which he filmed the new season of “The Surreal Life” naked. ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2(From left) Will Sharpe, Aubrey Plaza, Meghann Fahy and Theo James in a scene from season 2 of "The White Lotus" on HBO. And not to give too much away, but there’s a cool scene in season two which addresses binge-watch culture.

"The White Lotus" season two premieres October 30 on HBO and HBO Max. From creator Mike White, "The White Lotus" is an anthology show that focuses on guests at various White Lotus resort locations. "The White Lotus" season two will have a total of seven episodes, which is one more than the first season. "The White Lotus" season two was renewed a few days before the season one finale in August 2021. "The White Lotus" season two's enthusiastic critical response suggests it could follow in season one's acclaimed footsteps.

☆ They were on the run from the Taliban, abandoned by their US allies — until a Wall Street banker decided to smuggle them out of Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Nina Burleigh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

His daughter worked for the US-backed government in Kabul, prosecuting the Taliban and their followers for acts of violence against women. The war in Afghanistan effectively began on 9/11, with the attacks on Wall Street and the Pentagon. Last summer, when the Taliban overran Kabul, Calbos was in Greece visiting his father. "I see kind of a mirror image to mine in his history and his family," Calbos says. With the clock ticking on the family's temporary visas, Calbos scrambled to arrange a flight out of Pakistan.

☆ This man says he lost all his savings gambling online in China, where players visit 'mirror' websites that change URLs daily and fake 'friends' recruit gamblers in chat groups
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Gambling is illegal in most parts of China, apart from the state-owned national lotteries, and recognised gambling sites are blocked from Chinese users. It is one of many gambling companies that have mirror sites. Experts told Insider mirror websites are a "common" practice by betting companies in countries that don't allow gambling. A virtual armyHuang said it was easy to find a link to a new mirror gambling site once an old one has been blocked: his friends sent him the URL. They make friends with people and claim that they have won money gambling, and encourage other users to visit mirror sites.

"House of the Dragon" will air its season one finale on October 23 on HBO and HBO Max. The "Game of Thrones" prequel series focuses on the Targaryen civil war. The season one finale will air on HBO and HBO Max on October 23. How to watch 'House of the Dragon'You can watch "House of the Dragon" exclusively on HBO and HBO Max. That said, many of the characters in "House of the Dragon" are ancestors of the characters we meet in "Game of Thrones."

☆ HBO's big 'House of the Dragon' finale leaked 2 days before it was supposed to air. The company says it's 'aggressively' policing and issuing takedowns.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The season finale of HBO's "House of the Dragon" reportedly leaked online 2 days before it was supposed to air. The episode was leaked on Friday, two days before its air date. While this is the first reported leak for the "Game of Thrones" spinoff, HBO has a long history of dealing with piracy. In August 2017, hackers leaked episodes of HBO's "Insecure," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and a reported draft script of a yet-to-air episode of "Game of Thrones." The hacks led HBO to make the decision to film multiple "Game of Thrones" endings in an effort to throw off would-be leakers from spoiling the series finale.

By pointing to 2027 as the moment when East Asia's power balance may tip in China's favour, Japan's government can rally support for greater defence spending, he added. At a congressional hearing last year, U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Admiral Philip Davidson said that China's threat against Taiwan could "manifest" that year. Japanese defence ministry officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In July, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida won national upper house elections with a pledge to "substantially" increase defence spending. The splurge of defence spending should also benefit U.S. suppliers such as Lockheed, Boeing Co (BA.N) and Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N).

☆ Insiders cast doubt on Warner Bros. Discovery's plans after it axed, then reinstated, a revered TV writers' workshop. It highlights a 'huge crisis' facing Hollywood creatives.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Discovery abruptly axed, then reinstated, its longstanding TV writers' training program. Numerous TV writers told Insider they would not have been able to establish their careers without the TV workshop. The WBTV workshops not only developed emerging talents, but also helped ease their way into paid work in Hollywood. But even with Zaslav examining every asset across the company to find a promised $3 billion in synergies, the WBTV writers' and directors' workshops seemed unlikely targets. "The training is just phenomenal," a third alum of the writers' workshop told Insider.

Pelosi's daughter, documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, captured the moment and many others on Jan. 6 in footage shot for HBO and first obtained by CNN. "Tell him if he comes here, we’re going to the White House," the speaker jokes, reacting to Trump's speech at the White House ellipse earlier in the day. The video at the hearing also showed Pelosi speaking to Virginia Gov. The footage also showed Pelosi speaking to Vice President Mike Pence by phone two separate times that day about how they could resume the certification of the 2020 election results. Pelosi and Trump had a highly strained relationship throughout his presidency, which included the moment in 2019 when she and other Democratic leaders walked out of a White House meeting with Trump after he had what Pelosi described as a "meltdown."

☆ 'Yellowstone' cast members to saddle up for special Ride to the Polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Sandra Gonzalez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Two “Yellowstone” cast members are teaming up with other celebrities for a good cause on horseback. “I launched Ride to the Polls in 2020, hoping to reach young people in my community who weren’t motivated to vote for good reason,” she told CNN. I think BIPOC communities, disenfranchised communities, across the country feel like they’re not sure what to trust anymore. Young and Harness’s drive to do more Ride to the Polls events was done with that in mind. A Skate to the Polls event was held back in August.

☆ Cisco partners with Microsoft to add Teams to its meeting devices
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Networking firm Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO.O) will add Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT.O) Teams messaging app to its meeting devices, the two firms said on Wednesday, offering users an alternative to its own Webex video conferencing app. Cisco's Jeetu Patel, head of Security & Collaboration, said the company aims to be the hardware platform for a wide range of conferencing software platforms. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"There's going to be times that people want to jump on a Microsoft Teams call, they want to jump on a Zoom call, they want to jump on a Google call." Ilya Bukshteyn, vice president of Microsoft Teams Calling and Devices, told Reuters the Teams Room software already runs on several other hardware devices and will be available on Cisco devices from the first quarter of next year. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting By Jane Lanhee Lee; editing by Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sri Lanka to keep 'middle-income' status but seek concessional loans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"Sri Lanka will remain a middle-income country," the office said in a statement. "We will request the World Bank to grant the country eligibility to obtain loans offered by the International Development Association (IDA)." The local World Bank office in Colombo had no immediate comment on the Sri Lankan request. It said it would continue its discussions with Sri Lanka and that the "key priority" was to move ahead with debt restructuring and economic reforms to put the country's growth back on track. Sri Lanka reached a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $2.9 billion bailout in September but has to put its debt on a sustainable path before the funds can be disbursed.

☆ Sri Lanka cabinet approves downgrade to 'low income country'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COLOMBO, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's cabinet has approved a proposal to downgrade the island nation's economic status to "low income country", in order to get access to concessional funding from international organisations, the cabinet spokesman said on Tuesday. Sri Lanka's economy is in a deep slump, shrinking at an annual 8.4% in the June quarter in one of the steepest quarterly declines. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe cabinet had decided to downgrade the island to "low income" on the World Bank list, said cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardane. "Given the serious financial crisis Sri Lanka is facing representatives of international organizations had informed us that if Sri Lanka was categorised as a low income country access to funding would be easier," Gunawardane said. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka, which held policy rates steady last week, is predicting an 8.7% gross domestic product contraction for 2022.

☆ ‘Game of Thrones’ ended with a thud. But ‘House of the Dragon’ has caught fire
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN Business —HBO has created a kingdom of hits, with none as popular as “Game of Thrones.” But “Game of Thrones” ended with a thud in 2019 when critics and fans were unhappy with the fantasy epic’s ho-hum conclusion (Bran Stark on the Iron Throne? Create more “Game of Thrones,” of course. Enter “House of the Dragon,” a prequel that takes place almost 200 years before the events of its predecessor and focuses on the Targaryen family. To put that number into context, season seven of “Game of Thrones” averaged 32.7 million viewers per episode, and season 8, its final season, averaged 46 million viewers. (It doesn’t hurt that “Game of Thrones” is pretty much like watching sports, albeit with more dragons.)

☆ The success of Biogen's new Alzheimer's drug could be the start of a redemption arc for the biotech — and boost rivals racing to develop similar treatments
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Biotech companies Biogen and Eisai just released data on their new Alzheimer's drug. Initial results of a highly anticipated test of an Alzheimer's drug, called lecanemab, were released on Tuesday evening by biotech firms Biogen and Eisai. "While the market has been skeptical of lecanemab's prospects, the trial appears to be a resounding success," Cowen analysts said. An earlier Alzheimer's drug developed by Biogen and Eisai, Aduhelm, also acts on beta-amyloid. Mizhuo analyst Graig Suvannavejh, said that the lecanemab results are "a key potential positive catalyst for companies" working to develop Alzheimer's treatments.

☆ Biogen and Eisai's latest clinical trial just crossed the finish line. Here's why analysts say the results could disrupt the future of Alzheimer's care.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It's a complicated, debilitating illness and drug companies have struggled for years to come up with viable treatments. On Tuesday September 27, Biogen and Eisai announced that lecanemab slowed the rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients by 27%. Analysts say that this positive result could lead to it becoming a blockbuster drug for the companies. Other big drug companies such as Roche Holdings and Eli Lilly are pursuing similar treatments, with results expected to come later this year and early next year, respectively. "I think people's confidence in the amyloid hypothesis would go down even further, but ultimately people would wait to see what those other data events show," he said.

☆ Here's why Biogen's promising Alzheimer's drug data is also good news for Eli Lilly
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The move helped Eli Lilly notch a fresh 52-week high Wednesday, the only stock in the S & P 500 to do so. Bottom line Biogen's topline data appears to be encouraging, suggesting the Alzheimer's drug helped slowed cognitive decline. Plus, we think Eli Lilly has more going for it overall than Biogen, making it a more attractive investment. Drug background Like Biogen's Alzheimer's drug lecanemab, Lilly's donanemab is an antibody that tries to reduce buildup on the brain of the amyloid beta protein . The Eli Lilly logo is shown on one of the company's offices in San Diego, California, September 17, 2020.

Search resuls for: "Bo An"

25 mentions found