DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

SYDNEY/HONG KONG, Feb 20 (Reuters) - New rules laying out how Chinese companies can list outside mainland China will often mean getting a nod from several domestic government agencies, potentially making for a lengthy approval process, investment bankers say. On one hand, the rules provide clarity after a regulatory crackdown by Beijing since mid-2021 that has slowed U.S. listings by Chinese firms to a trickle. Those hoops, combined with U.S.-Sino tensions over a multitude of issues from suspected spy balloons to trade friction, means a rush of Chinese firms seeking initial public offerings in New York is unlikely. Last year, U.S. listings of Chinese firms were worth less than $230 million, according to Refinitiv data, a massive drop from $12.9 billion in 2021. "I don't think an overseas listing for the start-up would get the Chinese regulatory nod due to data security.

☆ Reasons Plane Travel, Airline Customer Service, Airports Are so Terrible
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Bartie Scott | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

It's almost impossible to imagine a time when air travel was pleasant, much less enjoyable. Lost baggage, overbooked flights, outdated equipment, hidden fees, and disorganized staffing have fliers at their wits' end; consumer complaints about airline service have risen by 300% from pre-pandemic levels. Many of these measures had been put in place to improve safety following some rattling accidents in the early days of commercial air travel. So in 1978, at the urging of the economist and "inflation czar" Alfred Kahn, President Jimmy Carter enacted the Airline Deregulation Act. He added that "airline service, by any standard, has become unacceptable."

☆ Here are the US cities where home prices are actually falling
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

San Jose, California, was the most expensive place to purchase a home in the United States in the fourth quarter. Prices for San Francisco homes are already down 21% in the fourth quarter from the peak median price of $1,550,000 in the second quarter. Among the most expensive cities that saw prices falling are Anaheim, California, with the median price of $1,132,000, down 1.6% from a year ago; Los Angeles, with the median price of $829,100, down 1.3%; and Boulder, Colorado, with the median price of $759,500, down 2.0%. Other places with falling prices saw the big price increases during the frenzied home buying market of the past few years. Instead, prices for single-family homes climbed in nearly 90% of metro areas tracked by NAR in the fourth quarter: 166 markets out of 186 saw prices still going up.

☆ Tuesday Morning says it wants to close 265 stores as part of its bankruptcy filing. See if your local store is on the list.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Camarillo: Camarillo Village Square, 2450 Las Posas Road, Ste HCamarillo Village Square, 2450 Las Posas Road, Ste H Roseville: Fairway Commons Shopping Center, 5771A Five Star Blvd. San Diego: Pacific Plaza Shopping Center, 1772‐D Garnet AvenuePacific Plaza Shopping Center, 1772‐D Garnet Avenue Woodland Hills: Pride Shopping Center, 22950 Victory Blvd. Winston-Salem: Whitaker Square Shopping Center, 1947 North Pease Haven Road, Space #1947Whitaker Square Shopping Center, 1947 North Pease Haven Road, Space #1947 Matthews: Windsor Square Shopping Center, 9945 E. Independence Blvd. ; Westhill Village Shopping Center, 7525 WestheimerWeslayan Plaza West Shopping Center, 5442‐A Weslayan Street; Westheimer Commons, 12568 Westheimer Rd. ; Westhill Village Shopping Center, 7525 Westheimer El Paso: West Towne Marketplace, 6450 N. Desert Blvd., Ste.

☆ Southwest explains its meltdown to Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Gregory Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Congress is set to receive new evidence Thursday of internal chaos at Southwest Airlines over the Christmas holiday meltdown. The Senate Commerce committee is set to question Southwest executive Andrew Watterson, alongside Southwest pilot union president Casey Murray, Sharon Pinkerton of the Airlines for America trade group, Paul Hudson of Flyers’ Rights, and economist Clifford Winston of The Brookings Institution. It’s a mess down here.”A photograph of the message, which shows the extent of the airline’s breakdown, is included in testimony the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association union, SWAPA, plans to present at the hearing. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan apologized and the airline offered reimbursements for passengers’ costs, along with bonus points. The union criticized the airline for giving executives stock options in the wake of the meltdown while employees lost profit sharing pay because of the airline’s financial hit due to the meltdown.

☆ The American Case for Supporting Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Tom Cotton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After years of observing Russian leaders up close during World War II, Winston Churchill remarked that “there is nothing they admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for weakness, especially military weakness.” Churchill therefore warned against “offering temptations to a trial of strength.”Unfortunately, that’s exactly what President Biden did in his first year in office, tempting Vladimir Putin to pursue his long-standing ambition to reassemble the Russian Empire by conquering Ukraine. Having failed to deter the war, Mr. Biden’s timid approach has now prolonged it.

☆ Southwest plans to tell Senate it's confident in its schedule after holiday meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Southwest Airlines plans to apologize before a Senate panel on Thursday over the carrier's December meltdown that stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers around Christmas. "In hindsight, we did not have enough winter operational resilience," Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson said in written testimony, which was reviewed by CNBC, ahead of Senate Commerce Committee hearing. The debacle made for an $800 million pretax hit and drove the carrier to a net loss last quarter. Watterson plans to tell the committee that the carrier has made short-term improvements to communicate more easily with crews when things go wrong and has improved tools that keep track of the operation's stability. With those mitigation tools, "we are confident in our flight network and the schedules we have published for sale," Watterson plans to say, according to the testimony.

☆ Southwest pilots detail the Christmas meltdown chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Gregory Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Congress is set to receive new evidence Thursday of internal chaos at Southwest Airlines over the Christmas holiday meltdown. It’s a mess down here.”A photograph of the message, which shows the extent of the airline’s breakdown, is included in testimony the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association union, SWAPA, plans to present at a Senate Commerce committee hearing. “No updates here,” another cockpit computer message to pilots read. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan apologized and the airline offered reimbursements for passengers’ costs, along with bonus points. The union criticized the airline for giving executives stock options in the wake of the meltdown while employees lost profit sharing pay because of the airline’s financial hit due to the meltdown.

☆ 'It's embarrassing for our sport.': Duke University women's basketball coach says her team played first half with the wrong ball
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

According to Lawson, her players complained about the basketball during the first half of the game against FSU. While Lawson alleges it was men's basketball used in the first half, the ACC and FSU concluded otherwise, per ESPN. Despite her outrage, Atlantic Coast Conference and Florida State officials concluded the ball used during the first half of Sunday's game, which was played in Florida, wasn't a men's basketball. They beat us playing with a men's ball in the first half and a women's ball in the second half," Lawson said. "But I can't say if we'd have played with a women's ball in the first half and the second half that we would have won.

☆ Southwest faces Senate hearing next week following holiday meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

John and Lori Ingoldsby, who drove to Denver after the first leg of their flight on Southwest Airlines was canceled, wait for a flight to finish their trip at Denver International Airport on December 28, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. Southwest Airlines ' chief operating officer, Andrew Watterson, will face questions from a Senate panel next Thursday about the carrier's holiday meltdown that stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers. Southwest said the hearing date overlapped with "a previous commitment" for CEO Bob Jordan. The incident has drawn increased scrutiny from Washington and capped a year of on-and-off disruptions in air travel, due to bad weather, staffing and technology issues. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the committee chair, had previously said she planned to hold a hearing on flight disruptions following Southwest's holiday travel chaos.

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is now streaming exclusively on Disney Plus. Check out the trailer for 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'Though the original "Black Panther'' movie starred Boseman as T'Challa, Boseman does not appear in the sequel. How to watch 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' on Disney PlusYou can watch "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" at home on Disney Plus. How to rent or buy 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is also available for purchase for $20 from digital retailers including Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. Is 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' worth watching?

☆ I stayed in 5-star luxury hotels around the world for the first time and 10 things surprised me, from welcome gifts to pillow menus
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Joey Hadden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

After years of camping and booking cheap Airbnbs, I got my first taste of luxury when I stayed at four five-star hotels around the world. Joey Hadden/InsiderCheap Airbnbs, free campsites, and sleepless nights crammed in cars in Walmart parking lots used to be the norm for me. My introduction to luxury started during a train trip to Miami in October 2021. It was my first experience at a luxury hotel, and once I experienced this level of service, it left me craving more upscale stays. With returning celebrity guests like Sting, Travel and Leisure called it one of the most fashionable hotels in Italy.

The world’s biggest luxury group logged revenue of €79.2 billion ($86.2 billion) and profit of €21.1 billion ($22.9 billion) for 2022, both up 23%. And in the coming months, “we have every reason to [be] confident, indeed optimistic, on the Chinese market,” LVMH (LVMHF) CEO Bernard Arnault said on a conference call. “In Macao, where Chinese can now travel to, the change is quite spectacular. He predicted, though, that Chinese tourists would not return in large numbers until at least the second half of the year. The removal of Chinese travel restrictions will likely also boost sales in overseas tourist destinations, the company added.

☆ Mass Shootings in the U.S.: A Symptom of Despair - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Jillian Peterson | James Densley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +23 min

Seven killed and 46 injured in Highland Park, Ill., on July 4, 2022He suffered from severe back pain. Eight killed and seven injured in Indianapolis on April 15, 2021He was known for being paranoid with a short temper. Five killed and seven injured in Aurora, Ill., on Feb. 15, 2019He had expressed violent thoughts. Nine killed and seven injured in Red Lake, Minn., on March 21, 2005He had been noticeably depressed and angry at church. Seven killed and seven injured in Fort Worth on Sept. 15, 1999He killed his daughter’s cat because he was upset.

☆ Boris Johnson visits Kyiv, pledges help
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Nacho DoceKYIV, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Kyiv on a surprise trip on Sunday, meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and pledging that Britain would "stick by Ukraine as long as it takes". "I can tell you that the UK will be sticking by Ukraine for as long as it takes," Johnson told the mayor of Bucha. Johnson has dismissed suggestions that his activity in Ukraine could be seen as undermining British Prime Minister Rusni Sunak. While in office, Johnson visited Kyiv several times and called Zelenskiy frequently. In Bucha, Johnson took selfies with residents and laid flowers in tribute to victims of the war.

WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities said on Wednesday they have arrested the majority shareholder and cofounder of Hong Kong-registered virtual currency exchange Bitzlato Ltd for allegedly processing $700 million in illicit funds. It also broke rules requiring significant vetting of customers and failed to meet requirements aimed at preventing money laundering, authorities said. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration 1 2Prosecutors said Bitzlato knowingly serviced U.S. customers and conducted transactions with U.S.-based exchanges using U.S. online infrastructure. "Identifying Bitzlato as a primary money laundering concern effectively renders the exchange an international pariah," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said at the news conference. "None of the mainstream financial institutions will deal with an entity identified as a primary money laundering concern," she said.

☆ How China planted an FBI mole who was discovered only after gutting the CIA's vast spy network
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

At the time, four years after the handover from Britain to China, much of Hong Kong remained a world of neon and noise. "Five years ago, everyone looked down on you if you spoke Mandarin," said a Beijing executive living in Hong Kong. As soon as the Hong Kong Arts Festival ended, the Hong Kong International Film Festival began. In February 2006, Alex Ma, China's mole in the FBI, sent David photos he received from his handlers of five suspected human sources. Born in Hong Kong like Alex, Lee grew up in Hawaii and became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

In doing so they should deploy the financial innovation which helped to halt the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s: Brady bonds. It requires a 21st-century Marshall Plan led by America and joined by European allies. For example, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has 520 projects in Ukraine and will play an important ongoing role. Specifically, the government in Kyiv should investigate an equivalent to the Brady bonds. For Ukraine to benefit from similar relief, the U.S. Treasury and other key finance ministries should back new Brady bonds.

☆ What is the US getting in Ukraine for $100 billion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Daniel L. Davis | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In December, President Joe Biden signed a bill with another $47 billion in aid for Ukraine. The question: does adding this Patriot battery represent a game-changer for Ukraine? A Patriot battery ordinarily operates as part of an integrated defense system which may include numerous US and NATO systems. As exposed in 2019 when the Saudi-operated Patriot system failed to stop a complex aerial attack from Iran, the system is not fool-proof even when operational. Air Force via APIncluding this most recent aid package, the US has spent over $100 billion on the war in Ukraine, which is $16 billion more than the entire Russian military budget for 2023.

☆ 'Unclear' messaging over delisting risk of Chinese firms in the U.S., professor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'Unclear' messaging over delisting risk of Chinese firms in the U.S., professor saysWinston Ma of New York University says it's up to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to clarify if Chinese companies are at "year one or year zero of the two year clock."

Mortgage borrowing limits are the same in all Alabama counties. Mortgage borrowing limits in Alabama are the same in every county in 2022: $726,200 for conforming mortgages and $472,030 for FHA mortgages. How do mortgage borrowing limits work? If you want to buy a home that costs more than the conforming mortgage limit in your county, you'll need to get a jumbo mortgage. Alabama borrowing limits in 2023 by countyCounty Conforming mortgage limit (single-family home) FHA mortgage limit (single-family home) Autauga $726,200 $472,030 Baldwin $726,200 $472,030 Barbour $726,200 $472,030 Bibb $726,200 $472,030 Blount $726,200 $472,030 Bullock $726,200 $472,030 Butler $726,200 $472,030 Calhoun $726,200 $472,030 Chambers $726,200 $472,030 Cherokee $726,200 $472,030 Chilton $726,200 $472,030 Choctaw $726,200 $472,030 Clarke $726,200 $472,030 Clay $726,200 $472,030 Cleburne $726,200 $472,030 Coffee $726,200 $472,030 Colbert $726,200 $472,030 Conecuh $726,200 $472,030 Coosa $726,200 $472,030 Covington $726,200 $472,030 Crenshaw $726,200 $472,030 Cullman $726,200 $472,030 Dale $726,200 $472,030 Dallas $726,200 $472,030 DeKalb $726,200 $472,030 Elmore $726,200 $472,030 Escambia $726,200 $472,030 Etowah $726,200 $472,030 Fayette $726,200 $472,030 Franklin $726,200 $472,030 Geneva $726,200 $472,030 Greene $726,200 $472,030 Hale $726,200 $472,030 Henry $726,200 $472,030 Houston $726,200 $472,030 Jackson $726,200 $472,030 Jefferson $726,200 $472,030 Lamar $726,200 $472,030 Lauderdale $726,200 $472,030 Lawrence $726,200 $472,030 Lee $726,200 $472,030 Limeston $726,200 $472,030 Lowndes $726,200 $472,030 Macon $726,200 $472,030 Madison $726,200 $472,030 Marengo $726,200 $472,030 Marion $726,200 $472,030 Marshall $726,200 $472,030 Mobile $726,200 $472,030 Monroe $726,200 $472,030 Montgomery $726,200 $472,030 Morgan $726,200 $472,030 Perry $726,200 $472,030 Pickens $726,200 $472,030 Pike $726,200 $472,030 Randolph $726,200 $472,030 Russell $726,200 $472,030 St. Clair $726,200 $472,030 Shelby $726,200 $472,030 Sumter $726,200 $472,030 Talladega $726,200 $472,030 Tallapoosa $726,200 $472,030 Tuscaloosa $726,200 $472,030 Walker $726,200 $472,030 Washington $726,200 $472,030 Wilcox $726,200 $472,030 Winston $726,200 $472,030Note: In every county in Alabama, if you want to borrow more than the baseline loan limit of $726,200, you'll need to get a jumbo mortgage.

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" will start streaming exclusively on Disney Plus on February 1. Check out the trailer for 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'Though the original "Black Panther'' movie starred the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, Boseman does not appear in the sequel. How to watch 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'You can watch "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" at home on Disney Plus starting February 1. Is 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' worth watching? Letitia Wright in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

☆ Ant gets approval to expand its consumer finance business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — Ant Group's consumer finance unit has received approval to more than double its registered capital, a sign of progress in resolving regulators' concerns. Since the abrupt suspension of its massive IPO in late 2020, Ant has been working with Chinese regulators to restructure its business. Ant launched its consumer finance company in 2021 as part of the restructuring. On Friday, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said it approved Ant's request to increase the amount of registered capital for the consumer unit, to 18.5 billion yuan from 8 billion yuan. Ant will still hold a 50% stake in the consumer finance company, according to the announcement.

☆ Our oddest photos of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A heart-shaped clearing can be seen in woodland where Winston Howes planted 6,000 oak trees in a six-acre field on his farm, leaving the clearing in the middle as a tribute to his late wife Janet to whom he was married for 33 years, in Wickwar,...more

Critically, experts say, nothing that's transpired in the crypto market in 2022 undermines the inherent value of the blockchain. "So while this has been a shock to the market, a lot of people in the space remain sanguine about the future of blockchain technology." He said stock trading, buying and selling real estate, and borrowing and lending money remain ripe for disruption by blockchain technology. "The ethereum blockchain could turn out to be this major infrastructure layer for the future of technological services," Abner said. He said prospective crypto users must prepare for a steep learning curve going forward, because it ultimately involves trusting only yourself to be in charge of your assets.

Search resuls for: "Winston"

25 mentions found