DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Investing in Space special report: Starship succeeds, in spite of failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. As I sprinted for a flight in the Dallas airport near midnight last night, I didn't actually think SpaceX was going to light up Starship's engines this morning. And even with the Super Heavy booster successfully ignited, I still didn't think the rocket would get off the ground. Michael Sheetz is CNBC's space reporter – send tips, talent moves and more to michael.sheetz@nbcuni.com. Listen to CNBC's "Manifest Space" podcast, hosted by Morgan Brennan, wherever you find podcasts.

☆ Biden set for summit with top fundraisers ahead of expected re-election campaign -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to meet top potential donors for his planned re-election campaign next week, according to two people with direct knowledge of the plans. Last week, Biden said he would launch his campaign "relatively soon." Biden entered the 2020 race nearly four years ago, on April 25, 2019. While the campaign would employ paid staff who focus on fundraising, they rely on volunteers to significant work. Biden drew laughter and applause when he referred to Trump's "last term - only term."

☆ AOC says there's an easy solution if Clarence Thomas wants a life of luxury: 'Resign from the court'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez weighed in on Justice Clarence Thomas' undisclosed luxury trips. Public servants who want to live a luxury lifestyle "can resign from the court," she said. Thomas reportedly took undisclosed vacations with a GOP megadonor over the past 20 years. And if they want to live that kind of lifestyle, then they can resign from the court. Host Jordan Klepper asked who she thought would write the opinion if conflicting rulings on the abortion pill mifepristone make it to the Supreme Court.

The GOP’s plan for a one-year debt limit increase, said McCarthy, would roll back domestic, non-defense spending to 2022 levels. Through his speech, McCarthy urged Wall Street to pressure the Biden administration to accept spending cuts. He also said that he wasn’t monitoring stock market conditions as he headed into debt ceiling negotiations. McCarthy expressed concern over these developments on Monday but said the Republican debt ceiling plan could solve some of those problems. “You can utilize the debt ceiling as the opportunity to do it,” he added.

☆ 'The Phantom of the Opera' ends Broadway run after 35 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, April 17 (Reuters) - Musical "The Phantom of the Opera" ended a record-breaking 35-year Broadway run on Sunday when, amid predictions that the show would one day return, teary-eyed cast members took a final bow alongside its original stars. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber dedicated the final Broadway performance to his son Nicholas, who died of gastric cancer last month. And so maybe it may come back, you never know...," Lloyd Webber told a packed audience from the stage after the show. [1/7] Cast and crew members take a moment to applause after their final performance of the Phantom of the Opera, which closes after 35 years on Broadway, in New York City, U.S., April 16, 2023. Brightman, who joined cast members on stage on Sunday, described the production as "a very special piece".

☆ Northern Ireland recognises women who helped bring peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Amanda Ferguson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"There wouldn't be a Good Friday agreement to celebrate today if it were not for the women of Northern Ireland," Clinton said, to applause from the audience. The peace accord largely ended 30 years of violence between mainly Catholic nationalist opponents and mainly Protestant unionist supporters of British rule. Other recipients included Ireland's first female president, Mary Robinson, Northern Ireland's first female first minister, Arlene Foster and Lyra McKee, a journalist who was killed in 2019 during an outbreak of the sporadic violence that still exists. "I was amazed that my name was among such an illustrious group of women," Avila Killmurray, a co-founder of the Women's Coalition, said at the ceremony. "However it's really nice because I worked mainly with women in local communities and I think very often their contribution over the years doesn't go recognised enough."

☆ Pope Francis calls 'insinuations' against John Paul II unfounded
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File PhotoVATICAN CITY, April 16 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday rejected as offensive and unfounded what he called insinuations by the brother of a Vatican schoolgirl who went missing 40 years ago about one of his predecessors as pontiff, Saint John Paul II. The voice of the alleged gangster says that more than 40 year ago, girls were brought into the Vatican to be molested and that Pope John Paul knew about it. Sgro told Reuters on Sunday that John Paul did not come up in her conversation with Diddi, adding in a text message: "I have never questioned the sanctity of John Paul II". Orlandi told Reuters on Sunday by telephone that it was "correct that Francis defended John Paul II". (This story has been refiled to make clear John Paul II was not Pope Francis' immediate predecessor, in paragraph 1)Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mike Pence was booed at an NRA event, while Trump was greeted with a 2-minute standing ovation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The crowd booed Mike Pence at an NRA event, despite positioning himself as a defender of gun rights. After referencing polls that put him ahead of other Republican contenders, including Pence, Trump appeared to acknowledge the crowd's frosty response to the former vice president. "I hope you gave Pence a good, warm approval," he said as the crowd booed some more. The NRA event comes days after a mass shooting at a school in Nashville and a bank in Louisville. Along with Trump and Pence, several Republican hopefuls spoke virtually or in person at the event, including Florida Gov.

☆ In signing 6-week ban, DeSantis wades into thorny debate over abortion and 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

April 14 (Reuters) - When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban on April 14, 2022, he held a morning ceremony at a church in front of an enormous "Protect Life" sign, flanked by women and children. On Thursday, exactly one year later, DeSantis – now a likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate – signed a six-week ban with decidedly less fanfare. Republican presidential hopefuls, including former President Donald Trump, have largely sidestepped the issue. REPUBLICANS TREAD CAREFULLYOther Republican presidential contenders have also treaded carefully. In a social media post after November's midterm elections, he blamed the "abortion issue" for the party's underperformance.

☆ Takeaways from Biden's trip to Ireland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Biden’s trip came as he nears a decision on running again for president. “I own property in Ireland, I’m not going to Ireland,” former President Donald Trump said during Biden’s trip. Patrick Semansky/APDiplomatic legacy: ‘Keep the peace’White House officials made little attempt at ascribing major policy objectives to Biden’s trip. Kevin Lamarque/ReutersBiden makes Ireland visit a family affairMore than anything, Biden’s trip this week had the feeling of a family spring break. Throughout the sometimes-rainy trip, Biden kept his head dry with a baseball cap from the Beau Biden Foundation.

☆ Justin Pearson sworn back in to Tennessee House
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Omar Younis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Democratic Tennessee state Representative Justin Pearson who was ousted from the Tennessee House of Representatives along with another young Black colleague for breaking decorum with a gun control demonstration on the House floor, is sworn in before returning to the state legislature after being reinstated in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin WurmNASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 13 (Reuters) - Tennessee state Representative Justin Pearson was sworn in on Thursday morning after he was reappointed to the legislature from which he and another Democratic colleague were expelled for leading a gun protest on the House of Representatives floor. "We've just been expelled, but we're back," Pearson told the crowd. We're going to keep fighting to end environmental racism and injustice," Pearson told reporters after his reappointment. Tennessee House Republicans, who have a supermajority, have said in a statement they will welcome back any expelled state lawmakers returned by county-level governments, so long as those members follow the legislature's rules.

CNN —Flowers, a coconut and a round of cheers were part of the celebrations following the inaugural test run through India’s first underwater metro tunnel on Wednesday. “This is a historic moment for Metro Railway,” Kausik Mitra, chief public relations officer for the Kolkata metro system, said in a statement. Once open, Howrah Maidan will be the deepest metro station in India. The full metro line through Howrah Maidan will be 4.8 km (three miles) long. Kolkata was the first city in India to have a metro system.

☆ Trump greeted with prolonged applause when he made a surprise appearance at UFC 287 with Mike Tyson and Kid Rock
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump made a surprise appearance at UFC 287 in Miami on Saturday night. He sat front row with Kid Rock, Mike Tyson, and UFC president Dana White. The recently indicted former president was greeted with enthusiastic applause by many in the crowd. Videos and photos posted on social media show the former president entering the arena with Kid Rock, Mike Tyson, and UFC president Dana White sitting in the front row with them. At one point, UFC fighter Kevin Holland came over to speak with the former president from the cage after he beat Santiago Ponzinibbio.

☆ Video catches moment Putin's speech met with awkward silence as he appears to wait for applause that never comes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Vladimir Putin addressed a group of ambassadors at a speech at the Kremlin. He appears to look around expecting applause, but is instead met with awkward silence. In the speech Putin blamed the US for the Ukraine conflict as the US ambassador awkwardly looked on. As the Russian leader finished his speech at a televised ceremony of ambassadors on Wednesday, he looked around the room as an awkward silence followed. The video was widely shared on social media, including by Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko, who noted that "no one applauded" following the speech.

☆ At elite Chinese university, Macron hails 'critical thinking'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GUANGHZOU, China, April 7 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron was given a rock star welcome by Chinese students at an elite university in Guangzhou where he took questions and hailed critical thinking in a country with tight media and political control. In opening remarks, Macron repeated the message of firmness against Russia he had conveyed to Chinese President Xi Jinping the day before. 'FREE AND EMANCIPATED INDIVIDUAL'Asked by a nuclear physics student what he thought were the skills needed for a bright future, Macron cited knowledge, critical thinking and self-confidence. "Critical thinking is just as important as access to knowledge. Without critical thinking, an individual "would not know what to do with knowledge and would simply be the victim of propaganda," Macron added.

☆ There was little love in New York for Trump, but at home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the MAGA faithful rallied around him
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aditi Bharade | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump delivered a defiant speech in Mar-a-Lago after his arraignment in New York on Tuesday. Trump allies like Roger Stone, Mike Lindell, Kari Lake, and Marjorie Taylor Greene were there. GOP lawmakers like Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made it down to Mar-a-Lago to cheer Trump on. Greene — who earlier on Tuesday gave a short 10-minute speech at a mini pro-Trump protest in New York — tweeted about the Mar-a-Lago event. Trump on Tuesday was arrested in New York, and later in a Manhattan courtroom pleaded not guilty to 34 low-level felony charges.

☆ Starbucks' Howard Schultz was the gold standard for good bosses everywhere. Then Gen Z worked for him.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks at the time, then appeared with Clinton on a panel to discuss corporate responsibility. Schultz discussed his 1987 decision to offer Starbucks employees stock options and what he said was better healthcare than rivals, among other benefits. Starbucks workers participate in November's Red Cup Rebellion, a nationwide strike. Starbucks's health insurance option for part-time workers originates in a 1986 contract for unionized Seattle Starbucks workers that Schultz fought against at the time. Markey said that by unionizing, Starbucks workers are "just looking to be someone who can protect themselves in the way your father could not."

☆ 'It's not a pretty picture': Russia's support is growing in the developing world
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month and the two leaders vowed to deepen economic ties. watch nowWhile South Africa caused controversy in February by holding joint military drills with Russia and China on the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. The EIU said the number of neutral countries rose from 32 to 35, now representing almost 31% of the global population. However, this bloc also represents just under 68% of global GDP, highlighting an emerging disconnect between wealthy Western economies and the Global South. Countering organized Russian propaganda first requires acknowledging the problem, and building awareness about the aims and effectiveness of sanctions, she said.

☆ Czech parliament speaker, in Taiwan, says we'll always stand with you
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] The Speaker of the Chamber of the Deputies of Czech Republic Marketa Pekarova Adamova makes a speech at the Parliament in Taipei, Taiwan March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, March 28 (Reuters) - The speaker of the lower chamber of the Czech parliament told Taiwanese lawmakers on Tuesday that her country and Taiwan are bound together by freedom and democracy, pledging to always stand with the island's people. Addressing Taiwan's parliament, Marketa Pekarova Adamova said Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the same story. Although the Czech Republic does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Pekarova Adamova is visiting with a delegation of some 150, mostly businesspeople. Pekarova Adamova's trip to Taiwan follows one by Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil in 2020.

☆ Trump kicks off 2024 with a lifeless stump speech, folding indictment hysteria into a growing list of grievances
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Trump's first stump speech of 2024 saw the ex-president lashing out at a growing list of enemies. 'Final battle' rhetoricThe former president is seeking another term in the White House while multiple criminal and civil cases against him keep building. Trump categorized every investigation poking around his personal life, single-term presidency, and post-presidential life as bogus "witch hunts." "Put me back in the White House and their reign will be over," Trump told the thousands in the crowd, their cheers rising up to greet him. Earlier in the day, one of the local officials who helped warm up the crowd told attendees he had a foolproof plan for overcoming just about any issue.

☆ Apple’s Tim Cook Upbeat in Beijing as China Courts Global CEOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Yoko Kubota | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Apple CEO Tim Cook attended the season premiere of the Apple show “Ted Lasso” in Los Angeles earlier this month. Saturday, Mr. Cook spoke in Beijing about Apple’s growth in China. BEIJING— Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook took the stage Saturday at an economic conference in Beijing sponsored by the Chinese government, giving an upbeat talk that was welcomed with applause. The treatment his counterpart at TikTok received days earlier in Washington couldn’t have been more different: hours of questioning by lawmakers over the short-video platform’s links to Beijing.

☆ Apple’s Tim Cook Takes Stage in China to Welcoming Applause
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Yoko Kubota | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Apple CEO Tim Cook is making his first known visit to China since the pandemic began. BEIJING— Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook took the stage Saturday at an economic conference in Beijing sponsored by the Chinese government, giving an upbeat talk that was welcomed with applause. The treatment his counterpart at TikTok received days earlier in Washington couldn’t have been more different: hours of questioning by lawmakers over the short-video platform’s links to Beijing.

☆ Trump holds first election rally in Waco overshadowed by legal threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on education as he holds a campaign rally with supporters, in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. March 13, 2023. In an email, a Trump campaign spokesperson said Waco was chosen because it is situated between several major population centers and has the infrastructure to host a large event. Trump has sought to paint the Manhattan case as politically motivated, raised money off it and used it to rally supporters to his side. The city of Waco said it was expecting 15,000 people to attend the rally. In an editorial, the Houston Chronicle said the decision to host the event in Waco during the anniversary of the Waco siege represented far more than a dog-whistle message to far-right and conspiratorial Trump supporters.

☆ Trump loyalists flock to Waco for election rally overshadowed by legal threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WACO, Texas (Reuters) -Die-hard fans of Donald Trump flocked to the ex-president’s election rally in Waco, Texas, on Saturday, brimming with defiance as their favored candidate faced overlapping threats of criminal indictment. FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on education as he holds a campaign rally with supporters, in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoSeveral thousand Trump supporters lined up outside the Waco Regional Airport waiting to go through security and enter the event, with the first speaker scheduled for 2 p.m. CDT (1900 GMT). Fifty-seven-year-old Laurie Hansen said Trump was “the best president ever.”“He’s the only one who can bring our country back,” she said. In an editorial, the Houston Chronicle said the decision to host the event in Waco during the anniversary of the Waco siege represented more than a dog-whistle message to far-right and conspiratorial Trump supporters.

And I'm prepared to serve this," Representative Michael McCaul told Secretary of State Antony Blinken as he testified to the committee about the department's budget request. McCaul has launched an investigation into the messy withdrawal from Afghanistan and events in the country since. McCaul sent a letter to Blinken this week requesting the information before Thursday. Blinken responded at Thursday's hearing that the department is working to provide as much information as possible. Blinken told the committee that several Americans were being held in Afghanistan, but they were not being identified at their families' request.

Search resuls for: "Applause"

25 mentions found