DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Europe typically imported an average of 154,000 barrels per day (bpd) of diesel and jet fuel from India before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That increased to 200,000 bpd after the European Union banned Russian oil products imports from Feb. 5, Kpler data showed. OIL PRODUCTSAs Europe's ban kept Russian products out, India's diesel exports to the continent rose 12-16% to 150,000-167,000 bpd in the last fiscal year, the Kpler and Vortexa data showed. The key European buyers of Indian diesel are France, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands, the Kpler data showed. Indian oil products exportsBesides increasing exports to Europe, India has also boosted vacuum gas oil (VGO) shipments to the U.S.

☆ Shopify Power Players: Meet the 16 leaders driving its growth as it looks to build the future of commerce
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Shopify focuses on predicting the future of commerce. It has launched a number of new products to make sure merchants are ready for the next phase. And Shopify has also adjusted its strategy to blend e-commerce and in-person retail and help merchants to meet their customers where they are. It also further explored the use of new technologies like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality in commerce. From leading new product launches to bringing entrepreneurs from around the world into the Shopify ecosystem, here are the 16 power players driving the company's next phase of growth.

☆ Exclusive: India's Bank of Baroda stops clearing payment for above-cap Russian oil - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Bank of Baroda is extremely cautious in settling payments for Russian oil bought (at levels) above the price cap," one of the sources said. After Western sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, Indian refiners have been gorging on discounted Russian oil. Russia has replaced Iraq as the top oil supplier to India in the last few months, data from trade sources showed. It was not clear if Axis Bank had also stopped settling trades for Russian oil sold above the price cap. India does not recognise the Western price cap on Russian oil, a senior oil ministry source said last month.

☆ Why fans say trips to Disney World are now 'incredibly complicated' to pull off
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

But some travelers aren't thrilled about what it takes to pull off a trip to Walt Disney World these days. He said he goes to Disney World about "once a month." They will leave thinking food at Disney World is a "cheeseburger and a hot dog … which could not be farther from the truth," he said. Walt Disney World comprises four theme parks, two water parks and dozens of themed hotels, plus a shopping and entertainment area called Disney Springs. He called Disney World an "amazing spa destination" and said Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney, has shopping, live music and fantastic restaurants.

☆ One of the oldest restaurants at Downtown Disney in California is closing down
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar at Disneyland California's Downtown Disney are closing on 14 April. The restaurant has been in business since the Downtown Disney District opened in 2001. Catal Restaurant and its accompanying outdoor bar – Uva Bar – have been permanent fixtures since the opening of Downtown Disney in 2001. The theme park says that the restaurant and bar are closing "to make way for an exciting new addition to the Downtown Disney District." The change is part of a large redevelopment of the Downtown Disney District, which is home to a number of restaurants, shops, and entertainment options.

☆ Vimeo CEO: Highly successful Gen Zers use these 3 tactics to improve their workplaces
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The definition of Gen Z is sometimes contested, but is roughly considered anyone born between 1997 and 2012. It's one example of how Gen Z, after more than three years of a global pandemic, has a heavy hand in shaping the next new normal. Here's how the most successful Gen Zers are already doing it, according to Sud. A lot of Gen Zers are used to quickly internalizing large amounts of information in short periods of time, for example, especially with the boom of short-form content on platforms like TikTok. "[The way we] communicate and interact in our personal lives is going to translate to work," Sud said.

"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is now available to watch in theaters. How to watch 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is now playing exclusively in theaters. "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is a Paramount movie, so it's expected to stream on Paramount Plus sometime after its exclusive theatrical window. If "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" follows this release strategy, it could hit Paramount Plus on May 15 at the earliest. "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is based on the popular fantasy roleplaying game, "Dungeons & Dragons," which was first published in 1974.

☆ ‘Succession’ Star J. Smith-Cameron Discovered Acting After a High-School Dare
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

J. Smith-Cameron, 65, is an actress who recently appeared in TV’s “Fleishman Is in Trouble” and in the movie “Vengeance.” She currently stars as Gerri Kellman in HBO’s “Succession.” She spoke with Marc Myers. My grandfather, Richard Sharp Smith, was a prominent architect, but I didn’t know him. He died in 1924, when my father was still a child. He was a big presence in Asheville, in western North Carolina, where he designed many private homes in a blend of Craftsman, Shingle and Tudor Revival styles.

☆ Why big investors like Carlyle and Ares are zeroing in on Hollywood and sports deals — and driving private credit in media to new highs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

And Ares raised $3.7 billion for a fund last fall geared specifically toward sports, media, and entertainment investments across private debt and private equity. Unlike private equity investing, where managers take stakes in companies or buy them, private credit investors lend to businesses and make money on interest payments. (Private investment firm KKR's media, entertainment, and sports portfolio includes Insider parent company Axel Springer.) Carlyle's $146 billion credit arm has also provided capital to Clair, a media tech company that specializes in live production services and audio products. The strategists said driving that uptick are private credit defaults that include so-called softer forms of default, like breaching a loan's terms and conditions, along with private credit portfolio companies having generally lower ratings and less diversified businesses.

☆ Review: The Toyota Tacoma is a charming pickup truck — which makes up for its imperfections
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Alanis King | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The 2023 Toyota Tacoma is one of the last in this generation of the mid-size pickup truck. The 2023 Toyota Tacoma. The 2023 Toyota Tacoma. The 2023 Toyota Tacoma. The 2023 Toyota Tacoma.

☆ Car dealers fight the threat of extinction as the Teslafication of their industry intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The modern car shopping experience, from initial research to final purchase, can now be done online — and the pandemic accelerated that shift. Others are emulating firms like Carvana and moving some parts of the buying process online. We don't exactly know how the car business is going to look going forward with this EV shift, and how much the EV shift is actually going to take place." Ford has set stringent requirements for its dealers to sell EVs — though some dealers have called its EV certification program unfair and dropped out. Some dealers are having a hard time committing to changes when the return on investment — especially with EVs — isn't yet clear.

☆ MIT neuroscientists are testing a headset that uses a 'disco' of light and sound to treat Alzheimer's disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Alzheimer's disease is a complicated and debilitating disease that has no cure. One startup is testing whether a "disco" of light and sound can slow the disease in patients. The startup is testing whether a "disco" of light and sound, delivered via a special headset, can slow the disease in patients by stimulating their brains. The company just raised $73 million from investors to evaluate its technology in about 500 people with early- to midstage Alzheimer's disease. Microglia help clear out amyloid, or proteins in the brain that are thought to be a major indicator of Alzheimer's disease.

☆ Dodge resurrects controversial Challenger SRT Demon for final year of V8 muscle cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

DETROIT — Dodge is resurrecting its controversial muscle car model, the Challenger SRT Demon, as a final special edition of the vehicle before production of the brand's current V8 engine cars ends later this year. The limited-edition drag racing car will be the fastest, most powerful version of the Dodge Challenger ever produced by the automaker. It builds upon a 2018 Challenger SRT Demon model that some criticized for being too powerful and barely street legal. Dodge says the new car will deliver 1,025 horsepower and 945 foot-pounds of torque on E85 ethanol blend fuel. The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 will start at the diabolically evocative price of $96,666 — the last three figures are a reference to the devil — but it can top $120,000 or more with fees, options and accessories, according to Dodge.

☆ Factbox: Russia's tighter energy ties with China since Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In February 2022, China also agreed to buy up to 10 bcm of gas annually by around 2026 via a pipeline from Russia's far east island of Sakhalin. Russia's gas exports to China are still a small fraction of the record 177 bcm it delivered to Europe in 2018-19. Since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, volumes to Europe have shrunk, reaching about 62 bcm in 2022. - China's seaborne imports of Russian oil are set to hit a record in March as Chinese refiners take advantage of cheap prices as domestic fuel demand rebounds. - China has largely ignored the sanctions imposed by Western nations on seaborne Russian crude since Dec. 5.

☆ Malawians search for relatives buried under the mud as death toll jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While the storm had dissipated, rain continued to hamper rescue efforts as vehicles struggled on flooded roads. Lieutenant Colonel Dickens Kamisa, who participated in the search, said local authorities identified about eight areas where dead bodies should be buried and were using sniffer dogs to find trapped Malawians. Chifundo Chilimba, a local resident, told Reuters he could not find his family members as the depth of the mud was too deep. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it was providing food assistance by distributing partially pre-cooked food called corn-soya blend to displaced people. The storm had already killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before it lashed Mozambique a second time.

☆ European Central Bank's 50 basis point rate hike was the right call, former ECB president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | 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 EmailEuropean Central Bank's 50 basis point rate hike was the right call, former ECB president saysJean-Claude Trichet, former president of the European Central Bank, says it made the "right blend" of decisions.

☆ We moved to North Carolina but are about to leave because the salaries aren't high enough and the diversity we value ended at the city limits
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

They opted to rent in Charlotte, North Carolina, because of the affordability and diversity. North Carolina isn't as affordable as it seemsCielo: We bought our house in California in 2018 for $432,000. We decided to rent in North Carolina because when we were looking into housing, it was getting expensive. Everyone we spoke to says that that's an issue with the entire south, not just North Carolina. Did you move to North Carolina recently?

March 14 (Reuters) - U.S. senators reintroduced a bipartisan bill on Tuesday that would allow nationwide sales of gasoline with a higher blend of ethanol year-round, as a second heavy-weight oil trade group appeared ready to back the idea. Year-round sales of E15 have been long sought by the biofuel industry and corn farmers, who would benefit from the increased market. The American Petroleum Institute (API), one of the largest U.S. oil trade groups, has supported the bill since it was introduced last autumn. On Tuesday, another top U.S. oil group, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), signaled it could support a national standard. In response to their request, the EPA in early March proposed to allow year-round E15 sales in those states.

☆ Analysis: Russian sanctions shift oil price-making power to Asia from Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Western Sanctions have led Russia to sell more than twice as much crude to Asia in the year to January, according to Kpler data. Iran, under U.S. sanctions, has boosted exports to the highest in three years on some estimates, with China the biggest buyer. Hardeep Singh Puri, India's oil minister, said in early February the country will keep buying from Russia if prices "continue to be good". EUROPE LOSES SUPPLY SOURCEIndia was among those to have complained about the Asian premium they paid to the big exporters. "These normal sorts of patterns of Asian premium or discount don't really apply," he said.

☆ Smoothies in, alcopops out as UK updates inflation index for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Fruit is displayed for sale on a stall in Lewisham Market, south east London, Britain, March 9, 2023. However, battery-powered electric bikes and home security cameras similar to Amazon's Ring video doorbells will join the index, the ONS said. Inflation is high on the public's agenda, after surging energy prices pushed CPI to a 41-year high of 11.1% in October. In future it will use an industry database with 30 million price points rather than an index calculated by a regulator. Leaving the index are cooking apples and super-king-size cigarettes - though other types of apple and cigarette will remain.

☆ 38-year-old mom launched a frozen yogurt startup from her kitchen—now she's a 'Shark Tank' CEO with a $1.5 million company
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The whipped, frozen Greek yogurt delicacy she put together became Sweetkiwi, a Dallas-based food startup founded in 2011. And on Friday's episode of ABC's "Shark Tank," Eigbe and her business partner — her husband, Michael Kindele — landed a $250,000 investment deal with Robert Herjavec valuing the company at more than $1.5 million. She initially offered the Sharks 5% of her company for that $250,000 investment, noting that the money would go toward brand-building and marketing. The duo expressed confidence despite their industry's heavy competition, noting that Sweetkiwi pints have less sugar than most other frozen yogurts. Herjavec's final offer was $250,000 for a 16% stake in the company — which Sweetkiwi accepted.

☆ Returning to frontline, Ukrainian Leopard crews see their 'cat' as game-changer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

FIGHTING ALONGSIDE THE 'CAT'In Bergen, the German trainers were happy with the Ukrainians' performance over their six-week crash course. Of course, they are not heading for the training ground but directly into battle. One of the Ukrainian gunners rejected any talk of fear but warned the Russians to brace for the arrival of the Leopard. "The Leopard tanks will enable us to make the breakthroughs that we need. And other Ukrainian units will feel safer, too, when they fight alongside the cat."

☆ 15 Best Dress Shirts for Men, According to Style Experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Since dress shirts are a closet staple, there are also hundreds to pick from, making a trusted recommendation invaluable. “Hands down, it’s my top selling button-up dress shirt,” she says. Though it has the appearance of a traditional dress shirt, it’s actually made of a sweat-wicking cotton-polyester blend with four-way stretch. “Without a doubt, this is a favorite of each client that tries it,” Alexander says of the dress shirt he recommends most often. Soft silk pickAs an alternative to cotton or synthetic blends, silk is a luxurious option that’s lightweight and soft on the skin.

☆ Firing an anti-ship missile at ground targets is a chaotic strategy Russia may regret, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine on Thursday. Among the weapons used was a Kh-22, an old Soviet-style missile designed to sink aircraft carriers. Its use is an illustration of Russia's "kitchen sink approach," a missile expert told Insider. He said the Kh-22 missiles are "basically being used as terror weapons," totally removed from their actual military purpose. Short-term thinkingWilliams said using an anti-ship missile like this betrayed a "short-term approach" by Russia, which is degrading its ability to fend off other threats.

☆ I make 6 figures as an 'undercover guest' who helps resorts with bad reviews improve their game. Here's what I look for and how I stay incognito.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Annie Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

I check in as a guest to enjoy the property, work incognito to evaluate the service, and create a customized training program for improvement. Courtesy of Stephanie LegerI charge a flat fee per service or day depending on the client's needs. Courtesy of Stephanie LegerLeger changing wigs in the bathroom to stay undercover. Courtesy of Stephanie LegerI stay in a secret persona throughout my visit and remember my story, which changes each time. When I got to my room at one hotel, another guest was in itOnce, I checked in to a hotel and the room was occupied.

Search resuls for: "Blend"

25 mentions found