DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Opinion | Fareed Zakaria on Where Russia’s War in Ukraine Stands — and Much More
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +96 min

Obviously, the line is not perfect, but I think that’s a very sensible line. And I don’t think that’s all about absorption capability. But I don’t think it’s fair to say that the Russians have done everything they can. fareed zakaria[LAUGHS] And by the way, I think that’s some key to understanding the alliance is a personal one. I think India, Israel, and Poland — usually, in the 70 percent-plus say they like — have a favorable view of America.

Persons: ezra klein, it’s, Fareed Zakaria, Zakaria, “ Fareed Zakaria, fareed zakaria, Ezra, Putin, They’ve, there’s, fareed zakaria It’s, they’re, It’s, Fidel Castro, Sean Penn, haven’t, you’re, won’t, Biden, They’re, Washington, Winston Churchill, Merkel, wouldn’t, —, Nancy Gibbs, Khomeini, Macron, Ron DeSantis, YouGov, fareed zakaria I’m, that’s, DeSantis, Lindsey Grahams, Mitch McConnell, Xi Jinping, ezra klein Yes, Xi, Gorbachev, Zelensky, Trump, Obama, Bush, United States —, McCarthy’s, I’ve, they’d, doesn’t, didn’t, ezra klein They’re, fareed zakaria They’re, we’ve, Simpson, I’m, Janet Yellen, Colin Powell, unquote, That’s, Jonathan Haidt, We’ve, he’s, fareed zakaria That’s, they’ve, fareed zakaria Well, gee, TikTok, we’re, George Kennan, Mike Gallagher, klein, Nirupama Rao, Bob Kagan, can’t, — fareed zakaria, Lord Mountbatten, Gandhi, Franklin Roosevelt, Ho Chi Minh, fareed zakaria Right, narratively —, Modi, you’ve, China’s —, fareed zakaria Modi, India’s, Advani, Vajpayee, you’d, There’s, India, Joe Biden, fareed zakaria I’ve, Benedict Anderson’s “, Orville Schell, John Delury, Sunil Khilnani, ezra klein Fareed Zakaria Organizations: CNN, The Washington Post, Putin, Starbucks, Russia, Revolutionary Guard, NATO, Ukrainian, Communist, European Union, U.S, Republican Party’s, Republican Party, Republicans, ASEAN, Trump, Defense, United, U.S ., Democrats, Chinese Communist Party, State, Facebook, Google, Soviet Union, Huawei, Twitter, South China Seas, Foreign Affairs, Yale Law, International Criminal, South China, . Security, Trade Organization, Pax Americana, Americana, New York Fed, America, Republican, Fox, Beijing Locations: ezra klein Russia, Ukraine, Russia, America, Europe, China, India, Russian, United States, Relatedly, Japan, Turkey, Holland, South Korea, Singapore, Iran, Venezuela, Central America, Southeast Asia, Washington, Britain, ‘, U.S, United Europe, Germany, Soviet Union, Vietnam, Beijing, Trump, Asia, Iraq, Hainan, Montana, Republic, Soviet, weirdly, South, Taiwan, Pakistan, New Delhi, South Africa, Kuwait, Russia’s, Eden, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Kashmir, it’s, Cuba, Pax, American, Mumbai, Shanghai, Israel, Poland, Indian, Nigeria

☆ Opinion: We’ve reached a turning point with AI, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jessica Chia | Bethany Cianciolo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +33 min

Will general purpose AI — AI that is as capable as humans — eventually take over the world? CNN/Peg Skorpinski “…even though we may understand how to build perfectly safe general purpose AI, what’s to stop Dr. We don’t know if they reason; we don’t know if they have their own internal goals that they’ve learned or what they might be. It is not general purpose AI, but it’s giving people a taste of what it would be like. And so it turns out that you can actually build AI systems that have those properties, but they’re very different from the kinds of AI systems that we know how to build.

Persons: CNN —, ChatGPT, Bill Gates, —, Stuart Russell, Russell, ” Russell, they’ve, Peg Skorpinski “, ” Stuart Russell Russell, ”, STUART RUSSELL, ” Stuart Russell, we’ll, “, it’s, they’re, That’s, Arthur Samuel, Samuel, Travis Teo, I’ve, Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, Stan Honda, There’s, they’re misaligned, you’ve, It’s, that’s, we’ve Organizations: CNN, University of California, IBM Watson Media, Hyundai, Boston Dynamics, Reuters, Microsoft, Artificial, Intelligence, US National Academies, GPT, IBM's, Getty, Federal Aviation Administration, Nuclear Regulatory, PIXAR Locations: Berkeley, ”, Singapore, New York, AFP, ChatGPT, Luxembourg, Cayman Islands, United States, California, —

Brookfield and DigitalBridge are leading opposing bidding consortia in the auction for privately held DigitalBridge, the sources said, adding an outcome is expected by next month. The terms of Compass' debt allow for it to be taken over by a new owner without it being refinanced, one of the sources said. The Deal reported in February that Compass Datacenters was exploring a sale. Compass Datacenters, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners and DigitalBridge declined to comment. During the same month, Brookfield Infrastructure also acquired freight container lessor Triton International Ltd (TRTN.N) for about $4.7 billion.

Persons: Dealmaking, Brookfield, Milana Vinn, Anirban Sen, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, DigitalBridge, RedBird Capital Partners, Ontario, Azrieli, Brookfield Infrastructure, Reuters, Triton International, Boca, Thomson Locations: Brookfield, Dallas , Texas, Data4, Boca Raton , Florida, New York

[1/2] The word Stock is seen on the facade of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidFRANKFURT, May 31 (Reuters) - Germany's Schmid Group said on Wednesday it plans to list in New York via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in a deal estimated to give the technology firm a valuation of $640 million. The fifth generation family-owned business, which specialises in electronics, would become a publicly-listed company on the New York Stock Exchange in the fourth quarter of this year. The transaction will be through blank-check company Pegasus Digital Mobility Acquisition Corp (PGSS.N) led by automotive veteran Ralf Speth, it said in a statement. "We have been considering this step for some time and see the NYSE and the U.S. capital markets as much more suitable for a technology company," CEO Christian Schmid told Reuters, regarding the location of the transaction.

Persons: Brendan McDermid FRANKFURT, Germany's Schmid, Ralf Speth, Christian Schmid, Schmid, StratCap, Speth, Emma, Victoria Farr, Madeline Chambers, Emelia Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Pegasus Digital Mobility, Corp, NYSE, Reuters, Pegasus, BMW, Jaguar, Rover, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, New York, Freudenstadt, Germany's Black

☆ Biden promised student-loan borrowers cheaper payments and more debt relief. The government might not have enough money for everyone to actually get those benefits.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

With broad student-debt relief, many student-loan borrowers anticipate reforms to payment programs. Congress didn't increase funding for Federal Student Aid last year, and the impacts already show. Federal student-loan borrowers are facing a consequential year ahead. Alex Wong/Getty Images'We really need to be worried and concerned'The issue of a lack of funding, and how it impacts student-loan borrowers, has been on some Democratic lawmakers' radars. "That's why I'll continue to fight for the increased funding the Student Aid Administration needs to provide quality services and support at-risk borrowers," she said.

☆ Italy's Digital Value sees sales above 1 bln euros by 2025-adviser
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, May 10 (Reuters) - Italian digital services provider Digital Value (DGV.MI) expects to drive sales above 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) by 2025 thanks to rising tech investments by businesses and the public administration, a strategic adviser to the firm said. "It is a target we can achieve," Marco Patuano, a veteran Italian executive who sits on Digital Value's board, told reporters. Such a move could help Digital Value, which specialises in providing digital infrastructure services to big corporate and public administration clients, to play an active role in the sector's consolidation, Patuano said. He said he had received a waiver to keep his board seat at Digital Value and his role as strategic adviser to the company. ($1 = 0.9084 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina; editing by Valentina ZaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden's Education Department is planning for student-loan borrowers to resume payments in October — and companies will begin charging interest a month before
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Education Department is asking student-loan companies to prepare for the student-loan payment resumption. Since March 2020, federal student-loan payments have been paused and interest has been waived to give borrowers financial relief during the pandemic. New documents obtained by Politico through a public records request found that the Education Department has been issuing guidance to student-loan companies surrounding restarting payments. According to the documents, the companies should prepare to resume charging interest on borrowers' loans in September, and the department is anticipating borrowers will make their first monthly payment in October. But some borrowers want to ensure that the department will keep pushing for relief, regardless of a court ruling.

☆ 37 million student-loan borrowers will get 'the most affordable repayment plan ever' when new contracts with 5 companies go into effect next year, Biden's Education Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Education Department awarded five student-loan companies new contracts to overhaul debt repayment. The department said the contracts will deliver "major improvements" for student-loan borrowers. "This additional funding is essential to support students and student loan borrowers," the press release said. But the Republican-controlled House is unlikely to approve more funding to facilitate student-loan programs. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, for example, proposed cutting spending for the Education Department to prohibit it from implementing student-loan forgiveness and creating a new income-driven repayment plan in his debt ceiling bill.

☆ Guggenheim lures Greenhill's dealmakers to expand into Europe, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Andres Gonzalez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 20 (Reuters) - U.S. investment bank Guggenheim Securities will begin its European expansion by hiring four senior bankers from Greenhill, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Guggenheim already had a small group of bankers covering European deals, one of the sources said. The Wall Street bank has snapped up Greenhill & Co.'s telecoms and digital infrastructure team, led by Jonathan Dann and Pieter-Jan Bouten, the sources said on condition of anonymity. Investment bankers Charlie Evans and Achille Del Pizzo will also move to Guggenheim, where the team will begin in May. Guggenheim, which according to Refinitiv ranked 39th among global M&A advisers in 2022, in the first quarter advised on Pfizer Inc.'s $43 billion deal to acquire Seagen Inc.

☆ Will This Be the ‘Indian Century’? Four Key Questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Alex Travelli | Weiyi Cai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

Annual population growth 3% Growing population Projected Projected 2% India’s population is projected to grow until the 2060s. 1% 0 Declining population -1% 1960 2000 2040 2080 3% Projected 2% China’s population declined for the first time in 2022. Fertility rate 8 children per woman Projected Projected 6 India 4 India’s fertility rate ensures a roughly stable population. Age 100+ Male Female Male Female 95–99 90–91 85–89 80–81 75–79 70–71 Nearly 80% of India’s population is younger than 50. 20–21 15–19 10–11 5–9 0–4 Age 100+ Male Female 95–99 90–91 85–89 80–81 Nearly 80% of India’s population is younger than 50.

LUSAKA, April 12 (Reuters) - Zambia is planning to finish tests that simulate real-world cryptocurrency usage by the end of June to help it create regulations that balance citizens' safety with innovation, science and technology minister Felix Mutati told Reuters. The southern African country also needs digital infrastructure, including digital identities, before cryptocurrencies can be introduced, Mutati said in an interview on Wednesday. "Our main goal in the area of cryptocurrency is to strike a balance between innovation in terms of digital payments ... against citizens' safety, particularly given that cryptocurrency is very volatile," Mutati said. "What we are seeing is increased appetite to invest in Zambia," Mutati said, when asked whether any investments under his purview had been delayed, suspended or cancelled due to Zambia's long-delayed debt restructuring. Mutati said the way Chinese loans were contracted during his tenure as finance minister between 2016 and 2018 depended on the project.

☆ The top 3 countries where it’s easy to settle into a new life abroad, according to expats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Traveling abroad is one thing, but starting a new life overseas is another. Expats who've moved abroad say Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore are the top three places where it's relatively easy to settle in, according to a 2022 Internations survey of nearly 12,000 expats around the world. Newcomers say it's easy to get a visa, find housing, access government services online and get around without speaking the local language. These expats are most likely to work in finance or banking, Internations says, and the countries aren't big spots for retirees. New residents there say it's easy to deal with local authorities, open a new bank account and access a robust digital infrastructure.

☆ Consultancy on Indonesia, commodities and foreign direct investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | 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 EmailAvailability of raw materials and commodities has been 'pushing' FDI into Indonesia: ConsultancyArjun Sethi of Kearney says the work that Asia has done on tax regimes, regulatory issues and digital infrastructure has helped increase foreign direct investments into the region.

☆ India's population will overtake China's – what does that mean for the world?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Nessa Anwar | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailIndia's 1.4 billion population will almost certainly bring economic opportunities, but could it set back the country's growth? Both countries have more than 1.4 billion people, but where India's population is relatively young, China's birth rate is in decline and its population is getting older. What does it mean for India? Alok Khirsagar, the report's co-author, said India's digital infrastructure will be central to generating jobs for India's young population. "It's very important that we're able to use technology to distribute manufacturing services into smaller towns and smaller cities, and not as dependent on the large cities to drive growth," he said.

☆ Meta says a network fee is not the fix for European telecoms firms' financial problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE), Orange (ORAN.PA), Telefonica (TEF.MC), Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) and other operators have lobbied for two decades for U.S. tech giants to contribute to 5G and broadband roll-out. "We recognise the financial challenges that European telecom operators now face after decades of strong performance," Kevin Salvadori, Meta's vice president for network and Bruno Cendon Martin, its director and head of reality labs wireless, wrote in a blog post. "However, proposals by some European telecom operators to impose network fees on Content Application Providers (CAPs) such as Meta are not the solution," they said. It dismissed telecoms providers' arguments that the expansion of the metaverse, shared virtual worlds accessible via the internet, would strain infrastructure capacity. The development of the metaverse will not require telecom operators to grow capital expenditures for greater network investment," Salvadori and Martin said.

☆ Op-ed: Biden's American Rescue Plan props up underserved communities with jobs, education
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

This started with policies like the Advance Child Tax Credit, which under the Rescue Plan offered monthly payments to families and helped lift 3.5 million children out of poverty. Expanding our labor force is another area where efforts to support communities of color and other underserved communities is helping to unleash economic gains for all Americans. Last year, I visited Orlando, Florida, where the mayor took me on a tour of a workforce training center funded by the President's American Rescue Plan. The benefits of this effort will be particularly powerful in underserved communities. For too long, racism and discrimination have limited the ability of underserved communities to fully contribute to our civic and economic advancement.

A DB spokesperson told Reuters that under current IT security legislation it did not have to run network components by Germany's cybersecurity office, the BSI, unlike public telecoms network operators. A BSI spokesperson said it was not aware of any law that determined the DB IT systems as "critical components". A Huawei spokesperson said the firm would never harm any nation or individual. The December contract with Deutsche Telekom Business Solutions, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, is for Huawei tech like switches and routers. A government source said it had detected some operators had already built in Huawei critical components without waiting for a BSI green light and could be required to replace those.

☆ 4 elite stocks to play defense in this tough market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As investors search for calm amid the volatile market, four names stand out as ways to play defense. The companies have low debt, with debt as a percentage of equity under 150%, along with a three-year beta under 1 — meaning they're less volatile than the broader market. It also has a dividend yield of 1.1% and its earnings per share growth for 2023 is expected to be 1%. Its three-year beta is 0.8 and it has a projected earnings per share growth of 8% for 2023. Lastly, Linde has debt as a percentage of equity of nearly 47% and a three-year beta of 1.

☆ Biden wants to 'better support' student-loan borrowers who are returning to repayment. It's further confirmation the payment pause will end this year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It included increased funding for the Federal Student Aid office to help the return to repayment this year. It comes after SoFi filed a lawsuit to end the payment pause and throw borrowers back into repayment. This budget release also comes in a time of significant uncertainty for student-loan borrowers. "This additional funding is needed to provide better support to student loan borrowers, especially as they return to repayment," the budget said. "The Department will continue to fight to deliver relief to borrowers, provide a smooth path to repayment, and protect borrowers from industry and special interests."

☆ Layoffs are set to continue. But workers from this sector may likely escape
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Cybersecurity professionals are vital in reducing risks of cyberattacks, especially so in times of financial instability, experts told CNBC Make It. Demand for these roles are likely to increase as ... the complexity of cyberattacks are intensifying in scale and scope. "These advancements have driven the need for reliable and experienced cybersecurity professionals to build and maintain secure digital infrastructures," he added. The increased risk of cyberthreats is also a key contributor to higher demand for cybersecurity professionals, said Pooja Chhabria, LinkedIn's head of editorial for Asia-Pacific. "The need for cybersecurity professionals who can identify and prevent these attacks will become paramount."

☆ Exclusive: White House sets deadline for purging TikTok from federal devices
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have Chinese-owned app TikTok on federal devices and systems. TikTok did not immediately comment on the White House memo. Many government agencies including the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department had banned TikTok from government devices before the vote. "My bill empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten U.S. national security," Representative Mike McCaul, the committee chair, said. The White House memo said within 90 days, agencies must address any use of TikTok by IT vendors through contracts and with 120 days agencies will include a new prohibition on TikTok in all new solicitations.

☆ Exclusive: White House gives agencies 30 days to impose federal device TikTok ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have Chinese-owned app TikTok on federal devices and systems. The action does not affect the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok on private or company-owned devices. Many government agencies including the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department had banned TikTok from government devices before the vote. The memo said within 90 days, agencies must address any use of TikTok by IT vendors through contracts and with 120 days agencies will include a new prohibition on TikTok in all new solicitations. The federal contractor ban applies to equipment used in government work but does not "include any equipment acquired by a federal contractor incidental to a federal contract."

☆ White House gives agencies 30 days to impose federal device TikTok ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have Chinese-owned app TikTok on federal devices and systems. The action does not affect the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok on private or company-owned devices. Many government agencies including the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department had banned TikTok from government devices before the vote. The memo said within 90 days, agencies must address any use of TikTok by IT vendors through contracts and with 120 days agencies will include a new prohibition on TikTok in all new solicitations. The federal contractor ban applies to equipment used in government work but does not "include any equipment acquired by a federal contractor incidental to a federal contract."

☆ Indian edtech sector still attractive for investors, GSV Ventures says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( M. Sriram | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S.-based GSV invests only in edtech startups around the world and manages about $500 million in assets. These are very early days for the Indian edtech market," Deborah Quazzo, managing partner at GSV, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Emeritus-GSV Leaders Summit in New Delhi on Monday. Edtech startups in India have laid off thousands of employees in the past year and have been unable to raise funding as a slowdown gripped the market. Indian edtech startups raised $2.6 billion in 2022, down 36% compared to the previous year, according to data provider Tracxn Technologies. The Indian government is also "pretty constructive" on education policies, a key factor that encourages investors like GSV to invest, she said.

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Amazon, SoFi, Target, Goldman Sachs & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here are Wednesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Evercore ISI downgrades Marriott to in line from outperform Evercore downgraded the hotel giant mainly on valuation. UBS reiterates Apple as buy UBS said that a foldable iPhone remains possible for Apple after the tech giant filed a recent patent. Morgan Stanley reiterates Amazon as overweight Morgan Stanley said it's standing by its bullish thesis on shares of the e-commerce giant. Wells Fargo reiterates Goldman Sachs as overweight Wells said it's standing by its overweight rating on the stock but that it's cautious heading into the company's investor day later this month. " Evercore ISI reiterates Salesforce as outperform Evercore raised its price target on the stock to $200 per share from $175 and said it's sticking with its outperform rating.

Search resuls for: "Digital Infrastructure"

25 mentions found