DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A '90 Day Fiancé' contestant is one of the prolific sperm donors in 'The Man with 1000 Kids.' Here's where Kyle Gordy is now.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewViewers who have watched the latest conversation-starting Netflix docuseries, "The Man with 1000 Kids," may be wondering what happened to the other prolific sperm donors featured. "The Man with 1000 Kids" docuseries spotlights Jonathan Jacob Meijer, a man from The Netherlands who has admitted to having 550 children around the world. In 2023, he was banned from donating sperm to new families. He was open with her about being a sperm donor and claimed that he had fathered over 70 children. This large increase in fertility has allowed me to help get many women pregnant; my years of being a sperm donor attribute to this success.

Persons: —, Kyle Gordy, Jonathan Jacob Meijer, Meijer, Gordy, Ani, Kyle Gordy's, It's Organizations: Service, Netflix, Business, Facebook, TLC Locations: Netherlands, Kenya, German, Singapore, Japan, Ireland, Australia, Switzerland, France, Norway, Los Angeles

☆ U.S. Creates High-Tech Global Supply Chains to Blunt Risks Tied to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Edward Wong | Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

If the Biden administration had its way, far more electronic chips would be made in factories in, say, Texas or Arizona. Those places may not be the first that come to mind when people think of semiconductors. But administration officials are trying to transform the world’s chip supply chain and are negotiating intensely to do so. The core elements of the plan include getting foreign companies to invest in chip-making in the United States and finding other countries to set up factories to finish the work. Officials and researchers in Washington call it part of the new “chip diplomacy.”

Persons: Biden, ” Locations: Texas, Arizona, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Kenya, United States, Washington

☆ Diamond League: World records tumble at meeting in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —World records have fallen at the Diamond League meeting in Paris on Sunday – less than a month before the Olympic Games start in the French capital. The crowd at Stade Charléty enjoyed their first world record of the day when Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the women’s high jump record. “Finally, I signed Ukraine into the history of world athletics.”Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the world record in the women's high jump. Geoffroy Van der Hasselt/AFP/Getty ImagesIf fans thought they were lucky to see one world record broken, it wasn’t long before they saw a second tumble. “I knew the world record was possible because I recently ran very fast in Kenya,” said Kipyegon, per World Athletics.

Persons: Stade Charléty, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Mahuchikh, ” Mahuchikh, Geoffroy Van der, Faith Kipyegon, Kipyegon, Jessica Hull, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Diamond League, Olympic, Stade, Reuters, Getty, ” Locations: Paris, Bulgarian, Ukraine, Geoffroy Van der Hasselt, AFP, pacemakers, Hull, Kenya

☆ Political Unrest Worldwide Is Fueled by High Prices and Huge Debts
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Patricia Cohen | Jack Nicas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Like a globe-spanning tornado that touches down with little predictability, deep economic anxieties are leaving a trail of political turmoil and violence across poor and rich countries alike. In Kenya, a nation buckling under debt, protests over a proposed tax increase last week resulted in dozens of deaths, abductions of demonstrators and a partially scorched Parliament. At the same time in Bolivia, where residents have lined up for gas because of shortages, a military general led a failed coup attempt, saying the president, a former economist, must “stop impoverishing our country,” just before an armored truck rammed into the presidential palace. And in France, after months of road blockades by farmers angry over low wages and rising costs, the far-right party surged in support in the first round of snap parliamentary elections on Sunday, bringing its long-taboo brand of nationalist and anti-immigrant politics to the threshold of power.

Persons: ” Locations: Kenya, Bolivia, France

☆ Universal basic income has gone from utopian vision to economic reality. Here's what you need to know about UBI.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewUniversal basic income has made giant strides from its origins as a utopian vision toward becoming economic reality. Basic income trials have been conducted in countries as varied as Kenya, Finland, India, and Canada. Proponents of UBI say it reduces poverty, strengthens the social safety net, promotes health and happiness, and combats the stigma around welfare. Basic income recipients in a Finnish trial reported higher life satisfaction, improved health, and lower levels of depression and loneliness. An open questionUniversal basic income remains a largely theoretical idea that could have significant — and unpredictable — impacts on wealth inequality, human welfare, labor markets, and entire economies.

Persons: —, Tesla's Elon Musk, Robert Reich, Juan Luis Vives, they'd, Thomas Paine, Martin Luther King Jr, Milton Friedman, Sen, Bernie Sanders of, technocrat Andrew Yang, Sam Altman, Bernie Sanders, Kevin Dietsch, Dave Ramsey, Karl Marx playbook, that's, Jack Kellam, MrBeast, Jeff Cheatham, Douglas MacKay, Chapel Hill, Karl Widerquist, Kellam, stigmas Organizations: Service, Labor, Business, Autonomy, UNC, Chapel, Georgetown University, Qatar Locations: Kenya, Finland, India, Canada, Spanish, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Uganda

☆ A Ban on Elephant Hunting Has Collapsed. Or Maybe It Never Existed.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Shola Lawal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On the lush, rolling savannas that link northern Tanzania to Amboseli National Park in Kenya, foraging elephants move back and forth on a sloping landscape in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro. The animals are accustomed to open-sided 4x4s full of tourists on the Kenyan side and seem to sense no danger from the visitors pointing phones. At least two were so-called super tuskers, with tusks so long that they swept the ground. There hasn’t been a similar cluster of rapid killings in the area since the mid-1990s. Conservationists say it points to a breakdown of a tacit agreement between the countries that banned hunting in the border zone.

Persons: hasn’t Organizations: Kenyan Locations: Tanzania, Kenya, Amboseli

☆ AI data centers could add 3 New York Cities of demand to the power grid in 2 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

So far, the only part of Earth AI seems hell-bent on dominating is the power grid. AI data centers are doubling the pace of electricity demand growth in the US to the extent that demand could exceed supply in just two years without action, according to Bernstein Research. The potential shortfall could mean higher prices for the computing power AI developers of all sizes are clamoring for, along with ample opportunity for investors willing to build up supply. How are AI companies planning aheadIt's not just the total power needed for AI computing infrastructure, it's the unique cadence of the power need and the cooling AI chips require. Amazon is clearing some of these hurdles by colocating some data centers with nuclear power sites.

Persons: —, that's, catchup, Bernstein, Jensen Huang, Huang, Agrawal, we're, Andrew Feldman, Feldman Organizations: Service, Bernstein Research, Business, Nvidia, Vertiv, Lambda, Cerebras Systems Locations: UAE, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Iceland

☆ The world is sitting on a $91 trillion problem. ‘Hard choices’ are coming
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Yet, in a year of elections around the world, politicians are largely ignoring the problem, unwilling to level with voters about the tax increases and spending cuts needed to tackle the deluge of borrowing. In France, political turmoil has exacerbated concerns about the country’s debt, sending bond yields, or returns demanded by investors, soaring. “Many (politicians) are not willing to talk about the hard choices that are going to need to be made. Despite growing alarm over the federal government’s debt pile, neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump, the main 2024 presidential candidates, are promising fiscal discipline ahead of the election. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss triggered a collapse in the pound in 2022 when she tried to force through big tax cuts funded by increased borrowing.

Persons: ” Roger Hallam, Karen Dynan, ” Kenneth Rogoff, ”, don’t, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Paul Johnson, William Ruto, Liz Truss, hasn’t, Emmanuel Macron, Dynan, it’s Organizations: London CNN, Monetary Fund, Investors, Vanguard, CNN, US Treasury, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, “, Congressional, CBO, Trump, Fiscal Studies, United Kingdom, Former Locations: United States, France, Germany, Kenya

☆ Move over, remote jobs. CEOs say borderless talent is the future of tech work
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Rachel Curry | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Borderless tech hiring has doubled in the last three years, according to Gartner's 2023 CEO Survey. By 2022, the tech talent workforce in cities like Beijing and Delhi far outweighed that of U.S. powerhouses like San Francisco and New York, reports CBRE Global Tech Talent Guidebook 2024. The report cites burgeoning tech talent markets like Bucharest, Romania; Cape Town, South Africa; Cebu City, Philippines; Nairobi, Kenya and more. Pockets of talent worldwideAdam Jackson, CEO of decentralized tech talent platform Braintrust, does borderless differently. Caplan relishes in the more altruistic potential of borderless employment, namely its ability to "lift up communities around the globe."

Persons: Jeremy Johnson, Goldman Sachs, Johnson, John Caplan, Adam Jackson, Jackson, That's, synchronously, Caplan, Caplan relishes Organizations: CBRE Global Tech, Global, NASA, Deel's Locations: Beijing, Delhi, U.S, San Francisco and New York, Bucharest, Romania, Cape Town , South Africa, Cebu City, Philippines, Nairobi, Kenya, Braintrust, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Europe, Africa, America

☆ Young People Demand Change Ahead of Britain’s Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Megan Specia | Nikolay Nikolov | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

4:30After the Storm, a Fight for Survival in MozambiqueNOW PLAYINGYoung People Demand Change Ahead of Britain’s Election0:55Israel Orders Evacuations in Gaza City as Palestinians Report Strikes0:21Bodies Found Near Mount Fuji’s Crater0:39Bolivia’s Military Staged Apparent Coup Attempt1:48Following Protests, Kenya’s President Refuses to Sign Tax Bill0:12Evan Gershkovich Appears in Russian Court1:02Nairobi Police Use Live Rounds, Tear Gas and Water Cannons on Protesters1:22Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Must Serve in Military, Supreme Court Rules0:38Kenyan Protesters Storm Parliament as Lawmakers Pass Tax Increases1:02More Than 1,300 Die During Extremely Hot Hajj Pilgrimage0:41

Persons: Evan Gershkovich Organizations: Storm, Survival, Mozambique NOW, Young, Water Cannons, Kenyan Protesters Storm Locations: Mozambique, Israel, Gaza City, Nairobi

☆ His wife died. Then he unexpectedly found a second chance at love on vacation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“This was no normal train,” John recalls. Back home in the UK, John thought about Judy fondly from time to time. In the UK, John’s friends loved it when this glamorous American woman visited town. John Nears and Judy CurtisAs John and Judy haven’t been able to meet this year, they’ve both been spending time reflecting on past adventures. Thinking back on his life, John says he feels inordinately lucky to have enjoyed two great love stories.

Persons: John’s, Pam, “, ” John, John, Chris, marveling, Judy Curtis, Judy Malody, Judy, they’d, John –, ”, –, “ I’d, Coast –, Judy Curtis Judy, John she’d, she’d, ‘, ’ ”, Jack, She’d, “ Judy, Judy Curtis John, Madeira’s, who’d, Peru –, “ John, It’s, Judy doesn’t, he’s, “ We’ve, ’ John, Judy Curtis It’s, Cunard Queen Mary, she’s, “ It’s, Judy haven’t, they’ve, ” John’s, you’ve, who’ve, Pam’s Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Orient Express, Coast, San Diego International, San Diego, ”, “, Health Locations: South America, England, Bolivia, Peru –, Cusco, Puno, “, Peru, San Diego , California, New York, California, West Coast, United States, East Coast, San Diego, Madeira, Funchal, Istanbul, Turkey, British, ”, Antarctica, Yosmite , California, Iceland, Kenya, Tanzania

☆ Scaled-Back but Determined Protests in Kenya Call for President to Resign
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Protesters returned to the streets of Kenya on Thursday, some of them demanding the resignation of President William Ruto, despite his announcement a day earlier that he was abandoning a tax bill that drew large-scale demonstrations in which nearly two dozen people were killed. On Thursday, a heavy police and military presence was visible across the capital, with officers in cars and trucks and on horseback guarding the roads leading to Parliament, the president’s official residence and several downtown streets. Much of the central business district remained closed as police officers chased and tear-gassed smaller crowds waving white roses. Some activists and opposition political leaders had urged demonstrators not to march toward the president’s official residence in Nairobi on Thursday for fear of more bloodshed. But others said the killings, shootings and abductions of those opposing the tax increases in recent days — which activists said were some of the bloodiest days in Kenya’s recent history — would not deter them from pushing Mr. Ruto to resign.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto Locations: Kenya, Nairobi

☆ Video shows CNN correspondent get tear gassed during Kenya protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Samantha Lindell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

How relevant is this ad to you? Video player was slow to load content Video content never loaded Ad froze or did not finish loading Video content did not start after ad Audio on ad was too loud Other issues

☆ Kenya rocked by fresh protests despite president’s U-turn over tax bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Police in Kenya fired tear gas on protesters as a fresh wave of demonstrations swept the country, despite President William Ruto’s U-turn on controversial tax plans. In a surprise move on Wednesday, Ruto said he would not sign the finance bill, saying he had been “listening keenly” to the Kenyan people. “It’s more than about the finance bill now,” Maria, a Kenyan protestor from Nairobi told CNN. Some have called on President Ruto to resign for failing to withdraw the unpopular bill much earlier to save the lives lost. Others are seeking justice for the deceased protesters and demanding the recall of lawmakers who voted in support of the finance bill.

Persons: William Ruto’s U, ”, Ruto, ” Maria, Daniel Irungu, “, Mwangi, Moody’s, Herman Manyora, ” Manyora, ” Ruto, Manyora Organizations: CNN — Police, House, Security, State House, Kenyan, CNN, Civic, Law Society of Kenya, Monetary Fund, International, University of Nairobi Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, East, Kenya’s

☆ Greg du Toit: Award-winning photographer on a life spent in the wild
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Victoria Barauna | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Playing safe is not an option for wildlife photographer Greg du Toit. Unlike many in his field, du Toit says he doesn’t use bait, camera traps, digital manipulation, captive bred animals or drones. Du Toit says that his photographs may look beautiful, "but the reality of getting those photographs is very different." Du Toit famously once spent 16 months photographing lions at a waterhole in Kenya’s South Rift Valley. Du Toit: I want to photograph animals in their wild habitats, doing what they naturally do.

Persons: Greg du Toit, Toit, Du Toit, it’s, Simon YM Pang, … Du Toit, I’d, I’ve, ”, I’m Organizations: CNN, Nikon, Wildlife, Fine, Simon YM Pang CNN, Greg du Toit CNN Locations: ”, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Africa, India

☆ Kenya president backs down on tax rises after deadly protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Kenya's president on Wednesday withdrew planned tax rises, bowing to pressure from protesters who had stormed parliament, launched demonstrations across the country and threatened more action this week. "Listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this finance bill 2024, I concede. And therefore, I will not sign the 2024 finance bill, and it shall subsequently be withdrawn," he said in a televised address. Thousands took to the streets of Nairobi and several other cities during two days of protests last week as an online movement gathered momentum. Protests in Kenya have usually been called by political leaders who can be amenable to negotiated settlements.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, Ruto's, Lawmakers Organizations: Wednesday, Kenyan, IMF, The Nation, Kenya Medical, Medical, Protesters, State, World Bank, International Monetary Fund Locations: Kenya, Eldoret, Nairobi

☆ Tension and Tear Gas Linger in Kenya After Tax Protests Turn Deadly
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In downtown Nairobi, the capital, the strong smell of tear gas still wafted through the air after the clashes between protesters and the police. Large rocks and a burned car were strewed next to the City Hall offices that protesters had breached. Police officers also cordoned off the streets leading to Parliament and were not allowing pedestrians to pass. Although businesses were slowly reopening across Kenya, newspapers being sold on the streets of Nairobi captured the chaos of the previous day. “Pandemonium,” the front page of the Daily Nation newspaper said.

Persons: William Ruto Organizations: City Hall, Police, Daily Nation, The Star Locations: Kenya, East, Nairobi

☆ Kenyan President Ruto withdraws controversial finance bill following violent protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Lauren Kent | Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Kenyan President William Ruto said Wednesday that he will not sign a controversial finance bill that had sparked deadly protests in the country and left at least six people dead. “Having reflected on the continuing conversation regarding the content of the finance bill 2024, and listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill 2024, I concede, and therefore I will not sign the 2024 finance bill,” Ruto said during a television address Wednesday. But the concessions were not enough to quell protests amid the rising cost of living. On Tuesday they turned deadly when security forces fired teargas and live ammunition at protesters. “I send my condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones in this very unfortunate manner,” Ruto added.

Persons: William Ruto, ” Ruto, “, teargas, Ruto Organizations: CNN, Kenyan Locations: Kenya

☆ Behind the Unrest in Kenya, a Staggering and Painful National Debt
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Patricia Cohen | Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The underlying cause, though, are the billions of dollars their government owes its creditors. Kenya has the fastest growing economy in Africa and a vibrant business center. Interest payments alone are eating up 27 percent of the revenue collected. But the debts that are causing misery in Kenya and across Africa remain. More than half the people on the continent live in countries that spend more on interest payments than they do on health or education.

Persons: William Ruto Organizations: United Nations Conference, Trade, Development Locations: Kenya, Africa

Vehicles parked at Kenya’s Supreme Court have been set on fire, CNN’s affiliate Citizen TV Kenya reported Tuesday. The Supreme Court building is close to Nairobi’s City Hall, which was set on fire Tuesday. Meanwhile, the dining area of the Kenyan Parliament is in disarray after protesters entered the premises Tuesday, video by CNN affiliate NTV shows. According to NTV, some members of parliament were having lunch in the dining area when protesters entered the parliament. A television in a room leading from the dining area was smashed, and flags were seen on the floor elsewhere in the parliament.

Organizations: CNN’s, Citizen TV Kenya, City, Kenyan, CNN, NTV

☆ Kenya braced for more anti-tax protests as citizens call for ‘total shutdown’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Larry Madowo | Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Kenya is in the grip of nationwide protests against proposed tax hikes, culminating in a planned “total shutdown” of the country on Tuesday. The demonstrations, sparked by the Finance Bill 2024, have seen citizens rally under the banner of “7 Days of Rage,” as the nation faces more days of upheaval. President William Ruto has said he wants to have dialogue with the protesters and that he is “proud” of them. Amnesty International Kenya says it is investigating the whereabouts of up to 12 people who were “abducted in the middle of night” ahead of Tuesday’s planned protests. The list includes bloggers, content creators, human rights defenders, a doctor, and a parliamentary staffer, Amnesty Kenya executive director Irũngũ Houghton told CNN.

Persons: William Ruto, Tuesday’s, Irũngũ Houghton, Joe Biden, ”, Biden, Ruto Organizations: CNN —, Finance, CNN, Kenyan, NATO, White Locations: CNN — Kenya, Kenya

☆ Anti-Tax Riots Rock Kenya, as President Vows Crackdown on ‘Treasonous’ Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | Declan Walsh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, and some broke into Parliament and briefly set fire to the entrance on Tuesday, after lawmakers approved tax increases that critics said would drive up the cost of living for millions. During the protests, the police fired tear gas and guns, plunging the capital into turmoil. At least five people were fatally shot and 31 others injured, according to Amnesty International and several prominent Kenyan civic organizations. The independent Kenya Human Rights Commission posted a video that showed police officers firing as protesters marched toward them. As tear gas wafted through the streets, some protesters climbed through the windows of Parliament after lawmakers voted 195 to 106 in favor of the tax bill on Tuesday, with supporters saying it would raise revenue for education and other essential services.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, ” Organizations: Amnesty International, Kenyan, Kenya Human Rights Locations: Kenya’s, Nairobi, Kenya

☆ Demonstrators Stormed Kenya’s Parliament to Protest Taxes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kenya’s president deployed the military today to crack down on what he called “treasonous” protesters. Demonstrators furious over the passage of a bill that would raise taxes stormed the Parliament building in Nairobi, climbed in windows and set fire to the entrance. The police fired at the protesters, who had flooded the streets around the Parliament by the thousands — some draped in the Kenyan flag and chanting for the president to resign. The contentious bill was introduced by Ruto’s government in May to address the country’s heavy debt burden. But Kenyans have widely criticized the legislation, saying it adds punitive new taxes and raises others on staple goods.

Persons: William Ruto, “ Organizations: Kenyan, Amnesty International Locations: Nairobi

☆ Obama’s Half Sister Is Among Those Tear-Gassed During Protests in Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | More About Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Auma Obama, an older half sister of former President Barack Obama, was tear-gassed on Tuesday while being interviewed live on CNN during protests in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. The protests were against the passage of a finance bill that raises taxes on many basic goods. They are demonstrating with flags and banners.”Ms. Obama then began choking in a spreading cloud of tear gas lobbed by the police. “We are being tear-gassed.”Ms. Obama grew up in Kenya and returned there as a community activist after studying and living in Germany and the United Kingdom. Her foundation in Kenya, Sauti Kuu, or Powerful Voices, serves children and young people, particularly from urban slums and rural communities.

Persons: Auma Obama, Barack Obama, Obama, “, ”, “ Young, Ms, Sauti Organizations: CNN, Kenyan Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Germany, United Kingdom

☆ Video shows protestors storm parliament in Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Samantha Lindell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Search resuls for: "Kenya"

25 mentions found