DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

CNN —A 79-square-mile area of Los Angeles County is under quarantine after an invasive fruit fly was found there – the first such quarantine for the pest in the Western Hemisphere, according to California officials. The Tau fruit fly, originating in Asia, is a “serious pest for agriculture and natural resources,” according to the release. It isn’t the first time the Tau fruit fly was found in California. The state agency plans to work with the US Department of Agriculture and local authorities to eliminate the Tau fruit fly and prevent its spread. Crews will cut host fruit and vegetables on properties within 200 meters of detections to inspect for fruit fly larvae, among other measures, the state agriculture agency said.

Persons: It’s, Stevenson, Crews Organizations: CNN, California Department of Food, Agriculture, Residents, US Department of Agriculture Locations: Los Angeles County, California, Stevenson, Santa Clarita, Asia, Los Angeles, San Bernardino County

☆ Scientists say they have induced 'virgin births' in fruit flies for the first time by switching on the right genes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A group of researchers was able to successfully engineer "virgin birth" in fruit flies. "I couldn't believe it," Sperling told the Washington Post. A backup for isolated femalesThe experiment was conducted on fruit flies because they are model organisms, or simple non-human species that are usually studied to better understand biology. "Fruit flies are incredibly special because they are basically the first model organism and have been studied for over 100 years," Sperling told the Post. Virgin births could help certain species and act as a "backup" for isolated females, according to The Guardian.

Persons: Alexis Sperling, Sperling, Hannah Maude, Nature Organizations: Service, Privacy, University of Cambridge, Washington Post, Imperial College London, Times, Guardian Locations: Wall, Silicon, parthenogenesis

☆ Record heat wave could give pest companies a sales uptick
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | 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 EmailRecord heat wave could give pest companies a sales uptickCNBC's Pippa Stevens joins 'The Exchange' to discuss how warmer weather contributes to higher rates of pests, what companies are capitalizing on rising pest numbers, and opportunities for acquisition in the pest control space.

Persons: Pippa Stevens

☆ These 'high quality compounders' are Bank of America's top picks ahead of second quarter earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Analysts' at Bank of America have named a host of stocks that are poised to outperform heading into second earnings season. The bank said this week there are several "high quality" buying opportunities that aren't getting enough investor attention. CNBC Pro combed through the top Bank of America research to find analysts' favorite ideas as earnings releases ramp up. They include: Mondelez, SolarEdge , Rollins, Thomson Reuters and Broadcom. Bank of America recently initiated coverage of the stock with a buy rating, calling Rollins "a high-growth compounder through economic cycles."

Persons: SolarEdge, Rollins, Thomson, Jason Haas, Haas, BofA, Julien Dumoulin, Smith, Dumoulin, Heather Balsky, Balsky, Dirk Van de, MDLZ Organizations: Bank of America, CNBC, Thomson Reuters, Broadcom, Rollins, . Bank of America Locations: 2Q23, Europe, U.S

☆ Spider mite males ‘undress’ their partners to mate ASAP
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Spider mites are tiny arachnids, distant cousins of spiders, smaller than the tip of a standard ballpoint pen. Living together in dense colonies can make for fierce competition in finding a mate, especially because female spider mites only use the sperm from the first male with which they mate. Males will guard females that are nearly mature, so that as soon as the females are set to mate, the males will be ready. While farmers and gardeners often revile spider mites as plant-eating pests, many biologists use them as model organisms. “I hope they are fascinated about what type of sophisticated behaviors have evolved, even in such tiny animals as spider mites,” he said.

Persons: Dr, Peter Schausberger, ”, Schausberger, —, doesn’t, ” Schausberger, Tomasz Klejdysz, Yukie Sato, ” Sato, There’s, that’s, Rebecca Schmidt, Kate Golembiewski Organizations: CNN, University of Vienna, University of Tsukuba, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service Locations: Japan, Chicago

☆ Budapest: The beautiful city with the darkest of pasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Richard Quest | Joe Minihane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Carved through and framed by the mighty River Danube, Budapest and its beautiful skyline make it one of Europe’s finest and most compelling cities. The Ruin Bar District has seen its success spread too, with other bars appearing in ruined buildings across the city. CNNIt’s a sobering fact that, just 35 years ago, Budapest had a much different feel compared with its current vibrant air. That’s not to say, however, that the country, and Budapest in particular, does not have a strong independent streak. If Bakancsos Piac is imbued with the spirit of Budapest, then so too is the game of button football.

Persons: Katinka Orosz, ”, Fuge, Andrassy, Imre Horvath, Bakancsos Piac, He’s, Horvath, Mark Pataki, “ Organizations: CNN, Bars, Bar, Nazi, Soviet, Eastern Bloc, Park, Button, CNN Today’s, European Union, NATO, brac, Football, Budapest Pinball Locations: Budapest, Buda, Pest, Austro, Hungarian, VII, Hungary, Soviet, Soviet Union, CNN Today’s Hungary

☆ This could be the peak of tick season – and tick-borne diseases are on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An especially bad tick season in the United States is probably hitting its peak, and experts are stressing the importance of taking personal precautions to protect against rising cases of tick-borne disease. Cases of the tick-borne disease – which can cause fever, muscle and joint pain and headache, and which can be fatal – grew 25% from 2011 to 2019. A variety of factors are raising the risk for tick-borne disease, experts say. The deer tick is spreading to the north and west, farther into the Northeast and Midwest. Increased awareness of tick-borne disease could also account for some of the rise in Lyme diagnoses, but experts encourage both doctors and patients to pay close attention to their symptoms.

Persons: ”, Emily Mader, Lyme, Robert Smith, ” Mader, –, ATtrY7YFoS, “ It’s, it’s, ” Smith, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, Northeast Regional Center, Excellence, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, The, Star, Tufts University, — CDC, Get CNN, CNN Health Locations: United States, athenahealth, Lyme, Midwest, Pacific Coast

☆ Women are seeing historic labor market gains. AI could disrupt that
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Minneapolis CNN —More prime working age women are employed in the United States now than ever before. The labor force participation rate for women between 25 and 54 years old set a record high in April and then again in May, rebounding from the pandemic “she-cession” and returning to its pre-pandemic form of making progressively historic labor market gains. Estimates that nearly eight out of 10 women workers could be affected “are just staggering,” said Julia Pollak, chief economist with online job marketplace ZipRecruiter. “Some of these things are becoming more prevalent, and that’s supportive of more women in the labor market,” she said. On the other hand, AI could prove harmful and threatening for any role that is highly “automatable,” Peterson said.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, University of North Carolina’s, ”, Julia Pollak, it’s, Mark McNeilly, Flagler, “ It’s, ‘ I’m, ’ ” McNeilly, “, Pollak, didn’t, Dana Peterson, that’s, ” Peterson, Ben Zweig, Jobs, Peterson, we’ve, Sara Mannheimer, Kathrin Ziegler, ” Meredith Nudo, you’re, Nudo Organizations: Minneapolis CNN —, University of North, University of North Carolina’s Kenan, Flagler Business School, Kenan, Flagler, UNC Kenan, CNN, of Labor Statistics, Conference Board, Baby Boomers, Labs, Montana State University, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Librarians, Digital, National Association of Voice Locations: Minneapolis, United States, Houston

☆ A giant snail that eats plaster and is a threat to human health was spotted in a Florida county, forcing it into quarantine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A giant African land snail was spotted in Broward County, forcing part of it into quarantine. The snail is among the world's most invasive species and lays thousands of eggs at a time. The giant snail is among the most invasive species in the world; it eats plaster, paint, and stucco, poses significant threats to vegetation, according to CBS. The portion of Broward County under quarantine covers Fort Lauderdale and is about 3.5 square miles, the report said. It's illegal to import or possess the giant African land snail in the US; the snail was first spotted in Miami in 1969, according to ABC News.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, CBS News, CBS, Florida's Department of Agriculture, Consumer Services, ABC News Locations: Broward County, Florida's Broward County, Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Miami

☆ I make $169,000 a year and these are the 7 things I'll keep splurging on even during an economic slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Vartika Puranik | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Voris earns enough income to pay her bills and have extra money for things she enjoys. She said her video game subscription is one thing she'd never cut back on — even during a recession. Since recessions are uncontrollable, I tend not to stress about the possibility of one, but there are things I'll always spend money on no matter what. Coffee subscriptionI have a coffee subscription to pump me up in the morning. If a recession ever hits and forces me to alter my spending, I'd cut back on things based on its aftermath.

Persons: Elissa Voris, Voris, —, Dolby, it's, I'd, Logan Organizations: Dolby, Service, Costco, Apple, CPA Locations: —, Enumclaw , Washington, Los Angeles, mlogan

☆ How a 39-year-old engineer spends her $169,000 paycheck: Xbox, therapy, coffee, and skincare
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Vartika Puranik | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

She said her video game subscription is one thing she'd never cut back on — even during a recession. My career kicked off 17 years ago at a Los Angeles startup and I've been working as an engineer ever since. Since recessions are uncontrollable, I tend not to stress about the possibility of one, but there are things I'll always spend money on no matter what. Coffee subscriptionI have a coffee subscription to pump me up in the morning. So I pay $50 a month for my coffee subscription.

Persons: Elissa Voris, Voris, —, Dolby, I'm, it's, I'd, Logan Organizations: Dolby, Service, Costco, Apple, CPA Locations: —, Enumclaw , Washington, Los Angeles, mlogan

☆ Some Amazon workers got a paid day off after reporting a possible bed bug in a delivery van
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Amazon workers got a full paid day off after they said they found a bed bug in a delivery van. The Amazon air hub in Northern Kentucky is at the center of a union organizing push. Some Amazon workers received a full paid day off on Monday after they claimed to have discovered a bed bug in one of the company's delivery vans at its largest air hub in Kentucky. Experts have since confirmed the insect in question was not a bed bug." It's not the first time Amazon workers have reported bed bug concerns.

Persons: Steven Kelley, Mary Kate Paradis, Northern Kentucky KCVG, they've, It's Organizations: Amazon, Guardian, Northern Kentucky KCVG, Amazon Labor Union Locations: Northern Kentucky, Kentucky, Staten, Texas

☆ Rise in Sightings of Honeybee Swarms Has U.K. Beekeepers Scrambling
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Isabella Kwai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The sight is one that beekeepers say is understandably intimidating to the ordinary person out for a walk: a sliver of sky suddenly darkening amid the collective roar of thousands of honeybees before they cluster on branches or bushes. In Britain, the behavior, known as swarming, typically takes place from May to July and is a natural process in which a honeybee colony splits in half and leaves with a queen bee in search of a new home. But the country is currently experiencing a greater numbers of sightings for this time of year, most likely thanks to unseasonably warm weather that followed a cold, wet spell. As a result, beekeepers and pest-control workers who catch the swarms are reporting a surge in calls for their help as members of the public spot the clusters in backyards, in chimneys and even on barriers along city streets. “We’re fully booked for the next four weeks,” said Rob Davies, a pest controller in Shropshire, in central England, who specializes in dismantling and rebuilding structures like chimneys to rescue honeybees, adding that he was getting “ridiculous” volumes of people calling for assistance.

Persons: We’re, ”, Rob Davies Locations: Britain, backyards, Shropshire, England

☆ Exclusive: Staff at top U.S. farm research center file complaint alleging unsafe work conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Leah Douglas | Thomson Reuters | Washington-Based Award-Winning Journalist Covering Agriculture | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) near Washington D.C. is the largest research facility owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has long been the flagship of U.S. farm research. “Our employees’ health and well-being is our top priority," a spokesperson at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which oversees BARC, told Reuters. STAFF CUTSFounded in 1910, the BARC facility spans nearly 7,000 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. The unreliable conditions are affecting research outcomes, making it at times impossible to complete experiments or replicate their findings, said two research employees. On February 22, several BARC employees met with Thomas Shanower, the director of USDA’s Northeast Area, a division that oversees 15 research centers, including BARC.

☆ Google zeroed in on these 3 categories of climate companies to boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

This year, the 12 companies mostly fell into three broad categories: Artificial intelligence, electric vehicle infrastructure, and providing companies with better data to decarbonize their operations. When I read the headlines about the dangers of the climate crisis, I feel a personal obligation to be a part of supporting innovative climate solutions to scale," Ridenour told CNBC. Google has hosted three climate change startup accelerators for North American companies in the last three years, and all 33 of the participants are all still operating, a spokesperson for Google told CNBC. "Teams are leaning deeper into developing AI and ML models to address climate change," Ridenour told CNBC. Cleartrace is particularly focused on measurement techniques for Scope 3 emissions -- emissions associated with a company's entire supply chain or value chain, which can be fiendishly difficult to track.

☆ Weird and wonderful trains that break the rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ben Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Here’s a selection of unusual railways that break the rules in order to reach the places other trains can’t roll. The single rails carrying the trains are supported by a series of 486 steel portals weighing almost 20,000 tonnes in total. It is the oldest continuously operating pier railway in the world. Six miles of the route are along a rural railway line, with the rest in bus mode. Katoomba Scenic Railway, AustraliaNot far from the wonderful city of Sydney is a railway experience unlike anything else in the world.

☆ Swarm of bees delays a Delta flight by three hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Marnie Hunter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A swarm of bees touched down on a parked Delta Air Lines aircraft Wednesday, delaying a flight from Houston to Atlanta for about three hours. Delta apologized to customers on the delayed flight. My flight leaving Houston is delayed because bees have congregated on the tip of one of the wings. A swarm of bees delayed an Air India flight in 2019. The airport involved in Wednesday’s bee-related delay hasn’t joined in airport beekeeping efforts – yet.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: JPMorgan Chase, General Motors, Exxon Mobil & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 24: A person walks past a First Republic bank branch in Manhattan on April 24, 2023 in New York City. First Republic , JPMorgan Chase — First Republic shares and were halted after JPMorgan Chase acquired the ailing bank and most of its assets after regulators seized control. General Motors — The automaker gained 2% after Morgan Stanley upgraded General Motors to overweight from equal weight and called the stock oversold. — Regional bank stocks were volatile on Monday as investors reacted to the seizure and sale of First Republic Bank over the weekend. However, management said on the company earnings call Monday that demand for loans originating from the fourth quarter would see a lower monetization level due to higher interest.

☆ Here's how to use AI to make a commercial in 3 hours, according to the guy whose creepy pizza ad grabbed the attention of Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Here's how you can make your own AI commercial. Use an image generator to come up with artThe stills in the AI pizza commercial, including the final exterior shot of the phony pizzeria, were created using Midjourney, which Pizza Later described as "mind-blowing." Midjourney // PIzza LaterUse a video generator to come up with clipsThe most noticeable aspect of the Pizza Hug Spot commercial was the video clips created using AI. For the Pepperoni Hug Spot commercial, Pizza Later also used Runway AI, a text-to-video generator, to create short clips to add to the commercial. Put it up for the world to seeAfter releasing the commercial, Pizza Later said he was surprised by the widespread online reaction.

☆ New York's 'rat czar' will only succeed if she realizes that rats are not the 'enemy,' an expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The former schoolteacher, who's become New York's "rat czar," may face an uphill battle to succeed. An urban-rat expert said Kathleen Corradi must realize rats are not the "enemy." "The 'real city rats' are the men and women of bureaucracy," Michael Parsons told Insider. The 'real rats' of New York CityCorradi's task comes after residents reported almost 3.2 million rat sightings last year to the city's 311 service-request line. Parsons said that the rat czar may face an uphill battle not because of the rodents, "but instead due to the 'real city rats' — the men and women of bureaucracy and their two-and-a-half centuries of bad practice."

[1/5] Javier Ramiro, Co-Chief Scientific Officer of Spanish indoor hops farming start-up Ekonoke controls the plantation of hops in Alcobendas, Spain, March 23, 2023. "We're on a mission to save the world's beer," Ines Sagrario, chief executive and co-founder of Ekonoke, told Reuters. Strict hygiene measures such as protective clothing for staff ensure the space remains pest-free, taking the pesticides on which traditional farming often depends out of the equation. The most obvious challenge indoor farming faces, he said, is its high energy cost. "Demand from breweries is quite inelastic; you can't make beer without hops and they don't want to produce less," Sagrario said.

Stocks with steady earnings growth are the play to manage an upcoming economic downturn, according to David Kostin, Goldman Sachs' chief U.S. equity strategist. Goldman Sachs projects that there is a 35% probability that the U.S. economy will enter a recession within the next 12 months. What's perhaps not priced in our view, would be the stable growth companies." The equity strategist named household products company Colgate-Palmolive and biotechnology name Amgen as examples of stocks with low variability of earnings growth in an environment that's laden with recession risk. The firm also picked pest-control company Rollins and consumer goods company Procter & Gamble in its basket of steady earnings growers.

☆ After growing GM corn for decades, some US farmers open to Mexican restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"I'm all for free and fair trade," said Fred Huddlestun, who grows GM corn and soybeans in Yale, Illinois. Supporters of the policy say GM corn can contaminate Mexico's age-old native varieties and have questioned its impact on human health. NCGA said GM corn is safe and it will fight all illegal trade barriers for farmers. But many would consider growing more non-GM corn, if the price were right. "You need to make it worth my while," said Illinois farmer Dave Kestel, who grows GM corn and sells seed for Corteva.

☆ How post-2008 bank rules led to a 2023 problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here’s how that story applies to the collapse of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) and Silicon Valley Bank. Silicon Valley Bank’s technology-heavy customers attempted to withdraw $42 billion in a day. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsFollow @liamwardproud on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSUBS will rescue Credit Suisse in a deal worth about 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.3 billion), Swiss authorities and the two banks said on March 19. The smaller bank lost 138 billion Swiss francs of customer deposits between Sept. 30 and Dec. 31, a 37% decline. The lender had $173 billion of total deposits on Dec. 31, of which $81 billion were non-interest-bearing demand deposits.

☆ FTSE 100 gains as British banks bounce back; Rentokil rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) gained 0.4%, rebounding from its steepest fall in over a year on Wednesday. British banks (.FTNMX301010) gained 1.8%, after falling 5.6% in the previous session. Rentokil Initial (RTO.L) jumped 6.1% to the top of the FTSE 100 after the pest control services provider lifted its medium-term outlook after posting a better-than-expected annual profit. The more domestically-focussed FTSE 250 midcap index (.FTMC) were subdued, though asset manager Bridgepoint Group (BPTB.L) rose 2.9% after reporting a higher revenue for 2022. Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Uttaresh VenkateshwaranOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Search resuls for: "pest"

25 mentions found