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iswiss: this is how we will intercept a quarter of all global money transfers.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

Over the past fifty years, cross-border money transfers have increased by 750%. This means that for one dollar transferred in 1973 – the year SWIFT, the world’s leading operator for cross-border money transfers, was founded – in 2023, 750 dollars will be transferred. But this impressive growth in global money transfers has not been accompanied by any adaptation of the financial infrastructure, which even today, apart from minor improvements, is identical to that of 1973. And so international transfers are long, costly, operating only during the office hours of some time zone and not taking into account the under-banked, i.e. those who do not have a current account at all.Looking at the data released by the World Bank, of the USD 735 billion transferred worldwide in 2021, a quarter of the entire sum was transferred to just three countries: India, Mexico and the Philippines. Paradoxically, those most in need of banking services, because they consume a quarter of all ...

L.A.’s Favorite Restaurant Week Is Back – Dine LA Starts on Friday, April 28

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

In its 15th year, Dine LA  restaurant week kicks off on Friday, April 28, and will run through Friday, May 12, featuring dining deals from high-end to neighborhood restaurants offering a range of prix fixe menus starting at $15 for lunch and $65+ dinner options.There will be close to 370 restaurants participating across 66 neighborhoods, representing 30 global cuisines, and will include 39 Michelin recognized establishments. There will be 61% outdoor dining spaces and more than half of the participants are pet-friendly.Newcomers to restaurant week include kodō in the Arts District, Angler LA at The Beverly Center, Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine in West Adams, Mo’s House of Axe in Koreatown, Slab BBQ in Beverly Grove, Heavy Handed in Santa Monica, Wine House Kitchen in West LA, 19 Town in City of Industry, and Northridge Eats, San Fernando Valley’s food hall exclusively selling Asian cuisine. Surf and turf and Lawry’s Beverly Hills (Michele Stueven)Five landmark Los Angeles cul...

Weekend recap: Valley Christian, Mitty turn WCAL baseball into two-team race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

BaseballWCAL: Two teams elevate to the topWith four games left in the West Catholic Athletic League’s regular season, two teams have a shot at the championship.They meet in a league finale.Valley Christian and Archbishop Mitty won again on Saturday, with Valley improving to 10-0 in the league standings and Mitty staying on the Warriors’ heels at 9-1.Keaton Norris and Jacob Hudson homered and Kole Laubach, Jacob Molyneaux and Hudson combined for the shutout as Valley — the Bay Area News Group’s top-ranked team — cruised on the road over Archbishop Riordan 9-0. The shutout was Valley’s second in a row, following a 7-0 blanking of St. Francis on Friday.Second-ranked Mitty kept pace, rolling at home past Serra 8-2 on Saturday after toppling Sacred Heart Cathedral 9-6 on Friday.Tanner Kern and Matteo Blandino each had two RBIs and Luka Pintar pitched a complete game in the victory over Serra.Mitty (18-4 overall) visits St. Francis on Tuesday and Bellar...

Disney begins second round of job cuts, affecting thousands

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

By Thomas Buckley | BloombergWalt Disney Co. began letting go thousands of employees on Monday in the entertainment giant’s ongoing push to cut about 7,000 jobs this year.This is the second of what’s expected to be three rounds of cuts, Disney said in a statement. The first reductions to Disney’s 220,000-person workforce came in March. This round, which will last through Thursday, should bring the total positions eliminated to around 4,000, the company said.Disney’s latest job reductions, which Bloomberg reported last week, are part of Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger’s ambition to save $5.5 billion in annual costs. The company is seeking to pare its commitment to general entertainment and prioritize franchises and well-recognized brands. Disney Entertainment, which houses the company’s non-sports related film and TV businesses, is a focus of the reductions.Related ArticlesBusiness | Landmark law sparks new hope for former inmates who battled California wildfires Bus...

What’s Coachella really like? TikTok can answer that.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

Think of the app what you’d like, there’s no denying that TikTok can bring users footage they otherwise would probably never see.Related ArticlesMusic | Zendaya surprises festivalgoers during Labrinth’s Coachella Weekend 2 set Music | Coachella 2023: See photos of performers and fans from Sunday, Weekend 2 Music | Set times for Coachella Weekend 2 announced — with a new Sunday headliner Music | Sunday headliner Frank Ocean drops out of Coachella Weekend 2 Music | 25 must-see acts if you’re going to Coachella Weekend 2 That’s been the case during the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which wraps up its second weekend on Sunday, April 22.Sometimes poking fun at the media (hey!), viral content has proliferated through the app for the past two weeks, often labeling itself as “the side of Coachella that people don’t see.”Well, we’ve seen it, and now we’re sharing it. Here’s our roundup of behind-...

Oregon Domestic Terrorism Law Targets the Far Right. Here’s How It’ll Backfire.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

A man holds his hand to his heart as a Proud Boys organizer recites the Pledge of Allegiance during a Proud Boys rally at Delta Park in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 26, 2020.Photo: Maranie Staab/AFP via Getty ImagesWhen Oregon Democrats introduced a new state domestic terrorism bill in February, civil rights groups were reminded of a similar piece of legislation — and began sounding the alarm.Georgia expanded its state domestic terrorism statute in 2017 in response to the mass shooting perpetrated by white supremacist Dylann Roof against Black churchgoers in neighboring South Carolina. Atlanta legislators claimed that broadening their own state’s domestic terror laws to include certain attacks on property would somehow keep the public safe from far-right violence.Critics of the legislation in Georgia said at the time that it could be used to target environmentalists and anti-racist activists as well.They were right. Last month, 42 activists were indiscriminately arrested and charged wit...

1948 Olympic bronze medalist Herb Douglas dead at 101

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Herb Douglas, who turned a chance encounter with Jesse Owens as a teenager into fuel to win a bronze medal in the long jump at the 1948 Olympics, has died. He was 101.The University of Pittsburgh, where Douglas starred on both the football and track teams before later serving in various roles for his alma mater, said Douglas died Saturday.“In every role that he filled, as an aspiring athlete from Hazelwood, as a student-athlete and University trustee and as an esteemed businessman, Olympian and community leader, Herb Douglas excelled,” Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said. “He was both a champion himself and a champion of others, never hesitating to open doors of opportunity and help people pursue their own success.”Douglas, a Pittsburgh native, was 14 when he met Owens, the American track and field star who won four gold medals in sprints and the long jump at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Owens spoke at an elementary school near the Hazelwood neighborhood wher...

DC woman who conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro at 73 aims to help other Black climbers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

This is part of WTOP’s continuing coverage of people making a difference from our community authored by Stephanie Gaines-Bryant. Read more of that coverage.A D.C. woman, who is believed to be one of the oldest African American women to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, is reaching new heights helping other Black residents in the D.C. area to climb to better health.In 2022, Sharon Goods, along with 11 other African American climbers, reached the top of the 19,000 foot tall African mountain.The 73-year-old’s nonprofit organization, the Wisdom Walkers, is now trying to help other African Americans improve their health.“(I want to) encourage African Americans to take care of their health at every age, every stage of life,” she said.Goods said the group started planning the climb in 2020 with the initial goal of getting African Americans to work out.Every week, they would invite people to walk or climb, then one day, during a Zoom meeting, they asked, “We̵...

NBA Playoffs: 76ers waiting for more teams to make 2nd round

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

Philadelphia is waiting, and in Joel Embiid’s case, ailing.The lone team with a ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs will get some company over the next few days, possibly as early as Tuesday.The 76ers finished off a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets over the weekend, despite being without their MVP candidate center. Embiid isn’t the only big name dealing with injury — all eyes will be on Miami on Monday and whether Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo can play through his bruised lower back.WHAT’S NEXT?There are a pair of Game 4’s on Monday, with two lower-seeded teams holding an opportunity to take 3-1 series leads. Eighth-seeded Miami plays host to top-seeded Milwaukee in an East matchup, while the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers then face second-seeded Memphis in a West contest.Road teams hold the leads going into Monday, and then Tuesday, it’ll be three home teams that have a chance to join Philadelphia in the second round.Boston hosts Atlanta, Denver ...

Sports on TV for Tuesday, April 25

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

(All times Eastern)Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsTuesday, April 25COLLEGE BASEBALL6 p.m.ACCN — Coastal Carolina at Wake ForestESPNU — East Carolina at NC State7 p.m.SECN — Louisville at Kentucky8 p.m.PAC-12N — Gonzaga at OregonCOLLEGE GOLF (WOMEN’S)1 p.m.GOLF — Regional selections for the 2023 NCAA DI Women’s Golf ChampionshipIIHF HOCKEY (MEN’S)10 a.m.NHLN — World Championship Group Stage: Switzerland vs. U.S., Group B, Basel, Switzerland12:30 p.m.NHLN — World Championship Group Stage: Czechia vs. Canada, Group A, Porrentruy, SwitzerlandMLB BASEBALL7:30 p.m.MLBN — Regional Coverage: NY Yankees at Minnesota OR San Diego at Chicago Cubs10:30 p.m.MLBN — Regional Coverage: St. Louis at San Francisco OR Kansas City at Arizona (Joined in Progress)NBA BASKETBALL7:30 p.m.TNT — Eastern Conference First Round: Atlanta at Boston, Game 59 p.m.NBATV — Western Conference First Round: Minnesota at Denver, Game 510 p.m.TNT — Western Conference First Round: LA Clippers at Phoenix, Game ...