Migrant smugglers caught using ‘carpet shoes’ to hide footprints at border

They’re covering over their tracks — with carpet. In their latest attempt to outfox US border patrol, human traffickers are sticking fluffy pieces of flooring material onto the shoes of those they smuggle to stop them leaving footprints. However, a crowd of nearly a dozen men, women and children were spotted crossing over the Mexican…

https://nypost.com/2023/03/16/migrants-wearing-shoes-to-hide-prints-at-us-mexico/

‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ boss allegedly terrorized Freddie Prinze

Freddie Prinze Jr.’s experience on the set of the 1997 thriller “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was indeed horrifying — here’s why.

https://nypost.com/2023/03/16/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer-was-pain-freddie-prinze-jr/

The world’s greatest places of 2023, according to TIME

Gather round, some hot new travel inspo just dropped. TIME magazine has just released its annual list of the World’s Greatest Places, and we’re here to tell you the where, the why and the what behind its picks.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/time-world-greatest-places-2023/index.html

Microsoft Can’t Afford Turbulence from New Copilot

New AI software could revolutionize Office apps, but stakes are much higher.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-cant-afford-turbulence-from-new-copilot-54a81149?mod=rss_markets_main

Players love it and MLB teams hate it, but injuries won’t shut down WBC

The WBC may have flaws. It drives managers crazy with the restrictions placed on players by major-league teams. But it’s here to stay.

     

http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~/731427440/0/usatoday-newstopstories~Players-love-it-and-MLB-teams-hate-it-but-injuries-wont-shut-down-WBC/

Top crypto app downloads rise over 15% following SVB collapse

The divergence in downloads points to general concern across the U.S. from customers amid the recent banking crisis.

Last week,

Following a shakeup in the U.S. banking system over the past week, crypto exchanges and wallets gained momentum as some look for bankless alternatives.

The top 10 crypto applications for exchanges and wallets have risen about 15% since Silicon Valley Bank’s stock fell 60% last week, according to a chart from real-time app data provider Apptopia. The top 10 crypto apps were defined as Coinbase, Crypto.com, Trust, Binance, Bitcoin and Crypto DeFi Wallet, Blockchain.com, KuKoin, Kraken, eToro and BitPay.

Meanwhile, the top 10 traditional banks and top 10 “digital first” bank app downloads have fallen during the same time frame about 5% and 3%, respectively. The top 10 banking apps include Capital One, Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Discover, Citi and U.S. Bank, among others. The top 10 digital first apps were Chime, Dave, Albert, Empower, Varo, MoneyLion, Current, Aspiration, Sable and Oxygen.

The divergence in downloads points to general concern across the U.S. from customers amid the recent banking crisis.

Last week, Silvergate Capital, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank all shut down or were closed, which resulted in crypto companies and investors and traditional users alike scrambling to move their assets.

The shuttering of these banks brought on bigger questions around where people and companies should park assets and which banks they can (or can’t) trust.

Other midsize and regional banks, including First Republic, have been under pressure following SVB’s collapse. First Republic had the third-highest rate of uninsured U.S. deposits behind SVB and Signature with about $119.5 billion in uninsured deposits, according to Reuters.

The crypto market is showing a “positive contagion” after the SVB collapse, similar to what transpired in 2020 when investors fled traditional markets during the COVID-19 pandemic in favor of alternative assets, Stefan Rust, CEO of inflation data aggregator Truflation and former CEO of Bitcoin.com, previously said to TechCrunch+.

In the wake of all this chaos, bitcoin and ether, the biggest cryptocurrencies by market cap, had a seven-day increase of about 15% and 9%, respectively, at the time of publication, according to CoinMarketCap data. The global market cap for all cryptocurrencies also increased 8.3% during the same time period to about $1.1 trillion, slightly down from a weekly high of $1.14 trillion on Tuesday, the data showed.

The market madness has seemingly created a bullish sentiment in the crypto economy; as traders responded positively to the news, the overall market cap rose on the week and crypto app downloads increased.

Top crypto app downloads rise over 15% following SVB collapse by Jacquelyn Melinek originally published on TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/16/top-crypto-app-downloads-rise-over-15-following-svb-collapse/

Clashes break out in Greece as thousands protest against train tragedy

Greek police fired tear gas and protesters hurled firebombs on Thursday as more than 40,000 people took to the streets to slam the government and voice outrage at last month’s train disaster that killed 57 people. 

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230316-clashes-break-out-in-greece-as-thousands-protest-against-train-tragedy

First Republic Bank could see $30B in rescue deposits coming, report says

Read more about SVB's 2023 collapse on TechCrunch

An agreement among a group of the nation’s largest banks to deposit some $30 billion with First Republic Bank could be coming this week, according to a Bloomberg report.

Bloomberg reports that banks said to be involved in this deal include JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., Morgan Stanley, U.S. Bancorp, Truist Financial Corp. and PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

A spokesperson from First Republic Bank declined to comment on the new deposits.

News of a possible rescue sent shares of First Republic Bank as high as $39 per share in early afternoon trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

As TechCrunch colleague Alex Wilhelm reported this week, First Republic’s trading week started off with a challenge with shares falling 62% on March 13 as the bank got caught up in the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. First Republic’s shares were rebounding as news about the potential new deposits went out.

The bank’s recent 8-K filing shows that while it does have some tech clients, that sector accounts for about 4% of its total deposits, according to Alex’s report.

Bloomberg also reported that First Republic was “exploring strategic options” that could include a possible sale. When asked about a sale, the bank declined to comment.

First Republic Bank could see $30B in rescue deposits coming, report says by Christine Hall originally published on TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/16/first-republic-bank-rescue-deposits/

Claudio, Danielle Reyna latest example of poor sports parents in USMNT scandal

Bad sports parents are as American as apple pie and Hulk Hogan.

https://nypost.com/2023/03/16/claudio-danielle-reyna-latest-example-of-terrible-sports-parents-in-usmnt-scandal/

Visit Saudi ditched as potential women’s World Cup sponsor

Visit Saudi’s proposed sponsorship of the women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand drew the ire of the host nations and players across the globe. Human Rights Watch believe FIFA failed to do their due diligence.

https://www.dw.com/en/visit-saudi-ditched-as-potential-women-s-world-cup-sponsor/a-65018259?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf