Latest news with #Paypal
RNZ News
21 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Paypal withholds thousands of funds from Kiwis to Palestinians
Paypal. Photo: 123RF Thousands of dollars donated by New Zealanders for families in Gaza is being withheld by Paypal with no reason given. New Zealand writer, who goes by the name of Emily Writes, set up the the fund 'Aotearoa to Gaza Mutual Aid' through Ko-Fi - a free crowdfunding platform that send funds to Paypal. In just 24 hours, the account had received over $8000 from about 900 individual donations. Writes would then send the money on to Palestinians in need, but her request to withdraw money was denied and her account deactivated. She told Midday Report Paypal would not tell her why the account was closed, and said the money would be held for 180 days. "It was just frozen with no explanation and no ability to do anything about that. The money is just being held there," she said. Writes said she has spent days going back and fourth with Paypal trying to get answers, but the company isn't being transparent. She believes the reason is political as she has heard from others who have also had funds for Gaza frozen. "The minute they said that it was going to be for Palestinians it was shut down," she said. Midday Report has contacted Paypal for comment but has not received a response. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Midday Report Essentials for Tuesday 22nd July 2025
money education 6 minutes ago In today's episode, the Prime Minister has described the war in Gaza as an absolute catastrophe; A collection of money donated by New Zealanders for families in Gaza is being withheld by Paypal for no reason; The government's curriculum changes have been described by one school union as chaotic and imploding; The winner of season two of the 'Drag Race Down Under' television show has her sights set on a new sparkle - but at a great sacrifice.
Scoop
a day ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Nicola Willis Urged To Step In Now To Get Kiwi Food Aid To Gaza
PSNA is urging the government to step in and require Paypal to refund money it refuses to pass on starving families in Occupied Gaza. Paypal has been freezing accounts which send money to Occupied Gaza – the latest being the account of Wellington-based writer 'Emily Writes' who has posted about her sickening experiences here. 'Paypal is happy to provide backup to Israel's genocide by ensuring food is only available through the Israeli military which is using it to ethnically cleanse starving Palestinians from the north to the south of the Occupied Gaza strip' says PSNA Co-Chair John Minto. 'Using food aid like this is a war crime and we are asking Minister of Finance Nicola Willis to step in and demand Paypal allow kiwis to donate to starving families in Gaza' 'Low and middle-income New Zealanders kiwis are naturally generous but Paypal is not only freezing these accounts but are refusing to refund the money.' 'The New Zealand government has refused to condemn Israel's mass killing and mass starvation of Palestinians but they can insist money from New Zealanders wanting to help is not frozen for six months while Israel's war on humanity continues' We are waiting to hear back from the minister.
Axios
4 days ago
- Business
- Axios
What's next after the stablecoin law is signed
President Trump has signed into law the GENIUS Act, which will mean that many mainstream banks and fintechs will try to make stablecoins a part of everyday life in America soon. Why it matters: With clear legal guidelines for the killer app of blockchains, dollar-backed tokens, lots of companies are going to soon jump into the business. The big picture: There are two ways stablecoins might improve the bottomline of regular people. Savings. On exchanges like Coinbase and apps like Paypal, users can buy stablecoins with dollars and earn 4% interest on their money (for now). That blows away bank savings rates. Yes, but: While your deposits won't be lent out like banks do and are 100% reserve-backed, they don't have FDIC insurance. Shopping. Osama Bari, with the D24 Fintech Group, tells Axios that he's looking for instant rebates coming soon for stablecoin transactions. So a consumer might get an instant $2 back when they buy $100 watch. That's at least in part because retailers don't pay interchange fees when they get paid with stablecoins. What we're watching: Adoption. It can be tough to get people to use new payment systems if they are accustomed to another way and it alreadyworks pretty well. However, stablecoins might mean consumers will start getting a better deal. The bottom line: It remains to be seen how the traditional finance industry implements the law.
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Daily Record
Scots Snapchat sex creep paid underage girls hundreds of pounds for naked photos
Sleazy Martin Murray was spared prison over the sex crime. A creep has dodged jail after paying 13-year-old girls hundreds of pounds to send him naked photos. Sleazy Martin Murray befriended the youngsters on Snapchat, a court heard. He told one she had a "really pretty" face before demanding pictures of "the real stuff". Murray, 49, of Coalburn, Lanarkshire, admitted getting two girls to send him intimate images between October and November 2020. Airdrie Sheriff Court heard they used the cash to buy clothes. Annette Ward, prosecuting, said one girl, who lived in the south of England, accepted a request from Murray to talk on Snapchat. He told her he was in his 40s and they chatted about school. She then asked him for £50 and in response he sent her £10 via Paypal. Ms Ward stated: "Murray asked what she looked like and she sent him a photo of her face. "He replied 'Wow! You look really pretty.' and asked her for pictures of 'the real stuff'. He asked her for photos in her bra and then to take off her underwear. She was naked in some of the photos she sent. He told her she had a nice body and sent heart emojis. "In general he would send money before she sent pictures. Sometimes if she was out shopping she would ask him for money. He would send it and ask for something in return later. "The girl thinks she sent him more than 20 photos and videos and received in the region of £600 from Murray. She told a friend who added Murray on Snapchat. The friend also sent nude pictures and thinks she got about £70 from him." Ms Ward said the first girl told police she knew what she was doing was wrong and began to worry that someone would find out. The prosecutor added: "Contact came to an end when the second girl's mum found out about it." Murray told police he believed the girls were 16 and claimed he couldn't remember asking them for naked pictures. But he admitted: "I might have had a few drinks and been looking for attention." Defence lawyer Archie Hill said Murray has no history of similar offending and hasn't been in trouble since this came to light in early 2021. Mr Hill told the court: "At the time of these offences the country was subject to a Covid lockdown and restrictions. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "His alcohol consumption had increased, he became disinhibited and started surfing the internet. He is remorseful, ashamed and embarrassed." Social workers say parcel delivery driver Murray poses a high risk of further sex offending, but Sheriff Joseph Hughes told him: "I must consider if there is a prospect of rehabilitation. "The clear intention of the custody threshold test, in my opinion, is to reserve prison for the most serious offences. "A community order with suitably accredited programme requirements designed for people convicted of sexual offences can be a proper alternative to a short, or even moderate, custodial sentence." Murray, whose partner has stood by him, was given a three-year supervision order and must complete the 'Moving Forward, Making Changes' programme. He faces a 7pm-7am curfew under a six-month electronic tagging order and will be on the sex offenders' register for five years.
