Latest news with #WU
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
‘Academics and sports should go hand in hand'
Take any sport. Only 1% make it to the top and even less make it to a podium finish. The remaining 99% — although they endure similar tough regimes including personal hardships, gruelling fitness and skill sessions — soon fade into oblivion. What happens to them, what do they do for a living, do they ever make it to the podium? Those were the leading questions that Woxsen University-led collaboration, including ace sportspersons representing their private sports academies, discussed here on Friday. They also formally announced their partnership and believed they have the answers, in the 'marriage' of academics and sports. 'In India, people often go to extremes—it's either all about academics, like starting IIT coaching in Class 6, or all about sports with education completely ignored. What about the 99% (sportspeople who don't succeed), or even who succeed in sport, how do they exit and manage a good life after sport? We need mentorships, exit points, sports and education at every level. Together we are trying to address this problem,' said Pullela Gopichand, India's chief national badminton coach. For former Indian cricketer and retired senior selector of the national cricket team, MSK Prasad, who endorses Gopichand's philosophy, 'Sports is about the attitude to keep fighting, it's not about physical activity. The process will make the champion; we will address that.' Also sharing the common vision was Olympian and long jumper Anju Bobby George. Academics and sports should go hand in hand. This platform is for those 99% who can take up alternative pathways and go on to make podium finishes in their careers, they agreed. The academies owned by Mr. Gopichand, Mr. Prasad and Ms. George, as part of the MoU, will partner with WU, where a sports science centre with sports biomechanics for technical skill and physical conditioning is set up. According to sports science company, SixS Sports, the chief collaborator, the partnership signals a new era of athlete development, combining education, biomechanics, mental training, and elite mentorship. The other collaborators were WU vice-president Raul V. Rodriguez, SixS Sports CEO Antony Chacko, Sporthood co-founder Arun V. Nair, Executive Chairman Bangarra Group Anil Nair, Gaurav Sharma of Physio Karma and Ritesh Goud of Samyuktha School.
Scottish Sun
01-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Now China bizarrely claims Covid pandemic started in the US in desperate bid to shift blame from Wuhan ‘lab leak'
Watch the trailer for The Sun's explosive Covid lab leak documentary in our video player WU JOKING? Now China bizarrely claims Covid pandemic started in the US in desperate bid to shift blame from Wuhan 'lab leak' CHINA has brazenly claimed the Covid pandemic may have started in the US in a desperate bid to bat away growing scrutiny over a lab leak. The extraordinary accusation was made in a new White Paper released by Beijing's State Council Information Office. Advertisement 6 China has claimed the Covid pandemic may have started in the US and not in a Wuhan lab Credit: Reuters 6 The report accused the US - at the time under Joe Biden's administration - of 'indifference and delayed actions' during the fight against the virus Credit: AFP 6 Ex-top health chief Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks during a news conference with the coronavirus task force at the White House in 2020 Credit: AP 6 It comes after The Sun's explosive Covid lab leak documentary laid bare the mounting evidence and disturbing questions surrounding the virus's emergence in Wuhan — home to China's most secretive bio-research facility. And just days ago, the US launched a bombshell new Covid origins website blaming a Chinese lab for unleashing the killer virus. Now, in a fresh propaganda push, Beijing insists 'substantial evidence' shows Covid 'might have emerged in the United States earlier than its officially-claimed timeline, and earlier than the outbreak in China.' The document, titled Covid-19 Prevention, Control and Origins Tracing: China's Actions and Stance, was released via China's official Xinhua news agency. Advertisement It accused the US of "indifference and delayed actions" during the global Covid fight, and of scapegoating China to deflect from its own "mismanaged" response. 'The US has made China the primary scapegoat for its own mismanaged COVID-19 response,' it fumed. The report added that America was 'spreading misinformation' and had wasted 'precious time China had secured for the global fight against the pandemic.' It also revived Beijing's long-standing claims that it shared virus information with the world in a "timely manner" — while pointing to a Missouri lawsuit blaming China for a cover-up and hoarding of protective equipment. Advertisement The paper added: 'The US should not continue to 'pretend to be deaf and dumb', but should respond to the legitimate concerns of the international community.' I was in Oval Office with Trump at start of pandemic - no one was closer to Chinese officials than me & I believe Covid was engineered in lab Beijing's move comes after the White house on April 18 launched a new Covid-19 site which directly states the virus was leaked from a Chinese lab. It also slams former President Joe Biden, ex-top health chief Anthony Fauci and the World Health Organisation for mishandling the crisis. The CIA has recently changed its own stance - concluding in January that the pandemic was more likely to have come from a lab leak in China than natural origins. Advertisement However, it admitted this was based on "low confidence" and both scenarios remain "plausible". The World Health Organisation has said the virus has claimed more than seven million lives since emerging in late 2019 in Wuhan - where the first known cases were recorded. It declared the outbreak a pandemic in March 2020 and officially ended the public health emergency status in May last year. Last December, a bombshell Congress report concluded Covid most likely leaked from a lab in Wuhan. Advertisement 6 Shi Zhengli - dubbed 'Batwoman' for her work on bat coronaviruses - pictured at the Wuhan Institute of Virology Credit: AP 6 In the early days of the pandemic, Shi sequenced the virus and a critical role in the story of Covid Credit: AFP The 520-page report also revealed that the Department of Justice secretly investigated a New York-based company for clues about the origins of Covid - and potential criminal conduct. Following a two-year investigation involving dozens of interviews and high-profile hearings, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released its final report. Advertisement It said: "Four years after the onset of the worst pandemic in 100 years, the weight of the evidence increasingly supports the lab leak hypothesis. "By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced." The report noted that Wuhan Institute of Virology was China's top coronavirus research lab and it had "a history of conducting research at inadequate biosafety levels". It added that researchers at the lab "were sick with a Covid-like virus in the fall of 2019, months before Covid-19 was discovered at the wet market". Advertisement The report accused the Chinese government, agencies in the US government and even members of the scientific community of a "cover up". It also implicates a US organisation that worked with the Wuhan lab using taxpayer cash. The Department of Justice launched a grand jury investigation - a probe into potential criminal conduct - into EcoHealth Alliance, the report reveals.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Western Union Co (WU) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Growth Amidst ...
Revenue: $984 million for Q1 2025. Adjusted Revenue: Down 2% excluding Iraq. Transaction Growth: 3% overall; 14% in branded digital business. Cross-Border Principal Growth: 10% on a constant currency ex Iraq basis. Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS): $0.41, down $0.04 from the previous year. Adjusted Operating Margin: 19%, compared to 20% last year. Consumer Money Transfer (CMT) Transactions: Grew 3% in the quarter. Branded Digital Revenue Growth: 8% in the quarter. Cash Flow from Operations: $148 million, up 50% year-over-year. Capital Expenditures: $24 million, down 30% year-over-year. Cash and Cash Equivalents: $1.3 billion. Debt: $2.8 billion. Leverage Ratios: 2.8 times gross and 1.5 times net. Shareholder Returns: Over $150 million via dividends and stock repurchases. 2025 Revenue Guidance: $4.115 billion to $4.215 billion. 2025 Adjusted Operating Margin Guidance: 19% to 21%. 2025 Adjusted EPS Guidance: $1.75 to $1.85. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with WU. Release Date: April 23, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. The Western Union Co (NYSE:WU) reported a seventh consecutive quarter of above 3% transaction growth, excluding Iraq, Russia, and Belarus. The company's branded digital business continues to perform well with 14% transaction growth and 8% adjusted revenue growth in the quarter. Europe showed strong performance with 10% transaction growth, leading to regional revenue growth of 5%. The acquisition of Euro Change is expected to add roughly 1% to revenue growth this year and is anticipated to be accretive in 2025. The company achieved $30 million in operational efficiency savings in the quarter, bringing total savings to $140 million, ahead of schedule. Adjusted revenue, excluding Iraq, declined 2% due to a difficult macro environment and tough comparisons against the previous year. The Americas faced geopolitical headwinds, with North America transaction growth about 100 basis points lower and LACA about 200 basis points lower than the previous quarter. Consumer Services adjusted revenue was down slightly due to a decline in the bill payment business in Latin America and a seasonally slow quarter for advertising and European travel. Adjusted earnings per share decreased to $0.41, down $0.04 from the same quarter last year, partly due to lower revenues from Iraq. The retail business in North America is underperforming, primarily due to geopolitical issues and slowing migration trends. Q: Can you discuss the pressures on the North American retail side and any channel shifts to digital? A: Devin McGranahan, CEO, noted that both digital and retail channels in North America have slowed, with more significant impacts on the retail side. There has been little acceleration in channel migration, with consistent year-over-year numbers in North America. Q: Does the 2025 guidance include the Euro Change acquisition, and how does it account for macroeconomic conditions? A: Matthew Cagwin, CFO, confirmed that the guidance includes the Euro Change acquisition. The macroeconomic conditions and immigration changes have been factored into the forecast, with a leveling off observed in recent quarters. Q: What are the expected contributions from new agents and digital acceleration beyond the Euro Change acquisition? A: Matthew Cagwin highlighted new partnerships in the Middle East and the integration of Euro Change as key contributors. The Travel Money business and improvements in consumer services are also expected to drive growth. Q: Can you provide insights into the digital transaction growth and the impact of the loyalty program? A: Matthew Cagwin explained that the loyalty program aims to enhance customer retention and has had a modest impact on revenue. The APN business is growing rapidly, offering higher margins and stickier customer relationships. Q: How are you applying learnings from Europe to improve North American operations? A: Devin McGranahan discussed adopting a distribution strategy with controlled high-volume locations, competitive independent agents, and strategic partnerships. The approach is more advanced in Europe, with North America in earlier stages. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Western Union Full Year 2024 Earnings: EPS Beats Expectations
Revenue: US$4.21b (down 3.4% from FY 2023). Net income: US$934.2m (up 49% from FY 2023). Profit margin: 22% (up from 14% in FY 2023). The increase in margin was driven by lower expenses. EPS: US$2.75 (up from US$1.69 in FY 2023). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) surpassed analyst estimates by 39%. The primary driver behind last 12 months revenue was the Consumer Money Transfer segment contributing a total revenue of US$3.80b (90% of total revenue). Notably, cost of sales worth US$2.60b amounted to 62% of total revenue thereby underscoring the impact on earnings. The largest operating expense was General & Administrative costs, amounting to US$838.1m (100% of total expenses). Over the last 12 months, the company's earnings were enhanced by non-operating gains of US$162.9m. Explore how WU's revenue and expenses shape its earnings. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to stay flat during the next 3 years compared to a 6.5% growth forecast for the Diversified Financial industry in the US. Performance of the American Diversified Financial industry. The company's shares are up 1.4% from a week ago. We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 4 warning signs for Western Union (3 are concerning!) that you need to be mindful of. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
