President Joe Biden in his first State of the Union pledged to inflict further financial pain on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, and pledged to work to lessen the impact on Americans. Biden launched into his speech to Congress on Tuesday touting the resolve of Ukrainians and efforts by his administration, alongside NATO allies, to punish Russia for the incursion. Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, “badly miscalculated” in the move. “He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over. Instead he met a wall…
Read MoreLawmakers wear blue and yellow to State of the Union in nod to Ukraine
The State of the Union is a distinctly red, white and blue affair. But blue and yellow were also a prominent color scheme in Tuesday’s address as lawmakers express sartorial solidarity with Ukraine. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), a Ukrainian-American who was born in Ukraine, wore a yellow dress with a blue blazer. Several members were wearing scarves in either of the two colors on Ukraine’s flag, while others carried miniature flags reportedly being handed out by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a co-chair of the congressional Ukraine and Ukrainian American Caucus.…
Read MoreBiden nominates Meg Whitman as ambassador to Kenya
President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated Meg Whitman, a business executive and onetime California gubernatorial candidate, to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Kenya. Whitman, the former leader of Hewlett Packard and eBay, endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention in August 2020. She also endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 over Donald Trump despite her longstanding ties to the private sector and the GOP. In 2010 Whitman ran for governor of California, losing to Democrat Jerry Brown by double digits despite spending $177 million — including $144 million…
Read MorePelosi invites Biden for March 1 State of the Union address
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday invited President Joe Biden to deliver his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on March 1. In her brief letter, Pelosi (D-Calif.) thanked Biden for his “bold vision and patriotic leadership” and highlighted several achievements over his first year as president. “Thank you for your bold vision and patriotic leadership which have guided America out of crisis and into an era of great progress, as we not only recovery from the pandemic but Build Back Better!” she wrote. The…
Read MoreHillary Clinton Urges Biden Administration to Pressure Crypto Exchanges to Block Russian Users
Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has criticized the Biden administration and European governments for not pressuring cryptocurrency exchanges to end transactions with Russian users. She believes regulators “should look hard at how they can prevent the crypto markets from giving an escape hatch to Russia, both governmental and private transactions in and out of Russia.” Hillary Clinton ‘Disappointed’ Crypto Exchanges Are Not Blocking All Russian Users Hillary Clinton, a former first lady, U.S. senator, secretary of state, and the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, heavily criticized the Biden administration, the Treasury…
Read MoreUkraine presses Biden, senators to hit Russian energy exports
Ukrainian officials are pushing the Biden administration and lawmakers on the Hill to impose sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports and cracking down further on the energy supplies that international markets are already starting to shun. Andriy Kobolyev, the former head of the country’s state-owned natural gas company, Naftogaz, said he has been meeting with U.S. senators and Biden administration officials to push for sanctions on Russian fossil fuel exports, which he asserts will be necessary to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin and those around him to halt their…
Read MoreExxon to leave Russian energy project, halt new investments in the country
U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil said on Tuesday it will wind down its operations at a major liquefied natural gas export facility in eastern Russia and halt any new investments in the country. Details: Exxon, the operator of the Sakhalin-1 LNG project that also includes Russian oil company Rosneft as a major stakeholder, will start a “carefully managed” exit, the company said in a press release. Sakhalin-1 has an export capacity of 6.2 million tons a year, and was one of the largest foreign direct investments in the country. “As…
Read MoreAirbnb Looking to Support Crypto While Focusing on Free Housing for 100,000 Ukrainian Refugees
Airbnb confirms that it is looking to support cryptocurrency. The company has also offered to provide housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. According to the European Union, about four million people may try to leave Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. Airbnb’s CEO Discusses Cryptocurrency and the Refugee Crisis in Ukraine The CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, talked about cryptocurrency and his company’s efforts to help Ukrainian refugees in an interview with CNBC Tuesday. According to its website, Airbnb has about 6 million active listings worldwide, with more than…
Read MoreData Shows Ruble-Denominated Crypto Trading Has Spiked, RUB Represents Over 2% of USDT Trades
According to reports and data stemming from ruble-denominated crypto trading pairs, Russian citizens are flocking toward cryptocurrencies amid the conflict in Ukraine. Analytical data indicates that the ruble is the sixth most traded pair with tether and tether’s fourth most traded fiat-denominated pair globally excluding two crypto assets. Report Highlights Russian Rubles Pouring Into Tether, Data Shows Binance RUB-Denominated Crypto Trading Pairs Spike 24 hours ago, Bitcoin.com News reported on ruble (RUB)-denominated crypto volumes increasing and further investigation shows the trend has continued. According to a report published by vice.com…
Read MoreDecentralized Lending Protocol Adalend Listing On: ADAPad, BSCPad, ETHPad, VelasPad, PulsePad Launchpads
While cryptocurrency and blockchain technology is still relatively new, they have been rapidly growing, with companies taking advantage of this new, innovative, and disruptive technology that is reshaping many industries, namely the financial sector. The lending industry is currently a multi-billion dollar industry, with loans being provided by banks and other financial institutions to individuals and businesses alike; nevertheless, it’s been plagued by trust and transparency issues. The decentralized nature of blockchain technology has led to the rise of a new generation of financing platforms like ADALend, aiming to solve…
Read MoreEuropean plan to donate fighter jets to Ukraine collapses
A proposed deal to allow Ukrainian pilots to fly fighter jets donated by European Union countries has fallen apart. Over the course of a confusing 48 hours, the EU announced it had brokered an arrangement for member states to allow Ukrainian pilots to start flying their used Russian fighter planes, only to have those countries deny there was any such deal even as Kyiv trumpeted the impending arrival of the jets. The dissolution of the deal comes as European countries lined up Monday to announce new weapons packages for Ukraine,…
Read MoreHacker Group Anonymous Vows to Disrupt Russia’s Internet — RT Websites Become ‘Subject of Massive DDoS Attacks’
The international hacktivist collective known as Anonymous has vowed to attack Russian government websites over the recent Ukraine invasion. So far Anonymous says that it hacked the Russian Ministry of Defense database and various state-operated television channels in Russia. Additionally, a spokesperson from Russia Today (RT) said that after Anonymous’ recent statement, RT websites were inundated with DDoS attacks. Anonymous Aims to Laser-Kill Russian Government Websites The decentralized international collective Anonymous wants to troll Vladimir Putin and the Russian government after the country invaded Ukraine last week. “Russia may be…
Read MoreEthereum Beacon Chain Surpasses 300K Validators, Over $28 Billion in Ether Deposits Locked
The Ethereum protocol has reached another milestone as the number of Ethereum 2.0 validators has surpassed 300,000. At the time of writing, the Ethereum 2.0 contract has over 9.6 million ether deposited worth more than $28.4 billion. Ethereum Beacon Chain Validators Jump Past the 300,000 Mark For quite some time now, Ethereum (ETH) network participants have been preparing to transition from a proof-of-work (PoW) system to a protocol that solely relies on the proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus algorithm. The Ethereum community has been running a parallel system that leverages PoW and…
Read MoreTechnical Analysis: AVAX, WAVES and Near Trade Over 20% Higher on Tuesday
AVAX, NEAR and WAVES were undoubtedly some of the biggest gainers on Tuesday, as crypto markets were over 14% higher as of writing. LUNA was also higher, and climbed by as much as 22% in today’s market session. WAVES WAVES was easily the biggest gainer during Tuesday’s trading session, as it rose by as much as 46% on the day. Today’s rally in WAVES/USD saw prices climb to their highest level since December 17, hitting the long-term resistance point of $19.60 in the process. This surge comes as the ceiling…
Read MoreCoinbase ‘Will Not Institute a Blanket Ban’ on All Transactions Tied to Russian Crypto Addresses
The popular cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has addressed the request from Ukrainian officials to freeze the accounts of all Russian users. A Coinbase spokesperson noted that the digital currency platform would not “institute a blanket ban” against ordinary Russian users. Coinbase, Coinberry, and Kucoin Follow Binance’s and Kraken’s Decision to Refuse ‘Sabotaging Ordinary Russian Users’ On Tuesday, reports indicate that the Russian invasion has escalated after peace talks at the border between Ukrainian and Russian officials failed. A 40-mile military convoy is surrounding the capital of Kyiv and reports show that…
Read MoreHow the Russia-Ukraine conflict has fundamentally changed Biden’s presidency
For weeks, President Joe Biden has started and ended his day trying to get inside Vladimir Putin’s head. The most consequential foreign policy crisis of his young term has overwhelmed the president’s schedule, shoving everything — from the State of the Union to a Supreme Court pick — to the backburner. And while he leans on a trusted inner circle of advisers to decipher Putin’s moves, he has also relied on his own experience, having practiced diplomacy with European leaders for decades and having been able to size up Putin…
Read More2 wars in 6 months: An Afghan family stuck in the hell of Ukraine’s conflict
After months in limbo and now days on the move, Mir Safi dreams of a better life in Canada. The 47-year-old prosecutor in the Attorney General’s Office of Afghanistan was one of thousands of government employees in the Taliban’s crosshairs when Kabul fell last August. “I left Afghanistan because my life was in danger,” he told POLITICO over Zoom last week. He fled to Ukraine with his wife and three children, a sister-in-law and nephew. “Now it’s not only me, but the life of my whole family is in danger.”…
Read MoreBitcoin, Ethereum Technical Analysis: ETH Over $3,000, BTC Nears $45,000 as Bulls Return
Ethereum climbed over the $3,000 level on Tuesday, as crypto bulls returned in full force, following weeks of market tension. Bitcoin also rallied, with prices nearing $45,000 and cryptocurrency markets as a whole trading over 14% higher. Bitcoin The world’s largest cryptocurrency was one of the biggest gainers in the top ten on Tuesday, as bullish sentiment once again returned to markets. Following a low of $39,649.06 yesterday, BTC/USD hit an intraday high of $44,793.60 earlier in today’s session. As of writing, BTC is up 15.20% on the day, with…
Read MoreUkraine Now Takes Polkadot, Says It Will Accept Other Coins Soon
Having already raised millions of dollars in major cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, Ukraine is now receiving donations in polkadot as well. The country intends to expand the list of accepted coins as it increasingly relies on help from the crypto community to fund its defense against Russia. Ukraine Posts DOT Address, Receives First Polkadot Donations In the face of an ongoing military assault by the Russian army, Ukrainians have offered crypto users around the world another option to support their cause. Early on Tuesday, the Ukraine Twitter account published a DOT…
Read MoreCardano-Powered Flickto Looks to Be the Solution to Today’s Unfair Media Landscape and Aims to Become the Pioneer of DeMe
PRESS RELEASE. Media firms should often be open source and controlled by stakeholders like consumers, artists, and their intermediaries. Decentralized Media’s (DeMe) goal is to build open-source platforms that allow individuals to gain ownership over their data and the media projects that are sponsored and eventually consumed. To that end, Flickto is a solution to the problems produced by today’s media landscape which regularly involve squandered funds, failure to create films and other kinds of Media for the public, and enable big money to dictate the media we consume. ISPO…
Read MoreReport: Israel Defense Ministry Seized Crypto Wallets Holding Hamas-Destined Funds
Israel’s Defense Ministry seized cryptocurrency wallets holding funds that were destined for Hamas, a report has said. The wallets belonged to businesses that are associated with Al’matchadun currency exchange, which itself is accused of helping to funnel funds to Hamas. Seizure Order Israel’s Defense Ministry recently seized cryptocurrency wallets belonging to businesses that are associated with Al’matchadun currency exchange. The wallets had crypto assets worth thousands of dollars or tens of thousands of shekels. The Defense Ministry alleges the seized funds were en route to Hamas, which the U.S. State…
Read MoreThe Rural Hispanic County that Might Save Henry Cuellar
RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas — Beneath a deep blue sky flecked by cirrus clouds, the towering palm trees that line Rio Grande City’s downtown sway as though keeping time with the high school marching band. Pickup trucks tug trailers covered in metallic tinsel, sunflowers and American flags. The parade, the mid-February kickoff to the Starr County Fair, rolls past the stately but declining, yellow-brick courthouse that Henry Cuellar recently earmarked several million dollars to save. First though, Cuellar’s allies must save him. And it might come down to Starr County.…
Read MoreWhat to watch for in Texas’ primaries
Tuesday marks the first primary day of 2022 — and the first set of answers to big questions hanging over the political world ahead of the midterm election. Former President Donald Trump’s influence over the Republican Party will be on display in races that will shape the direction of the party going forward. Change is coming on the other side of the aisle, too, as progressive Democrats try to grow their ranks in the House. Democrats and Republicans will also pick their nominees for critical House seats in the Rio…
Read More6 House races to watch in Texas
The 2022 midterm elections officially kick off Tuesday in Texas, which will feature 38 congressional races, in addition to a handful of contested primaries for statewide office. Not all of those elections are competitive: 14 House incumbents have no primary opposition at all. But there’s still plenty to watch in the state, starting with Texas’ 28th District where progressives are trying to oust Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in one of the biggest tests of how strong the party’s left wing will be this election season. “We have to do two…
Read MoreThe primary foreshadowing the future of the GOP
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — An early test of Kevin McCarthy’s potential speakership is looming outside Houston, where he and some of the GOP’s biggest provocateurs have lined up on opposite sides of a primary that will shape the temperament of the next Republican House majority. A group of MAGA firebrands, including freshman Reps. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), are catapulting into a GOP primary here to boost Christian Collins, a far-right activist who has vowed to govern in their image. But they are facing fierce resistance from…
Read MoreMore like Reset of the Union: Dems hope for a pivot as Biden readies his speech
Democrats are hoping President Joe Biden’s prime-time address on Tuesday effectively hits the reset button ahead of the November election after months marked by legislative breakdowns. Biden will be delivering his first State of the Union speech to a nation that’s largely skeptical of his leadership at the moment. His approval ratings are near the lowest of his presidency as Americans remain immersed in anxiety over the pandemic, the economy, and now, a Russian invasion of Ukraine that’s increasingly demanding U.S. attention. Already worried they could lose control of both…
Read MoreSEC to Crypto Companies: There Are Benefits to Self-Reporting Violations and Working With Us
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revealed that there are benefits for cryptocurrency companies to self-report their violations of securities laws to the regulator. While noting that there will be no amnesty, the SEC enforcement director said, “We’ll view their conduct more favorably if they come in — such as what the remedies will look like.” No Amnesty for Crypto Firms Cryptocurrency companies that self-report violations of security laws to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cannot expect amnesty but there are some benefits, Gurbir Grewal, the…
Read MoreBinance Donates $10 Million to Support Ukrainians, Launches Crowdfunding Initiative
Binance, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has announced a series of humanitarian aid actions it will take to support Ukrainians. The exchange stated it will donate a minimum of $10 million to help the Ukrainian people through the Binance Charity Foundation. Binance also announced it was kickstarting a crypto-first crowdfunding site to coordinate donations to the Ukrainian cause. Binance to Offer Humanitarian Donation to Ukrainians Binance, one of the leading exchanges in the cryptocurrency sphere, has announced its intentions to help the people of Ukraine in light of…
Read MoreIslamic Scholar Says Digital Currency is Not a ‘Fictitious Currency’
An Islamic scholar, Irshad Ahmad Ijaz, has asserted that digital currency is not fake currency and that it should be legitimized once certain conditions are met. Ijaz’s viewpoint is echoed by other scholars that attended a seminar examining the status of digital currencies from the perspective of Islamic law. Use of Crypto in the Digital Age An Islamic scholar or Mufti, Irshad Ahmad Ijaz, recently argued digital currencies are not so-called fictitious currency, a report has said. He, however, suggested that such currency can only be justified once certain conditions…
Read MoreMars4 Metaverse Listing on KuCoin
Humans have always had the ambition to explore outer space. To this day, the Moon Landing remains etched in history as one of the most highly regarded events of all time, one that continues to inspire over half a century later. Space travel is still far from universally available, such that even the planets and moons of our Solar System are beyond our reach but for the hard work and effort of the world’s various space programmes. MARS4 Metaverse aspires to bring that dream closer. What is MARS4? MARS4 is…
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