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Buterin argued that many Layer 2s no longer meaningfully inherit Ethereum security.

Bhutan has slipped to the seventh-largest nation-state Bitcoin holder, with its stash falling from 13,295 BTC in October 2024 to 5,700 BTC. Bhutan has offloaded another $22 million in Bitcoin mined through its state-owned mining venture, with the sale coming amid crypto price declines and challenging mining conditions. Data from blockchain analytics platform Arkham shows that Bhutan moved 184 Bitcoin (BTC) worth $14 million from its national reserve on Wednesday, adding to another 100.8 Bitcoin transfer worth $8.3 million last Friday.  The $22.3 million worth of transfers were sent to crypto market maker QCP Capital, Arkham said. Transferring assets to market makers often signals a sale, as they help convert those assets into liquid markets. Read more

Украинцам с конца 2026 года, чтобы попасть в ЕС, нужно будет заплатить, вероятно, около тысячи гривен. Впрочем, есть ряд нюансов, когда деньги можно просто потерять, не получив желаемого.

Payy says its new layer-2 network routes ERC-20 transfers through privacy pools by default without requiring new wallets or tokens. Crypto project Payy, which operates a privacy-focused wallet alongside a crypto banking card, has launched an Ethereum layer-2 network designed to support private ERC-20 transfers. In an announcement via X on Wednesday, Payy said users can add the network as a custom chain in MetaMask and that ERC-20 transfers made on it are routed through privacy pools by default with “no smart contract changes required.”  Payy said the two core user types on its network would be institutions and fintech firms seeking to bring financial flows onchain while limiting public transaction traceability and crypto natives seeking to use privacy tools without “juggling multiple wallets.” Read more

Social media sentiment has turned “extremely bearish” toward Bitcoin and Ethereum this week, according to analytics platform Santiment. XRP sentiment on social media has remained relatively robust despite a crypto market slump that has seen Bitcoin fall close to $70,000. Santiment said in an X post on Wednesday that “XRP is seeing a more optimistic outlook among traders” on social media as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) have “turned extremely bearish” after a major downswing. Santiment’s Positive/Negative sentiment indicator, which measures the ratio of positive to negative social media mentions for a cryptoasset, shows XRP (XRP) has a score of 2.19, 103% higher than Ethereum’s 1.08 and 173% higher than Bitcoin’s 0.80. Read more

French-held retailer Auchan, which has been operating in Romania for two decades, overshot the 500-store mark in Romania in 2025 after having opened two ATAC Hiper Discount stores in Chitila and Oradea, a large Auchan hypermarket in Popesti-Leordeni, Ilfov and 60 Simply by Auchan franchised convenience stores.

Meta’s Instagram experienced an outage on Wednesday evening, with more than 10,000 users in the US reporting problems, according to Downdetector.

KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) on Wednesday introduced KWSC Unified App aimed at modernising the city’s water and sewerage services through a single, integrated mobile platform. Describing the app as a major digital reform, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the unified app consolidates all water and sewerage-related services into one system, enabling citizens to lodge complaints, pay bills, book water tankers and track requests with ease. He said the initiative is designed to enhance operational efficiency, improve transparency and ensure greater accountability by reducing manual processes and providing real-time access to services for residents across Karachi. Officials said the app is available in Urdu, English and Sindhi and has been designed with a simple registration and OTP-based verification process to ensure ease of use for all segments of the population. During the launch ceremony held at the KWSC headquarters, a technical briefing highlighted the app’s systems and service-...

• Say right to freedom of expression should never be conflated with criminal conduct • IHC tells Shireen to approach Adiala jail authorities for meeting request ISLAMABAD: Five United Nations experts have expressed alarm over the conviction of human rights activist Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, on multiple charges in a case pertaining to controversial social media posts under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). On Jan 24, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Ms Mazari and Mr Chattha to jail. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, UN special rapporteurs Margaret Satterthwaite, Ben Saul, Mary Lawlor, Irene Khan and Gina Romero noted that the two were convicted on multiple criminal charges, resulting in lengthy prison sentences “for simply exercising rights guaranteed by international human rights law”. “Lawyers, like other individuals, are entitled to freedom of expression. The exercise of this right should never be conflated with criminal conduct...

Бывший спецпредставитель США по вопросам Украины и России, генерал Кит Келлог считает, что время "играет на руку" Киеву, в то время как Кремль уже потерпел неудачу в войне.

“In terms of our partnership with Indonesia, it’s no longer an active campaign for us,” a Boeing executive said Tuesday.

The filing follows approval of Starlink’s Gen2 expansion and Elon Musk’s push to move AI infrastructure into orbit.

Liberal leaders welcome Mamdani's appointment of Phylisa Wisdom, who has been the head of New York Jewish Agenda since 2023. Former comptroller Brad Lander: 'The perfect person for the job'

• King Charles’ brother Andrew shunted out of royal residence as police probe claims another woman was sent to royal estate by known convicted child sex trafficker • Peter Mandelson also faces Met Police inquiry; under-fire PM Starmer agrees to release record linked to his appointment WASHINGTON / LONDON / OSLO: The fallout from the revelations contained in the Epstein Files continued to cause upheaval in Europe, with notable British and Norwegian figures — including royals and top government officials — facing intense scrutiny for a variety of wrongdoings. King Charles’ brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has left the Royal Lodge mansion, his home of two decades, after Thames Valley Police said they were assessing allegations that a second woman was sent to the UK by convicted sex trafficker and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, for a sexual encounter with the former royal. In 2014, the late Virginia Giuffre became the first woman to publicly accuse the embattled ex-royal of similar encounters. Giuffre filed a civi...

The latest decline reflects a broader unwind in leverage, with investors reassessing Bitcoin’s short-term role as an inflation hedge.

Zohran Mamdani appointed Phylisa Wisdom, head of the New York Jewish Agenda, as executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, drawing mixed reactions from Jewish leaders.

• Araghchi says talks with US ‘scheduled’ for Friday in Oman • Regional leaders urge United States to proceed with dialogue following reports of breakdown • Uncertainty triggered after Rubio said talks should include missile programme; Iran wanted issue kept ‘off the table’ • Trump says Iran supreme leader ‘should be very worried’ • Regional players like Pakistan, S. Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt ‘unlikely’ to take part at this stage ISLAMABAD / WASHINGTON: The prospects for talks between Iran and the United States seemed fraught with uncertainty on Wednesday, even after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly announced the date and timing of the proposed negotiations. “Nuclear talks with the United States are scheduled to be held in Muscat on about 10 am Friday. I’m grateful to our Omani brothers for making all necessary arrangements,” he posted on X late on Wednesday night. A US official also confirmed that the neg­o­tiations are on track, Reuters reported. The statement came amid swirling speculation tha...

• FBR ready to consider super tax recoveries on a case-to-case basis, Senate panel told • Aurangzeb says IMF mission due by month end, external financing needs fully covered. • Reveals discussions underway with UAE; currency notes being changed ISLAMABAD: Ahead of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) review mission’s planned visit this month, the government has hinted at the recovery of around Rs217 billion super tax arrears in instalments to facilitate businesses, and changing all currency notes. Testifying before the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on Wednesday, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial expressed willingness to collect super tax arrears in instalments and clarified that the pending tax recoverable following the Supreme Court (SC) judgement in government favour was Rs217bn, not Rs300bn as speculated. The FBR chairman said the government did not want business closures for tax recoveries and would be ready to consider super tax recoveries on a case-to-ca...

• Proposes a preferential trading arrangement to cut reliance on China • Pakistan weighs options to maintain ties with both Washington and Beijing WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday outlined plans to establish price floors for critical minerals and form a preferential trading arrangement among participating countries, a proposal that Pakistan has so far chosen to approach cautiously as it seeks to maintain close ties with both Washington and Beijing. US Vice President J.D. Vance told representatives from more than 50 countries that Washington was proposing a coordinated system to stabilise prices of critical minerals essential for clean energy, advanced technology and defence industries, arguing that market volatility had discouraged long-term investment. Diplomatic sources in Washington told Dawn that Pakistan has been briefed on the US proposal but has not yet signed on. Islamabad was represented at the two-day meeting by Federal Minister for Energy Ali Pervaiz Malik, rather than a senior political ...