Skybooms and Citations: What you can expect this July Fourth about fireworks. – Monterey County Weekly

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If you swing by one of the ubiquitous booths that pops up this time of the year to buy so called "safe and sane" fireworks to celebrate the July Fourth holiday in loud fashion, congratulations. In some cities in Monterey County, you're a law-abiding citizen and allowed to blow up as many safe and sane fireworks as time and money allows.

But if you're importing the very loud, very bright and very illegal fireworks from outside the county and even outside the state, consider reserving a little spending money to pay the sizable fine that will be sent your way if you get caught.

In Monterey County, safe and sane fireworks are only allowed in Marina, Seaside, Salinas, Soledad, Gonzales, Greenfield and King City. How you know you're buying safe and sane fireworks is the state Fire Marshal's Office seal placed on the packaging.

Fireworks of any type are not allowed in any other area within Monterey County, including all unincorporated areas, state and county parks and federal property. They're also not allowed on any beach in the county.

Per the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, dangerous fireworks are defined as anything that explodes, launches, flies or doesn't bear the state Fire Marshal's seal, and it's illegal and a possible misdemeanor to possess or use dangerous fireworks in the state.

In Pacific Grove, all fireworks, including safe and sane, are illegal; the P.G. Police Department asks violations be reported to 647-7900 ext. 3. All fireworks are also banned in the city of Monterey, and violations can be reported to the Monterey PD's non-emergency line, 646-3914.

Seaside has what its calling a zero-tolerance policy on the possession and use of dangerous fireworks; and safe and sane fireworks, meanwhile, can only be sold and used in the city from noon June 28 to noon on July 6.

If you're caught with dangerous fireworks, you could face a fine of between $500 and $50,000, depending on the total gross weight of fireworks you have, and up to a year in jail.

Given the whole state is a tinderbox, though (thanks global warming), it might be best to skip the fireworks altogether and instead avail yourself of non-explosive events happening all over the county. Hit seemonterey.org for some of those events, or check out the Weekly's Hot Picks section for more.

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Skybooms and Citations: What you can expect this July Fourth about fireworks. - Monterey County Weekly

New disaster recovery fund proposed in post-pandemic strategy – Times of Malta

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A new disaster recovery fund could help Malta face future crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a government document published on Wednesday.

The fund is part of the governments post-pandemic strategy that was unveiled on Wednesday (see PDF below) by Post-COVID Strategy Minister Owen Bonnici.

Announcing the governments plans at a press conference, Bonnici said it was important to learn from the pandemic and take action to increase Maltas ability to respond to future crises.

This document we are presenting today is not the work of one ministry but of an entire cabinet of ministers and a whole government, he said.And thanks to this collective effort we have come up with a strategy to ensure our country is secure and has solid foundations for the years to come.

To this aim, the government will draft a framework for the setting up and financing of a disaster recovery fund that can provide a safety net for unforeseen circumstances.

While no figure is given for the proposed fund, the strategy document says the government will work to enhance disaster-recovery capabilities and establish "long-term plans for more robust sea, land, air, energy and digital connectivity".

The government says it will also explore how to tap pools of retired professionals, which could be brought in to support specific situations and be continuously trained in emergency preparedness.

In 2015 a study had found that just one in 10 Maltese has faith in the countrys ability to cope with a large-scale disaster.

Malta will also begin to repair public finances, which underwent severe strain during the pandemic.

In particular, it will "work to sustain the National Development and Social Fund over the medium term".

The fund is financed from the sale of Maltese passports to wealthy investors. The scheme is currently the subject of possible EU court action.

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According to the strategy document, the post-pandemic era began in 2020 when the COVID-19 virus first landed on the islands shores.

While we recognise that the crisis is not yet over, it is no longer at its height and now is the right moment to start planning for the future, the document reads.

The strategy document was drafted after some 80 meetings with stakeholders and is based on a number of expert reports, including on the state of the economy.

Bonnici said the strategy seeks to answer three key questions:

Straight off the bat, the document concedes that assessing the full impact of the pandemic on Maltese society is a sizeable task.

To this aim, the government plans to launch detailed studies to understand what assistance different segments of society need and how best to provide it.

Malta will also support students to catch up with lost learning.

To maintain the sense of community spirit that came to the fore during the pandemic, the strategy seeks to foster social cohesion and equity across Maltese society.

Illustrating how this can be done, the strategy says Malta will give vulnerable people greater access to training and employment opportunities and strengthen integration programmes.

Now, the document says, is the time to help businesses restart, restructure and transform their operations to a more sustainable model.

The government plans to develop programmes that guide and support businesses and workers to get future-ready and to help them embrace new technologies and working systems.

Malta will also refocus and integrate education, labour and economic policy, modernising educational curricula.

The government says it will foster public-private collaboration.

It also plans to facilitate business investment and channel funding into start-ups.

The strategy says it is important to learn from the pandemic and take action to increase Maltas ability to respond to future crises.

To this aim, the government will enhance disaster-recovery capabilities and establish long-term plans for more robust sea, land, air, energy and digital connectivity.

Malta will begin to repair public finances, which underwent severe strain during the pandemic.

It will also create a framework for the setting up and financing of a disaster-recovery fund that can provide a safety net in the years ahead.

Resilience to future shocks also relies on protecting the islands natural resources, the document says.

We will focus on systematic education, conservation and a shift towards a more sustainable way of living in harmony with the environment for the benefit of current and future generations, it says.

More concretely, the strategy calls for a push towards eco-tourism and heritage as a new direction for Maltas touristic offering.

The document says the government will also seek to instill a culture of ethical behaviour, from school-age upwards, to ensure all members of society can contribute to the common good.

Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.

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New disaster recovery fund proposed in post-pandemic strategy - Times of Malta

Another seal silly season has begun – New Zealand Herald

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NZ fur seal pups are often seen on 90 Mile Beach at this time of year. Photo / Ray Wiblin

Beachgoers around the country are being urged to admire NZ fur seal/kekeno from a safe distance, as the mammals come ashore for the winter.

Young seals, including newly weaned pups, and males of any age, leave their breeding colonies between May and September to explore and rest. They are most often found on rocky shores, but are curious and exploratory by nature, and can turn up in all sorts of unusual places, occasionally travelling up rivers or as far as 15km inland.

Laura Boren, senior adviser for the Department of Conservation, issued a reminder last week, however, that while they were "very charismatic," they were wild animals and should be treated with respect.

"It's really exciting that fur seals are doing well, and this time of year provides for some unique and special encounters with them, but it's important to remember this is all part of their normal behaviour, and they are really resilient animals. Watch and enjoy them from a distance, and follow our guidelines for when to call DOC," she said.

Seals were well adapted to life in the sea and along the rocky shoreline, and had a thick layer of fur and blubber to keep them comfortable in that environment. They were also very clever, and had the potential to become accustomed to humans and handouts very easily, prohibiting them from returning to a normal life at sea.

DOC had a hands-off approach with seals, and would only intervene if an animal was in obvious danger, such as getting too close to a road, tangled in debris, being harassed at a public beach or was seriously injured.

Sneezing, coughing and crying were all normal seal behaviours, and pups may be left alone for days at a time while their mothers foraged at sea.

DOC's advice was to never touch or handle a seal, as they could be very aggressive if threatened. It was also a breach of the Marine Mammals Protection Act. People should keep a distance of at least 20 metres, if possible, and not get between the seal and the sea.

"If you are walking your dog in areas where seals regularly haul out, or see a seal on your beach, put your dog on a lead until you are away from it," Boren said.

"If you see a seal that is severely injured, being harassed or in obvious danger, call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468)."

****

The NZ fur seal has made a remarkable recovery since the species was hunted, some experts estimating the population fell as low as 10,000. The last count in 2001 estimated a total population of 200,000, which is believed to have increased considerably since then.

"This population rebound is something to be celebrated, but it does mean we will need to adjust to having more kekeno in our lives, on our beaches and near our cities," Laura Boren said.

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Another seal silly season has begun - New Zealand Herald

Wisconsin GOP candidate used leftover campaign cash to fund Jan 6 trip – Business Insider

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A Republican congressional candidate from Wisconsin, who lost his 2020 race, allegedly used his leftover donor money to pay for a trip to the Capitol building on January 6, according to a Daily Beast report.

Derrick Van Orden, a former Navy SEAL and small-time actor, was reportedly left with $12,500 after narrowly losing to longtime incumbent Rep. Ron Kind in the November race for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district.

He spent around a third of that $4,000 in transportation and accommodation while traveling to DC with his wife and a campaign staffer around the week of January 6, the Daily Beast reported.

Read more: Lots of congressional staffers make 'poverty wages' starting in the low $20,000s. 8 Capitol Hill aides break down how they stretch their paychecks to survive in one of the nation's most expensive cities

Jordan Libowitz, communications director for campaign finance watchdog Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility, told the Beast: "Campaign accounts are not personal slush funds. They must be used for campaign-related activities. Attempting to overthrow an election you just lost is not a proper campaign activity."

"If he did use his campaign to pay for travel for him and his staff to attend the rally-turned-insurrection, it would raise serious questions about his compliance with campaign finance laws," he added.

In a public op-ed published a week after the riots, Van Orden insisted the trip was for work-related meetings and "to stand for the integrity of our electoral system," the Daily Beast reported.

"If those were campaign-related meetings, he should say so," Libowitz said. "If it was a personal trip as a private citizen, that's another matter."

Van Orden has previously admitted to attending the "Stop the Steal" rally on January 6 with several thousands of other Trump supporters, but insisted he never entered the grounds. However, social media posts of the day show Van Orden standing in a restricted area breached by protesters, the Daily Beast reported.

Van Orden announced in April that he's running for Congress again, and has already received major endorsements, including from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise.

The November 2020 race ended up being a close call Van Orden lost only by about 2.5 points to Kind, who has held the seat since 1997.

Both candidates attracted a record amount of campaign contributions during the race, according to federal disclosures. Kind raised around $3 million while Van Orden managed to pull in almost $2 million, the Daily Beast reported.

Van Orden is not the only congressional candidate who attended the Capitol riot.

Jason Riddle, who running in New Hampshire, said last week his Capitol riot-related arrest will likely help his campaign, Newsweek reported.

JR Majewski, who is running for Ohio's 9th congressional district, was also spotted breaching police barricades that day.

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Wisconsin GOP candidate used leftover campaign cash to fund Jan 6 trip - Business Insider

How the Clippers’ small-ball attack broke the Suns’ defense in Game 5 – The Athletic

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The final blow for the Clippers appeared to be starting center Ivica Zubacs sprained right MCL keeping him out of Game 5.

Through four games of the Western Conference finals, Zubac led the Clippers in plus-minus (plus-25) and had arguably been the second-best Clipper. He held his own for stretches against Deandre Ayton, who admitted Zubac got the better of him in Game 3. The Clippers were minus-22 with Zubac off the floor, losing the small-ball and DeMarcus Cousins minutes. Their successful strategy against Utah wasnt working against Phoenix.

After a pivotal Game 4 slugfest went the Suns way, and the Clippers seemingly expending all of their remaining energy, Zubacs absence would be too much to overcome for the already short-handed Clippers. Logic dictated the Suns would close them out in five.

Phoenix was back home with an NBA Finals trip on the line. The energy ahead of Game 5 was electric. Beat LA! chants rained down during warmups. There were few in the arena not wearing some shade of orange. This was the Suns moment. The Suns would bash the Clippers inside with Ayton, the rare 7-foot center who could hang with wings and guards. Phoenix, which was 2-0 in elimination games this postseason, winning both games on the road, was primed to take care of business in an advantageous situation.

But similar to their series comebacks against Dallas and Utah, the Clippers shifting to small-ball lineups nearly full-time they were without a traditional center for 37 of the 48 minutes of Game 5 unlocked the floor for driving lanes for Paul George, Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris Sr. to attack isolations and switches. The Clippers jumped out to a 20-5 lead and essentially led the rest of the game.

The result: A 116-102 Clippers win in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, cutting the Suns series lead to 3-2 as it shifts to Los Angeles for Game 6. The Suns, once comfortably up 2-0 and then 3-1, now must refine their defense and counter the Clippers small-ball attack.

I think they spaced us out well running their small-ball lineup, which opened the paint, Devin Booker said. But as a team, we still have to guard with five people. Its never a one-on-one matchup. So all five have to be locked in, and even the bench has to be ready. So we have to show bodies and help each other out there.

The Clippers relentlessly attacked the Suns in transition and then surgically targeted them in the half court, seeking matchups against Booker, Chris Paul, Cam Johnson and Dario Saric.

The Suns were plus-58 in points in the paint through the first four games of the series. The Clippers outscored them 58-32 in the paint in Game 5 despite Zubacs absence.

Thats not something you would have expected, especially with them not having Zubac tonight, Suns head coach Monty Williams said.

The Suns made several runs, including taking a 62-61 lead with 8:27 left in the third quarter and getting to within four points with 6:58 remaining in the game. But each time Phoenix closed the gap, LA responded. Postgame, Williams said the Suns defense, particularly not guarding the ball, was the primary reason for the loss.

Four of the Clippers first nine shots were against Booker. The Clippers clearly made an effort to find him in transition and in pick-and-rolls. The Clippers scored 23 points and shot 10 of 14 on possessions that Booker was primary defender, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The 10 made field goals was the most against Booker this postseason.

The Suns first defensive possession set the tone for the game. With the Clippers in transition, Booker and Ayton botched their communication on the Jackson assignment. Jackson was Bookers man, so this is probably on Booker more than Ayton. Booker doesnt see Ayton is in the mix, so he steps up and points that he has Morris, who is screening for George.The miscommunication causes both defenders to step up against George.

Jackson is wide open on the left wing. Paul rotates over, but hes too late, as he doesnt want to give up an open 3-pointer to Patrick Beverley in the left corner either. Jackson, whos shooting 41.5 percent on 3s in the postseason, cans the triple.

We gave them a lot of open shots early, Paul said. They got their 3s going. I think thats a team that plays off confidence when theyre making shots. We gotta try to get the right people shooting.

The Suns more often than not allowed the wrong people to shoot. They were slow to adjust against Morris, who pounded Booker in the mid-post. They inexplicably lost Jackson off the ball and were late to help against him. And George had his way with whichever poor Suns defender was assigned to him or switched onto him, driving, pulling up and stepping back into basket after basket.

George caught fire in the third quarter, dropping 20 points en route to a playoff-career high 41 points. He roasted any and every Suns defender, drilling some ridiculously difficult shots.

He sought out Booker on switches and Ayton in drop coverage. In this clip, Ayton ends up on George in transition a risk in the cross-matching against smaller lineups and George easily glides by him for a layup.

When you have trouble guarding the ball straight up, it either puts you in rotations, or that guys gonna start scoring, Johnson said. So we just need to do a better job overall. We need to do a better job being in shifts and do a better job of playing team defense. Its just something we gotta get better.

This is another example. Beverley, who isnt known for his transition play, takes the ball coast to coast as no Suns defender picks him up until hes below the 3-point line. He blows by Paul, who gives a half-hearted effort, and is somehow able to get to the rim before Ayton rotates.

All five Suns defenders were in front of Beverley for a majority of this clip. They did the legwork of getting back inside the arc but didnt stop the ball, a basic basketball tenant. This is about as bad as transition defense gets.

I didnt think we showed them enough bodies, Williams said. Even when they were in one-on-one situations, I thought we were spread out. We looked at it halftime and you could see nothing instead of seeing Suns bodies and arms. Even when they were in isolation situations with Paul and Reggie and Morris, we didnt show them enough bodies.

A large part of the Suns success against the Clippers small-ball lineups was Ayton crushing them on the offensive glass and finishing around the rim. Even when the Clippers were making shots, the Suns could go at them on the other end. Thats why the Clippers countered with more Zubac. Ayton had been the best Sun in the series. But in Game 5, Ayton only scored 10 points (on 5-of-9 shooting) and grabbed 11 rebounds, three offensive. The Suns were minus-22 in his 37 minutes, the worst mark on the team.

The Clippers somewhat neutralized him by hitting first and throwing multiple bodies at him in the paint.

Watch Terance Mann battle with Ayton on his roll after switching onto him. He initially grabs him, a foul thats rarely called in a postseason setting, and then digs his leg into him as Ayton tries to seal and post in the middle of the key. Mann pushes Ayton away from the basket and into a fading hook shot that barely grazes rim.

Aytons nine offensive rebounds in Game 4 swung that game. Ayton getting only three offensive rebounds with Zubac out is an emphatic win for the Clippers defense.

Here, the Clippers do a solid job of gang rebounding. Nicolas Batum boxes out Ayton. Jackson, hanging around, tips the ball to George. The Clippers have three rebounders around Ayton. They were constantly pushing, grabbing and colliding with him in the paint. They dictated the physicality of the game.

I thought they put a lot of bodies on DA, Williams said. When he was diving, he saw two bodies, three bodies at times. When he was trying to get to the offensive boards, he had two guys boxing them out. That means that the corner guys can come in and get some offensive rebounds. He had an imprint on the previous game, and they did a really good job of sending bodies to him tonight. Hes gonna figure that out. Well show him on the film.

This was the Suns worst defensive performance of the postseason. They made a slew of mistakes. They werent on a string defensively. They will likely need to make some tactical adjustments ahead of Game 6, but their defensive improvement starts with cleaning up their shoddy transition defense and being more alert and on time with their help and backside rotations.

Phoenix was a top-six defense in the regular season and is second in the postseason. The Suns have fared well in the small sample of small-ball matchups in this series.

I think we still helped each other in that area even when they spaced us out in the previous games, Booker said of their paint defense earlier in the series. But you can blame it on everybody. A lot of straight-line drives and no help, at the same time. This is a five-man defense. Its been that way the whole season, and we have to be better.

But the Suns didnt look like themselves in Game 5. All postseason, they have been a low-mistake team that plays with poise. They had 14 turnovers in Game 5 and fouled at inopportune times. Perhaps they were nervous. Or maybe this was their collective inexperience catching up to them for one game. Closing out a Western Conference finals series is different than winning in the quarterfinals or semifinals. Each round gets harder.

The Clippers also are an incredibly resilient group. The Suns shouldve known this was coming. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue might be the best in-series adjuster in the league. George is playing like his peak Indiana and Oklahoma City days. The Suns are going to have to be more selective with how they switch against him or shade over with more help when they do.

Zubacs status for Game 6 is unknown. The Clippers will remain small if hes out, playing Cousins opportunistically against Saric.

Phoenix has two more opportunities to close out this series and advance to the Finals. The depleted Clippers might not have another hand left to play, barring Zubac or Kawhi Leonard returning. The onus is on the Suns to counter.

We will be better in the next game, Williams said.

Slater: Chris Pauls play is the Suns most pressing problemMurray: Paul George leads Clippers veteran movement in Game 5

(Photo: Matt York / Associated Press)

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How the Clippers' small-ball attack broke the Suns' defense in Game 5 - The Athletic

UNC Health Southeastern President and CEO Joann Anderson to retire effective Dec. 31 – The Robesonian

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Anderson

LUMBERTON The president and chief executive officer of UNC Health Southeastern plans to retire effective Dec. 31.

Wayland Lennon, chairman of the UNC Health Southeastern board of trustees, announced Wednesday that Joann Anderson plans to retire after having been associated with the health care system for 14 years. She joined then-named Southeastern Regional Medical Center in May 2007.

It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve UNC Health Southeastern and this community, Anderson said. I hope that, in a small way, I am leaving both in a better position than when I arrived. I was fortunate to become the fourth president and CEO, serving behind my predecessors who ensured a great health care system existed. My job was to build on what they started.

Anderson plans to continue her full duties and responsibilities as leader of the health system until the transition to new leadership is completed, according to the health care system. The UNC Health Southeastern board of trustees will collaborate with UNC Health to determine a successor. The formerly named Southeastern Health transitioned to a UNC Health managed system under a management services agreement and adopted a new name, UNC Health Southeastern, on Jan. 1.

We are saddened by Mrs. Andersons decision to retire but also excited for this new and certainly well-deserved chapter in her life, Lennon said. Through multiple devastating hurricanes to the COVID-19 pandemic, Joann remained steady and guided the health system skillfully and successfully. She has also been at the helm through numerous positive milestones for the organization, most recently the partnership with UNC Health, and it is for all these and more combined that she has made her mark on this heath system, our community and the region.

Anderson received a bachelor of nursing degree from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky, and a masters degree in nursing from Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky. Before joining UNC Health Southeastern, she served as CEO of Pikeville Medical Center in Pikeville, Kentucky.

Her experience and passion for health care delivery in a rural setting have contributed to the growth of UNC Health Southeastern to now include 30 primary and specialty care clinics in a four-county area, a freestanding ambulatory surgery center and clinic facility, and the Southeastern Health Mall, offering outpatient services.

She has built strong relationships in the community through collaboration and partnerships with local government, schools, and the Lumbee Tribe to promote and improve health, according to UNC Health Southeastern.

Her leadership during Robeson Countys response and rebuilding after Hurricane Matthew struck in the fall of 2016 demonstrated the essential role hospitals play in a disaster and what it means to be prepared to care, according to UNC Health Southeastern. Despite a weeklong power outage and historic flooding, the hospital remained open and operational, caring for staff and patients.

Anderson established a partnership with Campbell Universitys Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine to bring a medical residency program to UNC Health Southeastern and its network of clinics. In July 2016, she was recognized by the Southeastern Health board of trustees for leadership and diligence in the development of the Medical Education Program. A plaque in Andersons honor was permanently hung in the Medical Education Hallway at UNC Health Southeastern.

Anderson has volunteered her time to serve in leadership roles with NCHA and the American Hospital Association. She served with the NC Southeastern Partnership, promoting economic development for Robeson County and southeastern North Carolina. She is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and served as a NC Regent for ACHE for three years. She has represented UNC Health Southeastern on the state level as past chair of the North Carolina Hospital Association board of directors and as chair of the Coastal Carolinas Health Alliance board of directors. Nationally, she has represented Lumberton and UNC Health Southeastern as past chair for the American Hospital Associations (AHA) Section for Small or Rural Hospitals Governing Council, AHA Committee for Vulnerable Communities and as the AHA Regional Policy Board. She served on several local boards, including the Campbell University board of directors.

In July 2019, Anderson was honored with the North Carolina Healthcare Associations highest honor, the 2019 Distinguished Service Award.

Anderson is only the fourth chief executive officer of UNC Health Southeastern since it was opened in 1953.

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UNC Health Southeastern President and CEO Joann Anderson to retire effective Dec. 31 - The Robesonian

GOP Congressional Candidate Used Campaign Funds to Take Part in Capitol Breach – Truthout

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A Republican candidate for Congress reportedly used campaign funds to travel from Wisconsin to Washington, D.C., to attend the January 6 rally by then-President Donald Trump, subsequently taking part in the violent breach of the United States Capitol building on the same day.

According to reporting from The Daily Beast, Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisconsin), a former Navy SEAL and small-time actor who lost last fall in a close race to Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisconsin), used his leftover campaign funds from that contest to send himself and staffers to the nations capital for Trumps rally.

In tweets prior to January 6, Van Orden wrote he had traveled there to stand for the integrity of our electoral system in spite of zero evidence of fraud in the presidential race. After the violent breach of the Capitol, Van Orden wrote an op-ed where he repeated those claims, and denied having taken part in the Trump loyalist-takeover of the building, saying he did not enter the Capitol grounds.

However, social media postings have since demonstrated that is untrue. Although theres no evidence to suggest he entered the building itself, images of Van Orden on that day show he did indeed cross police barricades that had been set up and was on the grounds of the Capitol during the breach.

Van Orden, who has announced he is running again in 2022, is not the only congressional candidate to have been involved in the Capitol breach. However, he is perhaps the most noteworthy, as hes been endorsed by several key Republican leaders, including House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California).

Van Ordens use of his remaining campaign funds to pay for his travels may have violated Federal Elections Commission (FEC) laws regarding how such revenues can be utilized. According to the FEC website, if an expense is made that would exist irrespective of an elections outcome, then its likely an improper use of campaign funds.

Using campaign funds for personal use is prohibited, the FEC states.

Even if Van Orden claims his presence at the Capitol was part of his future campaign, his use of previous funds may still be illegal: The Republican candidate did not declare his pending run in 2022 until April of this year.

Campaign accounts are not personal slush funds. They must be used for campaign-related activities, said Jordan Libowitz, communications director for campaign finance watchdog Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility, to The Daily Beast. Attempting to overthrow an election you just lost is not a proper campaign activity. If he did use his campaign to pay for travel for him and his staff to attend the rally-turned-insurrection, it would raise serious questions about his compliance with campaign finance laws.

Van Orden lost to Kind in Wisconsins Third Congressional District last fall by a slim margin, with the Democrat winning 51.3 percent and the Republican challenger taking 48.7 percent of the vote. The district was carried by Trump in 2020 by around 5 percentage points. Kind has represented the district since 1997.

Van Ordens candidacy was rife with problems, most notably when readers discovered he sexually harassed female officers while he was serving in the military, which he bragged about in a 2015 memoir titled Book of Man: A Navy Seals Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood. In the book, Van Orden described how he exposed a male lieutenants genitals, which had come into contact with poison oak, to female officers.

Have you ever seen anything like this? I asked, Van Orden wrote, noting he had pulled the patients curtain back without telling the officers what they were about to see. They gasped in horror as they saw the LT in all of his glory.

Van Orden later issued a statement claiming the action had been part of a medical training for the female officers.

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GOP Congressional Candidate Used Campaign Funds to Take Part in Capitol Breach - Truthout

First exploration well of the year ‘spudded’ in UK North Sea – News for the Energy Sector – Energy Voice

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Westwood Global Energy reports that as of June 28 there was one exploration well and one appraisal well active in the UK. Completions to date in 2021 are one appraisal well at 22/26d-3 Glengorm South and one exploration well at 22/6c-B4Z Bacchus South.

West of Shetland

The last well to complete in the region was Hurricanes Warwick West 204/30b-4 appraisal well on December 13 2019. No E&A wells were drilled in 2020 and there is currently no E&A drilling expected in 2021.

Northern North Sea

With the completion of Apaches 9/19b-28 and 9/19b-29 Gamma/Losgann exploration well programme on December 25 2020, there is no current E&A drilling in the Northern North Sea. The next exploration well in the region is expected to be on TotalEnergies Alwyn East prospect.

Central North Sea

Operator Equinor and partner BP spudded the 16/2a-6 Tiger Lily exploration well on June 18 with the West Hercules semi-submersible which mobilised from Norway. The well is a firm commitment on 29th Round acreage and is being drilled on the margins of the East Shetland Platform targeting a combination trap with stratigraphic pinch-out in the Upper Jurassic Fulmar Formation, with secondary potential in the Permian Rotliegend. Reservoir presence is a key risk, as is lateral seal and migration. This is the first exploration well to spud in the UK this year and has a dry hole duration of 36 days.

CNOOCs Glengorm South 22/26d-3 appraisal well was completed on May 16, having failed to find hydrocarbons. The Prospector 5 jack-up then moved the short distance and spudded the 22/21c-14 Glengorm Central appraisal well on May 21, with this being the first E&A well to spud in the UK in 2021. The well is targeting the Upper Jurassic Freshney Sandstone Member of the Heather Formation and has an expected duration of 218 days. In the success case, a DST will be conducted and the well abandoned. The well has a surface location 1.9 km southwest of the 2019 Glengorm discovery well.

Southern North Sea

The last well to complete in the region was Enis 53/14a-2 Aspen well on December 11 2019 which was abandoned as a dry hole. The next exploration well that is expected to be drilled in the region is Shell and Deltics 41/5a-B Pensacola exploration well, which is expected to be drilled in 2022.

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First exploration well of the year 'spudded' in UK North Sea - News for the Energy Sector - Energy Voice

What is Cryptocurrency: [Everything You Need To Know!]

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What Is Cryptocurrency: 21st-Century Unicorn Or The Money Of The Future?

TL;DR:

Today cryptocurrencies (Buy Crypto) have become a global phenomenon known to most people. In this guide, we are going to tell you all that you need to know about cryptocurrencies and the sheer that they can bring into the global economic system.

Nowadays, youll have a hard time finding a major bank, a big accounting firm, a prominent software company or a government that did not research cryptocurrencies, publish a paper about it or start a so-called blockchain-project. (Take our blockchain courses to learn more about the blockchain)

Virtual currencies, perhaps most notably Bitcoin, have captured the imagination of some, struck fear among others, and confused the heck out of the rest of us. Thomas Carper, US-Senator

But beyond the noise and the press releases the overwhelming majority of people even bankers, consultants, scientists, and developers have very limited knowledge about cryptocurrencies. They often fail to even understand the basic concepts.

So lets walk through the whole story. What are cryptocurrencies?

Few people know, but cryptocurrencies emerged as a side product of another invention. Satoshi Nakamoto, the unknown inventor of Bitcoin, the first and still most important cryptocurrency, never intended to invent a currency.

In his announcement of Bitcoin in late 2008, Satoshi said he developed A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.

His goal was to invent something; many people failed to create before digital cash.

Announcing the first release of Bitcoin, a new electronic cash system that uses a peer-to-peer network to prevent double-spending. Its completely decentralized with no server or central authority. Satoshi Nakamoto, 09 January 2009, announcing Bitcoin on SourceForge.

The single most important part of Satoshis invention was that he found a way to build a decentralized digital cash system. In the nineties, there have been many attempts to create digital money, but they all failed.

after more than a decade of failed Trusted Third Party based systems (Digicash, etc), they see it as a lost cause. I hope they can make the distinction, that this is the first time I know of that were trying a non-trust based system. Satoshi Nakamoto in an E-Mail to Dustin Trammell

After seeing all the centralized attempts fail, Satoshi tried to build a digital cash system without a central entity. Like a Peer-to-Peer network for file sharing.

This decision became the birth of cryptocurrency. They are the missing piece Satoshi found to realize digital cash. The reason why is a bit technical and complex, but if you get it, youll know more about cryptocurrencies than most people do. So, lets try to make it as easy as possible:

To realize digital cash you need a payment network with accounts, balances, and transaction. Thats easy to understand. One major problem every payment network has to solve is to prevent the so-called double spending: to prevent that one entity spends the same amount twice. Usually, this is done by a central server who keeps record about the balances.

In a decentralized network , you dont have this server. So you need every single entity of the network to do this job. Every peer in the network needs to have a list with all transactions to check if future transactions are valid or an attempt to double spend.

But how can these entities keep a consensus about these records?

If the peers of the network disagree about only one single, minor balance, everything is broken. They need an absolute consensus. Usually, you take, again, a central authority to declare the correct state of balances. But how can you achieve consensus without a central authority?

Nobody did know until Satoshi emerged out of nowhere. In fact, nobody believed it was even possible.

Satoshi proved it was. His major innovation was to achieve consensus without a central authority. Cryptocurrencies are a part of this solution the part that made the solution thrilling, fascinating and helped it to roll over the world.

If you take away all the noise around cryptocurrencies and reduce it to a simple definition, you find it to be just limited entries in a database no one can change without fulfilling specific conditions. This may seem ordinary, but, believe it or not: this is exactly how you can define a currency.

Take the money on your bank account: What is it more than entries in a database that can only be changed under specific conditions? You can even take physical coins and notes: What are they else than limited entries in a public physical database that can only be changed if you match the condition than you physically own the coins and notes? Money is all about a verified entry in some kind of database of accounts, balances, and transactions.

So, to give a proper definition Cryptocurrency is an internet-based medium of exchange which uses cryptographical functions to conduct financial transactions. Cryptocurrencies leverage blockchain technology to gain decentralization, transparency, and immutability.

How miners create coins and confirm transactions

Lets have a look at the mechanism ruling the databases of cryptocurrencies. A cryptocurrency like Bitcoin consists of a network of peers. Every peer has a record of the complete history of all transactions and thus of the balance of every account.

A transaction is a file that says, Bob gives X Bitcoin to Alice and is signed by Bobs private key. Its basic public key cryptography, nothing special at all. After signed, a transaction is broadcasted in the network, sent from one peer to every other peer. This is basic p2p-technology.

The transaction is known almost immediately by the whole network. But only after a specific amount of time it gets confirmed.

Confirmation is a critical concept in cryptocurrencies. You could say that cryptocurrencies are all about confirmation.

As long as a transaction is unconfirmed, it is pending and can be forged. When a transaction is confirmed, it is set in stone. It is no longer forgeable, it cant be reversed, it is part of an immutable record of historical transactions: of the so-called blockchain.

Only miners can confirm transactions. This is their job in a cryptocurrency-network. They take transactions, stamp them as legit and spread them in the network. After a transaction is confirmed by a miner, every node has to add it to its database. It has become part of the blockchain.

For this job, the miners get rewarded with a token of the cryptocurrency, for example with Bitcoins. Since the miners activity is the single most important part of the cryptocurrency-system we should stay for a moment and take a deeper look at it.

Principally everybody can be a miner. Since a decentralized network has no authority to delegate this task, a cryptocurrency needs some kind of mechanism to prevent one ruling party from abusing it. Imagine someone creates thousands of peers and spreads forged transactions. The system would break immediately.

So, Satoshi set the rule that the miners need to invest some work of their computers to qualify for this task. In fact, they have to find a hash a product of a cryptographic function that connects the new block with its predecessor. This is called the Proof-of-Work. In Bitcoin, it is based on the SHA 256 Hash algorithm.

Image Credit: https://privacycanada.net

You dont need to understand the details about SHA 256. Its only important you know that it can be the basis of a cryptologic puzzle the miners compete to solve. After finding a solution, a miner can build a block and add it to the blockchain. As an incentive, he has the right to add a so-called coinbase transaction that gives him a specific number of Bitcoins. This is the only way to create valid Bitcoins.

Bitcoins can only be created ifminers solve a cryptographic puzzle. Since the difficulty of this puzzle increases the amount of computer power the whole miners invest, there is only a specific amount of cryptocurrency token that can be created in a given amount of time. This is part of the consensus no peer in the network can break.

If you really think about it, Bitcoin, as a decentralized network of peers that keep a consensus about accounts and balances, is more a currency than the numbers you see in your bank account. What are these numbers more than entries in a database a database which can be changed by people you dont see and by rules you dont know?

Basically, cryptocurrencies are entries about token in decentralized consensus-databases. They are called CRYPTOcurrencies because the consensus-keeping process is secured by strong cryptography. Cryptocurrencies are built on cryptography. They are not secured by people or by trust, but by math. It is more probable that an asteroid falls on your house than that a bitcoin address is compromised.

Describing the properties of cryptocurrencies we need to separate between transactional and monetary properties. While most cryptocurrencies share a common set of properties, they are not carved in stone.

1) Irreversible: After confirmation, a transaction cant be reversed. By nobody. And nobody means nobody. Not you, not your bank, not the president of the United States, not Satoshi, not your miner. Nobody. If you send money, you send it. Period. No one can help you, if you sent your funds to a scammer or if a hacker stole them from your computer. There is no safety net.

2) Pseudonymous: Neither transactions nor accounts are connected to real-world identities. You receive Bitcoins on so-called addresses, which are randomly seeming chains of around 30 characters. While it is usually possible to analyze the transaction flow, it is not necessarily possible to connect the real-world identity of users with those addresses.

3) Fast and global: Transactions are propagated nearly instantly in the network and are confirmed in a couple of minutes. Since they happen in a global network of computers they are completely indifferent of your physical location. It doesnt matter if I send Bitcoin to my neighbor or to someone on the other side of the world.

4) Secure: Cryptocurrency funds are locked in a public key cryptography system. Only the owner of the private key can send cryptocurrency. Strong cryptography and the magic of big numbers make it impossible to break this scheme. A Bitcoin address is more secure than Fort Knox.

5) Permissionless: You dont have to ask anybody to use cryptocurrency. Its just a software that everybody can download for free. After you installed it, you can receive and send Bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies. No one can prevent you. There is no gatekeeper.

1) Controlled supply: Most cryptocurrencies limit the supply of the tokens. In Bitcoin, the supply decreases in time and will reach its final number sometime around the year 2140. All cryptocurrencies control the supply of the token by a schedule written in the code. This means the monetary supply of a cryptocurrency in every given moment in the future can roughly be calculated today. There is no surprise.

2) No debt but bearer: The Fiat-money on your bank account is created by debt, and the numbers, you see on your ledger represent nothing but debts. Its a system of IOU. Cryptocurrencies dont represent debts, they just represent themselves.

To understand the revolutionary impact of cryptocurrencies you need to consider both properties. Bitcoin as a permissionless, irreversible, and pseudonymous means of payment is an attack on the control of banks and governments over the monetary transactions of their citizens. You cant hinder someone to use Bitcoin, you cant prohibit someone to accept a payment, you cant undo a transaction.

As money with a limited, controlled supply that is not changeable by a government, a bank or any other central institution, cryptocurrencies attack the scope of the monetary policy. They take away the control central banks take on inflation or deflation by manipulating the monetary supply.

While its still fairly new and unstable relative to the gold standard, cryptocurrency is definitely gaining traction and will most certainly have more normalized uses in the next few years. Right now, in particular, its increasing in popularity with the post-election market uncertainty. The key will be in making it easy for large-scale adoption (as with anything involving crypto) including developing safeguards and protections for buyers/investors. I expect that within two years, well be in a place where people can shove their money under the virtual mattress through cryptocurrency, and theyll know that wherever they go, that money will be there. Sarah Granger, Author, and Speaker.

Mostly due to its revolutionary properties cryptocurrencies have become a success their inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, didnt dare to dream ofit. While every other attempt to create a digital cash system didnt attract a critical mass of users, Bitcoin had something that provoked enthusiasm and fascination. Sometimes it feels more like religion than technology.

Cryptocurrencies are digital gold. Sound money that is secure from political influence. Money promises to preserve and increase its value over time. Cryptocurrencies are also a fast and comfortable means of payment with a worldwide scope, and they are private and anonymous enough to serve as a means of payment for black markets and any other outlawed economic activity.

But while cryptocurrencies are more used for payment, its use as a means of speculation and a store of value dwarfs the payment aspects. Cryptocurrencies gave birth to an incredibly dynamic, fast-growing market for investors and speculators. Exchanges like Okcoin, Poloniex or shapeshift enable the trade of hundreds of cryptocurrencies. Their daily trade volume exceeds that of major European stock exchanges.

At the same time, the praxis of Initial Coin Distribution (ICO), mostly facilitated by Ethereums smart contracts, gave life to incredibly successful crowdfunding projects, in which often an idea is enough to collect millions of dollars. In the case of The DAO, it has been more than 150 million dollars.

In this rich ecosystem of coins and token, you experience extreme volatility. Its common that a coin gains 10 percent a day sometimes 100 percent just to lose the same the next day. If you are lucky, your coins value grows up to 1000 percent in one or two weeks.

While Bitcoin remains by far the most famous cryptocurrency and most other cryptocurrencies have zero non-speculative impact, investors and users should keep an eye on several cryptocurrencies. Here we present the most popular cryptocurrencies of today.

Source: coinmarketcap

Bitcoin

The one and only, the first and most famous cryptocurrency. Bitcoin serves as a digital gold standard in the whole cryptocurrency-industry, is used as a global means of payment and is the de-facto currency of cyber-crime like darknet markets or ransomware. After seven years in existence, Bitcoins price has increased from zero to more than 650 Dollar, and its transaction volume reached more than 200.000 daily transactions.

There is not much more to say Bitcoin is here to stay.

Ethereum

The brainchild of young crypto-genius Vitalik Buterin has ascended to the second place in the hierarchy of cryptocurrencies. Other than Bitcoin its blockchain does not only validate a set of accounts and balances but of so-called states. This means that ethereum can not only process transactions but complex contracts and programs.

This flexibility makes Ethereum the perfect instrument for blockchain -application. But it comes at a cost. After the Hack of the DAO an Ethereum based smart contract the developers decided to do a hard fork without consensus, which resulted in the emerge of Ethereum Classic. Besides this, there are several clones of Ethereum, and Ethereum itself is a host of several Tokens like DigixDAO and Augur. This makes ethereum more a family of cryptocurrencies than a single currency.

Ripple

While Ripple has a native cryptocurrency XRP it is more about a network to process IOUs than the cryptocurrency itself. XRP, the currency, doesnt serve as a medium to store and exchange value, but more as a token to protect the network against spam.

Ripple, unlike Bitcoin and ethereum, has no mining since all the coins are already pre-mined. Ripple has found immense value in the financial space as a lot of banks have joined the Ripple network.

Litecoin

Litecoin was one of the first cryptocurrencies after Bitcoin and tagged as the silver to the digital gold bitcoin. Faster than bitcoin, with a larger amount of token and a new mining algorithm, Litecoin was a real innovation, perfectly tailored to be the smaller brother of bitcoin. It facilitated the emerge of several other cryptocurrencies which used its codebase but made it, even more, lighter. Examples are Dogecoin or Feathercoin.

While Litecoin failed to find a real use case and lost its second place after bitcoin, it is still actively developed and traded and is hoarded as a backup if Bitcoin fails.

Monero

Monero is the most prominent example of the CryptoNight algorithm. This algorithm was invented to add the privacy features Bitcoin is missing. If you use Bitcoin, every transaction is documented in the blockchain and the trail of transactions can be followed. With the introduction of a concept called ring-signatures, the CryptoNight algorithm was able to cut through that trail.

The first implementation of CryptoNight, Bytecoin, was heavily premined and thus rejected by the community. Monero was the first non-premined clone of bytecoin and raised a lot of awareness. There are several other incarnations of cryptonote with their own little improvements, but none of it did ever achieve the same popularity as Monero.

Moneros popularity peaked in summer 2016 when some darknet markets decided to accept it as a currency. This resulted in a steady increase in the price, while the actual usage of Monero seems to remain disappointingly small.

Besides those, there are hundreds of cryptocurrencies of several families. Most of them are nothing more than attempts to reach investors and quickly make money, but a lot of them promise playgrounds to test innovations in cryptocurrency-technology.

Your standard cryptocurrency has evolved significantly over time. One of the most significant crypto implementations happens to be stablecoins, aka cryptocurrencies that use special cryptography to remain price stable. There are three kinds of stablecoins in the market:

If you wish to learn more about stablecoins then do check out our guide on the same. While there is no need to get into the details, lets see why these have exploded in popularity in recent times.

Central Bank Digital Currencies or CBDCs are a practical implementation of stablecoins that can push cryptocurrency into the mainstream market. The idea is to have a digital form of fiat money that can be used as legal tender, generated by the countrys central bank.

The market of cryptocurrencies is fast and wild. Nearly every day new cryptocurrencies emerge, old die, early adopters get wealthy and investors lose money. Every cryptocurrency comes with a promise, mostly a big story to turn the world around. Few survive the first months, and most are pumped and dumped by speculators and live on as zombie coins until the last bagholder loses hope ever to see a return on his investment.

Markets are dirty. But this doesnt change the fact that cryptocurrencies are here to stay and here to change the world. This is already happening. People all over the world buy Bitcoin to protect themselves against the devaluation of their national currency. Mostly in Asia, a vivid market for Bitcoin remittance has emerged, and the Bitcoin using darknets of cybercrime are flourishing. More and more companies discover the power of Smart Contracts or token on Ethereum, the first real-world application of blockchain technologies emerge.

The revolution is already happening. Institutional investors start to buy cryptocurrencies. Banks and governments realize that this invention has the potential to draw their control away. Cryptocurrencies change the world. Step by step. You can either stand beside and observe or you can become part of history in the making.

Interested in trading crypto? Take our cryptocurrency investing courses!

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The 11 Most Promising Cryptocurrencies to Buy [2021]

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Diversification Is Key

There isnt only one best cryptocurrency to buy.

Lots of cryptocurrencies have various use cases and promise to disrupt various industries.

Investing in cryptocurrency is risky, but investing in only one is way riskier.

So make sure to diversify your crypto portfolio.

Diversification is a great way to hedge your risk and increase your chances of being involved in the next hot cryptocurrency.

Since I love diversification, my list of the best cryptocurrencies to invest in includes coins that:

As all cryptocurrencies presented are so different, make sure to think about which ones make the most sense for your portfolio and your investment strategy.

Going forward, I will describe each coin, its purpose, team, liquidity, price volatility, and other metrics.

In the end, you will have a solid understanding, so that you can decide for yourself which is the best cryptocurrency to buy in 2021.

I will start with popular, well-known cryptocurrencies. Ideal for beginners.

Then, I will move on to some more advanced coins.

These coins may generate more profits, but they require you to know a bit more about them.

Plus, they are likely more volatile than the first coins on my list.

If youve already invested in top cryptocurrencies offered on platforms like Coinbase and want to expand your portfolio, then the coins at the bottom of my list might be best for you.

Bitcoin is the most widely used cryptocurrency to date. It is often referred to as the king of cryptocurrencies, and its primary goal is to act as global, peer to peer, digital cash.

Best Exchanges To Buy Bitcoin

Simply put, Bitcoin is still the best cryptocurrency to buy today, if not the best. I would not recommend anyone invest in cryptocurrency without investing in Bitcoin.

If youre still not convinced, check out why Bitcoin is a good investment.

Litecoin is one of the first cryptocurrencies to come after Bitcoin, and one of the hottest cryptocurrencies of the last decade.

Using Bitcoins source-code, Litecoin is a fork of Bitcoin with some technical changes to the code, making it much faster than Bitcoin. Its mission is also to be a global, peer to peer currency.

Despite its competition, Litecoin is still one of the most trusted and used cryptocurrencies these days.

Ethereum was the first major project to introduce smart contracts.

Smart contracts allow developers to launch mobile and desktop decentralized applications (dApps) on top of the blockchain.

Thousands of tokens run on the Ethereum network, and these tokens were what spurred the initial coin offering (ICO) movement.

Is Ethereum a good investment? Check out the full guide on why Ethereum is worth buying.

Unlike Bitcoin and Litecoin, which aim to be used as currencies, the Binance coin is a utility token.

This means its value comes from how useful it is (and how much demand there is for its utility) within the Binance ecosystem.

Binance is one of the worlds fastest-growing exchanges. Because Binance Coin is used to pay for transactions on the exchange and many other purposes, BNB is one of the fastest-growing cryptocurrencies in 2021 in terms of trade volume.

If youre looking to diversify your cryptocurrency portfolio by adding a utility token issued by a company with a solid business history and an experienced team, think Binance coin.

Basic Attention Token is another utility token most commonly utilized in the Brave Browser.

The BAT token is used to tip content creators, or virtually anyone that you find helpful on the internet. You can tip content creators monthly, or choose to send one time payments to specific people.

Additionally, users who watch ads can get rewarded in BAT. Using smart contracts, advertisers can lock up BAT, and as their ad is viewed, their funds are released to both the Brave Browser and the end viewer.

Monero is a privacy-focused project. The coin utilizes fancy cryptography and privacy logic to hide the participants' identities.

It is widely used on the dark web for this reason and is the most popular privacy coin today.

NEO is often known as the China-based Ethereum. Founded in China, NEO is another smart contract platform enabling developers to launch dApps on the blockchain.

They are slightly more centralized than Ethereum: instead of relying on hundreds of nodes like on Ethereum, there are only a few (less than 10) that make up NEOs decision making.

Beam is another privacy-focused cryptocurrency making waves in the industry.

Unlike Monero, which is a more traditional blockchain project, Beam uses a new blockchain protocol called Mimblewimble.

Without getting into detail, Mimblewimble is known to help significantly with scaling the blockchain and transaction speed, all while maintaining a high level of privacy and anonymity.

Nexo has been gaining some attention recently. Nexo as a software is a wallet that allows users to borrow money using their coins as collateral.

On the other hand, users can also easily and instantly lend crypto and gain interest from lending.

Nexo also offers a free credit card for users and has a unique business model.

The NEXO token is one of the first security tokens to be offered (STO) in the industry.

Cardano, which is competing with Ethereum and NEO, is touted to be more scalable and easier for developers to use.

It aims to be more scalable by introducing two layers of technology: one responsible for tracking balances of the ledger, and the other for transferring value.

Cardano uses two programming languages called Haskell and Plutus.

Haskell has been around since the 1980s, and is Cardanos attempt at making it easier for developers to create decentralized applications. Plutus is the functional language built in-house by Cardanos development team.

Enjin is a fascinating use case for blockchain technology. The company's entire goal is to bring gaming (esports, VR, social, etc.) to blockchain.

This means that gamers can own assets from their games.

Imagine playing games and, when the game is over, you can sell those assets to other players.

You can also buy and collect in-game items from your favorite players and top Twitch champions. Wait for them to increase in value or sell them right away. The choice is yours.

Another amazing feature of Enjin is their Multiverse. The concept is incredible: players will be able to play one game and then transfer their character, assets, winnings, and other items to an entirely different game made by a whole different game developer!

You made it to the end of my list! I hope you enjoyed my top 11 cryptocurrencies to buy for 2021, and that you found the information I provided useful.

If youre looking for more great cryptocurrencies to invest in, or to find out which coin is going to be the next big cryptocurrency, here is what you can do:

An excellent community to explore new cryptocurrencies is the BitcoinTalk forum, specifically the altcoin threads.

You can interact with people deeply involved in this niche, explore opinions, and search for the announcement threads (ANN).

This forum is also helpful to discover projects early on, before they become the next big cryptocurrency.

More great communities can be found on Facebook -- and one of them is our own Facebook group. Feel free to join and ask other members about their favorite cryptocurrencies.

The best crypto exchanges perform a significant number of checks before listing new coins for trading.

You can use these verifications as some kind of quality label to find some of the best cryptocurrencies to invest in which arent listed on this page.

eToro andBinanceare some of the biggest crypto exchanges and offerdozensof the best cryptocurrencies for trading -- I definitely recommend you check themout.

Buying the best cryptocurrencies is not enough to be a successful crypto investor.

Countless promising investors saw their crypto journey end brutally because they did not pay attention to security.

If youre serious about investing in cryptocurrencies, put some effort into reinforcing your security.

I hope you enjoyed this article.

Let me know in the comments which coins you invest in, and which top cryptocurrencies you think are missing from my top 11!

More Useful Resources:

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The 11 Most Promising Cryptocurrencies to Buy [2021]

Top cryptocurrency news on July 1: Major stories on Bitcoin, cryptocurrency and policies – Moneycontrol.com

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Gisele Bundchen to pick up stake in crypto exchange FTX

National Football League quarterback Tom Brady and his supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen, will each take an undisclosed equity stake in crypto exchange platform FTX Trading Ltd, the company said on June 29. Under the deal, Brady will also become an FTX ambassador and Bundchen will take the role of environmental and social initiatives adviser.Both will receive an unspecified amount of cryptocurrency, the company said. Founded and led by Sam Bankman-Fried, a 29-year-old crypto veteran billionaire, FTX is in talks to raise $1 billion at a valuation of $20 billion, according to media reports. Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, has long been an advocate of cryptocurrencies.In June, he edited his Twitter profile photo to one with a "laser eyes" meme - a popular internet fad among supporters of cryptocurrency. Earlier this year, Brady also said he would launch a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) platform called Autograph that will bring together iconic brands from sports, entertainment, fashion and pop culture to create digital collectibles. (Reuters)

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Rs 10,000 invested in this cryptocurrency would have grown to Rs 16 lakh in 1 year: Here’s the top-10 list – CNBCTV18

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Cryptocurrency

Updated : June 30, 2021 09:27 PM IST

Did you know that there are thousands of cryptocurrencies in existence, many of which put even Bitcoin's performance in the shade. Here's a list of the top-10 best-performing cryptocurrencies over the past 12 months

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Bitcoin? Most likely it's Bitcoin's superb performance over the past decade, which has spawned millionaires and created the cryptocurrency industry. But did you know that there are thousands of cryptocurrencies in existence, many of which put even Bitcoin's performance in the shade. Here's a list of the top-10 best-performing cryptocurrencies over the past 12 months, their market capitalisation, one-year performance, and how much Rs 10,000 invested in them, a year back, would have grown to. We have also filtered out cryptocurrencies that do not have at least $100 million in market cap. Or little-known 'InsurAce', which has turned Rs 10,000 to Rs 2 crore, would have topped this list. Read on to know more... (Image: Shutterstock)

Telcoin (TEL) was founded with the aim of connecting with mobile networks globally enabling easy conversion between mobile telecom money, prepaid credit, and postpaid billing platforms. Price: $0.02 | M-cap: $1.3 billion | 12-month return: 16,104% | Growth of Rs 10,000: Rs 16,20,400 (Image: PRNewswire)

Dogecoin is the first meme currency among its peers. Its logo carries the image of Shiba Inu dog, which was a popular meme on social media sites like Reddit and Facebook. Price: $0.25 | Mcap: $32.7 billion | 12-month return: 9129% | Growth of Rs 10,000: Rs 9,22,900 (Image: Shutterstock)

Matic Network or MATIC is an Indian blockchain scalability platform that aims to create a multi-chain ecosystem of Ethereum-compatible blockchains. Matic is also known as Polygon and was created by a startup-based in Mumbai. Price: $1.12 | Mcap: $7.1 billion | 12-month return: 6324% | Growth of Rs 10,000: Rs 6,42,400

Theta Fuel is the second token of the Theta network blockchain. Theta Fuel or Fuel is powered by chain operations like payments to relayers for sharing a video stream. Price: $0.04 | Mcap: $2.1 billion | 12-month return: 3809% | Growth of Rs 10,000: Rs 3,90,900. (Image: Theta Fuel)

Pirate Chain Developers of Pirate Chain initially diverged from the Komodo blockchain and Zcash to create Pirate Chain. The cryptocurrency is a privacy coin, which means it has security features that it claims makes it the worlds most anonymous currency. Price: $2.54 | Mcap: $587 million | 12-month performance: 3074% | Growth of Rs 10,000: Rs 3,17,400

Chiliz is a utility token on the Ethereum blockchain that serves as the digital currency for the ChiliZ and Socios.com platform. Many football clubs use Socios.com platform as a part of their fan engagement strategy. Price: $0.24 | Mcap: $1.4 billion | 12-month performance: 2170% | Growth of Rs 10,000: Rs 2,27,000

PancakeSwap is a decentralized exchange token built on Binance Smart Chain as a fast and inexpensive alternative to Ethereum. Pancakeswap has a feature that allows user-generated liquidity pools. Price: $13.36 | Mcap: $2.5 billion | 12-month return: 2084% | Growth of Rs 10,000: 2,18,400%

Luna, also known as Terra, is a stablecoin backed by traditional fiat currencies to power price-stable global payments systems. Luna combines the price stability of fiat currencies with the features of cryptocurrencies to offer fast settlements. Price: $6.19 | Mcap: $2.5 billion | 12-month return: 1903% | Growth of Rs 10,000: Rs 2,00,300

Dawn Protocol is the worlds first token for gaming and e-sports. Created on the Ethereum blockchain, Dawn Protocol aims to create career opportunities for world gamers with decentralized rewarding and matchmaking technologies. Price: $1.78 | Mcap: $130 million | 12-month return: 1355% | Growth of Rs 10,000 rupees: Rs 1,45,500 (Image: AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

HEX is a blockchain certificate of deposit that allows investors to earn up to as much as 40% interest in a year. Interest in HEX has spiked lately to the point that the cryptocurrency is up 59% even over the past 1 month, a period during which nearly all cryptocurrencies have fallen sharply. Price: $0.08 | Mcap: $14.2 billion | 12-month return: 1350% | Rs 1,45,000 (Image: Shutterstock)

Published : June 30, 2021 08:56 PM IST

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Rs 10,000 invested in this cryptocurrency would have grown to Rs 16 lakh in 1 year: Here's the top-10 list - CNBCTV18

Top cryptocurrency prices today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple gain up to 4% – Economic Times

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NEW DELHI: Major cryptocurrencies were trading with mild gains on Wednesday. Crypto traders turned cautious with a positive bias on digital tokens, after volatility for a couple of weeks. Eight out of top-10 digital tokens were trading higher at 9.30 hours IST, surging as much as 4 per cent.

Bitcoin is hanging tough amid a slew of negative headlines, extending its rally for the third day and lifting the spirit of battered bulls. The largest cryptocurrency has rallied above its average price over the past 20 days, a positive indication for advocates who were looking for the digital token to reclaim its upward momentum.

Star stock picker Cathie Wood's ARK Invest is teaming up with 21Shares US LLC, which filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday to create a bitcoin exchange traded fund (ETF), the latest fund manager attempting to cash in on investors' growing interest in cryptocurrencies.

"The sentiment across the crypto board is strongly bullish. Investors are grabbing every opportunity to buy on dips. The rally was observed across the board as BTC, ETH, XRP, and other altcoins gained from a massive buying frenzy. Despite severe selling pressure recently, the correction has drawn investors' attention," said Edul Patel, CEO and co-founder, Mudrex.

TP ICAP is eyeing to launch a cryptocurrency trading platform with Fidelity Investments and Standard Chartered's digital assets custody unit. TP ICAP is the world's biggest interdealer broker. The platform will initially allow them to trade Bitcoin, with second-largest token Ether to be added later.

However, traders have turned cautious on buzzing cryptocurrencies which tanked up to 95 per cent recently, eroding almost all of investors' wealth.

This coupled with the fact that BAT is still relatively undervalued given its utility, acquiring the asset at these levels seems to look like a highly attractive proposition for long-term investors. In addition, as the ERC-20 and DeFi space continue to grow, BAT is poised for success.

Major levelsSupport: $0.485, $0.425Resistance: $0.63, $0.725

Time is in UTC and the daily time frame is 12:00 AM - 12: 00 PM UTC.

(Views and recommendations given in this section are the analysts' own and do not represent those of ETMarkets.com. Please consult your financial adviser before taking any position in the asset/s mentioned.)

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Top cryptocurrency prices today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple gain up to 4% - Economic Times

Which Countries Are Using Cryptocurrency the Most? – Yahoo Finance

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Development in the ongoing saga of Bitcoin and its many competitors and copycats in the $2.22 trillion global cryptocurrency market seems to never stop. Even so, just a tiny fraction of Americans actually have any practical and personal experience with it. Only single-digit percentages of people in the U.S. like those in so many other rich, powerful, industrialized countries owned or used cryptocurrency in 2020. Across the world, however, its catching on much more quickly.

Find Out: Where Does Cryptocurrency Come From?See: 10 of the Most Private Cryptocurrencies To Invest In

Heres a look at the countries whose populations are on their way to making cryptocurrency the rule, not the exception, in their national economies.

Some of the most complete data on the subject come from Statista, which combined 55 different research reports from the Statista Global Consumer Survey to identify the countries where Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are most popular. The results reveal a clear trend. People from countries in Africa, Asia and South America are much more likely to own or use cryptocurrency than those in Europe, North America or Australia.

Big Money: If You Invested $1,000 in These Cryptocurrencies a Year Ago, Heres How Much Youd Have Now

Africas largest economy is the king of cryptocurrency. In Nigeria, 32% of respondents nearly 1 in 3 report having used or owned one type of crypto or another in 2020. By comparison, just 6% of Americans reported the same.

According to Bitcoin.com, Nigerias unique culture and circumstances are fueling the trend. One of the biggest influencers is poverty, a condition suffered by 87 million of Nigerias 200 million people and crypto transactions are cheap. Another reason for the trend is that Nigerians are much more likely to make payments and send money using their phones. Finally, double-digit inflation is the rule, not the exception, in Nigeria, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which are capped to a finite number of coins, serve as a hedge against inflation.

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Decide: Is It Too Late To Invest In Cryptocurrency?Helpful: 3 Common Crypto Misconceptions Debunked

Nigerians are the most open to crypto trading and spending, but the country is hardly alone in its rapid adoption of what was a mostly unfamiliar novelty until very recently. Southeast Asia makes a strong showing and one country from Latin America breaks the top five, but the worlds most powerful countries with the biggest economies fall on the bottom half of the list. The worlds top 10 crypto countries, according to the Statista data, are:

Nigeria: 32%

Vietnam: 21%

Philippines: 20%

Turkey: 16%

Peru: 16%

Switzerland: 11%

India: 9%

China: 7%

U.S.: 6%

Germany: 5%

Japan: 4%

Ethereum (ETH): What It Is, What Its Worth and Should You Be Investing?

Bitcoin is not currently the hottest cryptocurrency. The original and still-biggest digital coin grew by 113% in the first quarter of 2021, which should sound great to investors. That, however, is small potatoes compared to:

Dash: 198%

Ethereum: 324%

Maker: 760%

Dogecoin: 7,555%

Dogecoins Popularity: Is It Still Worth an Investment?

Despite the current spotlight on the hottest-trending altcoins, America is the undisputed champion of the world when it comes to Bitcoin specifically. More than $1.52 billion worth of Bitcoin was traded on U.S. crypto exchanges in 2020, according to Statista. Thats more than three times more than the No. 2 country, Russia, where the equivalent of $421.38 million in trading volume took place. Nigeria wasnt far behind with a little over $400 million. After that, it dropped way off to a little over $200 million in Europe.

Read: Why Some Money Experts Believe In Bitcoin and Others Dont

Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology company TripleA estimates that there are now more than 300 million cryptocurrency users across the world. The average crypto ownership rate by country is 3.9% and more than 18,000 businesses worldwide now accept some form of cryptocurrency as payment. About three crypto users in five are male, and no matter the country, users are more likely to be young and educated.

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Last updated: June 28, 2021

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Which Countries Are Using Cryptocurrency the Most?

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US Congressman Calls for Law Allowing Government to Reverse Cryptocurrency Transactions Regulation Bitcoin News – Bitcoin News

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A U.S. congressman has called for a law that allows the government to identify cryptocurrency users and reverse crypto transactions. Theres a significant sentiment, increasing sentiment, in Congress that if youre participating in an anonymous crypto transaction that youre a de-facto participant in a criminal conspiracy, he said.

Democratic Rep. Bill Foster of Illinois, who is also co-chair of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, talked about cryptocurrency regulation during an Axios virtual event Tuesday. Addressing the problem of ransomware attacks and how criminals are asking for bitcoin and not cash, the congressman stressed that there is a fundamental difference between crypto assets and real-world assets. Thats an important distinction that we must make ultimately in the law.

Emphasizing that laws must be passed to allow federal courts to identify crypto users and reverse transactions in bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, he said:

You have to be able to go to a court to unmask participants under some circumstances.

He discussed The condition under which we can reclaim cryptocurrencies, such as ransoms paid to criminals, noting that it is one of the fundamental decisions which has to be made about crypto assets.

The congressman pointed out that the law needs to address whether cryptocurrency is truly anonymous or is there a court you can go to, to unmask the participants. In addition, is there a court, a third-party, that you can go to, to reverse fraudulent or mistaken transactions.

Foster gave an example. If someone dragged you into an alley and put a gun to your head and say get out your cell phone and transfer all your bitcoin to my wallet. Are you just out of luck or can you go to court, have them unmask the participant. Furthermore, can the court if they decide that the transaction was fraudulent, criminal, or mistaken use its access to very heavily guarded key, cryptographic back door, in a sense, that allows them to cryptographically reverse transactions on a blockchain.

The lawmaker claims that such tools are necessary for the government to protect itself, the people and companies from ransomware attacks, like the one suffered by Colonial Pipeline.

Rep. Foster opined:

Ive just said about three things there that will drive the crypto purists berserk, like the trusted third party and so on.

He believes that For most people, if they are going to have a big part of their net worth tied up in crypto assets, they are going to want to have that security blanket of a trusted third-party that can solve the problem when they get hacked, when they get stolen or even just a mistaken assumption.

Foster further said that cryptocurrencies must become compliant with federal regulations and laws for them to ever become mainstream instruments for conducting transactions. Replying to a question about how the U.S. would regulate cryptocurrencies given their global and borderless nature, he affirmed, Were going to have to establish a law between the legal and illegal regimes here, elaborating:

Theres a significant sentiment, increasing sentiment, in Congress that if youre participating in an anonymous crypto transaction that youre a de-facto participant in a criminal conspiracy.

Many people took to social media to ridicule the congressman and his attempt to reverse bitcoin transactions, stating that he does not understand how bitcoin works. Some responded to Fosters criminal allegation, stating that they are not de-facto criminals.

What do you think about Rep. Foster calling for legislation to give the government power to reverse cryptocurrency transactions? Let us know in the comments section below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

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Top cryptocurrency prices today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano gain up to 5% – Economic Times

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NEW DELHI: Major cryptocurrencies were trading with mild gains on Monday. Crypto traders turned cautious over valuations of digital tokens, following volatility in the previous session. Seven out of top 10 digital tokens were trading with gains at 9.30 hours IST, led by Ethereum.

Britain's watchdog Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ordered cryptocurrency exchange Binance to stop undertaking any regulated activity in the country, saying the firm lacked authorization. The exchange would not be allowed to undertake any regulated activities without the prior written consent of the FCA.

Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego said his banking business may begin using Bitcoin, becoming the country's first bank to start accepting the cryptocurrency. He is ranked as the third richest Mexican with an estimated fortune worth over $15.8 billion.

Prior to this, Bitcoin will become a legal tender in El Salvador, another South American country in September. It is the first nation to elevate the digital token to the status of a currency.

"The major selloff across the crypto spectrum observed last Friday seems to have subsided for now. Volume data from various exchanges show that several investors bought the dip in the markets over the weekend. However, it cannot be termed as a bullish momentum as the markets are clearly range-bound," said Edul Patel, CEO and co-founder, Mudrex.

"BTC began the day at a decent 5 per cent higher over the previous day. Altcoins continue to be under some selling pressure. Overall, the markets can be expected to remain in consolidation for the short term."

In India, where households own more than 25,000 tonnes of gold, investments in crypto grew from about $200 million to nearly $40 billion in the past year, according to Chainalysis.

Tech View by Siddharth Menon, COO WazirXThe Bitcoin chart has formed the double bottom pattern which is known for the trend reversal. RSI breaking the trendline may be a confirmation of the trend reversal.

Crypto veteran Bobby Lee says Bitcoins recent 50 per cent collapse from all-time highs does not mirror market tops of the past and he expects Bitcoin price to see $100K by end of this year.

(Views and recommendations given in this section are the analysts' own and do not represent those of ETMarkets.com. Please consult your financial adviser before taking any position in the asset/s mentioned.)

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Top cryptocurrency prices today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano gain up to 5% - Economic Times

Chinas role in the 2021 cryptocurrency crash – Economic Times

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Bengaluru: Earlier this week, the price of Bitcoin dropped below $30,000 for the first time since January, after hitting an all-time high of almost $65,000 in mid-April.

While Tesla chief executive Elon Musk's tweets are one of the reasons for this price dip, another major reason is China's massive crackdown on the digital coin and cryptocurrencies in general.

The country has always had a firm stance against cryptocurrencies. Back in 2013, Chinas central bank had barred financial institutions from handling Bitcoin transactions when the price of the digital coin jumped from $100 to $1,000 within a few months. It had also banned fundraising through initial coin offerings and shuttered domestic Bitcoin exchanges in 2017.

In May, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and the State Council issued a warning saying it was necessary to crack down on Bitcoin mining and trading behavior, and resolutely prevent the transmission of individual risks to the social field.

This was after three Chinese state-backed financial associations raised concerns about risks emerging from the volatility of cryptocurrencies, and directed their members including banks and online payment firms to not provide any cryptocurrency-related services.

Crypto miners shut down

Soon after the government warning, several cryptocurrency miners including HashCow and BTC.TOP halted all or part of their China operations last month. This had huge ramifications since Chinese miners reportedly account for as much as 70% of crypto mining worldwide.

Earlier in June, Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter, blocked several prominent crypto-related accounts, saying each of them violates laws and rules.

On Monday, China's central bank The Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) also met with several domestic banks and payment firms such as Alipay, urging them to tighten restrictions on cryptocurrency trading and directing them to stop facilitating cryptocurrency transactions. These institutions must also comprehensively investigate and identify crypto exchanges and over-the-counter capital accounts of dealers and cut off the payment link for transaction funds in a timely manner, it said.

This crackdown has forced several miners to shut down or sell their machines in despair and exit the business. Some of them are also relocating overseas to countries like Kazakhstan, according to a Reuters report. It said that Chinas crackdown could cause up to 90% of crypto mining to go offline in the country, citing an estimate by Adam James, a senior editor at OKEx Insights.

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Is the Shiba Inu Coin the Cryptocurrency You Should Be Watching? – Yahoo Finance

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The weird world of cryptocurrency got even weirder with the arrival of Shiba Inu. Now among the top 30 or so cryptocurrencies in the world, its staying power is a testament to the might of memes, the contagious nature of investor groupthink and the cuteness of fluffy dogs.

But is the coin that billed itself as the Dogecoin Killer a legit crypto investment opportunity now that it boasts more than 550,000 users? Theres a lot to consider before you can answer that question.

Find Out: Where Does Cryptocurrency Come From?Read: Why Some Money Experts Believe In Bitcoin and Others Dont

Launched in August 2020 by an anonymous person going by the name Ryoshi, Shiba Inu was a challenge to Dogecoin from the very beginning. Its mascot the coins namesake breed of Japanese dog is also the mascot of Dogecoin, which itself was started as a joke based on a viral canine Internet meme.

Like so many other cryptocurrencies, Shiba Inu is based on the Ethereum blockchain. Ryoshi started with a supply of 1 quadrillion tokens thats 1,000 raised to the power of five. Ryoshi then locked half of the tokens in a decentralized finance protocol called Uniswap and burned the other half, worth $1 billion, to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin for safekeeping. Buterin then donated trillions of Shiba Inu coins to India to help stem the spread of COVID-19 it was historys largest cryptocurrency donation before burning 40% of the total supply to a dead wallet.

If you got through the last two paragraphs but have no idea what you just read, investing in Shiba Inu is probably not for you.

See: Mark Cuban Talks Dogecoin: Youve Got To Know Why Youre Investing

Unlike Bitcoin, which is currently trading at around $35,000 per coin, Shiba Inu goes for just a tiny sliver of a penny about $0.000008082 per token. The logic, according to Barrons, is that cheaper coins draw wider audiences. Dogecoin, by comparison, is trading at a much more expensive 26 cents.

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All that is fine and well, but like everything involving crypto trading, volatility is the name of the game with Shiba Inu. The coin briefly lost half of its value on the day that Buterin made the donation to India. Thats a single-day drop of 50% based purely on investor emotion and reaction to a news story and in the world of crypto, thats not at all unusual.

If you can handle that kind of heat, by all means but keep in mind the nature of the roller coaster youre about to board.

On May 9, Shiba Inu soared to its all-time high of $0.000035. The price almost immediately crashed back down to Earth and less than 10 days later, that number had an extra zero in it, as it does to this day.

Take a Look: What Is the Next Big Cryptocurrency To Explode in 2021?

If you want to look in your digital wallet and see millions, billions or even trillions of something, you wont do better than Shiba Inu but few experts would recommend that as a sound investment strategy.

Crypto, in general, is in a slump right now, particularly Ethereum-based tokens like Shiba Inu and Dogecoin. If that trend reverses course, its perfectly logical to believe that Shiba Inu will be lifted by the tide. In fact, on June 24, an expert writing for FXStreet used convincing logic to predict that Shiba Inu is due for an 80% price increase, and maybe it is. But its just as easy to find experts who predict that the coin of the moment will soon be tossed onto the trash heap of crypto history with the rest of the fallen altcoins.

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Last updated: June 29, 2021

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FCA Is Tightening Cryptocurrency Regulation In The U.K. – Yahoo Finance

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The Financial Conduct Authority is implementing tight regulations in the cryptocurrency space and cracking down on some crypto platforms. The tight regulations have seen more crypto firms withdraw their applications from the regulator.

UKs Financial Conduct Authority is keeping an eye on the cryptocurrency market after it was appointed anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulator of crypto-asset firms earlier this year.

Since it was appointed the major regulator of the cryptocurrency market in the U.K., the FCA has asked crypto firms to register with it before they can operate in the region. In the past six months, the British regulator has only registered six firms, and it is assessing dozens more.

Crypto platforms that registered with the regulator in December are eligible to receive the Temporary Registrations Regimes (TRR). With the TRR, they can continue offering their services while the FCA assesses their registration.

The tight regulation in the U.K. is causing several companies discomfort in the United Kingdom. An FCA spokesperson has revealed that 64 applications have been withdrawn in less than a month. This was up from 51 that was recorded earlier this month.

According to the FCA, several businesses are withdrawing their applications because they dont meet the required anti-money laundering standards. The cryptocurrency companies have to update their mode of operations to comply with the AML standards before they can reapply with the regulator.

Last weekend, the FCA warned Binance that it doesnt have the authority to conduct regulated activities in the U.K. The regulator banned the exchange from conducting any regulated activity in Britain.

The ban on Binance led another crypto exchange Huobi to suspend its U.K. customers from accessing derivative services on its platforms. Overall, the FCA said it is working with other major regulators, notably in the U.S. and Asia, to ensure that crypto exchanges operate under the rules of law.

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The cryptocurrency market could experience massive regulations in the coming months. The Bank of France governor recently urged the EU to quickly regulate the crypto market. Failure to do so could affect the EUs monetary sovereignty. The regulators in various parts of the world believe it is important to regulate the crypto market as it continues to grow both in size and adoption.

BTC/USD chart. Source: FXEMPIRE

The crypto market is on a positive trend for the third consecutive day. Bitcoins price is up by less than 1% over the past 24 hours and is currently trading above $35k. The total cryptocurrency market cap has also gone up, from roughly $1.1 trillion last week to $1.4 trillion at the time of this report.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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Spiritus Becomes The First Car To Mine Cryptocurrency, Including Bitcoin And Dogecoin – Benzinga – Benzinga

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Spiritus, an electric car made by light electric vehicle manufacturer Daymak, will mine cryptocurrency when idle.

What Happened:According to an announcementpublishedon Tuesday, Spiritus will be able to mine several cryptocurrencies and then settled inDogecoin(CRYPTO: DOGE),Ether(CRYPTO: ETH), orBitcoin(CRYPTO: BTC). The company's first prototype of the car has already started mining cryptocurrency using the company's patent-pending Daymak Nebula platform.

Daymak's Nebula platform is a crypto mining tool suite for electric vehicles that will allow its cars to mine and manage cryptocurrencies.

"Using this technology, the Daymak Spiritus will be the first car in history to continuously make money for its owner," the manufacturersaidin the press release.

The firm alreadyannouncedthat its Spiritus would mine cryptocurrencies on June 1st.

Now that its prototype started mining, the company launched awebsitestreaming the profits made by the car through mining,raking in an estimated $11.85 per day as of press time.

The Spiritus can be bought with cryptocurrency, with the base model costing $19,995and the premium one for $149,000.

The car will also feature solar panels, as, according tothe company, "the Spiritus fleet will be the most environmentally-friendly crypto miner nodes on the blockchain."

Image: Courtesy ofDaymak

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