Kenya defies US pressure, maintains Worldcoin suspension
A Kenyan government minister said the country has encountered pressure from the U.S. government to lift its suspension on Worldcoin’s activities.
A Kenyan government minister said the country has encountered pressure from the U.S. government to lift its suspension on Worldcoin’s activities.
The resolution encourages countries to safeguard human rights, protect personal data, and monitor AI for risks.
The regulator does not want to undermine its arguments in ongoing legal action against Coinbase and Binance.
Apple’s App Store rules enforcement arbitrarily “penalize and restrict developers” that compete with the tech giant’s “monopoly power,” the DOJ alleged.
According to CoinDesk, Terra co-founder Do Kwon's extradition to South Korea has been halted following a legal challenge from the top prosecutor of Montenegro. Kwon has been in Montenegrin custody since March 2023, when he was arrested and jailed for using fake Costa Rican documents in traveling to Dubai. Montenegrin authorities are weighing competing extradition requests for Kwon from his native South Korea and the U.S., where he also faces criminal charges. Kwon had allegedly been on the run for months following the $40 billion implosion of Terraform Labs and the Terra ecosystem in May 2022. Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon's pending extradition to South Korea has apparently been put on ice following a legal challenge issued Thursday by Montenegro's top prosecutor. Montenegro's Office of the Supreme State Prosecutor said that the High Court's decision to extradite Kwon to his native South Korea instead of to the U.S. – as well as the appellate court's subsequent confirmation – was done via 'abbreviated proceedings' that exceeded the limits of its powers, according to a translated statement published Thursday. A decision on permission for Kwon's extradition is to be made solely by the country's minister of justice, according to the statement. Kwon was not directly named in the statement, which simply refers to 'a citizen of the Republic of South Korea.' Montenegro was inadvertently placed at the center of a tug-of-war between the U.S. and South Korea a year ago, when Kwon and his colleague, Han Chang-joon, were arrested and jailed for attempting to use fake Costa Rican passports en route to Dubai. Kwon's arrest came six months after Interpol issued a 'red notice' for his arrest and 10 months after the $40 billion implosion of his company, Terraform Labs, and the Terra ecosystem. Kwon faces criminal charges in both the U.S. and South Korea, but he's fought extradition since his arrest, appealing several court decisions with varying degrees of success. Han was extradited to South Korea in February, and Kwon looked poised to follow. His Montenegrin lawyer, Goran Rodic, told CoinDesk Kwon was likely to be extradited to South Korea after March 23, but that timeline – as well as Kwon's ultimate destination – is once again hazy. This is a developing story and will be updated.
According to PANews, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is taking legal action to classify Ethereum as a security. This action involves issuing subpoenas to US companies, requiring them to provide all documents and financial records related to the Ethereum Foundation. The investigation began in September 2022 when the Ethereum blockchain transitioned to a new governance model called 'Proof of Stake'. Although the SEC has not commented on the matter, this move appears to be a significant review of the Switzerland-based Ethereum Foundation. This action could have far-reaching implications for the cryptocurrency industry, particularly in discussions about whether crypto assets are considered securities.
According to PANews, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stated that the risks of achieving employment and inflation targets are being better balanced as the tense supply-demand relationship in the labor market eases. Inflation has significantly eased in the past year but remains above the Fed's set 2% long-term target, and long-term inflation expectations are still unstable. If appropriate, the Fed will maintain the federal funds rate target range at its current level for a longer period. Powell said that the Federal Open Market Committee believes it is 'inappropriate' to lower the target range before having confidence in inflation consistently moving towards 2%. However, the Fed has not yet gained the confidence to begin cutting interest rates from various data. Powell also mentioned that discussions took place during the meeting about slowing down the reduction of the balance sheet, and that it would be appropriate to slow down the pace of the reduction soon. Slowing down the reduction will ensure a smooth transition, alleviate pressure on the money market, and limit the risk of fluctuations in the money market.
Crypto firms are only subject to AML regulation in Estonia, but a new bill would bring Estonia into conformity with MiCA.
Prosecutors in Montenegro suggested that the country’s Supreme Court could issue a verdict that would change an earlier decision on Do Kwon’s extradition to South Korea.
The attorney cited Irinia Dilkinska’s role as a “loving wife and mother,” claiming time served was an appropriate sentence for her role in the OneCoin scheme.