A Colorado pastor and his wife face civil fraud charges They're accused of marketing a 'practically worthless' cryptocurrency Pastor allegedly said God told him investors would become wealthy(NewsNation) — A Colorado pastor is accused of defrauding investors of more than $3 million by marketing a “practically worthless” cryptocurrency to Christian communities and claiming God told him investors would become wealthy. Colorado Security Commissioner Tung Chan filed civil fraud charges against Eli and Kaitlyn Regalado, INDXcoin, LLC, Kingdom Wealth Exchange and others. Eli Regalado is accused of marketing and selling the cryptocurrency INDXcoin, which was available through the Kingdom Wealth Exchange — an online exchange the Regalados created and operated, according to a news release. Investigators allege that from June 2022 to April 2023, INDXcoin raised nearly $3.2 million from more than 300 people, according to the civil complaint. The couple is accused of using investments into the “illiquid and practically worthless” cryptocurrency to support their “lavish” lifestyle, according to the release.
Source:The Nation
January 27, 2024 19:25 UTC
After months of waiting, OpenAI finally launched its GPT Store, where paying subscribers can now access a library of custom AI chatbots. The store promotes some practical, helpful AI tools up front, but there are some deeply strange GPTs lurking in corners of the store. Gizmodo ventured into those dark, musty corners and compiled a list of the strangest GPTs we’ve come across, and now I’m questioning AI altogether. There are over three million AI chatbots, but OpenAI already banned a handful of GPTs that it’s deemed so strange, so taboo, that they should not be allowed to exist in its new world. It was inevitable that folks were going to create some fairly strange robot assistants, given free rein, but now that the GPT Store is live, it’s out there for anyone to see.
Source:The Nation
January 26, 2024 18:01 UTC
But over the years, Kerry and Xie forged a remarkable level of trust and respect in the world of international climate negotiations. The annual U.N. climate summit was being held in Copenhagen later that year, and Kerry was eager to talk about it with Chinese officials. Stern said the deal “ricocheted around the climate world" and convinced countries that “we can actually get this done.”The importance of the deal became evident one month later. It was the relationship with China, Kerry said afterward, that helped “change the paradigm.”——-The warm feelings were short-lived. Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, and he promptly withdrew the U.S. from the Paris agreement after taking office.
Source:The Nation
January 26, 2024 12:31 UTC
Source: phys.orgElectrons that spin to the right and the left at the same time. Particles that change their states together, even though they are separated by enormous distances. Intriguing phenomena like these are completely commonplace in the world of quantum physics. Researchers at the TUM Garching campus are using them to build quantum computers, high-sensitivity sensors and the internet of the future.
Source:The Nation
January 26, 2024 06:00 UTC
FILE - A sign marks the entry way into Hewlett Packard Enterprise, May 24, 2016, in Andover, Mass. Hewlett Packard Enterprise disclosed Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, that suspected state-backed Russian hackers broke into its cloud-based email system and stole data from cybersecurity and other employees. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu)BOSTON – Hewlett Packard Enterprise disclosed Wednesday that suspected state-backed Russian hackers broke into its cloud-based email system and stole data from cybersecurity and other employees. It said it believed the hackers were from Cozy Bear, a unit of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service. It said the Russian hackers accessed accounts of senior Microsoft executives as well as cybersecurity and legal employees.
Source:The Nation
January 25, 2024 13:32 UTC
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has delayed a decision on BlackRock's spot Ethereum exchange-traded fund application. BlackRock, the world's biggest fund manager, applied in November for a spot Ethereum (ETH) exchange-traded fund (ETF). Other high-profile firms such Ark Invest, Fidelity, and Grayscale want to introduce their own ETH ETF. ETH ETF hype comes after the SEC's approval of spot BTC ETFs after a decade of denying the products. Senior Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Eric Balchunas has said he is 70% confident that a spot ETH ETF will be approved by May.
Source:The Nation
January 25, 2024 10:00 UTC
Update: Online Safety Bill passed with amendmentsNewsThe Online Safety Bill was passed in Parliament this evening with amendments. At the end of the debate on the Second Reading of the Bill, at around 5.00 pm today, Chief Opposition Whip, Lakshman Kiriella called for a division. Accordingly, 108 votes were cast in favor of the Bill and 62 votes were cast against it. Thus, the Second Reading of the Bill was passed by a majority of 46 votes. Accordingly, 51 votes were cast in favor of the amendment and 92 votes were cast against.
Source:Sunday Times
January 24, 2024 21:10 UTC
Govt to convert NIC number for unique TINNewsState Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya has stated that measures are underway to convert a person’s National Identity Card (NIC) number to their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) using the personnel information data base of the of the Department of Registration of Persons. Sri Lanka’s national identity infrastructure is also well developed, and the government is in the process of digitising the National Identity Card (NIC). Ownership of NICs is high in Sri Lanka, reported at 95 per cent for men and 90 per cent for women. Earlier, the government announced that the final deadline to voluntarily register for TIN is February 1. This procedure of converting NIC to TIN was discussed at a high level meeting held at the Presidential Sectretariat on Tuesday with the participation of Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Senior Economic Advisor to the President Dr. R.H.S.
Source:Sunday Times
January 24, 2024 19:49 UTC
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) states that Sri Lanka’s proposed Online Safety Bill will create broad and vague new speech-related offences punishable by lengthy prison terms, while critically threatening the right to freedom of expression. “A repressive new internet law that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to rush through parliament this week would create broad and vague new speech-related offences punishable by lengthy prison terms. The law would seriously threaten the right to freedom of expression as Sri Lanka prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year”, it said in a statement. The proposed law, the Online Safety Bill, purportedly provides protections against online harassment, abuse, and fraud, the statement mentioned, highlighting that instead, it is mostly concerned with creating a new “Online Safety Commission,” appointed by the president, that can decide what online speech is “false” or “harmful,” remove content, restrict and prohibit internet access, and prosecute individuals and organizations. “Sri Lanka is still reeling from an economic crisis partly caused by misgovernment and failures of accountability.
Source:The Nation
January 24, 2024 17:30 UTC
NATO on Wednesday began its biggest military exercise since the Cold War with a US warship leaving the United States for transit across the Atlantic to alliance territory in Europe. The Western military alliance has said some 90,000 troops will take part in the months-long Steadfast Defender 24 exercise designed to test its defences in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine. The exercise is designed to simulate the 31-nation alliance's response to an attack from a rival like Russia. It will be composed of a series of smaller individual drills and will span from North America to NATO's eastern flank, close to the Russian border. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Source:The Nation
January 24, 2024 17:05 UTC
NEW YORK – Christopher Nolan was still sleeping when his film, “Oppenheimer," landed a leading 13 Academy Awards nominations Tuesday. “Oppenheimer,” Nolan's sprawling American saga of J. Walter Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb, has more or less been the Oscar frontrunner since it made its acclaimed debut in late July. It came one nomination shy of tying the record for best Oscar nominations ever. “It's flabbergasting," said Thomas who spoke with her husband in an interview a few hours after nominations were announced. And so I think that’s something that really touched audiences.
Source:The Nation
January 24, 2024 04:30 UTC
Source: phys.orgThe power of gravity is writ large across our visible universe. It can be seen in the lock step of moons as they circle planets; in wandering comets pulled off-course by massive stars; and in the swirl of gigantic galaxies. These awesome displays showcase gravity's influence at the largest scales of matter. Now, nuclear physicists are discovering that gravity also has much to offer at matter's smallest scales.
Source:The Nation
January 23, 2024 22:40 UTC
MTD to take stern action against vehicle owners without proper registrationNewsThe Motor Traffic Department (MTD) is to take stern action against motorists who have not transferred their vehicles in their own names as a ruse to avoid paying tax and also to show minimum number of ownership of a vehicle. MTD Commissioner General, Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasingha said the owners should register their vehicles within 14 days after buying a vehicle under their names failing which they had to pay a fine of Rs100 for every day they keep the vehicle without transferring it under their names. When a traffic offence was committed, the police had difficulty tracing the offender, because the papers had not been transferred to the present owner’s name. It has been revealed that a large number of motorcycle and three-wheeler owners along with motorists have not been transferred it to their names for several years and the fines accumulated into lakhs of rupees. “Investigations into the number plates show that, the papers have changed hands two or sometimes three times, without being transferred to the present owner’s name,” he said.
Source:Sunday Times
January 23, 2024 19:08 UTC
Interest rates unchanged after CB’s Monetary Board meetingNewsThe Central Bank of Sri Lanka has left policy interest rates at their current levels after a meeting on Monday by the Monetary Policy Board. Further, the Board noted the space created by past monetary policy easing measures and the decline in the risk premia attached to government securities for further downward adjustment in market lending interest rates. The Board underscored that the envisaged benefit of further reduction in market lending interest rates needs to be adequately and swiftly passed on to the businesses and individuals by financial institutions. Further decline in market lending interest rates is expected in the period aheadMarket interest rates continued to adjust downwards in line with eased monetary policy and administrative measures taken to reduce overall market lending interest rates. The Monetary Policy Board is of the view that there is further space for market interest rates, especially the lending interest rates and yields on government securities to decline in the period ahead, in line with the reduction in policy interest rates effected in the recent past.
Source:Sunday Times
January 23, 2024 19:08 UTC
Source: phys.orgPolice, who were deployed to block villagers from protesting a power plant on coastal wetlands in India 14 years ago, shot at protesters, killing three and injuring hundreds. Two years later on the other side of the country, a Buddhist monk was killed in resistance to construction of a hydroelectric dam project.
Source:The Nation
January 23, 2024 10:04 UTC