technology

The Bulgarian Government Is Sitting on $3 Billion in Bitcoin

"A crackdown on organized crime by Bulgarian law enforcement in May resulted in the seizure of more than 200,000 bitcoins – an amount worth more than $3 billion at today's prices. Twenty-three Bulgarian nationals were arrested during the operation, and officials said at the time that the arrests and subsequent asset seizures followed an investigation into an alleged customs fraud scam. In all, the alleged perpetrators avoided paying some 10 million leva (Bulgaria's national currency), worth roughly $6 million."

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Huntington’s gene therapy breakthrough may stop disease

"The defect that causes the neurodegenerative disease Huntington's has been corrected in patients for the first time, the BBC has learned. An experimental drug, injected into spinal fluid, safely lowered levels of toxic proteins in the brain. The research team, at University College London, say there is now hope the deadly disease can be stopped. Experts say it could be the biggest breakthrough in neurodegenerative diseases for 50 years."

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Nasdaq plans bitcoin futures contract in 2018, joining CME and CBOE

"Nasdaq Inc plans to launch a futures contract based on bitcoin in 2018, making it the third exchange operator to plan U.S. derivatives contracts linked to the digital currency, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday. CME Group, the world’s largest derivatives exchange, and CBOE Holdings, have both said they plan to launch futures products based on bitcoin this year, pending regulatory approval, helping fuel the crypto-currency’s rally. While Nasdaq does not have a hard date set for its product, the transatlantic exchange operator has offered an exchange-traded note based on bitcoin on its Stockholm exchange since 2015."

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Welsh city refuses man’s £7.4 million offer to dig for lost Bitcoin

"Welsh IT worker James Howells says he accidentally threw away a hard drive full of Bitcoin which he believes is now worth more than $100 million (around £74 million). He’s been fighting Newport city council ever since for a permit to look for the computer, which contains over 7,500 units of the cryptocurrency and is buried below thousands of tonnes of rubbish on a landfill site. A spokesperson for the council said James has been told 'on several occasions' he will not be given a permit despite his offer of a 10% cut."

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There’s a New Nation in Space — and You Can Apply for Citizenship Right Now

"The creators lauded the launch as establishing the first nation to have all of its territory in space, though no countries have acknowledged its statehood. For now, the primary benefit of 'citizenship' is being able to store data on Asgardia-1 while it’s in orbit. Only those who support the constitution will have the right to upload data to the satellite. Asgardia will have taxes, though only businesses will be forced to contribute. Individual taxes will apparently be voluntary. The website explains that 'people can decide what amount of tax they would like to pay.' The country will also have passports, IDs, a national bank, business regulations, and a cryptocurrency called SOLAR."

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Pre-Internet Laws Are Jeopardizing Today’s Electronic Privacy

"Under the 1986 law, email that has been stored for 180 or more days is considered to be ‘abandoned’ and can be perused by federal authorities sans a warrant. But in an era of cloud computing and services like Dropbox, most Americans certainly would beg to differ that any emails stored online had been abandoned."

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First Long-Term LedgerX Bitcoin Option Pegs Price at $10,000

"Called a Long-Term Equity Anticipation Security (LEAPS), the trade was matched by the platform this morning and is set to expire on December 28, 2018. Such long term futures options have long been seen in the industry as a much needed sign of maturity, and could in part help pave the way for even more institutional money to enter the space."

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Lawsuit Seeks To Eliminate Warrantless Border Electronics Searches

"The EFF and ACLU are among the civil liberties groups that believe CBP and ICE are overstepping their powers through their electronic device searches. The groups recently filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of several U.S. citizens whose devices were searched and/or detained. The EFF/ACLU lawsuit regularly references the disconnect between these border searches and any evidence of a violation of immigration or customs laws."

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