By Nelson Renteria SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - The young president of small Central American nation El Salvador leapt to worldwide fame this week after his country became the first in the world to adopt bitcoin as legal tender, but Nayib Bukele is no stranger to controversy. Cryptocurrency fans across the globe celebrated when his bill was swiftly approved by lawmakers on Wednesday, and when the 39-year-old leader followed up with a plan to mine energy from volcanoes to power the massive data centers needed to mint the digital currency. The move did not escape scrutiny. The International Monetary Fund quickly flagged economic and legal risks to the unprecedented use of bitcoin in the small economy. From firing officials via Twitter to entering Congress with heavily armed soldiers, Bukele has tended to ruffle establishment feathers since he became president in 2019. He swept congressional and local elections in February and enjoys an approval rating of over 90% despite the economy shrinkin
By Greg Torode, Anne Marie Roantree and James Pomfret HONG KONG (Reuters) - The top U.S. diplomat in Hong Kong said the imposition of a new national security law had created an atmosphere of coercion that threatens both the city s freedoms and its standing as an international business hub. In unusually strident remarks to Reuters this week, U.S. Consul-General Hanscom Smith called it appalling that Beijing s influence had vilified routine diplomatic activities such as meeting local activists, part of a government crackdown on foreign forces that was casting a pall over the city . Smith s remarks highlight deepening concerns over Hong Kong s sharply deteriorating freedoms among many officials in the administration of President Joe Biden one year after China s parliament imposed the law. Critics of the legislation say the law has crushed the city s democratic opposition, civil society and Western-style freedoms. The foreign forces issue is at the heart of the crimes of collusion with for
CARBIS BAY, England (Reuters) - Britain is working with the European Union to urgently find radical proposals that would solve the post-Brexit trade problems in Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Boris Johnson s spokesman said on Friday. The two sides are at loggerheads over how to ease post-Brexit trade between Britain and its province of Northern Ireland, with both accusing the other of dealing with part of their divorce deal called the protocol in bad faith. We re seeking to urgently come up radical proposals within the protocol to find a way forward, the spokesman told reporters. I think it s fair to say they (the issue) may well come up, but the prime minister was clear yesterday that this is not the forum in which he is necessarily seeking to come up with an immediate solution .. Clearly he will want to discuss it with those that raise it with him .. He may choose to raise it himself. Johnson is due to hold talks at the Group of Seven meeting on Saturday, with France s Emmanuel Mac
COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver is no silver bullet - EU s Michel
FILE PHOTO: European Council President Charles Michel speaks during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France June 9, 2021. Julien Warnand/Pool via REUTERS reuters tickers
This content was published on June 10, 2021 - 08:35
June 10, 2021 - 08:35
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A proposed waiver of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments is no silver bullet , European Council president Charles Michel said on Thursday, adding he expected the topic to feature at the G7 summit. The question of intellectual property rights will likely be raised, Michel told a news conference ahead of the summit starting on Friday.
EU vows to shield itself from Chinese security threats, Michel says
FILE PHOTO: European Council President Charles Michel speaks during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France June 9, 2021. Julien Warnand/Pool via REUTERS reuters tickers
This content was published on June 10, 2021 - 08:33
June 10, 2021 - 08:33
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday that the European Union was ready to stand up to aggressive actions by China and Russia, offering support to U.S. President Joe Biden on his first European tour. We will defend ourselves against practices that pose security risks, Michel told an online news conference before joining the G7 summit in Britain, saying Beijing was a systemic rival and also a partner.