The World Bank has launched the first bond on a blockchain with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The A$110 million ($87 million) bond-i (blockchain operated new debt instrument) — so named, I’m assuming, because of Australia’s famed Bondi Beach (bankers have the funnies!) — is the first bond to be created, allocated, transferred and managed […]

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk says he will no longer be taking the electric car maker private, just two weeks after saying he was considering a deal. The plan was cancelled after a board meeting on Thursday, he wrote in a post published on the company’s site. Since Mr Musk announced his plan to delist […]

The U.S.’s second-largest bank, Bank of America (BofA), has applied for another blockchain patenton the development of a secure crypto storage system, according to a patent document published by the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) August 23. The patent, entitled “Block Chain Encryption Tags,” describes a system of recording and storing cryptocurrency-related transactions that […]

The Pacific Ocean is beautiful. However, halfway between California and Hawaii, the ocean is also the site of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. At over 600,000 miles, it is more than twice the size of France. The detritus already weighs around 87,000 tons and is growing by the day. Bottles, bags, fishing nets, and such […]

Batteries are categorized as hazardous waste. When it comes to addressing this issue, the best thing to do is to choose reusable batteries over single-use ones. This is an eco-friendly alternative and reduces the environmental pressures on an island like Hawaii and its fragile ecosystems. Batteries are an inalienable part of our lives. Mobile phones, […]

SEOUL, South Korea — Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s impeached and ousted president, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison, as an appeals court convicted her of collecting more bribes than previously believed from Samsung, the country’s largest business conglomerate. In a lower-court ruling in April, Ms. Park, 66, was sentenced to 24 years in […]

Bad news for those who enjoy what they think is a healthy glass of wine a day. A large new global study published in the Lancet has confirmed previous research which has shown that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. The researchers admit moderate drinking may protect against heart disease but found that […]

If you saw a photograph of any of these colorful places, you’d think it was heavily edited. Can anywhere really have colors so bright and vibrant? These seven places are naturally vivid — but you may have to visit to believe it. Rainbow Mountains, China Formed millions of years ago by layers of sandstone and […]

An American woman who had her phone seized by border agents as she returned home to the United States is suing the country’s border protection agency. Rejhane Lazoja was stopped at Newark airport, New Jersey, after returning from a trip to Switzerland in February. Her iPhone was seized by agents after she refused to unlock […]

Singapore’s stock exchange is working with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the city-state’s de facto central bank, to utilize blockchain in a bid to improve the efficiency of securities settlements. The Singapore Exchange (SGX) said in a release on Friday that the collaboration is aimed at scaling up the country’s Delivery versus Payment (DvP) capacity […]