logo
French Minister Agrees on Measures to Protect Crypto Professionals After Kidnappings

French Minister Agrees on Measures to Protect Crypto Professionals After Kidnappings

Yahoo16-05-2025
French Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau agreed on a series of measures to tighten the security of crypto professionals at a Friday meeting following a number of kidnappings that have targeted industry figures in the country.
Measures including strengthening collaboration with internal security officers to protect professionals, a security briefing provided by police units and training to prevent crypto money laundering were discussed at the meeting. The Director General of the National Police and Gendarmerie and representatives from the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (ADAN) took part alongside other industry stakeholders.
The meeting was held after Tuesday's failed kidnapping attempt on the daughter and grandson of a crypto exchange CEO, the third that's received widespread coverage since the start of the year. In May the father of a French crypto millionaire was kidnapped, the BBC reported. And earlier in the year David Ballard, a co-founder of crypto-wallet developer Ledger was kidnapped alongside his wife. Both of the men had a finger severed.
"I wanted to reiterate my shock at the seriousness of the criminal acts that were committed and my determination to put an end to these unbearable attacks targeting crypto-asset professionals, just as they attacked banks and jewelry stores yesterday," Retailleau said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mistral in talks with VC firms, MGX to raise funds at $10 billion valuation, FT reports
Mistral in talks with VC firms, MGX to raise funds at $10 billion valuation, FT reports

Yahoo

time7 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Mistral in talks with VC firms, MGX to raise funds at $10 billion valuation, FT reports

(Reuters) -French artificial intelligence startup Mistral is in talks with investors, venture capital firms and Abu Dhabi's MGX to raise $1 billion at a valuation of $10 billion, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The company launched in June Europe's first AI reasoning model, which uses logical thinking to create a response, as it tries to keep pace with American and Chinese rivals at the forefront of AI development. The funding would accelerate the commercial rollout of Mistral's Le Chat chatbot and support continued development of its large language models, the report said. MGX and Mistral did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The startup raised 600 million euros in a Series B funding round that valued the company at 5.8 billion euros last year. Industry observers consider Mistral as Europe's best-positioned AI company to rival Silicon Valley leaders, though the French firm has yet to achieve comparable market traction or revenue scale. Mistral counts Nvidia, Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Venture Partners among its investors. Sign in to access your portfolio

Alleged leader of Mexican kidnapping ring released after nearly 20 years in prison
Alleged leader of Mexican kidnapping ring released after nearly 20 years in prison

Los Angeles Times

time10 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Alleged leader of Mexican kidnapping ring released after nearly 20 years in prison

MEXICO CITY — The alleged leader of an infamous Mexican kidnapping ring walked out of a maximum security prison after nearly 20 years Friday, hours after a judge said there wasn't sufficient evidence to support the charges holding him. Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez on Friday rattled off a list of appeals, injunctions and complaints filed over the years of Israel Vallarta's imprisonment in a case that never arrived at a verdict. Vallarta had been charged with organized crime and kidnapping, but a judge tossed those out Thursday. The attorney general's office did not immediately respond as to whether it would appeal. Vallarta was arrested in 2005, along with his girlfriend French citizen Florence Cassez. Cassez was eventually convicted and sentenced to 60 years on charges of aiding a kidnapping ring, in a case that soured relations between Paris and Mexico City. She acknowledged living with Vallarta at a ranch where kidnap victims were being held, but professed her innocence, saying she was unaware of their presence. One victim identified her as a kidnapper, but by voice only rather than by sight. A day after Cassez was arrested, police had forced her to take part in a staged raid on the ranch purportedly to rescue hostages and arrest suspects. It was covered by the media and broadcast on television. In January 2013 the Supreme Court of Mexico overturned Cassez's conviction due to procedural and rights violations. She was released and became a cause celebre in France.

Novak Djokovic among investors to buy a stake in second-tier French soccer club Le Mans
Novak Djokovic among investors to buy a stake in second-tier French soccer club Le Mans

NBC Sports

time10 hours ago

  • NBC Sports

Novak Djokovic among investors to buy a stake in second-tier French soccer club Le Mans

LE MANS, France — Novak Djokovic is part of a group of investors who have bought a stake in French second-tier soccer team Le Mans, along with ex-Formula 1 drivers Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen. Le Mans said in a statement that they join other new financial investors into the club, including Latin American sports investment firm OutField and Georgios Frangulis, the founder and chief executive of OakBerry. Frangulis is the boyfriend of three-time women's Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka. 'The uniqueness of this fund also lies in its contribution from high-level athletes,' Le Mans president Thierry Gomez said in the statement. 'Novak Djokovic, Felipe Massa, and Kevin Magnussen will be part of the adventure.' No financial details were given. Djokovic is the owner of a men's record 24 Grand Slam titles in tennis. The 38-year-old Serb has won 100 career titles overall. Massa won 11 races and secured 41 podiums in his F1 career. When driving for Ferrari, the popular Brazilian was within a whisker of winning the 2008 title, only for Lewis Hamilton to beat him in a dramatic finish at the last race. Hamilton won the title by 98 points to 97. The 32-year-old Magnussen drove close to 200 races in F1, securing one podium and one pole position. But the Danish driver was not retained by Haas when his contract expired. Le Mans soccer club, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, begins its league campaign on Aug. 9. Le Mans — a small city in northwestern France — also hosts the famed 24-hour endurance car race.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store