Latest news with #Rada
Arabian Post
11-06-2025
- Business
- Arabian Post
Ukraine Eyes Crypto Inclusion in National Reserves
Kyiv's parliament has introduced draft Bill 13356, empowering the National Bank of Ukraine to incorporate virtual assets—primarily Bitcoin—into its official gold and foreign-exchange reserves. The legislation would not compel the central bank to adopt such assets, but merely grant it the legal framework to do so. Lead author Yaroslav Zheleznyak, first deputy chair of the Rada's Finance Committee, highlighted that the bank would retain full discretion over timing, volume, and methodology of any crypto acquisitions. He described the measure as a pivotal move to 'integrate Ukraine into global financial innovations' and bolster macroeconomic resilience while catalysing the digital economy. Ukraine currently holds approximately 46,351 BTC—valued at over $5 billion—though these holdings originate from asset seizures, donations, and fundraising during wartime, and remain under civil-servant control rather than central-bank custody. If passed, the law would permit the bank to transition some of those coins into officially recognised reserves. ADVERTISEMENT The proposal mirrors a broader trend: several nations are charting similar initiatives. The United States launched a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve under an executive order issued on 6 March by former President Trump, consolidating government‑owned cryptos into a national asset. Pakistan, Brazil and the Czech Republic are exploring mechanisms to incorporate digital assets into sovereign financial systems. El Salvador, which adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, holds over 6,000 BTC, while Bhutan maintains mining‑powered reserves worth around $750 million. Yet the move is not without detractors. Critics emphasise Bitcoin's volatility, liquidity constraints and concentration within corporate entities like MicroStrategy, which undermine its suitability as a stable reserve asset. The Swiss National Bank's governor, Martin Schlegel, reaffirmed this stance on 25 April in Bern, warning that crypto lacks the stability and liquidity required for central‑bank reserve portfolios. ECB President Christine Lagarde has echoed similar concerns, stating that digital assets do not meet the criteria for eurozone reserve holdings. Proponents argue that strategic inclusion could buffer Ukraine against inflation and currency devaluation, offering rapid, secure transferability unmatched by physical assets. Zheleznyak's Telegram statement emphasised that implementation would be fully at the central bank's professional discretion. Operationalising the proposal will require establishing robust legal and procedural frameworks: anti‑money‑laundering protocols, cybersecurity safeguards, digital custody infrastructure, and accounting mechanisms. Banking analysts suggest that careful integration and risk management will be essential to balance innovation with financial stability. Ukraine's draft arrives amid growing global debate on digital money. Central bank digital currencies are being piloted worldwide, such as Turkey's digital lira, China's e‑renminbi, and Nigeria's e‑Naira. Meanwhile, debates continue over whether public‑sector balance sheets should venture into decentralised finance or maintain traditional gold‑forex portfolios. As parliamentarians prepare to debate Bill 13356, attention will turn to amendments that might specify asset types, risk parameters, and accounting standards—or narrow discretionary power for the central bank. The legislation must also align with IMF frameworks and comply with anti‑money‑laundering regulations.
Time Out
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Rada is "Chanta": one role, a thousand faces, and an uncomfortable mirror
Agustín Aristarán, better known as Rada, can be described with grand adjectives like "multifaceted," "restless," "eclectic," or "chameleonic." Or, simply put, he's talented. Very talented. And very hardworking, too. Every night, he embodies Julio Ballesteros, a recently deceased man who, from his coffin, revisits different stages of his life. All of them share a common thread... Julio is a chanta. The quintessential Argentine "chanta" who acts cocky in any situation, underestimates others, always has a biting retort, and thinks he knows it all. The challenge? In a relentless acting marathon, Rada interprets him in rewind, from his death to when he's just a fetus in his mother's womb, passing through adulthood, adolescence, and childhood. And in this frantic backward journey, he revisits his history and his miseries. Rada defines Julio as "a nasty old man, who, as he tells his life story, you realize why he ended up alone." When asked if he identifies with him in any way, he responds with a resounding NO. "Rada defines Julio as 'a nasty old man who, as he tells his life story, you realize why he ended up alone'" How was he built? It involved a lot of work: from the characterization, physicality, and the different inflections in his voice at various points in his life. I found him alongside director Marcelo Caballero, with whom I had worked previously, and we have a very nice, shared way of working. How was the creative process, given that it's a play by Cohn/Duprat, who have a more audiovisual language? Fortunately, the authors gave us a lot of freedom, as it was a piece with a strong audiovisual imprint, and adapting it for the theater required significant changes. We were able to play, change, rework, and propose. You might also be interested in: The best plays on Corrientes Street With cynical monologues laden with irony, Julio reviews his life and exposes prejudices, customs, and hypocrisies that reveal both his own and others' miseries, decadence, ambition, and opportunism. It's a play that makes the audience uncomfortable. Does that influence your portrayal? It's a very vibrant piece that changes—not in its structure, because it has a very significant script, set design, music, and lighting—but it does change from performance to performance, according to what I feel from the audience. "It's a piece that changes from performance to performance, according to what I feel from the audience" Rada confesses that every project he embarks on is a challenge, but Chanta, in particular, tests him every night with a very complex script combined with rapid and powerful changes. He jokes, "I've been surfing it very well." When defining himself, he asserts that his essence remains that of the magician from his beginnings, and that in Chanta, he uses magical resources to go on stage and embody this multifaceted character. And just as he lives Julio's frenetic journey on stage, when the lights dim, the curtain falls, and he becomes Agustín again, his life imitates art. He rushes from Corrientes Street to the filming of the third installment of Envidiosa, then to the shooting of Parque Lezama with Campanella, and after that, to the imminent premiere of his TV show with Mario Pergolini. And as if by a magic trick, he continues to display his dedication and talent in every project he undertakes.
Edmonton Journal
02-06-2025
- Health
- Edmonton Journal
FBI probing ‘improvised flame thrower' attack on Boulder Jews as hate crime
Article content 'We were deeply disturbed to see mainstream U.S. media outlets take Hamas at its word and immediately run with the false allegations released by their 'Gaza Health Ministry,' without taking the time to investigate what actually occurred,' Rada said, referring to allegations that Israeli soldiers fired upon people seeking aid supplies in Gaza. 'Footage released by the IDF shows that it is Hamas that is responsible for these deaths,' she said. 'Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that starves and intentionally puts its own civilians in danger in order to maintain power. It is doing everything in its power to disrupt the distribution of aid by Israel—in cooperation with American and international partners—to residents in Gaza.' Rada told JNS that 'it is critically important, especially at a time when Jews worldwide are being targeted, that the media take the time to report accurately and not simply echo the lies of Israel's enemies. 'Israel is fighting a war that was forced upon it that was started on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel, killed over 1,200 people and dragged over 250 people back to its tunnels in Gaza,' she said. 'Sadly, we have seen the lies of 'genocide' in Gaza inspire people to take violent action, most recently Washington, D.C., and today in Boulder, Colo., where there is another unfolding tragedy.'
Libya Review
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Libya Review
'Libya Build' Expo Turns to Battleground as Militias Overrun Capital
Libya may have just hosted 'the world's worst conference.' The event, held in Tripoli on May 12 under the title 'Libya Build', was promoted as the largest construction expo ever organized in North Africa, according to The Economist. It attracted international delegates from China, Turkey, and Malta, with the optimistic slogan: 'Let's Build Libya Together.' Instead, what unfolded was a descent into chaos. As guests arrived, mortars began falling. Gunmen in trucks mounted with heavy machine guns seized control of half the capital. Burned-out cars lined the streets. Schools, banks, and markets shut their gates. Militias stormed the Central Bank. Even the gazelles were stolen from Tripoli's zoo. Britain abruptly reversed its recently eased travel advice, urging citizens to avoid the capital, while Turkey airlifted its nationals to safety. This breakdown underscored the failure of Tripoli's post-Gaddafi 'reset.' The Government of National Unity (GNU) in the west, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbaiba, once a construction tycoon, was always weaker than Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the General Commander of the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA). Unlike Haftar, Dbaiba's authority relies on a precarious coalition of militias. As Libya's oil revenues declined and government funds dwindled, Dbaiba's payouts decreased, prompting unrest among the very groups that once supported him. The immediate trigger was reportedly financial: with the coffers empty, militias sought new income by, for instance, kidnapping utility executives. Then, in a move meant to neutralize a threat, Dbaiba's forces killed militia leader Abdul Ghani al-Kikli during a meeting. The assassination provoked Tripoli's most powerful armed group, the Salafist Special Deterrence Force (Rada), which retaliated and took control of half the capital. In the aftermath, Tripolitanians, exhausted by years of misrule and broken promises, took to the streets demanding elections, an end to militia dominance, and reunification of Libya. Many now view Dbaiba as one of the 'fulul'—a term used to describe holdovers from the Gaddafi era. Dbaiba, seen by many diplomats as a fading figure, is said to have sent his family to London. Desperate to appear in control, he called fighters from his hometown of Misrata to secure Tripoli. They reportedly fired on demonstrators. With Tripoli's main airport under Rada's control, Dbaiba reopened the long-closed international airport and vowed to turn Kikli's former militia base into a public park. He has branded remaining militias 'blackmailers, criminals, and sharks.' But without their support, his grip grows increasingly fragile. His ministers have begun to resign. Parliament has declared Dbaiba 'illegitimate' and named potential successors. Meanwhile, reports suggest troop movements in Sirte, Zawiya, Zintan, and Ghadames, possibly in preparation for a broader push by Haftar's forces. For now, Dbaiba remains in office, but, as The Economist concludes, 'Libyans and foreign diplomats have begun to speak of his rule in the past tense.' At least, with the airport reopened, 'he has a way to escape'.
BreakingNews.ie
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Andrew Garfield's outspoken grief helped with loss of my mother
The Last Of Us actress Kaitlyn Dever has said that Andrew Garfield being so outspoken about his grief after his mother's death helped her with her own loss. Dever revealed last year that her mother died after a breast cancer diagnosis, weeks before she filmed a scene for the post-apocalyptic HBO drama in which her character speaks about a brutal death. Advertisement The 28-year-old, also known for Netflix dramas Unbelievable and Apple Cider Vinegar as well as the comedy film Booksmart, told GQ Hype that she has repeatedly watched Spider-Man star Garfield's Stephen Colbert interview in order to learn how to cope. The Last Of Us actress Kaitlyn Dever lost her mother. Photo: Daria Kobayashi Ritch/GQ. She said: 'I would Google it and watch it often, because I always felt like… the worst thing in my life that could happen was losing my best friend. 'And I always thought that I wouldn't be able to go on. 'But then I'd look at Andrew and think, 'well, his life seems to be moving forwards'.' Advertisement She also spoke to the online magazine about filming The Last of Us days after her mother's funeral. Dever, who attended London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (Rada), said: 'I had just experienced (my loss). 'Even though death is part of the human experience, we are not meant to be used to grief and watching your best friend die. So that was a crazy line to repeat over and over again because I had just seen her. 'She wasn't alive any more and I saw her body in the hospital. And that experience is so gut-wrenching. Nothing will ever be as bad as that.' Advertisement Her character Abby tells Joel Miller, played by Pedro Pascal, she found her dead father's body shortly after he was shot, as she tries to get revenge against the protagonist. The Last Of Us actress Kaitlyn Dever. Photo: Daria Kobayashi Ritch/GQ. The second series of The Last Of Us was released in April and stars English actress Bella Ramsey as Ellie, who is kept safe across the post-apocalyptic world by Joel. Entertainment Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson says premature... Read More Garfield, who was born in the US and later moved to the UK, began filming Netflix's biography Tick, Tick… Boom!, for which he was nominated for an Oscar, just after his mother Lynn died from pancreatic cancer in 2019. He recalled in 2021 to Colbert that he hopes 'this grief stays with me because it's all of the unexpressed love that I didn't get to tell her, and I told her every day, she was the best of us', while promoting the film. Advertisement Read the full feature online at GQ Hype here
