Dogecoin was the catalyst for Naomi Osaka getting into cryptocurrencies, the four-times Grand Slam tennis singles champion told Bloomberg in a recent interview.
Osaka talked of reading about an explosion of interest in the meme token on Twitter, even before her agent spoke to her about possibly investing in crypto.
"As athletes, our career isn't that long, and so I just like being very smart with it," she said in the interview published Monday, though she didn't specify any crypto holdings.
"I like when my agent tells me there's opportunities. And in a weird way, I like to fail a little bit because it makes you understand what didn't work and why."
Dogecoin's price is up 5,700% so far this year at 27 cents per coin, but is still 60% lower from a peak of about 70 cents hit in May, according to data from CoinDesk.
On major crypto exchanges, trading volumes in dogecoin surged to almost $1 billion a day in the second quarter, according to Coinbase data. In addition, Robinhood revealed this month that dogecoin made up 62% of the investing app's crypto revenue in the same period.
"My boyfriend really loves to wake up in the morning and check his stuff," Osaka said. "I'm personally not a person that does that, but I can see the appeal."
Osaka has delved into the world of non-fungible tokens. Together with her sister Mari Osaka, she recently released new signed collectibles on Tom Brady's Autograph platform.
But the 23-year-old tennis player, who was fined $15,000 for declining media interviews during the French Open, said she likes to keep a low profile from time to time.
In an increasingly interconnected world, the US military is facing new challenges in old stomping grounds.
Even though the US isn't at war with China, competition with Beijing is already raging, and conventional and special-operations troops deployed around the world are exposed, either directly or through proxies, to Chinese technology that could hinder them in a conflict.
The worst offender is 5G, the same mobile communications technology ordinary people use or will be using in the future.
What's 5G?
US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School students use a cell phone during training in North Carolina, October 22, 2019.
US Army/K. Kassens
5G is the latest generation of mobile communications network technology.
Every 10 years or so, a new generation of mobile communications goes live. 1G, the first generation, arrived with the first cellphones. 2G brought better coverage and texting. 3G introduced data and online services, while 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) brought increased network capacity and improved speeds to address the high demand for mobile data.
5G has download speeds 100 times faster than 4G, meaning that a 3-gigabyte movie would take 35 seconds to download instead of 40 minutes. 5G also has one-tenth the latency as its predecessor, with data response times as fast as a millisecond.
5G promises a transformation of telecommunication networks in a way that makes new capabilities - such as remote surgery, smart cities, and autonomous vehicles - more widely available.
China and 5G
A Huawei booth at the 2020 World 5G Convention in Guangzhou, China, November 27, 2020.
Li Zhihao/VCG via Getty Images
The development of 5G technology is an international affair, with several companies working on their own versions, primarily for domestic consumers.
However, Chinese firm Huawei - which is suspected of stealing its 5G technology from a Canadian firm through cyberattacks - has been deploying its 5G technology worldwide.
Given China's peculiar national security laws, which require individuals and companies to cooperate with the Chinese security services, any Huawei technology around the world is a potential threat to privacy and national security. Through Huawei, Beijing could spy on or disrupt infrastructure and operations during peace or war.
Governments have realized the danger and have been banning Huawei from their networks. The British government did so in 2020, and the US Federal Communications Commission designated Huawei a national security threat in 2021, following several Chinese cyberattacks.
Despite these privacy and security concerns, some countries - especially those in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America - are turning to China for 5G technology. What makes Huawei appealing to these countries is its low cost.
REUTERS/Stringer
"China seeks to supplant global telecommunications competition by providing low-cost infrastructure throughout the developing world. In short, China continues to use the tactic of 'debt diplomacy' as a means of controlling commerce in places like Africa and Southeast Asia, as well as penetrating European and South American markets with 5G technologies," Herm Hasken, a partner and senior operations consultant at MarkPoint Technologies, told Insider.
In exchange for hefty loans and infrastructure like railroads, ports, and telecom networks, Beijing gains access to natural resources, such as oil and minerals. In some cases, China has been able to claim rights to those infrastructure projects when the host country defaults on its loans.
The proliferation of 5G technology also poses threats to the US itself.
The National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently released an advisory that identified five areas of vulnerability associated with the introduction of 5G that state and non-state actors could exploit:
Attempts by malicious state and non-state actors to influence the design and architecture of 5G networks
A potentially vulnerable 5G supply chain
5G working with old, potentially compromised infrastructure
Limited competition in the 5G market
New, previously unknown vulnerabilities introduced with 5G
Special operations and 5G
Marines set up a high-frequency antenna a during a field exercise at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, January 29, 2010.
US Navy/Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Bruns
Special-operations and conventional forces will have to deal with 5G threats when deployed for combat missions or other operations, such as general reconnaissance.
"Special Operations Forces and its partner forces will be increasingly facing foreign technology-based threats while globally deployed. This is especially the case where Chinese- and Russian-manufactured and controlled telecommunications infrastructure is installed," said Hasken, who has extensive special-operations and intelligence-community experience.
For example, when an Army Special Forces team or a Navy SEAL platoon deploys overseas for combat operations or to work with partner forces, they have an electronic and online signature.
Compromised local networks could be used to collect information about their mission and identities, and their tactics, techniques, and procedures.
The head of US Southern Command, who is responsible for US military activity around South America, has specifically cited the presence of Chinese IT infrastructure as a risk to exchanges with partner countries.
US Army Green Berets and Special Operations Command North personnel set up communications with Colorado Springs from their location in the Arctic, September 19, 2020.
US Army/Staff Sgt. Travis Fontane
Special-operations forces "must consider they are operating under a constant state of surveillance while deployed overseas," added Hasken, who spent time at the National Security Agency as the US Special Operations Command's chief cryptologist.
SOCOM's Hyper Enabled Operator initiative is designed to address those threats and "give SOF, Cyber, and conventional forces situational awareness tools that will enable secure communications and force protection techniques required in contested and congested information environments," Hasken said.
The spread of 5G technology also brings opportunities for special-operations forces, especially when it comes to access and information - both essential to shaping the battlespace.
"The location, type, services provided via 5G may help inform SOF operators, Civil Affairs teams, PSYOPS, electronic warfare and communications support teams on critical nodes required to operate with host nation elements while denying such services to internal security or hostile elements attempting to deny, degrade, or totally disrupt US military operations overseas," Hasken added.
5G promises to revolutionize how we work and communicate, but it poses security risks that, if not addressed, could have dire consequences for the public at home and troops in the field.
The number of prescriptions of ivermectin, a deworming drug that has been baselessly touted as a COVID-19 cure, spiked more than 24 times in August compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ivermectin has been approved for use in humans as an anti-parasitic, but not as a COVID-19 remedy.
That's about 24 times more than the weekly average number of ivermectin prescriptions filled out in the year before March 13, 2020, when COVID-19 was declared a national emergency in the US, the CDC said.
While there is no data to conclusively support the use of ivermectin to reduce disease and death from COVID-19, high-profile figures including Sens. Ron Johnson and Rand Paul have promoted the drug as an answer to COVID-19.
Both the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC have issued advisories against the dangers of using the misusing ivermectin when using it as a drug against COVID-19.
Inappropriate use of the drug can lead to overdose, potentially causing hallucinations, seizures, coma, and death, the CDC said.
Some users of the drug have complained online about the dangerous effects, including blurry vision, diarrhea, and pooping out what they believed were "worms," as Insider's Andrea Michelson and Madison Hall reported. In July, ivermectin-related calls to poison control centers rose fivefold compared to pre-pandemic levels, the CDC said.
The FDA also said earlier this year that it had received reports of people taking ivermectin in doses intended for animals. The CDC says such doses can be highly concentrated and result in overdoses when used by humans.
Seventy percent of recent calls to Mississippi's poison control center were related to ingestion of animal ivermectin, Insider recently reported.
Vaccinations are the most effective means to prevent infection by COVID-19, and protect against severe disease, hospitalization, and death. The CDC underlined this in its report.
Cardano's ada token saw record inflows last week, as investors geared up for the network's impending upgrade, pushing the price up 20%, according to a CoinShares report on Monday.
CoinShares said products backed by ada saw inflows of $10.1 million worth of inflows in the week ending August 27.
Earlier this month, cardano announced the "purple" upgrade that is part of its alonzo series of improvements, would take place on September 12. The network will then be able to handle smart contracts and other applications, much like the rival ethereum network.
"Clearly people are trying to diversify and people are taking a step further to look at other altcoins," CoinShares investment strategist James Butterfill said.
Ada has more than doubled in value in August, hitting a record of almost $3.00 ahead of a series of upgrades to the underlying cardano network. It's overtaken XRP and Binance coin as the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, behind bitcoin and ether. The token was last trading at around $2.8 up 1.7% over the last 24 hours, according to Coinbase.
"As smart contracts enabling blockchains, the duo of cardano and ethereum have the propensity to harbor countless innovative projects. These projects, in turn, will promote the utility of the native tokens for both blockchains, driving their valuations," Dmitry Mishunin, founder and CEO of HashEX, a smart contract audit company, told Insider.
Ether has gained around 30% this month, having hit a three-month high of almost $3,380, while bitcoin briefly topped $50,000 for the first time since May last week, but has since eased to around $47,400.
"Bitcoin only relies on its capped supply and the first-mover advantage, a trend many investors are beginning to substitute for unique technology that can drive a blockchain-dominated future," Mishunin said.
CoinShares' report showed other altcoins like XRP saw outflows of $300,000 and polkadot's dot saw inflows of $1.5 million.
The number of people in New Zealand newly infected with COVID-19 has dropped for a third consecutive day - an early sign that the country's strict lockdown may be working to contain the highly infectious Delta variant.
New Zealand recorded 49 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, down from 53 on Monday and 83 on Sunday, official data showed.
Eric Topol, director at Scripps Research Institute, said on Twitter Tuesday that New Zealand was "achieving containment."
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said previously that the country's approach to tackling Delta would be "elimination." "Elimination means continuing to stamp out COVID wherever it emerges," she said.
The total number of cases for the outbreak now stands at 612, of which 597 are in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city and the epicenter of the outbreak. The remaining 15 cases are in Wellington, the country's capital.
Michael Plank, a COVID-19 modeler and professor in statistics at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, told the Guardian that the trend in case numbers over the weekend were "likely an indication" that the outbreak was plateauing.
He said: "If the lockdown does prove to be really effective at stopping transmission between bubbles, it's possible we could see case numbers down to about 10 a day within the sort of latter part of September, and you know, if we can get down to that level, we'll be in a really good position to eliminate the outbreak."
Plank cautioned that testing and processing slowed down over the weekend, which could contribute to the lower case numbers.
Michael Baker, professor of public health at University of Otago, New Zealand, said he was feeling optimistic about the numbers. "The best news is there is not an exponential increase in cases," he said, per the Guardian.
Ardern said in a briefing Monday that without restrictions the country "could have been at 550 cases today alone. So it is making a difference. Whether or not we have now plateaued and moving down, we do need a bit more time I think to feel reassured of that."
The restrictions have since been extended three times. Auckland will be in alert level 4, the strictest level of pandemic restrictions, for at least another two weeks, officials announced Monday.
Under level 4 rules, New Zealanders can only leave the house for exercise, supermarket shopping, essential medical care including pharmacy visits, and getting a COVID-19 test.
Most of the rest of the country will be downgraded to level 3 late Tuesday. "It means caution, and staying in your bubble, and it means distance and contactless transactions," Ardern said.
Warren Buffett's 97-year-old business partner, Charlie Munger, surprisingly embraced Zoom during the pandemic. Eric Yuan, the founder and CEO of the video-conferencing platform, celebrated the veteran investor's endorsement of his product on an earnings call this week.
"I have fallen in love with Zoom," Munger, the vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, said in a CNBC interview filmed at Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting in May. "Zoom is here to stay. It just adds so much convenience."
Munger added that he struck a deal in Australia using the communications tool. He trumpeted its prospects at Daily Journal's annual meeting in February as well.
"When the pandemic is over, I don't think we're going back to just the way things were," the newspaper publisher's chairman said. "We're going to do a lot less travel and a lot more Zooming."
Yuan thanked Munger for his vote of confidence in a tweet in late June. He tipped his hat again during Zoom's second-quarter earnings call on Monday, and offered to troubleshoot any issues the investor runs into.
"I'd like to thank Charlie Munger of Berkshire Hathaway for his remarks about how Zoom has added so much convenience to his life," he said.
"We are so delighted to count Charlie as a happy user," Yuan continued. "And I nominate myself to be Charlie's personal Zoom tech support if he ever needs it."
Yuan may have Munger firmly in his corner, but Buffett is far more skeptical. "I'm just not a Zoom guy," he told CNBC in May. "I don't see any plus to it, particularly," he continued, noting that a computer screen filled with people's faces added nothing to his experience.
"I'd rather have my feet on the desk, and I find the telephone a very satisfactory instrument," Buffett added.
Zoom's stock price has more than quintupled since the start of 2020, fueled by surging demand for video calls and virtual meetings during the pandemic. Its revenue surged 54% year-on-year to over $1 billion last quarter, driving net income up 71% to $317 million.
However, the stock fell as much as 12% in premarket trading on Tuesday after the company forecasted around $1 billion of revenue in both the third and fourth quarters of this year.
The fathers of two US Marines killed in the Kabul airport attack last week said they felt disrespected by President Joe Biden after he was seen checking his watch at a ceremony marking the return of the US service members' remains.
The "dignified transfer" of the servicemen, a process by which fallen service members killed in foreign combat abroad are transported from an aircraft to a vehicle, took place at Dover Air Base on Sunday. During the ceremony, Biden was filmed appearing to check his watch at least once.
Mark Schmitz, the father of Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, and Darin Hoover, the father of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, both told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Monday that they saw Biden repeatedly checking his watch during the event.
Daren Hoover told Hannity that he refused to meet with Biden that day because he didn't want him "anywhere near us," adding: "In reference to the checking of his watch, that didn't happen just once. That happened on every single one [of the deceased servicemen] that came out of that airplane. It happened on every single one of them. They'd release the salute and he'd look down at his watch - on all 13 he'd look down at his watch."
Schmitz added: "I actually leaned into my son's mother's ear and I said, I swear to God if he checks his watch one more time, and that was probably only four times in. I couldn't look at him anymore after that, just especially considering the time and why we were there. It was, I found to be the most disrespectful thing I've ever seen."
