Prime Minister Petr Fiala has appointed Eva Decroix as the Czech Republic’s new justice minister, replacing Pavel Blažek following the political storm over a $45 million Bitcoin donation. The decision comes just months before the general election amid mounting calls for accountability.
Blažek faced criticism after the Ministry of Justice accepted 468 Bitcoin from Tomáš Jirčovský, a convicted criminal linked to the now-defunct illicit online platform Sheep Marketplace. The assets were sold earlier this year for approximately $43 million.
Although Blažek claimed the donation was legal and intended to benefit the state, opponents accused him of legitimising criminal proceeds and bypassing legal procedures.
As public and political pressure increased, Blažek resigned and quit Fiala’s Civic Democrat party, stating the issue had become a distraction for the government. In response, Fiala called Decroix’s appointment vital and ordered an independent audit to restore public confidence.
The timing is critical, with the general election scheduled for 3–4 October. The opposition ANO party, led by former prime minister Andrej Babiš, has seized on the controversy to question the government’s integrity.
Although the coalition remains stable in parliament, analysts warn the scandal could influence voter sentiment in a closely fought race.
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A Barcelona court has launched a criminal probe into Shirtum Europa SLU, a crypto firm accused of defrauding investors of $3.4 million through a failed NFT scheme. Several elite footballers, including World Cup winners and former Barcelona stars, are named in the case after promoting the venture.
The NFTs tied to footballer image rights and sold via the $SHI token were marketed as exclusive collectables but were never tradable or backed by a functioning platform.
Founders allegedly used a complex corporate structure to evade taxes and siphon funds, with footballers acting as public faces to boost credibility.
The footballers are ‘Papu’ Gómez, Lucas Ocampos, Ivan Rakitić, Javier Saviola, Nico Pareja, and Alberto Moreno. Reports suggest ‘Papu’ Gómez recruited others after presenting himself as a company founder before all promotional material was removed from social media.
The scandal exposes problems in Spanish football’s crypto partnerships, as a gambling ad ban left a sponsorship gap that crypto firms filled. Many clubs face unpaid fees, and experts warn big names may mislead investors.
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Paul Atkins, a US Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner, has publicly backed the right to self-custody digital assets. Describing it as a core value, Atkins stressed that individual control over one’s money aligns with foundational principles of freedom and property rights.
Self-custody allows crypto holders to store their private keys independently, without relying on exchanges or custodians. The practice gained traction after centralised platforms such as FTX collapsed in 2022, causing billions in losses.
Tools like Ledger, Trezor, and MetaMask have made it easier for everyday users to manage their keys securely.
Support for self-custody is growing among regulators and the wider crypto community. With more than 30 million Americans now owning cryptocurrency, Atkins’ endorsement reflects a broader trend towards individual responsibility and decentralised finance.
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Dogecoin has seen a sharp decline of over 10% in the past week, falling to $0.179. The drop coincides with heightened uncertainty linked to Elon Musk and Donald Trump, which appears to have dampened investor sentiment.
Despite the setback, Dogecoin remains the eighth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation at $26.88 billion and commands a dominance of 0.8299%.
Technical analysis shows widening Bollinger Bands on the 4-hour chart, indicating increased volatility. The price touched the lower band near $0.17 before making a mild recovery towards the midline.
Meanwhile, trading volume surged to $1.63 billion, suggesting a large-scale sell-off. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) fell into an oversold zone but is now showing signs of recovery at 39.75, hinting at a potential reversal.
If bullish momentum continues, Dogecoin could test the resistance level at $0.183, with possible targets at $0.200 and $0.217. However, failure to break through could send the price down to the key support level of $0.165 in the coming weeks.
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Telegram founder Pavel Durov says he remains baffled by his detention in France, describing the incident as politically charged and unjustified. In his first interview since his August 2024 arrest, Durov said French prosecutors treated Telegram’s operations as a mystery.
Durov was indicted on six charges, including complicity in criminal activity, money laundering, and failing to respond to legal requests. He denied the accusations, stating that a top-tier accounting firm audits Telegram and spends millions on compliance quarterly.
‘We did nothing wrong,’ he said, accusing French authorities of failing to follow due legal process.
Carlson criticized the arrest as an attempt to humiliate Durov and questioned why civil liberties advocates were silent.
In response, Durov pointed out that over nine million Telegram users have signed a letter demanding his release. He also emphasized that Telegram is prepared to leave countries that oppose its values.
Telegram’s global user base continues to grow rapidly, reaching one billion monthly active users as of March 2025.
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Paraguay’s government warned of possible unauthorised access to President Santiago Peña’s X account after a false Bitcoin legal tender claim. The now-deleted message announced a $5 million Bitcoin reserve fund and featured a decree with the national coat of arms.
Officials quickly noted inconsistencies in the statement’s formatting and tone. No matching information was published on government websites or state-run media. These red flags led observers to question the post’s authenticity almost immediately.
Authorities confirmed that the president’s account had shown signs of ‘irregular activity’, suggesting it may have been compromised. Citizens have been urged to ignore the claim and await verified updates through official channels.
Although countries like El Salvador have formally adopted Bitcoin as legal tender, Paraguay has made no such move. At the time of writing, no further details had been released regarding the source or method of the suspected breach.
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South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, is moving quickly on campaign pledges as the ruling Democratic Party proposes a bill to issue local stablecoins. The Digital Asset Basic Act, announced on Tuesday, aims to improve transparency and boost competition within the crypto sector.
Under the proposed law, South Korean firms could issue stablecoins if they hold at least 500 million won in equity capital. These issuers must maintain sufficient reserves and gain approval from the Financial Services Commission.
The move comes as stablecoin trading in South Korea surges, reaching 57 trillion won in Q1 alone.
Lee’s push for broader crypto integration includes proposals for the national pension fund to invest in Bitcoin and permitting Bitcoin ETFs. However, the Bank of Korea has voiced opposition, warning that private stablecoins could undermine the central bank’s control over monetary policy.
Despite uncertainties, local crypto stocks such as KakaoPay have seen sharp gains, though some analysts caution the optimism may be premature.
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Argentina’s Anti-Corruption Office has concluded that President Javier Milei did not violate ethics laws when he published a now-deleted post promoting the LIBRA memecoin. The agency stated the February post was made in a personal capacity and did not constitute an official act.
The ruling clarified that Milei’s X account, where the post appeared, is personally managed and predates his political role. It added that the account identifies him as an economist rather than a public official, meaning the post is protected as a private expression under the constitution.
The investigation had been launched after LIBRA’s price soared and then crashed following Milei’s endorsement, which linked to the token’s contract and a promotional site. Investors reportedly lost millions, and allegations of insider trading surfaced.
Although the Anti-Corruption Office cleared him, a separate federal court investigation remains ongoing, with Milei and his sister’s assets temporarily frozen.
Despite the resolution, the scandal damaged public trust. Milei has maintained he acted in good faith, claiming the aim was to raise awareness of a private initiative to support small Argentine businesses through crypto.
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FIFA has launched its own blockchain using Avalanche’s Subnet technology, ending its previous partnership with Algorand. The shift allows FIFA full control over how its Web3 products—including digital collectibles, games, and fan platforms—are developed and integrated.
The move also brings improved scalability and compatibility with Ethereum-based tools.
By building on an EVM-compatible chain, FIFA now enables wallet support from widely used apps like MetaMask, lowering entry barriers for users globally. It also makes it easier for developers to build decentralised applications and connect to broader DeFi and NFT ecosystems.
The blockchain can scale independently, a key advantage during major events like the World Cup.
FIFA Collect has fully migrated to the new blockchain, offering faster transactions and new utility features, such as NFT-based perks tied to real-world events. A new arcade-style mobile game, FIFA Rivals, launches in June and will let fans trade in-game NFT cards on the Mythos chain.
FIFA’s blockchain now supports interactive and tokenised experiences, turning football fans into participants with digital ownership and direct influence.
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Switzerland’s Federal Council has approved a bill to enable automatic exchange of crypto asset information with 74 partner countries. The bill, announced on 6 June, is expected to come into effect in January 2026, with the first data exchanges likely to begin in 2027.
The move aims to improve tax transparency and crack down on cross-border tax evasion. Countries set to receive Switzerland’s crypto data include all EU member states, the United Kingdom, and most G20 nations.
However, the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia are notably excluded from the list, as confirmed by the Swiss Federal Government’s official X account.
Only countries that agree to exchange similar crypto asset data with Switzerland and comply with the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) will be included.
The framework requires service providers such as exchanges and wallets to collect users’ tax identification details and report relevant crypto transactions annually. Before the data-sharing begins, Swiss authorities will also verify that all partner states meet CARF standards.
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