WAO ART #51

The Australian government is proposing new regulations for the cryptocurrency market to combat financial crime. However, there are concerns that the proposed regulations, such as a ban on anonymous transactions and certain types of crypto, could stifle innovation and drive development underground.

Business intelligence firm MicroStrategy has acquired an additional 1,045 Bitcoins for roughly $29.3m, bringing its total holdings to 140,000 coins acquired at an aggregate purchase price of approximately $4.17bn. The company's average purchase price now stands at $29,803 per Bitcoin.

The largest cave in Mato Grosso, Brazil, which is approximately 600 million years old, has opened for visitation for the first time. The Jabuti Cave is considered the largest in the state and is approximately 4 km long. It is as if there were 33 soccer fields, one behind the other, in a straight line.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned China of consequences if it supplies arms to Russia, calling it a "historic mistake with profound implications." Stoltenberg said China's refusal to condemn Russia's war on Ukraine challenges the security interests and values that NATO stands for.

Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. He is the first US president in history to face a criminal trial. Trump called the charges a "fake case" and added that "US going to hell".

A South African pilot made an emergency landing after discovering a deadly cobra in the cockpit of his plane at 11,000ft. The private plane was carrying four passengers, as well as the snake, which had been spotted earlier taking refuge under the aircraft.

French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen will meet with President Xi Jinping in Beijing to discuss the Ukraine war and the EU's trade relationship with China. Macron is expected to play the "good cop", while von der Leyen is seen as the "bad cop".