41 pointsby ilamont4 hours ago6 comments
  • sixtyj3 hours ago
    > On June 29, two months after Zondacrypto’s website shut down, the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit revoked the license of its parent company. Zondacrypto has been the subject of speculation in both Poland’s Parliament and its news media over whether it was a legitimate company simply upended by bad bets on crypto, or a criminal enterprise that had been set up to launder money. Bitcoin has lost half its value since October. Prosecutors in Katowice have opened an investigation into the “circumstances surrounding the establishment and operation” of Zondacrypto. Perhaps the one person who could provide answers is Mr. Kral, who has not been seen in four months. There have been several unconfirmed sightings of him, in Israel, Botswana and Dubai. Mr. Nogacki, the lawyer representing the exchanges’s clients, thinks Mr. Kral is probably in Southeast Asia. But he says he is sure of only one thing about Zondacrypto: “It was a fraud from the first day.”
  • sandworm1013 hours ago
    I want to live in that city!

    In one picture, there is a rail line, a stadium, a casino, a leafy boulevard, some large sculptures, public transport (busses running in the early morning) and parking sports. Actual open parking spots! Even the park benches are nice. Not stupid anti-homeless structures but plain benches where people can actually sit comfortably. And the buildings, at least a half-dozen different styles in one photo. There are so many reasons why none of that is possible in north america.

    • lifestyleguruan hour ago
      Believe me you don't want to live in Katowice, trust the locals [1]. Nowadays the city is a vehicle where cash is allocated into real estate and nothing more.

      [1] - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/pl/timeline/5rtkk72xw...

      Demographically the city received once in a century opportunity - millennials - and they basically kicked them out from the city in the 1990s and 2000s.

  • walrus014 hours ago
    "Through a right-wing Polish TV station, it also partly financed a gathering last year in Poland of the Conservative Political Action Conference, an American organization close to Mr. Trump’s MAGA movement."
  • lifestyleguruan hour ago
    This situation stinks from afar with a cover up operation of Polish, Israeli and perhaps some other intelligence agencies. How easily they dissappear people into thin air and to Monaco and Israel. For a moment Zonda was everywhere in Poland - from prime minister's t-shirt to many stadiums. I don't think criminals are capable of this, but Poland is a rotten state so who knows. Russia is such an easy explanation for politicians and public officials right now.

    After the final failure Polish media announced instantly that "the boss is in Israel there's nothing that can be done". Polish prosecutor travelled informally to Middle East to meet him and... beg him to cooperate.

    • ifwintercoan hour ago
      Israel won’t extradite citizens if they don’t want to and there’s nothing a western government can do.

      Why is that the case you might ask, given that they’re “our greatest ally”?

      Well that’s a good question

      • lifestyleguruan hour ago
        He was granted Israeli citizenship while Zonda was already disintegrating, awaiting for it in Monaco.
  • anonymousiaman hour ago
    NYT can always find a way to present DJT in a bad light in any article with any context. This is another fine example.
    • defrostan hour ago
      This is a low bar to praise though, literally anybody can show DJT in a bad light just by rolling raw footage.

      How about singling out Fox News and Newsmax for their efforts in always showing DJT in a good light, day in, day out, no matter WTF he "truths" or how hard he bombs.

      There's some dedicated goal orientated journalism of note.

    • OKRainbowKidan hour ago
      Oh I think DJT is doing a splendid job at that himself, I don't believe the NYT has to try particularly hard.
    • snayan34 minutes ago
      It'd be a lot harder to present Trump in a positive context in reference to crypto, not quite sure how it could be done. How would that be framed?