WAO ART #57

Tempo France and nTokens have partnered to launch high-tech remittances to Brazil using Stellar blockchain technology. The partnership will enable transfers from European Union countries to over 170 Brazilian banks, with remittances secured using nTokens' tokenisation technology.

Bitcoin has surpassed $30,000 for the first time since June 2022, while Ethereum has approached $2,000, its highest point since August 2022. The gains have buoyed the entire cryptocurrency market, with the global crypto market cap up over 4% to $1.24 trillion over the past 24 hours.

Dozens of classified US documents have been leaked, offering information on the war in Ukraine, China, and allies. One document refers to the presence of a small number of Western special forces operating inside Ukraine, without specifying their activities.

A leaked Pentagon document reveals that high-level South Korean officials are torn on whether to sell weapons that could be used in Ukraine, with one adviser suggesting sending the shells to Poland instead to avoid appearing to have given in to US pressure.

Algeria's state energy company, Sonatrach, has announced six oil and gas discoveries in the first quarter of 2021, yielding over 1.5 million cubic meters of gas and smaller amounts of oil. This is an increase from the seven discoveries made in the entirety of 2020.

Rocket Lab will launch NASA's TROPICS constellation, consisting of four CubeSats, from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand across two dedicated Electron missions in May. The constellation will monitor the formation and evolution of tropical cyclones, including hurricanes, and observations of storm intensity.

The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted, sending a 20km ash plume into the air and covering nearby villages with an 8.5cm layer of ash. The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team has issued a code red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation.