Tag Archives: donations

Nigel Farage Proposes Bitcoin Donations for UK Reform

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Nigel Farage has announced that he will accept donations via Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

He made his appearance at the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas, where he was introduced as a “British presidential candidate.” Farage stated:

He mentioned that the reforms are set to introduce crypto assets and digital finance legislation, aiming to reduce the tax on cryptocurrency transactions from 24% to 10%, thereby transforming the UK into a “crypto powerhouse.” He further noted that the cryptocurrency framework established by his party includes the “Bank of England’s Bitcoin Digital Reserve.”

Farage asserted that the new bill would prohibit banks from criticizing customers who engage in cryptocurrency trading.

On Thursday, the reform website underwent updates to facilitate cryptocurrency donations, with a disclaimer specifying that all contributions must comply with Election Commission regulations, and anonymous donations are prohibited.

During the conference, Farage referred to the acceptance of political donations in digital currencies as “innovative” and later commended the United States for being a “pioneer” in its approach to digital assets.

“My message to the British public, especially the youth, is to help guide our nation into the 21st century,” he said. “We must acknowledge that cryptocurrency and digital assets are here to stay.”


In his address, Farage criticized the inaction of previous Conservative governments concerning the current Labour government and the cryptocurrency landscape. He remarked: “Rishi Sunak delivered one speech about cryptocurrency when he was briefly Prime Minister. What has changed regarding London’s status as a global financial hub? Just one speech and nothing more.”

A spokesman for Reform UK confirmed that the party will accept cryptocurrency donations, with further details anticipated to be disclosed on Friday.

Reform UK is categorized under corporate governance as a private entity led by individuals, rather than functioning as a member-driven association like other political parties. The organization overseeing Reform UK is identified as Reform 2025, a nonprofit with just two members and two directors.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Elon Musk Announces Plans to Reduce Political Donations Soon

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On Tuesday, Elon Musk stated that he intends to reduce his political spending in the coming period. If accurate, this signifies a significant change from last year when he emerged as one of the Republicans’ most ardent financial supporters.

“I believe my political expenditures will be much less moving forward,” Musk remarked during a video interview with Bloomberg News at the Qatar Economic Forum.

Bloomberg’s Mishal Hussain inquired whether Musk had determined his spending for the midterm elections, which prompted Musk to reply with, “I think I’ve done enough.” It was uncertain if he was joking, but it elicited laughter from the audience.


Last year, the CEO of SpaceX contributed nearly $300 million to support Donald Trump, with his American PAC political organization anticipated to play a significant role in boosting Republican candidates in the 2026 elections. His political contributions and notable position in the Trump administration as the “Doctor of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) have generated international backlash, negatively impacting both Tesla’s popularity and car sales.

When Hussain followed up regarding whether Musk’s retreat from politics influenced his contributions, Musk didn’t clarify, although he hinted at the potential for changing his stance.

“If I find a reason to engage politically in the future, I will. Currently, I’m not seeing any reason,” Musk stated.

Musk was a significant donor during Trump’s reelection campaign, supporting the Pro Trump Group and sponsoring a sweepstakes where pre-elected voters received a $1 million check. Earlier this year, he allocated $25 million to the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, but his contributions were also critiqued, as Democrats focused on his unpopularity and external influences during the campaign.

Following the Wisconsin elections, where Musk’s candidates did not perform well, some Republicans began to reconsider how to balance their financial ambitions with the public’s negative sentiment towards him. Musk had previously seemed poised to leverage his immense resources to disrupt the electoral landscape. According to a Wall Street Journal Report, his top political strategist met with a Nevada consultant in March to discuss upcoming races.

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The interviews in Qatar involved numerous exchanges and Musk addressing key media, lasting approximately 40 minutes. He asserted that he would lead Tesla for at least the next five years and that it took time to respond to the Wall Street Journal. Recent reports indicated that the automaker’s board of directors began searching for a potential CEO replacement for Musk. Additionally, Musk faced criticism from fellow tech billionaire Bill Gates, who compared him to “frequently Jeffrey Epstein,” contesting that his DOGE could jeopardize international aid and harm children’s health, as Gates remarked in a recent interview.

Musk mentioned that he plans to dine with Trump this week but has recently stepped back from living full-time in Washington, D.C., and aims to dedicate more time to managing companies like Tesla.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Molly Russell Charity allegedly received donations from Meta and Pinterest for Internet Safety purposes.

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A large donation was reportedly made to the Molly Rose Foundation by Meta and Pinterest, two major companies in the online sphere. The foundation was established as part of the Internet Safety Campaign and is named after Molly Russell, a 14-year-old who tragically took her own life in 2017 after being exposed to harmful content related to suicide and self-harm on social media platforms.

The latest annual report of the foundation mentions grants received from anonymous donors, with the stipulation that the details of the donations remain private as requested by the trustee.

According to reports from the BBC, Meta and Pinterest are believed to have made these donations starting from 2024 and are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. The exact amount of the donations has not been disclosed, but it is known that the Russell family has not received any financial compensation from the contributions.

In a statement, the Russell family expressed their commitment to utilizing the funds for the shared purpose of promoting a positive online experience for young people, as a response to Molly’s tragic passing. They clarified that they will never accept any compensation related to Molly’s death.

These donations come at a time when social media companies are facing heightened scrutiny for the impact of their platforms on the mental health of children. Meta announced significant policy changes, including the removal of fact checkers to enhance freedom of speech and reduce censorship, relying on users to report objectionable content instead.

The Molly Rose Foundation has raised concerns about the heightened risk of young people being exposed to harmful content online due to these changes. They have launched campaigns advocating for stronger online safety regulations and increased accountability for content driven by algorithms.

The charity has recently expanded its team, recruiting a CEO, two public policy managers, a communications manager, and a fundraiser in the past nine months. Molly’s father, Ian Russell, serves as the foundation’s unpaid trustee and continues to be a prominent figure in internet safety advocacy.

Both Meta and Pinterest were contacted for comments by The Guardian but have not responded at the time of reporting.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Regular blood donations can lead to healthier blood cells

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Blood donation may not be purely altruistic

Serhiihudak/ukrinform/future Publishing by Getty Images

Frequent blood donors may be gaining more than a warm, ambiguous feeling from altruism, as giving blood can increase their ability to produce healthy blood cells and potentially reduce the risk of developing blood cancer.

Hector Huerga Encabo The Francis Crick Institute in London and his colleagues analyzed genetic data extracted from blood cells donated from 217 German men aged 60 to 72 years old. They also looked at samples from 212 men of similar age who donated their blood less than 10 times and found that frequent donors were likely to have blood cells with specific mutations in the genes called. dnmt3a.

To understand this difference, the team added genetically engineered human blood stem cells that produce all blood cells in the body along with these mutations, along with unmodified cells, to the lab dish. To mimic the effects of blood donation, they also added a hormone called EPO. This was the body produced it later and added it to part of the dish.

After 1 month, cells with frequent donor mutations grew 50% faster than cells without mutations, but only in dishes containing EPO. Without this hormone, both cell types would have grown at similar rates.

“It suggests that all blood donation, you have a burst of EPO in your system, and this will support the growth of these cells dnmt3a Mutations,” Encabo says.

To investigate whether it would be beneficial to enable more effectiveness of these mutated blood cells, the team mixed with cells with mutations that cause the risk of leukemia, and again discovered that in the presence of EPO, frequent don cells can effectively lay other blood cells. this is, dnmt3a Mutations are beneficial and may inhibit cancer cell growth, Encabo said.

“It appears that blood donations provide selection pressure to improve stem cell fitness and capacity to fill up.” Ash Toy At the University of Bristol, UK. “It may not only save someone’s life, it may also increase fitness in the blood system.”

I say it needs more work to see if this is really true Markman Soor University College London provides a very simplified picture of what happens in the body of a lab experiment. “This should be examined across much larger cohorts, different ethnicities, women and other age groups,” Mansour says. He also points out that there is no donor. dnmt3a Mutations may not see this benefit.

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Source: www.newscientist.com