A quick catch up on today’s top stories…
1) Bitcoin hovers near more than 3-month lows after U.S. payrolls
Bitcoin slumped as much as 5% on Friday to its lowest since late September, amid a broader sell-off for cryptocurrencies driven by concerns about tighter U.S. monetary policy.
Bitcoin was last down more than 3% at $41,704 after touching $40,938, its lowest since Sept. 29, as a mixed bag of U.S. payrolls data fuelled some bargain buying.
2) NCA bluntly denies claims of SIM registration data being stored by private entity
The Director of Legal at the National Communication Authority, Dr Poku Adusei, has dispelled allegations that the biodata of Ghanaian telecommunication subscribers collected in the ongoing SIM re-registration exercise is being managed by a private entity.
In a Facebook post, Dr Adusei pointed out that contrary to the assertions of the IMANI vice president, the data being collected in the ongoing SIM re-registration exercise is not stored or managed by telecommunication networks or the company responsible for developing the application being used for the exercise.
3) Sounding alarm on China, Japan and U.S. vow to collaborate more on defence
The United States and Japan on Friday voiced strong concern about China’s growing might and pledged to work together against attempts to destabilise the region, including against emerging defence threats.
The comments from the two allies, in a joint statement that followed a virtual “two-plus-two” meeting of their foreign and defence ministers, highlight how deepening alarm about China – and increasing tension over Taiwan – have put Japan’s security role in greater focus.
The ministers expressed concerns that China’s efforts “to undermine the rules-based order” presented “political, economic, military and technological challenges to the region and the world,” according to their joint statement.
4) New Mexico, New York police work to get Baldwin phone
New Mexico authorities on Thursday said they were working with police in New York state to obtain material from actor Alec Baldwin’s cellphone relating to a probe into the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of Western movie “Rust.”
The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney’s Office are “actively working” with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, New York, and Baldwin’s lawyers to get any materials on the phone pertaining to their investigation, according to a press release.
5) Australia cancels another tennis player’s visa amid Djokovic riff
Czech Republic player Renata Vorácová was detained in Melbourne by Australian Border Force officials on Thursday January 6 and taken to the city’s Park Hotel, ABC News reported.
The hotel is the same one where Djokovic is being held after his own visa was cancelled due to a lack of evidence supporting his vaccination exemption.
Vorácová and Djokovic are believed to have been granted the same exemption by Tennis Australia as they both had been recently infected with Covid-19.
