More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Bitcoin is back, and it has a prominent new supporter.
The price of the world's most valuable cryptocurrency spiked nearly 10% Wednesday morning to around US$55,000, following news that the investment firm founded by billionaire George Soros owns bitcoin.
Soros, who is famous for making big money on traditional currency investments, is rumored to have been trading in bitcoin for the past few months.
The bitcoin surge comes one day after prices popped above $50,000 for the first time in four weeks.
And the head of Soros Fund Management argues bitcoin has even more long-term potential: "I'm not sure bitcoin is viewed only as an inflation hedge here. It's crossed the chasm to mainstream," said Dawn Fitzpatrick, CEO and chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, in an interview at the Bloomberg Invest Global Summit late Tuesday.
Fitzpatrick told Bloomberg that Soros Fund Management owns "some coins...but not a lot."
Bitcoin and other cryptos have rallied sharply this year, despite concerns about a crackdown in China and the possibility of tougher regulations in the United States. That's thanks to factors like rising interest rates and the fact that more big financial firms are investing in digital currencies.
The value of all bitcoins in circulation is now back above $1 trillion — more than the market value of Facebook. And all cryptocurrencies together represent $2.3 trillion in circulation, matching the market value of the most highly valued stock: Apple.
El Salvador recently became the first nation to adopt bitcoin as legal tender. Bitcoin fans argue that the cryptocurrency should see near term benefits from inflation pressures and higher bond yields, as government-backed paper currencies like the dollar, euro and yen lose some of their purchasing power as rates rise.
Still, several prominent business leaders and investors have expressed reluctance to embrace bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Mega-billionaire Warren Buffett continues to criticize bitcoin. And so did JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in a recent appearance on the Axios HBO TV show.
But the fact that the Soros family office, which manages money for the billionaire philanthropist, now publicly has some skin in the crypto game adds to the legitimacy of the sector.
Crypto bulls also cheered after US Bancorp announced plans this week to offer more cryptocurrency custody services for large institutional investors that want to trade bitcoin.
"Investor interest in cryptocurrency and demand from our fund services clients have grown strongly over the last few years," said Gunjan Kedia, vice chair of U.S. Bank Wealth Management and Investment Services in a news release. "Our fund and institutional custody clients have accelerated their plans to offer cryptocurrency."
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”