Nobel Prize
Crypto users renew calls for Satoshi Nakamoto to win Nobel Memorial Prize for economics
Bitcoin (BTC) enthusiasts on social media platforms have reiterated their annual petition to have the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences awarded to Satoshi Nakamoto. On Oct. 10, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced three recipients of the economic prize — former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, and U.S. economists Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig — for “research on banks and financial crises.” Many crypto enthusiasts have argued for years that Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, was the most deserving candidate for the economic award, first instituted in 1968, “according to the same principles as for the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901,” according to a description from the institution. “In 2008: Bernanke printed money to bail out banks w...
Ethiopia: From historic peace to the brink of war
As Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed replaces his army chief on Sunday amid an escalating conflict in the northern Tigray region, here are the key developments since Abiy came to power in 2018: First leader from biggest ethnic group In February 2018, prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigns after several years of anti-government protests. In April, Abiy is sworn in as premier, becoming the first leader from the Oromo ethnic group, Ethiopia’s largest. Ethnic divisions Oromos and the country’s second-biggest group, the Amharas, had fuelled the protest movement over perceived marginalisation at the hands of the ruling coalition, dominated by the Tigrayan group. But with the authoritarian coalition now dissolved, ethnic violence has emerged as a persistent problem under Abiy, regularly r...
FANA: Ethiopia proposes holding postponed vote in May or June 2021
Ethiopian authorities have proposed holding a postponed election in May or June 2021, state-affiliated broadcaster FANA said on Friday, setting the stage for a test of support for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s sweeping economic and political reforms. The government postponed a parliamentary election scheduled for August this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country’s election board, which FANA said had proposed the move, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Next year’s vote will be a litmus test for Abiy, who after decades of repression introduced sweeping economic and political reforms that helped win him the Nobel Prize last year. But the new freedoms also fuelled long-suppressed demands for more regional autonomy, rights and resources. Last month Ethiopia’s northern...
