Friendship between France and UK, US and Australia ‘tarnished’ by AUKUS pact

Published

4 years ago

September 18, 2021

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The bonds of friendship between France and the UK, US and Australia have been “tarnished” by the AUKUS pact, and it is now “more difficult than before” for France to trust those countries, the president of the French National Assembly has told Sky News.

Richard Ferrand is attending the G7 Speakers’ Conference in Chorley, Lancashire, hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

The AUKUS deal saw the UK, Australia and the US form a trilateral security pact to develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines, adding to the Western military presence in the Pacific region.

Mr Ferrand said: “I think it has somewhat tarnished the bonds of friendship that we have. Yes, it has made things more difficult in terms of trust and friendship.”

On Friday, France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia.

Pressed on why Catherine Colonna, the top French diplomat in the UK was not recalled, Mr Ferrand said: “Obviously it was not my decision but we thought it was more important to recall the ambassadors of the two main protagonists in this thing.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and the army minister reacted by issuing a statement that denounced “a decision contrary to the letter and spirit of Franco-Australian cooperation”, and accused the US of choosing to “sideline a European partner and ally”.

On Friday, the French cancelled a gala in Washington that was planned to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes – when the French navy helped the colonists win the American Revolution.

Pressed on whether the recall of ambassadors sends a strong signal to countries like Russia and China about French relations with its allies, Mr Ferrand said: “No, the strong signal to those countries comes from the fact that a word was given and then broken. There are causes and consequences, so one should not confuse the two.”

The G7 Speakers’ Conference takes place each year in the host speaker’s hometown. This year’s event is being held between 17 and 19 September in Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s constituency in Chorley.

Mr Ferrand planted a French Hornbeam tree to mark the occasion, alongside his G7 counterparts including Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives who planted a Sweet Gum Tree.

It would have been difficult to gauge whether their meeting was sweet or sticky when the speakers stood for the traditional ‘family photo’. Standing socially distanced, Mr Ferrand and Mrs Pelosi barely interacted with each other.

“We have friends and allies who might behave differently towards each other depending on circumstances but it’s very complicated, so let’s not rush to conclusions,” Mr Ferrand later told Sky News.

“These slight unpleasant things that might have happened are not really on the agenda,” he insisted. “We shouldn’t have arguments about anything but we also have to be careful not to forget.”

Politics

Binance tightens South African compliance rules for crypto transfers

Published

36 mins ago

April 23, 2025

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Binance tightens South African compliance rules for crypto transfers

Binance is set to implement new compliance measures for South African users, requiring sender and receiver information for all crypto deposits and withdrawals.

In an announcement on April 23, the largest exchange in terms of daily trading volume of cryptocurrencies said the move comes in response to local regulatory demands.

Starting April 30, Binance users in South Africa will be prompted to provide additional information when transferring crypto.

For deposits, users must disclose the sender’s full name, country of residence, and, if applicable, the name of the originating crypto exchange. Similarly, withdrawals will require beneficiary details before processing.

The update will only impact crypto deposits and withdrawals, leaving trading and other platform features unaffected.

Missing transfer details may reverse transactions

Binance warned that failure to provide the required information may result in delayed transactions or, in some cases, a return of funds to the sender.

In preparation for the rollout, users will need to re-login to their accounts starting April 24.

The change comes as South Africa moves to boost oversight of the rapidly moving crypto sector.

On April 2, Bloomberg reported that South Africa’s Revenue Service (SARS) is urging individuals, crypto exchanges and intermediaries involved in crypto transactions to register with the authority, warning that failure to do so is now illegal.

In March, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) of South Africa issued a public warning against two unlicensed crypto firms, Afriinvest and Mutualwealth, accusing them of soliciting investments while promising unrealistic returns of up to 10,000 rand ($542) per day.

South Africa pushes to become key crypto hub

Emerging economies across Africa, particularly South Africa, are positioning themselves as potential digital asset hubs amid growing regulatory clarity, Ben Caselin, chief marketing officer (CMO) of Johannesburg-based crypto exchange VALR, told Cointelegraph in September 2024.

Caselin said that South Africa’s strong legal framework and ease of business make it a key entry point for crypto expansion across the continent.

The South African crypto market is projected to generate $278 million in revenue in 2025, with expectations to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.86% and reach $332.9 million by 2028, according to Statista.

Regulatory momentum is increasing, with the FSCA approving 59 crypto platform licenses in March 2024, while over 260 applications remain under review.

Cointelegraph contacted Binance for comments but did not receive a response by publication.

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Politics

Robert Jenrick vows to ‘bring coalition together’ to end Tory-Reform fight

Published

4 hours ago

April 23, 2025

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Robert Jenrick vows to 'bring coalition together' to end Tory-Reform fight

Robert Jenrick has vowed to “bring this coalition together” to ensure that Conservatives and Reform UK are no longer fighting each other for votes by the time of the next election, according to a leaked recording obtained by Sky News.

The shadow justice secretary told an event with students last month he would try “one way or another” to make sure Reform UK and the Tories do not compete at another general election and hand a second term in office to Keir Starmer in the process.

In the exclusive audio, Mr Jenrick can be heard telling the students he is still working hard to put Reform UK out of business – the position of the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

However, more controversially, the comments also suggest he can envisage a time when that position may no longer be viable and has to change. He denies any suggestion this means he is advocating a Tory-Reform UK pact.

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The shadow justice secretary came second to Mrs Badenoch in the last leadership contest and is the bookies’ favourite to replace her as the next Conservative leader.

Speaking to the UCL Conservative association dinner in late March, he can be heard saying: “[Reform UK] continues to do well in the polls. And my worry is that they become a kind of permanent or semi-permanent fixture on the British political scene. And if that is the case, and I say, I am trying to do everything I can to stop that being the case, then life becomes a lot harder for us, because the right is not united.

“And then you head towards the general election, where the nightmare scenario is that Keir Starmer sails in through the middle as a result of the two parties being disunited. I don’t know about you, but I’m not prepared for that to happen.

“I want the fight to be united. And so, one way or another, I’m determined to do that and to bring this coalition together and make sure we unite as a nation as well.”

This is the furthest a member of the shadow cabinet has gone in suggesting that they think the approach to Reform UK may evolve before the next general election.

Last night, Mr Jenrick denied this meant he was advocating a pact with Reform UK.

A source close to Mr Jenrick said: “Rob’s comments are about voters and not parties. He’s clear we have to put Reform out of business and make the Conservatives the natural home for all those on the right, rebuilding the coalition of voters we had in 2019 and can have again. But he’s under no illusions how difficult that is – we have to prove over time we’ve changed and can be trusted again.”

Mrs Badenoch has said in interviews that she cannot see any circumstances that the Tories under her leadership would do a deal with Reform UK.

In next week’s local elections, Reform UK will compete directly against the Tories in a series of contests from Kent to Lincolnshire. At last year’s general election, in more than 170 of the 251 constituencies lost by the Conservatives the Reform vote was greater than the margin of the Tories’ defeat.

Today’s YouGov/Sky voting intention figures put Reform UK in front on 25%, Labour on 23% and the Conservatives on 20%, with the Lib Dems on 16% and Greens on 10%.

Politics

SEC says it won’t re-file fraud case against Hex’s Richard Heart

Published

5 hours ago

April 23, 2025

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SEC says it won’t re-file fraud case against Hex’s Richard Heart

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has said it doesn’t intend to refile its securities fraud complaint against Hex founder Richard Schueler, who goes by Richard Heart.

“Plaintiff Securities and Exchange Commission provides this notice that it does not intend to file an amended complaint in this matter,” the regulator’s lawyer, Matthew Gulde, stated in an April 21 letter to New York District Court Judge Carol Bagley Amon.

The court had previously dismissed the SEC’s original complaint on Feb. 28 as Judge Amon said the regulator failed to establish that it had jurisdiction over Heart’s activities, which she said were not specifically targeted at US investors.

She granted leave for the SEC to file an amended complaint by March 20, later extending the deadline to April 21.

Heart posted to X on April 22 that “Richard Heart, PulseChain, PulseX, and HEX have defeated the SEC completely and have achieved regulatory clarity that nearly no other coins have.”

Heart added that the SEC walked away from some of its other cryptocurrency cases voluntarily, but claimed his was the only case where “the SEC lost and crypto won across the board, with a dismissal in court of every single claim the SEC brought.”

Heart said it was a victory for open-source software, cryptocurrency and free speech because the SEC “actually sued software code itself in this case.”

SEC hunted Heart in Finland

The SEC sued Heart in July 2023 for alleged unregistered securities offerings of three tokens, HEX, PulseChain (PLS), and PulseX (PSLX), claiming he made more than $1 billion by touting the tokens as a “pathway to grandiose wealth for investors.”

In April 2024, Heart tried to have the suit tossed, claiming the regulator “has no sway over him,” because he didn’t reside in the United States.

The SEC opposed this in August, claiming he touted the tokens at a Las Vegas event. In December 2024, Interpol issued a Red Notice for Heart, seeking his arrest in Finland, where he was also suspected of tax evasion.

The PulseChain native token (HEX) hit an all-time high of $0.031 in December 2024 but has since tanked 76% as most altcoins have failed to follow Bitcoin’s momentum this year.

The SEC has dropped or suspended several cases against crypto firms so far this year under the Trump administration.

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