An MP was prevented from boarding a flight to Canada “because his name was Mohammad”, the Commons has been told.
Mohammad Yasin, the Labour MP for Bedford, was due to fly to Canada last week with a group of other MPs from the Commons Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee when he was held back for extra questioning.
Officials from Air Canada asked the MP if he was carrying a knife or any other weapon as well as his place of birth.
The incident was raised by the Labour chair of the committee, Clive Betts, who said he would write to the Canadian high commissioner in the UK about the “racist and Islamophobic nature” of what happened.
Mr Betts told the Commons: “When the committee checked in for their flights at Heathrow, all members got through with the exception of the member for Bedford, who was delayed for questioning for a considerable period.
“He was told it was because his name was Mohammad.”
Mr Betts added: “He was also asked whether he was carrying a knife, or other offensive weapons, he was also asked where he was born.
“The questioning was undertaken by officials from Air Canada and we believe the Canadian government, and despite him already having been given a visa to enter Canada.
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“After proving he was an MP with the help of my committee clerk, he was eventually allowed through.”
Mr Betts said “the same issues” were raised by Canadian immigration at Montreal airport.
“On return at Toronto airport on the way back, he was again challenged and got on his flight with the assistance of my consul general, who was very helpful,” he said.
Mr Betts went on: “He has received apologies from the parliamentary secretary to the Canadian minister for immigration and Air Canada, however, given the racist and Islamophobic nature of these challenges, I believe that it is worth writing to the Canadian high commissioner, which I will do.
“I believe it is important to put these concerns on the parliamentary record. It was completely unacceptable for a member of this house to be treated in this way.
“But because he was an MP he was allowed on his flight. If, however, he had been one of our constituents who had been so challenged, he might have been refused.
Sir Roger Gale, the deputy speaker replied: “I am sure that the whole House will share the dismay at the treatment of the Member for Bedford.
“It is wholly unacceptable under any circumstances.
“But it is particularly concerning, occurring as it did, in the course of official travel on parliamentary business.”
Sir Roger said he was sure ministers “will also have noticed his comments”.
The first 100 days of the administration of US President Donald Trump have deeply impacted the crypto industry, starting with his own memecoin and culminating in a Bitcoin reserve and a spate of blockchain policymaking.
Trump’s trade war with the entire world has had the largest short-term impact on crypto markets, as crypto prices have wavered amid macroeconomic worry and uncertainty. Higher prices on electronics mean Bitcoin (BTC) miners are finding it harder to break even, and de-dollarization concerns abound.
Still, crypto markets have shown some resilience and cause for optimism in the administration’s crypto-friendly policies. A number of pro-crypto leaders have been appointed to key government agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The crypto industry’s long-awaited regulatory framework is also imminent.
Trump’s first 100 days have seen remarkable changes for the crypto industry, and it appears that things are only getting started. Here’s a look at what’s happened so far.
Jan. 20 — Trump’s first 100 days kick off with a memecoin
On Jan. 20, while Trump was sworn into office in the rotunda of the Capitol Building, his family’s crypto investment firm, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), launched its second token sale of WLFI tokens.
Massive demand saw prices initially spike, though the true value of the tokens, if any, is yet to be determined, as WLFI is currently not transferable and cannot be traded on any exchanges.
The memecoin served as a kickoff for Trump’s crypto agenda, which has seen unprecedented support for the industry in Washington, DC, along with a slew of moral and ethical concerns among observers and lawmakers.
Jan. 20 — Pro-crypto leaders head up federal agencies on “day one”
The president of the US sets the tone for several federal regulators, including those overseeing crypto. Trump immediately set out to appoint a number of pro-crypto lawyers and businessmen to head up the SEC, the CFTC and other critical federal agencies.
Trump nominated businessman Paul Atkins to lead the SEC on “day one” of his presidency. Atkins would replace Gary Gensler, who was perceived by many in the crypto industry as an enemy to adoption and the industry’s progress.
Also on day one, Trump appointed businessman and crypto investor David Sacks as chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology — or the crypto and AI “czar.”
In a press conference, Trump announced a $500-billion private-led AI infrastructure investment called “Stargate.” The president claimed the project — led by ChatGPT creator OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle — would create some 10,000 American jobs.
Trump said the US needed to lead the world in AI innovation and keep development onshore. “China is a competitor, others are competitors. We want it to be in this country, and we’re making it available,” he said.
OpenAI claimed that the project would “not only support the re-industrialization of the United States but also provide a strategic capability to protect the national security of America and its allies.”
Jan. 21 — Pardon for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht
Trump announced on Truth Social that he had called the family of Silk Road 2.0 founder Ross Ulbricht after commuting his sentence.
After his arrest in 2013, Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 without the possibility of parole for his role in facilitating the trafficking of narcotics and other illicit substances.
Ulbricht’s case became a rallying point for libertarian movements and prison reform advocates alike. Libertarian-minded crypto advocates supported Ulbricht, as his platform was one of the first places people could actually spend Bitcoin.
Crypto advocates supported Ulbricht, with many believing he did nothing wrong. Source: The Bitcoin Historian
Jan. 23 — Ban on digital dollar, establishing a crypto working group
With an executive order, Trump established an internal working group to focus on making the US “the world capital in crypto.” The order also prohibited “the establishment, issuance, circulation, and use” of a US central bank digital currency (CBDC).
CBDCs are a contentious issue in the crypto community, with many privacy activists claiming that they are another form of state surveillance and government control. Enthusiasm over their creation from central bankers has further set the more libertarian-minded crypto community against their creation.
Trump signing the executive order. Source: ABC News
The working group would kickstart the process for creating the forthcoming US Bitcoin and crypto reserves.
Feb. 1 — Trade war begins with tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada
One of the promises of the Trump campaign was to rectify the “bad deals” that the US had with many of its oldest allies and most important trading partners.
Just over a week after he was sworn into office, Trump announced sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, citing border security concerns and the supposed proliferation of cross-border trade of fentanyl from those countries.
The same day, Canada announced retaliatory measures. On Feb. 3, Mexico promised to step up security of its northern border, responding to American requests for increased patrols. This led Trump to reverse initial tariff plans on both countries.
The unexpected hostile tariffs from a close partner and ally sent stock and crypto prices tumbling. They marked the beginning of the macroeconomic uncertainty that has come to characterize the early days of the Trump administration.
Feb. 12 — Vinnik-Foegel prisoner swap with Russia
Alexander Vinnik, the convicted money launderer who funneled Bitcoin stolen in the infamous Mt. Gox hack through his crypto exchange BTC-e, returned to his home country of Russia.
Vinnik pled guilty to money laundering conspiracy charges in 2024. BTC-e processed more than $9 billion in transactions and had over 1 million users worldwide, many of whom were in the US.
Vinnik was exchanged for American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who was teaching at the Anglo-American School of Moscow and had been in a Russian jail since 2021 after being arrested for illegal possession of cannabis.
Feb. 18 — Bankman-Fried makes veiled plea for release
In an interview with The New York Sun, the former CEO of now-defunct crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, addressed his controversial political contributions, saying the Republican Party was always “far more reasonable.”
Bankman-Fried, or SBF, made widely publicized contributions to the Democratic Party as he purportedly tried to influence democratic policymakers’ approach to the digital asset industry. It later became known that SBF was playing both sides of the aisle, donating significant funds to Republicans, though the exact amount remains unknown.
In the interview, SBF likened his position to that of Trump, claiming that he’d been unfairly treated by the criminal justice system. SBF called into question the conduct of the federal judge overseeing his trial, Judge Lewis Kaplan. “I know President Trump had a lot of frustrations with Judge Kaplan. I certainly did as well.”
Observers saw the interview as an attempt to elicit a pardon from Trump. Roger Ver, an early Bitcoin advocate facing criminal tax evasion charges, has made an outright appeal.
March 7 — Trump establishes Bitcoin reserve and crypto stockpile
On March 7, the 46th day of Trump’s presidency, he signed an executive order establishing a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.” Trump made big promises about crypto adoption on the campaign trail, including the possibility of a long-sought-after Bitcoin reserve.
The US reserve, however, would fall short of expectations among Bitcoin maximalists. Rather than create a concrete plan for the US government to purchase and hold Bitcoin, it merely created a single reserve to pool all Bitcoin the government had seized during criminal proceedings.
While the order does state that the government may purchase additional Bitcoin, it must do so in a budget-neutral fashion.
In tandem with the Bitcoin reserve, Trump also established a US Digital Asset Stockpile containing other cryptocurrencies such as Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP) and Cardano (ADA).
March 7 — White House Crypto Summit
Leaders of the crypto industry descended on Washington for a meeting at the White House to discuss a wide range of topics related to crypto regulation and the development of the industry in the US.
Attendees included Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and “crypto czar” David Sacks.
While some attendees, including Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov, were optimistic about the event’s focus on strengthening the US crypto industry, some crypto luminaries who were not on the list were less impressed.
Cardano and IOHK co-founder Charles Hoskinson, who did not attend the event, noted in a video stream that real change — i.e., legislation — must be made in Congress.
“Everybody focuses on the White House because it’s simple and easy to do so. […] And as much as we, as an industry, want this to be a short process, it’s going to be a long and methodical process,” Hoskinson said.
WLFI expanded its offerings in March with the soft launch of its stablecoin USD1. The coin, “100% backed by short-term US government treasuries, US dollar deposits, and other cash equivalents,” launched on the Ethereum and BNB Chain networks.
US lawmakers subsequently called for an ethics probe into WLFI and cited the president’s ability to influence stablecoin policy as a major conflict of interest with the project.
Markets saw a spate of red across the board following the order, and many economic observers raised concerns over a looming recession. Crypto miners based in the US were further squeezed as their operation costs, namely for buying new mining rigs, increased significantly.
Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci told Cointelegraph, “I would say that he’s had the worst 95 days in modern presidential history. The markets recovered a little, but we’ve got $9 trillion taken from the stock market. You had a growing economy that’s now heading into a medium-sized recession, possibly a steep recession.”
He said that Trump declared a trade war “without any real weaponry” and subsequently lied about progress when the president claimed China was attempting to negotiate.
“The lies are ok — everyone accepts that he’s a congenital liar […] but when you’re declaring war on people and then you’re lying, it’s really bad.”
April 25 — $300,000-per-plate memecoin dinner raises call for impeachment
Top Trump memecoin holders were reportedly offered an opportunity to have dinner with the president, sparking renewed concerns over his crypto project and prompting one US lawmaker to support impeachment.
At a town hall meeting in his home state of Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff said he “strongly” supports impeachment. “When the sitting president of the United States is selling access for what are effectively payments directly to him, there is no question that that rises to the level of an impeachable offense,” he said.
TRUMP holders can register to have dinner with the President. Source: gettrumpmemes.com
Rumors on social media stated that $300,000 would grant tokenholders an audience with the president, a claim the Trump administration later denied.
Trump’s first 100 days could jeopardize change
The first 100 days of Trump’s presidency have broughtunprecedented change to the crypto industry. Simultaneously, they have opened it up to increased criticism and controversy as the president’s personal ties with blockchain projects raise ethical questions.
These controversies may well jeopardize the industry’s efforts to effect change in Congress, according to Scaramucci, who said, “Trump has so inflamed everything that he’s made it even hard for [stablecoin legislation] to happen.”
The STABLE Act, which aims to provide guardrails for stablecoin issuance in the US, was introduced in the House of Representatives on March 26 and passed a committee vote on April 3, with prominent Democrats dissenting. The bill will soon head to the floor for a general vote before going to the Senate.
USDC stablecoin issuer Circle has received in-principle approval (IPA) from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the company announced on April 29.
The approval moves Circle closer to obtaining a full Financial Services Permission (FSP) license, allowing it to operate as a regulated money services provider in the United Arab Emirates, the firm said in an official press release.
Jeremy Allaire, Circle’s Co-Founder and CEO, said the approval “advances our strategy to establish deep roots in markets embracing the onchain economy.” He added:
“It also underscores Circle’s enduring commitment to global stablecoin oversight—strengthening trust, compliance, and adoption worldwide, while laying a resilient foundation for the internet financial system.”
Comments from Circle CEO and Chief of Market Development at ADGM regarding the regulatory nod. Source: PR
In addition to regulatory progress, Circle announced a partnership with Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s tech ecosystem. As part of the collaboration, the two firms plan to work together on projects within ADGM’s digital regulatory sandbox.
Circle will also join Hub71’s digital assets group, sharing its experience with a community of more than 500 tech startups and investors.
Circle’s flagship USDC token is the second-largest stablecoin in terms of market capitalization. As of now, there are $62.03 billion USDC (USDC) tokens in circulation, according to data from CoinMarketCap.
Meanwhile, Circle has been pushing into new global markets amid rising interest in stablecoins.
In Japan, Circle expanded its presence through a partnership with SBI Holdings. On March 26, 2025, SBI VC Trade, a subsidiary of SBI Holdings, launched USDC trading, making it the first stablecoin approved under Japan’s regulatory framework.
The United Arab Emirates has been actively working to establish itself as a global Web3 hub, leveraging progressive regulation and strategic partnerships to attract leading digital asset firms.
In August 2024, the country ranked third in a crypto adoption index released by Henley & Partners, an investment migration consultancy firm.
On April 6, Dubai’s real estate and crypto regulatory authorities signed a new agreement aimed at expanding digital asset adoption in the real estate sector. The agreement will link Dubai’s real estate registry with property tokenization through a governance system.
Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius, faces a 20-year prison sentence as the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking a severe penalty for his fraudulent activity.
The US DOJ on April 28 filed the government’s sentencing memorandum against Mashinsky, recommending a 20-year prison sentence due to his fraudulent actions leading to multibillion-dollar losses by Celsius customers.
The 97-page memo mentioned that Celsius users were unable to access approximately $4.7 billion in crypto assets after the platform halted withdrawals on June 12, 2022.
“The Court should sentence Alexander Mashinsky to twenty years’ imprisonment as just punishment for his years-long campaign of lies and self-dealing that left in its wake billions in losses and thousands of victimized customers,” the DOJ stated.
Mashinsky’s personal benefit was $48 million
In addition to listing massive investor losses resulting from the Celsius fraud, the DOJ mentioned that Mashinsky has personally profited from the fraudulent schemes in his role.
As part of his plea in December 2024, Mashinsky admitted that he was the leader of the criminal activity at Celsius, that his crimes resulted in losses in excess of $550 million, and that he personally benefited more than $48 million, the authority said.
An excerpt from the government’s sentencing memorandum against Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky. Source: CourtListener
The DOJ emphasized that Mashinsky’s guilty plea showed that his crimes were “not the product of negligence, naivete, or bad luck,” but rather the result of “deliberate, calculated decisions to lie, deceive, and steal in pursuit of personal fortune.”
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.