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The COVID public inquiry is set to become explosive this week, with former Boris Johnson aide Dominic Cummings expected to dish the dirt on the former prime minister.

The maverick former No 10 adviser, once Mr Johnson‘s closest ally but now his sworn enemy, heads a list of top former Downing Street insiders giving evidence this week.

The ghost-like figure of Mr Cummings is due to give evidence on Halloween, prompting claims that he will face haunting questions on everything from “partygate” to lockdowns.

The No 10 insiders being quizzed include former private secretary Martin Reynolds, nicknamed “party Marty” after writing a notorious “bring your own booze” email to Downing Street staff.

Mr Reynolds is the first witness this week, followed in the afternoon by former director of communications Lee Cain, a former tabloid journalist who now calls himself an expert in crisis management.

Mr Cummings takes centre stage on Tuesday, in a session of evidence expected to be as sensational as his marathon public appearance before a committee of MPs two years ago.

Then he claimed Mr Johnson initially did not take COVID seriously and changed his mind 10 times a day and that former health secretary Matt Hancock should have been sacked for lying.

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2021: Cummings calls PM ‘joke’ over COVID handling

He also admitted that his own controversial trip to Barnard Castle, in County Durham, when he had COVID in 2020 – and his much-ridiculed claim that it was to test his eyesight – had been a “terrible mistake”.

‘This week really matters’

This week Mr Cummings is expected to launch further brutal attacks on Mr Johnson, as well as the former PM’s wife Carrie, Mr Hancock and cabinet secretary Simon Case.

Mr Case will be a notable absentee during the current round of evidence sessions, on how decisions were made in government, as he is currently away from work on sick leave.

This week’s hearings are also expected to see the publication of embarrassing WhatsApp messages sent between key Downing Street figures including Mr Cummings and Mr Johnson.

A number of damaging WhatsApps have already been released to the inquiry, including how Mr Johnson described long COVID as “b*******” and that his wife, Carrie, had been described as “the real person in charge” by Mr Case.

Baroness Hallett opens Day One of the COVID Inquiry
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Baroness Hallett chairs the COVID inquiry

Last week it was also revealed that scientific advisers had referred to Rishi Sunak – who was then the chancellor – as “Dr Death” following the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

In addition, the former Conservative chancellor, George Osborne, has claimed “disgusting and misogynistic” WhatsApp messages sent by Mr Johnson and Mr Cummings will be released this week.

Sunak and Johnson expected to attend inquiry

Previewing this week’s evidence on the Politics at Jack & Sam’s podcast, Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates said: “What is going to happen this week really matters, not least because there are people who are at the heart of this inquiry who are still in government.

“I understand that Rishi Sunak is likely to appear before the COVID inquiry in December, possibly 11th December. Boris Johnson will appear around then too.

“But the big figure who is going to come out, possibly the worst of everybody from the evidence that we hear over the next few days, is someone who is currently off sick. That’s the cabinet secretary, Simon Case.

“We’re going to see more WhatsApp messages between him and those two key political advisers, Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings, which basically tell a story of how, at the height of the pandemic when there was chaos through 2020, you had these two key figures along with the cabinet secretary complaining about and to some degree working against the prime minister who employs all three of them.”

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Coates added: “What you’ll hear this week from figures like Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain, but particularly Dominic Cummings, is a lot of score-settling. A lot of attacks on Boris Johnson, attacks on Matt Hancock, attacks on bits of the civil service, the Cabinet Office, that weren’t working.

“But if you step back, what you really see is a completely dysfunctional No 10, with the prime minister on one side and his closest advisers seemingly working against him.”

Read more from Sky News:
Matt Hancock talks about ‘injustice’ he faced during COVID
Humza Yousaf says in-laws are alive in Gaza but without water

Other witnesses giving evidence this week include:

• Imran Shafi, former private secretary to the prime minister;
• Helen MacNamara, former deputy cabinet secretary;
• Lord Stevens of Birmingham, who as Sir Simon Stevens was boss of NHS England;
• Sir Christopher Wormald, permanent secretary of the Department of Health and Social Care;
• Professor Yvonne Doyle, former director for health protection at Public Health England.

Cummings has shunned use of lawyer

This week’s hearings are likely to cast the spotlight on a time which was critical for the country but expose what went on behind the door of Downing Street, with revelations that are sure to be capitalised upon by Labour.

After the examples of “laddish, football-style” banter between Mr Case and Mr Cain, it is understood there are likely to be further such examples this week, which could be highly damaging to Mr Case’s position.

Sky News also understands that in preparing for his testimony, Mr Cummings, the former chief adviser to the prime minister, has shunned the use of a lawyer, which could leave him exposed to challenges to his testimony from other witnesses.

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Billionaire investor would ‘not be surprised’ if Trump postpones tariffs

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<div>Billionaire investor would 'not be surprised' if Trump postpones tariffs</div>

<div>Billionaire investor would 'not be surprised' if Trump postpones tariffs</div>

Crypto-friendly billionaire investor Bill Ackman is considering the possibility that US President Donald Trump may pause the implementation of his controversial proposed tariffs on April 7.

“One would have to imagine that President Donald Trump’s phone has been ringing off the hook. The practical reality is that there is insufficient time for him to make deals before the tariffs are scheduled to take effect,” Ackman, founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, said in an April 5 X post.

Trump may postpone tariffs to make more deals, says Ackman

“I would, therefore, not be surprised to wake up Monday with an announcement from the President that he was postponing the implementation of the tariffs to give him time to make deals,” Ackman added.

On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries, which took effect on April 5. Harsher reciprocal tariffs on trading partners with which the US has the largest trade deficits are scheduled to kick in on April 9.

Ackman — who famously said “crypto is here to stay” after the FTX collapse in November 2022 — said Trump captured the attention of the world and US trading partners, backing the tariffs as necessary after what he called an “unfair tariff regime” that hurt US workers and economy “over many decades.” 

Following Trump’s announcement on April 2, the US stock market shed more value during the April 4 trading session than the entire crypto market is currently worth. The fact that crypto held up better than the US stock market caught the attention of both crypto industry supporters and skeptics.

United States, Donald Trump

Source: Cameron Winklevoss

Prominent crypto voices such as BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes and Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss also recently showed their support for Trump’s tariffs.

Related: Trump tariffs squeeze already struggling Bitcoin miners — Braiins exec

Ackman said a pause would be a logical move by Trump — not just to allow time for closing potential deals but also to give companies of all sizes “time to prepare for changes.” He added:

“The risk of not doing so is that the massive increase in uncertainty drives the economy into a recession, potentially a severe one.”

Ackman said April 7 will be “one of the more interesting days” in US economic history.

Magazine: New ‘MemeStrategy’ Bitcoin firm by 9GAG, jailed CEO’s $3.5M bonus: Asia Express

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Labour suspends MP Dan Norris after arrest

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

The Labour Party has suspended its MP Dan Norris after “being informed of his arrest”.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Mr Norris defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons.

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Satoshi Nakamoto turns 50 as Bitcoin becomes US reserve asset

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Satoshi Nakamoto turns 50 as Bitcoin becomes US reserve asset

Satoshi Nakamoto turns 50 as Bitcoin becomes US reserve asset

Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency.

The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies.

While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past.

According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975.

Satoshi Nakamoto turns 50 as Bitcoin becomes US reserve asset

Source: Web.archive.org

Nakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership.

The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January.

Satoshi Nakamoto turns 50 as Bitcoin becomes US reserve asset

Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: Cointelegraph

Nakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system.

Related: Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar asset

Nakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”

At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert.

“Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding: 

“What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.”

However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said.

Related: Bitcoin’s next catalyst: End of $36T US debt ceiling suspension

Is Satoshi Nakamoto wealthier than Bill Gates?

In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan.

Satoshi Nakamoto turns 50 as Bitcoin becomes US reserve asset

Satoshi’s new addresses. Source: Conor Grogan

If accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person.

Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day.

Magazine: 10 crypto theories that missed as badly as ‘Peter Todd is Satoshi’

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