TerraUSD Founder Do Kwon Indicted in US Following Montenegro Arrest

Do Kwon, the cryptocurrency entrepreneur behind two digital currencies that lost an estimated $40 billion (nearly Rs. 3,28,500 crore) or more last year, has been charged with fraud by US prosecutors.

An eight-count indictment against Kwon was made public in the US District Court in Manhattan, several hours after news of his arrest earlier Thursday in Montenegro.

Lawyers for Kwon in the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment after business hours.

Thursday's indictment charges Kwon, a South Korean national who co-founded Terraform Labs and developed the TerraUSD and Luna currencies, with two counts each of securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy.

The criminal case follows related US Securities and Exchange Commission civil charges against Kwon and Terraform last month.

Kwon had been a fugitive for several months, and South Korean authorities issued an arrest warrant for him last September.

South Korean police said on Friday that the identity of the suspect arrested in Montenegro had been confirmed as Kwon after his fingerprints matched the information held by the country's National Police Agency (KNPA).

"This has been shared with the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office and Interpol in Montenegro," one official at the KNPA said.

Prosecutors will work with other institutions to carry out a swift repatriation, a spokesperson for the country's prosecution service said.

Montenegro's interior ministry said police detained a person thought to be Kwon and a second suspect, who were trying to board a flight to Dubai at Podgorica airport.

Police found forged passports of Costa Rica and Belgium during the encounter, the ministry said.

"The person is suspected of being one of the most wanted fugitives, South Korean national Do Kwon, a co-founder and CEO of the Singapore-based Terraform Labs," Interior Minister Filip Adzic wrote on Twitter.

"The former cryptocurrency king who is behind losses of over $40 billion, has been apprehended at the Podgorica airport with forged documents," Adzic added.

TerraUSD was a so-called "stablecoin" designed to maintain a constant $1 price, while Luna's value fluctuated.

But authorities have said TerraUSD and Luna were paired, such that a decline in one could take down the other.

They also said Kwon misrepresented the stability of TerraUSD, once among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market value.

Both currencies crashed last May, with TerraUSD's price sinking to less than one penny.

In its civil case, the SEC accused Kwon and Terraform of "orchestrating a multi-billion dollar crypto asset securities fraud.

"We also allege that they committed fraud by repeating false and misleading statements to build trust before causing devastating losses for investors," SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement at the time.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Tushar Deshpande Makes History, Becomes First 'Impact Player' Of IPL 2023

Tushar Deshpande created history by becoming the first 'Impact Player' in the history of the Indian Premier League.  Deshpande replaced Ambati Rayudu for Chennai Super Kings during the IPL 2023 opener against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. The five substitute players named for the side ahead of the match were - Tushar Deshpande, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Ajinkya Rahane, Nishant Sindhu. On the other hand, GT named B Sai Sudharsan, Jayant Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Abhinav Manohar, KS Bharat as their substitutes. The Impact Player rule was implemented for the first time in this year's edition of the tournament after the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) tested it out during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament.

Here's a look at all the major rule changes for IPL 2023 –

Playing XIs After Toss: The 16th edition of the league would now see the playing XIs being named after the toss. Earlier, the trend was that the captains of both teams give their team sheets to the match referee before the toss. This would not happen anymore.

Impact Player: The 'Impact Player' rule would now see the teams being allowed to substitute a player into the playing XI at any point in the game. The substitute player can bat, bowl and field but would not be able to lead the team as captain.

DRS For Wide, No-Balls: The IPL 2023 season would also see DRS calls being made for wides and no-balls. The players would be allowed to review wide-ball and no-ball calls by the on-field umpires. It is a welcome move, considering the controversies that had erupted in the past few seasons.

Unfair Movement: Wicket-keepers can now be penalised for making 'unfair movements' behind the stumps. If a wicketkeeper shuffles before the batter hits the ball, it would be considered an 'unfair movement'.

Penalty For Slow Over-Rates: Slow over-rates by teams will now warrant a penalty. The 20-over quota has to be finished by a team within 90 minutes. If that doesn't happen, an extra player would need to be placed inside the 30-yard circle over every over bowled beyond the time limit.

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"Going To Other Country To Run Down India": Veep's Dig At Rahul Gandhi

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday cautioned against a "virtual intense warfare" on India's integrity by well-orchestrated global machinery and said their narratives are disseminated in such a high decibel that "activities of Goebbels pale into insignificance".

Addressing Network 18's Rising India Summit, he also said it was "unfortunate" that "legally sanctified crusade" against corruption is sought to be combated by partisan stance and individual concerns.

How can the issue of corruption be seen from political prism, he wondered.

His remarks came in the backdrop of allegations by Opposition leaders that the government was targetting them using central investigation agencies.

Mr Dhankhar said India is proud of its judicial system.

"Where on planet you'll get a Supreme Court which can act with lightening speed and grant relief when someone is accused of defamation? Where will you get a Supreme Court which will sit overtime ... the chief justice has unimpeccable credentials with global image," he said.

He asserted that no one in the world "has legitimacy or credentials to lesson us on this aspect".

The vice president's remarks came in the wake of Germany saying it has 'taken note' of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha.

The issue led to a fresh political slugfest here on Thursday with the BJP accusing the Congress of "inviting foreign powers" to interfere in internal matters.

The BJP attack came after senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh thanked the German foreign ministry and Richard Walker, Chief International Editor of Deutsche Welle, for "taking note of how democracy is being compromised in India through the persecution of Rahul Gandhi".

Sharing a screenshot of Mr Singh's tweet, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "Thank you Rahul Gandhi for inviting foreign powers for interference into India's internal matters." People, the vice president cautioned, need to be cognizant of "virtual intense warfare against India's integrity by a well-orchestrated "global machinery functioning within and outside country".

He said there were "sinister forces within and outside" working with pernicious agenda to sully and downsize India's growth trajectory, to run down its democratic institutions and rundown the nation's success.

Mr Dhankhar said "an entire ecosystem" was working to handicap India's growth.

"Attacking India's legitimacy as nation state, its constitutional institutions including the Parliament is becoming favourite pass time of even to some of us," he said.

He hoped people will check such tendencies.

He felt an intense assault on India's values, integrity and its institutions was emanating from well maintained incubators.

"Such orchestrated narratives are disseminated in high decibel by section of media and intelligentsia that activities of Goebbels pales into insignificance," he said.

Goebbels was the propaganda minister of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

In an apparent dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's democracy remarks made in the UK, Mr Dhankhar said one will not find a parallel in the world where people holding positions of power "would go to other country to run down their own country. We all need to reflect on this".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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For Zeenat Aman, Life Would Have Been "Colourless" Without Step-Mom

Zeenat Aman has been trending ever since she made her Instagram debut in February. Now, in her recent post, the veteran actress spoke about the lack of visibility of "older women in the public eye." In her long post, the Amar Akbar Anthony actress shared some stories about how her mother and friends supported her in her life. She also mentioned her stepmother, who doted on her sons. She started her note with these words, "We see very few older women in the public eye. It's not something I thought about when I was young, but now that I myself am silver-haired, I feel their absence. It's a puzzling phenomenon, simply because older women mould, protect and nurture us in so many ways worthy of celebration. There is just no substitute for the wisdom of experience and years."  

"My entire life I have known older women who have anchored me. My mother, yes, but others too. My friend Khadija whose generosity towards me was unsurpassed and who, being widowed young, displayed an inner steel that inspired me. My dear, ever-patient Sartaj, who is always there to make me laugh, but who was also by my side during days of intense grief. Kavi, who is steadfast as a rock and cradles our friendship even when I am neglectful,"  Zeenat Aman continued.

Speaking about her step-mother, Zeenat Aman wrote, "My stepmother Shamim aunty, who doted on my sons and to whom I could entrust them no matter the hour... How different and colourless life would have been without their influence." 

Zeenat Aman concluded her note with these words, "When you sweep your eyes across the landscape of your life, do you not also find the influence of older women? I would be interested to know your stories. Stories of how a mother or aunt or grandmother or sister or woman friend carried you in your time of hesitance or need. If you don't have a story to share, then maybe this post can serve as a reminder to drop a (heart emoticon) to an older woman who enriches your life."

Soon after Zeenat Aman shared the post, Kajol was quick to comment, "So well said!" followed by a fire emoticon. Manisha Koirala dropped the fire emoticon in the comment section. 

Take a look at Zeenat Aman's post here: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zeenat Aman (@thezeenataman)

Zeenat Aman keeps sharing glimpses from her daily life every now and then. A few days ago, she shared some memes featuring her stills from movies. In a long note, the veteran actress revealed that her children introduced her to the "Zeenat Aman meme" on the social media platform. An excerpt from her post read, "This Saturday I am more of a Meme-at Aman than a Zeenat Aman. I would be befuddled by the vagaries of Instagram if it weren't for my kids. Fortunately, not only do they explain the app and its workings to me, they also introduce me to online humour! Today they showed me 'Zeenat Aman memes', and I've been in splits all morning. I just think they are so fantastically creative and funny. Not to mention that they're a great use of images that would otherwise be redundant!"

Take a look below: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zeenat Aman (@thezeenataman)

Zeenat Aman is known for her work in movies like Don, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

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YouTuber MrBeast Gives A New Car As 'Tip' To Waitress, Divides Internet

Youtuber MrBeast is getting several reactions to his latest viral video on Instagram, in which he claimed to gift a waitress at a restaurant with a brand-new car wrapped with logos promoting his business ventures.

With 139 million subscribers, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, is the most-followed YouTuber in the world.

He inquired about the largest tip a waitress named Amy had ever received in the 42-second video that was uploaded on Monday, to which she responded that the highest tip she had ever received was $50.

Watch the video here: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MrBeast (@mrbeast)

"Has anyone ever tipped a car?" As he handed her the keys to a black Toyota vehicle, Donaldson asked again.

MrBeast then asked her that before bringing her to the brand-new car he was going to give her. His chocolate company's Feastables emblem is imprinted on the side of the car.

This video received nearly 11 million views, over one million likes, and more than 8000 comments.

The video left people in awe of MrBeast, and happy people commented appreciating the work done by him.

"I love watching MrBeast's videos because he always finds new ways to give back to the community." "Keep up the amazing work!" one user commented.

His charitable effort, meanwhile, didn't appeal to everyone; some people thought it was uninspiring.

"Stop being nice; no one cares. I know you just do it for the views. Just let people in Africa lose their homes, shoes, and food. Stop helping people. It's seriously messed up," commented a user.

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Injured MS Dhoni Skips Training Ahead Of IPL Opener, CSK CEO's Big Update

Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's left knee injury has raised doubts over his participation in the IPL opener against Gujarat Titans here on Friday, but the team CEO ruled out such a possibility. The 41-year-old former India skipper has apparently sustained a niggle on his left knee during a training session in Chennai and didn't bat at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera during CSK's nets on Thursday. When CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan was asked, he told PTI, "As far as I am concerned, the skipper is 100 percent playing. I don't know about any other development." In case Dhoni doesn't play, CSK then might ask one among Devon Conway or Ambati Rayudu to keep wickets, as they don't have any specialised stumper in their ranks.

Dhoni does a lot of pre-season training, but in order to conserve energy, he normally doesn't train a lot when the tournament starts.

At his age, it doesn't take much time for any niggle to aggravate and become more serious, taking more time than usual to heal.

With so much of travelling and back-to-back matches, there remains a possibility that Dhoni wouldn't like to risk playing and missing more matches in the latter stages of the tournament.

However, the Jharkhand dasher is not known to miss matches and has managed to play through a lot of niggles, including back problems.

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"Right Now There Is Only One": Jonty Rhodes Picks 'World's Best Fielder'

Former South Africa player and star fielder Jonty Rhodes has picked the world's best fielder and it is none other than India's Ravindra Jadeja. While his all-round abilities with the bat and the bowl are just amazing, Jadeja is a gun fielder and stands out from the crowd in that domain. From pulling off breathtaking catches to effecting some sensational and crucial run-outs in the game, the star all-rounder has impressed one and all with his fielding on the ground. Jadeja rarely has have an off day in that beat.

When asked about the top three fielders in world cricket, Rhodes took only one name.

"Right now there is only one - Ravindra Jadeja," said the former South Africa star to Times of India in an interview.

Meanwhile, Rhodes credited the Indian Premier League for raising the standard of fielding.

The mega event started in the year 2008. So far, 15 editions of IPL have taken place and players have shown great level of fielding over the years. From boundary line catches to some stunning takes inside the circle, there is hardly any quality catch that would be missing in IPL.

"Only when IPL began, people really started focusing on fielding. Not every team had fielding coaches. There was enough time in 50-over matches. You had 3-4 good fielders and 6-7 guys didn't do great. But once IPL started, we saw growth in fielding. Since 2008, around 12-13 years have been amazing. Earlier, people spoke about fielding but there were only 3-4 good individuals. But now, as a team we have seen the growth of fielding go through the roof," said Rhodes.

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