MEXICO CITY—Dozens of journalists and human rights defenders in El Salvador had their cellphones repeatedly hacked with sophisticated spyware over the past year and a half, an internet watchdog said Wednesday. Reporting on its latest findings about use of the Israeli firm NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab said it had…

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele bought another 21 bitcoins on Dec. 21 to mark the 21st day of the last month of the 21st year of the 21st century. Bukele announced the tongue-twisting bitcoin purchase on Twitter on Tuesday night, adding that he made the purchase at exactly 21:00 local time. The president shared a screenshot…

The president of El Salvador leveled an ironic accusation against the U.S. government on Sunday, saying it has been funding the “communist” opposition against him. “U.S. taxpayers should know that their government is using their money to fund communist movements against a democratic elected (and with a 90% approval rating) government in El Salvador,” tweeted…

At least six activists and researchers critical of Thailand’s government were issued an alert on Wednesday from Apple Inc that warned them that it believed their iPhones had been targeted by “state-sponsored attackers.” Prajak Kongkirati, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Thammasat University, said he received two emails from Apple stating that it was believed that…

LA LIBERTAD, El Salvador—In a rock concert-like atmosphere, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced that his government will build an oceanside “Bitcoin City” at the base of a volcano. Bukele used a gathering of Bitcoin enthusiasts Saturday night to launch his latest idea, much as he used a an earlier Bitcoin conference in Miami to…

S&P Global Ratings has warned that El Salvador’s adoption of bitcoin as legal tender is burdened by risk and will have a negative impact the country’s credit rating. “The risks associated with the adoption of bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador seem to outweigh its potential benefits. There are immediate negative implications for credit,…

Ukraine has become the latest country to legalize cryptocurrency, just days after El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. In an almost unanimous vote on Sept. 8, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted a virtual asset bill making cryptocurrency and other digital assets legal in the country. Known as Bill No. 3637 On Virtual Assets, the draft bill provides clarification on how individuals and…

Selling pressure continued to bear down on bitcoin on Wednesday after it suffered its heaviest losses in months a day earlier when El Salvador officially adopted the cryptocurrency as legal tender but got off to a rocky start. Bitcoin was trading at $45,798 on Coinbase at 5:09 a.m. New York time on Sept. 8, down…

Goldman Sachs is lowering its economic growth forecast again. What is it blaming for the possible slower growth? El Salvador becomes the first to adopt Bitcoin as legal money. Why does the country’s president say it’s a good thing? And why are some concerned? China’s Twitter suspends celebrity fan accounts. It says it wants to…

El Salvador has become the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, a real-world experiment that proponents say will lower commission costs for billions of dollars sent home from abroad and boost financial inclusion while critics warn of risks, including around the cryptocurrency’s volatility. Lawmakers in the Central American country passed legislation in June making…