Happy Valentine's Day! Here are your NEWS Briefs for today:

International Relations and Politics:
US-Russia Relations: U.S. Vice President JD Vance has warned Moscow, urging Europe to increase defense spending, following discussions on the international stage.

India-US Relations: India and the US have agreed to resolve ongoing trade and tariff disputes after talks between Trump and Modi.

Hamas and Hostages: Hamas has recommitted to the release of hostages, indicating a potential shift in Middle Eastern dynamics.

Economy and Business:
Tesla and EV Contract: Tesla was not awarded a $400 million electric vehicle contract by the State Department.

Cryptocurrency Market: The crypto market today shows subtle movements with Bitcoin holding steady while XRP leads among top altcoins.

Eurozone GDP: The Eurozone's preliminary GDP for Q4 was slightly better than expected at +0.1% quarter over quarter

Entertainment:
Infinity Nikki: New outfits have been released in the game, adding to the Valentine's Day celebrations among fans.

Movie Releases: The first single 'Premalo' from the film 'Court: State vs A Nobody' was released, stirring excitement for its upcoming premiere.

Taylor Swift: There's ongoing discussion around her and President Donald Trump, following her Super Bowl appearance, with Trump's social media posts reigniting their feud.

Weather and Local News:
Portland, Oregon: A cold breeze is expected to bring drizzle, impacting Valentine's Day plans (yahoo.com).

Edinburgh: Local news includes updates on new schools, church closures, and weather forecasts.

Sports:
Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025: The cricket league kicks off today with five teams competing.

NEWS ALERT
Powell Triggered Markets Carnage: VIX Spikes 58%, Stocks Plummet, Dollar Hits 2-Year Highs, Bitcoin Nosedives to 98.6K.

#NEWS #ALERT

#Bitcoin briefly surged to $104k—what triggered the spike? Bitcoin bulls are buying aggressively, holding strong, and pulling coins off exchanges.

With Bitcoin's market cap alone hitting $2 trillion, bolstered by $31 billion in net inflows from US Bitcoin ETFs, the total crypto market cap has now surpassed $3.5 trillion. Several altcoins are experiencing significant growth, and NFTs are making a comeback. XRP recently reached its highest price in nearly seven years—though some claim manipulation, the price has since started to decline.

In a notable move, Brazil proposed using Bitcoin as a national reserve asset, sending a strong signal to the global market to take notice.

#NEWS #ALERT
Bitcoin Hits $100,000, Lifted by Hopes of a Crypto-Friendly Washington.

The world’s largest digital currency has staged an extraordinary rally since Election Day, surging more than 40% in just four weeks and setting one record after another.

#Bitcoin is nearing a new all-time high, driven by excitement among crypto traders over the potential of a second Trump administration. Meanwhile, stock futures are holding steady as investors prepare for a busy earnings season, and oil markets have found stability following Monday’s decline.

HBO documentary seeks to unveil Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity: “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” on Tuesday that suggests an early #Bitcoin developer named Peter Todd invented the cryptocurrency.

Spot #Bitcoin ETFs have faced significant turmoil due to a persistent streak of outflows, continuing for seven days, with no new inflows throughout the week. This has heightened uncertainty in the Bitcoin community, especially as today's Bitcoin's price has dropped to $54,550, by 10:45am EST marking about a 5% decline over the past week and losing support around the $60,000 level. Major ETF providers like Grayscale, BlackRock, and Fidelity have reported substantial outflows, totaling $211 million on September 5, reflecting growing bearish sentiment among institutional investors. Despite Bitcoin spot ETFs having a total net asset value of about $50 billion since their inception in January, recent stagnation and negative market sentiment have contributed to increased volatility. Additionally, $39.53 million in Bitcoin liquidations over the past 24 hours, primarily from long positions, underscores the challenging market conditions and the dim outlook for a trend reversal in the near term.

Bitcoin momentarily hit $62k following Powell’s speech on economic outlook. Crosses $63k with RFK Jr. endorsing Trump after weeks of back-channel courtship.

Michael Saylor, the outspoken co-founder of business intelligence company MicroStrategy, predicted #Bitcoin would reach $13 million per coin by 2045 during a mega-bullish keynote speech on July 26 at the Bitcoin 2024 conference.

The #US #CPI remained flat in May, beating forecasts and lifting #Bitcoin prices by nearly 4% on Wednesday: But bitcoin prices quickly retreated on Thursday as traders grappled with the possibility of just one rate cut by the Federal Reserve by the end of the year.