The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

March 2nd — A large explosion was heard near a nuclear facility and airbase in Isfahan, Iran, according to an Iranian news website.

March 2: Bitcoin gained 2.3% after U.S. stocks opened, currently trading at $67,165, per HTX market data.

On March 2nd, Bitget market data shows U.S.-listed crypto-related stocks opened lower but turned higher to outperform the broader market, with the following moves: - Coinbase (COIN) gained 2.38% - Circle (CRCL) gained 8.16% - MicroStrategy (MSTR) gained 3.34% - Gemini (GEMI) gained 1.58% - Bitmine (BMNR) gained 3.21% - SharpLink Gaming (SBET) gained 2.79% - Figure (FIGR) gained 8.03% - Kindly MD (NAKA) gained 2.33% - Solana Co (HSDT) gained 2.14% ### Notes on U.S. language/finance norms: 1. Used **"gained"** (common in U.S. financial briefs) instead of "rose by" for conciseness. 2. Added **"U.S.-listed"** to clarify the market context (Americans often specify listing locale). 3. Replaced "against the market" with **"outperform the broader market"** (standard finance phrasing for beating overall market trends). 4. Organized in a scannable bullet list (typical for quick market updates). 5. Kept ticker symbols in parentheses (standard U.S. stock reporting

March 2: President Trump is set to deliver a speech on Iran at 11 a.m. ET (midnight Beijing Time) at the White House. (Forex Live)

On March 2, monitoring from Big Tech Alert indicates Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has unfollowed Cathie Wood—renowned ARK Invest founder and fund manager, widely known as WoodSis—on X.

March 2 — French President Emmanuel Macron said France will boost its nuclear warhead stockpile to enhance Europe’s nuclear deterrence amid concerns about wavering U.S. security commitments to the continent. He added the U.S. will remain a key player in European defense but warned recent comments from Washington indicate Europe must take on a larger share of its own defense. As the EU’s only leader of a nuclear-armed state, Macron is facing mounting questions over whether he will extend France’s nuclear defense umbrella to the entire European continent. Per the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, France currently holds 290 nuclear warheads—roughly the same number as in 1984. Its nuclear arsenal peaked in the early 1990s at 540 warheads, deployed via air-delivered weapons and M51 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. (Golden Finance)