Eric Barrier

Chinese news outlets reported that the government would penalize any banks dealing in Bitcoin after April 15, and the news spread like wildfire.

We reported in January that UK-based company PrivateFly.com had begun accepting Bitcoin payments for its private jet charters. Before January was through, someone took them up on the offer.

The office of the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James J. Hunt, announced today that BitInstant CEO Charlie Shrem was one of two people arrested for and charged.

Overstock.com, in a move that was way ahead of schedule, announced on Thursday that it had begun to accept Bitcoin payments.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore, the city-state’s central bank, told a local trading platform that it would not interfere with its Bitcoin services.

The official Bitcoin 0.8.6 update was released this week, and some of the tweaks include bug fixes and updated limits on block sizes.

If you are a registered member of the Bitcoin Talk forum, you might need to change your password again.

BitPay, a Bitcoin payment processor based out of Atlanta, signed up its 10,000 merchant in September. That’s 10,000 businesses now able to accept Bitcoin.

After US authorities identified Bitcoin as a “legal means of exchange” before Congress, the currency hit a high water mark of $750 on the Mt. Gox exchange.

Both the DOJ and the SEC have told a US Senate committee hearing that Bitcoin represents a legitimate financial instrument, delighting investors and speculators at the idea of wider acceptance from the mainstream.

Law enforcement officials in the UK have put email users there on alert after a wave of spam containing malicious software went out.

In mid-September, BTC Markets went online in Sydney, offering local Bitcoin users a new trading platform. Money transfers on BTC Markets are free, and trade commissions starts at 1%.

After launching in June with a great deal of publicity, Silk Road competitor Atlantis sought to make buying contraband easier through cheaper prices and better security.

Media attention and signs of a favorable government attitude toward Bitcoin have made the country one of the EU’s leaders in Bitcoin.

Ripples owners, OpenCoin, have announced that they will make the payment system available on an open source license beginning September 26.

In the latest round of updates to its online reference, the Oxford Dictionaries Online has created a new entry for Bitcoin.

A flaw in the Blockchain.info wallet allowed thieves to make off with 50 Bitcoins, and the site’s operators are offering refunds to users who had their money stolen as a result.

An official statement out of Berlin is one big step toward legitimacy and acceptance for Bitcoin.

Ars Technica reports that a weakness in Java Cryptography Architecture leaves Android users exposed, which Google has confirmed.