Hong Kong: Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who made headlines earlier for purchasing a banana taped to a wall — an artwork he bought for $6.2 million (Rs 52.4 crore), has now eaten the fruit.

Standing in front of journalists and influencers gathered at a luxury Hong Kong hotel on Friday, Sun devoured the pricey banana as he called the piece “iconic” and drew parallels between art and cryptocurrency.

“It's much better than other bananas. It's really quite good," Sun said after eating the fruit. Interestingly, each attendee at the event was given a banana and a roll of duct tape as a souvenir.

Sun outbid six competitors during a recent Sotheby’s auction to claim the piece. “This is not just an artwork,” he said earlier. “It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and cryptocurrency community."

While Sun gulped down millions of dollars in a few seconds, the vendor who sold the banana for the auction expressed disappointment over not receiving a substantial amount from the viral artwork. According to a report in The New York Times, the banana was originally sold by Shah Alam, a 74-year-old fruit seller, to the artist.

Although the banana art was intended as satire, Alam remains baffled by how it fetched such an exorbitant price. “Those who bought it, what kind of people are they? Do they not know what a banana is?” he questioned.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Mandi (HP) (PTI): Three people were killed and two others sustained grievous injuries after a speeding car dashed against a stationary truck at Dadour near Nerchowk in Mandi district on Monday late at night, police said on Tuesday.

There were five people in the car when the tragedy struck. Three were declared dead in the hospital while two have been referred to AIIMS Bilaspur.

The deceased were identified as Anil Kumar (28), Rohit Kumar (26) and Subash Kumar (23), all residents of Mandi district, while the injured are Harish and Pankaj.

A case has been registered under relevant sections and investigations are underway, said Superintendent of Police (SP) Mandi Vinod Kumar.

He added that the bodies have been handed over to the family members of the deceased.

In a statement, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the loss of three lives in a road accident. He directed the district administration to ensure best possible treatment for the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.