Howe, who joined Netflix in 2018 and helped develop Shondaland’s Bridgerton and Inventing Anna as well as shows like Beef, The Night Agent, The Diplomat and Untamed, will be part of the Summit Series in Banff after replacing Peter Friedlander in the top North American drama series role last year.
“Jinny Howe’s leadership is helping to shape the stories audiences around the world are watching. Her work exemplifies the creativity, innovation and global perspective that define this festival, and we look forward to attendees hearing her insights firsthand,” Sean Cohan, chair of the board of directors in Banff and president of Bell Media, said in a statement on Thursday.
Howe’s upcoming slate includes a retelling of Little House on the Prairie, the limited series The Altruists starring Julia Garner, and the sports comedy The Hawk, led by Will Ferrell. Additional keynote speakers will be announced in the coming weeks ahead of the 47th edition of the Banff World Media Festival set to run June 14-17 in the Canadian Rockies.
Past Summit Series speakers include Chuck Lorre, Anjali Sud, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Paula Kerger, Rob Wade, Pearlena Igbokwe, Bela Bajaria, Keith Le Goy, Ted Sarandos and Maverick Carter. Banff earlier announced that Spain will be the Country of Honor this year.
And the TV festival will again combine the Banff Gala Awards and the Rockie Awards international competition to celebrate industry talent and TV series at one event.
The sequel to The Simpsons Movie headlines the 38 movies granted subsidies in the latest round of tax credits granted to productions by California’s film office.
Disney’s 20th Century Studios will get $21.9 million for shooting the film in the state. The company is taking advantage of California’s recent changes to the tax incentive program expanding the eligible categories of production to include animated movies.
Other projects that will get subsidies include untitled films from Paramount ($25.9 million) and Dreamworks Animation ($24.7 million), plus a Disney live-action title ($18.2 million). In total, the 38 films will nab roughly $193.5 million for $545 million in qualified spending, which includes $373 million in wages. They’re expected to generate nearly $800 million in economic activity across more than 1,000 shooting days while employing over 5,300 cast and crew.
“California remains the entertainment capital of the world — and we’re making sure it stays that way,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “Our expanded film and television tax credit is keeping more productions here in the Golden State, creating good-paying jobs and supporting communities statewide.”
The announcement comes amid a historic production slump in California and, specifically, Los Angeles. Major soundstages recorded a 62 percent occupancy rate during the first six months of 2025, down one percent from anemic levels recorded in 2024, according to data released from local film office FilmLA in March. For comparison soundstages participating in the survey from 2016 to 2022 reported an average occupancy rate of at least 90 percent.
In this allotment of tax credits, animation emerged as major participants as the production category became eligible for the first time in the program’s history. They include a Phineas and Ferb film from Disney, which will get $3.5 million for creating the title in the state.
“This round marks a truly exciting milestone for our program. For the first time, we’re welcoming animated feature films from powerhouses DreamWorks Animation and Walt Disney, alongside a strong slate of big budget features and independent productions, that bring fresh voices and original storytelling to the screen,” said California Film Commission director Colleen Bell in a statement. “With more than 45% of filming days taking place outside the traditional studio zone, we’re seeing the real-world economic impact of this program reach communities across the entire state.”
Other titles nabbing tax credits: Black is Blue ($1.3 million), The Renewal ($14 million), Self-Help ($2.6 million) and Tommy & Me ($9.8 million).
A top U.S. military official said the government runs a Bitcoin node to test cybersecurity uses of the network.
Admiral Samuel Paparo said the military sees Bitcoin mainly as a tool to help secure networks.
He also praised stablecoin legislation for helping ensure the global dominance of the U.S. dollar.
A top military official told Congress Wednesday that the U.S. government currently runs a node on the Bitcoin network, to conduct tests related to network security.
“We have a node on the Bitcoin network right now,” Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, told the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday.
“We’re not mining Bitcoin,” he continued. “We’re using it to monitor, and we’re doing a number of operational tests to secure and protect networks using the Bitcoin protocol.”
The Bitcoin blockchain relies on tens of thousands of nodes situated around the world, which help secure and maintain the network. The node network is intentionally decentralized, meaning no one party has control over Bitcoin and its transaction validation process. That’s a key innovation—one that made the cryptocurrency so unique when it first debuted in 2009.
If the U.S. government runs only one of the thousands of nodes that keep Bitcoin up and running, that involvement poses no threat to the network’s independence. But America’s operation of a node may nevertheless raise eyebrows, considering Bitcoin’s “censorship resistance” has long been framed as a defense against takeover attempts by powerful nation states.
Admiral Paparo said Wednesday that the U.S. government is currently in an “experimentation” phase when it comes to Bitcoin. But he also emphasized that the American military views Bitcoin as a highly valuable technological tool—moreso than as a financial asset worth stockpiling.
“Our interest in Bitcoin is as a tool of cryptography, a blockchain, and a reusable proof-of-work—as an additional tool to secure networks, and to project power,” he said.
“From the military application standpoint, my interest in Bitcoin is as a computer science tool,” he added.
Paparo did later mention, though, that supporting hegemony of the U.S. dollar worldwide is in the American military’s best interest. And he noted that the GENIUS Act, a law signed last summer by President Donald Trump legalizing the issuance of stablecoins—cryptocurrencies pegged to the value of the dollar—“is a great step forward that moves us in that direction.”
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Blockchain Capital is raising $700 million across two new funds, according to Bloomberg sources.
The venture capital firm is pursuing its seventh early-stage fund and second growth fund simultaneously.
The firm has already begun deploying some of the new capital, with the fundraising round expected to close within five to six months.
Blockchain Capital is raising $700 million across two new funds, according to Bloomberg.
Citing a source familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that the venture capital firm is simultaneously pursuing its seventh early-stage fund and its second growth fund, and has already deployed some of the new capital.
The fundraising effort builds on Blockchain Capital’s existing portfolio of over $2 billion in assets under management. The firm demonstrated its continued investment activity last week by leading a $12 million funding round for Paxos Labs, according to industry reports.
Blockchain Capital’s VC portfolio includes crypto exchange Coinbase, DeFi platforms 1inch and Aave, and stablecoin issuers Circle and Tether, positioning it among the sector’s most established venture players.
Crypto venture capital
The fundraising effort comes amid volatile conditions for crypto venture capital. Crypto VC funding climbed to $2.42 billion in March from $683.6 million in February and $1.31 billion in January, before dropping to about $466 million in April, according to industry data.
According to a recent JP Morgan report, crypto has “reemerged as a dominant driver of fintech funding,” accounting for some $3.5 billion—45% of all fintech investment—in the year to date. Crypto treasury firms are branching out into venture capital, too, with Tokyo-listed Metaplanet last month unveiling a venture arm with plans to deploy around $25 million into companies building Bitcoin financial infrastructure.
Blockchain Capital’s new funds follow a period of significant institutional crypto adoption. Public companies now hold billions in Bitcoin portfolios, while crypto investment products continue expanding. Three altcoins received leveraged ETFs this month, reflecting growing demand for crypto investment vehicles. The sector has also seen high-profile security incidents, including a venture firm founder offering a bounty to recover $42 million in stolen crypto.
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The United States and Israel’s war on Iran has pushed up the price of nearly everything.
In the early days of the war, the global supply of oil, gas and fertilisers was the main focus of this crisis.
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In recent days, however, pharmacists have also noted a spike in the price of medicines and contraceptives like condoms, as a result of the war. In the United Kindom, for example, pharmacies are charging 20 to 30 percent more for over-the-counter medicines, and the common painkiller paracetamol has more than quadrupled in price. In India, chemists are reporting price rises of common painkillers of as much as 96 percent.
We break down the reason behind the rise in prices and how badly countries around the world will be affected:
Why has the price of medicines increased?
Since the early days of the war, Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped in peacetime. Experts say this has also disrupted pharmaceutical supply chains, which are reliant on the oil supply.
“Pharmaceuticals are tied to both petrochemical feedstocks, a large part of which are sourced through the Persian Gulf,” Frederic Schneider, a nonresident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, told Al Jazeera.
“Furthermore, some logistics routes, including for pharmaceuticals, for example, between East Asia and Europe, have important sea and air transhipment stops in the Gulf, particularly in Dubai. These routes are especially fragile because many pharmaceuticals need special handling, including an unbroken cold chain. Both have been disrupted through the war,” he added.
Wouter Dewulf, a professor at the University of Antwerp in Belgium and an expert in pharma logistics, warned that while pharmaceutical supply chains are not in immediate danger, medicines are highly exposed to air logistics.
The US-Israel war on Iran has caused severe disruption for airlines, featuring widespread cancellations, airspace closures and a looming jet fuel crisis.
“35 percent of pharmaceuticals move by air, and about 90 percent of critical or life-saving pharmaceuticals and vaccines do so too. I estimate that 22 percent of global air cargo flows are exposed to Middle East disruptions,” he said.
“So the main global effect for now is delays, rerouting, and higher costs, rather than a worldwide physical shortage.
“There might be some modest price increases on pharmaceuticals, because of the increase in air cargo fares, mainly on the east-west corridors. For generic medicines, where the margins are much thinner, the relative increase in price might be higher,” he added.
Which pharma products have become expensive?
Pharmacies in the UK and India have noted an increase in the price of paracetamol, a drug commonly used to treat headaches and the flu.
“Paracetamol is rising by approximately 96 percent,” a former board member of the Visakha Chemists Association in India told the country’s Economic Times on April 17.
He said a spike in the price of raw materials used to make such drugs is to blame and added that paracetamol could rise further in price, by 30 to 40 percent.
In the UK, the price of paracetamol has also increased.
Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) told The Guardian newspaper that the price he pays wholesalers for a pack of 100 500mg paracetamol tablets had jumped 41 pence (55 cents) to 1.99 pounds ($2.69) by the end of March, but has since eased back to 1.09 pounds ($1.47).
Which countries are most affected?
While the price of medicines has already begun increasing in some countries, Schneider told Al Jazeera the impact across the globe will depend on several factors, including whether other suppliers are available.
“The US has domestic hydrocarbon and petrochemical supply, and China can source most of its demand from elsewhere. India, however, is a major producer of pharmaceuticals and depends on supplies from the Gulf, which is a major chokepoint in the global pharmaceutical supply network,” he said.
Schneider said another crucial factor to consider is strategic stockpiling.
“The EU, for example, has a ‘solidarity mechanism’ – a recent stockpiling strategy that includes pharmaceuticals – and country-specific stockpiling requirements of two-10 months’ worth of medicines. While some Global North countries, like the NHS in the UK, are sounding the alarm bells and warn of shortages in the weeks ahead,” he noted.
“The problem is, as with most supply-chain problems, more acute for Global South countries, and sub-Saharan Africa in particular, that have fewer or no stockpiles and not enough financial heft to afford the price increases due to the supply crunch, as well as countries currently experiencing humanitarian crises, like Sudan, Yemen and Palestine,” he explained.
“The situation in the GCC remains apparently stable, with governments assuring that their supply is secure, but that may change if things turn for the worse again,” he added.
Dewulf said the countries most likely to suffer are the ones directly touched by the conflict and regional disruption.
“The real exposure is in Lebanon, Palestine, and Iran, rather than across the global market,” he said.
“I would add a second group: Fragile, aid-dependent countries that were already under severe pressure before this war,” he said.
A third, more conditional risk group is the import-dependent Gulf markets, he said, especially for cold-chain and cancer medicines. “Those flows were rerouted when major hubs such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were hit [by air strikes].
“In the Middle East, the picture is still more manageable than in conflict zones: There are risks and delays, not yet a generalised collapse, especially since the airlift is gradually coming back. Pharmaceuticals always have priority as the yield to transport pharmaceuticals is higher,” he added.
FIFA’s decision to release the latest tranche of World Cup tickets, coinciding with the 50-day countdown mark for the tournament, has left fans more frustrated than excited in advance of the biggest sporting event in the world.
Football’s global governing body announced yet another “last-minute ticket phase” on Wednesday, with tickets for all 104 matches available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are available in the three previously open categories, as well as the new “front category” pricing it added this month.
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Fans have expressed outrage at the exorbitant prices for the matches — the most expensive ticket for the final costs nearly $11,000 — since the first phase of ticket sales in December, and the latest round has left them wondering if FIFA’s “dynamic ticketing” is to be blamed for the pricing and availability of seats at the most sought-after sports event.
Here’s what we know about the ticket prices for the World Cup cohosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States:
Why has FIFA reopened World Cup ticket sales?
Ostensibly, FIFA has plenty of unsold tickets in the bank despite its four previous sales windows, and it wants those tickets to sell out between now and the match days.
The global body has repeatedly claimed that the “cumulative attendance record of 3.5 million” set at the 1994 edition of the World Cup, which was hosted by the US, is on course to be surpassed during this year’s competition, but an unplanned fifth phase of ticket sales seems to suggest otherwise.
The unexpected release has raised questions about FIFA’s ticket sales strategy, as it previously said the April 1 phase was “the fourth and final” one that would remain open until the end of the competition.
However, in a comment to Al Jazeera, a FIFA spokesperson said: “This ticket drop is part of the ongoing last-minute sales phase, which runs until the end of the tournament and allows the general public to purchase tickets via FIFA.com/tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.”
“Along with this set of tickets, additional tickets will continue to be released to the public on an ongoing basis up until the final on Sunday, 19 July (subject to availability),” the spokesperson told Al Jazeera.
Why is FIFA struggling to sell tickets?
The most obvious answer would be that fans are not buying tickets, likely because they are significantly more expensive than promised.
Last month, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said the North American bid had initially promised that tickets would be available from as little as $21. Instead, the cheapest tickets to go on sale — for $60 — have been limited. These tickets are allocated to a small portion of tournament venues and were introduced in a new pricing tier in December due to the immediate backlash over high pricing.
FIFA has brushed aside suggestions that a lack of interest and “pricing out” are to be blamed for low sales.
“Ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup remain strong with a high degree of interest for all matches,” its spokesperson said.
[Al Jazeera]
What’s the price range of World Cup tickets?
When the tickets first went on sale, in December, the prices ranged from $140 for category 3 to $8,680 for the final.
It then raised prices to as much as $10,990 when sales reopened on April 1, which is nearly seven times more expensive than the $1,550 maximum price initially laid out when North America bid for the tournament’s hosting rights.
Why are World Cup tickets so expensive this time?
Experts link the pricing to multiple factors, the biggest of which is the allocation of 78 of 104 matches to the US.
“One of the main reasons the World Cup is taking place in the US is because of the revenue-generating opportunities it potentially offers,” Simon Chadwick, professor of Afro-Eurasian sport at the Emlyon Business School in Shanghai, explained to Al Jazeera.
FIFA has tapped into what Chadwick calls a “mature” market, where “consumers have a strong predisposition towards spending on sport, a part of which are the premium price and corporate segments.”
The sporting industry expert believes FIFA has tapped into the “dynamic ticket pricing model”, which has been employed in the US for several years.
“Sports consumers [in the US] are used to the real-time adjustment of ticket prices, which can result in both rises and falls in the price of entrance,” he said.
“When used in conjunction with a premium pricing strategy, dynamic ticketing is very clearly an attempt to revenue harvest, as FIFA seeks to maximise the financial returns from this summer’s tournament,” Chadwick explained.
“The problem is that such an approach may price some fans out of the market, resulting in a crowd that has more affluent socio-demographic features.”
What is dynamic ticketing at the World Cup?
Dynamic ticketing, also known as dynamic pricing, is a sales strategy in which ticket prices are not fixed; rather, they fluctuate in real-time based on demand, supply, and timing.
There has been much criticism of ticket prices, with a group of US lawmakers last month calling on FIFA to lower the cost, saying that the use of dynamic pricing has turned the World Cup into an exclusionary enterprise at the expense of fans, according to the news agency Reuters.
FIFA also says variable pricing is being used, where ticket prices may be adjusted based on a review of demand and availability, rather than dynamic pricing, which automatically modifies ticket prices, Reuters said.
The variable pricing method was used for the opening two phases of sales – Visa Presale Draw and Early Draw. It was not used for the third phase, Random Selection Draw and PMA ticket sales, but is now being utilised again for the last-minute sales phase.
Will FIFA be able to sell out all World Cup tickets?
Chadwick, who has written several books on the economy and politics of sport, believes selling out tickets may not be a problem for FIFA.
“In theory, there shouldn’t be any unsold tickets, as the logic of real-time dynamic pricing is that market conditions will necessitate a price reduction resulting in all tickets being sold,” he said.
“However, the reality might actually be somewhat different; markets don’t always operate in such a perfect, predictable way. Indeed, some fans may resent the initial premium-pricing strategy and completely withdraw from the market.
“In this regard, FIFA has rolled the dice on the effectiveness of dynamic ticket pricing, a gamble the organisation may not necessarily win.”
How do prices compare with previous World Cups?
Tickets for the final of the Qatar World Cup in 2022 cost approximately $1,604 for the most expensive seat, which was 46 percent up from $1,100 for the 2018 final in Russia. The nearly $11,000 ticket for this year’s final is an astronomical rise compared with both previous iterations.
The cheapest seats on general sale for international fans to watch Qatar open the 2022 World Cup were $302, up from $220 in Russia. In comparison, FIFA’s December ticket sales priced the June 12 USA opener against Paraguay at $1,120, $1,940, and $2,735.
Despite this being noted as the third-most-expensive match of the tournament, The Athletic reported on Tuesday that ticket sales are lagging for the match in Inglewood, California.
It said a document distributed to local organisers, dated April 10, stated that 40,934 tickets had been bought for the US-Paraguay game, and 50,661 were bought for the Iran-New Zealand contest on April 15.
What has FIFA said about ticket prices?
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended high ticket prices for this year’s World Cup, saying that the event is the organisation’s only source of income every four years.
He also reiterated that FIFA is a nonprofit organisation that has 211 member nations who are supported through the revenue FIFA generates at tournaments like these.
What are fans saying about ticket prices?
Fans have taken to social media to vent their frustration at not only the pricing but also the technical issues with FIFA’s official ticketing platform. Prospective buyers said that after queueing for hours, they received an error message or were told tickets were sold out.
Others have accused FIFA of “ruining the sport” for “pricing out lots of genuine fans”.
One user, seemingly based in the US, compared the price of a single World Cup ticket to flying all the way to Europe and watching a Premier League game.
As expected, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders gave the green light to Paramount Skydance‘s $111 billion deal to acquire the media company — moving David Ellison one step closer to controlling a new Hollywood empire. But investors weren’t OK with the lavish golden parachutes that CEO David Zaslav and other WBD top brass are set to receive through the merger.
At the special meeting of WBD shareholders Thursday morning, which was held virtually, investors voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of the Paramount deal, comprising $31 per share in cash for Warner Bros. Discovery, according to WBD.
However, a majority of Warner Bros. shareholders voted against the compensation packages for Zaslav and WBD’s other named executive officers in connection with the Paramount merger.
It’s a purely symbolic rebuke: The shareholder advisory vote is non-binding, meaning the Warner Bros. Discovery board can go ahead with the payouts as planned anyway. But it shows WBD shareholders aren’t happy by the generous payments to the company’s outgoing executive team and comes after shareholders last year also voted against the WBD executive compensation packages. Shareholder advisory firm ISS recommended a vote against the compensation measure over its “problematic” tax reimbursements to Zaslav and the full vesting of the CEO’s stock awards.
Under the terms of the exit compensation package for Zaslav, he will receive $34.2 million in cash severance; $517.2 million in equity in the combined company; and $44,195 in continued health coverage reimbursement benefits, according to a WBD filing with the SEC. That’s at least $550 million. In addition, Warner Bros. Discovery has agreed to reimburse Zaslav up to $335 million for taxes assessed by the IRS on his accelerated stock vesting (although WBD says that figure will decline over time, with the final amount depending on the closing date of the Paramount pact).
In addition, Zaslav as of March 11 had $115.85 million worth of vested stock awards from Warner Bros. Discovery, according to the filing. And last month, Zaslav sold $114 million worth of WBD stock.
Zaslav is subject to a non-competition covenant and a non-solicitation of customers and employees covenant, both of which are applicable for two years after Paramount-WBD closes.
Other top Warner Bros. Discovery execs are in line to get nine-figure payouts. J.B. Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and games, is set to receive $142 million (including $18.2 million in cash severance payments and $123.9 million in equity); chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell will get an estimated $121.5 million (including $18.8 million in severance and $102.7 million in equity); CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels’ package is valued at $120 million (including $6.6 million cash severance payments and $113.1 million in equity); and Gerhard Zeiler, president of international, is set to receive $82.6 million ($11.9 million in severance and $70.7 million in equity).
Paramount’s deal to swallow WBD, clinched in February after Netflix declined to up its offer for Warner Bros., is still pending regulatory approvals by the Justice Department and European entities. It’s not known whether regulators will seek to impose certain conditions on the merger. Meanwhile, several state attorneys general have been mulling taking legal action to block the deal.
“The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger isn’t a done deal,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) said in a statement after the shareholder vote. “State attorneys general across the country are stepping up to stop this antitrust disaster. We need to keep up this fight.”
The debt-fueled deal would give Paramount Skydance, parent of CBS, CBS News, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+, BET, MTV, Nickelodeon and more, ownership of WBD businesses including HBO and HBO Max, Warner Bros.’s movie and TV studios, DC, CNN, TBS, TNT, HGTV and Discovery+. Paramount has said it expects to realize $6 billion in cost savings through the merger, indicating mass layoffs will happen if the M&A deal closes.
The special meeting of WBD shareholders — which lasted just about 10 minutes — was presided over by chairman Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr. Company execs who were in attendance included Zaslav, Campbell, Wiedenfels and chief communications officer Robert Gibbs. To be eligible to vote, shareholders must have owned WBD stock as of March 20, 2026.
Piazza said in a statement released at the conclusion of the meeting: “We appreciate the support and confidence our stockholders have placed in us to unlock the full value of our world-class entertainment portfolio. With Paramount, we look forward to creating an exceptional combined company that will expand consumer choice and benefit the global creative talent community.”
WBD also provide a comment from Zaslav: “Over the past four years, our teams have transformed Warner Bros. Discovery and returned the company to industry leadership. Today’s stockholder approval is another key milestone toward completing this historic transaction that will deliver exceptional value to our stockholders. We will continue to work with Paramount to complete the remaining steps in this process that will create a leading, next-generation media and entertainment company.”
A rep for Paramount Skydance shared this statement, with language quite similar to Zaslav’s: “Shareholder approval marks another important milestone towards completing our acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, building on our successful equity and debt syndications and progress across regulatory approvals. We look forward to closing the transaction in the coming months and realizing the creation of a next-generation media and entertainment company that better serves both the creative community and consumers.”
Nikki Glaser revealed on “The Tonight Show” that Leonardo DiCaprio sent her baskets of pasta after the 2026 Golden Globes, which DiCaprio attended as a nominee for “One Battle After Nother” and Glaser hosted (her second time and she’s already set to host for a third in 2027). Glaser’s uproarious monologue went viral for roasting DiCaprio’s history of dating women under 30, which is the only fact most people know about DiCaprio since he doesn’t disclose any information about his personal life.
“What a career Leonardo DiCaprio has had,” Glaser quipped. “Countless iconic performances, you’ve worked with every great director, you’ve won three Golden Globes and an Oscar — and the most impressive thing is you were able to accomplish all that before your girlfriend turned 30.”
Acknowledging the unoriginal punchline, Glaser added, “Leo, I’m sorry I made that joke. It is cheap. I tried not to, but, like, we don’t know anything else about you, man. There’s nothing else. Open up! I’m serious! I looked! I searched! The most in-depth interview you’ve ever given was for Teen Beat magazine in 1991. Is your favorite food still ‘Pasta, pasta and more pasta?’”
Internet sleuths were quick to locate the real Teen Beat magazine article, which included a young DiCaprio filling out a survey and raving about pasta. Glaser admitted on “The Tonight Show” that she was “struggling” to come up with a good DiCaprio joke because people have been making digs at his dating history for quite some time. She even quipped: “That joke’s been going on longer than his current girlfriend has been a live. It’s been around forever.”
“After I do it, I always send flowers to everyone that I made fun of that was a good sport about it, which was everyone, just to say thank you, because it is a part of why I’m successful at it,” Glaser explained to “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon. “The only person who sent something back to me was [Leonardo DiCaprio].”
“He sent me three baskets of pasta as a ‘thank you,’” she added. “So funny. So good. And part of me was like, ‘Does Leo want to smash?’”
Watch Glaser’s full interview on “The Tonight Show” in the video below.
The Turkish parliament has voted through a bill that would ban all children under the age of 15 from using social media. As part of the legislation, social media platforms would be required to enforce age-verification measures on their apps, provide parental control tools, and react more quickly to harmful content being posted.
As reported by The Associated Press, lawmakers have passed the bill in the wake of two deadly school shootings in Turkey, after which police arrested 162 people accused of sharing footage of the tragedies online.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now has 15 days to accept the bill in order for it to become law, after reportedly saying social media platforms had become “cesspools” in a televised address to the nation.
As well as the major social media platforms, AP reports that online gaming companies would also have to implement their own restrictions on minors, with potential punishments including bandwidth reductions and financial penalties.
This isn’t the first time Turkey has locked horns with social media and online gaming platforms. Instagram has been blocked in the country before, back in 2024, relating to a dispute over the posting of Hamas-related content. Access was restored around a week later, but in the same time period Turkey also banned Roblox over reports of inappropriate sexual content accused of being explorative to children. At the time, a Turkish official also named the “promotion of homosexuality” as one reason for the ban.
Turkey has also temporarily banned Twitter (now called X) on several occasions, most recently after 2023’s devastating earthquakes, though it was not clear at the time why the government may have moved to block the social media platform.
The country’s lawmakers moving to ban under-15s from accessing social media is part of an emerging trend in Europe and across the globe. The likes of Greece and Austria have recently introduced similar legislation of their own, following Australia becoming the first country in the world to ban children under 16 from social media last year. The UK has since considered bringing in tighter restrictions too.
Crypto exchanges are increasingly offering bank-like services such as lending and yield products, but without the protection traditional financial institutions provide, according to a report issued Thursday by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
“What looks like a high-yield savings product is, in reality, an unsecured loan to a lightly regulated shadow bank,” said the report, which does not necessarily reflect the views of the BIS, an international financial institution owned by 63 central banks from around the world.
The 38-page report also noted that the crypto industry’s largest participants have evolved beyond simple trading platforms into what it described as “multifunction cryptoasset intermediaries,” bundling services that would typically be separated across banks, brokers and exchanges.
The authors said the biggest concern is how fast “earn” and yield products are growing, and that they are widely marketed to retail users as tools to generate passive income on their crypto assets. While these offerings often promise attractive returns, their structure is closer to unsecured lending than savings, the report said.
“These platforms are effectively taking deposits and recycling them into risky activities — but without the safeguards that make traditional banking stable.”
In many cases, crypto exchange users relinquish control and, sometimes even ownership, of their digital assets to the platform, which then uses the funds for lending, trading or market-making strategies. The returns paid to customers are a share of the profits generated from these activities.
While these arrangements are similar to bank deposits, they lack the insurance traditional finance offers. There may also be a lack of transparency on how the assets are used.
“From the customer’s perspective, these products are generally an unsecured claim on the intermediary,” the report said, warning that users are exposed to the platform’s solvency in the event of losses.
The BIS pointed to the collapse of Celsius Network and FTX as examples of how users are exposed and victims of the weaknesses it says are still rampant within the industry.
“What unraveled at Celsius and FTX wasn’t just poor management, it was a system built on leverage, opacity and deposit-like promises without protection,” the report said.
The report cited the flash crash of October 2025, which triggered an estimated $19 billion in forced liquidations across crypto derivatives markets, saying the slide highlighted how quickly these dynamics can spiral.
