Sennheiser has introduced a new high-end headphone set for audio professionals. The HD 480 Pro is essentially a closed-back reimagining of the company’s popular HD 490 Pro headset. Both headphones are designed for audio professionals, aiming to fit both a studio or a live performance setting. The company is positioning this product as a versatile option that can handle recording, monitoring, producing or mixing.
The HD 480 Pro aims to address two complaints for closed-back headsets: comfort for long wearing sessions and accurate bass reproduction. Sennheiser uses what it dubs a “Vibration Attenuation System” to prevent distortions or reflections in the audio signal. The cable can be detached and used on the left or right side in order to accommodate different setups.
To address comfort, the HD 480 Pro uses some of the same proprietary fit features as the HD 490 Pro, including cushioned pads at the temples for people also wearing glasses and a design that maintains equal contact pressure for any head shape.
The headphones will retail for $479 and the set comes with recording earpads, a 9-foot coiled cable and a carrying bag. A travel case is available for $15.
Cryptocurrency custody firm Fireblocks is handling the issuance and distribution of a euro-denominated stablecoin, backed by a group of twelve European banks, known as the Qivalis consortium.
The euro-backed token, scheduled for release in the second half of 2026, is regulated by the Dutch Central Bank through Amsterdam-based Qivalis and is compliant with the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR).
The Qivalis consortium is made up of: Banca Sella, BBVA, BNP Paribas, CaixaBank, Danske Bank, DekaBank, DZ BANK, ING, KBC, Raiffeisen Bank International, SEB, and UniCredit.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies with values pegged to an external reference such as the dollar, euro and other fiat currencies. The stablecoin market hit $305 billion in January 2026, but 99% of that volume remains dollar-denominated, with euro-pegged assets representing just $650 million.
The Qivalis consortium aims to challenge this dollar dominance with a regulated, MiCAR-compliant offering, according to a press release on Tuesday. The euro is the second-most traded currency in the world, accounting for a daily average volume of nearly $1.1 trillion.
“Qivalis demonstrates how major financial institutions can work together to plan a compliant euro-backed stablecoins at scale – with production-ready infrastructure that will meet MiCAR requirements, handle institutional volumes, and integrate seamlessly with existing banking systems,” said Michael Shaulov, Co-Founder and CEO of Fireblocks.
The Atlanta Hawks overcome a 12-point 4th quarter deficit to defeat the New York Knicks, 107-106, to tie up the series at 1-1. CJ McCollum leads the Hawks with 32 points.
The New York Knicks were cruising to a 2-0 lead in their first round series with the Atlanta Hawks. They were up 12 entering the fourth quarter and were the best fourth-quarter team in the league this season.
After their win in Game 1 two nights earlier, they were 39-0 when leading by at least 12 points in the final period.
But Game 2 was another story, and the Atlanta Hawks found a way to erase that 12-point deficit and escape with a a 107-106 victory at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 32 points, including the go-ahead bucket with 34 seconds left. The Hawks also got a big performance (19 points and a key block) from Jonathan Kuminga off the bench and some huge defensive plays from Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
“It’s a long game,” McCollum said of his team’s comeback after the Knicks were seemingly in control. “You got to play to zero. The way the game is played now, it’s so fast, there’s so many 3s, so many possessions, you always have a chance. You just have to stay within one or two possessions, stay a punch away, and then we’ll throw the last punch.”
Here are some notes, quotes, numbers and film as the Hawks evened the series at one game apiece…
1. Attacking Brunson bears fruit
The Hawks had kind of let Jalen Brunson off the hook in the first game of this series, not targeting him as much as they could or should have. But they had somesuccess attacking him throughout Game 2, and they went at him for four key buckets down the stretch on Monday.
With the Hawks down six and a little less than five minutes left, Kuminga found himself matched up with Brunson in transition. He didn’t hesitate and used an in-and-out dribble to get past Brunson for a layup.
On the next possession, McCollum had Brunson in front of him in transition. He crossed him over, drew help from Mikal Bridges and found Alexander-Walker in the corner for a 3-pointer that got the Hawks within three.
A few possessions later, Alexander-Walker set a screen for McCollum to get Brunson switched onto the ball. A double-crossover had Brunson flailing and McCollum putting the Hawks ahead by one…
Next possession, same thing, except McCollum blew by Brunson going left. And a runner over Karl-Anthony Towns put the Hawks up three with a minute and a half left.
Brunson has been the primary defender on McCollum for much of these two games. The Knicks tried to change the assignments down the stretch on Monday, but the Hawks were still able to get the matchup they wanted, and it could be a critical cat-and-mouse game going forward.
2. Knicks need to clean up pick-and-roll defense
Brunson’s one-on-one defense isn’t the only defensive issue the Knicks have had in this series. Too often, the Hawks have gotten clean rolls to the basket with insufficient help from the weak side.
The pick-and-roll got the Hawks a couple of key buckets early in their fourth-quarter comeback.
First, Kuminga set a screen for Gabe Vincent, and with Corey Kispert curling off an Onyeka Okongwu off-ball screen in the right corner, Jordan Clarkson was scrambling out of the lane. With Alexander-Walker as the lone spacer on the left side of the floor, there was no help when Kuminga got a pocket pass from Vincent…
On the next possession, OG Anunoby switched an Okongwu handoff to Kuminga, but Mitchell Robinson stayed with the ball. And with the weak-side defenders unaware of the breakdown, Okongwu rolled to the rim untouched…
The Knicks have played some good defense in these two games. The Hawks could not generate good shots in their half-court offense in the first quarter on Monday. But New York also has some things to clean up as the series moves to Atlanta.
3. Knicks dominate the glass
The Hawks ranked ninth in defensive rebounding percentage (70.2%) in the regular season, and they kept the Knicks off the offensive glass in Game 1. But Game 2 was their third-worst defensive rebounding game of the season, with the Knicks retaining 42.6% of available offensive boards and registering 24 second chance points.
Robinson had four offensive boards, Towns had three, and Jordan Clarkson somehow had five in just 11 minutes off the bench, including a pair on consecutive possessions midway through the second quarter. He beat Alexander-Walker to the glass for the first and then tipped in a Brunson miss less than 45 seconds later.
The Hawks out-shot the Knicks in this game, and New York was also just 17-for-27 (63%) from the free throw line, with Robinson accounting for only one of those 10 misses. But New York is aggressive on the glass, and Atlanta is both short and shorthanded on the frontline. And rebounding will be a storyline throughout this series.
“We had a hard time on the defensive glass,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said afterward. “Those plays can really be deflating, but I thought we responded to those. We never quite figured it out, but we dug in in other aspects of the game.”
4. Knicks’ bench struggles this time
When you have two All-Stars, one benefit can be the ability to have at least one of the two on the floor for all 48 minutes. But if you fully stagger their minutes so that’s the case, you minimize the time that they’re on the floor together.
Brunson and Towns can be one of the most lethal pick-and-roll combinations in the league, and the Knicks have scored efficiently in this series (1.20 points per chance) when a Brunson-Towns screen has led directly to a shot, turnover or trip to the line.
So Knicks coach Mike Brown has chosen not to stagger their minutes, and the Knicks have had some stretches with both All-Stars on the bench. Their bench was great in Game 1 on Saturday, when the Knicks outscored the Hawks by a point in a little less than nine minutes with both Brunson and Towns off the floor.
It was a different story in Game 2, when the score was Hawks 23, Knicks 16 when both Brunson and Towns were on the bench. New York shot 6-for-17 (1-for-6 from 3-point range) and had five turnovers in that time.
In a one-point game, Brunson, Towns and Josh Hart all played fewer than 36 minutes, something you’d have a hard time imagining a year ago. The Knicks’ bench has generally been terrific this season, but Miles McBride, Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado combined to shoot 0-for-7 on Monday.
It will be interesting to see of Brown rests his two All-Stars at the same time again in Game 3 in Atlanta on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
Israel has killed more than 700 people in Gaza since last year’s US-brokered ‘ceasefire’.
Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026
Dubai-based logistics giant DP World has held talks with representatives linked to Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” over managing supply chains and infrastructure projects in Gaza, according to the Financial Times (FT) newspaper.
The talks reportedly explored whether the state-owned company could partner with the group to oversee logistics for humanitarian aid and commercial goods entering the besieged Palestinian enclave.
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That would include warehousing, cargo tracking systems and security arrangements, the report said. Other proposals discussed reportedly included building a new port in Gaza or on Egypt’s nearby Mediterranean coast, as well as creating a free-trade zone inside the war-ravaged territory.
The discussions form part of longstanding proposals by US officials to privatise much of the Palestinian territory’s services and infrastructure as part of their plans for a “new Gaza”.
But critics have accused such plans of sidelining Palestinians, bypassing international institutions, including the United Nations, and risking legitimisation of the forced displacement of Palestinians from their land.
The report comes as progress towards peace in Gaza has stalled. Israel continues to occupy large swaths of the enclave, while aid access remains heavily restricted despite a US-brokered “ceasefire” announced last October. Since then, Israeli attacks have killed more than 700 people and injured about 2,000, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The FT said a draft proposal it reviewed described a vision for a “secure and traceable supply chain system” and a “port-led economic ecosystem”, alongside light industry and job-creation platforms.
It was not clear who drafted the document or how far the talks progressed.
A spokesperson for DP World told the newspaper they were not aware of any discussions. The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to FT’s request for comment.
DP World, owned by the Dubai government, is one of the world’s largest port operators and says it handles about 10 percent of global trade daily across more than 80 countries.
The company’s senior leadership was reshuffled after longtime chair Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem stepped down in February following scrutiny over his links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Meanwhile, discussions linked to Gaza’s reconstruction have continued behind the scenes, including talks with companies in the security, finance and technology sectors, the FT said.
A joint assessment by the European Union, UN and World Bank said Gaza will require $71.4bn for reconstruction over the next 10 years, including $23bn needed in the next 18 months.
Voters in Virginia head to the polls on Tuesday to decide on a measure that could redraw the state’s congressional map and potentially shift the balance of power in Washington.
Major political figures, including former President Barack Obama and House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, have weighed in on the high-stakes vote, with nearly $100m spent on campaigning around it.
Part of a broader redistricting battle that began in Texas and spread nationwide, the vote may be the Democrats’ last chance this year to gain seats by changing district maps. The vote comes about six months before the 2026 midterm elections.
Here is what we know:
What is Virginia voting on?
Virginia currently sends 11 members to the House. At the moment, six of them are Democrats, and five are Republicans, reflecting the state’s balance.
Democrats now want to redraw the map to favour them in a way that could help them win up to 10 of the 11 seats. Under the proposal, most districts would be safely Democratic or lean towards the party, with only one strongly Republican.
A breakdown would be:
Eight districts would be safely Democratic
Two would be competitive but lean Democratic
Only one would be safely Republican
If approved, this could give the Democrats several extra seats in Congress, helping them win back or strengthen control of the House in Washington, where majorities are often decided by just a few seats.
That would be a big political shift for the state, which was once closely contested but has become more Democratic-leaning in recent years.
Supporters depart a campaign rally against Virginia Democrats’ proposed state redistricting constitutional amendment [FILE: Ken Cedeno/Reuters]
How would the vote work?
Voters in Virginia can cast their ballots either early or on Election Day.
Polling stations will be open across the state on Tuesday:
Polls open at 10:00 GMT
Polls close at 23:00 GMT
Votes will be counted after polls close, with early results expected later that evening and fuller results overnight or the next day.
What are voters being asked to decide?
The proposed constitutional amendment is the only statewide contest on the ballot.
It reads:
“Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”
A “yes” vote would support allowing the General Assembly to redraw congressional districts before the midterms.
A “no” vote would leave current boundaries unchanged until the next round of regularly scheduled redistricting after the 2030 census.
What do the latest polls suggest?
The result is expected to be close.
A recent poll by State Navigate, a nonpartisan research group, suggests a small lead for supporters, with about 53 percent in favour and 47 percent against.
Why do district lines matter so much?
District lines decide how voters are grouped, which can shape who wins elections.
Moving the lines can make a district more favourable to a Democratic or Republican win, by adding or removing neighbourhoods and communities that lean one way or the other.
It can turn a close race into a safe seat, or the other way around. It affects which communities are kept together and who represents them.
This process, often called gerrymandering, allows parties to draw maps that benefit them.
In a closely divided state like Virginia, even small changes to the map can shift several seats and influence who holds power in Congress.
A 2023 study by Harvard University researchers found that gerrymandering often creates “safe” seats for politicians, meaning their races are less competitive.
In turn, those politicians become less responsive to the needs of their constituents, who become discouraged about voting as a result.
Supporters pray during a campaign rally against Virginia Democrats’ proposed state redistricting constitutional amendment [Ken Cedeno/Reuters]
When could new maps take effect?
If approved, the new map could be used as early as the next election cycle, including the upcoming midterms, depending on legal approval.
However, the plan could face legal challenges. Critics have questioned the ballot wording and the process used by lawmakers.
The Virginia Supreme Court has allowed the vote to go ahead while reviewing those concerns.
If it later finds that rules were broken, the results could be overturned, and the current maps would remain.
Why this vote could shape power in Washington?
A handful of seats could decide control of the US House.
Republicans currently hold a narrow 218–213 majority, but Democrats are seen as competitive heading into the midterms.
Political leaders have underscored the stakes.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Party’s leader in the House, has pointed to Virginia as a crucial battleground, while Mike Johnson has said the result will be closely watched across the country.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a campaign rally [Reuters]
What it means to control the US House
The party with the majority (more seats) in Congress can:
Set the agenda, deciding which bills are brought up for debate
Control committees, including investigations and hearings
Pass legislation more easily (if they stay united)
Block bills from the minority party.
The majority party also chooses the speaker of the House, who has major influence over what reaches the floor.
Where else has this happened?
Virginia’s redistricting vote is part of a larger political battle playing out in the US. Republicans in Texas, encouraged by Donald Trump, have redrawn district maps to strengthen their advantage, prompting similar efforts in other states.
In rare cases, voters have been asked to decide directly, including in California last year and now in Virginia.
In California, voters backed the changes despite concerns about fairness. Now it’s Virginia’s turn to decide.
What Democrats are saying, and why?
Democrats argue the plan is a response to Republican actions in other states, not just a power grab.
Leaders like Obama had long opposed gerrymandering in principle, but have now backed the Virginia move, even releasing a video asking voters to go out and vote for the constitutional amendment.
Seoul police have applied for a warrant to detain Bang Si-hyuk, chair and founder of Hybe, over alleged securities fraud tied to the K-pop conglomerate’s public listing, Reuters reported.
Bang established Hybe – then known as Big Hit Entertainment – in 2005, building it into the most powerful company in the K-pop industry. The Seoul-based group is home to BTS, Seventeen, Le Sserafim and Katseye, among others.
Authorities allege that Bang gave early shareholders false assurances in 2019 that a stock market debut was not on the horizon, inducing them to sell their stakes to a private equity vehicle connected to his associates. According to Reuters, once Hybe went public the fund exited its position, and Bang is suspected of collecting around 30% of those proceeds through a prior arrangement with shareholders – generating an estimated KRW190 billion ($129.1 million) in illegal profits. Reuters reported that Bang has previously denied wrongdoing and that Hybe declined to respond when approached for comment.
The legal exposure is severe. The Korea Times noted that under the Capital Market Act, any person who nets KRW5 billion or more by making false representations about a financial product faces a prison term of at minimum five years, with a life sentence possible at the upper end.
The Korea Times also reported that investigators received their first information about the alleged conduct in late 2024 and moved to search both the Korea Exchange and Hybe’s headquarters the following year. Bang has been questioned five times and held under a travel ban – a restriction that drew a diplomatic response, with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul writing to the police agency to request that Bang be allowed to enter the country in connection with BTS’s world tour.
Hybe’s stock swung sharply on the news, Reuters reported, dropping 2.9% at a point when South Korea’s broader KOSPI index was trading up 1.8%. The timing is particularly sensitive for the company: BTS drew tens of thousands of fans to a free comeback concert in Seoul last month – the group’s first live shows after nearly four years away during which members fulfilled mandatory military obligations – and has since played further dates in Goyang and Tokyo. A U.S. leg of the tour is due to open in Tampa, Fla., later this month. A court must still approve the warrant before Bang can be taken into custody.
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has announced it will remove certain trading pairs from its margin trading platform. According to the official statement, the removal of these margin trading pairs will take effect on April 24, 2026, at 09:00 AM.
According to the announcement, a number of currency pairs will be delisted, affecting both cross-margin and isolated margin trading. The pairs to be removed under cross-margin include $AAVE/$ETH, $STX/$BTC, $ICP/$BTC, $SEI/$BTC, $AAVE/$BTC, $UNI/$BTC, $LTC/$ETH, $NEAR/$BTC, $XLM/$BTC, and $ADA/$ETH. On the isolated margin side, the following pairs will be delisted: $STX/$BTC, $ICP/$BTC, $SEI/$BTC, $AAVE/$BTC, $UNI/$BTC, $LTC/$ETH, $NEAR/$BTC, $XLM/$BTC, and $ADA/$ETH.
Binance stated that these decisions are made as a result of regular reviews aimed at ensuring user safety and maintaining high quality standards in the market. The exchange emphasized that factors such as low liquidity, insufficient trading volume, and changes in market conditions influence such delisting decisions.
Users were reminded that they should close their open positions and take necessary precautions before the specified date. Otherwise, automatic liquidation procedures may be applied by the system.
Experts say that these regular list updates help maintain market health and that investors should pay more attention to risk management.
The Playmaker has saddled up to handle international sales duties for Sonja Maria Kröner’s family adventure film “Horse on a Stick,” which will have its market premiere at Cannes Film Market.
The film, which opens in German theaters on April 23, distributed by Port au Prince, is produced by Lieblingsfilm, whose previous production, comedy “Extrawurst,” is Germany’s most successful box office release of this year so far, with a $21.9 million gross from 1.9 million admissions.
“Horse on a Stick” is based on the real-life Finnish phenomenon of hobby horsing: competitive tournaments in which teenagers perform dressage and show jumping routines on handmade hobby horses.
The film follows 13-year-old Sarah from Munich, who discovers her passion for hobby horsing. In the hunt for a trophy, she travels to Finland with Beatrice, also 13, to compete in the Hobby Horse Championship.
“’Horse on a Stick’ is a fun, lovely, and empowering adventure and friendship story about finding yourself and sticking to it no matter what,” Ramona Sehr, head of acquisitions at The Playmaker, said.
“When I first heard screenwriter Gerlind Becker’s pitch for ‘Horse on a Stick,’ I knew straight away this would be an enchanting story closely tied to the everyday lives of the children’s target audience,” producer Philipp Budweg said.
The Playmaker said the film carries a universal message: passion and friendship transcend where you come from. Its protagonist documents her journey on social media, and the film’s “TikTok-ready subject matter makes it a story that speaks directly to today’s generation,” the company added.
“Horse on a Stick” is shot by DOP Julia Daschner. Principal photography took place in Munich and Lithuania, with the film’s championship sequences set in Finland. The film’s score was composed by Inéz and Demian Kappenstein, the duo behind German electronic-indie act Ätna. The film stars Manon Debaille, Chiara Kitsopoulou and Aurelia Ott.
“Horse on a Stick” is produced by Budweg for Lieblingsfilm in co-production with ZDF and KiKA. The production was supported and funded by FFF Bayern, MDM Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Hessenfilm & Medien, BKM, Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film, FFA and DFFF.
Five Japanese filmmakers developed through the Atmovie Global Track will pitch new projects at the Cannes Film Market during the Cannes Film Festival, with the debut timed to Japan‘s designation as Country of Honor at this year’s market.
The accelerator, funded by the Japan Creator Support Fund under the Agency for Cultural Affairs and administered by Japan Arts Council, ran a lab of 14 fellows with international mentors before selecting five projects for a dedicated industry showcase.
“While Japan is often seen as a source of adaptable IP, this initiative highlights creators empowering their own stories to the global market in their own voices,” said Moriya Takeshi, chief producer and founder of the program, whose credits include “Midnight Diner” and “Midnight Swan.”
The selected slate spans tone and genre. Seki Shun’s “Her Voice” follows girls in a juvenile detention center who stage a rehabilitative operetta. Joya Yoshimi’s “Almost Goodbye” centers on a hikikomori man sustaining a false identity through nightly visits to a convenience store. Furuyama Tomomi’s “My Missing Half” is a darkly comic Japan-Philippines road movie rooted in the Filipino manananggal myth. Arai Soji’s “Their Own Sake,” drawn from a true story, tracks a Japanese sake brewer attempting to practice his craft in the Arizona desert alongside his Navajo wife. Miyase Sachiko’s “Portrait of Absence” follows three middle-aged women traveling to Europe in search of a missing friend.
“What’s emerging here is not just Japanese content, but globally viable cinema at script stage,” said Deepti Chawla of Inflixious Content & Art India, a key international collaborator on the initiative and executive producer on Cannes 2024 title “The Shameless” and associate producer on Annecy Grand Prix winner “Sultana’s Dream.” “The focus is on building projects that travel early – structurally, financially and creatively. That shift is what makes this slate relevant to international partners.”
The program’s mentors include James Bang and Jenna Ku of the Busan Asian Film School, whose credits span “The World of Love” and “Little Forest.” A broader network of producers from Japan, the U.S., the U.K., Taiwan, and India is also engaged, among them Eiko Mizuno-Gray (“Plan 75”), Yamaguchi Shin (“Rental Family”), Yanagimoto Chiaki (“Aum”), and Suzuki Lancaster Fumie (“Fujiko”).
The five filmmakers will pitch to producers, financiers, and sales agents during Cannes, with additional curated pitch events and networking receptions planned at the Japan Pavilion.
If Instagram has been turning your color photo posts into black and white recently, don’t worry, there’s no problem with your camera or your account. The Meta-owned app has confirmed to Engadget that the issue is caused by a bug that’s affecting HDR photos in particular. “Earlier today, a technical issue caused some HDR photos to appear incorrectly as black-and-white for a subset of accounts,” Instagram has told us. However, we see complaints dated April 18 and 19, so the issue has been going on a bit longer for some people.
Regardless of when the bug started causing problems, the Instagram team said it has since corrected the issue. If your posts are still showing up in black and white, Instagram said the fix will automatically turn your affected photo posts back to their original state over the next few hours. “We apologize for any inconvenience,” they added.
