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  • Firefighters rescue golden retriever from thawing Canadian river

    Firefighters rescue golden retriever from thawing Canadian river

    Odd News // 3 weeks ago

    Prosthetic leg, surfboard among Los Angeles Metro’s Lost & Found

    March 13 (UPI) — The Los Angeles Metro revealed some of the most unusual items in its Lost & Found, including a surfboard, a prosthetic leg and a 55-inch TV.

  • How to Secure — and Save on — Last-Minute Stagecoach 2026 Passes

    How to Secure — and Save on — Last-Minute Stagecoach 2026 Passes

    If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.

    Weekend one of Coachella has officially arrived, meaning its cowboy boot-covered sister festival is just around the corner. While a limited number of passes are still available through Stagecoach‘s official ticketing site, axs.com, prices have increased on AXS since initial release, meaning customers can find some of the best deals on third-party platforms, namely StubHub, TicketNetwork, Vivid Seats, Ticket Liquidator, SeatGeek and Gametime. Plus, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusive discount codes for select sites (all listed below).

    When comparing resale platforms, StubHub stands out for its large inventory, while TicketNetwork offers the best THR-exclusive promotion: $150 off $500 and up with code THR150, and $300 off $1,000 and up with code THR300 at TicketNetwork.com. THR‘s additional promo codes are listed directly below.

    Discount Codes for 2026 Stagecoach Tickets

    TicketNetwork, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek are offering exclusive deals to THR readers:

    • TicketNetwork: Get $150 off orders of $500 and up with promo code THR150, or $300 off $1,000 and up with code THR300.
    • Vivid Seats: Use code THR30 to save $30 on purchases of $300 and above.
    • SeatGeek: New customers can use promo code HOLLYWOOD10 to save $10 on purchases of $250 and up.

    At a Glance: How to Buy Stagecoach 2026 Tickets Online

    Where to Buy 2026 Stagecoach Festival Passes

    In addition to the THR-exclusive promo codes for TicketNetwork, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek (all listed above and below), resale platforms StubHub, Ticket Liquidator and Gametime also have a number of discounted passes to catch Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson and Post Malone live (scroll for the full 2026 lineup and confirmed set times). Learn more about each ticketing site — and their corresponding promo codes — below. Inventory is extremely limited, so act fast.

    Note: Since pricing and inventory are constantly fluctuating, we didn’t include current pricing details below, and recommend checking each of the six sites listed (StubHub, TicketNetwork, Vivid Seats, Ticket Liquidator, SeatGeek and Gametime) to compare costs at time of purchase.

    With the most expansive resale inventory, StubHub has a number of Stagecoach tickets still on sale.

    TicketNetwork has 2026 Stagecoach tickets, and right now, THR readers can get $150 off orders of $500 and up with promo code THR150, or $300 off $1,000 and up with code THR300.

    Use code THR30 to save $30 on purchases of $300 and above at vividseats.com.

    New customers can use promo code HOLLYWOOD10 to save $10 on purchases of $250 and up at SeatGeek.

    Stagecoach Lineup 2026

    Headlining the festival are Cody Johnson (Friday), Lainey Wilson (Saturday) and Post Malone (Sunday). Other artists on the bill include Bailey Zimmerman, The Red Clay Strays, Ella Langley, Counting Crows, Riley Green, Journey, Little Big Town, Teddy Swims, Brooks & Dunn, Hootie & The Blowfish, Third Eye Blind, Diplo, Pitbull and Ludacris. See the full 2026 Stagecoach lineup below.

    Stagecoach Set Times 2026

    See below for Stagecoach 2026 set times.

    Related: How to Get Last-Minute Coachella Passes for Both Weekends of the Sold-Out 2026 Festival

  • CinemaCon Preview: Nolan, Cruise and the Warners Sale Loom Large

    CinemaCon Preview: Nolan, Cruise and the Warners Sale Loom Large

    It seems like a lifetime ago when a record 11 companies — including the six major Hollywood studios — teased their upcoming films in 2018 at CinemaCon, the annual convention of theater owners and operators that’s been held for decades in Las Vegas.

    The mood was one of general optimism; annual domestic box office revenue was still clocking in at north of $11 billion despite the rise of streaming. But in a harbinger of a far more serious threat — consolidation — then-20th Century Fox movie head Stacey Snider brought many to tears when addressing the looming sale of a large swath of Rupert Murdoch’s media and entertainment empire, including the film studio, to Disney. “Today we face a new transition and potential merger that will have lasting implications for the film business,” she said. A year later, Snider was gone, with the renamed 20th Century movie division becoming part of Disney’s CinemaCon presentation. “It’s a bit of a shock to be here as colleagues,” confessed Emma Watts, who had been vice chair at Fox and did a brief post-merger stint at Disney.

    Shock was one way to put it. This year’s CinemaCon could prove all-out surreal as the number of major legacy studios further erodes at a time when cinemas need more product that can work theatrically, not less, if they are ever to recover from the pandemic and labor strikes. Numerous movies are expected to finally be dated, for example.

    A plethora of huge stars and filmmakers are expected to participate, including Christopher Nolan and possibly even Steven Spielberg, as well as actors Zendaya, Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Timothée Chalamet and Tom Cruise. But the radical consolidation underway in Hollywood will share the stage inside the cavernous Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace as nervous exhibitors try to wrap their heads around the notion of Skydance founder David Ellison buying up Warner Bros. — no matter what the cost or debt incurred — when the ink has barely dried on his acquisition of Paramount Pictures, which had been left crippled after years of financial neglect.

    But hope runs eternal among box office pundits, with many counting on a repeat of summer 2023 and the Barbenheimer phenomenon. “Everyone feel very bullish about the prospects for a mighty impressive summer for movie theaters and studios,” says Comscore chief analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

    Bullish, and terrified. “It’s unclear how the elephant in the room is going to play out, whether increased pressure from the tech companies, or the merging of two iconic studios with little clarity on what a joined Warner Bros./Paramount will ultimately look like in the film ecosystem a year from now,” says one top studio executive. “All of this will cast a bit of shadow on what’s supposed to be a celebratory week.”

    Here’s a guide to the biggest headlines that could come out of CinemaCon 2026 from the five remaining legacy studios hosting presentations — Sony, Warners, Universal, Paramount and Disney. Amazon MGM, which is celebrating its first major box office hit, Project Hail Mary, also is presenting, as is the indie outfit Neon. Amazon MGM could leave exhibitors all-out elated if it dates the next Bond pic, although Daniel Craig’s replacement as 007 isn’t likely to be revealed just yet. Then again, it is Vegas.

    WHAT WILL HE SAY THIS TIME?

    Spider-Man: Brand New Day

    Courtesy of Sony Pictures

    Sony Pictures Entertainment chair Tom Rothman, whose studio for years has opened the show on Monday night, can generally be counted on for a pithy quote, such a “Netflix, my ass” (said at 2017’s CinemaCon). He and his team also could share sneak footage of what’s virtually assured of being the biggest live-action pic of the summer, Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31), produced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. And don’t forget about the four Beatles pics that are Rothman’s passion project. Directed by Sam Mendes, they are opening in April 2028. Maybe we’ll finally know the exact dates each one is debuting.

    HOW TO CELEBRATE DURING AN AWKWARD PERIOD

    From Left: Warner Bros. movie chiefs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca flanked distribution head Jeff Goldstein, who had fun promoting Superman at CinemaCon 2025. This year, they’ll be plugging Diggers, starring Tom Cruise, who is seen (far right) at the 2022 premiere of Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick with then-Skydance CEO David Ellison, who now runs all of Paramount and could soon be running Warners as well.

    Eric Charbonneau/Warner Bros./Getty Images; Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

    A year ago, Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy were raked over the coals by the media — this reporter included — when touting Sinners and One Battle After Another at CinemaCon. Pundits said both films cost far too much. The duo certainly got the last laugh: Sinners picked up a record 16 Oscar nominations and won a slew of top categories, including best original screenplay for filmmaker Ryan Coogler and best actor for Michael B. Jordan, and One Battle After Another won best picture, best director and adapted screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson. It isn’t clear if De Luca and Abdy will follow Snider’s cue and talk about the ownership change; Ellison has said repeatedly he’ll keep the two studios separate (many say that’s likely true for at least two years).

    Otherwise, expect to see something from their year-end movie Diggers, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise in his first potential awards film in years. Legendary’s Dune: Part 3, starring Chalamet and Zendaya, and DC’s Supergirl will also be highlighted. Overall, Warners’ presentation may have fewer stars, but those that do turn out will be names known around the world.

    Illlumination and Universal’s Minions & Monsters

    Illumination & Universal Pictures

    MEET THE NEW TEAM

    Whether or not Ellison will be on the ground in Vegas, new Paramount studio chiefs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are sure to make as much news as possible, either by announcing release dates or new projects. They’ll also promote films including May’s Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, a 3D concert film directed by James Cameron. And Cruise recently was filmed atop Paramount’s water tower for some sort of CinemaCon reel. At Skydance, Ellison grew close with Cruise when partnering with Paramount and co-financing the Mission: Impossible and Top Gun franchises.

    The Devil Wears Prada 2

    Macall Polay/20th Century Studios

    A STUDY IN STABILITY

    The Mandalorian & Grogu

    Francois Duhamel/Lucasfilm

    Like Warners in years past, Universal is known for throwing a talent-rich CinemaCon show. Don’t expect that to change this time as it pulls off nothing short of a coup: having Nolan on hand to plug his July epic The Odyssey (Damon plays the lead, while other high-profile names on the call sheet include Zendaya, Holland and Charlize Theron). And don’t be surprised if Spielberg could make his CinemaCon stage debut to promote Disclosure Day, his summer sci-fi event picture that stars Emily Blunt (she’s also in The Devil Wears Prada 2, which kicks off the summer box office May 1), Josh O’Connor, Eve Hewson, Colin Firth and more. And exhibitors never tire of the chance to catch up with longtime Universal movie chief Donna Langley, who now overseas all content across movies, TV and streaming as chair of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios.

    Disney, which historically relied on footage instead of talent, also is expected to pull out all the stops in terms of star and filmmaker power. Its slate is enviable, from 20th Century’s The Devil Wears Prada sequel to Pixar’s Toy Story 5 to the December event pic Avengers: Doomsday. That last one, from Marvel, has been shrouded in mystery, so now would be an opportune time to demonstrate that the film will deliver. Sources say Doomsday is exploding on long-lead tracking. Disney also has two Star Wars films on the horizon: director Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu, which releases in May, and next year’s Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling.

    Toy Story 5

    Disney/Pixar

    A version of this story appeared in the April 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

  • ‘Operation Atlantic’: US and UK Team With Firms to Trace, Freeze Millions in Stolen Crypto

    ‘Operation Atlantic’: US and UK Team With Firms to Trace, Freeze Millions in Stolen Crypto

    In brief

    • Crypto firms and government agencies teamed up in “Operation Atlantic,” designed to stop crypto fraud schemes and approval phishing campaigns.
    • The sprint led to $12 million in frozen funds and $45 million in total traced funds believed to be related to crypto fraud.
    • Held at the U.K.’s NCA headquarters in London, the operation had involvement from Coinbase, Binance, the Secret Service, and more.

    Crypto firms like Coinbase and Binance, alongside government agencies like the United States Secret Service and the U.K.’s National Crime Agency (NCA), have flagged $45 million in stolen crypto funds as part of fraud schemes, the parties announced on Thursday. 

    In the probe, more than 20,000 victims of approval phishing fraud were identified, and $12 million in funds were frozen in the hopes of returning funds to victims.

    “To take on approval phishing at scale, our Global Intelligence team joined forces with multiple international law enforcement agencies and other partners for a focused operational sprint held at the National Crime Agency’s headquarters in London,” Coinbase wrote. 

    “The goal was straightforward: identify victims, trace stolen funds, and disrupt the infrastructure that makes approval phishing possible—as fast as we could,” it added. 

    The investigative sprint, dubbed “Operation Atlantic,” was first revealed last month and was hosted by the NCA at its headquarters in London. In a week of focused work there, the agencies disrupted “multiple fraud networks,” and will continue to analyze intelligence gathered moving forward. Other crypto firms, like on-chain security firm Chainalysis, crypto exchange Kraken, and stablecoin issuer Tether, were included as partners. 

    “Operation Atlantic is a powerful example of what is possible when international agencies and private industry work side by side,” said National Crime Agency Deputy Director of Investigations Miles Bronfield, in a statement. “This intensive action has led to the safeguarding of thousands of victims in the UK and overseas, stopped criminals in their tracks and helped save others from losing their funds.”

    The enforcement campaign was focused on crypto investors who may have been impacted by approval phishing, when malicious actors attempt to gain access to funds via fake pop-up notifications or alerts that unsuspecting victims believe come from trusted parties. 

    More than 120 web domains used for schemes were identified during the week, according to the Secret Service. 

    “With traditional financial crimes, this kind of cross-border, multi-agency coordination would take months,” Coinbase wrote in its recap on the week. “With blockchain technology, we moved from identification to action in a single week-long sprint.” 

    The engagement report comes just over a week after alleged North Korean hackers made off with around $285 million via an exploit of Solana protocol, Drift. The exploit would represent just a fraction of the funds lost to crypto scam last year, with a recent report from the FBI indicating that more than $11.4 billion was lost to crypto scams in 2025 alone.

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  • Morning Minute: Bitcoin Breaks $73K as Strategy’s STRC Bid Grows

    Morning Minute: Bitcoin Breaks $73K as Strategy’s STRC Bid Grows

    Morning Minute is a daily newsletter written by Tyler Warner. The analysis and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Decrypt. And check out our new daily news show covering all of the top stories in 5 minutes or less, downloadable on Apple Pod or Spotify.

    GM!

    Today’s top news:

    • Crypto majors up 1%; BTC at $72K
    • ZEC and MON rally 20% leading top movers; HYPE +5%
    • CZ and OKX founder Star publicly dispute, CZ calls for $1B “divorce” bet
    • Bessent and Brian Armstrong both say it’s time to pass the Clarity Act
    • WLFI falls 10% after team reveals using 5B tokens to borrow $75M

    🌎 Bitcoin breaks $73K on ceasefire hopes, STRC

    Bitcoin topped $73,000 briefly on Thursday, per data from CoinMarketCap, reversing an early sell-off after Netanyahu signaled Lebanon negotiations. It bounced off that level and is holding just above $72K this morning.

    The Bitcoin options market is even more bullish. Data shows that the $80,000 level is seeing the most volume in June expiry contracts with over $1.6B in open interest, a full 10% move from current levels.

    As for why traders are bullish—well, it could be Saylor-driven. Strategy‘s STRC had another massive day Thursday with over 3M preferred shares moved, generating capital to purchase 2,000+ Bitcoin ($144M). Wednesday’s numbers were similar, and the totals historically rise into the dividend cutoff date (next Wednesday). So expect 3 more days of increasing STRC flows.

    It’s a strong setup for Bitcoin near-term.

    Key Details:

    • Bitcoin topped $73,000 Thursday, up ~9% over the past month as crypto decouples from software stocks, which are down 12% over the same stretch
    • June $80K Bitcoin options showing $1.6B in open interest, most concentrated target
    • Saylor’s STRC moved 3M shares, enough to buy $144M in Bitcoin; on pace for well over $300M in purchases this week

    📊 Galaxy profit rockets, stock jumps

    The headline number from Galaxy’s 2025 annual report, a $241M net loss, buried the more important one: The firm’s Digital Assets segment generated $505M in adjusted gross profit.

    GLXY closed up 11.3% Thursday, second-best crypto equity on the day.

    The thesis Mike Novogratz is selling isn’t a crypto trading story anymore. It’s AI infrastructure. Galaxy’s Helios campus, once one of North America’s largest Bitcoin mines, is an 800-megawatt facility fully leased to CoreWeave that’s beginning to generate compute revenue in 2026. “The most consequential shift right now is the move from narrative to infrastructure,” he wrote.

    That pivot from BTC mining to AI is clearly paying off…

    Key Details:

    • Galaxy posted a $241M 2025 net loss driven by unrealized losses and one-time costs; core Digital Assets segment generated $505M in adjusted gross profit
    • GLXY closed up 11.3% at $21.15; total assets on platform hit $12B with $2B in net inflows during 2025
    • The Helios play: 800MW Texas facility fully leased to CoreWeave; AI compute revenue begins 2026; Galaxy is pitching itself as half crypto financial firm, half AI infrastructure company

    🦅 Gemini is on sale, but nobody wants the whole thing

    Potential buyers are circling Gemini, but not in the way the Winklevoss twins might want.

    Per CoinDesk, interested parties are evaluating an acquisition of Gemini’s shuttered EU and UK operations specifically to obtain MiCA and FCA regulatory licenses. Nobody is pursuing a full takeover.

    The backdrop is stark. Gemini IPO’d at $28 in September 2025 and now trades around $4.70, down 83%. The company cut 25% of its workforce in February, exited the EU, UK, and Australia, lost three senior executives, and faces a shareholder class-action lawsuit filed in March.

    GEMI stock jumped 11% on the acquisition reports, but has already shed some of those gains.

    Key Details:

    • Potential buyers are circling Gemini’s shuttered EU and UK operations for MiCA and FCA licenses; no full takeover interest
    • The distress context: $28 IPO September 2025, now $4.70 (down 83%); 25% workforce cut; exited EU/UK/Australia; three executives departed; class-action lawsuit filed March 2026
    • MiCA wrinkle: license doesn’t transfer in an acquisition; change of control triggers full regulatory reassessment; buyers face scrutiny equivalent to a new applicant

    ⚖️ Bessent to the Senate: Pass the Clarity Act

    Treasury Secretary Bessent made his most direct push yet Thursday, urging the Senate to pass the Clarity Act and resolve the stablecoin yield dispute still stalling the bill.

    This comes just one day after the White House Council of Economic Advisors mathematically dismantled the banking lobby’s core argument, finding a yield ban would boost lending by just $2.1B, a 0.02% increase.

    The only remaining variable is whether Senate Democrats and holdout Republicans will accept a stablecoin yield framework that Coinbase can live with.

    And we may have gotten a signal from Brian Armstrong last night, who tweeted “It’s time to pass the Clarity Act” in union with Bessent.

    Key Details:

    • Bessent urged the Senate to pass the Clarity Act, calling for resolution on stablecoin yield provisions; follows the White House CEA report that undercut the banking lobby’s deposit-flight argument
    • What’s left: Senate Banking Committee markup; stablecoin yield language is the last unlock for the full US crypto regulatory stack
    • Odds of the Clarity Act passing in 2026 rose 3% to 59% on Thursday

    🤖 Florida goes after OpenAI

    Florida AG James Uthmeier launched a formal investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT Thursday, citing the chatbot’s alleged role in the April 2025 FSU mass shooting that killed two people, child safety concerns, and the risk of OpenAI data reaching the Chinese government.

    The quote Uthmeier posted to announce it is the week’s most ironic AI headline: “AI should advance mankind, not destroy it.”

    The investigation arrives as AI infrastructure, specifically data centers, are coming under attack. Per Bloomberg and Sightline Climate, 30-50% of the data centers planned to come online this year are facing delays or outright cancellations. Of the 12 gigawatts of capacity announced for 2026, only a third is currently under construction. Bernie Sanders and AOC introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act in March to stop all new construction until federal safeguards are in place. It’s not going anywhere, but it signals the political mood around AI is shifting.

    Key Details:

    • Florida AG Uthmeier launched a formal OpenAI investigation, citing ChatGPT’s alleged role in the 2025 FSU shooting, child safety, and CCP data concerns; subpoenas forthcoming; arrives as OpenAI eyes a $1T IPO
    • 30-50% of US data centers planned for 2026 are facing delays or cancellations per Sightline Climate
    • The political pressure: Sanders and AOC introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act in March, calling for a full construction halt until federal safeguards are in place; fringe bill, real signal

    🌎 Macro crypto and markets

    • Crypto majors are slightly green; BTC +1% at $72.1k; ETH +1% at $2,210; SOL +2% at $84; HYPE +5% at $41
    • DEXE (+30%), ZEC (+20%), and MON (+20%) led top movers
    • Oil -3% at $94; Gold even at $4,764
    • The Bitcoin options market is showing concentration at the $80,000 price level for June expiry contracts with over $1.6B in open interest
    • Treasury Secretary Bessent urged the Senate to pass the Clarity Act, pushing for resolution on stablecoin yield provisions still stalling the bill
    • The Treasury will share cybersecurity intelligence with crypto firms, giving the industry access to the same threat data distributed to traditional financial institutions
    • Former SEC official Brett Redfearn joined Securitize as president ahead of the BlackRock-backed tokenization firm’s anticipated public listing
    • Binance founder CZ got into a public dispute with OKX founder Star, escalating to the point that CZ bet Star $1B that he is “officially divorced” from Binance

    Corporate Treasuries & ETFs

    Meme Coin Tracker

    • Meme leaders were slightly green; DOGE +1%, SHIB +1%, PEPE +1%, TRUMP -2%, PENGU +4%, SPX +5%, FARTCOIN +2%
    • SBTI (25x), triplet (+102%), chillguy (+32%), and hodl (+38%) led notable onchain movers

    💰 Token, airdrop & protocol Tracker

    • Tether released its QVAC SDK, a toolkit enabling AI apps to run locally on devices without cloud servers, extending Tether’s push into AI infrastructure
    • Nunchuk released open-source tools letting AI agents interact with Bitcoin wallets via multi-sig, without giving agents unilateral control over funds
    • DeFi lender Sky is restructuring its products to pursue a formal credit rating, targeting institutional capital as DeFi protocols push further into TradFi
    • Binance enabled prediction market trading in-app via Predict.fun, giving 240M+ users direct access to event contracts as the CFTC battles states over federal jurisdiction
    • WLFI fell 10% after the team revealed that it borrowed $75M against 5B tokens

    🚚 What is happening in NFTs?

    • NFT leaders were mostly flat again; Punks -1% at 28 ETH, Pudgy -1 at 4.2 ETH, BAYC even at 6.39 ETH; Hypurr’s +!% at 392 HYPE
    • Nouns (+69%) and Kodas (+13%) led notable movers

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  • JD Vance expects ‘positive’ US-Iran war talks as he departs for Pakistan

    JD Vance expects ‘positive’ US-Iran war talks as he departs for Pakistan

    United States Vice President JD Vance has departed for Pakistan to engage in talks on ending the US-Israeli war with Iran, saying he expects “positive” results.

    Vance spoke briefly to reporters on Friday as he boarded a plane bound for Islamabad, where talks with Iran were set to be held the following day.

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    “We’re looking forward to the negotiation. I think it’s going to be positive. We’ll, of course, see,” he said.

    Vance added that President Donald Trump had given him “pretty clear guidelines” for the meeting.

    “If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly willing to extend an open hand, that’s one thing,” he said.

    “If they’re going to try to play us, they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”

    Some observers have seen the last-minute move to have Vance lead the US delegation as a sign of Iran’s wariness with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

    Witkoff and Kushner, who will still attend Saturday’s talks, had twice led indirect negotiations about Iran’s nuclear programme.

    Those talks were ongoing when Israel initiated a 12-day war on Iran in June 2025, which ended with the US striking three of Iran’s key nuclear sites, and when the US and Israel launched the latest war on February 28.

    While deeply loyal to Trump, Vance is also viewed as less hawkish than many of the president’s other top officials.

    A former member of the US Marine Corps during the 2003 Iraq war, Vance has become representative of the anti-interventionist wing of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement.

    “It’s interesting that JD Vance has been singled out to head this delegation. He hasn’t played much of a role to date,” Al Jazeera correspondent Mike Hanna reported from Washington, DC.

    “One of the reasons, possibly, is because the Iranians had expressed their preference for dealing with Vance, rather than the other envoys who they have been dealing with.”

    Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to lead the Iranian delegation, although it is not clear if any representative from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would attend.

    The format of negotiations, and whether the US and Iranian officials would speak face to face or through intermediaries, was not revealed as of Friday.

    From threat to ‘destroy civilisation’ to talks

    The talks on Saturday will cap an extraordinary week in the war, which saw Trump threaten strikes on Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, if Tehran did not agree to his terms.

    International law experts have said such strikes would likely constitute war crimes.

    On Tuesday, just hours before the temporary ceasefire was announced, Trump went further, pledging that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if a deal was not reached.

    While the pause in fighting has generally held, both sides have offered conflicting messages on the agreed-upon terms.

    The Trump administration said it agreed to a 10-point plan put forward by Iran, but maintained the points are different from an earlier 10-point proposal it previously rejected.

    No clarity has emerged on key issues, including control over the Strait of Hormuz, the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, and whether Israel’s invasion of Lebanon is subject to the ceasefire.

    Both the US and Israel have maintained that pausing the fighting in Lebanon was not part of the initial ceasefire agreement, contradicting claims from Iran and Pakistan.

    However, on Thursday, in a phone interview with an Israeli journalist, Trump said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make the operations in Lebanon more “low key”, so as not to derail the talks in Pakistan.

    In a phone interview with the New York Post on Friday, Trump re-upped his threat, saying the US was “loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made” in the event the talks fall through.

    Ghalibaf, meanwhile, cast doubt on whether the negotiations would move forward.

    In a post on X on Friday, he maintained two conditions of the initial agreement had not yet been fulfilled. They included the “ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations”.

    “These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin,” Ghalibaf wrote.

    Lack of trust

    Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi, meanwhile, told a meeting of foreign ambassadors on Friday that Iran welcomed the Pakistan dialogue.

    But Ravanchi added he remained wary that it could be used as a deception, to cover for renewed escalation in the fighting. He said Iran seeks an agreement with guarantees that it will not be attacked again.

    Before the negotiations, the two sides appear to be “miles apart, and there’s tremendous amounts of mistrust” before the meeting, according to Ali Vaez, the Iran project manager at the International Crisis Group.

    “In fact, I would argue that they’re beginning from a negative starting point now, because of their recent experience of the Trump administration bombing them twice in the middle of negotiations in the past year,” Vaez explained.

    “However, the reality is that every option possible has been tried: Sanctions, economic coercion, military coercion, and both sides ended up in a lose-lose scenario towards the end of this conflict.

    “And if they are practical, they’ll realise it is so much better and less costly … to do concessions at the negotiating table,” he added. “But that is much easier said than done.”

    Reporting from Islamabad, Al Jazeera correspondent Osama Bin Javaid cited multiple sources as saying some “ground progress is already being made” before the arrival of the marquee negotiators.

    But he noted it remains to be seen whether the US and Iran resume their negotiations from February, when talks about Iran’s nuclear programme were unfolding in Oman and Switzerland.

    “Now the question is: Where does that framework begin? Is it going to be where they left off in Oman and in Geneva?” Bin Javaid said. “Or after the evolution of the last six weeks, it is going to start from scratch?

    “What are the modalities that they will have to agree upon?”

  • Netflix Drops Millie Bobby Brown’s ‘Perfect’ After She Exits Olympics Movie Over Creative Differences

    Netflix Drops Millie Bobby Brown’s ‘Perfect’ After She Exits Olympics Movie Over Creative Differences

    Netflix’s Olympic gymnastics drama “Perfect” is no longer moving ahead at the streamer after Millie Bobby Brown exited the project due to creative differences, two sources with knowledge of the project have confirmed.

    Brown was set to star as Kerri Strug, a member of the 1996 “Magnificent Seven” USA gymnastics team with Gia Coppola directing and Ronnie Sandahl as screenwriter.

    The project was announced last September. Brown had been set to produce under her PMCA shingle, which Nik Bower of Riverstone Pictures and Thomas Benski for Magna Studios as lead producers.

    At 18 years old, Strug helped her team win the gold medal after she performing the vault on an injured ankle. After she landed perfectly and her ankle gave out, her coach had so carry her off the mat, which became a landmark moment in Olympic history. Her team insisted she join them for the gold medal ceremony, and again her coach helped carry her to the podium. She became a heroic figure with appearances on talk shows, a “Saturday Night Live” parody and her photo on the Wheaties box. After her gymnastics career, Strug went on to work as an elementary school teacher and in several positions in the White House and Justice Department.

    Brown just completed five seasons of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” which she started at 12 years old, and has “Enola Holmes 3” premiering on Netflix this summer. She has also wrapped production on the streamer’s upcoming rom-com “Just Picture It,” in which she stars and also produces, co-starring Gabrielle LaBelle. She’s also working on another Netflix project, “Nineteen Steps,” which will adapt Brown’s debut novel for the screen.

    Spokespeople for Netflix and Brown declined to comment.

  • How Young Will Amazon Make James Bond?

    How Young Will Amazon Make James Bond?

    “Maybe I could be at the bar, swilling a martini, saying nothing.”

    So Louis Partridge told Variety just last year while discussing potential ways to impress Steven Knight at the premiere for “House of Guinness.”

    At the time, Knight — who created the boozy Netflix show starring the fast-rising Brit as an Irish brewery heir — had just been unveiled as the writer of the 26th James Bond film, being directed by Denis Villeneuve. It represents Amazon MGM Studio’s major reboot of the spy franchise after the company acquired creative control from Eon. Partridge, like any actor with his eyes on arguably cinema’s most coveted role, was understandably eager to show off his finest 007 moves.

    Six months on and, whatever Partridge — also known for “Enola Holmes,” “Disclaimer,” Netflix’s upcoming “Pride & Prejudice” and a recent relationship with Olivia Rodrigo — did at the bar in front of Knight, rumors would suggest it paid off. Speculation has now reached Variety that he’s in contention for the job (and beyond simply being put on a bookmaker’s list)

    Of course, as with almost anything regarding Hollywood’s most famous superspy that’s not come directly out of the mouths of its key creative team, it’s important to note that this is no more than speculation. Attempts to confirm with Partridge’s reps or Amazon MGM Studios have been as predictably futile as any Bond villain’s wildly-complicated plans for global domination.

    The Partridge rumor does, however, align with widespread chatter that the incoming 007 will be much younger than previous Bonds. Following a (speculative, of course) report in Deadline earlier this year, the word “fresh-faced” has done the rounds, and many in the industry Variety has spoken to seem to be sure the age is being dialed down a few notches.

    But just how fresh-faced are they going for? At 23-years-old, Partridge’s face is considerably fresher than that of every other name on the ever-evolving conveyor belt of likely candidates (a list currently led by Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Harris Dickinson). As many might note, he’s barely old enough to have developed a fussy preference over how his cocktails are mixed, let alone legally drink one.

    Elordi, thought to have been a keen target for Amazon for some time, would already have been the youngest Bond at 28 years old. By contrast, Sean Connery was 32 when he started his tenure, Daniel Craig was 38, Pierce Brosnan was 42 and Roger Moore was 45 (and 57 when he signed off). Half a decade younger than Elordi, Partridge would throw the average down considerably more.

    Turner — who recently shot to the bookies’ favorites following, yes, rumors — is 36, a good 13 years older. If the Bond team are considering someone as young as Partridge, is anyone in their mid-to-late 30s, or even in their 30s, off the menu? As one producer tells Variety: “Writing a film to be led by a 23-year-old is completely different to writing one for a 36-year-old — they’re just totally different.”

    But an actor of Partridge’s age would offer producers some solid franchise longevity. Were he to do five to six Bond films over the next 15 or so years, he’d still be under 40 by the time he handed in his Walther PPK. With his star power still yet to hit A-list levels, he’d also be considerably less expensive than an Elordi or Taylor-Johnson.

    If 23 is the rough age being considered, of known names, away from Partridge there’s a relatively small pool of British talent available (and reports earlier this year suggested Bond would be British). “Heartstopper” breakouts Kit Conner (22) and Joe Locke (23) would fit, as would Noah Jupe (21), riding a current wave thanks to the Oscar-winning “Hamnet” and the buzzy “Romeo and Juliet” West End stage production. But, unless they’re going for someone more unknown (a distinct possibility), that’s about it.

    Again, this is mostly informed conjecture and nothing more than that. Never has there been a cinematic topic so fueled by speculation than who will next step into Craig’s blood-splattered 007 brogues (just ask Idris Elba, who has been batting off rumors for what feels like a lifetime).

    And who started this particular bit of speculation? Could it have been someone in Partridge’s team or family? Riz Ahmed’s new semi-autobiographical satirical series “Bait” for Amazon that sees him play a struggling actor who seeks to boost his own Bond chances by ensuring he’s snapped by paparazzi leaving a (lousy) audition. Anything is possible.

    Just to underline the how little we truly know about this, another name recently resurfaced in conversations as someone being “considered.” This time, it was 40-year-old James Norton.

  • French government says au revoir Windows, bienvenue Linux

    America’s Big Tech companies may soon learn that saddling up with Donald Trump doesn’t tend to work out in the end. As the president sows chaos and distrust around the globe while taking aim at EU tech regulations, Europe is looking for ways to adopt its own alternatives. The latest example is France, which said it’s dropping Microsoft Windows in favor of Linux.

    On Wednesday, France said (via TechCrunch) it plans to move its workstations from Windows to the open-source Linux. It’s part of a broader movement across Europe toward digital sovereignty, aimed at reducing reliance on foreign tech — especially American and Chinese. Although homegrown alternatives aren’t available in many areas, the EU seems prepared to wean itself off where it can.

    In January, France announced that it would move its videoconferencing from Zoom and Teams to the French-made Visio. As part of this week’s Linux announcement, France added that it would also migrate its health data to a new platform by the end of 2026.

    Since taking office, Trump has used tariffs and other measures to try to bully European nations into dropping their regulations on America’s tech industry. In August, he vowed to “stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies.” (The strange capitalizations are his, not ours.) His administration has described laws like the EU’s Digital Services Act as “censorship” and “a tax.”

    So far, Europe has stood firm. “I want to be very clear: our digital sovereignty is our digital sovereignty,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the Munich Security Conference in February. “We have a long tradition in freedom of speech. Actually, the Enlightenment started on our continent.”

    Christian Kroll, CEO of German search engine Ecosia, foresaw Europe’s predicament soon after Trump’s 2024 reelection. “We, as a European community, just need to make sure that nobody can blackmail us.” He added that “if the US turned off access to search results tomorrow, we would have to go back to phone books.” Granted, the guy is selling a European-made search engine, so his bias is clear. But the salience of his point stands.

    Giorgos Verdi, policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the Trump administration’s behavior underscores the need for Europe to break free. “Could the US use its dominance over AI chips, its dominance over cloud in Europe, its dominance over AI systems in order to exert more pressure?” Verdi asked CNN rhetorically in January. “In order to build more resilience for Europe… there is a geopolitical case for European innovations to emerge.”

  • Amazon Luna ends support for third-party subscriptions and game purchases

    Amazon is ending support for third-party integrations on its Luna cloud gaming service. The most immediate changes mean that it’s no longer possible to buy Ubisoft+ and Jackbox Games subscriptions or standalone games through Luna.

    Amazon will automatically any cancel active subscriptions bought through Luna at the end of customers’ next billing cycle. If you have a Ubisoft+ subscription that you bought directly from Ubisoft instead, you’ll still be able to access games on that service through Luna until June 10.

    The Bring Your Own Library option — which allows users to play games they own on the likes of EA, GOG and Ubisoft on Luna — is going away too. You won’t be able to access games from on those storefronts via Amazon’s streaming service after June 3.

    If you bought any games outright on Luna, you’ll still be able to play them there until June 10. Unlike Google did when it shut down Stadia, Amazon isn’t offering refunds for those purchases. However, you’ll still have access to them through the respective third-party platform that’s linked to your account, be it the EA App, GOG Galaxy or Ubisoft Connect.

    That doesn’t exactly help folks who don’t have powerful-enough systems to play more demanding games and were relying on Luna. As such, some people might need to turn to the likes of GeForce Now in order to keep playing games they bought through Luna (and they’ll need to hope GFN actually supports their specific games).

    Amazon has been reshaping Luna over the last several months. It rolled out a revamped version of the service back in October, with more of a focus on GameNight party games that you can play with a smartphone.

    Prime subscribers will still be able to claim PC games and stream games on the Luna Standard tier at no extra cost. The Luna Premium subscription, which includes a wider range of third-party games, is still available too.

    “We’re doubling down on a broad range of gaming experiences, including strong third-party titles, delivered in ways that make great games more accessible, as well as new and unique gaming experiences like GameNight,” Amazon wrote in an email to Luna users. The company also said it will offer some folks a free Luna Premium subscription.