Disney has inked a deal with the Korea Esports Association that will bring several gaming tournaments to the its streaming platform. Disney+ will be the global live streaming home for Esports Champions Asia Jinju 2026, the 2026 League of Legends KeSPA CUP and some preliminary events ahead of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. This agreement expands KeSPA’s arrangement with Disney, which only streamed its esports events to viewers in Asia last year.
Esports Champions Asia is the first event on the calendar, occurring April 24-26 with professional teams from across the continent squaring up in tournaments for games including Street Fighter 6, The King of Fighters XV, TEKKEN 8 and the eFootball series. Disney+ will also be an official streamer for the PUBG Mobile and Eternal Return competitions during that weekend.
It could be helpful for western esports fans to have a single location for watching the major events happening in Asia. However, many tournaments are currently free to watch on Twitch or YouTube, so now needing a Disney+ subscription to catch some of these international competitions might feel onerous. Esports might run the risk of turning into the fragmented set of rights deals that plagues traditional sports leagues, where a game could be on one of a half dozen different paid services each night. It’s also likely going to mean co-streamers take a hit to their viewership, since Disney seems unlikely to offer the same sort of broadcast access that has made the practice popular on Twitch.
India is intensifying scrutiny of cryptocurrency activity as tax authorities flag system-estimated income that may not reflect actual profits, issuing reassessment notices that could reopen past filings and pressure traders to justify discrepancies.
Key Takeaways:
India is issuing Section 148A notices that can reopen past crypto filings for review.
Systems may flag estimated income that does not reflect actual profits, increasing exposure.
Data mismatches across exchanges and tax filings can escalate scrutiny and potential penalties.
India Crypto Tax Notices Target Past Reporting Gaps
Indian tax authorities are stepping up enforcement efforts targeting cryptocurrency transactions, especially those from earlier financial years now under review. Section 148A notices are reportedly being issued to taxpayers where discrepancies in reported income are flagged through advanced title=”Learn about Cryptocurrencies” target=”_blank”>Crypto tax platform Koinx shared on April 6 insights about these developments. The company stated on social media platform X:
“148A notices are now being issued to crypto investors in India.”
“Many relate to FY 2021–22 transactions,” the crypto tax platform affirmed, clarifying: “This number is often $NOT your actual profit. It’s just what the system thinks is income … Until you prove otherwise.”
The firm explained that such notices are triggered when authorities detect inconsistencies in financial data. The flagged amounts often reflect system-derived estimates rather than confirmed taxable profits.
Automated Systems Flag Crypto Volume as Income Risks
Koinx detailed how India’s Income Tax Department evaluates crypto activity using internal surveillance systems and risk engines. The Insight Portal and CRIU infrastructure analyze financial activity across multiple datasets. These systems compare PAN-linked KYC details, exchange trading activity, bank transfers, and filed income tax returns. Any mismatch across these sources can trigger a notice under Section 148A for further review. The company emphasized that the taxpayer’s response determines whether reassessment proceeds, stating:
“A 148A notice is not a tax demand yet. It’s a show-cause notice. Meaning the department is asking: ‘Explain why we should not reopen your assessment.’ Your response determines what happens next.”
The firm also highlighted structural issues when traders use multiple exchanges and wallets across different platforms. For example, the firm outlined a common transaction path where assets move across Coinswitch, Binance, private wallets, and Wazirx. In such scenarios, the tax system may capture only one segment of the transaction chain rather than the complete flow. This limited visibility can lead to mismatched records and inflated income assumptions. As a result, fragmented tracking may misrepresent actual trading activity and overstate income levels. Authorities often interpret gross turnover as income rather than net profit.
In one example, a trader may have executed transactions totaling ₹1.6 crore (approximately $172K) in volume during the year. The actual profit from those trades could be only ₹4–5 lakh (approximately $4,300–$5,400) after accounting for costs and losses. However, the system may initially flag the entire ₹1.6 crore (approximately $190,000) as deemed income until the taxpayer provides clarification.
Koinx urged that recipients should remain calm and act promptly to address the notice with accurate data. The tax firm stated: “If you receive this notice, do $NOT panic.” The platform advised reconstructing complete transaction histories, calculating actual gains or losses, preparing accurate tax computations, and submitting supporting evidence. Noting that proper documentation and timely responses remain critical as enforcement systems continue expanding, the company concluded:
“Most notices can be resolved if your data is correct.”
Solana Foundation has launched a broader security expansion for its DeFi ecosystem, introducing STRIDE and the Solana Incident Response Network, or SIRN, as part of a wider push to strengthen protocol standards, monitoring, and crisis response across the network.
Solana was built for security. As the ecosystem scales, so does our investment in the tools, standards, and support.
Today that commitment deepens with a new security program, active monitoring, formal verification for top protocols, and a new crisis response network.
Learn… pic.twitter.com/17M4TgqpsQ
— Solana Foundation (@SolanaFndn) April 6, 2026
The initiative, led with Asymmetric Research, includes public security evaluations, continuous threat monitoring for protocols with more than $10 million in TVL that pass review, and foundation-funded formal verification for protocols with more than $100 million in TVL.
Solana Foundation says STRIDE and SIRN build on security resources it has been rolling out over the past few years, including ecosystem support tools and monitoring services already available to builders at no cost.
The rollout comes less than a week after Drift Protocol suffered a $286 million exploit, which Elliptic said showed indicators consistent with prior DPRK linked operations. Elliptic also cited preliminary findings that pointed to compromised administrator private keys, reinforcing the idea that DeFi failures often extend beyond smart contract code and into governance, access control, and operational security.
In Solana’s own description, the program is designed not just to review code, but to evaluate protocols across a broader security framework, publish findings publicly, and give qualifying projects ongoing operational security and active threat monitoring before suspicious activity turns into a larger incident.
The pilot program will see an AI chatbot, provided by health technology company Doctronic, prescribe psychiatric medication. But there are plenty of caveats, however, in terms of what it can and can’t prescribe.
The network has renewed its first-year drama starring Patrick Dempsey for a second season in 2026-27. Memory of a Killer joins fellow rookie Best Medicine in earning a spot on next season’s schedule; Fox has also renewed Docfor a third season and has yet to make a decision on its other drama series, Murder in a Small Town.
The renewal comes as Memory of a Killer, a co-production between Fox and Warner Bros. TV, airs its season finale Monday night.
“Memory of a Killer has become a true standout with visceral performances from Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli,” said Fox Television Network president Michael Thorn. “[Showrunners] Aaron Zelman, Glenn Kessler, and our partners at Warner Bros. Television have delivered a sharp, emotional character-driven thriller that’s clearly landed with viewers, and we’re excited to continue that success together in season two.”
Zelman and Kessler will remain as showrunners in season two. They took the reins midway through production on the season, stepping in for Ed Whitmore, Tracey Malone and David Schulner, who developed the series.
Based on a novel and 2003 Belgian film titled De Zaak Alzheimer, Memory of a Killer stars Patrick Dempsey as Angelo, a hitman who leads a double life, hiding his deadly job from his loved ones. He is also losing his memory, a secret he tries to keep from everyone he knows.
Michael Imperioli, Richard Harmon, Odeya Rush, Daniel David Stewart and Peter Gadiot also star, and Gina Torres has a recurring role.
The series had a strong premiere after the NFC Championship game in January and has since grown to 16.2 million cross-platform viewers. Subsequent episodes in its regular home on Mondays haven’t been that big (unsurprisingly), but it has had solid returns streaming on Hulu.
“We’re thrilled Fox has renewed Memory of a Killer for a second season, a richly deserved renewal given the show’s great critical, creative, and commercial success,” said Channing Dungey, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group and WBD U.S. Networks. “The performances of Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli have been powerful and compelling, and we can’t wait to see what the show’s brilliant creative team has in store for Angelo’s next chapter.”
Zelman and Kessler executive produce with Dempsey, Arthur Sarkissian, Martin Campbell and Peter Bouckaert of Eyeworks.
Stay up to date with all the network renewals, cancellations and new series orders with THR’s broadcast scorecard.
While most people assume Meryl Streep was channeling Anna Wintour for her Devil Wears Prada character, the Oscar winner says she was actually “imitating” two top Hollywood filmmakers.
“I was basically imitating Mike Nichols that whole time,” Streep told the host. “If Mike Nichols and Clint Eastwood had a baby… it would be Miranda Priestly.”
This may come as a surprise to some fans, as many have likened Priestly to Wintour since The Devil Wears Prada was based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel of the same name, which was inspired by her own experiences working as an assistant to the former editor in chief of Vogue (Wintour now serves as chief content officer for Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue).
Streep explained that Nichols’ commanding directing style, mixed with sly humor, helped form her character’s tone.
“The command on the set. And Mike would do it sort of with a sly humor,” the Mamma Mia! star said. “And Miranda, she knows that what she’s saying is sort of snide, but she knows it’s kind of funny too. And that little way of doing things, people take as mean, but it’s funny. I think it’s funny.”
As for Eastwood, Streep was influenced by the filmmaker’s calmness while also being authoritative. “Clint would never raise his voice,” she said. “He would direct and people had to lean forward to hear what he was saying. … He’d often shoot the rehearsal and then move on. So his crew was like on the balls of their feet. No one was sitting down except me.”
When asked by Stephen Colbert, Streep added that she never told Eastwood about his influence on her character, but did inform Nichols. “I told Mike, and he was thrilled,” she quipped.
The Out of Africa actress previously collaborated with Nichols on his films Silkwood, Heartburn and the HBO miniseries Angels in America. She also worked with Eastwood on his movie The Bridges of Madison County.
Though Streep doesn’t list Wintour as one of her inspirations for the role, the Vogue editor revealed her true thoughts last year on the long-running comparisons between her and Priestly.
“I went to the premiere wearing Prada, completely having no idea what the film was going to be about,” Wintour said to New Yorker editor David Remnick during an episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast. “And I think that the fashion industry were very sweetly concerned for me about the film, that it was going to paint me in some kind of difficult light.”
However, the fashion icon said that once she watched the Oscar-nominated film, her reaction was quite different from what she was anticipating.
“First of all it was Meryl Streep, which, fantastic,” Wintour said. “And then I went to see the film, and I found it highly enjoyable. It was very funny. Miuccia [Prada] and I talk about it a lot, and I say to her, ‘Well it was really good for you.’”
She added that the film “had a lot of humor to it. It had a lot of wit. It had Meryl Streep. I mean, it was Emily Blunt, [and] they were all amazing. In the end, I thought it was a fair shot.”
A top adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has threatened that Iranian allies could shut the Bab al-Mandeb shipping route as Tehran has effectively done with the Strait of Hormuz.
The Bab-al-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is a crucial waterway for global oil trade. Its importance has increased since Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz – through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas is shipped in peacetime.
Ali Akbar Velayati, a former Iranian foreign minister and veteran diplomat known for his influence within the establishment, warned on Sunday on X that “the unified command of the Resistance front views Bab al-Mandeb as it does Hormuz”.
“If the White House dares to repeat its foolish mistakes, it will soon realize that the flow of global energy and trade can be disrupted with a single move,” Velayati wrote. Iran’s state-owned Press TV subsequently confirmed his warning.
It follows US President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges from Wednesday this week if Tehran does not agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has said that Hormuz is open to ships from countries that negotiate safe passage – apart from the US and Israel. Trump has previously threatened to bomb Iran’s desalination plants.
But if Bab al-Mandeb were closed, it would impact more than the ongoing war – it could compound the global energy supply crisis sparked by the conflict, deepening the economic turmoil being felt in factories, kitchens and at petrol stations around the world.
Where is the Bab al-Mandeb?
The strait is between Yemen to its northeast and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa to the southwest.
It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, which then extends into the Indian Ocean. It is 29km (18 miles) wide at its narrowest point, limiting traffic to two channels for inbound and outbound shipments and is effectively controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis.
The Yemen-based group is a central part of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” – a coalition of groups ideologically or tactically aligned with Tehran which Velayati appears to have been referring to in his Sunday post on X.
Why is the Bab al-Mandeb important for the energy trade?
It is one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
The strait is a vital route through which Saudi Arabia sends its oil to Asia. When the Strait of Hormuz is open, it is also a crucial passageway for Gulf states besides Saudi Arabia to export their crude oil, gas and other fuel to Europe via the Suez Canal or the Sumed (Suez-Mediterranean) Pipeline on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
In 2024, about 4.1 billion barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products passed through the strait – that’s 5 percent of the global total.
If Bab al-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz were both shut, that would block 25 percent – or a quarter of the world’s oil and gas supply.
It’s not just oil: About 10 percent of global trade sails through the Bab al-Mandeb, including containers shipped from China, India and other Asian countries to Europe.
With the Strait of Hormuz shut, Bab al-Mandeb’s importance has only grown.
Saudi Arabia, which has traditionally also relied principally on the Hormuz strait to export its oil, has increasingly turned to its Red Sea port of Yanbu to ship crude out through the Bab al-Mandeb.
For this, it has turned to the East West Pipeline, running from the Abqaiq oil processing centre close to the Gulf to Yanbu. The 1,200km (745-mile) pipeline is operated by Saudi oil giant Aramco.
Where the East West Pipeline transferred an average of 770,000 bpd to the Red Sea coast in January and February, according to energy intelligence firm Kpler, Saudi Arabia cranked up its use in March, when Hormuz was shut. By the end of March, oil was flowing at the pipeline’s capacity of 7 million bpd – more than ever before.
A Yemeni soldier stands guards in front of a commercial ship, ‘Al-Nuba’, which is docked for maintenance, on the coast near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen,on April 5, 2026 [File: Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP]
How could Iran and its allies shut it?
The Houthis have already shown they can do it. During Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, they blocked the Bab al-Mandeb for what they described as ships associated with Israel or the US.
Because of frequent attacks on shipping, insurers refused to offer reducing traffic. In May 2025, the US and the Houthis agreed to a ceasefire and the Yemeni group has since opened up the Bab al-Mandeb again.
Recent days have shown how easy it would be for the Houthis to repeat the disruption during the war on Gaza.
Since late March, the Houthis have fired missiles and drones at Israel, pointing to their effective entry into the war – for now, against Israel, not the US.
But Nabeel Khoury, a former US diplomat, told Al Jazeera that the missile attacks launched by the Houthis against Israel amounted to “token participation, not full participation”.
“They have fired a couple of missiles as a warning because of all the talk of potential escalation. There are US troops on their way to the region. There’s been talk that if there is no agreement, there might be a full-scale attack on Iran as has not been seen so far,” the former deputy chief of mission in Yemen told Al Jazeera.
If the Houthis truly wanted to enter the war, their weapon would be the blockage of the Bab al-Mandeb.
“All they have to do is fire at a couple of ships coming through, and that would lead to the arrest of all commercial shipping through the Red Sea,” he said. “That would be a red line, and then you would see attacks against Yemen [from the US and Israel] very quickly.”
What would a closure of the Bab al-Mandeb mean for the world?
Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East specialist and the president of Girton College at Cambridge University, told Al Jazeera that if the Red Sea strait is blocked, it would create a “nightmare scenario”.
“Because if you have restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz at the same time as restrictions are escalating in the Bab al-Mandeb, then you really will disrupt, if not cripple, trade toward Europe. So this is a knife edge, really, depending on what happens next,” she told Al Jazeera.
Kendall, however, said that while this was a “sweet spot” for the Houthis, the Yemeni group might not want to “provoke a Saudi or indeed a broader response.”
Dan Soder has set his first full-length Netflix comedy special, which will tape sometime this summer.
The deal comes amid the stand-up comic, actor and podcast host’s 25-city “The Golden Retriever of Comedy” national tour, which is currently in its second leg. He is set to appear at the Netflix Is a Joke Fest on May 6 as the host of a “Live Movie Watch Along” at the Avalon Hollywood.
The special marks Soder’s return to Netflix after his breakout 30-minute set on “The Standups” in 2017. His debut hour “Not Special” was released a year earlier, in 2016, on Comedy Central. In 2019, HBO released his special “Son of a Gary,” and in 2024 he released “Dan Soder: On the Road” on YouTube, where the special has amassed more than 4 million views.
Soder is a comic’s comic whose sharp observational style and affable demeanor has earned him a strong reputation on the club circuit. He is also a well-established name in the comedy podcast world, with his ongoing “Soder” pod, which he launched in 2023, and the SiriusXM show “The Bonfire,” which he co-hosted with Big Jay Oakerson from 2015 to 2023.
As an actor, Soder is best known for playing Dudley “Mafee” across seven seasons of Showtime’s “Billions.” His TV credits also include “Inside Amy Schumer,” “Paradise PD” and “Difficult People,” and he has acted in films such as Judd Apatow’s comedy hit “Trainwreck” and the Alec Baldwin film “Drunk Parents.”
Soder is represented by UTA and Range Media Partners.
Sabrina Carpenter’s glamorously felonious behavior continues in her latest video, for “House Tour,” the third single from the singer’s 2025 album “Man’s Best Friend” — except this time she’s got two accomplices, actors Margaret Qualley and Madelyn Cline.
In the clip, which was directed by Carpenter and Qualley, we see the singer pulling up to a luxorious mansion in a pink van emblazoned with the words “Pretty Girl Cleanup.” She’s soon joined by her pals, and the three proceed to have a wild girls’ night out while they ransack the house, taking baths, trying on clothes, swimming in the pool and even stealing a Grammy (possibly a winking reference to Carpenter being shut out at this year’s awards, although she won two last year).
While it initially looks like they’re just partying, the clip closes on a dark note as police arrive, inexplicably oblivious to the girls’ presence, and the three drive off in the van as the camera pans around the empty house. As they’re leaving, the van, driven by Carpenter, hits a man as he’s crossing the street; they shrug and keep going.
The video for “House Tour” comes in anticipation of Carpenter’s headlining performance at Coachella this weekend. She previously lit up the festival’s main stage in 2024, when she foreshadowed that she’d one day take top billing during a custom outro for her hit “Nonsense”: “Made his knees so weak he had to spread mine / He’s drinking my bathwater like it’s red wine / Coachella, see you back here when I headline.”
Carpenter is taking the main stage at Coachella following a busy few years. She kicked off her “Short ‘n Sweet” tour — her first arena trek — in September 2024 following her breakthrough success. In August 2025, she headlined Lollapalooza in Chicago and released “Man’s Best Friend,” resuming another Stateside leg of the “Short ‘n Sweet” tour in October 2025. She later brought the whole thing to a close with six nights at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, just a week before she was celebrated as Variety‘s Hitmaker of the Year.
Amid it all, Carpenter released a handful of singles from “Man’s Best Friend,” including “Manchild” and “Tears.” The album and “Manchild” picked up six nominations at the 2026 Grammys, where she performed the single on a set that resembled a bustling airport. It marked the second consecutive year that Carpenter performed on the Grammys stage, making her debut in 2025 with a cheeky rendition of her smash hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” faking stage errors and pulling performance gags.
Back at CES, Samsung showed off a new line of speakers and two of its 2026 soundbars. Today, the company announced pricing for the entire suite of new products, including two soundbars that weren’t inside its showroom in Vegas. All but two of the new devices are available to order now, so you might not have to wait to get your hands on some new Samsung audio gear.
Let’s start with the Music Studio 7 and Music Studio 5 speakers. The Music Studio 7 is the more rectangular model in the duo. It’s a 3.1.1-channel unit with left, right and center speakers alongside one woofer and one up-firing driver. This $500 device is also equipped with Pattern Control tech to direct the sound evenly through the room while keeping distortion to a minimum. The more circular Music Studio 5 has a 2.1-channel configuration composed of two tweeters and a single woofer. It has waveguide technology to evenly disperse the sound and costs $300.
Both the Music Studio 7 and Music Studio 5 use AI processing to customize the sound based on the room and the content. Those capabilities come in the form of Samsung’s Dynamic Bass Control and SpaceFit Sound Pro room calibration features. Both speakers also use Active Voice Amplifier Pro to boost dialogue.
Two Music Studio 7 speakers being used with a TV (Samsung)
Yes, this means you can use a pair of either model as your living room setup. In fact, they can work with a compatible TV or soundbar to employ Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature that uses all of your speakers as an immersive group. Samsung is also expanding Q-Symphony to work with up to five of its audio devices and the feature will automatically adjust the sound based on speaker locations. Those upgrades seem an awful lot like LG’s Sound Suite and Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, if you ask me.
Samsung revealed its flagship soundbar, the Q990H, at CES. Unfortunately, the company is keeping the same overall design it’s been using for about years now, so I think it’s time for a change. This is the company’s 11.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos option that comes with rear satellite speakers and a subwoofer for $2,000. Samsung’s home theater features like Dynamic Bass Control, SpaceFit Sound Pro and Adaptive Sound are all here, but there are also two new features on the Q990H for 2026.
First, Samsung promises that Sound Elevation will improve the audio by making dialogue sound like its coming from where characters are on the screen rather than the position of your soundbar. There’s also Auto Volume, which will supposedly nix sudden volume jumps as you switch channels or streaming services.
The QS90H is the member of Samsung’s 2026 soundbar lineup that really impressed me at CES. The company says this is its first “all-in-one” soundbar, which means you shouldn’t have to use a subwoofer for adequate bass. Other companies have made that claim, and it’s almost never true, but the $1,000 QS90H pumped out some great low-end tone back in Vegas. That’s thanks to four built-in woofers and an overall 7.1.2-channel setup.
The QS90H has a similar design to the existing QS700 soundbar (Samsung)
Like the QS700F, the QS90H has a gyro sensor that automatically detects if it’s sitting flat on a shelf or mounted on a wall. This allows the soundbar to automatically adjust the sound based on its position so you don’t sacrifice performance for what looks best in your home. The QS90H also offers Q-Symphony, SpaceFit Sound Pro room calibration, Adaptive Sound, Active Voice Amplifier Pro and Dynamic Bass Control — plus the new Sound Elevation and Auto Volume from the Q990H.
Two other soundbars that Samsung didn’t discuss at CES are the Q930H ($1,500) and the Q800H ($1,100). As you might expect based on the numbers, these two models sit below the Q990H in the company’s lineup. The Q930H is a 9.1.4-channel option that comes with rear speakers and a subwoofer in the box. In terms of features, Q-Symphony, SpaceFit Sound Pro room calibration, Adaptive Sound, Voice Amplifier Pro and Sound Elevation are all here. Step down to the Q800H and you’ll get all of those features in a 5.1.2-channel arrangement. This soundbar only comes with a subwoofer though. It’s also worth noting that both the Q930H and Q800H have a similar angular design to the Q900H.
