Although $XRP had shown bigger price moves earlier this week, it has closed the week trading in the deep red territory, and its network activity has slowed down significantly.
While $XRP has begun to show signs of a mild price recovery, its network activity is yet to follow the trend as data from crypto analytics platform CryptoQuant shows that only 451 $XRP has been burned as fees over the last day.
This marks a massive decline of over 52% from the 942 $XRP burned as fees in the previous day as the asset’s network usage plummets significantly.
$XRP breakout in April?
Following the recent unstable price action, uncertainty concerning $XRP’s potential price move has continued to grow, driving bearish sentiment that has triggered the massive drop in network usage.
However, $XRP is beginning to show signs of a potential price breakout after flipping positive in the last few hours, showing a mild daily price increase of about 0.85%.
Market watchers are hopeful that the mild price resurgence could mark the beginning of a major price rebound for $XRP. They expect that it could possibly push $XRP to reclaim its long-lost $2.5 mark as the next month provides an extremely bullish outlook per historical data.
Historical data on $XRP’s previous price moves shows that April has been the asset’s strongest month, year upon year, delivering an average return of 24.8%.
While $XRP is currently trading at $1.34 amid the prolonged volatility and cautious sentiment, demand is returning to the market as its exchange reserves across firms like Binance and others have continued to drop massively.
“I would never have approved,” Novak said of Sweeney portraying her, adding that the Euphoria actress “sticks out so much above the waist.”
The publication noted that Novak’s criticism stems from her concern that the film will focus on the sexual side of their relationship rather than the fact that they had “so much in common.”
“There’s no way it wouldn’t be a sexual relationship because Sydney Sweeney looks sexy all the time,” Novak continued. “She was totally wrong to play me.”
Reps for Sweeney did not respond to The Hollywood Reporter’s request for comment at the time of publication.
Last year, Sweeney spoke with THR’s executive editor of awards, Scott Feinberg, on his Awards Chatter podcast about bringing Domingo on board. The pair previously co-starred on Euphoria, and Sweeney also serves as a producer on Scandalous!
“When I was putting the package together, we were circling different directors. There was one previously attached and I just felt like the story really needed to have a different voice,” she said. “The entire time I was like the only person who would really be able to tell this story and to the degree that it needs to be beautifully told is Colman Domingo.”
The Anyone but You star continued, “So I called him up and I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t know if you even want to direct, but there’s a script that I’d really love to send you. And if you like it, it’s yours. If not, I won’t be offended,’” she said. “He read it within like a few hours and he called me back and he was like, ‘This is exactly what I’ve been telling my team I want to find.’ We’ve been putting it together and raising financing — it’s been a labor of love.”
When asked if she’s met Novak, Sweeney didn’t answer directly but noted: “Colman and her have a really beautiful relationship. They’ve been talking. We connected them, so it’s been really cool.”
A federal court ordered Binance Australia Derivatives to pay a $6.9 million USD penalty for allowing misclassified users to access high-risk products.
A total of 524 retail investors were incorrectly classified as wholesale clients between July 2022 and April 2023, resulting in about $6 million in trading losses
Binance admitted allowing clients unlimited attempts at a multiple-choice quiz to qualify as sophisticated investors.
Australia’s Federal Court has ordered Oztures Trading Pty Ltd, trading as Binance Australia Derivatives, to pay an AUD $10 million (about $6.9 million USD) penalty after the exchange admitted to exposing 524 retail investors to high-risk crypto derivative products without required consumer protections.
The misclassification occurred between July 2022 and April 2023, with Binance admitting to failures in client onboarding that allowed retail clients to make unlimited attempts at a multiple-choice quiz until they achieved a passing score to qualify as sophisticated investors, according to ASIC’s announcement.
The misclassified client group incurred AUD $8.66 million (about $6 million) in trading losses and paid AUD $3.89 million ($2.67 million) in fees. Of the 524 misclassified clients, 460 were incorrectly classified as meeting the Sophisticated Investor Test, 33 as meeting the Individual Wealth Test, 26 as professional investors, 4 as Related Body Corporate, and 1 as meeting the Large Business Test.
In one example, Binance assessed an individual as a professional investor based solely on their claim to be an “exempt public authority,” without adequate verification.
“Binance failed to set up basic compliance checks and incorrectly approved hundreds of applications for complex, wholesale investor products,” ASIC Chair Joe Longo said, in a statement. “Binance’s shortcomings left more than 85% of their Australian customer base exposed to high-risk products they should have never been able to access, and without important consumer protections or rights, costing retail investors millions.”
Justice Moshinsky also ordered Binance to contribute to ASIC’s costs, with the penalty coming on top of approximately AUD $13.1 million in compensation already paid to affected clients in 2023.
“The issue was self-identified, reported to ASIC, and fully remediated in 2023, with approximately AUD 13 million compensated to affected users. Oztures ceased its derivatives business and voluntarily gave back its AFSL in 2023,” a Binance spokesperson told Decrypt. “Binance Australia is committed to offering users in Australia innovative, compliant, and trusted products, while helping advance the responsible growth of the country’s blockchain and digital asset ecosystem.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include comment from Binance.
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For the second year in a row, United States Vice President JD Vance has topped the straw poll at the 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), one of the biggest right-wing gatherings in the country.
The poll is a bellwether – albeit, not necessarily an accurate one – for who might ultimately become the Republican nominee for the next presidential race.
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During this year’s four-day conference, attendees were asked which candidate they would prefer to lead the Republican Party ticket for the 2028 election.
The results were revealed on stage Saturday. Vance had swept up 53 percent of the votes cast by nearly 1,600 attendees.
But rising up the ranks was another senior official under US President Donald Trump: his top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A former senator from Florida, Rubio notched 35 percent of the vote.
It was a markedly improved standing for Rubio, who tied for fourth place at last year’s CPAC straw poll.
That poll, taken within weeks of Trump starting his second term, showed Vance with 61 percent support, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon with 12 percent, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 7 percent. Rubio and Representative Elise Stefanik both earned 3 percent.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press following a G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting on March 27, 2026 [AFP]
Attendance at CPAC, an annual conference, tends to skew away from the political centre and farther to the right.
Speakers at this year’s conference included Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi, and Eduardo and Flavio Bolsonaro, the sons of Brazil’s former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who was imprisoned last September for attempting to subvert his country’s democracy.
But this year’s straw poll comes at a critical time for the Republican Party.
Less than eight months remain until November’s midterm elections in the US, and Republicans are hoping to defend their congressional majorities at the ballot box.
Trump, long the standard-bearer for his party, has seen his approval numbers sink since his return to office in 2025. Earlier this week, a survey from the news agency Reuters and the research firm Ipsos found that only 36 percent of US citizens approved of his job performance, a new low.
The ongoing war in Iran and economic frustrations, including rising gas prices linked to the conflict, are among the factors contributing to the slump.
While Trump has teased he may seek a third term, US law prevents modern presidents from serving more than two. His second presidency is set to expire in 2028.
That leaves an open question as to who may succeed the 79-year-old Republican.
Vance, a veteran and former single-term senator from Ohio, is seen to represent a more isolationist branch of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) base. He has generally been opposed to US involvement in foreign conflicts, though he has defended Trump’s decision to join Israel in joint strikes on Iran.
Rubio, meanwhile, has a longer political resume than Vance and is seen to be more hawkish towards regime change, particularly in his family’s ancestral home of Cuba. He served as a senator for Florida from 2011 until his unanimous confirmation as secretary of state in 2025.
Both men had been critical of Trump before joining his administration. Vance once called Trump “unfit” for office, and Rubio derided Trump as a “con artist” and an “embarrassment” when he was a rival candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
Senator Ted Cruz speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 28 [Gabriela Passos/AP Photo]
CPAC tends not to survey participants about who should be president when a Republican is already in the Oval Office.
But the straw polls it held before and after Trump’s first term, from 2017 to 2021, have shown a noticeable realignment in the Republican Party.
In the decade leading up to the 2016 election – Trump’s first successful campaign for office – moderate Republican Mitt Romney and libertarian Rand Paul consistently won the CPAC straw polls.
Ever since his first term, however, Trump has trounced the competition.
Despite his 2020 election defeat, he still garnered the most backing in 2021’s straw poll, with 55 percent support, and his numbers climbed each successive year, through to his re-election in 2024.
Experts have noted that the Republican Party has largely consolidated around Trump’s politics, with the few remaining moderate and critical voices increasingly marginalised.
The CPAC straw poll, however, is not always accurate. Ahead of Trump’s victory in 2016, the majority of straw poll participants backed Senator Cruz of Texas to be the next president. Trump came in third place with 15 percent support, trailing Rubio at 30 percent.
“SNL U.K.’s” Weekend Update returned in the show’s second week with one-liners about U.S. and Iran’s mixed messages about a deal to end the war, the death of the owner of OnlyFans and more.
Paddy Young kicked off the show with a zinger about Trump and Iran communicating very different things about a potential deal to end the current conflict.
“While Trump has been insisting that Iran wants a deal so badly, an Iranian military spokesperson has said, quote, ‘Our first and last word from the very first day has been, is and will remain: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you. Not now and not ever,’” Young said, adding: “Oh my God, just kiss already!”
Later on in the segment, the death of OnlyFans owner Leonid Radvinsky came up. “So gentlemen, when you’re visiting the site this week, lower your penises to half mast,” Young joked. “Beautiful funeral, by the way. Wasn’t a dry tissue in the house.”
Young and co-anchor Ania Magliano then debuted a new bit titled “hand-in-hand,” where they delivered some good news amidst all the bad. “And now, it seems like the whole world is at war. Russia and Ukraine, the Middle East, Chappell Roan and that tiny girl,” Magliano said. “War. We could just making jokes about it. But first, we just want to check: Are you OK?”
“This is hand-in-hand with Anya and Pad,” Young said. “We’re here to tell you that it’s going to be OK,” Magliano added, as Young finished her sentence: “Because we’ve got each other.”
“World War III. Sounds scary, huh? But we’ve already had two,” Magliano continued. “And don’t they say good things come in threes?”
Carrying on the topic, Magliano pointed out that “if London gets bombed, house prices will drop.”
“And so will house numbers,” she added. “We’ll all get to live across the two houses that are left. Like in ‘Friends’!”
Shinya’s Tsukamoto’s “Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?” is headed to Japanese cinemas.
The film rounds out the Japanese director’s informal trilogy of 20th-century war films, coming after “Fires on the Plain” – which landed in the main competition at the 71st Venice International Film Festival – and “Shadow of Fire.” The project gestated for seven years before reaching the screen.
Rodney Hicks takes the title role. The actor is known for his involvement with Broadway’s “Rent” from its opening to its closing night run, and for his turn as Uncle Charlie in the Netflix series “Forever.” Triple award-winner Geoffrey Rush – who has taken home Oscar, Emmy and Tony honors over his career – plays VA physician Dr. Daniels, a role that follows celebrated credits including “Shine,” “The King’s Speech” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series. Tatyana Ali, familiar to audiences from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and the Emmy-winning “Abbott Elementary,” plays Nelson’s wife Linda. The film also marks the screen debut of Mark Merphy, who portrays Nelson as a young man in flashback. Filming took place across the U.S., Thailand, Vietnam and Japan.
The film is rooted in the real-life account of Allen Nelson, an African American veteran of the Vietnam War who, after returning from combat, went on to give more than 1,200 lectures throughout Japan bearing witness to his wartime experiences. Nelson, who is buried in Japan, spoke candidly about his inner torment as someone who had taken lives during the conflict — the psychological terrain that Tsukamoto has described as “the wounds of those who perpetrated war.”
The film traces Nelson’s journey from a poverty-stricken childhood in New York through his decision to enlist in the Marines at 18, seeing in military service a path out of discrimination and hardship. After a stint at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, he was dispatched to the Vietnam front lines in 1966. He came home five years later plagued by sleeplessness, hair-trigger fear responses and fractured family ties that ultimately left him living on the streets. Dr. Daniels eventually intervenes in an effort to pull him back from the edge.
Tsukamoto has said he first came across the original nonfiction book while immersed in research for “Fires on the Plain,” and that it never left him. He described the filmmaking process as a seven-year tug of war between wanting to tell the story and being overwhelmed by its darkness. “In today’s world, where conflicts are raging in various places, I’ve come to feel this reality more acutely than ever,” Tsukamoto said.
The film is produced and distributed in Japan by Kinoshita Group and Kino Films, the company behind the local release of “Conclave” and the upcoming Japanese rollout of the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” in June.
Tsukamoto’s body of work stretches back decades, taking in the internationally celebrated body-horror film “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” (1989) and the samurai drama “Killing” (2018), which also competed in Venice’s main section. The Japan release announcement was timed to coincide with National Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29.
Share on PinterestKim Kardashian has released a new energy drink with paraxanthine instead of caffeine. Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images
Kim Kardashian has launched a new energy drink called Update.
Instead of caffeine, the drink contains paraxanthine.
Paraxanthine is a compound naturally produced by the body when it breaks down caffeine.
Kim Kardashian has launched a new energy drink called Update, which claims to have zero sugar, zero calories, and zero artificial flavors or colors.
The drink is also caffeine-free and is powered by paraxanthine, a compound the body naturally produces when it breaks down caffeine.
The promotional material for Update states that it “delivers smooth, steady energy without the jitters, crashes, or sleep disruption commonly associated with traditional energy drinks.”
The new drink doesn’t rely solely on paraxanthine for energy. Update contains other ingredients commonly found in energy drinks and supplements, including alpha-GPC, often marketed for cognitive performance, and sucralose, an artificial sweetener.
“It is important to speak to your healthcare provider about any supplement or energy beverage that you may be considering, even ones that are labeled ‘natural,’” said Jonathan Jennings, MD, board certified internist with Medical Offices of Manhattan.
“Appropriate dosing is still being investigated, so it is important to follow recommended ingestion amounts,” he told Healthline.
Avery Zenker, a registered dietitian at MyHealthTeam, said it’s important to prioritize a healthy lifestyle, quality sleep, regular exercise, a balanced diet, and mental hygiene, rather than rely on energy drinks for a boost.
Healthline spoke with experts about paraxanthine in Kim Kardashian’s energy drink to learn more about this caffeine-free alternative.
These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Jennings: Paraxanthine is a breakdown product of caffeine. When you ingest caffeine, it is broken down in the liver into three metabolites that have different impacts on the body.
Paraxanthine is the predominant breakdown component of caffeine. Theobromine and theophylline are the other metabolites, and [are] associated with the uncomfortable side effects of caffeine such as anxiety, nausea, diarrhea, and rapid heartbeats.
Zenker: It’s tough to say which is “better” since there are numerous factors to consider. Both caffeine and paraxanthine have their pros and cons.
Caffeine might be the better choice for some people, while paraxanthine may be optimal for others. There’s more research on the health impacts of caffeine, as well as more anecdotal evidence.
Caffeine is more widely known due to its popularity in beverages around the world, such as coffee and tea. That said, paraxanthine has some promising emerging research.
Paraxanthine may have some advantages compared to caffeine, such as equivalent or even stronger energizing effects with [fewer] side effects. More research is needed to determine more conclusive differences between caffeine and paraxanthine.
Jennings: There are some preclinical studies that suggest that paraxanthine promotes alertness better and for longer periods of time than equal amounts of caffeine.
Rodent studies have also demonstrated less toxicity at higher doses when compared to caffeine.
Preliminary data suggest that the elimination of theobromine and theophylline may make paraxanthine more effective, better tolerated, and safer than caffeine.
Zenker: There’s significantly more data for the health impacts of caffeine than paraxanthine. Both caffeine and paraxanthine are nervous system stimulants, which promote wakefulness.
Research finds that both compounds produce similar effects on the nervous system, including increased blood pressure and adrenaline. They both block adenosine receptors, which is what makes you feel less tired.
Caffeine is known to have potential side effects, especially when consumed in excess, such as anxiety and elevated blood pressure, while paraxanthine may have [fewer] side effects. Paraxanthine may have some additional benefits on cognition and nervous system function that caffeine alone doesn’t exhibit.
Paraxanthine is one of the main compounds that’s created as caffeine is metabolized. Paraxanthine isn’t new, but it’s still not widely used in products as much as caffeine.
Jennings: L-theanine is an amino acid found in tea leaves. There is some evidence that when combined with caffeine, it may enhance cognitive performance, focus, and improve alertness.
Alpha-glycerylphosphorycholine ( A-GPC) is a compound essential in the production of neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is important for nerve communication and muscle contraction. Supplementation with A-GPC is believed to assist with maintaining choline levels and aid in improving cognition.
Methylcobalamin is the more bioavailable form of [vitamin] B12, which is essential for the body’s protection of DNA, support of brain cells, and immune functioning. There is data that suggests this form of B12 offers support to the body for longer periods of time.
Zenker: L-theanine is known for its potential to improve attention and reduce anxiety, particularly when combined with caffeine. It has a calming effect that’s often described as relaxed yet alert. The dose of L-theanine matters, too. When the quantity of L-theanine isn’t listed on the label, it’s possible that it isn’t an effective quantity.
Alpha-GPC is a form of choline, which is an essential micronutrient involved in nervous system function. It is generally considered safe, but some research has linked high intakes to health risks like increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Side effects at typical doses are uncommon but can include headaches, acid reflux, nausea, or dizziness.
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin involved in energy production. Vitamin B12 helps the body convert the calories from food we eat into ATP, the body’s primary energy source.
It is important for nervous system function, energy production, and red blood cell synthesis. Vitamin B12 is often included in energy drinks at high doses. Vitamin B12 is more likely to lead to noticeable energy increases in people with low B12 but not those with baseline normal levels. Vitamin B12 in energy drinks isn’t known to cause an immediate energy boost, but could improve energy over time in those with baseline low levels.
Vitamin B12 is water-soluble, so excess intake is excreted through the urine and has a low risk of toxicity.
Jennings: All the supporting ingredients have preclinical evidence suggesting significant benefits for cognition and alertness compared to caffeine. However, there is a lack of quality outcome-based human clinical trials for paraxanthine and L-theanine.
Zenker: I’d first consider why you are looking for an energy drink in the first place. Having an energy drink once in a while is fine, but frequent reliance on them may suggest underlying issues to address.
Energy drinks may make you feel better short term, but they don’t undo the adverse health effects of poor sleep, an imbalanced diet, or lifestyle deficits. Ideally, we don’t need to rely on energy drinks to feel energized.
If you’re trying a new energy drink, start small. Don’t consume the whole thing quickly before you have time to assess how you feel. Individual tolerance to energy drinks can vary. Read the nutrition facts, ingredient lists, and content of active compounds like caffeine.
Not all energy drinks are created equal, so if you do choose to consume one, make sure it’s aligned with your health priorities.
Austria is the latest country to prepare a social media ban for its children, but it’s going even further than others by including anyone under 14. In a press release, the Austrian government said it has introduced a comprehensive catalogue of measures meant to shield minors from the harms of social media. According to the press release, an official bill will be introduced by the end of June.
Andreas Babler, a vice chancellor and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria, said the government’s efforts would include the new age restriction, improved media literacy and clear rules for social media platforms. Austrian lawmakers didn’t detail what the upcoming rules would be, but the country is likely to follow in the footsteps of many others who have or are pursuing similar bans. While Australia was the first to implement a social media ban for anyone under 16, other European countries like Spain and the UK are also looking into comparable restrictions.
More recently, Indonesia approved new regulations that would prevent anyone under 16 from using social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Roblox. Indonesia’s social media ban just went into effect, but the country only specified that the law’s implementation would be carried out gradually until all platforms are in compliance, according to AP.
A new trailer has given us our best look yet at the upcoming The Ghost in the Shell anime. While it might not tell us all that much about the direction the show will go in plot-wise, it sure is aesthetically pleasing, with a throwback art style that looks a lot more like the original manga than we’ve seen with other adaptations. The series will be released on Prime Video this July.
The Ghost in the Shell is being produced by Science Saru. The studio hasn’t revealed much about its story, only noting that it’s based on Masamune Shirow’s manga, so it isn’t entirely clear yet how closely it will follow the source material. The franchise has certainly seen its fair share of questionableadaptations over the years. But, this glimpse at the art style seems like a promising indicator. An exact release date hasn’t yet been announced, but July isn’t too far away now.
Rising concerns over a potential market downturn are reshaping investment strategies, as Robert Kiyosaki highlights a long-term approach focused on assets outside traditional financial systems while positioning for opportunities during a potential crash.
Kiyosaki Outlines Plan to Get Richer During Market Crash
Market uncertainty surrounding a potential economic downturn and market crash is leading investors to reconsider portfolio strategies, as Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki outlined his approach on X on March 27. He referenced writings by Edgar Cayce and Nostradamus in discussions of financial turmoil while stressing a move toward nontraditional assets.
Kiyosaki described a long-standing strategy focused on accumulating and holding assets that cannot be created by monetary authorities. He explained: “Those who have followed me for years already know I do not invest in stocks such as the S&P 500, U.S. bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, or save cash. I do not invest in anything the government, banks, or Wall Street prints.” He further emphasized his positioning around a potential crisis and crash scenario, stating:
“I love oil… real estate, golf, silver, bitcoin, ethereum, and food production.”
“I planned to get richer in a crash,” the acclaimed author stated.
References to Edgar Cayce and Nostradamus are frequently cited in discussions about economic downturns, though their writings do not provide precise modern forecasts. Cayce is associated with anticipating the 1929 crash, while Nostradamus described broad financial distress rather than specific market events.
Activity in late 2025 reflected a tactical shift in capital allocation, when Kiyosaki disclosed selling approximately $2.25 million worth of bitcoin in November last year, at roughly $90,000 per coin, from an original purchase price near $6,000. He indicated the move was intended to generate additional cash flow, redirecting proceeds into two surgical centers and a billboard business, which he estimated could produce $27,500 in monthly tax-free income.
Kiyosaki Continues Accumulating Bitcoin and Real Assets
Recent posts this week indicate a return to accumulation, with the investor stating he is buying rather than selling ahead of a potential 2026 crash. He noted that he continues to hold his initial bitcoin and is adding to crypto holdings using income generated from oil production, cattle operations, and publishing activities.
The author also detailed his global business operations, including book publishing, distributing the Cashflow board game in more than 50 languages, cattle ventures, oil production in Texas and North Dakota, and managing 1,500 rental units acquired through debt. He stressed:
“I save real gold, silver, bitcoin, and ethereum.”
Additional remarks reinforced his preference for tangible and decentralized holdings during periods of financial instability. “Like many of you, I had no money to start with… But just bought small assets, held for years and almost never sold,” Kiyosaki noted. He added: “Most of you know I bought my first 6 bitcoin for $600, all the money I had and did not eat for days.” He reiterated: “I like real. I hate fake.”
FAQ 🧭
Why is Robert Kiyosaki avoiding traditional assets? He believes assets tied to central banks lose value during currency expansion.
What assets does Kiyosaki prioritize? He focuses on real estate, oil, metals, and cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum.
How does his strategy handle economic downturn risk? It relies on tangible production and long-term holding rather than market timing.
What is the key principle behind his investment approach? He emphasizes simplicity and accumulation of assets he considers real and scarce.
