The first image of the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts designs for the G-1 Autobots and Decepticons has been revealed. The Transformers live-action films, adapted from the cartoon and toy line of the same name, began in 2007 with the Michael Bay Transformers starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Rise of the Beasts, which is currently filming, is the seventh film in the franchise, including the successful 2018 spin-off film Bumblebee. The film was written by Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters and is directed by Steven Caple Jr., who previously helmed Creed II.
The film is based on Transformers: Beast Wars, the cartoon series from the '90s. It's a prequel that will introduce several new characters to the live-action universe, including Rhinox and the "beast mode" Optimus Primal, a captain of the Maximals. Other beloved characters like Bumblebee and Optimus Prime will also be appearing. Rise of the Beasts will also explore how Optimus Prime became devoted to protecting humanity.
On his Instagram, Steven Caple Jr. posted a first-look image of the designs for the first-generation Transformers. The first image displays the Autobots, decked out in pastels with retro designs, looking not dissimilar to vehicles James Bond would have driven back in the day. The second image shows the Decepticons looking menacing with more muted, militaristic colors. Indeed, one design looks almost exactly like the evil truck in Steven Spielberg's Duel. Check out the images below:
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is set about seven years after the events of Bumblebee and follows two archaeologists who get mixed up in a war between the Maximals, the Predacons, and the Terrorcons. It's set in Brooklyn and parts of Peru, including Machu Picchu, as revealed in the Instagram post. The film will star Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Vélez, Tobe Nwigwe, and Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime and Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal. Transformers 7 will storm theaters on June 24, 2022.
This new glimpse at the Autobots and Decepticons continues the trend of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts pushing for more accurate interpretations of the original Transformers from the animated series. Caple focuses on brighter, poppier colors and sleek designs over the complicated CGI-laden work the Michael Bay films were known for. This is also in line with the style of Bumblebee, the more stripped-down tale that Rise of the Beasts directly follows on the Transformers timeline.
Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons, host and judge of Bravo's Top Chef, took to the streets of Houston on a rainy Saturday as part of a mass nationwide women's march in protest of Texas' restrictive abortion law. Top Chef season 19 is currently filming in Houston, their second time in the Lone Star State in more than a decade, formerly filming in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. The new season will feature a panel of all-star judges made up of former Top Chef contestants, and Padma and Gail will be joined by judge and chef Tom Colicchio.
The abortion law by the State of Texas has been a controversial topic that has sparked the attention of celebrities and even the federal government. Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), as it is formerly known, outlaws abortions after six weeks of pregnancy with no further leniencies in instances of rape or incest. Some shows have decided not to film in Texas, including an upcoming show from the creator of The Wire. As of September 9, the Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas to prevent them from enforcing Senate Bill 8, claiming it violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The Women's March was held in major cities on Saturday, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Houston, where Top Chef's Padma and Gail led a large group of women shouting, "Our body, our choice!" in the march to City Hall. The duo took a break from filming to be a part of the protest, where they not only participated in the march but also spoke to a large audience. As reported by Houston's local news outlet, CHRON, Padma recalled her own personal experiences where her mother had to have an abortion at Planned Parenthood after sustaining severe injuries from a car accident. "At that time, not only could my parents not afford another child, but her body could not physically sustain another pregnancy," she said. "It's out of love for me that they made the difficult decision to do what was right for our family and it's out of love for my mother and all families that I stand here today, ready to fight." Padma also revealed that she was raped when she was 16 years old. "My only saving grace was that I didn't become pregnant," she said. "I know how sexual violence can make people feel powerless, and this bill is a knife in the heart to those very same people."
Gail shared that she had mixed feelings about filming the upcoming season of Top Chef in Houston due not only to the passing of SB 8 but also Texas' voting rights restrictions. However, she told the crowd that the people of Houston's stance on the bill contradicted that of the state's, and it was important to recognize that. "I know that Houston is a deeply diverse and vibrant place," said Gail. "I know that my beloved restaurant industry, let alone the women of Houston and all of Texas, need our support now more than ever and that personally choosing to back out of coming here would only serve to hurt the local people and the local economies that I set out in my career to uplift and stand behind."
Padma and Gail didn't come to Houston just to film Top Chef. These strong women used their voices to call upon local and national governments to stop SB 8 and to call out the Governor of Texas. The women were bringing the heat to the Women's March and calling on the state officials to pack their knives and go.
Universal Studios Japan has announced a partnership with The Pokémon Company for a mysterious new virtual reality experience. Nintendo currently has an attraction at Universal Studios Japan called Super Nintendo World, with plans to branch out to Universal's Hollywood, Orlando, and Singapore locations by 2025. Unfortunately, these plans have been hindered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which also forced Super Nintendo World to temporarily close its doors less than a month after its grand opening back in March.
So far, Super Nintendo World’s rides and attractions have been primarily focused around Mario, with attendees riding the interactive Mario Kart rollercoaster, dining at the Toad Café, unlock exclusive Miitopia character costumes with special interactive wristbands, and even making pleasant conversation with fully-voiced characters like Princess Peach. However, there are plans for Super Nintendo World to branch out into non-Mario Nintendo franchises in the future, as evidenced by an upcoming Super Nintendo World Donkey Kong expansion based around the equally iconic character. Now, it looks like Pokémon could be joining the theme park fun soon, though it’s too early to tell.
On October 6, Universal Studios Japan announced it is entering a partnership with The Pokémon Company that will begin in 2022. So far, there are few details about what this partnership will bring (with no mention of any Pokémon attractions at Super Nintendo World in the release), but Universal Studios Japan’s announcement does mention plans to develop an interactive virtual experience that will “immerse guests into the world of Pokémon.” Both Universal Studios Japan President and CEO J.L. Bonnier and President and CEO of The Pokémon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara expressed excitement at this long-term deal between their companies.
This new partnership with Universal Studios Japan comes right as fans continue to celebrate the Pokémon franchise’s 25th anniversary this year. To commentate the milestone, Nintendo is releasing several Pokémon games on Nintendo Switch over the next few years, including the upcoming Pokémon Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and the open-world Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Rumors speculate that there will be more major Pokémon announcements in 2022, so perhaps the details of the Universal Studios partnership will prove to be related to those reveals.
It's still too early to tell if the VR experience described by The Pokémon Company and Universal Studios Japan will be a part of Super Nintendo World or something entirely different, but the idea of exploring the vast world of Pokémon and interacting with its assortment of titular collectible creatures is certainly an exciting concept. It may take a while to see these plans come to fruition, though, as the newly announced partnership between The Pokémon Company and Universal Studios Japan doesn’t officially take effect until next year.
Steven Johnston from 90 Day Fiancé did a companionship inventory with Russian girlfriend Alina in Turkey, and the way he shooed a dog away was his biggest red flag yet to many fans. 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way episode 6 saw Steven dropping one bombshell confession after another to Alina. Not only did Steven reveal that he wasn’t a virgin, but he also came clean about him cheating on her with several girls despite warnings. While Alina is sticking around and hoping that Steven deleting his social media might change things, fans saw him treating a dog as terribly as he treats his partner.
While making it clear that he’s not ready to get married to Alina yet, and having her wonder if she could even trust him, Steven wanted to do the practice called companionship inventory. This is something that Steven did when he was a Mormon missionary involving two people telling each other about their strengths and weaknesses, along with things that need to be changed. As per Steven, this would help them have a stronger relationship and be “more effective together.” Alina took this as an opportunity to ask Steven about his girlfriends, and he blamed her for being insecure. But Steven admitted that he wasn’t ready to be “exclusive” with Alina, and up until a month before going to Turkey, he was going out on dates.
But before Steven could spill these horrific secrets, he wanted to have a “special moment” at the park with Alina and thought of the local street dogs as a distraction. Steven said “get out of here” to the dogs in an attempt to shoo them and pushed one of them with his foot. As Reddit user u/cedwards13 noted, it was during this moment that their “hatred for Steven grew more” than they thought it could. As Steven was already getting slammed for his bizarre and hypocritical wine tasting behavior, fans such as @Vegasgirlblog noticed, “Steven’s little laugh while he tries to kick the dog away.” 90 Day Fiancé viewer @nicoleshanique tweeted, “Steven would’ve definitely kicked the dog if there was no camera crew.”
Meanwhile, @Bjess74 addressed their tweet to Alina, saying, “Dump Steven now. How he treated those dogs tells you all you need to know.” What’s interesting to fans is that Steven had previously admitted that he’s "all for bugs not being killed because you know, they have spirits too” despite working in pest control. But Steven clearly didn’t care about the dogs, indicating that he may have been lying. Still, some fans are defending Steven by saying he meant no harm to the animal and that he just “gently scooted” it away using his foot. In fact, in a later scene, he was seen carrying pet food to feed stray cats with Alina.
With the range of red flags that Steven has shown on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way so far, everything he does is making him look like a hypocrite. Steven has been intimate with women in the past and is not a virgin. Yet, he wants Alina to be one and stay away from wine to exercise her faith since she’s agreed to get baptized. Fans think that Alina should abort the Turkey mission and go back to Russia and adopt a dog instead of choosing to marry Steven.
Apple has released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max that opens up new 'Find My' possibilities. Losing one or both of the relatively small earbuds can be easy to do and happens often. Losing AirPods Max is a bit harder, but when tucked in a bag or if they've slipped behind a cushion that can occur. Worse, if lost when away from home or the office, tracking down AirPods becomes more of an urgent challenge. Whichever gremlin causes the problem, it will be easier to locate them with the new firmware.
AirPods have always had the ability to be found via 'Find My Device' in the Find My app. However, as this tended to simply show a map location and play a sound, it isn't quite as robust as the AirTag or Bluetooth beacons. AirTag is Apple's newest item location tracker. A small round tag about the size of a bottle cap, AirTag features Bluetooth and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology along with a speaker, resulting in a wide range of tracking possibilities.
The new firmware for the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max will help users track these items down in the event they are misplaced, lost, or stolen, as explained by Apple. The update is rolling out and will automatically install so there is nothing the user needs to do. The new finding method appears quite similar to that of the AirTag, but uses a blue color theme rather than the green of the AirTag. To locate a missing AirPods Pro or Max, the user will be able to open the Find My app and tap the Items tab, then the AirPods to begin finding. The app will begin searching for the AirPods Bluetooth signal, in case they are nearby. The feedback is not precise since AirPods don't have UWB capabilities, meaning the screen may show far, near, or here if very close. A sound can be triggered at any time using the on-screen button that looks like a speaker icon.
With Apple's new firmware update for AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, these items can be found much easier than before. However, if the user is not currently at the map location shown, it might be a good idea to use 'Lost Mode.' Previously only available for the AirTag and other Find My items, which include some Bluetooth beacons and a few third-party devices, AirPods Pro and Max are also now able to use Lost Mode as well.
After tapping the AirPods in the Find My app, a map appears at the top showing general location and a panel below shows a few options for locating AirPods. Dragging this panel upward will reveal more options, including Lost Mode. There is an option to leave contact information, email or phone number, along with a message. If someone finds the AirPods, the information can be scanned and shown to the person that has the earbuds. The addition of AirPods Pro and AirPods Max in Find My Items is a nice upgrade that comes for free.
High-profile The Bachelorette couple Clare Crawley and Dale Moss have called it quits and many fans aren’t surprised, as their relationship has been a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. Clare and Dale’s second breakup will reportedly be for good, though that seemed to be the case with their first breakup as well. The couple’s romance didn’t last long, but it sure made a splash in Bachelor Nation.
Fans had their doubts from the get-go, mostly because the couple’s engagement (which upended Clare’s season of The Bachelorette) happened so quickly. Clare and Dale didn’t have much time to get to know each other before getting engaged, and that seems to have been a problem in their relationship. Their first break-up was sudden and dramatic, and Clare claimed to be blindsided by it. There were even rumors that Dale had cheated on her. It appeared that they were completely done, but there were a few more twists in store for reality stars.
After Clare and Dale reunited, they seemed like they were doing better than ever, and that caught a lot of fans by surprise. However, unfortunately, the couple’s reconciliation was short-lived and Clare and Dale are now supposedly moving on. The latest rumor is that Abigail Heringer from Matt James' season of The Bachelor somehow got between the two, and The Bachelorette fans again suspect that Dale was unfaithful. There will no doubt be more drama unfolding in the wake of Clare and Dale’s latest split.
Clare and Dale’s relationship began last July when The Bachelorette finally began filming after its initial shutdown due to COVID-19. From the minute Dale stepped out of the limo on night one, it was pretty much game over for the rest of the men. Clare and Dale were only on the show a couple of weeks before getting engaged. They left so another reality star, Tayshia Adams, could become The Bachelorette.
Of course, the newly engaged couple had to keep their relationship under wraps until the season premiered in the fall. However, by mid-October, Clare and Dale went public with their engagement. The couple faced significant scrutiny from fans, who suspected Clare and Dale were in communication while the show was shut down due to COVID-19. Clare and Dale insisted that their first interaction happened when Dale stepped out of the limo. For several months, the two reality stars seemed to be deeply in love and were reportedly even discussing starting a family.
In January, The Bachelorette fans were shocked and upset when heartthrob Dale said he and Clare had broken up in an Instagram post. Clare claimed to be blindsided by the announcement, even though she apparently knew their relationship was in trouble. For weeks, fans speculated about what caused the breakup, and there were rumors circulating that Dale had been unfaithful to Clare.
However, their relationship didn’t end there, and not even a month later, Clare and Dale were seen together in Florida. Though Clare and Dale were tight-lipped about their reconciliation, it was clear that they had rekindled their initial spark. The couple wouldn’t confirm their relationship but Clare and Dale were spotted getting cozy together multiple times.
Clare and Dale seemed to be on track for a re-engagement, and in March, the two of them took a trip to wine country. Despite Clare and Dale’s relationship questions and the couple’s reluctance to confirm they were back together, social media clues confirmed the two had taken a relaxing trip. They went to Napa to celebrate Clare’s 40th birthday.
For months, Clare and Dale wouldn’t address their reunion, though even a cursory investigation into their social media activity provided ample proof that the couple was spending a lot of time together. The next big step in the pair’s relationship came in April when Clare and Dale went Instagram official. They shared their first couple pic since their January breakup.
Though many fans had doubts about Clare and Dale’s rekindled romance, they seemed to be getting stronger and stronger after their reconciliation. In May, Clare and Dale took a trip to Hawaii and posted a lot of content from their vacation. Based on what followers saw on social media, Clare and Dale appeared to be more in love than ever.
A happy Clare teased a “big move” to her followers in June when she and Dale went furniture shopping. Clare is a long-time Sacramento, CA resident, but by summer, rumors were swirling that she and Dale were making plans to live together in New York City. Fans just assumed that meant the couple would be moving in together, though Clare and Dale didn’t provide any details.
In late July, Dale celebrated his anniversary with Clare, one year after they got engaged on The Bachelorette. “When we first met I knew god’s hand was at work but I could have never imagined the journey he had in store for us. Love you with all my heart @clarecrawley,” Dale commented on Instagram. It seemed like Clare and Dale had successfully proven their haters wrong, despite their brief breakup at the beginning of the year.
The couple seemed to be doing well, and this was the catalyst for last month's rumors that Clare and Dale had gotten married secretly and filmed the wedding. Reportedly, the couple was shopping the footage around to various networks. However, Clare had just gotten her breast implants removed and was recovering from surgery, so it’s unlikely that the secret wedding actually took place.
Although Clare and Dale’s relationship appeared to be going strong, out of nowhere, news broke that the couple had called it quits and that there was no chance of them reconciling this time around. Clare recently took to Instagram to say she will not be discussing the breakup just yet, though she made sure to throw some shade at Abigail in the process.
After raising viewers’ eyebrows on The Bachelorette, Clare and Dale have proven their doubters right with this latest breakup. There seems to be a lot of pain and hurt feelings on both sides. These famous exes may greatly benefit from time away from the spotlight.
It's not uncommon for online games like Genshin Impact to celebrate a player's birthday with a little treat. Genshin Impact takes birthdays one step further, however, by also celebrating the birthdays of its many collectible playable characters. While celebrating specific Genshin birthdays, players can earn rewards on that character's special day, whether they've been acquired yet or not.
Genshin Impact has made a name for itself by combining gacha mechanics with an incredibly dense and well-executed open-world game. Players get an impressive amount of content for free but are encouraged to spend money on Wishes, gacha pulls, which give players a small chance to add a new character to their Genshin Impact roster. These characters have unique backstories, favor different elements and weapon types, and have different favorite foods. They also have an assigned birthday in Genshin Impact, which can be found in their character description.
On a character's birthday in Genshin Impact, players will receive in-game mail from that character, talking about how they spent their birthday. The mail includes that character's Special Dish (a dish that can only be cooked by that particular character) and a batch of level-up items associated with them. Unlike mail that arrives for a player's birthday in Genshin Impact, which can be claimed within one year, character Genshin birthday rewards must be collected within 30 days of that specific character's birthday or the mail expires. The good news is that a player doesn't have to own the character to get Genshin Impact's birthday rewards, so if they missed out on collecting Venti, they'll still get birthday mail for him.
Now that miHoYo's RPG has been out for over a year, many of these characters will be celebrating their Genshin birthdays for a second time. This opens the door for new or additional rewards, although it's certainly possible the gifts will remain the same. Characters in Genshin Impact have the following birthdays, arranged in order by month:
Diona - January 18
Rosaria - January 24
Beidou - February 14
Kokomi - February 22
Bennett - February 29
Qiqi - March 3
Jean - March 14
Noelle - March 21
Xiao - April 17
Diluc - April 30
Fischl - May 27
Paimon - June 1
Lisa - June 9
Venti - June 16
Yoimiya - June 21
Raiden Shogun (Baal) - June 26
Barbara - July 5
Hu Tao - July 15
Tartaglia (Childe) - July 20
Klee - July 27
Yanfei - July 28
Amber - August 10
Ningguang - August 26
Mona - August 31
Chongyun - September 7
Razor - September 9
Albedo - September 13
Ayaka - September 28
Xingqiu - October 9
Xinyan - October 16
Sayu - October 19
Kazuha - October 29
Xiangling - November 2
Xinyan - November 4
Keqing - November 20
Sucrose - November 26
Kaeya - November 30
Ganyu - December 2
Zhongli - December 31st
The level-up items players receive from characters on their Genshin Impact birthdays are a nice reward for players, as some of them are otherwise only obtainable in drops from completing Domains, including certain dungeons that are only accessible on certain days of the week. And if a player doesn't have a character but receives their birthday rewards, it might not be a complete waste. Xiangling, for instance, rewards players with 10 Slime Secretions on her birthday, a Character Ascension material that is also useful for other Genshin Impact characters like Lisa, Venti, and Zhongli, as well as for ascending several weapons.
Mailed gifts in Genshin Impacthave been a nice way to reward players since the gamelaunched, and it remains to be seen if the rewards are the same every year. As more playable characters are continued to be added in, it's possible Genshin's birthday system will be altered in the future. Regardless, it's a nice way to gift players a small reward - and to encourage them to log back into the game frequently.
Amazon has set a new release date for Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, days following the film's original release date. The fourth and final entry in the Hotel Transylvania franchise has had an interesting development. It is the first film in the series not directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. It sees Adam Sandler and Kevin James depart the project and Brian Hull and Brad Abrell take over their roles.
It is now the first film of the series not to get a theatrical release. The film had multiple release dates, including July 23, 2021, August 6, 2021, and December 22, 2021. The film was set to open in theaters on October 1, 2021, but in August 2021, Sony Pictures sold the movie to Amazon Studios, where the film will be released on Prime Video due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Sony eventually gave Hotel Transylvania: Transformania release date to Venom: Let There Be Carnage, where it set the record for the biggest opening weekend of 2021.
Now it appears that Amazon has set a new release date for the film, as the studio announced that Hotel Transylvania: Transformania will release on the streaming service on January 14, 2022, in over 240 countries and territories on Amazon Prime Video. This will be the first time a film in the franchise has opened in January. Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke and Sony Pictures Animation President Kristine Belson said of the release date in an official press release:
Jennifer Salke: "The success of the Hotel Transylvania franchise over the years speaks for itself. Audiences around the world have fallen in love with the films created by the brilliant Genndy Tartakovsky, and the latest installment is the perfect ending to an incredible journey. We could not be more excited to work with Sony, Genndy, Jennifer Kluska, Derek Drymon, Selena Gomez, and the talented producing team to bring this funny, heartwarming film to our customers early next year.”
Kristine Belson: "The Hotel Transylvania franchise has been exceptional for Sony Pictures Animation, spanning nearly a decade and introducing the world to Genndy Tartakovsky's singular vision, and we’re so proud of what our extraordinary directors Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon have brought to this special property. These films have thrilled audiences and paved the way for so many artists working in CG animation, and now the family saga of Dracula and his daughter Mavis, son-in-law Johnny, and monster BFFs is coming to a close. We are thrilled to work with Amazon to bring this film to families everywhere.”
The news of the release date comes days after many parents and fans filled complaints on Amazon's social media, wondering where the film was on October 1, 2021, the film's original release date and one that was still present on the Sony website. Amazon spent $100 million to acquire the distribution of Hotel Transylvania: Transformnania from Sony Pictures, so it was not likely they would forget about releasing the film, and in the original announcement of the purchase, no mention was made about the release date, either staying on the October 1, 2021, slot or moving from it. Though now, it will not be available for families to watch over the Halloween season as many had planned.
Releasing Hotel Transylvania: Transformania in January is likely to upset and confuse many as the film is completed, and a Halloween adjacent release date seems ideal. Various streaming services have high-profile October releases to cash in on the month of Halloween, including Halloween Kills on Peacock and Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin on Paramount+. It would seem that Amazon Studios would want to have a high-profile release on their streaming service to draw viewers to their service.
Digital currencies backed by central banks are the most reliable form of digital money, according to IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva. At the same time, to think of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin as money is difficult, believes the chief executive of the international financial institution.
IMF Chief Georgieva Marks Top Issues for Policymakers Exploring CBDCs
Among the members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 110 countries are exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), the fund’s chair and managing director Kristalina Georgieva revealed at an event hosted by Bocconi University in Italy. Speaking remotely to the audience, she noted that the key challenge for monetary authorities now is to guarantee the interoperability of these currencies.
According to Georgieva, a major consideration is whether state-backed digital currencies can serve as a means of exchange trusted by the public, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Other questions policymakers need to answer are if CBDCs can contribute to domestic economic stability and how they would fit within international regulatory frameworks introduced by organizations like the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
The BIS Innovation Hub is leading several projects to test the use of state-issued digital currencies in international transactions such as a collaboration between the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank Negara Malaysia, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the South African Reserve Bank. These also include joint trials conducted by China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and UAE as well as a wholesale CBDC test carried out by Banque de France and the Swiss National Bank.
In reference to cooperation between international financial organizations and national monetary authorities regarding CBDCs, Kristalina Georgieva further stated:
"It is very impressive how much the international community, the central banks, institutions like ours are now actively engaged to make sure that in this fast moving world of digitalization, money is a source of confidence and helps the economy function rather than [being] a risk".
The head of the IMF emphasized that she views digital currencies issued by central banks as the most reliable form of digital money while remarking she finds it hard to think of cryptocurrencies as money. “De-facto assets” like bitcoin are not backed by assets that hold their value stable and can rise and fall sharply, Georgieva elaborated, insisting:
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">"In the history of money, it is difficult to think of them as money".
In her address at the Italian academic event, the IMF chief also spoke about Europe’s efforts to deal with challenges caused by the spread of Covid-19. Kristalina Georgieva noted that the Old Continent is now more prepared to avoid another debt crisis such as the one with Greece after the last global financial crisis. However, she stressed that governments need to plan their course carefully as they shift to medium-term fiscal consolidation so they can erase the debt burden related to the pandemic.
Bitcoin, in terms of market value, rose 4.6% to $53,859.6.
It passed $50,000 mark for first time in four weeks on Tuesday.
Bitcoin fell below $50,000 in early September.
Bitcoin hit its highest level since mid-May on Wednesday as bulls bid up the cryptocurrency after it breached the $50,000 mark in the previous session.
The world's largest cryptocurrency in terms of market value rose 4.6% to $53,859.6. It passed the $50,000 mark for the first time in four weeks on Tuesday on mounting institutional interest.
In early September, bitcoin fell below $50,000 during a broad selloff in shares of cryptocurrency and blockchain-related firms. It fell further in September, hitting a low of $40,596 on September 21.
According to reports on Wednesday, Soros Fund management, owned by billionaire investor George Soros, confirmed at a Bloomberg summit that the fund is trading bitcoin. "We own some coins — not a lot," Dawn Fitzpatrick, the fund's chief executive, was quoted as saying.
