Author: Justin M. Larson

Tom RichardsonBBC NewsbeatPicture GroupClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s director Guillaume Broche accepted the game of the year prizeClair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been named game of the year at this year’s Game Awards.The French-developed role-playing game (RPG) cleaned up in 9 of the 10 categories it was up for, with further wins in best narrative, best music and best performance.It fended off competition from Death Stranding 2, Nintendo platformer Donkey Kong Bananza, indie games Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2, and medieval adventure Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 to claim the top prize.During the ceremony in Los Angeles, players also got their…

Watch: Video shows US military seizing oil tanker off Venezuela coastThe US has imposed fresh sanctions on six more ships said to be carrying Venezuelan oil, a day after seizing a tanker off the country’s coast.Sanctions have also been placed on some of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s relatives and businesses associated with what Washington calls his illegitimate regime.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the seized vessel, called the Skipper, had been involved in “illicit oil shipping” and would be taken to an American port. Caracas has described it as an act of “international piracy”.It marks a sharp escalation…

Shanaz MusaferandNatalie ShermanAFP via Getty ImagesVenezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro says escalating pressure from the US comes down to one thing: Washington wants to grab the South American nation’s vast oil reserves.This week the American military seized an oil tanker, which was allegedly carrying Venezuelan oil being shipped in violation of US sanctions, and threatened action against other ships. The move followed a series of military strikes on Venezuelan boats, which the US alleges are drug-trafficking vessels. President Donald Trump has called on Maduro to leave office, accusing him of sending narcotics and murderers to the US. So is it Venezuela’s…

Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand’s prime minister, speaks to members of the media on the sidelines of a seminar in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. Dario Pignatelli | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThailand’s king has approved the dissolution of parliament, deepening political instability in the Southeast Asian nation ahead of an attempt by the U.S. to salvage a fragile ceasefire with Cambodia.In a royal decree published Friday, King Maha Vajiralongkorn endorsed a request by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to dissolve parliament after his minority government failed to reach an agreement with the majority opposition People’s Party on proposed constitutional changes. Under Thai rules, a general election must be…

Russia could attack a Nato country within the next five years, the Western military alliance’s chief has said in a stark new warning. “Russia is already escalating its covert campaign against our societies,” Mark Rutte said in a speech in Germany. “We must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured.”He echoed similar statements about Russia’s intentions made by Western intelligence agencies, which Moscow dismisses as hysteria.Rutte’s warning comes as US President Donald Trump tries to bring an end to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022. Earlier this month, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin…

ReutersNemo made history by becoming the first non-binary performer to win Eurovision in 2024The winner of last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Nemo, has said they are returning their trophy in protest over Israel’s continued participation in the event.The 26-year-old Swiss singer said there is a “clear conflict” between Israel’s involvement in the competition and the ideals of “unity, inclusion and dignity” the contest says it stands for.Israel’s presence at Eurovision has been an increasing source of tension, because of the war in Gaza and a voting controversy during this year’s event.Five countries – Iceland, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands…

For China, President Trump’s moves to loosen chip controls, soften U.S. rhetoric and stay silent on tensions with Japan amount to a rare string of strategic gains. Source link

The company said the new law, which makes it illegal for children under 16 to have social media accounts, infringes on children’s rights. Source link

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesReddit, the popular community-focused forum, has launched a legal challenge against Australia’s social media ban for teens under 16, arguing that the newly enacted law is ineffective and goes too far by restricting political discussion online.In its application to Australia’s High Court, the social news and aggregation platform said the law is “invalid on the basis of the implied freedom of political communication”, saying that it burdens political communication. Canberra’s ban came into effect on Wednesday and targeted 10 major services, including Alphabet’s YouTube, Meta’s Instagram, ByteDance’s TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat and Elon Musk’s X. All targeted platforms had agreed to…

Just as this week’s floodwaters in the Pacific Northwest begin to recede, forecasters warn, another storm will approach the West Coast. Source link

Mount Fuji and the Shinjuku skyline in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets were set to open higher Friday, tracking Wall Street gains after key benchmarks hit new records on the heels of the recent Federal Reserve decision.The central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee on Wednesday lowered its key overnight borrowing rate by a quarter percentage point, putting it in a range between 3.5%-3.75%.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 is set to open higher, with the futures contract in Chicago at 51,000 and the one in Osaka at 50,920…

The United States is escalating its pressure campaign on Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, after seizing an oil tanker off the coast. Source link

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A long-running malware campaign quietly evolved over several years and turned trusted Chrome and Edge extensions into spyware. A detailed report from Koi Security reveals that the ShadyPanda operation affected 4.3 million users who downloaded extensions later updated with hidden malicious code.These extensions began as simple wallpaper or productivity tools that looked harmless. Years later, silent updates added surveillance functions that most users could not detect.Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access…

The tanker was headed eastward and had recently carried Iranian oil. The seizure is an escalation in President Trump’s military pressure campaign against Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro. Source link

According to the UN human rights office (OHCHR), more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October 2023, when Palestinian armed groups attacked communities in southern Israel, triggering Israel’s full-scale military assault on the enclave.OHCHR said 94 per cent of Gaza’s hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, leaving pregnant women and newborns without essential care.“The Israeli blockade has also prevented the entry of objects indispensable to the survival of civilians, including medical supplies and nutrients required to sustain pregnancies and ensure safe childbirth,” the Office said.By late 2024, women in Gaza were three times more likely to die in…

The rights group said it had documented atrocities committed by Palestinian armed groups, including murder, imprisonment, torture and sexual violence. Source link

Seizures of more tankers could put a stranglehold on Venezuela’s economy, which is exceptionally dependent on oil to keep the government running and pay for basic necessities. Source link

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Sometimes you need someone to answer right away. Maybe you are locked out. Maybe those concert tickets are about to go on sale. Android users are about to get a helpful upgrade that gives their calls more context when time matters.Google is rolling out a beta feature called Call Reason in the Phone by Google app that lets you mark a call as urgent before you dial.When you use it, the person receiving your call sees the urgent label on their screen. If they miss it, the same note shows up in…

Escalating activity along a fault line in the Sea of Marmara is moving closer to Istanbul, seismologists warn. Source link

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission says the force has played a central role in systematic repression since 2014, entrenching impunity and violating basic rights.“The facts we have documented show the role of the GNB in a pattern of systematic and coordinated repression against opponents or those perceived as such, which has continued for more than a decade,” said Marta Valiñas, the Mission’s Chair. “The persistence of these crimes and the absence of adequate justice require a determined response from national and international accountability mechanisms.”Excessive forceThe GNB used excessive force, including the improper use of lethal weapons, during peak periods of protest in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2024.The Mission said it has reasonable grounds to believe…

Governments are studying the decision to prohibit youths from using platforms like Facebook and TikTok as worries grow about the potential harm they cause. Source link

Joshua Cheetham, Paul Brown, Richard Irvine-Brown & Matt MurphyBBC Verify BBCThe oil tanker seized by US forces on Wednesday had a track record of faking or concealing its location information, apparently to hide its activities, ship tracking data shows.On Wednesday evening, the US confirmed that its forces seized a vessel during a helicopter-launched raid near the coast of Venezuela. BBC Verify confirmed the ship was the Skipper by matching a sign seen in footage released by the US to a reference photo supplied by TankerTrackers.com, a site which monitors oil shipments.Data held by publicly accessible tracking sites paints an incomplete…

Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, an ally of the former prime minister, Imran Khan, once led Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency. Source link

A tangle of problems at IndiGo, the dominant carrier, resulted in gridlocked airports across the country. Worse, it was the symptom of an even bigger problem. Source link