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Most hated man in video games: The scandalous reign of Call of Duty billionaire

Bobby Kotick rescued Activision from bankruptcy more than 30 years ago and helped turn it into a video games titan. But his tenure has been riddled with a series of scandals.

Five Mao fanatics jailed over articles smearing former Chinese leaders

Five Mao fanatics who ran an internet rumour mill have been sentenced by a court in central China for circulating articles which “smeared former state leaders” but their ringleader, who awaits trial, remained defiant despite the sentencing.The people’s court of Xinhua district in Pingdingshan, Henan province, sentenced two men and three women in late December to jail terms ranging from nine months to two years on the official charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, according to a…

World Bank: Global economy losing steam as COVID persists -2%

Continued uncertainty and income inequality are two reasons why world economic growth looks set to slow in 2022. Last year's output increases are not enough to keep the pace, according to a report from the World Bank.

Anti-Arab sentiment sweeps Turkey, home to world's largest refugee population 27%

Turkey is home to more refugees than any other country in the world, with more than 3 million Syrians and 300,000 Iraqis. But as the years have gone by, many Turks believe these refugees have overstayed their welcome. Now, as the economic crisis in the country gets worse, attacks have begun to escalate, both rhetorically and physically. Our correspondents Ludovic de Foucaud, Shona Bhattacharyya and Hussein Asad report from Bolu, a city whose mayor wants all foreigners out of Turkey.

Home appliance demand keeps JB Hi-Fis sales up despite COVID woes 4%

JB Hi-Fi has unveiled a better than expected result for the first half of the new financial year, with the company’s sales and profits only falling slightly.

Ichthyosaur: Huge fossilised sea dragon found in Rutland reservoir

The creature lived more than 90 million years ago and its remains were found poking out of the mud.

The strong shekel is weakening Israeli nonprofits and the problem isnt going away 20%

The greenback has gone from 4 to nearly 3 shekels in recent years, but many donors don’t notice when they write their checks to Israeli nonprofits in dollars

Why are Black goalkeepers still the rarest sight in elite European soccer? 23%

Over the years, many pseudoscientific and unfounded theories have been spouted in an attempt to solve the ‘mystery.’ But the real answer remains painfully obvious

Distinguished diplomat served around the world 10%

Archibald Duncan Campbell AM, who died on October 11, 2021, served Australia in a distinguished career as a diplomat for nearly 40 years from 1955 to 1993.

Climate change: Last 7 years warmest on record globally; linked to fire, flood, pollution disasters -12%

The last seven years have been the hottest on record globally “by a clear margin”, the European Union’s climate monitoring service reported on Monday, as it raised the alarm over sharp increases in record concentrations of methane in the atmosphere.Countries around the world have been blasted by a relentless assault of weather disasters linked to global warming in recent years, including record-shattering wildfires across Australia and Siberia, a once-in-1,000-years heatwave in North America…

The archaeologist who discovered Troy: Heinrich Schliemann -50%

Born 200 years ago in Germany, the adventurer-archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann was obsessed with finding the kingdom of Troy described in Homer's "Iliad."

Three new pandemic initiatives launch as Biden hits one-year mark

Several high-stakes initiatives aimed at stemming the still-surging pandemic are here as Biden approaches one year in office.

Africa: Seychelles' Passport Still Africa's No 1, Travel to 152 Countries Visa-Free 17%

[Seychelles News Agency] Seychelles' passport remains the most powerful on the African continent for a consecutive year while moving up one place in a global ranking recently published by Henley and Partners for the first quarter of 2022.

Teen convicted of killing Tessa Majors in a NYC park is sentenced to 14 years to life -12%

More than two years after the killing of Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors, the third and final teen who pleaded guilty in her case was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years to life.

Fire Retardant Violations Reported Twice Last Year in Bronx Apartment Building -8%

Of the 17 maintenance code violations issued last year, two were related to broken or defective fire retardant material. One of those remains listed as open.

The post Fire Retardant Violations Reported Twice Last Year in Bronx Apartment Building appeared first on The Intercept.

Belarusian Soccer Player, Sports Reporter Ivulin Jailed Over Protests

Well-known Belarusian soccer player and sports journalist Alyaksandr Ivulin has been sentenced to two years in prison for taking part in protests against authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

As Chinas population nears normalised phase of decline, experts assess pace and severity 20%

China’s population level could fluctuate around the point of growth stagnation in the coming years before it starts to decline, analysts say in light of new data showing the mainland’s overall population increased by just 480,000 people in 2021.The official numbers, released on Monday, are fuelling concerns about China’s demographic crisis, including worries that its population size may have peaked last year or will do so in the near future.“In the next 10 to 20 years, China’s natural…

Biden faces delays in undoing Trumps war on efficient dishwashers, dryers and lightbulbs that made him look orange 2%

Nearly a year after Trump left the White House, his rules weakening energy efficiency standards for lightbulbs and other appliances live on. Delays, missed deadlines and a backlog of 33 overdue standards have hobbled the Biden administration's efforts to cut energy use and fight climate change.

Israel advances tax relief for returnees and immigrants in high-tech

Government-backed benefit package meant to entice returning Israelis who have lived abroad between one and five years

What will our working lives look like in 2022?

Our Got a Minute? columnist outlines how last year’s learnings will inform the new working year.

10 life lessons by Winnie the Pooh 42%

January 18 is celebrated as Winnie the Pooh Day, in honour of its creator AA Milne’s birthday in the year 1882. Here are 10 life lessons the iconic bear and his friends taught us.

Biden needs a reset. Heres how he can do it. -15%

With the midterm elections later this year, it's not to late for the Democrats to adjust course.

Guantnamo Turns 20: Ex-Prisoner Moazzam Begg Calls on Biden to Close Site & End Legacy of Torture 3%

On the 20th anniversary of the first prisoner's arrival at Guantánamo Bay, we spend the hour with former detainees, starting with Moazzam Begg, who was imprisoned for three years at the military prison and eventually released without ever being charged with a crime. He now advocates on behalf of victims of the so-called war on terror, calling on the Biden administration to follow through on promises to shut down the military prison and release the remaining 39 prisoners. Twenty years after the detention center opened, Begg reflects on the absurdity and lawlessness of Guantánamo, describing how its torture methods were not only unethical but ultimately extracted very little credible intelligence. "The legacy of this place is imprisonment without trial, torture, the absence of the rule of law, the removal of the presumption of innocence," says Begg.

Amazon and WhatsApp saw biggest fines in EU last year over data rules violations as GDPR takes toll on Big Tech -7%

European Union data protection fines targeting Amazon.com Inc and Meta Platforms Inc’s WhatsApp helped push penalties to record levels last year, in a sign that the bloc’s tough privacy rules are starting to bite.Luxembourg’s data protection authority last year slapped Amazon with its biggest fine since the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation took effect almost four years ago. The US online retailer is challenging the 746 million-euro ($851 million) penalty. The Irish watchdog followed with…

The health trends worthy of your attention in 2022 -31%

From micro and HIRT workouts, “fake” fish and “dairy” milk without the cow, here’s how we’ll be eating and exercising in the year ahead.

Hypothermia Or Foul Play? New Documents Reveal U.S. Doubts About An American's Death In Siberia

Russian investigators concluded that Colin Madsen died of hypothermia in the mountains of Siberia six years ago. U.S. government officials, however, suspected foul play and believed the circumstances of his death "were not properly or fully investigated."

One America News Will Be Dropped by DirecTV, a Major Distributor 5%

The right-wing network has aired conspiracies about the 2020 election, last year’s Capitol riot and the safety of coronavirus vaccines.

In South Africa, Success Against H.I.V. Offers Hope 25%

A former Africa correspondent, who covered the height of the AIDS epidemic there 15 years ago, finds lessons in the remarkable progress against that virus for our current fight.

Credit Suisse Chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio resigns over Covid-19 rules breach -5%

Credit Suisse Chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio has quit following an internal probe into his personal conduct, including breaches of Covid-19 rules, raising questions over the embattled lender’s new strategy as it tries to recover from a string of scandals.This comes less than a year after Horta-Osorio was hired to help the bank deal with the implosion of collapsed investment firm Archegos and the insolvency of British supply chain finance company Greenshill Capital, even as it was still reeling…

'Youre afraid of forgetting who you are': The American prisoners who spend years in solitary confinement -6%

They are held alone in a cell the size of an elevator, sometimes with no window. They’re denied contact with other people. Thousands of American prison inmates are held for years in solitary confinement, cut off from the world. A few of them tell Haaretz their stories

What you need to know about planning travel right now

New year, new outlook, new travel plans.

Natural Central Florida: a haven for wildlife 13%

Much of the sunshine state remains more or less as it was a thousand years ago, with nature accessible to all

Feeding families: how one dynamic US food bank is taking on inflation

In the last year, the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, a neighborhood lifeline, has faced steep odds amid mounting supply chain problems and rising prices

There was purposeful work being done inside the expansive food bank warehouse, with Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean blasting from a small stereo near the loading dock to help spur the groups of volunteers inside the 60,000-sq-ft facility.

Almost two years into the pandemic, and now with inflation at a 40-year high, a typical day at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama (CFBCA) reveals an abundance of activity and cheer belying the steep odds these neighborhood lifelines face.