D&D's most famous vampire is also the secret behind the game's success

Strahd Von Zarovich's appearance in D&D shaped the game into what we know today, and Curse of Strahd remains a big reason behind 5e's success

Aerial footage shows devastation from flash floods and landslides in Indonesia

Heavy rainfall in western Sumatra, Indonesia, has triggered deadly floods and landslides, leaving many people missing. Thousands of homes have been submerged, and rescue operations are still under way.

Benedict Cumberbatch is World of Tanks' new 'Holiday Ambassador', starring in a bizarre (and expensive) Christmas advert that has very little to do with either tanks or Christmas

The actor will also feature in an in-game event.

Google Quantum AI realizes three dynamic surface code implementations

Quantum computers are computing systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects. These computers rely on qubits (i.e., the quantum equivalent of bits), which can store information in a mixture of states, as opposed to binary states (0 or 1).

Durian, pineapple compete to be Malaysia’s national fruit

Some argue that the thorny fruit deserves national recognition.

Could a new generation of dedicated AI chips burst Nvidia's bubble and do for AI GPUs what ASICs did for crypto mining?

Cheaper, more efficient ASICs for AI are coming.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Is Going Even Lower Than Its Planned Black Friday Price to Compete With AirPods and Galaxy Buds

Save 26% on the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 with active noise cancellation over at Amazon. The post Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Is Going Even Lower Than Its Planned Black Friday Price to Compete With AirPods and Galaxy Buds appeared first on Kotaku .

Japan high court rules same-sex marriage ban constitutional

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a unified decision in 2026 at the earliest.

Africa: Why Context-Specific Solutions Are Key to African EdTech Success

[allAfrica] Accra, Ghana -- Africa has the world's youngest population. More than 60% of its 1.4 billion people are under the age of 25. By 2055, the global population is expected to reach 10 billion. Most of that growth, 95%, will happen in low-and middle-income countries.

Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: CME Group, Tilray Brands, SanDisk & more

These are the stocks posting the largest moves in premarket trading.

Petey USA’s Electronic Heartland Emo Sounds Great On New Deluxe Album The Yips (A Case Of)

Peter Martin played drums in an early permutation of Young Jesus back in the early 2010s, and he used to release his own music under the name 90 Pounds Of Pete. But all of that was eclipsed by his rise as a musically inclined comedic TikTok personality during the pandemic,

Africa: Measles Deaths Down 88% Since 2000, but Cases Surge

[WHO] Global immunization efforts have led to an 88% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2024, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly 59 million lives have been saved by the measles vaccine since 2000.

Africa: Trump Threatens to Suspend Immigration From 'Third World' Countries

[Premium Times] In a statement shared on Truth Social on Friday, Mr Trump portrayed the US as in decline due to uncontrolled migration.

Africa: Timeline - Guinea-Bissau Joins a List of Recent Coups in West Africa

[Premium Times] Coups and their aftermath also fractured ECOWAS as they led to the creation of the Alliance for Sahel States (AES) by three junta-led West African states.

Lightning detected on Mars by Nasa rover, scientists believe

Researchers heard electric crackles on 28 hours of recordings made over two Martian years.

LEGO Christmas Tree Hit 80K Sales This Black Friday, Festive Set Now Goes for Peanuts

You can build one large or two smaller Christmas trees. The post LEGO Christmas Tree Hit 80K Sales This Black Friday, Festive Set Now Goes for Peanuts appeared first on Kotaku .

Israel-Lebanon ceasefire on the edge of a breakdown

An already troubled ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon is looking shakier than ever. Since the truce was announced on November 27, 2024, there have been more than 10,000 Israeli air and ground violations inside Lebanese territory, according to the latest report from

Devastating stellar storm seen on red dwarf star

A first ever detection of a coronal mass ejection from a small red dwarf could have big consequences for life on any nearby planets.

Trump order to keep Michigan power plant open costs taxpayers $113m

Critics say JH Campbell coal-fired plant in western Michigan is expensive and emits high levels of toxic pollution Trump administration orders to keep an ageing, unneeded Michigan coal-fired power plant online has cost ratepayers from across the US midwest about $113m so far,

Makthaverskan Announce New Album Glass And Bones: Hear “Pity Party”

The dreamy, jangly Swedish post-punk greats Makthaverskan have not graced us with an album since 2021’s För Allting, but on this Black Friday they’ve given us reason to maintain the Thanksgiving spirit. The band has announced that a new album called Glass And Bones is coming in

Group 13 elements: The lucky number for sustainable redox agents?

Researchers from The University of Osaka created a reagent for important building-block molecules with an abundant main-group element, gallium. These early findings show that an organic gallium compound can display transition-metal-like reactivity under light irradiation. Using

The US economy needs international students now more than ever

For decades, the U.S. has been the top destination for international students — a global magnet for talent, innovation and ambition.

Pledge to keep state pension tax-free faces scrutiny

The chancellor says those who only receive the state pension won't have to pay income tax before 2030.

Radiohead Beats Metallica to Set New Attendance Record at London’s O2

After four sold-out shows at London’s The O2, alt-rock group Radiohead has made history with the highest ever attendance within the arena. Previously set by Metallica in 2017, the band has now surpassed that attendance figure four times, setting a new record of 22,355. Each of

Trump vows to ‘permanently pause’ migration from ‘Third World Countries’ after DC shooting

President Trump said Thursday he will halt immigration from “all Third World Countries” after two National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully

Africa: Afreximbank Mourns the Passing of Intra-Africa Trade Champion, Olusegun Awolowo

[Afreximbank] Cairo, 28 November 2025: - African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) joins the people of Nigeria, the continent and global community in mourning the passing of Mr. Olusegun Awolowo "Segun" on 20 November 2025 after a protracted illness.

AI, providence and a future with fewer children

AI may be somehow providential. In about 150 years, the world’s population went from 800 million to 8 billion but the feat is unlikely to be repeated in the next 150 years. That is, the world won’t be home to 80 billion people in 2170. All data show that birth rates are

DJI Clears Out Osmo Pocket 3 With Mic Included as This Black Friday Vlogging Camera Stock Runs Low

Film better, while saving big. The post DJI Clears Out Osmo Pocket 3 With Mic Included as This Black Friday Vlogging Camera Stock Runs Low appeared first on Kotaku .

Eminem Joins Jack White For Epic Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Performance: Watch

Eminem and Jack White made sure this year’s Thanksgiving was a holiday to remember in their hometown of Detroit. During his halftime performance at the Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers game at Ford Field on Thursday (November 27), the White Stripes legend brought out fellow

At site of papal prayer in Turkey, a shrinking lake ‘means death’

Lake Iznik is home to the ruins of an ancient basilica, but its waters are receding, leaving behind deep anxiety about the future of life here.

Samsung Goes Absolutely Nuts With S25 Ultra, Now Selling iPhone Rival at Price That Makes Zero Sense

Our favorite Android flagship phone in 2025. The post Samsung Goes Absolutely Nuts With S25 Ultra, Now Selling iPhone Rival at Price That Makes Zero Sense appeared first on Kotaku .

Trained to serve: Service dogs' roles are expanding to help more people

In short order, Teddy—a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 3-year-old yellow Lab—punched a wall button with his nose, yanked a rope to open a kitchen cabinet door and tugged a walker across the floor.

New Music Friday: Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, A$AP Ferg & More

This week’s New Music Friday is a Thanksgiving special, and there are plenty of new offerings to be grateful for. This week’s selection of singles is stacked thanks to a double dose of Lil Uzi Vert, yet another promising “leak” from Lil Baby, a UK rap banger from Central Cee

Lies of P director says 'I will not disappoint you' when it comes to the sequel, and after playing its award-winning DLC this year, I fully believe him

Overture gives me faith.

Battlefield 6 is 50% off in this Black Friday deal

Pick up Battlefield 6 on PS5 or Xbox Series X for just $35.

Amazon Offloads All Flagship Phones This Black Friday, Including OnePlus 13 Now at New Record Low

One of the best Android phones in 2025. The post Amazon Offloads All Flagship Phones This Black Friday, Including OnePlus 13 Now at New Record Low appeared first on Kotaku .

Build a better alternative to Black Friday

About thirty years ago, Jerry Shereshewsky invented “Cyber Monday” as an alternative to Black Friday. The idea was that you’d wait until you got to work on Monday after the Thanksgiving break (where there was high speed internet and you wanted to avoid doing drudge work) to do

Britain says talks to join EU defence fund have broken down

LONDON/BRUSSELS - Britain said on Friday that talks to join the European Union's defence fund SAFE had broken down, in a major setback to a much-vaunted post-Brexit reset of relations aimed at strengthening the continent's defence.

2025's best-selling manga in Japan show a growing interest in romance

While sales have dropped from 2024 to 2025, manga sales in Japan reveal that audiences are falling more in love with romance manga.

No, Europe is not selling 'anti-rape' underwear

Viral posts allege that underwear designed to protect women from sexual assault has gone on sale in Europe, and use the claims as a pretext to spread xenophobic rhetoric.

China’s nuclear restraint rhetoric belied by rapidfire buildup

China’s new arms-control white paper offers a revealing snapshot of how Beijing pairs declaratory restraint with a rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal to shape its strategic narrative with the US. The document, published this month reaffirms China’s “no-first-use” (NFU) pledge

Meta Quietly Offloads Ray-Ban Gen 1 via Amazon, Smart Wayfarer Now Goes for What Regular Sunglasses Cost

Captures 12MP photos hands-free, plays audio only you hear and looks exactly like Ray-Bans. The post Meta Quietly Offloads Ray-Ban Gen 1 via Amazon, Smart Wayfarer Now Goes for What Regular Sunglasses Cost appeared first on Kotaku .

Why refugees in Australia still face barriers to good jobs

Humanitarian migrants (refugees) in Australia remain significantly less likely to be employed than non-humanitarian migrants, even after five years of resettlement, largely due to employer discrimination rather than any shortfall in skills or language, a study by UNSW

Dhafer L’Abidine’s Thriller ‘Sophia’ Boarded by MAD World Ahead of Marrakech Film Festival Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

MAD World, the Arab world’s leading international film sales agent, has picked up “Sophia,” directed by and starring Dhafer L’Abidine, who also stars in “Palestine 36,” Palestine’s Oscar entry. “Sophia” has its world premiere on Tuesday at Marrakech Film Festival, where

Várhelyi not ‘deaf or blind’ to pharma's concerns over Wastewater Directive

Health commissioner says he will do ‘everything in his power’ to correct unfair burden embedded in the legislation. Speaking at the opening of a new EGIS plant, in Kőbánya, Budapest, the EU’s Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said that he hoped that the Biotech Act would be

Germany's Merz to visit Israel, meet PM Netanyahu

BERLIN (Reuters) -German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Israel on December 6 and 7 for his first official visit since taking office, a German government spokesperson said on Friday. Merz is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on December 7 to discuss

JD Vance is right about the ‘bonkers’ political obsession over Ukraine

Thankfully, there are some signs that a ceasefire may soon be a reality.

Analyst Report: Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc

Analyst Report: APA Corporation

Vintage market trader retires after 60 years

Birmingham vintage market trader retires after 60 years