Rockstar's legal setback, Final Fantasy tax incentives, and PlayStation swaps 'PC' for 'AI' - Patch Notes #57
Plus: Don't Nod is fighting for survival and Firezide Chat introduces you to the people behind the games.
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Vietnamese man deported to South Sudan by US leaves for home
JUBA, June 19 - A Vietnamese man deported by the United States to South Sudan a year ago as part of the Trump administration's hardline immigration agenda left for Vietnam on Friday, South Sudanese officials said.
Dungeon Crawler Carl TV show gets straight-to-series order from Peacock
The upcoming adaptation of Matt Dilliman's LitRPG series will go straight into production.
Valve’s Steam Controllers Are Out Of Stock Until 2027
If you reserve the device today, you've got at least a six month wait
Four Israeli soldiers killed as combat in Lebanon imperils U.S.-Iran deal
U.S. and Iranian officials postponed negotiations planned in Switzerland on Friday about the details of their peace agreement as it faced a major test.
Is the World Bank retreating on climate finance?
Washington wants the institution to prioritize growth and energy security over climate goals, raising questions about a 45% finance target and curbs on gas projects.
Anthony Chen and Yeo Yann Yann on 14 Years of ‘Growing Up’ Trilogy and New Korean Project: ‘A Comic Take on a Tragic Story’
Singaporean director Anthony Chen, whose producing credits include the Singapore-Korea co-production “Ajoomma,” is returning to Korean-connected territory with a new project. Speaking at a Shanghai International Film Festival masterclass alongside frequent collaborator Yeo Yann
Boy, 12, wins hearts after trying to check sick chicken into Ethiopian hospital
Markos's beloved hen was not responding to any treatments - so he did the only thing he could think of.
Luca Guadagnino’s Nearly Finished Sam Altman Movie ‘Artificial’ Dropped by Amazon After OpenAI Partnership
Luca Guadagnino’s nearly finished Sam Altman movie, “Artificial,” has been dropped by Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has confirmed. The film, starring Andrew Garfield as the controversial OpenAI CEO, will be shopped to other studios. The move notably comes after Amazon struck a
Uzbekistan celebrates first-ever World Cup goal despite defeat to Colombia
The Central Asian country's World Cup debut brought early-morning crowds, large public screenings and a memorable goal that many supporters considered more important than the final score.
World of Warcraft patch 12.1 Curse of Ula'tek is looking like a massive update
Blizzard has revealed PTR patch notes for the 12.1 update to WoW: Midnight, including new campaign chapters, boss lairs, class changes, and more
Billionaire Ambani's Jio announces what could be India's biggest share sale
India's largest telecom operator is expected to raise around $4bn (£3.02bn), according to media reports.
Africa: AU Condemns Attack On Niger Airport
[African Union] The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, strongly condemns the terrorist attack carried out on 18 June 2026 against the International Airport of Niamey in the Republic of Niger.
Steel industry sounds alarm over slow progress on green steel
It is likely to remain so without a major increase in state funding or customers willing to pay more.
Nigeria 2027: Why Mohammed Abacha’s path to Kano power keeps closing
Nearly three decades after the death of General Sani Abacha, his son Mohammed still cannot turn one of Nigeria’s most recognisable surnames into power in Kano.
Police order last-minute ban of Iranian opposition rally in Paris
By John Irish PARIS, June 19 (Reuters) - Paris-based Iranian opposition group NCRI said on Friday that the city's police had banned a rally it was due to hold on Saturday and that it had appealed what it said was a "bogus" decision.
‘Termination shock’: trust our expert warnings on geoengineering’s planetary risks | Raymond Pierrehumbert, Julia Slingo, Michael Mann and Valerie Masson-Delmotte
Do we really want to play dice with our planet? A series in the Guardian recently declared “it’s time to talk about geoengineering.” So let’s talk about it. And let us start with some simple truths about this cluster of techno-optimistic “quick fixes” which purport to somehow
Latest news bulletin | June 19th, 2026 – Midday
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this June 19th, 2026 - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
What’s the Matter With JD Vance?
The first chapter of JD Vance’s Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith , is titled “What’s the Matter with JD Vance?” It’s a reference to Thomas Frank’s 2004 What’s the Matter with Kansas? , but it’s also a fine question in and of itself, a question one asks with increasing
What can be done about the explosion of disinformation?
The menace is everywhere yet you can hardly spot it, stop it or punish it, says expert.
Trump’s DOJ Is Trying So Hard to Scare People Away From Protesting ICE
Sometimes, the value of a criminal indictment is the headlines it can get, not the charges that can stick. On Tuesday afternoon, a federal prosecutor in Minnesota, U.S. attorney Daniel N. Rosen, held a press conference about what he characterized as an indictment of more than a
The Trump Administration Keeps Promoting Slop History
It’s been a puzzling period for formal expressions of patriotic nostalgia. On two separate occasions this week, the federal government publicized false quotations of iconic American presidents, fumbling attempts to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary. The first instance
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition: • Showing our age • Special delivery • Unfriendly wagers • A shore thing • Sale therapy
The Supreme Court Has Good News for Stoners With Guns
The Supreme Court narrowed a federal law that made it a criminal offense for illegal drug users to own firearms, ruling on Thursday that the conviction of a Texas man under that measure was “inconsistent with the Second Amendment.” While the ruling was a rare moment of
Supreme Court’s narrow gun decision kindles divisions, more questions
The Supreme Court’s gun decision on Thursday was technically unanimous. But it was narrow. The ruling found the government cannot criminally prosecute a man for firearm possession simply because he admitted to smoking marijuana a few times a week. Beneath the surface, the
Senate Republicans in somber, pessimistic mood over Trump deal with Iran
President Trump’s deal to lift sanctions on Iran and give it access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund has cast a glum mood over the Senate Republican conference, with GOP senators saying that many of their colleagues are “in dismay” and “somber” over the cost of the
Latest Trump SAVE America push splits House Republicans
President Trump’s latest push to pair the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act with legislation reviving the federal government’s warrantless spying powers is dividing House Republicans, with some arguing the gambit is doomed to fail. Trump has repeatedly
Iran declares victory in deal with US, while hard-liners push for tougher terms
Iran, after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Trump administration to end a war that began earlier this year, is celebrating what it sees as a major victory over the U.S. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly and is believed
How AI Has Created a Braggy Culture of Layoffs
Whenever a company makes layoffs, the announcements tend to be corporate-speak at their most sanitized—bloodless at best. The language is heavily vetted for legal and reputational risk to make sure they’re legally ironclad and purposefully anodyne. Or at least that was what
Five key issues in US-Iran nuclear talks as 60-day clock begins
President Trump’s signature on a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz set off a 60-day clock starting Thursday to hone the details of what administration officials hope will be a final agreement to end Tehran’s nuclear weapons ambitions and shore up other issues. The
The screams through the wall: the hidden toll of Russia's war against Ukraine
On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Jacqueline Mahon, UNFPA Representative to Ukraine, writes in a Euronews op-ed that wartime sexual violence scars survivors, families and communities, while funding cuts threaten support services.
UK's top data and AI regulator quits after 'inappropriate' humour
Edwards has been the boss of the data watchdog since January 2022, and said he had made inappropriate attempts at humour.
HELOC vs. home equity loans: Which is better for paying off expensive debt?
Record-high credit card interest rates are squeezing household budgets, but homeowners might be sitting on the perfect solution.
‘Dear You’ Director Credits Overseas Chinese Letter-Writing Tradition for Sleeper Hit’s Emotional Power
Director Lan Hongchun took the stage at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival to discuss how “Dear You,” now one of China’s most-talked-about films of the year, drew its emotional charge from qiaopi – the tradition of family letters and remittances exchanged between
Deadly 7.8-magnitude Philippines quake turns seabed into shore
Tectonic forces thrust chunks of an island’s coastline upward in a phenomenon known as “coastal uplift”.
The UK’s New Under-16 Social Media Ban Will Cause More Harm Than It Prevents
This week, politicians in the UK pushed forward with plans to eviscerate privacy and free speech on the internet by announcing a ban on social media for users under 16 that is set to take effect in Spring 2027. The UK government continues to falsely characterize this policy as
Wasian and proud — but does the label uplift or divide?
“Wasians” are having a moment right now. Think of Winter Olympians Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu, singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, actors Lola Tang (The Summer I Turned Pretty) and Hudson Williams (Heated Rivalry), or singer/dancer Megan Skiendiel from Katseye. In fact,
Pearl River Film Launches Studio With Author Guo Ni, Sets Eight-Franchise Slate
Pearl River Film and Media has joined forces with Black Body Interactive and Meng Guo Ji Media to establish a dedicated studio with Chinese author Guo Ni, committing to adapt eight of her youth and sci-fi franchises for the screen, with Baidu AI Cloud on board as a production
France's foreign ministry denies asking for ban of Iranian opposition rally
PARIS, June 19 (Reuters) - France's foreign ministry denied on Friday that it had asked for the ban of an Iranian opposition rally that had been due to take place on Saturday in Paris. The Paris-based NCRI said earlier in the day that the Paris police had banned their rally at
Obama Presidential Centre opens with star-studded ceremony and veiled jabs at Trump
On stage, Obama voiced his support for character, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion and sense of duty, praising both Democrats and Republicans.
EFF Joins 60+ Groups Urging the UK to Halt Face Estimation at the Border
This week, EFF joined Foxglove, Human Rights Watch, and 60 other organizations in writing to the UK’s Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, raising serious concern about the Home Office’s decision to deploy Facial Age Estimation (FAE) to assess
Deep-sea denizens go years without food with clever biological fix
New research indicates that their solution is partly anatomical and partly genetic.
Russian drones hit two foreign-flagged civilian ships in the Black Sea, Ukraine says
Local air defences shot down 79 of 90 Russian drones from Thursday evening into Friday morning, per Ukraine's air force.
Experts urge Yangon to step up building inspections after unusual earthquake aftershocks
Parts of Myanmar – including areas further south – have continued to experience seismic activity since a devastating earthquake struck Mandalay last year.
Lebanon says Israeli strikes kill 18 as Israel says four soldiers killed by Hezbollah
It comes a day after the US and Iran signed a deal to end their conflict, including fighting in Lebanon.
Pragmata patch has finally fixed the hardest section of the game
Pragmata update 1.220 has made training simulation #30 easier and added the Scribble Suit for Hugh to the game.
Football not covered by US-Iran framework deal, Iran's World Cup squad finds
Just two days after Washington and Tehran signed a framework deal aimed at ending their war, Iran's football federation said US travel restrictions on its World Cup squad remain unchanged, and is filing a formal complaint with FIFA.
‘Stand Up’ Review: A Dutch Disability Drama With Complexity and Integrity
Most able-bodied people don’t know what to say to 23-year-old Vera (Lucia Zemene) in the months following a traffic collision that left her without a leg, but one empty platitude really stands out: A friend suggests that maybe it happened for a reason. Haunted by this thought,
Have an Indian ancestor? A new proposal could soon let you play sport for India
With Indian-origin athletes of foreign nationalities, India could boost its global sports performance.