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Call of Duty Co-creator Vince Zampella Dies in Car Crash

Call of Duty Co-creator Vince Zampella Dies in Car Crash

Vince Zampella, the co-creator of video game series Call of Duty, has died at age 55. Zampella passed away on Sunday following a severe single-vehicle crash on a Los Angeles highway in California. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), for reasons still under investigation, the Ferrari he was in veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed in flames. A viral video from the scene showed the fiery aftermath of the collision. The CHP reported that two o


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Leaked Memo Reveals TikTok’s New US Owners Will Have Limited Control

Leaked Memo Reveals TikTok’s New US Owners Will Have Limited Control

TikTok has reached an agreement that would give it a new set of owners in the US as part of a joint-venture agreement. Larry Ellison's Oracle, Abu Dhabi investment firm MGX, and private-equity firm Silver Lake are all coming on as managing investors in the US spin-off. But how much influence will these investors have over the money-making side of the business? Not much, according to an internal memo TikTok CEO Shou Chew sent to employees on Thursday, viewed by Business Insider. The new investo


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Elon Musk Wins Court Appeal of $56 Billion Tesla Pay Package

Elon Musk Wins Court Appeal of $56 Billion Tesla Pay Package

A Delaware appeals court cleared the way Friday for Elon Musk to receive a long-contested $56 billion Tesla pay package, reversing an earlier judgment in the protracted case. The decision by the Delaware Supreme Court rejects a pair of judgments by Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of the state’s Court of Chancery and sets the stage for the world’s richest person to get another windfall. In a pair of 2024 rulings, McCormick invalidated the 2018 package, which once loomed as historically large but


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TikTok signs deal to sell US unit to American investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake

TikTok signs deal to sell US unit to American investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its U.S. business to three American investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States. The deal is expected to close on Jan. 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. CEO Shou Zi Chew said in the memo that ByteDance and TikTok have signed binding agreements with the three investors. The new TikTok U.S. joint venture will be 50% held by a consortium of new invest


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Court Blocks Trump Administration’s SNAP Penalties, Letitia James Welcomes Ruling

Court Blocks Trump Administration’s SNAP Penalties, Letitia James Welcomes Ruling

New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement Tuesday after a federal judge blocked efforts by the Trump administration to impose fines on states tied to their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program operations. “Our most vulnerable residents rely on SNAP to put food on the table. Despite the federal government’s best efforts to make it more difficult for food assistance to reach those in need, today’s decision ensures New York’s SNAP program can continue running without interrup


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Eleven Killed after Gunmen Target Jewish Festival at Sydney’s Bondi Beach

Eleven Killed after Gunmen Target Jewish Festival at Sydney’s Bondi Beach

Two gunmen opened fire at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 11 people and wounding multiple others in a “terrorist incident” during a gathering for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Emergency responders rushed another 29 people to various hospitals from the beach, one of the biggest tourist draws in Australia’s largest city, said New South Wales police. One of the alleged shooters was killed, and the second was in a critical condition, police said. Police declared the shooting a “terrorist


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Stefon Diggs Unveils New Luxury Furniture Line

Stefon Diggs Unveils New Luxury Furniture Line

NFL superstar Stefon Diggs has expanded his portfolio beyond the football field with the launch of his own furniture and lifestyle brand, marking a bold step into the world of design. The collection, showcased at Design Miami 2025 during Art Basel, reflects Diggs’ vision of merging functionality, artistry and comfort in home living. The named Si Vis Pacem furniture line presents an elegant combination of bespoke design and practicality. The debut collection includes sofas, sculptural chairs an


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Trump says $72bn Netflix-Warner Bros deal “could be a problem”

Trump says $72bn Netflix-Warner Bros deal “could be a problem”

US President Donald Trump has flagged potential concerns over Netflix's planned $72bn (£54bn) deal to buy Warner Brothers Discovery's movie studio and popular HBO streaming networks. At an event in Washington DC on Sunday, he said Netflix has a "big market share" and the firms' combined size "could be a problem". On Friday, the two companies said they had reached an agreement to bring Warner Brothers' franchises like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones to Netflix, creating a new media giant. The


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Moscow Welcomes New US Security Strategy, Says It Aligns With Russia’s Vision

Moscow Welcomes New US Security Strategy, Says It Aligns With Russia’s Vision

Russia has welcomed US President Donald Trump's new National Security Strategy, calling it "largely consistent" with Moscow's vision.  The 33-page document, unveiled by the US administration this week, suggests Europe is facing "civilisational erasure" and does not cast Russia as a threat to the US.  Combatting foreign influence, ending mass migration, and rejecting the EU's perceived practice of "censorship" are mentioned as other priorities in the report.  Several EU officials and analysts


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US National Park Service removes free entry on MLK Day and Juneteenth

US National Park Service removes free entry on MLK Day and Juneteenth

The US National Park Service (NPS) is removing Martin Luther King Jr Day and Juneteenth from its list of fee-free entrance days. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s “modernisation” of the park service, which, beginning in 2026, also includes changing the parks’ cost structure to favour American citizens over foreign visitors, following a July executive order from Trump. In addition to removing the two holidays that celebrate civil rights leader MLK Jr and the end of slavery in the US,


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Meta Starts Removing Under-16s from Social Media Platforms in Australia

Meta Starts Removing Under-16s from Social Media Platforms in Australia

Tech giant Meta said Thursday it is starting to remove under-16s in Australia from Instagram, Threads and Facebook ahead of the country’s world-first youth social media ban. Australia is requiring major online platforms, also including TikTok and YouTube, to block underage users by December 10, when the new law comes into force. Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply. “While we are working hard to remove all users who we unde


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U.S. dismisses eight immigration judges in New York

U.S. dismisses eight immigration judges in New York

The US Department of Justice has dismissed eight immigration judges in New York City, the association representing them said Tuesday, amid tensions with the courts as President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on undocumented migrants. According to the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ), which confirmed media reports, the eight judges all worked at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. The address houses a court that reviews cases of migrants attempting to regularize their stat


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Trump orders closure of all airspace “above and near” Venezuela

Trump orders closure of all airspace “above and near” Venezuela

US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the airspace above and near Venezuela should be considered closed, the latest escalation in a standoff with leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, “please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” The US president did not elaborate. Trump’s administration is piling pressure on Venezuela, with a major milit


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Louvre museum to hike entrance fee for non-European visitors by 45%

Louvre museum to hike entrance fee for non-European visitors by 45%

A visit to the Louvre museum in Paris is set to become significantly more expensive for travelers from outside Europe, with officials announcing plans to hike the price of tickets by 45%. From January 14, 2026, an individual ticket for visitors from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) — a grouping of nations that comprises the European Union member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — will cost 32 euros ($37), a spokesperson for the Louvre told CNN on Friday. Those visiting as


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Hong Kong Fire Claims 94 Lives as Families Search for the Missing

Hong Kong Fire Claims 94 Lives as Families Search for the Missing

Families of the scores still missing after Hong Kong‘s worst blaze in decades scoured hospitals Friday as firefighting operations ended, with the death toll at least 94. Flames had moved quickly through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon, spreading through the eight high-rises and transforming the densely packed complex into an inferno. A new time-lapse video shows just how dramatic and intense the fire was. The death toll is 83, with many still missin


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Clan Descendants in US and Canada Save Historic Church in Just 48 Hours

Clan Descendants in US and Canada Save Historic Church in Just 48 Hours

A couple who decided to save their local church took just two days to raise the money to make the purchase thanks to donations from well-wishers around the world.  Andrew and Kirsteen Michell crowd-funded £70,000 to buy Applegarth Church near Lockerbie following an appeal to members of Clan Jardine, whose ancient family seat lies within the tiny hamlet.  Descendants from the United States, South Africa and Canada put their hands in their pockets to help secure the future of the building.  The


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