News

A new live-action Assassin’s Creed adaptation is moving forward at Netflix, but news of the project — and its newly announced casting — has already sparked debate among fans, Gamingbible.com reported.

Netflix recently confirmed that actor Toby Wallace will serve as a co-lead in the series. Many gamers initially speculated that he had been tapped to portray Ezio Auditore, one of the franchise’s most iconic characters.

However, early details suggest the show will follow an original storyline and avoid retelling established canon from the games, indicating that Wallace will play a new assassin created specifically...

Elton John is set to appear in Brazil on Sept. 7, after Rock in Rio president Roberto Medina said the British superstar would help usher in a new chapter for the festival when he performs there next year.

John said he agreed to the booking immediately, explaining that he had not been able to include South America on his farewell tour. He noted that Brazilian fans have always meant a great deal to him and that the surge of energy he gets from major one-off shows has been unmatched since he stepped back from touring. He added that...

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said he doesn’t feel on shaky ground following a devastating 4-1 home defeat to PSV.

«I am feeling safe, I am OK, I have got a lot of support from above. It would be nice to turn it around and get a victory, of course, but if you are working as a coach and not doing well then it is normal that questions are asked. I am OK with my position. It is not the first time I’ve been in a difficult position, but it is about time that we turned...

A massive fire swept through the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Hong Kong on Wednesday afternoon, killing at least 44 people, including one firefighter, and critically injuring dozens of residents. The blaze triggered large-scale rescue operations, with about 280 people still missing as of Thursday morning, according to The Guardian.

The fire broke out at 2:52 p.m. at the high-rise complex in Tai Po, in the northern New Territories of the city. Authorities said the fire started on external scaffolding made of bamboo and attached to Wang Cheong House and spread quickly along scaffolding and construction netting...

Kairat Almaty suffered another defeat in the UEFA Champions League, this time against FC Copenhagen, after getting into the game too late.

UEFA Champions League 2025-26

Matchday 5, Nov. 26

FC Copenhagen (Denmark) vs. Kairat (Kazakhstan): 3-2 (1-0)

Goals: Viktor Dadason 26’ (1-0), Jordan Larsson 59’ P (2-0), Robert Silva (3-0); Dastan Satpayev 81’ (3-1), Olzhas Baybek 90’ (3-2)

Kairat’s starting lineup saw minimal changes compared to the one fielded at the beginning of the match against Inter Milan at San Siro Stadium. The left back Luis...

The dispute between Katy Perry and 85-year-old Carl Westcott over a multimillion-dollar Montecito mansion is still unfolding — and the latest turn carries a hefty price tag, according to Metro.co.uk.

Void deal?

Perry reportedly bought Westcott’s home in 2020 for $15 million, joining a neighborhood that includes high-profile residents such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But the pop star’s move-in has been far from smooth.

Shortly after the sale, Westcott sought to undo the agreement, arguing he wasn’t mentally competent when he signed the contract because he had been taking pain medication. A judge rejected that...

Drew Barrymore offered some guidance to anyone expecting to spend Thanksgiving alone, sharing her thoughts in a TikTok video, Film-news.co.uk reported.

The actor said she has spent many of her past Thanksgiving holidays solo and eventually learned two things: being by herself didn’t make her feel lonely, and she genuinely enjoyed the quiet. «A moment to myself,» she said.

Barrymore added that she has also celebrated Friendsgiving — a gathering where people who can’t make it home for the holiday share a meal with friends.

@thedrewbarrymoreshow

Director James Cameron weighed in on Netflix’s ambitions during an appearance on The Town With Matthew Belloni podcast, according to reporting from the New Musical Express. Belloni had asked Cameron to comment on news that Netflix was competing with Comcast and Paramount in a bid to acquire Warner Bros.

Netflix’s “sucker bait”

Reports last week indicated that Netflix had promised to keep releasing Warner Bros. films in theaters as part of its acquisition proposal. Cameron dismissed that pledge as little more than a tactic to qualify films for awards consideration.

He argued that offering a brief theatrical run...

American FX TV channel has ordered a series based on Ubisoft’s iconic video game franchise «Far Cry.» Each season, akin to the original games, will be a separate installment with different characters and locations.

Trusted and iconic, FX producers are behind the project — Rob Mac, the creator of «It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia» and executive producer of «Welcome to Wrexham,» the sports documentary recognized with multiple Emmy Awards, as well as Noah Hawley, the creator of «Fargo» and «Alien: Earth.» Mac is also expected to appear as an actor in the show.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior will raise entry fees for international tourists at many of the country’s most popular national parks. The agency says this new «resident-focused fee structure» is meant to keep park access affordable for U.S. citizens, according to CNN.

Under this plan, non-U.S. residents will pay $250 for the annual America the Beautiful pass, more than three times the $80 fee for U.S. residents. International visitors who do not buy the pass will also pay an extra $100 per person, in addition to standard entrance fees, at 11 major parks...

On Sept. 19, 1982, Scott Fahlman, a research assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), proposed using “:-)” to mark lighthearted comments and “:-(” for serious ones on the school’s digital bulletin board.

This simple suggestion, later called the smiley emoticon, became a milestone in shaping how people communicate tone online, though its creation was a collaborative process, according to Benj Edwards, Ars Technica’s senior AI reporter.

A joke that sparked confusion

The discussion began after a humorous message on CMU’s «bboard» system was mistaken for a real warning. The misunderstanding quickly led to debate over how...

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has unveiled the pots for the 2026 World Cup, with the draw ceremony scheduled for Dec. 5 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The tournament’s debuting national teams — Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao — have been placed in Pot 4, while another debutant, Uzbekistan, has been assigned to Pot 3.

As host nations, the national teams of the U.S., Canada and Mexico will be seeded in Pot 1 out...

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has begun serving a 27-year prison sentence after Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld his conviction for leading an attempted coup following his defeat in the 2022 presidential election. His transfer to custody on Tuesday marked a moment many Brazilians doubted would ever come, Euronews reported.

Bolsonaro had been under house arrest since August and was taken into custody on Saturday after allegedly tampering with his ankle monitor. He claimed the incident was caused by «hallucinations,» a justification the court dismissed.

Federal police say Bolsonaro is being held in an isolated 12-square-meter room at their Brasília...

On Nov. 25, Chelsea defeated FC Barcelona 3-0 at home in matchday five of the UEFA Champions League. Brazilian player Estevao Willian matched the achievement of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland by scoring one of the goals.

Champions League

Matchday 5, Nov. 25

Chelsea vs. Barcelona: 3-0

Goals: Jules Kounde 27’ (OG), Estevao 55’, Liam Delap 73’

Estevao became the third player under 20 to stand out in each of the first three starting matches of the Champions League, following Mbappe and Haaland, according to Opta. Previously, the 18-year-old winger had...

A man in northern Italy was arrested for allegedly disguising himself as his deceased mother to fraudulently continue collecting her pension and renew her identity card, bringing attention to issues in national pension oversight, according to CNN.

Authorities say the man, son of Graziella Dall’Oglio, who died in 2022, didn’t report her death and continued to claim her pension.

The case came to light when a municipal employee noticed inconsistencies while assisting an «elderly woman» renewing an identity card, including visible male physical features. The staff member alerted police, who later asked «the woman» to return to the office.

Tajikistan’s banking sector continued to show steady growth through the third quarter of 2025, supported by strong macroeconomic indicators. The loan portfolio expanded by 16% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) in Q3 2025, offsetting weak performance in the first half of the year.

Monetary policy

Amid low consumer inflation — steady in the 3% to 4% range since early 2025 — the National Bank of Tajikistan lowered the refinancing rate three times, bringing it to 7.75% in mid-August 2025, one of the lowest levels in a decade. The real interest rate gradually declined from 5.5% in January to between 4.5% and...

Italy has formally introduced femicide into its criminal code, with the new law establishing life imprisonment as the maximum penalty. Parliament approved the measure with broad cross-party support, coinciding with the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, CNN reported.

The legislation, promoted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, responds to a troubling rise in gender-based violence and several high-profile cases that have sparked national debate. Italy — often considered one of Europe’s more conservative societies — has faced growing public concern over persistent cultural and social factors linked to violence against women.

Harry Kane, forward for Bayern Munich and England’s national team, has responded to rumors of a possible transfer to FC Barcelona.

«I haven’t had any contact with anyone, nobody has contacted me. I feel very comfortable in the current situation, even though we haven’t yet discussed my situation with Bayern. There’s no rush. I’m really happy in Munich. You can see that in the way I’m playing,» Bayern & Germany on X quoted Kane as saying, citing German sports journalist Tobias Altschäffl.

Previously, media reported that the...

Scarlett Johansson has been tapped to headline a reboot of «The Exorcist» franchise, a project directed and produced by filmmaker Mike Flanagan, Faroutmagazine.co.uk reported.

A reimagined direction for the horror series

Johansson, known for roles in «Jurassic World» and a wide range of major studio films, will star in the project, in a role yet to be disclosed. Flanagan is expected to overhaul the franchise’s approach, offering a fresh interpretation rather than a continuation of previous storylines.

The move follows the underperformance of «The Exorcist: Believer,» which struggled at the box office after its 2023 release. Universal Pictures...

Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina (World No. 5) has responded to comments made by Aryna Sabalenka (World No. 1) after Sabalenka’s loss in the final of the WTA Finals Riyadh 2025.

That match finished with a confident victory by Rybakina 6-3, 7-6 (7-0). In a conversation with her team, Sabalenka, in tears, said «Once a year even the stick shoots.»

«I was sent [a video] after the match, but it was out of context. We have played with Aryna many times, including this year, so I don’t really focus on this too much. I treat both...

A subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp., controlled by Kazakh businessman Timur Turlov, has acquired the football club Shakhter Karagandy, according to the regional administration.

The deal took place at an auction today and was part of the president’s directive to develop mass sports and commercialize football.

The Karaganda regional administration has already begun working with Turlov to develop a new football ecosystem in the region. Under this plan, the businessman will allocate $23 million to construct a football academy and $12.4 million to develop and promote football among residents, including youth.

«The football...

A sluggish economy, a battered real estate market, and tighter tech oversight have already squeezed China’s labor market. The rapid advance of artificial intelligence could make the situation even more challenging, according to RAND Corporation fellow Marianne Lu.

Ambitious AI targets amid labor market strain

Beijing has laid out sweeping digital transformation goals. By 2027, the government wants AI tools, devices, and applications to be used in more than 70% of society; by 2030, that threshold should surpass 90%.

Yet the ruling Communist Party faces a problem it cannot sidestep: soaring youth unemployment. Record numbers of college...

U.S. President Donald Trump launched the «Genesis Mission,» a federal initiative to advance artificial intelligence research and lower U.S. energy costs, by signing an executive order.

The executive order directs the Department of Energy to establish an AI-driven platform to accelerate scientific and engineering progress and address key energy and national security challenges identified for Genesis Mission participants, Axios reported.

Other federal agencies can set their own challenge areas, such as using AI for drug discovery.

Officials called the initiative one of the biggest uses of federal scientific resources since the Apollo program, but did not share...

Joint Kazakh-German venture Skyhansa has received 800 hectares of land in the Zhetysu region for the construction of a cargo and passenger airport on the territory of the Khorgos – Eastern Gate special economic zone, the region’s governor Beibit Isabayev stated during a government session. Development of the design specifications and estimates for engineering infrastructure is underway.

According to the company’s website, the project will handle the operation and handling of transit cargo, technical stopovers for refueling international airlines, and the development of commercial and industrial airport infrastructure, including business centers, hotels...