10+ hour, 32+ min ago (345+ words) Sunday, 30 Nov 2025 BERLIN:A lighthouse wanders through a deserted landscape filled with crooked plants, dilapidated buildings and glowing mushrooms. A green bird with a wooden beak is perched on the lighthouse. Together they trudge along an undefined path while not a word is spoken. There's no question: Keeper, from Double Fine Productions, is a strange game. One could somewhat dismissively call it a "walking simulator" because above all, you walk through an enchanting and strange world where there are no longer any humans, but all sorts of peculiar creatures. The inspiration for the game partly stemmed from the Covid pandemic, explains studio head Tim Schafer. During the lockdown the game's lead developer, Lee Petty, took to taking long walks. "He did a lot of hiking in the hills around his house. He was very inspired by nature, the solitude and…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (321+ words) (Reuters) -Alphabet's Google will make its final plea to avoid a breakup of its advertising technology business in a U.S. court on Friday, as the Department of Justice's antitrust case draws to a close. Google has so far come away largely unscathed from a bipartisan government legal crackdown on the dominance of Big Tech - a push that began during the first term of President Donald Trump. But that could change, depending on what U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, decides. Brinkema ruled in April that Google holds two illegal ad tech monopolies, and is now considering what the company must do to restore competition. The DOJ and a coalition of states have asked the judge to make Google sell its ad exchange, AdX, where online publishers pay Google a 20% fee to sell ads in auctions that happen instantly when…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (364+ words) Tuesday, 18 Nov 2025 KUALA LUMPUR: National football coach Peter Cklamovski has made it clear " he is not going anywhere. The Australian firmly dismissed rumours about his future, stressing during a press conference in Bukit Jalil yesterday that he will continue leading Harimau Malaya beyond 2025. Cklamovski, whose contract runs until end of 2026, said his full focus is on preparing the national team for their Asian Cup 2027 third-round qualifier against Nepal at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today. "I'm staying," said Cklamovski. "I'm focused on today. If you get today right, you give yourself a chance to get tomorrow right. "It's about the work " preparing the team, improving every session, and making sure we go out there and get the three points. "That's it. Finish top, keep pushing, and keep giving belief to the nation." While he dreams of taking Malaysia to…...

2+ week, 23+ hour ago (131+ words) WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A final plea by Alphabet's Google to avoid a breakup of its advertising technology business in a U.S. court has been moved to November 21, the court said. Closing arguments for the Google trial were previously scheduled for Wednesday, according to a notice from U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia. Brinkema ruled in April that the company holds two illegal ad tech monopolies, and she is now considering what Google must do to restore competition. The Department of Justice and a coalition of states have asked the judge to make Google sell its ad exchange, AdX, where online publishers pay Google a 20% fee to sell ads in auctions that happen instantly when users load websites. (Reporting by Chris Sanders; Editing by Leslie Adler)...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (131+ words) Sunday, 16 Nov 2025 PETALING JAYA: Is Australian coach Peter Cklamovski set to leave the national football team? Rumours have been circulating that Cklamovski could depart after Malaysia's Asian Cup 2027 third-round qualifier against Nepal at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (Nov 18). However, acting Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi has dismissed the talk, stressing that there is no basis to the claims. "Those are wild speculations, and I take it as such. That is all I can say," he said. The 47-year-old Cklamovski was appointed by FAM on Jan 1, 2025. He took over from Pau Marti Vicente, who made acting head coach following the early exit of South Korean Kim Pan-gon in July last year....

3+ week, 4+ day ago (198+ words) PARIS (Reuters) -Mothers competing in elite chess will be able to take advantage of a new set of family-friendly policies being introduced by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) at major events from 2026 as part of its "ChessMom" initiative, the governing body said. The programme, first piloted at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest, was designed to help professional players balance motherhood and competition and will also apply to future World Cups. Under the new framework, mothers with children aged under two will be eligible for logistical and financial assistance, including travel and accommodation for an accompanying caregiver. "The aim is simple " no woman should have to choose between motherhood and her career as a professional chess player," said Francisco J. Cruz Arce of FIDE's Women's Commission. Up to 10 players will be supported under the extended programme, with FIDE reimbursing up to 1,000 euros for…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (270+ words) Tuesday, 04 Nov 2025 Malaysia celebrates victory as Genivan Genkeswaran clinches the Under-17 Open title at the 19th Asian Schools Chess Championships 2025 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. -- Picture Courtesy: Chess Master Journey KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Young Malaysian chess prodigy Genivan Genkeswaran, 16, has emerged as the champion at the 19th Asian Schools Chess Championships 2025, which concluded recently in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. "This remarkable win has earned Genivan the prestigious FIDE Master (FM) title, a direct title awarded to gold medalists in the U13, U15, and U17 categories under the FIDE (International Chess Federation) regulations. "Previously holding the title of Candidate Master (CM), this achievement marks a significant step forward in his international chess journey," it said. Chess Master Journey's manager, Selvi Shanmuga,m said the Fide Master title'will be the driving force for Genivan to move forward with confidence towards his dreams and goals.' "We hope for his continuous growth not only…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (196+ words) Hans Niemann of the U.S. poses ahead of his Speed Chess Championship semi-final against International Chess Federation (FIDE) world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway, in Paris, France, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Julien Pretot (Reuters) -Hans Niemann's hopes of a shot at the chess world championship match ended abruptly on Thursday when the American grandmaster crashed out of the World Cup second round in India. Niemann, who put a cheating controversy behind him two years ago, was hoping for a podium finish that would have given him access to the Candidates eight-player tournament. The Candidates is held to decide who will face the India's Gukesh Dommaraju, the reigning world champion. World number 20 Niemann had been a firm favourite to win against Italian grandmaster Lorenzo Lodici in Goa. But Lodici, who is 329th in the FIDE rankings, forced two draws in the classical games before…...

8+ hour, 2+ min ago (220+ words) Sunday, 30 Nov 2025 SOFIA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The final of the first Chinese Character Chess Championship in Bulgaria was held at the China Cultural Center here on Saturday. This competition, the first of its kind in Bulgaria, was jointly organized by the Confucius Institute in Sofia, the China Cultural Center in Sofia, and the Chinese Character Application Research Institute in Ningbo, China. Asya Tsonkova and Raya Kirova won the final, in which a total of 16 students and pupils from one university and three schools participated. Tsonkova, 14, told Xinhua that she has been studying Chinese for three years, and has been playing Chinese chess for two months. Playing Chinese chess gave her strategic and logical thinking, and the ability to make quick and thoughtful decisions, she said. She also learned many new Chinese words, Tsonkova said. Chen Ying, the Chinese director of the…...