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Rare Pokémon game that deletes itself found 20 years later
A rare Nintendo DS cartridge connected to the 2005 Pokémon game PokéPark Fishing Contest DS has appeared on eBay, drawing bids of more than $9,000. The game matters to preservationists because it was designed as a temporary Download Play experience and effectively deleted itself after limited use, making original material exceptionally scarce. Players caught Pokémon…
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Senator targets alleged China-linked Singham network in fiery floor speech
Republican Senator Jim Banks used a Senate floor speech to accuse technology entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham of aiding Chinese Communist Party political influence in the United States through a network of non-profits. The speech matters because it adds to congressional scrutiny of foreign influence, political funding and organisations associated with left-wing activism, although the claims…
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How Two Songwriters and Two Artists Turned “Almost Paradise” Into 80s Ballad Heaven
“Almost Paradise”, the romantic duet by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson, became a defining 1980s ballad after featuring in the 1984 film Footloose. The song’s success reflected both the film’s popularity and the era’s appetite for dramatic, emotionally direct duets, while also helping demonstrate Wilson’s suitability for the power-ballad style that later revived Heart’s commercial…
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IFPI introduces AI rules for international music charts
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry has adopted new principles for identifying and assessing generative AI music on international charts. The policy supports clearer labelling of AI use while seeking to ensure charts continue to recognise primarily human-created work and exclude music that may exploit artists or manipulate streaming. To qualify, AI-assisted tracks must…
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Japanese Charts: Booyah! Splatoon Raiders Puts Up Some Huge Week-One Numbers
Splatoon Raiders debuted at number one in Japan’s physical games chart, selling 474,684 copies in its first week. The result reinforces Splatoon’s popularity in its home market and helped strengthen Switch 2 hardware sales, although it remains far below Splatoon 3’s record-breaking launch. Rhythm Heaven Groove fell to second with 78,355 sales, while Tomodachi Life:…
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The future of AI hinges on openness and cooperation. China and Britain can gain much by working together | Zheng Zeguang
Chinese ambassador Zheng Zeguang argues that artificial intelligence should be developed through international openness and cooperation rather than national competition. He says collaboration between China and Britain could bring benefits in areas including manufacturing, healthcare, research and AI governance, while helping address concerns over safety, accountability, privacy and human control. The article cites the 2026…
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Delpy, D’Arcy and Hira join Mizuno’s ballet drama Stages
Julie Delpy, Emma D’Arcy and Takehiro Hira have joined the cast of *Stages*, Sonoya Mizuno’s feature directorial debut, as filming begins in the UK. The A24-backed ballet drama marks Mizuno’s move behind the camera and draws on her own background as a former professional ballet dancer. The film follows a young dancer at an elite…
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Final Fantasy 14, Monster Hunter, and Animal Crossing top new survey of games Japanese players have spent the most time on and I can’t say I’m surprised
A new survey of Japanese players’ gaming habits places Final Fantasy 14, Monster Hunter and Animal Crossing among the titles on which respondents have spent the most time. The results underline the enduring popularity in Japan of long-running online games, repeatable hunting experiences and social life-simulation series. – Final Fantasy 14 was identified as a…
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Amazon links four poisoned npm packages to one North Korean crew
Amazon Web Services says four npm package compromises over the past 18 months were likely carried out by the North Korean-linked Sapphire Sleet group. The alleged campaign relied on social engineering maintainers and abusing trusted publishing accounts, highlighting how attacks on popular open-source dependencies can reach many downstream users at once. AWS attributes the incidents…
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Cricket & archery well placed for Commonwealths spot
Cricket, archery and shooting are among the leading candidates to return to the Commonwealth Games programme when India hosts the 2030 event in Ahmedabad. Their inclusion would reflect India’s sporting strengths and could help broaden the Games after Glasgow 2026 used a reduced programme following Victoria’s withdrawal as host. Only 10 sports are being staged…