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PlayStation is giving away a FREE Call of Duty game upgrade – and fans have just hours left to claim

PlayStation is giving away a FREE Call of Duty game upgrade – and fans have just hours left to claim

The Sun12-05-2025

PLAYSTATION is giving away a free Call of Duty game upgrade – but fans will need to be quick to claim it.
PlayStation Plus members, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members can get a FREE in-game bundle for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 with this one-time offer.
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As an extra bonus, the deal also extends to a free upgrade for Call of Duty: Warzone.
You can claim your free upgrade here, on hotukdeals.com.
But the clock is ticking.
Fans only have until midnight on Monday May 12 to claim the offer.
After that, users will be unable to download the upgrade.
It's certainly worth upgrading, with PlayStation unveiling a host of new content in this offer.
The free pack includes the following updates:
2x Operator Skins
4x Weapon Blueprints
Finishing Move
Emote
2x Weapon Charms
Loading Screen
Spray
2XP Token (1 hour)
2WXP Token (1 hour)
It's worth keeping in mind that Activision may update, replace, or remove this in-game content at any time after you download it.
Darts star Michael van Gerwen reveals love of Call of Duty before being called out by Olympic hero
Call of Duty received an unexpected marketing boost recently after darts hero Michael van Gerwen revealed playing it is his favourite hobby.
The three-time PDC world champion, 35, told an audience he enjoys some downtime playing Call of Duty away from the oche.
News of the free upgrade comes as gamers anxiously await for GTA 6 to be released after bosses at Rockstar Games said it planned to unleash the next title in autumn 2025.
But it will now come out on May 26, 2026.
Gamers have waited more than 10 years for a new main title in the hugely successful series which has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide.
Rockstar first released a trailer for GTA 6 in 2023, after it was leaked early online.
Fans of the game have been fearing a delay might be on the cards for sometime due to a lack of updates from the company.
However, elsewhere in the sector the retro gaming market is thriving – and some long-forgotten treasures could fetch a tidy sum.
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Games once dismissed as outdated are now highly sought-after collectables, fetching eye-watering prices at auction.
A sealed, first-print Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) achieved a £1.5million sale in 2021, setting a record as the most expensive video game ever sold.
While a gold Nintendo World Championships 1990 cartridge sold for over £160,000 last year as fewer than 20 confirmed copies exist.
However, some of the rarest and most valuable games out there aren't necessarily the ones you'd expect.
Karlo Čičko, tech expert and software developer at GameBoost, said: "One thing I've learned from working at GameBoost and spending time around serious collectors is that it's not always about Mario or Zelda.
"Some of the real unicorns are tied to obscure competitions, tiny production runs, or even developer mistakes."
How to store your retro video games
IF you are keeping hold of old consoles and video games hoping they could one day be worth a small fortune, following these five tips can make sure they stay in top condition to maximise their value...
Clean everything thoroughly before storing it. Use appropriate, non-abrasive cleaning solutions and tools tailored to the specific materials (plastic, metal, labels, etc.). Dust, grime, and even fingerprints can degrade surfaces over time — proactive cleaning minimises long-term damage.
Keep an eye on the temperature and humidity in your storage space. Avoid storing them in attics, basements, and garages where these variables are often extreme. The ideal conditions should mimic a living space — stable temperatures and moderate humidity. This prevents warping, corrosion, and label damage.
Use proper packaging to protect your items from bumps and scratches. The original packaging is ideal (and also adds value to the game), but sturdy boxes with ample will also work.
Organise and label everything so you can easily find what you're looking for. A spreadsheet or database can be helpful for cataloguing your collection.

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Diddy would be released in DAYS after Trump pardon but a ‘free ride' out of jail will not help his future, lawyer warns
Diddy would be released in DAYS after Trump pardon but a ‘free ride' out of jail will not help his future, lawyer warns

The Sun

time35 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Diddy would be released in DAYS after Trump pardon but a ‘free ride' out of jail will not help his future, lawyer warns

SEAN 'Diddy' Combs would be a free man within days if Donald Trump decides to pardon him but it would not bode well for his future, a lawyer has warned. Trump surprised reporters by commenting on Diddy's court case during a news conference with Elon Musk last week and revealed he would consider whether the rapper's been "mistreated." 5 5 Combs has been pictured with the President at several events over the years but they had not been in contact leading up to his arrest for alleged sex trafficking and racketeering. Asked if he would consider pardoning him, Trump said, "Nobody's asked. But I know people are thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking." He said he felt the former music mogul used to like him "a lot" but wasn't his biggest fan after he went into politics. Despite this, Trump said, "I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don't like me, it wouldn't have any impact on me." The U.S. Sun spoke to Los Angeles-based trial attorney Tre Lovell for his opinion on a possible pardon and how that would play out. He said, "The pardoning power is one of the ultimate powers of the President. It's virtually unchecked, and he can do it. 'He doesn't even have to wait for the conviction. He can do it at any time after somebody's charged, even after the crime occurs. "So the second that President Trump determines that he's gonna pardon him [Diddy]. It happens immediately. QUICK RELEASE "They basically sign the pardon, it would be sent to Diddy, and assuming he accepted, which obviously he would, then that's that." Lovell said if he had already been convicted there would be an administrative process through the Federal Bureau of Prisons to arrange his release and transportation but it wouldn't be long before he was out. Diddy 'gave hotel guard $100k in paper bag to bury Cassie beating video' "There may be a few hours, maybe one or two days sometimes that they can take time just because of the bureaucracy," he said. Combs, 55, is currently on trial in New York after pleading not guilty to five counts of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He is facing up to life in prison if convicted. The jury has heard from several witnesses in the case so far, including Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, after a damning video emerged of him beating her during their relationship. Diddy locked eyes with us as he entered the courtroom - inside the trial of the decade By Israel S-Rodriguez, Senior News Reporter at The U.S. Sun: The federal sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs began with jury selection on May 5. Combs is standing trial at the Southern District of New York Courthouse in Lower Manhattan - an intimidating federal courthouse where the cases of Ghislaine Maxwell, Donald Trump, and Bernard Madoff, among others, were tried. Once a powerful founder of a music and business empire, Combs has been reduced to a defendant, inmate 37452-054, stripped of his mogul status, and now standing trial on five federal charges with the full wrath of the United States government against him. When I attended Day 3 of jury selection at the federal courthouse on May 7, the buzz around the start of the trial was palpable. Hours before the courthouse opened its doors, more than a dozen reporters and members of the public stood in line in hopes of securing a seat in the gallery for the high-profile trial. As you walk through the glass door entrance of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, you are met by bulletproof vest-clad court officers. All visitors must separate their electronic devices from their personal belongings, which are passed through a metal detector. Visitors walk through a metal detector before a court officer hands them a poker chip. The courthouse uses a poker chip system to sort the number of electronic devices visitors are in possession of. Electronic devices, such as Bluetooth-powered headphones, voice recorders, laptops, cellphones, and smart watches, are confiscated before you're allowed to enter the courthouse's main hallway. As about a half-dozen reporters and I waited in the gallery for jury selection, we witnessed how Combs entered the courtroom shackle-free. Combs entered with his hands pressed together, greeted his defense team before he examined the gallery, and locked eyes with reporters and potential jurors. The 55-year-old disgraced Bad Boy Records executive was attentive and engaged with his counsel as they grilled dozens of potential jurors. As jury selection wrapped up for the day, Combs embraced each of his female defense attorneys before he mouthed "thank you" to a handful of supporters in the gallery. I attended trial again as opening statements got underway on May 12 and the world media waited anxiously outside the federal courthouse before the sun rose in Lower Manhattan. A line stretched down the block from the federal courthouse as some members of the media and from the public camped out overnight to try to obtain a coveted seat inside the gallery. At least three overflow rooms were made available for reporters and the public, who are eager to witness the prosecutions case against the music mogul. At least half a dozen members of Combs' family arrived at the courthouse as spectators filed in single order to enter the federal building to turn over all their electronic devices. Combs' trial is being held on the 26th floor in Judge Arun Subramanian's courtroom and is expected to last for eight weeks. We'll bring it all to you on The U.S. Sun. He said it wouldn't make sense for Trump to pardon him halfway into the prosecution's case when the jury hasn't yet heard all of the facts, adding that it would be "premature" to act now. "I was very surprised that Trump is considering pardoning Diddy, especially in light of the fact the trial is ongoing now,' he said. "We are hearing witness after witness after witness testify to some horrible things. 'It would be a slap in the face to the witnesses, to the victims, to a lot of people to just pardon him, you know. "It would seem that he would want to wait until the trial is over, and if there's not a conviction then there's no need for him to get involved.' He went on to say, "There's one thing that Americans stand for … it's accountability, and if he were pardoned in light of what's been happening, these allegations and this testimony, there would be a sense of loss and lack of accountability. 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Diddy's charges explained by a lawyer Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained the set of charges Diddy is facing to The U.S. Sun: "Diddy is facing three charges, or three sets of charges. "The first is racketeering, which you typically see with organized crime enterprises - so the mob, cartels, street gangs -but we're seeing it a lot more in sex trafficking cases. "And you don't need an organization like the mob, as long as it's an enterprise, which is something that consists of two or more people, and they engage in two or more RICO predicate acts, that's enough for racketeering. "Racketeering is a powerful charge because it allows the government to bring in all sorts of evidence of criminal activity, as well as all sorts of people, into that racketeering conspiracy. "And anyone who's a co-conspirator, they're on the hook for any criminal acts committed in furtherance of the conspiracy. "The most serious charge, though, is sex trafficking. 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Orwell's 1984 now comes with ‘trigger warning'
Orwell's 1984 now comes with ‘trigger warning'

Telegraph

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Orwell's 1984 now comes with ‘trigger warning'

George Orwell's estate has been accused of attempting to censor 1984 by adding a 'trigger warning' preface to the 75th anniversary edition of the dystopian novel. The new introductory essay describes the novel's protagonist Winston Smith as 'problematic' and warns modern readers may find his views on women 'despicable'. Critics claim the preface, written by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, an American novelist, and included in the 75th anniversary edition published in the US last year, risks undermining the work's warning against state control of thought. In 1984, citizens of the superstate Oceania are punished for subversive thoughts by the Thought Police. Now, in a real-world twist, the estate that oversees Orwell's literary legacy stands accused of ideological policing. 'We're getting somebody to actually convict George Orwell himself of thought crime in the introduction to his book about thought crime,' said Walter Kirn, a novelist and critic, on the podcast America This Week, hosted by journalist Matt Taibbi. 'We're not yet in a world where books and classic books are being excised or eliminated,' Kirn added, but warned the Orwell estate-approved edition of 1984 had been 'published with an apology for itself'. Ms Perkins-Valdez's preface is included in the anniversary edition of the 1949 classic, published by Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. In it, the award-winning novelist said she aimed to approach 1984 as a new reader, and admitted that, given the protagonist's views, she might once have abandoned the book entirely. 'I'm enjoying the novel on its own terms, not as a classic, but as a good story, that is, until Winston reveals himself to be a problematic character,' she wrote. 'For example, we learn of him: 'He disliked nearly all women, and especially the young and pretty ones'.' The novel follows Winston Smith, a minor bureaucrat who secretly rebels against the regime with Julia, a fellow party member. Their doomed affair is cut short when they are arrested, tortured and brainwashed into betraying one another. Although Ms Perkins-Valdez eventually concludes Orwell was portraying misogyny as a feature of totalitarianism, her comments have provoked a backlash. Her preface also takes issue with the novel's handling of race. As a black woman, she says she finds little to connect with characters in Oceania. 'The most 1984-ish thing I've read' Mr Kirn questioned the need for Ms Perkins-Valdez's introduction, pointing out the 75th anniversary edition of 1984 already included a foreword by Thomas Pynchon, one of the greatest living American novelists. 'If you have a foreword by Thomas Pynchon to a book, you don't need another foreword, right? You got maybe the greatest living novelist of our time, who's also a recluse, to come out and write something. That's all you need. 'But no, these people felt they needed an introduction before the old white man's introduction. So this version of 1984 has a trigger warning!' He called it 'the most 1984-ish thing I've ever f---ing read'. The controversy follows real-life cases of so-called 'thought crime' in Britain. In February, The Telegraph revealed that Julian Foulkes, a retired special constable, had been wrongly arrested and cautioned by Kent Police over a social media post that warned of rising anti-Semitism. Officers who raided his home commented on his 'very Brexity' bookshelves and leafed through titles including The War on the West by Douglas Murray and The Demise of the Free State by David Green. His caution has since been deleted, and he has received compensation. Last month, The Telegraph reported that Scotland Yard had charged a Jewish counter-protester for holding a placard mocking Hezbollah's leader, claiming the sign could 'distress' terrorist sympathisers. The charge was dropped after eight months. Orwell himself has not escaped modern reassessment. In 2023, his wife's biographer Anna Funder described him as 'sadistic, misogynistic, homophobic, sometimes violent' and claimed 1984's darkness reflected the author's own. 'He desperately wants to be decent,' she told an audience at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in 2023. 'But writing a book like 1984, which is violent, misogynist, sadistic, grim, paranoid: that comes out of a writer's flaws.' Nor is this the first time 1984 has been flagged for 'problematic' content. In 2022, the University of Northampton warned students it contained 'explicit material' that may be 'offensive and upsetting'.

Disneyland to close Monsters, Inc. ride to make way for new attraction
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The Independent

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Disneyland to close Monsters, Inc. ride to make way for new attraction

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