Latest news with #COM
Metro
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Mario Kart World update makes the game easier but doesn't fix biggest issues
Nintendo has rolled out a major update to Mario Kart World, with a lot of welcome changes and some strange omissions. Mario Kart World might be one of the best kart racers ever, but there are a handful of questionable design decisions holding it back, many of which could be easily fixed via patches. Nintendo has rolled out several updates to Mario Kart World already, but none have addressed any of its shortcomings. In fact, the last update proved to be contentious, as it made traditional three lap races less frequent in random online matches. Another update has now been released which offers some improvements, while making changes we're not sure anyone was asking for. In update 1.2.0, which was released on July 29, Nintendo has nerfed the enemy AI 'in everything other than Battle'. While it's unclear if this impacts opponents across all difficulty levels, it might prove another contentious addition for those looking for a challenge. In the VS Race of Single Player, added No COM to the COM rules. In the VS Race of Single Player and Multiplayer, added 'Mushrooms only' to the item rules. You can now choose View Replay after downloading ghost data in Time Trials. You can now choose whom to watch when spectating in Knockout Tour and Balloon Battle in Online Play, Wireless Play, and LAN Play. You can now see the waiting time until the next race or battle starts in Online Play, Wireless Play, and LAN Play. When using CameraPlay in Multiplayer and Online Play, the game will now remember the camera cursor position and size until the player closes the game. If you change the number of people playing, the cursor position and size will return to their original settings. On the Free Roam map, when you gather all of the P Switches, ? Panels, and Peach Medallions, the colours of the various numbers will now change. Made COM weaker in everything other than Battle. Made homing of Boomerang weaker. Decreased the probability of getting a Triple Dash Mushroom in the low position, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than Frantic. Changed it so order of getting ? Block is higher than in the past, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than Frantic. Made it so there is a wheel spinning animation if the player presses the A button (acceleration) too early when starting a race while driving. Player will not lose speed even when spinning wheels. Increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in VS Race and wireless races. There are some welcome quality-of-life improvements though. You can now choose who to watch when spectating in Knockout Tour and Balloon Battle, across online and wireless play, while a timer has been added so you can see how long you have to wait until the next race when playing online. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. In the Free Roam mode, Nintendo has made it slightly easier to tell when you've collected all the P Switches, Question Panels, or Peach Medallions, as the colour of the total number you have collected will change. However, this still doesn't highlight where they are on the map. Strangely, Nintendo has made an adjustment which initially appears to address the outcry from the last update. In the patch notes, it states the frequency of lap type courses has been increased, but this change is, frustratingly, only in local multiplayer races and not online. In another weird addition, you can now play single-player VS Race without any CPU opponents – if you fancy going around tracks by yourself outside of Free Roam. A 'Mushrooms only' option has been added to the item rules across VS Race too. A number of items have also been impacted by the update. The 'homing of Boomerang' is now weaker, while you're now less likely to get the Triple Dash Mushroom in lower positions. However, you're now more likely to get a ? Block. It's a peculiar update, which still doesn't address the cluttered character select screen, but it might be teeing up a bigger announcement for Mario Kart World in the rumoured Nintendo Direct for this month. More Trending All signs point to some Donkey Kong Bananza-themed additions at some point soon, with many players having noted the lack of costumes for both Donkey Kong and Pauline, when compared to the rest of the roster. Some Mario Kart staples of previous games are also absent, namely Diddy Kong and Funky Kong, who was in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, so they might be added as post-launch DLC. Some other racers are also rumoured, but beware as they are a spoiler for Donkey Kong Bananza. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe got paid-for DLC via the Booster Course Pass, but it's unclear if Nintendo will follow the same strategy for its successor, or if it will wait a few years before adding new courses into the mix. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Games Inbox: When is the next State of Play for PS5? MORE: Playdate Season 2 full review – the best games on the weirdest console MORE: PlayStation sues Tencent over Horizon 'clone' Light Of Motiram
Daily Mirror
11-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Prisoner released earlier than expected found dead in doorway two days later
Michael Johnson, 39, was released from HMP Altcourse, in Liverpool, earlier than expected - but he was tragically found dead in a doorway just two days later after struggling to find housing A prisoner was found dead in a doorway just two days after he was released from prison. Michael Johnson, 39, was freed from HMP Altcourse, in Liverpool, early under the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme but he struggled to find somewhere to live. Johnson had been convicted of stealing and was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison on April 29, 2024. During his initial health screening at the prison, he told a nurse he was an alcoholic and he had bipolar disorder and anxiety. He also explained that had an issue with drugs and had medication used as a substitute for opioids. Johnson told the nurse he was a regular cocaine user and was taking methadone, used to help with opioid disorders and pain, which he brought into custody with him. In a Prison and Probations Ombudsman report published this week on Wednesday, July 9, it said the drug and alcohol service manager at the prison destroyed the methadone on arrival. He was then referred to the substance misuse team. The 39-year-old's medication was changed by a GP while at HMP Altcourse as several of his previous drugs had a sedative effect, according to the Liverpool Echo. Johnson told his community offender manager, less than two weeks later, that he was in a lot of pain due to his sciatica and not being given alternative pain medication. He even admitted having thoughts of self-medicating through illegal substances but wanted to work to move away from his addictions. The day after this conversation, on May 21, Johnson was approved for release under the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) scheme which allowed prisoners to be released up to 70 days early in an effort to ease overcrowding in prisons. He was told his new release date was now May 23, rather than the originally scheduled date of July 7. Johnson's COM then made an application for him to be put into temporary accommodation for up to 84 nights to prevent him from being homeless when leaving prison, but this was unsuccessful due to Liverpool City Council having no bed spaces for his imminent release, the report said. He was released from prison on May 23 with his last dose of methadone and was not offered a naloxone kit which can help with the reversal of a drug overdose. Johnson was released from prison homeless, according to the report. He attended his initial probation appointment with his COM where he was challenged as he smelt of cannabis and he admitted drinking alcohol before the appointment. The report said: "During the appointment, the COM called Whitechapel Centre (homeless and housing charity) to see if they could support Mr Johnson with accommodation. "They were not able to help but provided her with their out of hours assistance number and provided the out of hours number for housing options emergency accommodation. She gave the numbers to Mr Johnson so that he could call the out of hours service. We do not know if Mr Johnson found any accommodation for his first nights after release." Johnson attended a further meeting on May 24 where he was given his methadone prescription. He was also offered a naloxone kit but he declined. At 9am on May 25, 2024, a member of the public found Johnson lying on the floor in a doorway and called emergency services. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene and drug paraphernalia was found. Liverpool City Council said the way it works with Liverpool residents being released from prison has changed dramatically since the sad death of Johnson. A post-mortem found he had died from mixed drug poisoning and a toxicology report said Johnson consumed methadone, various prescription medications, cannabis, Spice (a psychoactive substance), cocaine and morphine prior to his death. Prison and Probations Ombudsman Adrian Usher wrote: "We are satisfied that Altcourse and the Probation Service did all they could to manage the risks associated with his substance misuse. Although the prison did not offer Mr Johnson naloxone, we are satisfied they have made adequate changes to ensure that this failure does not happen again. We make no recommendation." A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: 'We are sad to hear about the death of Mr Johnson. He was referred to Housing Options for a homeless assessment prior to his death. He was then released from prison early and we were unable to progress the application as sadly he passed away. "We had not been able to assess him, so accommodation was not considered as this can only be offered after contact has been made. The availability of bedspaces is not referring to an offer of accommodation from the council, and may be in relation to another service." An HMP Altcourse spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts continue to be with Mr. Johnson's family and friends. A full Coroner's Inquest has been held which examined all relevant matters, noting that there were no specific actions arising for Sodexo [the company that operates Altcourse].'
Economic Times
29-05-2025
- Economic Times
Edmonton-area teen charged under terrorism law for alleged ties to violent online network
TIL Creatives Edmonton teen charged under terrorism law over alleged ties to violent global online network A 15-year-old from the Edmonton area has been charged with a terrorism-related offence, marking a disturbing development in an international investigation into a violent and predatory online extremist group. The youth, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was arrested on May 12 by the RCMP's Federal Policing Northwest Region National Security Enforcement Team. The charge laid under Section 810.011 of the Criminal Code(a 'fear of terrorism' peace bond) does not mean a crime has been committed, but rather that authorities believe one is likely unless steps are taken to prevent it. According to the RCMP, investigators believe the teen is connected to the COM/764 network, a shadowy online ecosystem of violent predators. 'The 764 network is a transnational online ecosystem of violent online predators who routinely lure youth, particularly those in vulnerable sectors, and encourage them to commit sexual acts, self-harm, and the torture of animals,' RCMP said in a statement. The network exploits popular platforms like Minecraft and Roblox, coaxing children into private channels on Discord and Telegram, where the real damage begins. RCMP describe it as a system of calculated psychological manipulation, often targeting neurodivergent or otherwise vulnerable youth. 'The elements of the COM/764 network are known to have extreme ideological views,' the statement continued, 'and are victimizing children through desensitizing and radicalizing them to violence.'The teen remains in custody, with a bail hearing scheduled for June 3 at the Alberta Court of Justice in the alleged connection is under investigation, this arrest is part of a broader law enforcement crackdown. The US Department of Justice recently charged several alleged leaders of the 764 group's subfaction, '764 Inferno,' with running a global child exploitation ring. The FBI has reportedly opened more than 250 related investigations in all 55 of its field news is sending shockwaves through communities and households. Parents are now urged to remain vigilant about their children's online behavior, especially in spaces once considered harmless, like gaming platforms."This isn't just about bad actors in dark corners of the web anymore," said one cybersecurity expert. "This is about how extremist ideology is being packaged as a game and sold to children."
Toronto Star
29-05-2025
- Toronto Star
RCMP arrest Edmonton teen allegedly connected to online terrorism network
EDMONTON - RCMP say they have arrested an Alberta teen because investigators believe the youth will commit terrorism offences. Mounties allege a 15-year-old from Edmonton was planning to commit offences related to the COM/764. They say it is a violent online network that lures youth and encourages them to commit sexual acts, self-harm and animal torture. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Investigators say they have commenced proceedings against the youth by way of a terrorism peace bond. A peace bond allows investigators to monitor people who appear likely to commit a crime when there's no evidence of an actual offence. The teen can't be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act and is set to appear in court next week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
The Star
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
‘Bosses must send foreign workers off'
PUTRAJAYA: The Check Out Memo (COM) procedure for foreign workers heading back to their respective countries will now require their employers to be present at international exit points in the country, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. In a statement yesterday, Saifuddin Nasution said the decision was made following a joint committee meeting between the Home Ministry and the Human Resources Ministry. 'We agreed with the recommendation by the Immigration Department to strengthen the management of the Check Out Memo for foreign workers. 'With today's agreement, employers are now required to be present at the international exit points to manage the exit registration of foreign workers, just as they are required to manage the entry of foreign workers. 'Employers who fail to comply with this requirement could face restrictions on new quota applications and other immigration-related procedures,' he added. Saifuddin Nasution also said the meeting yesterday allowed foreign workers to submit applications to change employers to take up jobs in different sectors. Close ranks: Saifuddin Nasution (front, right) and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim chairing the joint meeting at Putrajaya International Convention Centre. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star 'Previously, the government only allowed changes for foreign workers within the same employment sector, subject to conditions such as company restructuring, company closure, company expansion, or approval from a committee managed by the Labour Department. 'With this new decision, employers are allowed to apply for foreign worker transfer across different employment sectors. This policy change will bring various benefits not only to the government but also to employers and foreign workers. 'It reflects a good practice recommended by international labour organisations and has already been adopted by developed countries,' he said. He added that all parties must take note and comply with the new regulations related to the employment of foreign workers.
