Importheffingen voor producten die de VS binnenkomen: al maandenlang gaan ze omhoog en omlaag. Dit weekend werd de wereldhandel weer op zijn kop gezet.
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In her first major interview as Microsoft's new gaming chief, Asha Sharma said that "great games" must deliver emotional resonance and a distinct creative voice, while making clear that she has "no tolerance for bad AI." Stepping in after Phil Spencer's retirement, she's pledging consistency, community trust, and a human-first approach to storytelling as Xbox enters a new era. Variety reports: Sharma was quick in laying out her top priorities for Microsoft Gaming in an internal memo announcing her promotion, noting "great games," "the return of Xbox" and the "future of play" as her three main commitments to the gaming community. So first, what makes a great game for Sharma, whose roles prior to CoreAI include top positions at Instacart and Meta? The new Microsoft Gaming CEO tells Variety it's all about games with "deep emotional resonance" and "a distinct point of view." She wants to develop stories that make players "feel something," like the kind of feelings Campo Santo's 2016 first-person mystery "Firewatch" elicited in her.
Sharma takes on the mantle as head of the leading competitor to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo knowing full well she's entering the role as an outsider to the larger gaming community and has "a lot to learn" still. But Sharma says she's got a commitment to "being grounded in what the community is telling us." "I'm coming into gaming as a platform builder," Sharma said, adding that her goal is to "earn the right to be trusted by players and developers" and show the fanbase that "consistency" over time. In her interview with Variety, Sharma acknowledged the tumultuous state of the gaming industry, referencing Matthew Ball's recent State of Video Gaming in 2026 report as evidence that the larger "transformation" of the sector is "protecting what we believe in while remaining open-minded about the future."
Due to her strong background in AI, initial reactions to Sharma's appointment have raised concerns about what her specific views are on the use of generative AI in game development. Sharma says her stance is simple: she has "no tolerance for bad AI." "AI has long been part of gaming and will continue to be," Sharma said, noting that gaming needs new "growth engines," but that "great stories are created by humans."
Sharma takes on the mantle as head of the leading competitor to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo knowing full well she's entering the role as an outsider to the larger gaming community and has "a lot to learn" still. But Sharma says she's got a commitment to "being grounded in what the community is telling us." "I'm coming into gaming as a platform builder," Sharma said, adding that her goal is to "earn the right to be trusted by players and developers" and show the fanbase that "consistency" over time. In her interview with Variety, Sharma acknowledged the tumultuous state of the gaming industry, referencing Matthew Ball's recent State of Video Gaming in 2026 report as evidence that the larger "transformation" of the sector is "protecting what we believe in while remaining open-minded about the future."
Due to her strong background in AI, initial reactions to Sharma's appointment have raised concerns about what her specific views are on the use of generative AI in game development. Sharma says her stance is simple: she has "no tolerance for bad AI." "AI has long been part of gaming and will continue to be," Sharma said, noting that gaming needs new "growth engines," but that "great stories are created by humans."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
LONDEN (ANP) - De Britse politie heeft de voormalige ambassadeur voor de Verenigde Staten Peter Mandelson op borgtocht vrijgelaten in afwachting van verder onderzoek.
De 72-jarige Mandelson werd maandag gearresteerd op verdenking van wangedrag in een publiek ambt. Hij werd meegenomen naar een politiebureau voor verhoor.
Mandelson had banden met de Amerikaanse zedendelinquent Jeffrey Epstein. De afgelopen maanden kwamen daar meer details over naar buiten. In de vrijgegeven Epstein-documenten werd gesuggereerd dat Mandelson gevoelige informatie zou hebben gedeeld met Epstein. De politie liet eerder weten een onderzoek te openen daarnaar.
Mandelson werd meegenomen voor verhoor nadat de politie begin februari huiszoekingen had gedaan op twee adressen van de voormalige ambassadeur.
If the circumstances of those from Roj camp become even more perilous, the Albanese government may be forced to intervene
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Ever since news broke that 34 Australians were leaving Roj camp in north-east Syria to travel to Australia, their status and travel plans have been at the centre of a political maelstrom. The Albanese government has insisted there would be no repatriation of the 11 Australian women and their 23 children, whose journey was halted on 16 February when they were sent back to the detention camp.
The newly minted opposition under Angus Taylor has demanded answers to the level of assistance the Albanese government has provided to the group, including the issuing of passports, and the Coalition has now proposed new Australian laws to criminalise non-government financial and logistical support that helps the families return to Australia.
Continue reading...Punch may look sweet with his plushie – but anthropomorphism can’t tell us what a wild animal is truly experiencing
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Standing in line at Ikea’s click and collect service to pick up a large plush orangutan, a wave of fatigue washes over me.
Not only because I have been in transit for almost 24 hours after a series of flight delays, and this is my last stop before collapsing in a heap on my living room floor, but also for the reason I, and so many others, have made this journey.
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RFK, Jr. could completely eliminate the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) or delegitimize the independent body like it did with CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), two original USPSTF members warned.
"Inspired by a similar task force in Canada, the USPSTF introduced rules of evidence, systematic search methods to ensure a comprehensive review of all relevant studies, a scoring system for rating studies, and letter grades to link recommendations to the quality of the science." Uptake of preventive services remained an obstacle due to co-payments, however, especially for high-risk patients. That all changed in 2009 following the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which stipulated that any USPSTF recommendation with an A or B grade must be insured at no cost to patients. Today, 17 years later, "a generation of insured Americans have grown accustomed to free mammograms, colonoscopies, oral contraceptives, and other USPSTF-recommended preventive services," they wrote.
"Inspired by a similar task force in Canada, the USPSTF introduced rules of evidence, systematic search methods to ensure a comprehensive review of all relevant studies, a scoring system for rating studies, and letter grades to link recommendations to the quality of the science." Uptake of preventive services remained an obstacle due to co-payments, however, especially for high-risk patients. That all changed in 2009 following the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which stipulated that any USPSTF recommendation with an A or B grade must be insured at no cost to patients. Today, 17 years later, "a generation of insured Americans have grown accustomed to free mammograms, colonoscopies, oral contraceptives, and other USPSTF-recommended preventive services," they wrote.