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I was in Los Angeles for The Game Awards last month where I was able to witness a true David-and-Goliath moment — Balatro, a game created by a single developer, was up for game of the year honors against giants Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Metaphor ReFantazio and Astro Bot. While the “David” in this situation failed to emerge victorious — top prize went to Team Asobie’s Astro Bot — it still picked up three awards for best independent game, debut indie and mobile game. It was an impressive haul that had most of my friends, peers and colleagues going so far as to declare 2024 as “the year of the indies.” Still, ask 10 gamers what “indie” means and you’ll get 10 different answers. In 2023, Dave the Diver somehow managed to fish out a nomination in the independent game category despite being backed by Nexon, a publicly traded company with offices in Japan, South Korea, China and the United States. Is “indie-ness” measured by the size of your team, or a lack of external funding and publisher? Some might argue that it’s all of the above, while others might shrug and say, “It’s just pure vibes, man.” Source link

China is facing a repeat of the tensions and uncertainty from the first presidency of Donald Trump, only with a weaker economy that’s even more reliant on exports than it was during the first trade war with the U.S. China’s record trade surplus of nearly $1 trillion last year was equivalent to more than 5% of its gross domestic product, the highest level since 2015. The surplus drove almost a third of the expansion last year, the most since 1997, according to data released last week. That dependency on overseas markets adds to a multitude of challenges facing President Xi Jinping: persistent deflation, lackluster consumer demand, an extended property slump and a currency under pressure. Bond yields are showing that markets expect the world’s No. 2 economy to weaken further. Source link

Melbourne – A leading TV host apologized on-air Monday to Novak Djokovic after mocking the 24-time Grand Slam winner and his Serbian fans at the Australian Open, saying it was meant to be banter. The 37-year-old tennis great refused to do a routine on-court interview after beating Jiri Lehecka in three sets at Rod Laver Arena to reach the quarterfinals on Sunday evening. Afterward, he said it was in protest of Tony Jones, a top sports presenter with host broadcaster Channel Nine, who he accused of “insulting and offensive comments” toward him and Serbian fans. Source link

Donald Trump’s victory in the November U.S. presidential election sparked an immediate rally in markets, with stocks flying, the dollar soaring and Bitcoin leaping off the charts. But just two months later, the Republican is set to return to the White House, and only some of those trades endure. The reversal was first apparent in the stock market, where the S&P 500 Index gave back a solid chunk of its “Trump bump” as investors began to question the Federal Reserve’s anticipated interest rate cuts and what the new administration’s policy proposals will mean for share prices. The Treasury yield curve has also sharply steepened since late November after flattening initially. Meanwhile, Bitcoin and the dollar have held their gains. But the real test for these bets comes now, as Trump takes office. Tariffs are the biggest risk, sparking fears that the administration’s plans could lead to more prolonged and unpredictable trade wars than during his first presidency. Wall Street pros also worry about how any actions on immigration will affect the U.S. economy. And they fear heightened geopolitical tensions, with Trump already taking aim at some traditional U.S. allies like Canada, Mexico and Europe. Source link

Sydney/Washington – Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong met her Indian and Japanese counterparts in Washington and said the invitation for “Quad” foreign ministers to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration showed an “iron-clad commitment” to close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. Wong also met with her Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, who is also in Washington for the inauguration, with the two agreeing to further promote Tokyo and Canberra’s growing security cooperation while strengthening their mutual alliances with the United States. Iwaya also held talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Washington, with the pair reaffirming the significance of the Quad, a grouping that includes Japan, Australia, India and the U.S. Source link

Washington – U.S. President Joe Biden issued pre-emptive pardons on Monday to former COVID-19 adviser Anthony Fauci and retired Gen. Mark Milley to shield them from potential “politically motivated prosecutions” under the Trump administration. In an extraordinary move in his last hours in the White House, Biden gave similar pardons to members, staff and witnesses of the U.S. House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump’s supporters. “I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” Biden said in a statement. “But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing. Source link

Washington – Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, ushering in another turbulent four-year term with promises to push the limits of executive power, deport millions of immigrants, secure retribution against his political enemies and transform the role of the U.S. on the world stage. “A tide of change is sweeping the country,” Trump planned to say in his inaugural speech, according to early excerpts. “With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.” Even before Trump was to take office at noon, aides detailed a raft of executive actions that he will sign immediately, including 10 focused on border security and immigration, his top priority. Source link

Seasonally adjusted core machinery orders grew 3.4% in November from the previous month in the private sector, marking a rise for a second straight month, the Cabinet Office said Monday. Core machinery orders excluding those for ships and power equipment — which are closely watched as a leading indicator of corporate capital investment — totaled ¥899.6 billion ($5.77 billion), it said. November’s growth, which followed a 2.1% core increase the previous month, came against a median forecast of a 0.4% drop in a Jiji Press poll of 16 economic research institutes. The Cabinet Office has upgraded its basic order trend assessment for the first time in eight months, saying that machinery orders are showing signs of picking up. A breakdown showed orders from manufacturers rose 6.0% to ¥462.9 billion after advancing 12.5% in October. Orders increased in seven of the 17 manufacturing industries surveyed. In particular, dynamo demand from chemicals producers and engine demand from shipbuilders were brisk. By contrast, demand for boilers and turbines fell noticeably in the pulp and paper sector. Core orders from nonmanufacturers went up 1.2% to ¥453.7 billion following a 1.2% decline, led by strong demand for computers from information services companies and financial firms including insurers. Overall machinery orders, covering those from the public sector and abroad, fell 14.4% to ¥2,981.7 billion after a 21.1% jump. “Capital investment-related indicators are becoming rosier,” said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at the Norinchukin Research Institute. But Minami also suggested the possibility of exporters refraining from actively placing orders to assess the impact of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy after his inauguration in Washington on Monday. Source link

A former member of the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly who took part in investigating Gov. Motohiko Saito’s workplace bullying allegations last year has died in an apparent suicide — the third reported death since the controversy unfolded in March 2024. Hideaki Takeuchi, 50, was found unconscious in the study of his home in the city of Himeji on Saturday evening. He was taken to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead, according to Jiji. Takeuchi resigned from his post in the prefectural assembly a day after Saito’s stunning reelection as governor in November following his ousting by a unanimous vote of no-confidence in September. A probe into the governor’s alleged misconduct by the prefectural assembly’s powerful investigative panel — of which Takeuchi was a member — is still ongoing. Source link

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford acknowledged that “it sure feels like” he has football left in him, but the 16-year veteran and one-time Super Bowl winner wasn’t ready to commit himself to 2025. Stafford threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns in snowy Philadelphia and had a comeback attempt fall just short in a 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in a divisional round playoff game on on Sunday. The Rams reached the Philadelphia 13-yard line in the final minute before the drive stalled. “As far as my future goes, I mean, it’s 30 minutes after our last game, so I’ll take some time to think about it,” Stafford told reporters. “I feel like I was playing some really good ball.” Source link