The crown

EA and Respawn have been heavily criticised for hiding all of the best loot in Apex Legend’s latest timed event behind expensive loot boxes. The new Iron Crown Collection event for Apex Legends is under fire for its reliance on loot boxes and the absurd amount of money you’d have to pay in order to get Bloodhound’s heirloom set. The set is purely cosmetic and contains a unique axe, a kill quip, and a banner pose. Seemingly trivial stuff but it costs around £136 in microtransactions in order to get it. The problem is that the set only becomes available once you’ve got all 24 of the other rare or legendary items in the event and they’re all in loot boxes, and you only get two of those for free by playing the game. Each loot box costs 700 Apex coins – the default in-game currency – which at its cheapest (i.e. when you buy it in bulk) costs £4.86 when you buy coins with real money. Even when buying Apex coins at their cheapest, which means you end up buying more than …

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French President Emmanuel Macron met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday for the final leg of a two-day Gulf tour. The pair held a joint phone call with Lebanon’s prime minister in a significant gesture amid an unprecedented crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. During the calls with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Macron said France and Saudi Arabia expressed their commitment to Lebanon, despite Saudi Arabia's uneasiness with Iran’s sway over the small Mediterranean country. Macron did not, however, say whether punitive measures targeting Lebanon by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations will be revoked. Macron said during the call that he and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman relayed "a clear message Saudi Arabia and France want to be fully committed." It was the first call between Mikati, who took office in September, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, a traditional ally of Lebanon. Mikati said the call with the French and Saudi leaders …

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A former senior Saudi security official who helped oversee joint U.S. counterterrorism efforts claimed in an interview with “60 Minutes” that the kingdom's crown prince once spoke of killing a sitting Saudi monarch before his own father was crowned king. Saad al-Jabri did not provide evidence to the CBS News program, which aired Sunday. The ex-intelligence official, who resides in exile in Canada, claimed that in 2014, Prince Mohammed boasted that he could kill King Abdullah At the time, Prince Mohammed held no senior role in government but was serving as gatekeeper to his father’s royal court when his father was still heir to the throne. King Salman ascended to the throne in January 2015 after his half-brother, King Abdullah, died of stated natural causes. Al-Jabri used the interview to warn Prince Mohammed bin Salman that he's recorded a video that reveals even more royal secrets and some of the United States. A short, silent clip was shown to “60 Minutes” …

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A girl gang attacked a lone woman while she was talking to a friend who was sleeping rough - and the judge said the attack was "like a pack of wild animals". Sisters Emma Daly, 25, and Valerie Daly, 21, and Valerie’s girlfriend at the time Chelsea Leary, 20, were walking along Market Street in Manchester when they came across the woman. The woman was kneeling at the opening of her friend's tent and Valerie launched at her, hit the back of her head and then dragged her backwards by her hood. The three women then launched a 'vicious' attack on her, reports the Manchester Evening News . In CCTV footage played to Manchester Crown Court, Valerie, of Harpurhey, repeatedly punched the woman to the face and dragged her to the ground, Emma ‘stamped’ on her head and body, and Leary punched her and kicked her once. The incident which took place at around 2am on November 20 came to a brief stop when the three girls walked away, allowing the woman to walk in the opposite direction. …

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The “evil” and “remorseless” stepmother who tortured and murdered six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes refused to leave her cell to be sentenced, as calls were made for child killers to face whole life tariffs. Emma Tustin, 32, was jailed for life with a minimum of 29 years , while her former boyfriend and Arthur's father, Thomas Hughes, was given 21 years by Mr Justice Wall, the judge – who described it as one of the most distressing and disturbing cases he had ever dealt with. During their eight-week trial at Coventry Crown Court, a jury heard how the pair spent the early weeks of last spring's lockdown starving, abusing and poisoning Arthur , before eventually killing him on June 16. The judge said it was not a case where they were "inadequate people incapable of caring properly", but had instead chosen to be "spiteful and at times sadistic" to the defenceless little boy. He said he had not seen a shred of remorse from either of the killers. However, under the …

[Read more...] about Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Life must mean life for ‘evil’ child murderers, say former ministers

I wonder if the government’s chief culture warrior Oliver Dowden has ever heard of DanTDM. The culture secretary’s bio says he’s got a couple of kids. That being the case, and if he can find a slot for them in the inevitably busy schedule of a minister in a chaotic government run by an immoral chancer, it’s possible that he’s heard of the YouTube superstar. For those who’ve never come across him, he’s from Northamptonshire and he produces gaming related videos. He boasts 25 million subscribers, sold out arenas when things called tours were allowed, and has amassed a considerable fortune through so doing. My daughter often has him on in the background while she’s playing Minecraft. He also makes her laugh. That, combined with the inoffensive nature of what he does, makes him alright in my book, even if I find his appeal hard to understand. The reason I mention Dan is because neither my daughter, nor my son, watch much, if any, traditional TV . They’re not great …

[Read more...] about Yes, traditional TV is under threat – but cracking down on streaming isn’t the answer

Rafael Nadal announces end to 2021 season through injury Sign up for FREE tennis updates from on and off the court SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Rafael Nadal is set to miss the ATP Cup in January as he maps out his preparation for the Australian Open . Nadal, 35, has not played since August, after announcing he would be missing the US Open due to a reoccurring foot injury. Related articles Federer and Nadal comeback goals outlined with 21 Grand Slams in sight Five stars who may knock Djokovic, Federer and Nadal off perch Nadal, who also missed Wimbledon and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics this year, has not played in a Grand Slam event since the French Open in June, where he was denied a …

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Arthur had lived with his loving granny Joanne before he moved in with his stepmother (Image: PA) Sign up to receive our rundown of the day's top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Only a whole life term is "justice" for the murder of the little boy, said Glyn Smyth. A judge sent “cruel and inhuman” Emma Tustin to jail for at least 29 years. Arthur’s father Thomas will serve a minimum of 21 for manslaughter after the “sadistic” pair’s abuse left the frail boy covered in bruises. Arthur’s grandmother Joanne Hughes said he had been “failed by the very authorities” who should have kept him safe. Related articles Pension fury after '£1,900 tax bombshell' plan Yob abducted disabled child to get into …

[Read more...] about ‘Cruel and inhuman’ parents jailed – Six-year-old Arthur was ‘failed by the authorities’

F1: Verstappen puts in hard graft ahead of new season Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top F1 stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Max Verstappen has been tipped to challenge Lewis Hamilton for the F1 world title "for many, many years" to come by former champion Damon Hill. The 1996 title-winner praised Verstappen for how he has matured during his time in the sport, and hailed his Red Bull team for providing stern competition for Mercedes this season. Related articles Hamilton-Verstappen crash fears lead to calls for arranged penalties Michael Schumacher branded 'difficult to know' by Damon Hill Since making his debut in the sport as a fresh-faced teenager, Verstappen has …

[Read more...] about Key Max Verstappen change to help Red Bull star battle Lewis Hamilton ‘for many years’

Four ways Max Verstappen can beat Lewis Hamilton to F1 title at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Image: GETTY) Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top F1 stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The 2021 Formula One Drivers' Championship could well be decided this weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen can be crowned world champion for the first time in his career to dethrone Lewis Hamilton - and there are four ways he can do it. Trending The Dutchman heads to Jeddah with an eight-point advantage in the standings, though that gap had been 21 before the Brazilian Grand Prix. Hamilton sealed back-to-back wins in Interlagos and Qatar to keep his hopes of a record-breaking eighth triumph alive. The Briton has …

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