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South Korean President Yoon's impeachment vote fails after ruling party boycotts it

29 Deputy Ministers sworn inJapan's famous sake joins UNESCO's cultural heritage list, a boost to brewers and enthusiastsTexas' abortion pill lawsuit against New York doctor marks new challenge to interstate telemedicine Texas has sued a New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a Texas woman via telemedicine. It appears to be the first challenge in the U.S. to a state shield law that's intended to protect prescribers in Democratic-controlled states from being punished by states with abortion bans. Prescriptions like these, made online and over the phone, are a key reason that the number of abortions has increased across the U.S. even after state bans started taking effect. Most abortions in the U.S. involve pills rather than procedures. Anti-abortion groups are increasingly focusing on the rise of pills. Syrians cheer end of 50 years of Assad rule at first Friday prayers since government fell DAMASCUS (AP) — Exuberant Syrians observed the first Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad, gathering in the capital’s historic main mosque, its largest square and around the country to celebrate the end of half a century of authoritarian rule. The newly installed interim prime minister delivered the sermon at the Umayyad Mosque, declaring that a new era of “freedom, dignity and justice” was dawning for Syria. The gatherings illustrated the dramatic changes that have swept over Syria less than a week after insurgents marched into Damascus and toppled Assad. Amid the jubilation, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with allies around the region and called for an “inclusive and non-sectarian” interim government. US military flies American released from Syrian prison to Jordan, officials say WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has brought an American who was imprisoned in Syria for seven months out of the country. That's according to two U.S. officials, who said Friday that Travis Timmerman has been flown to Jordan on a U.S. military helicopter. The 29-year-old Timmerman told The Associated Press earlier Friday he had gone to Syria on a Christian pilgrimage and was not ill-treated while in a notorious detention facility operated by Syrian intelligence. He said he was freed by “the liberators who came into the prison and knocked the door down (of his cell) with a hammer.” New Jersey governor wants more federal resources for probe into drone sightings TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has asked the Biden administration to put more resources into the ongoing investigation of mysterious drone sightings being reported in the state and other parts of the region. Murphy, a Democrat, made the request in a letter Thursday, noting that state and local law enforcement remain “hamstrung” by existing laws and policies in their efforts to successfully counteract any nefarious drone activity. Murphy and other officials say there is no evidence that the drones pose a national security or a public safety threat. A state lawmaker says up to 180 aircraft have been reported to authorities since Nov. 18. Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she 'sustained an injury' from fall on official trip to Luxembourg WASHINGTON (AP) — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been hospitalized after she “sustained an injury” during an official engagement in Luxembourg, according to a spokesman. Pelosi is 84. She was in Europe to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Her spokesman, Ian Krager, did not describe the nature of her injury or give any additional details, but a person familiar with the incident said that Pelosi tripped and fell while at an event with the other members of Congress. The person requested anonymity to discuss the fall because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly. Russia targets Ukrainian infrastructure with a massive attack by cruise missiles and drones KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia fired 93 cruise and ballistic missiles and almost 200 drones in Friday's bombardments. He says it is one of the heaviest bombardments of the country’s energy sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion almost three years ago. He says Ukrainian defenses shot down 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted by F-16 warplanes provided by Western allies earlier this year. Zelenskyy renewed his plea for international unity against Russian President Vladimir Putin. But uncertainty surrounds how the war might unfold next year. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the war and has thrown into doubt whether vital U.S. military support for Kyiv will continue. Trump’s lawyers rebuff DA's idea for upholding his hush money conviction, calling it 'absurd' NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers are again urging a judge to throw out his hush money conviction. In a court filing Friday, they balked at the prosecution’s “absurd” idea for preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies before sentencing. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to “pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a blistering 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump’s lawyers filed paperwork earlier this month asking for the case to be dismissed. Some in seafood industry see Trump as fishermen's friend, but tariffs could make for pricier fish PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes to seafood, one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy. Some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture, as they fear Trump’s pending trade hostilities with major trading partners Canada and China could make an already pricy kind of protein more expensive. Conservationists also fear Trump’s emphasis on deregulation could jeopardize fish stocks already in peril. But many in the commercial fishing and seafood processing industries said they expect Trump to allow fishing in protected areas and crack down on offshore wind expansion. OpenAI's legal battle with Elon Musk reveals internal turmoil over avoiding AI 'dictatorship' A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and best avoid an artificial intelligence ‘dictatorship’ is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker’s ongoing conversion into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. OpenAI is filing its response Friday. Paula Abdul settles lawsuit alleging sexual assault by 'American Idol' producer Nigel Lythgoe LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paula Abdul and former “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe have agreed to settle a lawsuit in which she alleged he sexually assaulted her in the early 2000s when she was a judge on the show. Abdul filed a notice of settlement in a Los Angeles court Thursday. The lawsuit filed nearly a year ago had also accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting Abdul after she left “American Idol” and became a judge on Lythgoe’s other show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Lythgoe said at the time that the allegations were “an appalling smear.” Both sides said in statements Friday that they were glad to put the case behind them.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean legislative push to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law fell through on Saturday after most lawmakers from his conservative governing party boycotted the vote. The defeat of the motion is expected to intensify public protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative party, but it is also determined to oppose Yoon’s impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals. Impeaching Yoon required support from two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 of its 300 members. The opposition parties who brought the impeachment motion had 192 seats, but only three lawmakers from PPP participated in the vote. The motion was scrapped without ballot counting because the number of votes didn’t reach 200. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik called the result “very regrettable” and an embarrassing moment for the country’s democracy that has been closely watched by the world. “The failure to hold a qualified vote on this matter means we were not even able to exercise the democratic procedure of deciding on a critical national issue,” he said. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday. There are worries that Yoon won’t be able to serve out his remaining 2 1⁄2 years in office because his leadership took a huge hit. Many experts say some ruling party lawmakers could eventually join opposition parties’ efforts to impeach Yoon if public demands for it grow further. If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election to replace him must take place within 60 days. Woo repeatedly urged ruling party members to return to the chamber to participate in the vote, waiting several hours for them to come. At one point, Democratic Party leaders visited a hall on the floor below the main chamber where PPP lawmakers were gathered, attempting to persuade them to vote. After being blocked from entering, they angrily accused the conservatives’ leadership of preventing its lawmakers from voting freely. Earlier Saturday, Yoon issued a public apology over the martial law decree, saying he won’t shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promising not to make another attempt to impose martial law. He said would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.” “The declaration of this martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot,” Yoon said. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.” The turmoil resulting from Yoon’s bizarre and poorly-thought-out stunt has paralyzed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners like the U.S. and Japan. Tuesday night saw special forces troops encircling the parliament building and army helicopters hovering over it, but the military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. Eighteen lawmakers from the ruling party voted to reject Yoon’s martial law decree along with opposition lawmakers. Yoon’s speech fueled speculation that he and his party may push for a constitutional amendment to shorten his term, instead of accepting impeachment, as a way to ease public anger over the marital law and facilitate Yoon’s early exit from office. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, told reporters that Yoon’s speech was “greatly disappointing” and that the only way forward is his immediate resignation or impeachment. His party called Yoon’s martial law “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.” The passage of Yoon’s impeachment motion appeared more likely Friday when the chair of Yoon’s party called for his removal on Friday, but the party remained formally opposed to impeachment. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people densely packed several blocks of roads leading up to the National Assembly, waving banners, shouting slogans and dancing and singing along to K-pop songs with lyrics changed to call for Yoon’s ouster. Protesters also gathered in front of PPP’s headquarters near the Assembly, angrily shouting for its lawmakers to vote to impeach Yoon. A smaller crowd of Yoon’s supporters, which still seemed to be in the thousands, rallied in separate streets in Seoul, decrying the impeachment attempt they saw as unconstitutional. Lawmakers on Saturday first voted on a bill appointing a special prosecutor to investigate stock price manipulation allegations surrounding Yoon’s wife. Some lawmakers from Yoon’s party were seen leaving the hall after that vote, triggering angry shouts from opposition lawmakers. On Friday, PPP chair Han Dong-hun, who criticized Yoon’s martial law declaration, said he had received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law Yoon ordered the country’s defense counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities.” Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing Friday that Yoon had ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians. The targeted politicians included Han, Lee and Woo, according to Kim Byung-kee, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting. The Defense Ministry said Friday it suspended three military commanders including the head of the defense counterintelligence unit over their involvement in enforcing martial law. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho has told parliament that Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly after Yoon imposed martial law. Opposition parties accused Kim of recommending to Yoon to enforce martial law. Kim resigned Thursday, and prosecutors imposed an overseas travel ban on him.ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Voting closed Saturday evening in most polling centers throughout Ghana, bringing to an end the presidential and legislative elections poised to be a litmus test for democracy in a region shaken by extremist violence and coups . The capital, Accra, was almost a ghost town for much of the day. Even vibrant Oxford Street, one of the city's commercial hubs, saw little activity on the day that Ghanaians went to the polls to elect a new president and 276 legislators. Some 18.7 million people are registered to vote in the West African country hit by one of the worst economic crises in a generation. However, the two main candidates offer little hope for change for the nation. Early results were expected late on Saturday. The first official results will be released by Tuesday. Ghana used to be a poster child for democracy in the region. At a time when coups threatened democracy in West Africa, Ghana has emerged as a beacon of democratic stability with a history of peaceful elections. It had also been an economic powerhouse, priding itself on its economic development. But in recent years, it has struggled with a profound economic crisis, including surging inflation and a lack of jobs. According to an opinion poll released earlier this year by Afrobarometer, a research group, 82% of Ghanaians feel their country is headed in the wrong direction Although 12 candidates are running to become Ghana’s next president, Saturday’s election — like previous ones since the return of multiparty politics in 1992 — has emerged as a two-horse race. Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is the candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party, or NPP, which has struggled to resolve the economic crisis. He faces off against former President John Dramani Mahama, the leader of the main opposition party National Democratic Congress, or NDC. He was voted out in 2016 after failing to deliver on promises for the economy. Opinion polls point at a potential comeback for Mahama. A local research company, Global InfoAnalytics says he is projected to get 52.2% of the vote, followed by Bawumia, with 41.4%. After voting in the town of Bole in northern Ghana, Mahama praised the smooth election process and expressed confidence in his own victory. “In other elections, it had not been clear," he told reporters. “But (during) this election everyone sees where it is heading.” The NDC prides itself as a social democratic party, while the ruling NPP tags itself as leaning to the right. But in fact, analysts and voters said, the programs of their presidential candidates do not differ in a significant way. Members of parliament will also be elected Saturday. The ruling NPP party and the main opposition NDC each have 137 members in the 275-member legislature, with one independent member who has been voting mostly along with the ruling party. One more constituency will be added in this election, bringing the number of deputies to 276. In their final campaign rallies Thursday, both candidates made a last push to pitch their political parties as the answer to Ghana’s economic woes. Bawumia, 61, an Oxford-educated economist and former deputy governor of the country’s central bank, promised to build on the outgoing administration’s efforts and stabilize the economy. Mahama, 65, on the other hand, restated his promise to “reset” the country on various fronts. “We need to reset our democracy, governance, economy, finances, agriculture, infrastructure, environment, health sector, and all that we hold dear as a people,” the former president said. Across the the capital, Accra, the mood for the election has been upbeat in posters and billboards with bikers displaying stunts, political rallies on the streets, election jingles and songs blasting from public speakers. But the concern for many is also palpable for the key thing at stake: The country’s ailing economy, which has been challenged on various fronts in recent years. The country defaulted on most of its foreign debt last year as it faced a worsening economic crisis that spiked the price of fuel, food and other essential items. The inflation rate had hit 54% by the end of last year and though it’s been coming down since then, not many Ghanaians can still tell the difference when they go to the market. Ebenezer Kotey Dsane, a 69-year-old driver said he voted for Mahama because “he is a good man” who “set up much infrastructure when he was in office.” “The current regime hasn't done much,” he said, pointing to the La General Hospital in Accra, one of the capital's main medical facilities, pulled down in July 2020 by the current government with a pledge to reconstruct it. “Until today, nothing has happened.” Some chose not to vote at all. Ruth Mensah, 42, an unemployed resident of Nima, a working-class suburb in Accra, said she decided not to cast a ballot. “I don’t see how voting will bring about a change to my life,” she said. Patricia Seyram Hagbevor, 20, a first-time voter and student at Accra Technical University said she wished for a change. She didn't disclose whom she voted for, but said she “hoped for a change for the better that will help develop our future.” The chronic challenge of illegal gold mining — known locally as galamsey — has also been a major issue in the campaign and a source of concern for voters, triggering protests and criticism against the outgoing government. Ghana is Africa’s top gold producer and the world’s sixth largest, but the commodity has been increasingly mined illegally as people become more desperate to find jobs in an economy that has been crumbling. The mining has polluted rivers and other parts of the environment despite government actions to clamp down on the practice. Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal.

A Massachusetts congresswoman said Saturday that she and her family were the target of a bomb threat – marking the latest in a series of similar threats made on House members from both sides of the political aisle. Democratic Rep. Lori Trahan, who represents Lowell and other communities in the northwestern part of the state, said in a statement that authorities responded to the threat at Westford home. “This morning, I was made aware of a bomb threat targeting my family and me,” said Trahan. “I am grateful to the excellent officers at the Westford Police Department who responded swiftly and who are now working with the U.S. Capitol Police and Massachusetts State Police regarding this incident. “It’s a good time to say the obvious: threats of violence and intimidation have no place in our country.” The state police found no evidence of a device on site but the incident remains under investigation, said Westford Police Capt. Michael Breault. Last week, Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner said was the victim of fake bomb threat — after similar phony police reports targeted at least five members of Connecticut’s Democratic congressional delegation and at least 10 of President-elect Donald Trump’s high-profile nominees , including Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Trump’s pick for US ambassador to the United Nations.South Korean President Yoon's impeachment vote fails after ruling party boycotts itEditor in Chief Dann Sullivan pulls up a pew to discuss the previous year It's been a year of extremes, which we tend to say every year The highs of this year show that the future isn't as bleak as it might seem Well, we're now at the end of the (Gregorian) year, so now's as good a time as any to look back over 2024, which happens to have been one of the most eventful years in the gaming industry's history. I've decided that this year's retrospective should go beyond covering the state of the industry to also include the website and what current trends and moves mean for the future of mobile gaming. If you're looking for something lighter, like a list of our favourite games throughout the year (as, perhaps, teased by the header), then check out our . Back when I started writing about games I did so on a site that myself and a few buddies had launched. It was 2011, and at the time I was still working in retail (GAME, the main video game retailer in the UK). I'd been working there for several years and had always got a kick out of people coming back and sharing their happiness at my recommendations. With the shift to digital (and the joyful spread of indie) as well as more and more independent publishers and media outlets showing up online, my group of pals decided that we'd give it a shot. It's impossible to talk about 2024 without talking about industry layoffs, which surpassed 2023 back at the start of the year and continued at full speed throughout. For a glimpse at the numbers and damage, check out . I've seen sites that I idolised change hands several times before turning to dust, and there's not much left of the earlier generations of independent media either. That said, there's now a renaissance of smaller, independent, fan-funded media popping up - so there's some hope that tastemaker, recommendation-driven and critical media will persist, it's just that it won't be under the same names as before. We've also been blessed with a lot of support from a great sales team, technical team and central operations team - as well as benefited from our amazing Pocket Gamer Connects events and all of the access and fringe events they bring. The site has seen some tweaks too, as many of our regular readers will have noticed. We've had some tweaks made to how and where we write things, which has resulted in tidier URLs and titles as well as the addition of the highlights sections (where I refer to myself in the third person above). Our layout has also changed slightly, making our homepage more of a curated destination. We date back to the magazine days, so why shouldn't we be able to represent that on short notice? Pocket Gamer, through our parent company, Steel Media, has always thrived due to its ability to pivot toward (and invite discussions on) the next big thing. At times that's been Touchscreen, The AppStores, Subscriptions, Battle Passes, Microtransactions, Webstores, XR as well as slightly more controversial recent topics like NFTs, Blockchain and AI. AI has always been a core part of how video games innovate (Intelligence is, of course, in the eye of the beholder and 'pathfinding', 'adaptive programming' and 'procedural generation' are all AI, to gaming's original definition). However, as the world's major search provider (as well as some more questionable entities) attempts to replace the human-written word with generated content it's made things trickier for outlets. AI slop ( ) is making it tougher and tougher, and that's why so many outlets are moving to deliberately making 'more human' content rather than trying to content against both the slop, and the churn of larger guide sites. We're there with them. We saw Apple's privacy sandbox completely shake up how advertising worked (as it turns out, people WILL opt out of sharing data when given the choice), which changed how targeted ads work and shook up the hypercasual landscape. We also had Epic's war on the Duopoly continue, and it broke ground too, with them triggering the EU's lust for regulation and moderation as well as their (pretty respectful in 2024) dislike of monopolies. However, it's increasingly clear that Epic's war to open up the ecosystem is going to cost them (and their Tencent backers) a lot over time, and is going to be years of gruelling, trench-warfare battles. Apple opening up in the EU is a success, but other regional and national governments aren't as particular as the EU. That said, just two weeks back Epic landed a massive goal that only a few outlets covered: (o2, Movistar, Vivo). While it's not Epic's clear ultimate goal - the ability to be freely downloaded and used on all mobile devices, without any restrictions or charges - it does skip that step by having it preinstalled on phones. For us here in the UK, (and subsequently Epic's) sphere of influence to Virgin Media, Vodafone and Three - all major players. While a Telefónica deal doesn't instantly prep paper for that preinstall situation to spread further, it certainly opens doors, and I know we'll see more on that in 2025. A few years on we had Apple and Google's own App Stores. The internet was flourishing and phone technology had rocketed forward - we had full web browsers and easy interfacing with our smartphones. Then came the APK stores, and eventually alternative webstores. However, sideloading aside, we also recently started to see streaming and subscriptions on the rise. In 2025 we'll have titles like Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero and Infinity Nikki out and on the market, all of them having players who freely strafe between mobile and PC. At the same time, games that cut their teeth on mobile - like Clash of Clans and Subway Surfers - are now available on PC through . I played Netease's Badlanders and Lilith's Rise of Kingdoms both on my PC and phone. Next year we'll see Microsoft's store launch after its delay , the giant took , not long before launching their , which posited that everything from phone to PC (anything with a browser) will be able to access the Xbox ecosystem. This happened while Nintendo kept playing with mobile, Sega doubled down into the space (they Rovio) and most major publishers keep expanding into the space. That and, let's not forget, Microsoft now have not only Activision & Blizzard, but King. A lot of this isn't new, of course. We've been talking about big names getting into mobile for years, but people haven't really put their finger on the why. It's not just because mobile is often the battleground for new mechanics and monetisation techniques, but it's because you can scale mobile up to console, to PC and beyond... scaling PC or console down though... that's harder. So, now that everything (Discord, Netflix, Telegram, The New York Times... even LinkedIn) is a platform, and - through Microsoft and friends - is back, and Instant Games are on the rise, and subscriptions are more relevant than ever. Mobile gaming going to change, but it's going to be those inside the ecosystem that are going to be leading it, using these other technologies. If you look at popular 2018 turn-based strategy (and a personal favourite of our COO) Into the Breach you can see the single-screen singularity that we're entering into. You can play it on Switch, you can play it on iOS and Android and you can play it on Xbox, Playstation and PC too. This is facilitated by self-publishing and a string of partnerships, but critically, through casting from your phone, you can play it on everything from your phone to a cinema (or, probably bigger if you have a nice projector). You can, of course, run it natively through one of the other devices. As that little device in your hand gets smarter and more powerful, it's likely to wedge out most other, slower-moving gaming mediums like consoles - although I don't think 2025 is going to be the year for that. I do think that something that we'll be watching closely here at Pocket Gamer is how the Steam Deck encourages 'high tech, big budget' publishers to adopt a generational 'minimum' spec similar to console generations, and what that'll mean for wider adoption of 'mobile' teams and philosophies for 'mainstream' development. Anyway, 2024 is coming to a close and we've had a bumpy year, but the future is looking bright and exciting. Maybe we never left the creative 'wild west' in this industry, and it's time to fully embrace that again, especially here in the wild world of mobile.

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A high-profile barrister who was cleared of misconduct over social media posts has called on the head of the Bar Standards Board to resign. Dr Charlotte Proudman, who specialises in family law, had faced a Bar Standards Board (BSB) disciplinary tribunal over a 14-part Twitter thread criticising a judge’s ruling over a domestic abuse case, saying it echoed a “boys’ club”. However, the five charges against the 36-year-old were dropped on Thursday. In an interview with The Times, Dr Proudman described the position of Mark Neale, the board’s director-general, as “untenable” and said its chairwoman, Kathryn Stone, should also stand down. “They need a change, not just in those two individuals, though, because, of course, it seeps down to the rest of the organisation,” she said. She told the paper she “genuinely” wanted to work with the Bar Standards Board in helping them to understand how misogyny and sexism have impacted women at the bar. However, she said that “under the current leadership, it’s just not going to be possible”. The charges alleged Dr Proudman had “failed to act with integrity” in posting the tweets, that they amounted to professional misconduct, were “misleading” and “inaccurately reflected the findings of the judge” in the case. The women’s rights campaigner was also accused of behaving in a way “which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public placed in her and in the profession”, and that she “knowingly or recklessly misled or attempted to mislead the public” by making the posts. But panel chairman Nicholas Ainley found her tweets are protected under Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right of freedom of expression. He said her tweets did not “gravely damage” the judiciary, which would “put them outside” of Article 10 protection, even if they “might not have been pleasant for any judge to read” or even “hurtful”. “We take the view that the judiciary of England and Wales is far more robust than that,” he said. The panel also concluded that some of the tweets were only inaccurate “to a minor degree” and not to the extent necessary for a charge of a lack of integrity. Speaking after the hearing, Dr Proudman told the PA news agency: “This ruling is a victory for women’s rights and a right to freedom of speech. “The prosecution against me brought by my regulatory body, the Bar Standards Board, should never have happened and I said that from day one. “I criticised a domestic abuse judgment. Everyone should have the right to do that, whether you’re a barrister or not. Our justice system, which I strongly believe in, is robust enough to withstand criticism from me.” She believes her tweets help “foster confidence” in the justice system, adding: “Only that way can we go about building change and a better treatment for all victims, women and children and men who are affected by domestic abuse.” Explaining that the BSB appears to have spent almost £40,000 “of barristers’ money” on instructing counsel in her case, she added: “I think it’s shameful that they’re using our money to pay for, in my view, malicious, vexatious prosecutions which I have no doubt was a personal attack against me as a woman and as a feminist, as an outspoken critic and advocate for women’s rights.” Dr Proudman called for “systemic change” within the board. “They don’t understand gender, they don’t understand diversity, I don’t think they’ve ever heard of the concept misogyny and certainly not institutional misogyny,” she said. “Until they recognise the deeply rooted, entrenched issue of bullying, harassment, sexism at the bar, for which I have suffered relentlessly... and own up to it I don’t think we’re going to see any change and I have no confidence in them.” She told of how male barristers have called her insulting names on social media and made derogatory comments about her. In the posts on April 6 2022, Dr Proudman referenced a case in which her client alleged she had been subjected to coercive and controlling behaviour by her husband, a part-time judge, meaning she had been “unable to freely enter” the couple’s “post-nuptial” financial agreement. Commenting on the ruling by Family Court judge Sir Jonathan Cohen, Dr Proudman wrote: “I represented Amanda Traharne. “She said she was coerced into signing a post-nuptial agreement by her husband (who is a part-time judge). I lost the case. “I do not accept the Judge’s reasoning. I will never accept the minimisation of domestic abuse.” She continued: “Demeaning the significance of domestic abuse has the affect of silencing victims and rendering perpetrators invisible. “This judgement has echoes of (t)he ‘boys club’ which still exists among men in powerful positions.” In the thread, Dr Proudman wrote that the judge had described the relationship of the couple as “tempestuous”, which she argued was a “trivialisation” of domestic abuse. “Tempestuous? Lose his temper? Isn’t this the trivialisation of domestic abuse & gendered language. This is not normal married life,” she wrote.

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Trump posts 'how it's going' message contrasting Time Person of the Year cover with mugshotThe development of childhood and the enhancement of children’s rights form a guiding framework towards creating a better world now and in the future. By listening to children we can fulfil their right to self-expression, understand their ideas for a better world and include their priorities in our actions today. This year, the world and its international institutions are celebrating World Children’s Day under the theme “Listen to the future. Stand Up for Children’s Rights.” World Children’s Day offers everyone an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children. World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare. November 20 is an important date as it is the date when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) is one of the leading international organisations active in the field of children’s rights, their development, and protection. Unicef works in over 190 countries and territories, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children living amid social challenges and armed conflicts. Unicef became a permanent part of the UN system in 1953 and has launched global campaigns focusing especially on health and education. Unicef draws attention to poverty as a primary concern, which affects children disproportionately around the world. One in every six children globally lives in extreme poverty, earning less than $1.90 per day, and their families struggle to meet basic healthcare costs and the nutrition necessary for a strong start in life. In 2019, 149mn children under the age of five suffered from stunting due to malnutrition. Despite significant progress in school enrolment rates in many parts of the world, more than 175mn children are not enrolled in pre-primary education, missing a critical investment opportunity and suffering deep inequalities from the start, missing a critical investment opportunity and suffering deep inequalities from the start. Unicef statistics show that 6 out of 10 children leave primary school without achieving the minimum levels of literacy, writing, or mathematics. This challenge is exacerbated in areas affected by prolonged armed conflicts. For over 20 years, Unicef has been working to garner support against the recruitment of children in armed conflicts. Since then, thousands of children have been released due to action plans decided by the UN Security Council and other measures aimed at ending and preventing the exploitation of children by armed forces and groups. However, serious challenges remain in protecting children affected by armed conflict. In 2019, 1.6bn children, or about 69%, lived in conflict-affected countries. About 426mn children live in conflict zones. These children face numerous risks, including displacement, separation from their families, forced recruitment, or becoming victims of organised gangs in some fragile states. In this context, violence against children represents one of the most significant developmental challenges, as it is a major barrier to achieving basic cultural and educational requirements. This includes the growing issue of bullying via the internet, leading to isolation, loneliness, and fear, particularly among younger children who are more vulnerable because they are less able to speak out and seek support. Qatar’s government and its institutions place great emphasis on enhancing and protecting children’s rights. This is clearly demonstrated through the establishment of numerous legal frameworks, as well as the adoption of administrative and practical measures in various fields at the national, regional, and international levels. This is in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and its commitments to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Qatar acceded in 1992 and ratified in 1995. Qatar has created appropriate mechanisms to protect children’s rights, such as the Protection and Social Rehabilitation Centre (Aman), under the umbrella of Qatar Foundation for Social Work. This centre aims to raise awareness of child protection and build institutional capacities in this area. Additionally, Qatar supports efforts to enhance and protect children’s rights in education through numerous governmental initiatives and initiatives by civil society institutions, providing quality education opportunities for both Qatari citizens and residents. Qatar has established one of the world’s most advanced educational systems, which received a government expenditure of nearly 3.3% of the country’s GDP in 2019 — one of the highest public expending rates in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the Word Bank. Nearly QR19.2bn ($5.3bn) was allocated to the education sector from the budget, representing about 9.3% of total expenditures allocated to the education sector and child care institutions. Regarding the enhancement of the protection of children, Qatar has not overlooked the role of technological development and the opportunities it provides in the digital field for education and enhancing the protection of children’s rights. In this field, the Qatar Social Work Foundation launched in 2018 the ‘Help Me’ app, as the first e-service for children that enables them to request help via mobile phone in case they are harmed. At the level of regional and international cooperation, the State of Qatar implemented international and regional initiatives aimed at providing quality education to millions of children who have been deprived due to poverty, armed conflicts, insecurity, and disasters. Among these initiatives, for example, are the “Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict” programme — a founding member of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), and the Educate A Child (EAC) programme — an unprecedented initiative that enrolled 10mn children in schooling through implementing over 65 projects in 50 countries, in partnership with 82 global partners. The State of Qatar is proud of its close partnership with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and hosting and financially supporting its Doha-based Analysis and Outreach Hub for the years 2018-2023. Qatar is also proud of its partnership with Unicef to implement many projects and programmes, which contributed to saving the lives of children, defending their rights and helping them achieve their potential, including the opening of the Unesco Regional Office as part of the UN House in Doha in March 2022. The 10-year partnership between Unicef and Qatar’s Education Above All (EAA) Foundation has achieved a major transformation in the lives of over 5mn children and young people in 17 countries, through their joint programs, which were reflected in “A Decade of Dreams” exhibition, held in partnership with Unicef in New York on Sept 13, 2023, to mark 10 years of effective and fruitful cooperation to change the lives of millions of children around the world. Related Story CRA resolved nearly 98% of telecom complaints last yearEditor in Chief Dann Sullivan pulls up a pew to discuss the previous year It's been a year of extremes, which we tend to say every year The highs of this year show that the future isn't as bleak as it might seem Well, we're now at the end of the (Gregorian) year, so now's as good a time as any to look back over 2024, which happens to have been one of the most eventful years in the gaming industry's history. I've decided that this year's retrospective should go beyond covering the state of the industry to also include the website and what current trends and moves mean for the future of mobile gaming. If you're looking for something lighter, like a list of our favourite games throughout the year (as, perhaps, teased by the header), then check out our . Back when I started writing about games I did so on a site that myself and a few buddies had launched. It was 2011, and at the time I was still working in retail (GAME, the main video game retailer in the UK). I'd been working there for several years and had always got a kick out of people coming back and sharing their happiness at my recommendations. With the shift to digital (and the joyful spread of indie) as well as more and more independent publishers and media outlets showing up online, my group of pals decided that we'd give it a shot. It's impossible to talk about 2024 without talking about industry layoffs, which surpassed 2023 back at the start of the year and continued at full speed throughout. For a glimpse at the numbers and damage, check out . I've seen sites that I idolised change hands several times before turning to dust, and there's not much left of the earlier generations of independent media either. That said, there's now a renaissance of smaller, independent, fan-funded media popping up - so there's some hope that tastemaker, recommendation-driven and critical media will persist, it's just that it won't be under the same names as before. We've also been blessed with a lot of support from a great sales team, technical team and central operations team - as well as benefited from our amazing Pocket Gamer Connects events and all of the access and fringe events they bring. The site has seen some tweaks too, as many of our regular readers will have noticed. We've had some tweaks made to how and where we write things, which has resulted in tidier URLs and titles as well as the addition of the highlights sections (where I refer to myself in the third person above). Our layout has also changed slightly, making our homepage more of a curated destination. We date back to the magazine days, so why shouldn't we be able to represent that on short notice? Pocket Gamer, through our parent company, Steel Media, has always thrived due to its ability to pivot toward (and invite discussions on) the next big thing. At times that's been Touchscreen, The AppStores, Subscriptions, Battle Passes, Microtransactions, Webstores, XR as well as slightly more controversial recent topics like NFTs, Blockchain and AI. AI has always been a core part of how video games innovate (Intelligence is, of course, in the eye of the beholder and 'pathfinding', 'adaptive programming' and 'procedural generation' are all AI, to gaming's original definition). However, as the world's major search provider (as well as some more questionable entities) attempts to replace the human-written word with generated content it's made things trickier for outlets. AI slop ( ) is making it tougher and tougher, and that's why so many outlets are moving to deliberately making 'more human' content rather than trying to content against both the slop, and the churn of larger guide sites. We're there with them. We saw Apple's privacy sandbox completely shake up how advertising worked (as it turns out, people WILL opt out of sharing data when given the choice), which changed how targeted ads work and shook up the hypercasual landscape. We also had Epic's war on the Duopoly continue, and it broke ground too, with them triggering the EU's lust for regulation and moderation as well as their (pretty respectful in 2024) dislike of monopolies. However, it's increasingly clear that Epic's war to open up the ecosystem is going to cost them (and their Tencent backers) a lot over time, and is going to be years of gruelling, trench-warfare battles. Apple opening up in the EU is a success, but other regional and national governments aren't as particular as the EU. That said, just two weeks back Epic landed a massive goal that only a few outlets covered: (o2, Movistar, Vivo). While it's not Epic's clear ultimate goal - the ability to be freely downloaded and used on all mobile devices, without any restrictions or charges - it does skip that step by having it preinstalled on phones. For us here in the UK, (and subsequently Epic's) sphere of influence to Virgin Media, Vodafone and Three - all major players. While a Telefónica deal doesn't instantly prep paper for that preinstall situation to spread further, it certainly opens doors, and I know we'll see more on that in 2025. A few years on we had Apple and Google's own App Stores. The internet was flourishing and phone technology had rocketed forward - we had full web browsers and easy interfacing with our smartphones. Then came the APK stores, and eventually alternative webstores. However, sideloading aside, we also recently started to see streaming and subscriptions on the rise. In 2025 we'll have titles like Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero and Infinity Nikki out and on the market, all of them having players who freely strafe between mobile and PC. At the same time, games that cut their teeth on mobile - like Clash of Clans and Subway Surfers - are now available on PC through . I played Netease's Badlanders and Lilith's Rise of Kingdoms both on my PC and phone. Next year we'll see Microsoft's store launch after its delay , the giant took , not long before launching their , which posited that everything from phone to PC (anything with a browser) will be able to access the Xbox ecosystem. This happened while Nintendo kept playing with mobile, Sega doubled down into the space (they Rovio) and most major publishers keep expanding into the space. That and, let's not forget, Microsoft now have not only Activision & Blizzard, but King. A lot of this isn't new, of course. We've been talking about big names getting into mobile for years, but people haven't really put their finger on the why. It's not just because mobile is often the battleground for new mechanics and monetisation techniques, but it's because you can scale mobile up to console, to PC and beyond... scaling PC or console down though... that's harder. So, now that everything (Discord, Netflix, Telegram, The New York Times... even LinkedIn) is a platform, and - through Microsoft and friends - is back, and Instant Games are on the rise, and subscriptions are more relevant than ever. Mobile gaming going to change, but it's going to be those inside the ecosystem that are going to be leading it, using these other technologies. If you look at popular 2018 turn-based strategy (and a personal favourite of our COO) Into the Breach you can see the single-screen singularity that we're entering into. You can play it on Switch, you can play it on iOS and Android and you can play it on Xbox, Playstation and PC too. This is facilitated by self-publishing and a string of partnerships, but critically, through casting from your phone, you can play it on everything from your phone to a cinema (or, probably bigger if you have a nice projector). You can, of course, run it natively through one of the other devices. As that little device in your hand gets smarter and more powerful, it's likely to wedge out most other, slower-moving gaming mediums like consoles - although I don't think 2025 is going to be the year for that. I do think that something that we'll be watching closely here at Pocket Gamer is how the Steam Deck encourages 'high tech, big budget' publishers to adopt a generational 'minimum' spec similar to console generations, and what that'll mean for wider adoption of 'mobile' teams and philosophies for 'mainstream' development. Anyway, 2024 is coming to a close and we've had a bumpy year, but the future is looking bright and exciting. Maybe we never left the creative 'wild west' in this industry, and it's time to fully embrace that again, especially here in the wild world of mobile.

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