Hideo Kojima has received an overwhelming response for his latest video game,   Death Stranding  .

While gaming aficionados  heaped praise on the Japanese game designer , writer, director and producer, there was one person who didn’t like it one bit. 

Game vlogger, videogamedunky (Dunkview), was ruthless in his criticism, going as far as to calling it a bad game.

Some users, after watching his vlog, were forced to think whether it was one of  his harshest  criticism for a title in a while.

“The game never looked interesting to me. The trailers all seemed to be super convoluted. The story seems like a mess to me,” wrote a user while commenting on the Youtuber’s review of  Death Stranding.

Some fans found the criticism too harsh and hit back at the vlogger, with one saying “I get he doesn’t like the game. that’s fine, but to say things that just aren’t true is very disappointing.”

As the war of words raged on in the comment section of the vlogger’s review posted on Reddit, fans showered praise on Kojima on Twitter. 

The Japanese video game director has retweeted multiple tweets .

LAHORE: The sudden spike in Air Quality Index (AQI) in Lahore, Faisalabad and Gujranwala has forced authorities to announce school closure amid concerns from the citizens.

This is the second instance in the past 30 days that the Punjab government has declared a holiday due to extraordinary smog levels.

According to the notification, November 22 has been declared a holiday at all the public and private schools.

US television personality Angelina Pivarnick tied the knot with Chris Larangeira at the Park Château Estate & Gardens in East Brunswick, New Jersey on Wednesday.

Close friends and family of members of The Jersey Shore star attended the wedding ceremony.

The 33-year-old reality star Angelina and beau Chris Larangeira got engaged in January 2018 after a year of dating.

According to media reports, Jersey Shore co-stars Deena Cortese, Jenni ‘JWoww’ Farley and Nicole ‘Snooki’ LaValle served as bridesmaids.

 She recently celebrated bridal shower attended by Jersey Shore: Family Vacation co-star Deena Nicole and others.

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My lovely bridesmaids and maid of honor. Thank you for such a special day today. I wouldn’t of done it without you guys. @deenanicole @carissataub @dolceaestheticsny @alana_brooke12 thank u @2oakproductions for djin this party @booth_babe for capturing our photos @thebeautysuiteny @anjali_artistry for makeup and @angelhairext @lauras_extensions for my amazing hair. @elle_newyork for the display of my robes. @confectionsofarockstar for my amazing cake I loved it. My amazing dress @ladyblacktie I loved everything everyone !!! Thank you I couldn’t thank everyone enough ️️️️ #bridalshower #love

A post shared by AnGeLiNa MARiE (@angelinamtv) on Oct 26, 2019 at 4:29pm PDT

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I felt the love in the room ️. Thank you to everyone that came to share this special day with me. I love you all and I can’t wait for the wedding ️️️ #bridalshower #love #thankful Thank you @booth_babe @tapsnap1165 for capturing these beautiful photos on my special day . @g_g_fauxfinish_designs @daniellao @emmynicole1692

A post shared by AnGeLiNa MARiE (@angelinamtv) on Oct 28, 2019 at 7:45pm PDT

Photo: FilesJamaat-E-Islami (JI) Senator Siraj ul Haq on Wednesday   said the nation demands adequate action from the government instead of mere speeches. 

“Nation demands actions not mere speech from this government,” he said.

He accused the PTI-led government of  being terrified with actual accountability. 

“PTI is frightened of genuine accountability in the country,” the JI chief said.

“People want a revolution. The re-shuffling of ministers will have no effect on the nation’s current state,” he added.

Siraj said that the government which could not provide relief to people in one-and-a-half year won’t be able to do much.

He also blamed the government for ‘weakening’ democracy in the country.

“Government moves one step forward and two-step backwards. Due to their [government] political differences, they have weakened democracy in the country,” he noted.

“Decisions are still made from behind the curtains and to save democracy a deadlock between the opposition is inevitable.”

Siraj said that this government and its predecessors had increased Karachi’s problems. 

LA PAZ: Bolivia´s interim President Jeanine Anez said Wednesday she is preparing to call elections in the coming hours, after deadly unrest following the resignation of Evo Morales and the disputed October 20 ballot.

The announcement comes as the number of people killed in clashes with security forces at a fuel plant near La Paz on Tuesday rose to eight, officials said, taking the total death toll since last month´s vote to 32.

Morales, who fled to Mexico after resigning November 10, accused the Bolivian security forces of engaging in “genocide” against his indigenous supporters, and called for action by the international community.

The government earlier released an audio recording of a person it alleged to be Morales ordering a member of the opposition movement to continue road blockades around the landlocked country.

For weeks his supporters have been obstructing main roads leading from agricultural regions to La Paz and other major cities, causing severe food and fuel shortages.

“God willing, today, in the morning, we will call elections as the entire country is demanding,” Anez told reporters.

The Washington-based Organization of American States, which audited last month´s elections and found “irregularities,” on Wednesday approved a resolution calling on Bolivia to “urgently” hold a new vote.

It is not clear if new elections will be ordered by presidential decree or by law that would need to be approved by Congress, where Morales´ Movement for Socialism party holds a majority.

Unrest in Bolivia first erupted after Morales — the country´s first indigenous president — was accused of rigging the results of last month´s polls to gain reelection.

He resigned and fled to Mexico after losing the support of the security forces.

Anez, the 52-year-old former deputy speaker of the Senate, declared herself the country´s interim president last week, filling a vacuum left by Morales´ departure and the resignations of several ministers.

Since Morales stepped down, his supporters have demonstrated daily in the streets of La Paz and in some provincial cities to demand Anez´s departure.

Interior Minister Arturo Murillo played a telephone recording to journalists on Wednesday, allegedly of Morales issuing instructions to a leader of the opposition movement in Bolivia.

“Don´t let food into the cities, we´re going to block, really encircle (the cities),” says the voice Murillo attributed to Morales.

Morales´ order was a “crime against humanity,” Murillo told reporters, accusing the ex-president of “terrorism.”

“In the coming hours we will file an international lawsuit on this,” Murillo said.

• Deadly violence –

Speaking to reporters in Mexico on Wednesday, Morales urged the international community to intervene to stop what he called a “genocide” in Bolivia.

“This massacre … is part of a genocide that is happening in our beloved Bolivia,” Morales told a press conference in Mexico City.

The deadliest clashes occurred Friday in the central city of Cochabamba — a stronghold for Morales — where nine people were killed in a confrontation with the army and police.

On Tuesday, deadly violence erupted in El Alto when security forces lifted a siege on a fuel plant that had caused severe shortages in the nearby capital.

The attorney general´s office said eight people died in those clashes. The initial death toll had been three, with dozens more wounded.

A spokesman for the ombudsman´s office said earlier two of those killed had been hit by gunfire, including a 31-year old man.

The army said in a statement that “agitators and vandals” had attacked and partially destroyed the Senkata fuel plant, “using high-powered explosives.”

A convoy of around 50 fuel tankers was able to leave the Senkata plant for the first time in more than a week after police and military forces using armored vehicles secured the route to neighboring La Paz.

Morales supporters erected barricades around the El Alto plant last week to protest what they said was a coup by Anez.

Many businesses in El Alto remained closed Wednesday morning, an AFP reporter said.

LONDON: Prince Andrew on Wednesday said he was cancelling his public engagements, as the outcry over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein showed no sign of abating.

Queen Elizabeth II´s second son has been under pressure since a television interview broadcast Saturday in which he defended his links to the disgraced financier, who was found dead in a New York prison in August.

An increasing number of organisations and initiatives backed by Prince Andrew have said they were not renewing or would review their support because of the revelations.

Andrew, 59, said in an emailed statement he now recognised that his links to Epstein had become a “major disruption” to the royal family and the charities and organisations associated with it.

“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty (the Queen) if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission,” he added.

“I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein.

“His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure.

“I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”

– Warning from BT –

British telecoms giant BT earlier Wednesday threatened to end its backing for an awards scheme unless the royal was dropped as patron.

Since the interview aired, the prince has been accused of lacking empathy for Epstein´s victims. Racist comments he made in the past have also been raised and there have been questions about his lavish taxpayer-funded lifestyle.

Some British media outlets have suggested that what is developing into the most high-profile royal scandal in years could even make it a second “Annus Horribilis” for the ageing monarch.

The queen used the term in a 1992 speech to refer to a year in which her Windsor Castle residence caught fire, both Andrew and her eldest son and heir Charles separated from their respective wives, and her only daughter, Anne, got divorced.

Last month, her grandson Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, announced plans to sue media outlets for alleged phone hacking and breach of privacy.

– [email protected] ditched –

The BT warning on Wednesday came after three Australian universities — Bond, Murdoch and RMIT — severed ties with Prince Andrew´s [email protected] charity to promote entrepreneurship.

Several UK-based businesses, including Standard Chartered and KPMG, have already announced they will not renew their support for the [email protected] initiative.

London Metropolitan University was among others to say it would review the position of Andrew as its patron at its board of governors meeting next week.

Epstein, 66, was found dead in New York´s Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10 as he awaited trial on allegations that he trafficked girls as young as 14 for sex.

In the television interview, Andrew denied having sex with a 17-year-old girl allegedly procured by the disgraced millionaire financier.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn both expressed sympathy for Epstein´s victims during a televised general election debate on Tuesday night.

Asked further if the monarchy was “fit for purpose”, Johnson said only that it was “beyond reproach”. Veteran socialist Corbyn said it “needs a bit of improvement”.

Buckingham Palace has not commented directly on Andrew´s interview.

But a spokesman said the prince would be continuing his work supporting entrepreneurship, science, technology, young people and skills.

On the racism claims, one of which was made by a former British interior minister Jacqui Smith, the spokesman said Andrew had worked in the Middle East for years and had many friends from the region.

“He does not tolerate racism in any form,” he added.

Two outside lawyers hired by the D.C. Council to conduct an investigation of council member Jack Evans went before the ad hoc committee Tuesday to take questions about their report, which found numerous violations of ethics rules.

Attorneys Steve Bunnell and David Leviss, with the law firm O’Melveny & Myers, both spoke about their report.

Asked by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson if their investigation found anything criminal, Bunnell said no, and explained that they weren’t looking for that.

“Our job was to see if there was a violation of the code of conduct, not to put together an indictment for a criminal case,” Bunnell said.

But later on in the meeting, Leviss said: “If somebody’s reporting that we found there were no criminal violations, that’s an incorrect conclusion from our report.”

Council member Charles Allen asked why the attorneys did not interview Evans under oath.

“I’ve been a prosecutor, I’ve used grand juries, I’ve used FBI agents, guys with guns and everything,” Bunnell said. “We were looking for an environment where we could get as much cooperation and get people to feel comfortable talking. We tried to avoid a dynamic where people were worried about making a misstatement, or misremembering something. We did not want to play gotcha, and formality is nice, but it can be chilling.”

Council member David Grosso said he believes Evans committed crimes and should be expelled from council.

“We can no longer believe Jack Evans when he says he’s doing the work of the people, when the evidence shows he’s only been concerned with padding his own pockets. Council member Evans admits it himself in the transcripts of his first interview. He did all this for the general financial benefit, and his greed knows no bounds. This is not only public corruption, but I believe this is a criminal act; and there’s no question in my mind that he should be expelled from this body,” Grosso said.

Ad Hoc Committee Chairman Mary Cheh said the next step is for the committee to hear directly from Evans, and that will happen Dec. 3.

Cheh said the committee also needs to consider whether to conduct an independent investigation beyond what’s already been done.

“My sense is that there’s not a particular appetite to do that, but we don’t have a quorum to have an actual vote on that, and I’d like to nail that down with a vote. So what I may do is bring that up at our meeting when we have Mr. Evans come in,” she said.

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Philadelphia-based incubator chain 1776 has officially announced that its D.C. campus — which has been operating since August — is open.

The location, which occupies 15,000 square feet at 740 15th St. NW, takes up the entire eighth floor of the building and features the standard on-demand and reserved desks, private offices and a 200-person event space. We first reported over the summer on 1776’s planned sublease deal with New America, a public policy think tank, and wrote extensively about the new D.C. location here.

The official announcement comes three months after startups first moved into the space in the beginning of August, and 1776 has since been advertising the location to entrepreneurs interested in joining. It also listed Sam Johnson as manager of its Lafayette Square campus on its own website.

The partnership with New America fits in with the strategy of the current leadership of 1776, which is to partner with existing landlords and manage space on their behalf, as opposed…

Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.

A Catholic priest who faces more than 45 years in prison when he’s sentenced Friday for sexually abusing two girls is maintaining his innocence, telling a judge he “was too busy to do a crazy thing.”

Urbano Vazquez, 47, was found guilty of child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances for sexually assaulting two girls from his parish — 13 and 9 years old — between 2015 and 2017, while Vazquez was an assistant pastor at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Northwest D.C.

On Friday, Vazquez will be sentenced by Circuit Judge Juliet McKenna, who oversaw his jury trial.

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In a pre-sentencing memo, defense attorney Robert Bonsib asked McKenna to consider Vazquez’s lack of previous criminal record, years of service in the religious community, as well as punishment already endured.

The defense’s plea included a nine-page handwritten note from Vazquez to the judge. In the letter, Vazquez detailed his life story: from being born in Mexico, participating in volunteer work and his religious training to being ordained a priest five years ago in Pittsburgh.

After being transferred to Sacred Heart, located at the junction of the Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights neighborhoods, his duties include leading wedding masses, funerals, first communions, confirmations and hearing confessions.

However, Vazquez’s note made no mention of his victims, or the crimes he was convicted of committing.

“Your honor, as you can see, I was too busy to do a crazy thing,” Vazquez wrote.

In contrast, Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Matt Williams said Vazquez is an unrepentant “serial sexual predator.” Williams is seeking a prison sentence of 20 years, six months.

“The defendant’s affect while sexually abusing these children suggests he is a pedophile who is a danger to the community. Each victim testified that when the defendant was touching them, he acted like there was nothing unusual or wrong with what was going on. He did not speak, did not apologize, and did not react. It was as if the victims were there simply to satisfy his repressed, yet powerful, sexual desires.”

Williams said by taking the witness stand in his own defense and not acknowledging criminal behavior, Vazquez added insult to the victims’ injuries.

“He swore that the young girls whose lives he changed forever were liars,” Williams wrote. “It takes a depraved — and dangerously manipulative — person to do that.”

Williams reacted to Vazquez’s denial, calling it “almost comical,” and said only an extended prison sentence would protect the public.

“The defendant cannot be reformed by mental health treatment — he has no diagnosis nor evident need for medication. Instead, the defendant suffers from his commitment to a prideful, self-destructive course where he cannot acknowledge even a scintilla of personal fault,” according to prosecutors.

In the defense’s packet presented to the judge, Bonsib laid out more reasons for a reduced sentence for his client.

“All of the positive things he has done in his life are now overshadowed by these offenses of which he has been adjudged guilty,” wrote Bonsib. “As a registered sex offender, Mr. Vazquez will continue to face this punishment for the rest of his life.”

Bonsib asked for a “short-split sentence at the low end of the sentencing guidelines, followed by a period of probation.” According to the D.C. Sentencing Commission, in a short-split sentence, a judge imposes a sentence within the applicable prison range, suspends execution of all but six months or less — but not all of it — and places the defendant on probation up to five years.

Bonsib said Vazquez’s age at the time of his first crime, as well as his college degree, puts him at low risk for re-offending.

“As evidenced by the life he led prior to the offenses, Mr. Vazquez is not a danger to the community. He is a generous and caring person who strove to help those in need and enjoyed doing it,” Bonsib wrote.

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