Sugoi Co are excited to announce the home entertainment release of the hit anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Blu-ray to audiences in Australia and New Zealand in 2025. Created in collaboration with studio TRIGGER, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners premiered on Netflix in 2022 and quickly became an international hit, garnering various awards including the prestigious Anime of the Year from the Anime Awards 2023. Set in the universe of CD PROJEKT RED’s best-selling video game Cyberpunk 2077, it tells the standalone story of David Martinez, a street kid trying to survive in the technology and body modification-obsessed megalopolis of Night City. Discover the standalone, ten-episode story of street kid David Martinez trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future — soon available in a physical format! Details of various editions and pricing will be available at a later date. More information about Cyberpunk: Edgerunners can be found on the official website and X.
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In an era of rising authoritarianism, at the heels of a six-hour martial law decree that unfolded while many South Koreans slept, something noteworthy happened: Democracy held. The past week in Seoul, officials and academics warn, is what a threat to democracy looks like in 2024. It's a democratically-elected president declaring martial law over the nation he leads, asserting sweeping powers to prevent opposition demonstrations, ban political parties and control the media. It's members of the military attempting to block lawmakers from exercising their power to vote on cancelling the power grab. And here's what it took to defeat President Yoon Suk Yeol 's lurch toward government by force: Unified popular support for democracy. Legislators storming the National Assembly past midnight, live-streaming themselves climbing over fences. A politician grabbing at a soldier's rifle and yelling “Aren't you ashamed?” until he retreated. And finally, decisively, Parliament assembling a quorum and voting unanimously to cancel martial law. It was a victory for a hard-won democracy — and for the idea that checks and balances among branches of government must work to counteract each other's ambitions, as the American founders wrote in the Federalist Papers in 1788. But as the drama played out in Seoul, the scaffolding of democracy rattled around the world. In other countries, the grab for power might have worked. Other would-be authoritarians might have been better prepared than Yoon. In deeply polarized societies — the United States, for example, where Republicans are staunchly loyal to president-elect Donald Trump — there might not have been decisive support from the public or the opposition. The military might have used force. And the members of the legislature might not have voted as one to snuff out the attempted takeover. “President Yoon's attempt to declare martial law reveals the fragility of the rule of law in divided societies, especially those with governments in which the chief executive cannot be easily dismissed by the legislature," said Tom Pepinsky, a government professor at Cornell University who studies backsliding among democracies in Southeast Asia. Notably, he said in an email, “No members of President Yoon’s own party were willing to defend his actions in public." Nevertheless, Yoon’s surprise attempt to impose martial law revealed both the fragility and resilience of the country’s democratic system. Within three hours of his stunning announcement to impose military rule — claiming the opposition was “paralyzing” state affairs — 190 lawmakers voted to cancel his actions. In so doing, they demonstrated the strength of the country’s democratic checks and balances. Yoon’s authoritarian push, carried out by hundreds of heavily armed troops with Blackhawk helicopters and armored vehicles sent to the National Assembly, harked back to an era of dictatorial presidents. The country’s democratic transition in the late 1980s came after years of massive protests by millions that eventually overcame violent suppressions by military rulers. Civilian presence was again crucial in shaping the events following Yoon’s late night television announcement on Tuesday. Thousands of people flocked to the National Assembly, shouting slogans for martial law to be lifted and Yoon to step down from power. There were no reports of violent clashes as troops and police officers. “We restored democracy without having a single casualty this time,” said Seol Dong-hoon, a sociology professor at South Korea’s Jeonbuk National University. It’s virtually impossible for any leader of a democracy to pull off a transition toward martial law without a public willing to support it, or at least tolerate it. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, attracted millions of views as he began live-streaming his journey to the National Assembly, pleading for people to converge to the parliament to help lawmakers get inside. The shaky footage later shows him exiting his car climbing over a fence to get onto the grounds. The vote at the National Assembly was also broadcast live on the YouTube channel of Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik, who also had to scale a fence to get in. Yoon’s sense of crisis clearly wasn’t shared by the public, whose opinions, Seol said, were shaped predominantly by the shocking videos broadcast to their devices. “Ultimately, democracy is all about moving public opinion,” he said. “What was most crucial in this case was that everything was broadcast live on smartphones, YouTube and countless other media.” Opposition lawmakers are now pushing to remove Yoon from office, saying he failed to meet the constitutional requirement that martial law should only be considered in wartime or a comparable severe crisis — and that he unlawfully deployed troops to the National Assembly. On Saturday, an opposition-led impeachment motion failed after most lawmakers from Yoon’s party boycotted the vote. Yet the president’s troubles persist: The vote’s defeat is expected to intensify nationwide protests and deepen South Korea’s political turmoil, with opposition parties preparing to introduce another impeachment motion when parliament reconvenes next Wednesday. Han Sang-hie, a law professor at Seoul’s Konkuk University, said the martial law debacle highlights what he sees as the most crucial flaw of South Korea’s democracy: that it places too much power in the hands of the president, which is easily abused and often goes unchecked. Political scientists call what happened in South Korea an “autogolpe” — a “self-coup” — defined as one led by incumbent leaders themselves, in which an executive takes or sponsors illegal actions against others in the government. Yoon qualifies because he used troops to try to shut down South Korea's legislature. Self-coups are increasing, with a third of the 46 since 1945 occurring in the past decade, according to a study by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Penn State University. About 80% of self-coups succeed, they reported. In 2021, a power grab by Tunisian President Kais Saied raised similar concerns around the world after the country designed a democracy from scratch and won a Nobel Peace Prize after a largely bloodless revolution. In the United States, some have expresed worry about similar situations arising during the second administration of Donald Trump. He has vowed, after all, to shake some of democracy's pillars . He's mused that he would be justified if he decided to pursue “the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.” That’s in contrast to the oath of office he took in 2017, and will again next year, to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” as best he can. Nearly half of voters in the Nov. 5 election, which Trump won, said they were “very concerned” that another Trump presidency would bring the U.S. closer to authoritarianism, according to AP Votecast survey data. Asked before a live audience on Fox News Channel in 2023 to assure Americans that he would not abuse power or use the presidency to seek retribution against anyone, Trump replied, “except for day one," when he'll close the border and “drill, drill, drill.” After that, Trump said, "I'm not a dictator.” Kellman reported from London.Apple Inc. AAPL and Sony Corporation SNE are reportedly joining hands to augment the gaming capabilities of the Vision Pro . Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman in his latest weekly “Power On” newsletter has said the enhancement will come through the addition of support for Sony’s PSVR2 controllers. Gurman has said that the partnership was initially scheduled to be announced weeks prior but “will still come at some point — unless it gets abruptly scrapped.” The collaboration entails Apple commencing the sale of Sony’s controllers, which are currently not available for individual purchase. Gurman believes this move could be a game-changer for Vision Pro users who are looking for an elevated gaming experience. Sony has been diligently working on this support for several months, while Apple has been engaging with third-party developers to gauge their interest in using Sony’s VR controllers. Apple approached Sony earlier this year, and the duo agreed to work together on launching support for the PlayStation VR2's hand controllers on the Vision Pro. Inside Sony, the work has been a monthslong undertaking, I'm told. And Apple has discussed the plan with third-party... Also Read: Apple Eyes Meta For Potentially Game-Changing AI Partnership: Report Gurman hints that Apple’s plans for the controllers extend beyond gaming. The controllers could be utilized to navigate visionOS and offer more accurate controls in applications such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe Photoshop. Despite potential concerns raised by the Vision Pro’s sales figures and Apple’s past relationships with game publishers, the unique nature of VR and the evident demand from the community suggest a promising future for this collaboration. According to him, the partnership between Apple and Sony marks a significant step in the evolution of gaming on the Vision Pro. By integrating Sony’s PSVR2 controllers, Apple is not only enhancing the gaming experience but also expanding the functionality of the controllers to navigate its operating system and applications. This move could potentially attract more third-party developers to the platform, further enriching the ecosystem. The collaboration also indicates a shift in Apple’s approach towards gaming, hinting at a more inclusive and immersive gaming experience for its users. Read Next Apple’s Tabletop Robot: The Future Of Home Technology Or A Potential Misstep? © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The mood in the Eagles' locker room was a bit more bleak than it should have been for a team riding a nine-game winning streak and celebrating a franchise rushing record. Former 1,000-yard receiver DeVonta Smith — who caught a touchdown pass and not much else — was exasperated at the offensive no-show. A.J. Brown, who holds a slew of team receiving records, had as much to offer in his sour postgame interview as he did on the field when he was held to four catches. This was the sullen attitude of a team still in the hunt for a top seed in the NFC? Here's the good news for the Philadelphia: Saquon Barkley rushed for 124 yards to break the Eagles season record , and Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score in Sunday's 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers. Barkley's consistent brilliance aside, Hurts and the Eagles slogged through another rough offensive outing. “Everybody has a reason to want more,” Hurts said. The Eagles (11-2) maintained their position as the No. 2 team in the NFC, behind Detroit (12-1), after a mostly lethargic effort against the Panthers (3-10). Hurts’ passing numbers were a pedestrian 14 of 21 for 108 yards. Brown had four catches for 43 yards — and threw his helmet in anger after a three-and-out — and Smith had four catches for 37 yards. What do the Eagles need to improve on? “Passing,” Brown deadpanned. How tough was it for the receivers to find a rhythm? “Incredibly tough,” he said. Hurts didn't do enough to get Smith and Brown involved, one reason why the lowly Panthers stayed in striking distance until the final possession. He took four sacks. He held the ball too long as open receivers ran with their arms up trying to get their QB's attention. “I play my role in how we execute,” Hurts said. “But ultimately it's about what position we put ourselves in. It's not my choice.” That message will surely reverberate through coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore's offices this week. “I think that’s fair that the questions are about our pass game right now,” Sirianni said. The Eagles at least had Barkley to bail them out. Barkley added another milestone in his MVP push when he used a 9-yard run in the fourth quarter to surpass LeSean McCoy's Eagles record of 1,607 yards, set in 2013. Barkley now has 1,623 yards with four games left. “How cool is it that we have a team rushing record in Week 13?” Sirianni said. Hurts had flashes of form, like when he hit Grant Calcaterra with a 4-yard TD pass and Barkley ran in the 2-point conversion for a 22-16 lead early in the fourth. Bryce Young gamely moved the Panthers into Eagles territory on the final drive. He completed a 13-yard pass on fourth down that moved the ball to the 38, and a second-down pass to Xavier Legette gave the Eagles a brief scare when the receiver seemed to have the ball in the end zone. He didn't. Young eluded a pass rush on fourth down but his final attempt was incomplete. He finished 19 of 34 for 191 yards. Panthers coach Dave Canales said Legette “absolutely” had to make the catch. “That’s a big play we’re counting on. He’d be the first one to tell you he’s got to make that play,” Canales said. “Bryce steps up, makes a beautiful throw in the situation. We had the coverage we wanted, all that. Those are the plays that we’ve just got to find a way to make for us to get back on the winning column.” A 12 1/2-point underdog according to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Panthers played more like a team with playoff seeding at stake. Chuba Hubbard, who rushed for 92 yards and topped 1,000 on the season, made it 16-14 on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. Eddy Pineiro, who kicked a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter, missed the extra point. Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was examined earlier for a concussion, changed the game late in the second quarter when he picked off Young’s deep pass at Philadelphia’s 41. Hurts scrambled 15 yards on the next drive and finished it with a 4-yard TD pass to Smith for a 14-10 lead. Gardner-Johnson’s pick bailed out an uneven effort by the Eagles. They failed to score on their opening drive for the 13th time this season, but the offensive bursts that usually follow never came. Hurts scored on tush push early in the second quarter, his 13th rushing score of the season, for a 7-3 lead. With nothing to lose, the Panthers went for it on fourth-and-3, and Young hit Tommy Tremble for a 3-yard TD and a 10-7 advantage. The Eagles did just enough. Their challenge now is getting the receivers' production up — and getting them happy — headed into the postseason. “Let the dissatisfaction fuel you for more,” Hurts said. “I think that’s always a fair place to be. And so we know there’s more out there for us, and we’re in pursuit of trying to find it.” Panthers kickoff and punt returner Raheem Blackshear suffered a chest injury. ... RB Jonathon Brooks left with a right knee injury — the same knee in which he tore the ACL last year with Texas. The Panthers had been very cautious bringing the second-round pick along. ... CB Jaycee Horn hurt his groin. Panthers: Host Dallas next Sunday. Eagles: Host cross-state rival Pittsburgh next Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflTrump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office
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