Microsoft has explained the benefits of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Defending champions South Africa beat a hard-hitting Tonga 49-18 in Marseille on Sunday to bag a crucial bonus-point victory that leaves them atop Pool B and with one...

Christine Sinclair missed a penalty and the chance to make World Cup history as Olympic champions Canada were held to a 0-0 draw by Nigeria on Friday. Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie secured a valuable point for Nigeria, leaving Group B wide open, as she saved Sinclair’s penalty in the 50th minute at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. Sinclair is bidding to become the first player to score in six World Cups. It means both teams trail Group B leaders Australia after Steph Catley’s penalty earned the co-hosts a narrow victory over the Republic of Ireland on the opening day. New Zealand claimed their first ever World Cup win, at their 16th attempt, as Hannah Wilkinson’s goal shocked group favourites Norway at a sold-out Eden Park. Day two sees Switzerland take on World Cup debutants Philippines before Spain face Costa Rica in the opening match of Group C. Follow the latest World Cup scores, updates and news in today’s live blog Read More Australia relief after Women’s World Cup opener reveals significance of Sam Kerr injury New Zealand’s historic moment gives Women’s World Cup the spark it needed How to watch every Women’s World Cup match on TV

The Los Angeles City Controller's office is investigating after NBCUniversal severely trimmed a row of trees outside its studios where members of SAG-AFTRA were picketing company executives, eliminating shade during a searing heatwave.

Chris Rock and Diplo seemingly made a lucky escape from the Burning Man chaos that left tens of thousands of festivalgoers stranded. Heavy rain forced nearby roads to be closed, and those in attendance have been urged to conserve food and take shelter. "The Gate and airport in and out of Black Rock City remain closed," X/Twitter account Burning Man Traffic wrote. "Ingress and egress are halted until further notice. No driving is permitted except emergency vehicles. If you are in BRC, conserve food, water, and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space. More updates to come." In what some have jokingly called a "simulation glitch," Diplo took to Instagram to share a clip from the day. It showed him and Rock riding in the back of a pickup truck after walking six miles in the mud. Diplo wrote: "I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz i have a show in dc tonight and didn't want to let yall down. Also shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck not knowing it was for this exact moment (sic)". In the video, the 44-year-old joked that all Rock "could think about was a f***ing cold brew." Hundreds of fans flocked to the clip, with one writing: "Nobody gon believe em when he tells this story at the bar 'Yea Diplo AND Chris Rock surrrrre' (sic)". "Imagine picking up Diplo and Chris Rock just casually trekking through the desert lol," another added, while a third called their escape "absolutely wild and iconic at the same time." Meanwhile, a fourth joked: "I love that Rock is wearing the most non-Burning Man outfit ever. Legend." The comedian also updated fans on the grim Burning Man scenes via his Instagram Stories. In one, he explained that "because of the flooding, the port-o-potties reportedly can’t be emptied and because the gates are closed, people can’t get in to fill generators or deliver supplies." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The nation’s midsection is heading into the July Fourth weekend and instead of enjoying the start of summer people are facing smoky haze, high temperatures and powerful derecho winds that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of residents

The Dodgers postseason rotation is in one of the most interesting and complicated spots this October.

Apple is expected to release its next-generation iPhone 15 smartphone on 22 September despite rumoured shortages, according to reports. The release date will follow an unveiling event for the iPhone 15 on 12 September or 13 September, Bloomberg reported, which will also see other Apple hardware announced. A separate report from 9to5Mac suggests the launch will take place on Wednesday, 13 September, as mobile carriers have requested that workers not to take that day off due to a major smartphone announcement. Most iPhone launches typically take place on the second Tuesday of September, with the official release taking place later in the month, however last year the unveiling took place on a Wednesday. The switch came amid significant supply disruptions that forced Apple to delay sales of its iPhone 14 Plus to October. Previous rumours surrounding Apple’s 2023 iPhone event suggested at least one of the iPhone 15 models will be delayed due to “severe shortages”. The supply issues relate to a new screen design that is expected to be introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, according to The Information. The premium models will feature a much narrower bezel – the border around the device’s screen – but require a new manufacturing process that Apple has struggled with. Other updates expected for the iPhone 15 include a mysterious button on its side, which could function as a customisable ‘action button’ to allow owners to programme it to perform a variety of tasks. The possible customisations will be camera, flashlight, focus, magnifier, translate, accessibility, shortcuts, silent mode and voice memos, according to Macrumours. Sales of iPhones have dipped this year, Apple’s latest financial results revealed, with analysts blaming “waning growth in the smartphone market”. The Independent has reached out to Apple for comment on the latest reports, though the US tech giant does not typically comment on leaks and rumours relating to unreleased products. Read More Apple iPhone 15 rumours: Pro and Pro Max release date, price, cameras, specs and more

ChatGPT creator OpenAI Inc. is stealing “vast amounts” of personal information to train its artificial intelligence models in

Ludwig Ahgren’s Offbrand supports content creators with their events and the new hires are expected to help the firm in this direction

Recent reports suggest the Florida governor's 2024 candidacy is imminent after he recently attempted to rebrand his political committee

(This Nov. 6 story has been refiled to fix the reference to Snapchat's policy on political ads, in paragraph 11)