A Russian chess champion has been accused of trying to poison her opponent during a recent tournament. The brazen move allegedly was caught on video. Amina Abakarova, 40, faces a possible lifetime ban and potential criminal proceedings, NBC News reported.'The actions she committed could have led to the saddest outcome.'The incident occurred last Friday inside the tournament room of the Dagestan Chess Championship in Makhachkala, the capital of Russia's Republic of Dagestan.Security video purportedly shows Abakarova entering the room with a bag about 20 minutes before the tournament was set to begin. The 34-second surveillance clip appears to show Abakarova spreading a substance over one of the chessboards. Sazhid Sazhidov — Dagestan’s sports minister — released a statement on the Telegram messaging app Wednesday alleging that Abakarova, who has won the tournament before, spread a substance that later turned out to contain mercury, NBC News reported.The Russian Chess Federation issued a statement Wednesday describing the situation as "an attempt to poison a participant in the championship of the Republic of Dagestan in Makhachkala."The target of the alleged attempted poisoning was Abakarova's rival – 30-year-old Umayganat Osmanova.About 30 minutes into a tournament match, Osmanova allegedly fell ill with nausea and dizziness. She reportedly required medical attention. "I still feel bad. In the first minutes, I felt a lack of air and a taste of iron in my mouth. I had to spend about five hours on this board. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t seen it earlier," Osmanova told Russia Today.Osmanova added to Russian newspaper Izvestia that she noticed "some tiny balls" rolling out from under her board. She initially had no idea what they were but soon realized they could have been mercury, after which she notified chess officials. Chess.com reported that Osmanova recovered from the alleged attempted poisoning and finished second in the tournament. Abakarova allegedly was expelled after the fourth round.Russian outlet RTVI reported that Abakarova allegedly said she wanted to "knock her opponent out of the tournament." However, a police report claimed that Abakarova meant to scare her opponent and not actually harm her. According to the New York Post, Abakarova later admitted to the poisoning and allegedly confessed to police that she had broken a thermometer and smeared mercury across the chessboard. Police have detained Abakarova, who now faces up to three years in jail, according to the Mirror. Andrey Filatov — president of the Russian Chess Federation — said the organization had temporarily suspended Abakarova from all competitions until a law enforcement investigation is completed. ABC News reported that Sazhidov stated, "I am perplexed by what happened, and the motives that guided such an experienced athlete as Amina Abakarova are also incomprehensible to me.""The actions she committed could have led to the saddest outcome. They threatened the lives of everyone who was in the chess house, including herself," Sazhidov added. "Now she will have to answer for what she did before the law."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A BBC announcer corrected her colleague for using the wrong pronouns for American shot putter Raven Saunders.Saunders has been in the spotlight during the Olympics for her unique attire and consistent gay activism since the 2021 Tokyo games where she won a silver medal.The track and field athlete consistently appears with multicolored hair, excessively long finger nails, and often wears a mask of some type while competing. 'Raven Saunders is actually nonbinary.'Her attire was typical during a recent Paris competition when the BBC's Steve Backley was commenting on her unorthodox appearance."The colorful character Raven Saunders is back," Backley said during the broadcast. "Good to see her back, sort of. Sort of see her, I mean," he added, in reference to her mask.Announcer Jazmin Sawyers, who is actually an injured long jumper from Great Britain's team, quickly jumped in to correct Backley's lack of obscure pronoun usage."Well, we can’t see them very well,” Sawyers replied, making sure to use the term "them.""Raven Saunders is actually nonbinary and wearing the mask there. We're quite used to seeing them with interesting attire. Should that be allowed? Why not," the 30-year-old concluded."Why not, indeed," Backley responded.While Saunders pushes political viewpoints through her athletics, she hasn't been too strict on pronoun usage despite allegedly identifying as "nonbinary."Just two days prior to the pronoun debacle, Saunders posted a video on her Instagram page where she is repeatedly referred to as "she."Saunders also posted an image in December 2023 along with a caption where she referred to herself as a woman multiple times and not a "nonbinary."When Saunders won a silver medal for shot put at the Tokyo games, she staged a protest during the medal ceremony. While on the podium, she raised her arms and crossed her wrists to form an X, which she claimed was a protest in support of "oppressed" people."Raven Saunders Protests on the Podium," a page called Women's Running said. "When asked what the ‘X’ meant, [Saunders] responded: 'It's the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet.'"According to the Huffington Post, Saunders said at the time that she was intent on inspiring "many young girls, so many young boys, so many LGBTQ people, [and] so many people that have battled suicide."As for Saunders' bizarre attire, it is allegedly part of her "alter ego," according to an Associated Press writer."Before a shot put competition Raven Saunders transforms into their alter ego, The Hulk," writer Patrick Graham claimed. "That includes mask, sunglasses, gold teeth, hair dyed green and purple and long bedazzled nails."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) revealed Friday to nationally syndicated radio host and co-founder of Blaze Media Glenn Beck precisely how devastated she was to learn that the Harris administration may be surveilling her via a program designed to identify and monitor potential terrorists. While she feels personally betrayed — having enlisted in the military in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, countering extremism across three war zones — Gabbard expressed concern that her family could be at risk and that she is "not the only veteran or service member who they have chosen to put on this list.""This goes against the core of our First Amendment, which our founders intentionally put in place to ensure our protected speech, whether we be praising the government or we be criticizing our government," said Gabbard. "That is core to the founding of who we are as a country."Several Federal Air Marshal whistleblowers recently came forward with information indicating that Gabbard may be enrolled in the Transportation Security Administration's Quiet Skies program. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the Quiet Skies program adds "another layer of risk-based security by identifying individuals who may pose an elevated security risk in addition to individuals on other watch lists maintained by the Federal government, so that TSA can take appropriate actions to address and mitigate that risk."UncoverDC reported that the whistleblowers initially shared evidence of Gabbard's placement on what is effectively a terror watch list with Sonya LaBosco, executive director of the Air Marshal National Council. LaBosco subsequently revealed at least one of the marshals is willing to go on the record with the relevant evidence.'They see those of us who rightly criticize our governments, and their corruption, and their abuse of power, as a domestic threat.'Unbeknownst to Gabbard — at least until this week — every time she got on an airplane, there with her were two explosive detection canine teams, a transportation security specialist, a plainclothes TSA supervisor, and three Federal Air Marshals, said Bosco.When pressed on allegations about Gabbard's listing, a TSA spokesman recently told investigative reporter Matt Taibbi:TSA uses multi-layered security processes to protect the nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce. TSA's Quiet Skies program uses a risk-based approach to identify passengers and apply enhanced security measures on some domestic and outbound international flights.The spokesman added, "To safeguard sensitive national security measures, TSA does not confirm or deny whether any individual has matched to a risk-based rule. These rules are applied to a limited number of travelers for a limited period of time. Simply matching to a risk-based rule does not constitute derogatory information about an individual."There has been speculation that Gabbard's criticism of the Washington establishment's reflexive interventionism and her departure from the Democratic Party may have prompted her alleged enrollment in Quiet Skies program. Gabbard is also unlikely to have made friends in the current administration by tanking Kamala Harris' presidential bid in 2020.While mystified by "their insane, tyrannical thinking," Gabbard told Beck that her targeting by the Democratic administration would be par for the course given that "we've already seen proof over these last four years ... they will weaponize any levers of power they have within the government to go after those who they deem to be a threat to their power, who they deem to be a political opponent."Beck alluded to failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's Oct. 17, 2019, smear against Gabbard, when she suggested Gabbard is "the favorite of the Russians. ... Yeah, she's a Russian asset.""They see those of us who rightly criticize our governments, and their corruption, and their abuse of power, as a domestic threat," continued Gabbard. "They say so publicly. They say, 'Hey, those who criticize public institutions may be domestic extremists or terrorists.'"In recent years, it has taken a whole lot less than criticism of the state to warrant suspicion as a potential domestic terrorist. For instance, Blaze News reported late last year on a report from the House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government indicating that the FBI "abused its counterterrorism tools to target Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists.""The only assumption that I can make is that they're coming after me because of my speaking the truth and revealing who they really are," Gabbard told Beck.The former congresswoman indicated that the possibility of her enrollment in Quiet Skies is already having a chilling effect — that she now faces the "constant stress of knowing that I am being surveilled by my government and wondering if and how they are doing that. How are they monitoring my movement? Are they listening to my phone calls? Are they reading my emails and text messages?"Gabbard emphasized that it is impossible to live freely under the thumb of a regime that has "no hesitation in weaponizing whatever they can get their hands on." Such a state of play is reminiscent of "the Stalin approach," she added. "Find me the man, and I'll tell you the crime." — (@) U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who penned a letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske Thursday regarding the veracity of the whistleblowers' claims, said he found the allegations "profoundly troubling."Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, indicated that his outfit is "launching a multipronged legal effort not only to defend Tulsi Gabbard but to defeat the weaponization of government against conservatives, our military, and the free speech of all Americans once and for all."The ACLJ intends to file Freedom of Information Act requests with the TSA, the DHS, and the FBI, seeking answers about Gabbard's alleged targeting.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is on a very short list of names of people who allegedly plotted the coup that ousted Joe Biden from the 2024 presidential race. But, of course, she would never admit that. In an interview with “60 Minutes’” Lesley Stahl, Pelosi dodged questions, lied, and spewed grandiose statements to avoid telling the truth that she played a critical role in the termination of Biden’s 2024 campaign. Dave Rubin plays a clip of Stahl’s shock as Pelosi refuses to admit what everyone already knows. - YouTube www.youtube.com “Please tell us what you told President Biden to persuade him to step aside,” Stahl began. “Well, I’ve never shared any conversations with a president of the United States publicly,” Pelosi parried. “It’s said that he’s furious at you. Is he?” Stahl countered. “Well, he knows that I love him very much,” was all Pelosi said. “I understand that you don’t want to own this, but it is so well reported that you were the leader of a pressure campaign,” Stahl persisted. “No, I wasn’t a leader,” Pelosi denied, adding that she’d rather “say things that [she] didn't do.” “I didn’t call one person. I could always say to [Biden] I never called anybody. What I'm saying is I had confidence that the president would make the proper choice for our country – whatever that would be, and I said that. Whatever that is, we’ll go with,” the former speaker of the House maintained. A look of utter shock spread across Stahl’s face as Pelosi refused to acknowledge her role in ousting Biden. “Had you seen a decline in Joe Biden, and did you think he needed to step aside?” were the interviewer’s next questions. “No,” said Pelosi, before calling Biden “such a consequential president of the United States.” “A Mount Rushmore kind of president,” she said to Stahl, who looked entirely dismayed. “Are you really saying that he belongs up there on Mount Rushmore? Lincoln and Joe Biden?” she laughed. To see the footage of the interview, watch the clip above. Want more from Dave Rubin?To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

What are the Black Ops 6 Zombies maps? Treyarch has already confirmed that we’re getting two Zombies maps at launch. There's also the suggestion that there are more to come, so it looks like round-based Zombies is back with a bang - and we can’t wait. The two BO6 Zombies maps arriving with the Black Ops 6 release date are Terminus and Liberty Falls, and the zombie game stars operators from Black Ops Cold War as their story continues six years later. While we wait for Black Ops 6 and more details on all three modes, here’s everything we know about the Zombies maps so far. Continue reading Black Ops 6 Zombies maps list MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Black Ops 6 release date, Best FPS games, New Warzone season

Intel is facing a class action lawsuit brought by some of its own shareholders, in a case that specifically names Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger and CFO David Zinsner among the defendants. The case alleges that Intel engaged in a “fraudulent scheme,” by failing to inform investors about the scale of losses endured by its chip-making foundry business. Intel’s share price has had a rough ride lately, plummeting from $47.80 at the start of 2024 to just $19.64 right now, with a particularly sharp drop after its Q2 2024 financial results were announced, along with a plan to lay off over 15,000 workers. Meanwhile, the best gaming CPUs made by Intel are having to be fixed by microcode updates to stop them crashing. Continue reading Intel’s shareholders are suing the firm, alleging “fraudulent scheme” MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Core i5 14600K review, Best gaming CPU, Core i9 14900K review

When I think of the best city-building games - Cities Skylines, SimCity 2000, Against the Storm, Frostpunk, Manor Lords - the trend is always the same. You start out among open fields and nature (whether inviting or oppressive), and end with a thriving, whirring hub of industry and activity. It’s supremely satisfying. Yet the magnificent Terra Nil excels in essentially the reverse direction, where a successful operation results in nothing at all. It’s inventive, compelling, and yours at a deep discount right now thanks to a Steam sale. Continue reading Environmental city builder Terra Nil is going cheap, so don’t miss out MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best city-building games, Best sandbox games, Best simulation games

Want to know the Harry Potter Quidditch Champions release date? There’s been quite a bit of confusion about this game as Quidditch was rumored to be part of Hogwarts Legacy, but it appears the sport was cut from the RPG. Quidditch is referenced in Hogwarts Legacy in a teacher’s note with redactions, stating Professor Phineas Black was to blame for the sport being put on hold at Hogwarts. Instead, Unbroken Studios has been working on a standalone Quidditch sports game that features the bells and whistles you might expect from an annualized series. As the name implies, Harry Potter Quidditch Champions takes place during The Boy Who Lived’s school years, meaning we might get a chance to take on Harry’s Inter-House Cup winning Gryffindor team. Continue reading Harry Potter Quidditch Champions release date, game modes, and more

Standing out among the best roguelike deckbuilders on Steam is becoming an increasingly tough proposition, but newcomer Knock on the Coffin Lid is a striking grimdark fantasy tale that quickly grabs attention. Infusing the now-familiar gameplay of hits like Slay the Spire into a sinister story of death and resurrection, Knock on the Coffin Lid marries tactical card-based gameplay with an intriguing narrative and plenty of gorgeous artwork. Continue reading Knock on the Coffin Lid is a grimdark fantasy twist on Slay the Spire MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best indie games, Best roguelike games, Best story games

Who would dare to take on The Sims 4? I wouldn’t, knowing that it’s become a colossal, enduring cultural phenomenon, but thankfully some developers are far more bold than I am. There’s been a raft of life games announced recently and while some have failed to take off, inZOI is inching ever closer to launch. That march to launch just crept forward a little bit, with the game unveiling its new Steam page. Continue reading inZOI, the ultra realistic The Sims successor, finally lands on Steam MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best simulation games, Games like The Sims, Best upcoming games