SIGN OF THE TIMES- Chile is rolling out a water rationing plan to face its yearslong drought: Chile is introducing an alert system that turns red and triggers public service announcements once a quota for water usage is passed, before restricting water pressure and rotating water cuts that could last up to 24 hours, its government said, according to Reuters. The alert system, which will be applied on some 1.7 mn residents in Santiago, tracks dwindling water reserves from the Maipo and Mapocho rivers, which supply the capital city with most of its water. Chile’s drought is now entering its 13th year, with the government estimating a 10% drop in water availability to 37%. “This is the first time in history that Santiago has a water rationing plan due to the severity of climate change,” Santiago governor Claudio Orrego said.

Epic Games advances in race towards “gaming metaverse”: The Fortnite-maker has secured USD 2 bn from Sony and Lego-maker Kirkbi to help accelerate its work to build a gaming metaverse, the company announced in a press release. The investment, which sees Sony snag a 4.9% stake in Epic, and Kirkbi own 3%, values the company at USD 31.5 bn. The metaverse in question will be a space “where players can have fun with friends, brands can build creative and immersive experiences and creators can build a community and thrive,” CEO and founder Tim Sweeney said. This comes after Microsoft announced its blockbuster acquisition of leading games publisher Activision in a move that it said would allow it to get a foothold in the metaverse.