Bandai Namco's upcoming Code Vein has been in the news lately due to its fast-approaching release date for home consoles and PC. While the game isn't being made by From Software and its a very different kind of experience compared to the Dark Souls franchise, there will be some similarities, according to new reports. The tweet indicates that a lot of people were asking Bandai about multiplayer for Code Vein, so the company finally unveiled that the game will come jam-packed with a multiplayer mode. You will be able to explore the large-scale world of the game with additional players in tow. Additionally, if you find yourself getting stuck or bogged down in a battle where you just can't seem to get a leg up on the baddies, you can also request for help to join you in the area and give you a helping hand. The description of the multiplayer mode sounds an awful lot like Dark Souls, where the co-op for the game was somewhat asynchronous, where players would pop in and pop out at different times, sometimes offering gamers PvP experience or a cooperative experience to help the other player get through a tough bind. In the case of Code Vein, there is a cooperative element to the game and you will be able to bring along a friend. The common belief is that the multiplayer will operate very similar to how Bandai Namco's other action-RPG, Dark Souls operates. Much like Capcom's Monster Hunter World the game also features a distress signal that players can use to summon help. In Capcom's title, you can shoot out a signal flare to lure other players in to help. In the case of Code Vein, you can utilize a distress signal to get some other players to come in and help. Now the addition of multiplayer for Code Vein comes alongside the ability to also bring NPCs along with you into battle. The game has a sort of mercenary setup where you can hire in NPC hunters to accompany in your journeys as you go around fighting other monsters and bosses. So technically you can have some NPCs and another player coming along with you. According to Gamespot, you will have to meet certain conditions before you can bring along another player into the fold, but we really have no idea what those conditions happen to be. If the game happens to capture a strong audience the way God Eater did and Dark Souls, Bandai Namco could be looking at yet another franchise that will end up being a big hit for the company following on the heels of other surprise outings like Dragon Ball FighterZ, which came out just earlier this year.

Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch is still a hugely influential and popular property in the world of gaming, and the game has even inspired someone to make a mockup prototype of Overwatch as a fighting game and it's pretty awesome if I must say so myself. https://youtu.be/HzR5vHKpBBU The near six-minute video was posted up over on the TGN YouTube channel, featuring a look at the Overwatch Fighter prototype. It features a number of the cast of characters duking it out across familiar stages and even taking part in a bonus game. The fight starts with Reinhardt and Zarya in some alternate skins, where they begin clashing in a 2D-style fighter using 3D assets. The fights play out similar to Street Fighter, which are more plodding and methodical than what you might have originally expected from an Overwatch-style fighting game. Then again it is two behemoths locking horns, so it's no surprise that things wouldn't be as speedy or fast-paced compared to other characters like Lucio or Tracer. And given the game's reliance on projectiles, you can easily see that both characters utilize zoning as a way to deal damage at a distance. Most unique about it is the charge meters at the bottom left and right-hand corners of the screen. They begin to fill up as special moves are utilized and hits are landed, not unlike the standard gameplay in Overwatch. Reinhardt ends up winning the first round by activating his special once the meter hits the top and blasts Zarya through the wall and into another section of the stage, not unlike the wall breaks in Tekken 7. Reinhardt nearly loses but ends up finishing the match by crushing Zarya with a devastating looking finishing maneuver. There's a second match that gets under way featuring Genji and Doomfist. They end up going to Numbani where the two fight it out. The match is far more fast-paced, obviously not quite like Mortal Kombat X or Killer Instinct, but maybe similar to Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite. Genji flips and runs around the stage where-as Doomfist relies on projectiles and zoning attacks with his fist. It's actually a very close match but Doomfist ends up taking out Genji with a clothesline. We then get to see that there's even a special finishing move opportunity that has Doomfist blasting Genji out of the planet. Before the video ends we see a bonus stage where Doomfist fights a motorcycle in a garage, not unlike the car bonus stage from Street Fighter II. It's definitely something that obviously took a lot of time to do and it appears that a lot of fans also thoroughly enjoyed the prototype of the Overwatch fighting game.

Niantic Labs has some brand new content on the way for Pokemon GO. The company has been consistently updating the mobile RPG and the latest Community Day event will give players an opportunity to catch rare Pokemon. According to Gamespot, the second Community Day event will give players an opportunity to capture an ultra rare Pokemon in Pokemon Go. One of those rare Pokemon will be Dratini, who will come with its own specialized move. The Pokemon will be available during the Community Day starting February 24th, so you'll want to keep your app open for the event at the end of the month just before heading into March. However, even if you do manage to show up for the Community Day, it won't be available throughout all of February 24th... it will only be active for three hours during the day. In fact, you will have between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time to get in on the event and capture Dratini. You'll have access to special bonus lures that will last three hours long, giving you just enough time to lure in and capture Dratini, and a bonus of three catch stardust. The Dratini also comes with a special move called Draco Meteor. This will be available to every single of the Pokemon you have in your possession, and will be retroactive to all of the ones in your stash, including the ones you captured in Pokemon Go before the event took place. However, there's a special restriction on this already limited time event. Even if you do manage to capture Dratini, you'll only have those three hours to evolve it into Dragonair and then later into Dragonite. If you manage to do so before the three hours expire you'll be able to learn and master the Dragon-exclusive move, Draco Meteor. It's a great way to get a super powerful Pokemon, which will most definitely come in handy during Gym battles and Raid battles. This will also likely come in handy if you plan on attending any of Niantic Labs' upcoming community events where you actually have to show up in person, like what happened in Chicago or Japan last year. Of course, for this particular Community Day you won't have to worry about traveling halfway around the world just to catch a Pokemon. Instead you can simply rely on going out into your neighborhood and keeping it local during the time span in which the Community Day event will be taking place. The best part about it from Niantic's perspective is that there's no need to worry about anyone suing for not being able to attend the event, which is what happened during the Chicago event that took place last year during the summer. You'll likely want to stock up on the star dust or wrap up on the goods offered from the Lunar New Year where it runs up through February 17th, where you'll be able to get your hands on Poochyena, Growlithe, Snubble, Evee, and Electrike, all in celebration of China's Year of the Dog lunar event. From there you'll likely need to prep for the February 24th event set to take place during the second to last week of the month.

It sounds like development on the next major update for Stardew Valley is moving along smoothly, with a beta for the fresh single player and multiplayer content scheduled for later this year. Over on the Stardew Valley developer blog, Eric Barone (AKA ConcernedApe), has offered an update on the 1.3 update which, along with oodles of single player content. According to Barone, fans should expect to see a beta for the latter roll out sometime this spring. Hopefully that means dedicated players will be farming together sometime this summer or fall. The update begins with a shoutout to Tom Coxon, of Chucklefish fame, who has been handling all of the network coding to make sure Stardew Valley runs smoothly as a multiplayer game. The original game was basically a one-man show for Barone, but this kind of an update required him to finally enlist some help. The great news is that the main work is apparently finished. Eric Barone said that the new features are done. and the text has already been sent off for translating into the game's various languages. In the meantime, bugs are being squashed in preparation for the upcoming multiplayer beta. Once in-house quality assurance is done for the single and multiplayer content, Barone said the team will be opening the game up for a public beta. With a "spring" launch window for that final testing phase, it sounds like folks can expect to dive into the new content sometime in the next few months. Eric Barone said more details about the 1.3 update will be provided as the launch draws closer, including information about what exactly players can expect on both the single and multiplayer side of things. He provided the above image to show off the new signs within the game, which should make things a heck of a lot easier for players to organize. Otherwise, we're not too sure just yet about what we can expect outside of new features, and that highly-anticipated multiplayer mode. The idea that players will have an opportunity to farm and live life in Stardew Valley together is pretty exciting. The game is already extremely robust in the single player department, but we can't help but think about how much more fun it will be to play alongside some friends. Maybe one player can chop wood while the other takes care of some mining. Watering will go twice as fast and use up half as much energy with a friend at your side. Trying to catch a specific fish? Multiplayer should cut that task in half. More importantly, we're excited by the idea of building an in-game world with friends. Stardew Valley as always been about the player finding their place within a community, so getting to build an actual community within the game sounds like a natural fit.

If you were hoping to play the System Shock remaster sometime this year, you might want to pump the breaks on those expectations. According to a recent announcement, the team at Nightdive Studios has temporarily shelved the game while they reassess the project's direction. This will likely come as upsetting news for the 21,000 plus Kickstarter backers who funneled $1.3 million into the System Shock remaster. The latest update on the game's crowdfunding page stresses that this is only a temporary pause for the project, but based on the entire body of the post and reaction in the comments, the outlook isn't very sunny. Back in March of 2016, the folks at Nightdive released a concept video highlighting their vision for a System Shock remaster. For folks unfamiliar with the series, it's a survival horror title that eventually led to the BioShock series. The original game has a lot of fans, but it hasn't aged super well. That's why Nightdive thought it would be cool to remaster the game from the ground up for a new generation. The video got so much love that the team decided to crowdfund the actual project, which was also wildly successful. That was back in June of 2016, with the studio fully forming and getting the ball rolling once the campaign concluded. That means the System Shock remake has been in full development for about a year and a half at this point. It was slated to launch this past December, and was then moved into 2018. Based on this latest post, however, backers are starting to fear the game won't ever see the light of day. According to Nightdive CEO Stephen Kick, the team lost its vision somewhere along the way. They had sold the idea of a straight remaster of System Shock, which basically translates to making the game run, sound and look great by modern standards but, otherwise, you're basically playing the original game. Kick's update explains that the team was perhaps "too successful," something they let go to their heads. The team continued to grow, as did their ideas for the game. Kick says that, after a while, the project's scope had stretched to the point that it became clear they were no longer working on a remaster so much as something completely different. To that end, he says the team has been put on hiatus, but that backers should not fret. He states that the project will resume at some point and deliver on all of the original promises. The comments section of the post is filled with doubt. How many members of a team on hiatus are going to stick around, without working, simply crossing their fingers that work will resume at some point? It's also pointed out that, in the games industry, hiatuses frequently extend indefinitely. If all goes well, hopefully Nightdive just needs a little time to get refocused and back on track with the System Shock remaster. Until their next announcement, though, we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

The talk about regulating premium loot boxes in paid video games continues to gain a lot of attention and talk among lawmakers and policy pushers. The latest developments saw a U.S. Senator getting involved and requesting that the FTC to investigate, along with Hawaiian lawmakers moving to get regulations in place. Well, the ESA has responded to one of the proposed regulations put forward by a Hawaiian representative. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the Entertainment Software Association has responded to an inquiry about new steps in legislation being taken to address loot boxes and certain lawmakers pushing the ESRB to update the ratings to better reflect the current state of loot boxes and the potentiality of gambling in premium priced games containing paid loot boxes. The ESA spokesperson stated... As an industry, we take our responsibility to consumers very seriously and continually work to create greater awareness and transparency about the wide range of in-game experiences. We strongly believe that the industry's robust, self-regulatory efforts remain the most effective way to address these important issues, and that system has a proven and long record of doing so. Some consumers and parents may have questions about how loot boxes work, and ESA has demonstrated a commitment to providing information to guide consumers, especially parents, in their purchase decisions. This comes on the heels of a U.S. Senator holding a meeting with four members of the Federal Trade Commission and requesting that a thorough investigation take place in order to determine if AAA games like Forza Motorsport 7 and Star Wars: Battlefront II that contain premium loot boxes are committing predatory practices. The committee for the FTC gave a unanimous "Yes!" to an investigation into loot boxes. The Senator also reached out to the ESRB in hopes of getting the self-regulated body to examine adding warnings to the packages of video games that contain loot boxes in order to give parents the necessary information about the potential dangers of loot boxes, or at least information on what it means if a game does contain premium loot boxes. The ESRB responded much in the same way as the Entertainment Software Association, saying that steps would be taken to look into the issue and that it has done its part in informing parents about content contained within video games. However, it may not matter what the ESA or the ESRB say, given that Hawaiian state representative Chris Lee has spearheaded bills for legislation at the House and Senate level, both of which will introduce stricter regulation on video games that contain premium loot boxes. The bills would enforce disclosures by publishers and ratings boards to inform parents if a game contains randomized rewards or virtual items that can be acquired through randomized rewards for an exchange of real money. Additionally, the bills would prohibit the sale of these games to anyone under the age of 21, as loot boxes in premium games would be classified as gambling. Prior to the legislation efforts, the ESRB, PEGI and UKIE were given opportunities to address loot boxes, but PEGI and UKIE deferred to the U.K.'s gambling commission while the ESRB adamantly denied that premium loot boxes were classified as gambling.

Rockstar Games announced that it's possible to get free money just by playing Grand Theft Auto V's online mode. Yes, if you log into the game and start playing and spending money in the GTA Online mode, you'll be able to make some mad bank in the form of free cash before the month is out. Over on the official Rockstar Games website, there's a news post about how gamers who log into GTA Online right now, between February 16th and February 26th, will qualify for a 2018 San Andreas State Tax Refund & Rebate within GTA V. This will enable you to a basic $250,000 bonus in virtual money and a 10% rebate on every dollar you spend in the game. The rebates and bonuses will be handed out between February 27th and March 6th, 2018, and depending on how much you spend you could net yourself up to $1 million in rebates. So, how do you access this free money? Well, it's really all quite simple. You just have to log into GTA Online between February 16th and February 26th and you're automatically qualified for a $250,000 in-game stimulus bonus. In addition to this, you will receive 10% cash back on everything you spend in the game. If you buy a car or a house or weapons? You get 10% cash back. You can continue to get rebates on everything you spend up until February 26th and up until you reach a max of $1 million in cash back rebates. That's a heck of a lot of spending you'll need to do to rack up that amount in rebates. After you log out of the game and log back in anytime after February 27th and before March 6th, 2018, you'll receive your GTA dollar stimulus bonus and the rebate bonus from Rockstar Games. The money you get back will go into your Maze Bank account, between the end of February and the first week of March. I'm sure a lot of people who haven't been playing GTA Online diligently over the last several months, or maybe over the last couple of years, would enjoy the opportunity to get their hands on some free money. Since launching back in 2013, the service has added a ton of new content, including new cars, new clothes, new missions, and new multiplayer modes. You'll be able to spend the $250,000 on a number of all new content on the PC, PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game. Maybe you've always been looking to get your hands on a special sports car but never quite had the cash to do so? Well, maybe now you'll be able to do that. Maybe you've had a car for a while but you've always wanted to upgrade and customize it for a specific purpose? Well, now you can do that, too. You likely won't be able to purchase some of the more expensive military grade vehicles, but you can still get your hands on plenty of other items in GTA Online to maximize your fun and unleash some mad chaos in Los Santos.

Anyone who has played PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on PC knows about the most complained about issue in that game: the cheating. Gamers have long since asked PUBG Corporation to curb the cheating problem by region restricting the servers, because it turns out that almost all of the cheating comes from one country: China. According to Youxi Story, there's a detailed report on how more than 30 million people play PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and that out of that 30 million 46% happen to be from China. What might surprise you is that 99% of cheaters in PUBG Corporation's Battle Royal survival game happen to also come from China. The data about the cheaters comes from PUBG Corp's new BattlEye anti-cheating initiative, where the data revealed that 99% of the players banned for cheating came from China. The article is an illuminating affair about the commerce behind cheating in mainland China. There are plug-in dealers, agents that attempt to sell players cheats, and anonymous programmers making the plug-ins to make some quick cash by designing cheats. It's the next step over from China's previously lucrative gold farming trade, which used to be huge business during the mid-aughts when games like World of Warcraft and City of Heroes were topping the charts as some of the biggest games generating the highest revenue month in and month out. These days, times have changed and MMOs are no longer the top of the crop when it comes to player engagement. The freemium model still makes big bucks, but usually that's in the mobile space and browser space, where more casual gamers play. The hardcore crowd has always been a prime target of gray market services, such as mods and plug-ins. Hence, it's no surprise that the biggest game on the market these days -- PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds -- is the chief target of plug-in operators and agents looking to sell potential cheaters an opportunity to cheat in the game and move up in the ranks. Of course, the big question for most gamers becomes: Why China? Well, the plug-in market is operated out of China, has Chinese agents selling the plug-ins, has Chinese programmers making it, and makes most of its sales through Chinese messaging services such as Tencent's QQ and the Weibo portal, both of which are chiefly used by Chinese internet users. Essentially, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' cheating culture is themed mostly around Chinese internet culture, which is what makes it difficult for gamers who don't speak Mandarin to make use of said services. Nevertheless, creating cheat programs is considered copyright infringement, and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Chinese publisher, Tencent, has made it a priority to start shutting down cheat distributors, including working with law enforcement to have them arrested. PUBG Corporation has taken an extra step to prevent all third-party mods from being used in the game, including shader mods. Tencent also plans on opening China-specific servers for the launch of the game in the mainland, which many believe will cut down on cheaters accessing international servers. From there, Tencent will then need to start cracking down on local cheaters if there are plans to maintain any sort of growth for PUBG Corporation's Battle Royale game in China.

If you're looking for new ways to keep in contact with your Xbox friends list, Microsoft has officially delivered. According to a recent announcement, mobile devices can now be used to join the Xbox Live Party. Xbox's Larry Hryb, better known as Major Nelson, took to Twitter this week to announce that both iOS and Android devices now have access to Xbox Live Party chat. Through your Xbox app, you can now start a chat, join one that's in progress and use voice features. Whether you're carrying on a conversation with your clan or simply prefer your Xbox friends list as a way of staying in contacts with folks, you can now do so directly from your phone, tablet, etc. This functionality has been in beta for a while now, so its going live through the Xbox mobile apps means it must be a smooth enough process for primetime. This brings the Xbox One's communication features in line with services like Discord, which allow folks to keep up the conversation no matter where they are. The advantage to the Xbox app, though, is that you no longer have to use an outside source or maintain multiple friends lists. The real draw here is that off-console communication allows a player's games community to feel less like it's tied to the living room. If you're wrapping up a session of Call of Duty or PUBG but don't want to end the conversation with friends, this new feature will allow you to hit the road and keep right on communicating. If you're going to be late to a planned Madden tournament, you can now hop into the conversation to keep up with what's going on while riding the bus home. This also makes it an option to use chat features while playing a game, but not through your console. If you're the type of person who would rather have a phone next to them for chatting purposes rather than a headset, this new functionality makes it an option. Similarly, if you would prefer to use text chat to answer someone's question but would rather type it out quickly on your phone rather than the console, that's an option too. I typically game in silence these days due to the environment most open chat in games has devolved into. If I'm gaming with friends or just looking to stay in touch, though, this seems like a great addition to the Xbox Live ecosystem. Your connection to that community no longer has to end when you're away from your console, and I definitely like the idea of finding new ways of incorporating "gaming life" into "normal life." If you've had a chance to take the new app functionality for a test run, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

There's a way to play the original Devil May Cry for free without paying a dime on PC. Yes, you can play the PC version of the game ahead of the release of the Devil May Cry HD Collection due for release next month on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. According to the Capcom Unity blog, starting February 27th you'll be able to play the original Devil May Cry for free on PC with a Twitch Prime premium membership. This is a limited time offer, but if you sign up for a Twitch Prime membership you'll be able to gain access to Devil May Cry through the Twitch Desktop App. You'll have to log into your Twitch.tv account to access the game. You can also acquire it by signing up for the free trial through Twitch Prime. This promotion will be available only for a short period ahead of the launch of the Devil May Cry HD Collection, which is set to debut on March 13th, 2018 for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC for $29.99. The HD collection contains Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, and Devil May Cry 3. The original Devil May Cry came out back in 2001, and it was the introduction to a hack-and-slash, 3D action genre that would literally shape how many Japanese-themed games from accomplished developers would be designed for future generations, including setting the groundwork for Platinum Games' Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. The first Devil May Cry featured a solemn Dante, using Ebony and Ivory to take down some super hard bosses in reflex-based gameplay set across 3D maps with arena-style encounters. For gamers who never had an opportunity to play the original game on the PlayStation 2, getting the game for free through a Twitch Prime membership isn't a bad way to experience the classic. Some gamers in the comment section aren't entirely pleased with the news and would prefer if Capcom re-released an HD (or UHD in relation to the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X) version of Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition. Some feel that it's unfortunate it's being left out of the HD collection due for release this March. Others aren't really concerned with what was released back in the day, but are more curious about what's to come, asking Capcom for a Devil May Cry 5. I'm pretty sure, like most fans have mentioned, if the Devil May Cry HD Collection sells well enough, it's likely that we'll see a Devil May Cry 5. New entries in the series were put on hold after Ninja Theory took a crack at the series and made some changes to the portrayal of Dante and the game world, which ended up turning off a lot of the core fans who enjoyed the series under Capcom's development. If you want to check out the original game ahead of the HD collection release, you can do so starting February 27th if you have a decent enough PC to run the 17-year-old game.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is slowly dying! Okay, that's more than a bit hyperbolic, but the game has experienced its first noteworthy drop in player count, which has folks questioning if the game is about as popular as it is going to get. To be clear, PUBG seeing a dip in player count means it's only hitting concurrent numbers on par with what most other developers would consider fantastic figures for lifetime sales of any other game. But, based on a recent report from Gameinformer, the New Year has brought with it a noteworthy dip in activity, which is only really important because of the game's success. Battlegrounds pulls in an insane number of daily players but, over the past month, the average has dropped off by several million. The fact that "several million" is a term that can be applied to a "noticeable drop" in game activity goes to prove just how successful PUBG has been and, if we're not goofing off like in this story's lede, very much so continues to be. PUBG grew in popularity throughout 2017, hitting a fever pitch through the fall when it seemed like everyone on the planet was either playing, streaming or watching streams of the game. In December, update 1.0 dropped on the PC, marking the game's official exit from early access. That's also when PUBG launched on the Xbox One in early access, well on its way to a "full launch" this year. All told, PUBG has shipped more than 30 million copies on Steam with another 4 million sold on Xbox One. The game's peak concurrent player count on the PC is more than 3 million. In the past month, though, the number of concurrent players has been on the decline. As of this writing, the current player count is 529,997, with the peak in the past 24 hours being nearly 1.7 million. In other words, it looks like the honeymoon phase is officially over. We expect to see spikes pop up if a new map, mode or major update launches but, based on what we're seeing, folks are speculating that PUBG may have hit its ceiling. This can be attributed to a number of factors. For starters, the game has been rolling in one form or another for over a year at this point. Second, games like Fortnite: Battle Royale have started winning over a portion of the audience. Until recently, PUBG hasn't really had any competition in the 100-player arena genre, so other quality contenders are going to snag some of the attention. Also, there have been a lot of big games launched in the past several months, including a new Call of Duty and, more recently, Monster Hunter: World. In other words, folks may have moved on to other pastures for the time being. We'll just have to wait and see if this trend continues. In the meantime, we figure PUBG is doing absolutely fine, even if a portion of its players have started to stray from the pack.

Surprise Attack and Osmotic Studios are back again with a new entry in the highly lauded and interesting game about privacy and security that has players taking on the role of an agent of Big Brother in the game Orwell. The second season is called Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength and a new trailer explains how the game will play out. The trailer was recently published by Surprise Attack, where a minute and a half look at the game takes players through a quick overview of their mission as an agent who's part of the NSA's top secret Orwell program. Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength is due out on February 22nd over on Steam. The handler is Ampleford, who explains that players will have to investigate a provocateur who runs an alternative media website that the government claims is inciting protests and violent uprisings. His name is Raban Vhart, and despite being wheelchair bound, his mind is a dangerous weapon that knows no bounds. The Orwell initiative will be used by players to investigate Vhart and monitor his social media activity, his personal conversations, his phone records, and more. The game allows players to take a deep dive into Vhart's personal life in a very realistic and scary way. Not only do you have the ability to use the program to drill into the private lives of certain targets, you'll also be able to manipulate their lives and the information that is broadcast out into the world by changing around documents and information related to who they are, including creating fake news to damage an individual's reputation. Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength is a very scary look at the possibilities of the digital information age, where mischaracterizing information for the purpose of ruining someone's life, getting the general public to feel a certain way about them, or incriminating them should bring about some serious discussions in real life about how the information age plays a part in our everyday lives. The original Orwell definitely raised questions about how our current security works and the ways in which social media and the profiles we attach to those sites play a significant role in how much of our personal data is exposed to the world, especially through services like Facebook and Twitter. The title of the game is based on George Orwell's 1984 and the Big Brother oversight committee featured in the fictional work. There are parallels, in that no matter what you do, those who control the flow of information are always watching over you. Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength is set to arrive on PC starting February 22nd.

The ongoing battle in the video game industry over loot boxes and microtransactions has taken a more definitive step that might have some publishers shaking in their boots. A U.S. Senator has urged the FTC to further investigate loot boxes, as well as urged the ESRB to consider adding a ratings label to games that contain premium loot boxes. Glixel managed to view the letter that was sent to the ESRB from Senator Maggie Hassan, where Hassan wrote... While there is robust debate over whether loot boxes should be considered gambling, the fact that they are both expensive habits and use similar psychological principles suggest loot boxes should be treated with extra scrutiny. At minimum, the rating system should denote when loot boxes are utilized in physical copies of electronic games. Hassan urged the ESRB to consider adding the requirement to have warning labels on the front of physical retail boxes for video games that contain premium loot boxes. The warning label would be similar to the warning label required for tobacco that tells potential customers the health hazards. Even before premium loot boxes became the big digital selling point for many AAA titles, there were numerous reports about kids over-spending via microtransactions in mobile games and premium games alike. Many times games are designed so that purchasing microtransactions is made as easy and seamless as purchasing in-game goods with virtual money. This has caused quite a few headlines to pop up over the years where kids mistakenly spent real money in games like FIFA or NHL as they attempt to upgrade their characters or improve their team stats. Many of these practices still persist in games like EA Sports UFC or Madden NFL, where ultimate team packs can be purchased with real money to upgrade your characters. Things have steadily escalated, however, with games like Star Wars: Battlefront II, Destiny 2 and Forza Motorsport 7 -- games that have ratings low enough for kids under the age of 18 to pick them up from local retailers without supervision -- where progression and upgrades were tied to the loot boxes in ways that would allow gamers to purchase cash shop items to improve their performance in-game. Star Wars: Battlefront II was the poster child of loot box shenanigans when gamers discovered that the premium loot boxes would be tied to player progression, causing such a massive outcry that Electronic Arts was forced to remove the paid microtransactions from the game. And, it forced Disney and LucasFilms to distance themselves from the monetary practice instituted by EA. The ramifications of that decision have been long lasting, however. Many lawmakers, and representatives for gambling commissions, have been keeping the discussions going, which includes the recent steps made by Senator Hassan to get the ESRB to change the way it rates games with premium loot boxes. Previously, the ESRB stated that premium loot boxes were not gambling because gamers always received something for their money. Some argued that if you get free drinks at a casino when you gamble does it no longer make it gambling? That question has yet to be addressed, but Senator Hassan has gone on ahead and requested the FTC to investigate the issue independently. So, even if the ESRB continues to stand firm against regulating games with premium loot boxes, there may be some intervention from the FTC down the road.

Fe was a unique looking game when it first appeared a couple years ago, but now the game is here and it's time to see if there's anything underneath the lovely coat of paint. Rest assured, there is. While Fe is similar to many games in concept, it's an indie 3D-platformer at its heart, the execution is what makes the game, and that is entirely unique, addictive, and hypnotizing. You start the game as a small cub animal waking up in a glade. It's not a bear, or a cat or a dog or a squirrel, but it's a little bit of everything. We'll call the creature Fe, since I'm going to assume that's the name, though you're never properly introduced to the character at the beginning of the game. In fact, you're never properly introduced to anything. The game begins when you do what you would obviously do if you woke up in a strange place, look around. From there you see a creature that resembles a deer, and as it's the only thing you've seen that moves, you follow it. From there, the adventure begins. There is no dialogue between characters, no text on the screen. Only the very occasional button prompt ever informs you what is possible to do. It's up to the player to figure out everything, from the next step to the story the game is telling. Controls are equally simple. You can move, of course, you can jump slightly, and you can pick up a few small items. Beyond that, the only other tool is Fe's voice. The flora and fauna in the world of Fe communicate with each other by singing. Fe starts the game with one song, but can learn others as the game goes on, each giving Fe the ability to manipulate the environment in different ways. There are also other abilities that Fe picks up along the way, like the ability to climb trees or glide, which can then be used to give Fe access to new areas of the map. I referred to Fe as a platformer in the introduction, and that's probably the best single description, but it's many other things as well. It's also a Metroidvania style game, as you'll find yourself backtracking to get to previously unreachable areas after acquiring new abilities. It's also got light puzzle elements, and even a simple stealth mechanic. Fe has no combat abilities to speak of, so when the little creature comes up against hostile enemies, it's about sneaking around them rather than fighting through them. Anybody who doesn't care for stealth gameplay need not worry too much. Fe has just about the simplest stealth conceivable, which is to say the AI of the creatures coming after you is pretty stupid, and hiding from them is pretty easy, even when they're right on top of you. While some might see this as a flaw, I tended to find it nice, as it meant that you were never torn out of the game after being spotted, forced to start over. This kept the game flowing nicely and it encourages you to explore the world, something that is worth doing since there are numerous collectibles to pick up as well as simply a lovely world you'll want to see all of. The basic gameplay is simple. In each hub world, you'll need to complete objectives in order to aid the wildlife in each area. Each objective is guarded by patrolling bad guys. You figure out how to get past them and complete each objective. Clear the hub world, then move on to the next. The simplicity is addictive. You find yourself thinking you'll just go ahead and grab that next navpoint because it shouldn't be too tough, and it's not, but then you do that three of four more times and find you've you've been playing Fe a lot longer than you expected to. Fe music and sound design are its true success. The music is mesmerizing, drawing you in and giving you a feeling of peace while you play. You'll want to keep playing just because the world is such a nice place to be. The level design is also top notch. It would have been so simple for a game that gives you so little direction to leave the player lost and confused, but that never happens. Fe is one of those games that's defined by its atmosphere more than its gameplay. It's not about giving you impossible puzzles to unravel, it's about showing you a place and giving you enough of a reason to continue to explore it. It's a journey worth taking. This review was done with an Xbox One version of the game provided by the publisher.

Nintendo Labo is still a couple months out from launch but, before April 20 rolls around, Nintendo wants to make sure people have a better grasp of what, exactly, the various kits will have to offer. To pull that off, they've launched a trio of new videos that break down the Labo experience in general, as well as the first two kits that will hit the market. It's definitely one of those things that's easier to show than tell, which is why Nintendo has rolled out a trio of fresh videos that break everything down. First up is the Overview Trailer. Clocking in at about four minutes, this can be considered the "everything you need to know" about how Labo will be packaged and used. From a look at how the tutorials will work to an explanation of what other features are included in the software, this is the best way to bring parents and teachers up to speed on why Labo is such an interesting educational tool. https://youtu.be/5cRE95J4Xb4 When Nintendo Labo was first announced last month, it caught many gamers off guard. The easiest way to describe this latest kooky idea from Nintendo is that it's a collection of cardboard peripherals the players construct themselves, with game software that lets you utilize those peripherals in interesting ways. The Labo line is clearly aimed at youngsters who like to be creative, giving them the opportunity to construct simple machines that, when combined with the Nintendo Switch, will let you play a piano, go fishing or destroy buildings as a massive robot. The second, and longest, new video is called "Toy-Con 01: Variety Kit," which is an extended trailer for the first of two Labo kits launching on April 20. The Variety Kit includes everything players will need to construct a Switch-powered piano, motorcycle, fishing rod, house and RC car. The software that comes with this kit will include all of the instructions and detailed looks at how the technology actually works, as well as plenty of games and experiments to conduct with the various cardboard peripherals. https://youtu.be/LWjHVVDpg48 Finally, there's the Robot Kit, which will likely become an instant must-have for anyone who has both a Switch and youngsters in the house. This kit only has one peripheral, but it's a body-sized mech suit that even fits adults. The suit includes attachments for your feet and hands, with the in-game robot able to walk and swing its arms mirroring the player. Again, its software includes all of the details for building the peripheral, explanations of how the technology works, and games for solo or two-player robot action. https://youtu.be/AiFI1g46kZk While definitely not for everyone, it's great to see Nintendo once again thinking outside the box when it comes to creating educational experiences.

Steam had to drop the ban hammer this past week, severing ties with a publisher deemed to be padding user review scores of their own titles. So if you were looking to pick up Guardians of Ember or Wild Buster sometime soon, you'll have to seek out another marketplace. We initially heard about this kerfuffle via the Guardians of Ember Steam page. If you head there, or to any other page previously belonging to an Insel Games Ltd. title, you'll discover a statement from Steam regarding review manipulation. According to the report, Steam was aware of claims that many of Insel Games' user reviews were written by accounts tied to the company itself. The Steam team started to dig into the reports and discovered "unacceptable behavior" for Insel's user reviews, specifically an influx of positive reviews of their games. As Steam points out, this is a violation of their user policy, which resulted in all of Insel's games being pulled from the storefront. As the announcement points out, anyone who already owns those games can still play them from Steam, but we imagine they will no longer be supported by Insel the Steam service. Perusing some of the comments, it seems like the reaction from the community is mostly positive. Some argue that this should just be seen as a form of the company "self-promoting" its games, while others feel that it's little more than customer manipulation. Based on a report from Kotaku, a specific email proved the most damning in this particular case. A letter surfaced from Insel CEO Patrick Streppel encouraging employees to purchase and review the game. It's noted in that email that Streppel cannot force employees to buy the game or write a review, much less control the content of said review. However, Steam felt the implications were pretty clear and, based on the timing of the email and a sudden spike in positive reviews for Insel games, it stands to reason that discussions held "individually and privately" concerning staff and reviews had an impact. For their part, Insel is claiming they never meant to mislead the community or that they wanted to be perceived as threatening employees to write positive reviews for their own games. They're appealing Valve's decision to pull all of their games from the storefront. In the meantime, they said they'll continue selling and supporting their titles through other channels. This isn't the first time Steam has had to take this type of action, but it seems like potentially their biggest reaction to date. Review policies exist for a reason and, even without them, we figure many folks would agree that reviewing your own product under the guise of being just an average Joe is sketchy at best. Of course, we'd be interested in hearing your take in the comments below.

The remake train looks to keep rolling full steam ahead into 2018, with another beloved mascot from yesteryear rumored to be making a triumphant return. Despite the ongoing Lunar New Year event in Overwatch, it looks like Spyro might turn this into the year of the dragon. According to a collection of sources reporting to Kotaku, a remaster of the original Spyro games could be heading to the PlayStation 4 later this year. Considering where this information is coming from, though, we're chalking it up as a rumor until we hear something official from a publisher or developer. Based on the reports, a Spyro the Dragon Trilogy Remaster is set to arrive later this year. Apparently the plan is to officially announce the game this March, with a launch slated for Q3 2018. Getting more specific, a source has narrowed the launch window to September of this year, which would line up nicely with the 20th anniversary of the Spyro series. When it arrives, the remaster is said to include brand new assets, lighting, cinematics and a retooled soundtrack, basically making for three new versions of the PlayStation classic trilogy built from the ground up. There will also be a new save system rather than relying on codes to jump to your desired level. If you're getting flashbacks to last year's Crash Bandicoot remaster collection, there's a good reason for it. Based on the reports, the game is being developed by the same team at Vicarious Visions, with Activision publishing. Also similar to the Crash collection, the Spyro trilogy is said to offer content that was cut from the original games. There have been quite a few Spyro games over the years, especially if you count the more recent and massively popular Skylanders series. This trilogy, though, will be all about the original games, including Spyro the Dragon, Ripto's Rage and Year of the Dragon. All three of those games are available as PSOne Classics on the PlayStation Network but, otherwise, they're pretty difficult to find and play with ease. These remasters would fix that issue, on top of making them more playable by modern standards. Rumor has it that the trilogy would be exclusive to the PlayStation 4 for a year before moving to other platforms. That's supposedly what's going on with the Crash collection, too, as rumors have it that the N. Sane Trilogy will arrive on other platforms later this year. As a fan of these classic mascot-driven adventures, I'm happy to see some old-school favorites get a second lease on life courtesy of full remakes. The originals exist for those who want to experience them, but games like this rumored trilogy make it possible for a whole new generation of gamers to discover that same old magic that kept folks glued to their screens 20 years ago.

In preparation for the March 20th release of Sea of Thieves on the Xbox One and on Windows 10 for PC, Rare has been working around the clock on improving testing, updating the gameplay and making sure everything runs smoothly. This includes opening up another test this weekend for Sea of Thieves. Executive producer Joe Neate recently did a video blog that was published on the Sea of Thieves YouTube channel to talk to the community about the latest upcoming test for the game. Neate explained that, after the last closed beta, Rare was able to collect lots of data on what needed to be fixed and how the network engineers would need to address certain kinds of content to improve playability of the game. The next phase of development is the scale test, which is entirely based on testing the scale of Rare's network infrastructure for hosting the game. It's all about monitoring how well the servers hold up under pressure and how well it scales to different player instances. The scale test will get underway this Friday on February 16th. Everyone who participated in the most recent closed beta tests will be invited back to take part in the scale tests. Rare wants to make sure that the networking stability holds up along with how well certain features will hold up under repeated use. The studio won't be adding any new gameplay features to Sea of Thieves at this point in the testing phase. All of the features that were made available during the last closed beta will make a return for the scale tests. Rare doesn't want to focus on expanded gameplay functionality right now, but, instead, the team wants to test how well the features that are there work with more players added to the pool. Now, don't take it that it will be all lollipops and rainbows. This scale test will have bugs and glitches and Neate expects people to convey those problems to the team so that they can be fixed as soon as possible. Additionally, Neate mentions that the beta may not be up in its entirety throughout the weekend. There may be times where the team will have to take down the Sea of Thieves beta and work on the game to fix an issue or update an aspect of the game that may have been having problems during the scale testing. It may seem like this closed beta test is arriving too shortly after the team just conducted one for Sea of Thieves back at the end of January, but with the full launch of the game due out at the end of March, it makes sense that the team is working around the clock in order to get it finished, tested and proper for a full release. Despite the long development cycle, there's definitely some hype being built around this upcoming Xbox One and PC game, so Rare likely has that in mind and wants to ensure that the full launch goes as smoothly as possible and without any major hiccups in the network setup.

Google and one of Australia's leading movie companies are on a collision course over piracy. Village Roadshow's outspoken co-chief Graham Burke has twice this month accused Google of facilitating crime and is now inviting the company to sue him. Meanwhile, Google is fighting for new safe harbor protections that Village Roadshow insists should be denied. Wherever Google has a presence, rightsholders are around to accuse the search giant of not doing enough to deal with piracy. Over the past several years, the company has been attacked by both the music and movie industries but despite overtures from Google, criticism still floods in. In Australia, things are definitely heating up. Village Roadshow, one of the nation’s foremost movie companies, has been an extremely vocal Google critic since 2015 but now its co-chief, the outspoken Graham Burke, seems to want to take things to the next level. As part of yet another broadside against Google, Burke has for the second time in a month accused Google of playing a large part in online digital crime. “My view is they are complicit and they are facilitating crime,” Burke said, adding that if Google wants to sue him over his comments, they’re very welcome to do so. It’s highly unlikely that Google will take the bait. Burke’s attempt at pushing the issue further into the spotlight will have been spotted a mile off but in any event, legal battles with Google aren’t really something that Burke wants to get involved in. Australia is currently in the midst of a consultation process for the Copyright Amendment (Service Providers) Bill 2017 which would extend the country’s safe harbor provisions to a broader range of service providers including educational institutions, libraries, archives, key cultural institutions and organizations assisting people with disabilities. For its part, Village Roadshow is extremely concerned that these provisions may be extended to other providers – specifically Google – who might then use expanded safe harbor to deflect more liability in respect of piracy. “Village Roadshow….urges that there be no further amendments to safe harbor and in particular there is no advantage to Australia in extending safe harbor to Google,” Burke wrote in his company’s recent submission to the government. “It is very unlikely given their size and power that as content owners we would ever sue them but if we don’t have that right then we stand naked. Most importantly if Google do the right thing by Australia on the question of piracy then there will be no issues. However, they are very far from this position and demonstrably are facilitating crime.” Accusations of crime facilitation are nothing new for Google, with rightsholders in the US and Europe having accused the company of the same a number of times over the years. In response, Google always insists that it abides by relevant laws and actually goes much further in tackling piracy than legislation currently requires. On the safe harbor front, Google begins by saying that not expanding provisions to service providers will have a seriously detrimental effect on business development in the region. “[Excluding] online service providers falls far short of a balanced, pro-innovation environment for Australia. Further, it takes Australia out of step with other digital economies by creating regulatory uncertainty for [venture capital] investment and startup/entrepreneurial success,” Google’s submission reads. “[T]he Draft Bill’s narrow safe harbor scheme places Australian-based startups and online service providers — including individual bloggers, websites, small startups, video-hosting services, enterprise cloud companies, auction sites, online marketplaces, hosting providers for real-estate listings, photo hosting services, search engines, review sites, and online platforms —in a disadvantaged position compared with global startups in countries that have strong safe harbor frameworks, such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and other EU countries. “Under the new scheme, Australian-based startups and service providers, unlike their international counterparts, will not receive clear and consistent legal protection when they respond to complaints from rightsholders about alleged instances of online infringement by third-party users on their services,” Google notes. Interestingly, Google then delivers what appears to be a loosely veiled threat. One of the key anti-piracy strategies touted by the mainstream entertainment companies is collaboration between rightsholders and service providers, including the latter providing voluntary tools to police infringement online. Google says that if service providers are given a raw deal on safe harbor, the extent of future cooperation may be at risk. “If Australian-based service providers are carved out of the new safe harbor regime post-reform, they will operate from a lower incentive to build and test new voluntary tools to combat online piracy, potentially reducing their contributions to innovation in best practices in both Australia and international markets,” the company warns. But while Village Roadshow argue against safe harbors and warn that piracy could kill the movie industry, it is quietly optimistic that the tide is turning. In a presentation to investors last week, the company said that reducing piracy would have “only an upside” for its business but also added that new research indicates that “piracy growth [is] getting arrested.” As a result, the company says that it will build on the notion that “74% of people see piracy as ‘wrong/theft’” and will call on Australians to do the right thing. In the meantime, the pressure on Google will continue but lawsuits – in either direction – won’t provide an answer.

Google often indulges in theatrics, where it pretends that it is doing what it is required to do. In reality, the 800-lb search gorilla is laughing heartily at having apparently hoodwinked everyone. Earlier, this month iTWire detailed how Google indulges in security theatre, in order to try and make people believe it is serious about security. The most recent case involves images. In April 2016, Google was hit with a complaint by Getty Images under EU competition law, accusing it of creating galleries of “high-resolution, copyrighted content", and “promoting piracy resulting in widespread copyright infringement". Remember the EU is the one which has had the guts to fine Google €2.42 billion (US$2.7 billion) for allegedly abusing its search engine dominance to give illegal advantage to its own comparison shopping service. Google also faces EU fines over its AdSense advertising system and its Android mobile operating system. Hence, it was in Google's interest to pretend that it was doing something to satisfy Getty. But what it has done is a joke. The company said it would remove the "View Image" button that appears when one views an image after locating it by using the Images search option. This View Image button, when clicked, allows a user to see the image alone on a blank Web page, presumably to be saved and used. https://twitter.com/searchliaison/st...26180776845312 But removing that does little good. A user can use a context menu, that is available with a right-click of one's mouse, and save the image using the "Save Image as" option. This option is present in both Chrome (Google's own browser which has a 56% share of the browser market) and Firefox. Or one can obtain an extension for Chrome that provides the same functionality that the View Image button did. So how does losing the View Image button help in keeping down the frequency of copyrighted images being used without proper authorisation? Truth be told, it is a figleaf. Google's act is what is described in Hindi as naam ke vaaste – doing a thing simply for the sake of doing something, anything, in order to con someone else into believing one has done what one was supposed to do. If Google was serious about preventing the unauthorised use of copyrighted images, it could have removed the "save image as" option on the context menu that appears when one right-clicks on an image within Chrome. But then when was Google serious about anything except grabbing users' personal data in order to monetise it?

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CHANNEL NINE have released a teaser trailer of an interview with Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull, where the Prime Minister is set to reveal more about his relationship with Barnaby Joyce. The trailer posted on Facebook, is the first sign of what 60 Minutes has in store for viewers on Sunday night. Mr Turnbull and his wife Lucy were interviewed by the program’s veteran 60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes. The trailer indicates the couple will discuss “the secret of a good marriage”. Mr Turnbull is also expected to reveal what he thinks about his Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce. When Hayes asks Mr Turnbull for his view on his relationship with Mr Joyce, he replies: ““It’s frank. It’s a frank relationship.” The interview’s timing is curious, and comes as Mr Turnbull and Mr Joyce held crisis talks in Sydney today, after their public spat over his affair with former staffer Vikki Campion. It is understood that Nine filmed the interview with the Turnbulls earlier this year, before news first broke of Mr Joyce’s affair with Ms Campion. Mr Joyce and Mr Turnbull met at the Commonwealth Parliament Offices in Sydney for over an hour on Saturday. The meeting comes after Mr Turnbull said his affair was a “shocking error of judgment” causing “a world of woe” that “appalled” all of us at a press conference in Canberra, where he announced a sex with staff ban was now part of the ministerial code of conduct. Mr Joyce responded on Friday at his own press conference while Mr Turnbull was in Hobart. He said Mr Turnbull’s comments were “inept”, “hurtful” and “unnecessary”. It is understood Mr Joyce on Saturday indicated his concern was more about the forcefulness of Mr Turnbull’s comments and less about their substance. Both agreed to move forward in the national interest according to reports. Both sides of federal politics have called on Mr Joyce to resign in the wake of the affair scandal. It could also threaten to bring down Mr Turnbull’s government. Former prime minister Tony Abbott also waded into the public stoush to take a veiled swipe at Mr Turnbull. “The general rule I always observed was that one party doesn’t give another party public advice,” Mr Abbott told reporters in Melbourne. “If a member of parliament has something to say to another member of parliament he or she should knock on the door or pick up the phone.” He also criticised Mr Turnbull’s changes to the ministerial code of conduct banning sexual relations between ministers and their staff. “There was a perfectly good code of conduct in place,” Mr Abbott said. Earlier on Saturday, Liberal senator Ian Macdonald called for Mr Joyce to be demoted to the backbench on account of his actions. “Barnaby would have known it would derail the government’s line, the government’s focus and it really is giving Bill Shorten a free kick,” Senator Macdonald told the ABC. “Clearly, his path is that he’s got to take a very, very low profile, I hope on the backbench for, you know, a few months.” “It’s just got to end,” he later told Fairfax media. Labor MP Pat Conroy described the entire scenario as a “soap opera”. “It’s a valiant defence of the indefensible,” he told ABC News. “There’s a massive question to answer. Malcolm Turnbull said on Thursday that Barnaby needed to consider this position. That’s code for saying, I need you to resign.” However, hope remained for Mr Joyce with Nationals MP Michelle Landry telling The Australian that the Nationals leader had the support of the party room — “at this stage”. “He is having a week off and then we’ll have our party room meeting Monday after next and we will see,” she said. Mr Joyce will earn around $8000hile on his week of leave, while Mathias Cormann steps in to be Acting Prime Minister. Mr Turnbull is set to head off to the US for talks with US President Donald Trump. The Turnbulls will celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary in late March.

Four Israeli soldiers have been hurt, two of them seriously, in an explosion near the Israeli-Gaza border. The army said a Palestinian flag was flying in the area, and when the troops approached they were hit by the blast. In response, Israel conducted air strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza. There were no reports of casualties. Israeli media are describing the blast as the worst incident on the border since Israel and Hamas militants, who dominate Gaza, fought a war in 2014. No group has so far said it was behind the explosion. The incident happened at 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) east of the town of Khan Younis. The army said the explosive device had been planted during a demonstration there on Friday and was attached to a flag. The troops were approaching from the Israeli side when the device detonated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is attending a security conference in Munich, Germany, said: "The incident on the Gaza border is very serious. We will respond appropriately." The Israeli army said fighter jets responded with strikes on six Hamas military targets, including a tunnel near Zeitun being dug by militants towards Israel and compounds near Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. Palestinian officials said three Hamas training camps and one belonging to a smaller group had been struck but no-one was injured. Israeli media also said a rocket from Gaza fell near a house in the south of the country on Saturday evening. There were no casualties. Israel holds Hamas responsible for all rocket and mortar fire from the territory. Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. Correspondents say the border area has been generally quiet in the last few years but there has been an increase in violence since US President Donald Trump's announcement in December recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Israel regards Jerusalem as its indivisible capital. Palestinians want the east of the city, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, to be a capital of a future state.

DOZENS of pro-opposition supporters have been injured and many were arrested after police in the Maldives broke up countrywide protests demanding the resignation of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom and the release of his political opponents from prison. Thousands of people took part in the protests in the archipelago nation on Friday despite the country being under a state of emergency. Several people were hospitalised with injuries and many protesters were arrested in the centre of Malé, but hospital and police officials have refused to provide numbers. The injured included about 10 reporters who were covering the protest. Police said in a statement on Saturday that the demonstrators had ignored warnings that the right to protest has been suspended under the state of emergency. The popular tourist destination known for its clear and tranquil waters, many idyllic small islands and luxury resorts has been in the grips of political turmoil since President Yameen imposed a 15-day state of emergency on the country. On February 1, the country’s Supreme Court ordered the release of several of Mr Yameen’s political opponents who had been imprisoned after trials that were criticised locally and internationally for an alleged violation of due process. The prisoners include Mohamed Nasheed, the country’s first president elected in a free election, who could have been Mr Yameen’s main rival in his re-election bid later this year. Mr Yameen ordered the country’s chief justice and another Supreme Court judge arrested on allegations of bribery. Mr Yameen’s half brother — the former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom — was also arrested for conspiring to overthrow the government. The Maldives, which consists of a chain of 26 atolls, is one of the world’s most geographically dispersed nations. The archipelago adopted Islam in the 12th century but eventually became a British protectorate in 1887. After gaining independence in 1965, and struggling to make a transition from autocratic rule to democracy, the Maldives has experienced political upheaval, in addition to facing environmental challenges caused by climate change. The Maldives had its first democratic election in 2008, however, Mr Yameen is believed to have reversed many of the country’s democratic civil liberties since being elected in 2013. Regional heavyweights, China and India, are though to be vying for strategic dominance in the picturesque Indian Ocean nation, with some protesters accusing Mr Yamen of being a puppet for China.

TURKEY has “never used” chemical weapons in Syria and accusations that it had done so during its offensive against a Syrian Kurdish militia are “baseless”, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Saturday. Turkey last month launched military operation dubbed “Olive Branch” supporting Syrian rebels with ground troops and air strikes against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia viewed as “terrorists” by Ankara. The Turkish source was reacting to claims by the head of Afrin hospital in northern Syria that six men were treated late Friday after shelling during the offensive and had symptoms that were in line with exposure to toxic agents. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said shelling from either Turkey or allied factions hit Al-Sheikh Hadid, west of the town of Afrin, and left six people with “enlarged pupils” and “breathing difficulties”. Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP he could not confirm whether toxic gases were used. But the Turkish source said Ankara took the “utmost care” regarding civilian safety and that the claims Turkey was responsible for an alleged gas attack were “baseless”. “Turkey never used chemical weapons,” the source added. “(These are) lies ... this is black propaganda.” Turkey says the YPG is linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. The PKK is black-listed as a terror group by the United States and the European Union. But the YPG has been working closely with Washington to oust the Islamic State extremist group from Syria, which has strained relations between the two NATO allies. The Observatory says at least 78 civilians have died during Turkey’s operation but Ankara repeatedly insists it is taking all the necessary measures to protect civilians.