POPE Francis revived his lapsed sex abuse advisory commission by naming new members Saturday, after coming under fire for his overall handling of the scandal and his support for a Chilean bishop accused by victims of witnessing and ignoring their abuse. The announcement of the new members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors came on the same day that a Vatican investigator will take the testimony in New York of one of the main whistleblowers in the Chilean cover-up scandal. Francis tasked Archbishop Charles Scicluna with the fact-finding mission into Bishop Juan Barros after he came under blistering criticism in Chile for defending Barros and calling the victims’ cover-up accusations against him slander. The initial three-year mandate of commission members had lapsed two months ago, on Dec. 17. Francis named nine new members Saturday and kept seven from the initial group. A Vatican statement said survivors of abuse are included, but didn’t identify them to protect their privacy. None of the most outspoken lay advocates for victims from the original group returned, but a statement stressed that the commission’s work would be imbued throughout with the experience of victims. Commission members are to open their April plenary by meeting with victims privately, and discussions are continuing to create an “international survivor advisory panel” to advise the commission and make sure the voices of victims are heard in all its deliberations, the statement said. Francis created the commission in December 2013, responding to complaints that he hadn’t prioritised the fight against clerical abuse and cover-up enough. The group’s mission was to advise the pope on best practices to protect children, but it faced strong in-house resistance to some of its core proposals. Commission members found greater reception in hosting grassroots workshops in bishops’ conferences around the world. To date, it has worked with almost 200 dioceses and religious communities worldwide to raise awareness and to educate staff on safeguarding. The first members of the commission were named in March 2014, including Marie Collins, an Irish survivor of abuse and advocate for victims. But by March of last year, Collins had resigned, citing the “unacceptable” resistance to the commission from within the Vatican, and in particular the office tasked with investigating sex abuse cases. The commission’s most significant proposal came in 2015, when it successfully persuaded Francis and his “kitchen cabinet” to create a tribunal section inside the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to judge bishops who botched handling cases of their abuser priests. Francis approved funding and personnel for an initial five-year term. But amid resistance, the tribunal never got off the ground and Francis scrapped it entirely in 2016. Instead, he issued a document laying out essentially existing procedures for the Vatican to investigate negligence. There is no transparency to the process, however.

A SUICIDE bomb blast in northeast Nigeria has killed 19 people and injured approximately 70 others. The deadly attack occurred at a fish market outside of Maiduguri and was not immediately claimed by the Boko Haram jihadist insurgency but bore all the hallmarks of the jihadists. It came in the week that hundreds of Boko Haram suspects went on trial at civilian courts at a military base. One fighter involved in the 2014 abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from the Borno state town of Chibok was jailed for 15 years. The latest suicide blasts happened at about 8:30pm on Friday. Babakura Kolo and Musa Ari, from the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) assisting Nigeria’s military against the Islamists, said the bombers were all men. “We have 19 dead and about 70 others injured ... Two of the bombers attacked the Tashan Kifi fish market. Then four minutes later, a third bomber struck nearby,” said Mr Kolo. “The victims included 18 civilians and one soldier. The Tashan Kifi is an informal market which serves as an eatery, market and also hangout for residents.” Mr Ari said 22 of the 70 injured were in a critical condition, adding, “There is no question as to who did it: Boko Haram has targeted Konduga several times.” There was no immediate comment from the military or the police in Borno state, which has borne the brunt of the violence in Boko Haram’s nearly nine-year insurgency. At least 20,000 people have been killed and more than 2.6 million others made homeless since 2009. Nigeria’s military and government maintains the group is a spent force, but suicide attacks and raids persist, with civilians in remote rural areas and outlying towns at risk. On January 31, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up at Mandarari village, near Konduga. The blasts happened shortly after another bomber killed four and injured 44 at a displaced persons’ camp in Dalori, 22 kilometres away on the same road to Maiduguri. A fourth bomber also blew herself up outside the camp. It is a common strategy of Boko Haram to use women and girls in their attacks. The Nigerian officer in charge of operations against Boko Haram, Major General Rogers Nicholas, recently said that the Islamic State group affiliate was “in disarray” and the army has claimed that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is “running for his dear life” because of military action against his hide-out. Army spokesman Brigadier General Sani Usman said Shekau was “desperately trying to escape ... disguised as a woman” wearing a hijab to avoid detection. The military said it would give a reward of three million naira ($10,000) for “credible information” leading to his arrest. The United States, which considers Shekau an international terrorist, has said it would offer up to $7 million for information on his whereabouts.

The vice chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe has been arrested in connection with an investigation into the awarding of a doctorate to former first lady Grace Mugabe. Levi Nyagura was detained by the country's anti-corruption agency, to be charged with abuse of office. Mrs Mugabe was awarded a PhD just months after enrolling in 2014, despite it usually taking years to complete. An investigation was launched after a petition was made by university staff. Members of the sociology department said they had not seen supporting evidence, and called for the nullification of her qualification and a full investigation. The PhD's authenticity was questioned because her thesis was not published alongside others at the time. The document was only published online in January this year, four years after she graduated, and has been the subject of intense speculation since. She was awarded the qualification by her husband and then-President Robert Mugabe, who was also the chancellor of the university at the time. The doctorate title was used on campaign material for Mrs Mugabe as she became increasingly involved in politics. In November Robert Mugabe was ousted from office after 37 years of rule amid growing speculation his wife was lining herself up to replace her aging husband in power.

A fire broke out at the most important shrine in Tibetan Buddhism - the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa. Footage posted online showed flames billowing from the roof and what appeared to be at least one gutted pagoda. Chinese state media said the blaze started late on Saturday and was soon put out. No casualties were reported. The extent of damage to the sprawling compound is unclear. State media said there was no damage to cultural relics. Tibet, the remote and mainly-Buddhist territory known as the "roof of the world", is governed as an autonomous region of China. The Jokhang monastery is more than 1,000 years old and is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Reports say that Chinese authorities quickly tried to block footage and images of the fire appearing on social media. Beijing maintains tight control of news reports from Tibet, where Buddhist sites have been a focal point for separatist unrest in the past. The fire comes as Tibetans celebrate Losar, their traditional new year, which began on Friday. Tibet has had a tumultuous history, during which it has spent some periods functioning as an independent entity and others ruled by powerful Chinese and Mongolian dynasties. China sent in thousands of troops to enforce its claim on the region in 1950. Some areas became the Tibetan Autonomous Region and others were incorporated into neighbouring Chinese provinces. China says Tibet has developed considerably under its rule. But rights groups say China continues to violate human rights, accusing it of political and religious repression - something Beijing denies.

Wrestling's global sporting body has banned an Iranian athlete for six months for deliberately throwing a match to avoid an Israeli opponent. Alireza Karimachiani was winning a match against his Russian opponent in November's under-23 world championships when his coach ordered him to lose. If he had won, he would have faced an Israeli athlete in the next round. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel and bans its athletes from competing against Israelis. Iran's wrestling federation has said it will challenge the ban, which was announced by the United World Wrestling Disciplinary Chamber on Friday. "Karimachiani, on instruction of his coach Jamshidi, wilfully lost his 1/8 finals match against Alikhan Zhabrilov," the chamber said, referring to the Russian opponent in the match. "Both wrestler and coach were found to have acted in direct violation of the International Wrestling Rules... and the UWW Disciplinary Regulations," it added. Karimachiani's ban was set to run for two years from the date of the incident - making him eligible to compete in late May 2018. His coach, Hamidreza Jamshidi, was also banned from the sport until the end of November 2019. During the November 2017 match-up in Poland, Karimachiani was leading 3-2 in the fourth minute of the match. Winning would have set him up against Israel's Uri Kalashnikov in the next bout. Footage of the match appeared to contain a man's voice shouting instructions to lose, before the match is briefly paused for an exchange between athlete and coach. In the final 45 seconds, Karimachiani is tackled to the ground before he rolls over and over, resulting in his opponent winning 14-3. Many Iranians took to social media to express outrage at the spectacle. More than 5,000 tweets were sent following the match with hashtags which translate as #lose_alireza, #I_am_telling_you_to_lose, and #you_must_lose.

The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, Brendan Cox, has quit two charities he set up in her memory after allegations of sexual assault were made public. Mr Cox denied assaulting a woman in her 30s at Harvard University in 2015 - but admitted to "inappropriate" behaviour while working for Save the Children. He has left posts at More in Common and the Jo Cox Foundation a week after the Mail on Sunday published the claims. Mr Cox apologised for the "hurt and offence" caused by his past behaviour. In a statement issued on Saturday, he said: "While I do not accept the allegations contained in the 2015 complaint to the police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I do acknowledge and understand that during my time at Save the Children I made mistakes." Mr Cox, who married Jo Cox in 2009, was reported to police in Massachusetts in the US in 2015 for "inappropriate touching" while on a trip to Harvard - a claim which he denies. The father-of-two said some of the allegations against him were a "massive exaggeration", but conceded that he had at times "overstepped the line". Details of Mr Cox's alleged behaviour at Save the Children, which he left in 2015, emerged after Oxfam issued its own apology over a sex scandal involving aid workers in Haiti. 'Dedication' to charity Labour MP Mrs Cox was fatally shot and stabbed outside her constituency office in West Yorkshire by a far-right extremist during the EU Referendum campaign in 2016. Mr Cox said it had become "much more difficult" to focus on the two charities he set up after his wife's death, the community group More in Common and the Jo Cox Foundation. "For that reason, while away over half term, I decided to step down from my current public roles for the time being," he said. He added: "In the past I have focused on disputing what I felt was untrue in the allegations, but I realise now that it's more important to take full responsibility for what I have done." A spokesperson for the Jo Cox Foundation said the charity "admired" Mr Cox's contribution as a trustee. "The trustees and staff have admired the integrity, commitment and dedication that Brendan has shown in our work to create a positive legacy for Jo," they said.

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of helping a billionaire jeweller to defraud one of India's largest banks of millions. Nirav Modi, a diamond broker and luxury jeweller to celebrities, is being investigated in a $44m (£31m) fraud case at Punjab National Bank (PNB). Late on Friday, India's federal police arrested two bank officials and a business associate of Mr Modi's. Mr Modi has not yet commented on the case, and no charges have been filed. PNB has also claimed Mr Modi is involved in a $1.8bn (£1.3bn) fraud. That amount is almost a third of the bank's market value, and many times its quarterly profits. Nirav Modi is one of India's richest people, with a personal wealth of $1.75bn, according to Forbes. He has also been the jeweller for celebrities such as Naomi Watts and Kate Winslet - while one of India's biggest stars, Priyanka Chopra, is his company's brand ambassador. While no charges have been brought against Mr Modi, police have conducted several high-profile raids of his luxury jewellery shops. India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named the three arrested as former deputy manager Gokulnath Shetty, Manoj Kharat, and Hemant Bhat, Mr Modi's associate. A spokesman told the AFP news agency that Hemant Bhat was the "authorised signatory" of several companies linked to Mr Modi. The three are jointly suspected of making fraudulent lines of credit available to companies linked to Mr Modi and his uncle, Mehul Choksi, the spokesman said. Mr Choksi is head of the Gitanjali Group, which has about 4,000 shops across India. PNB said a series of transactions at a single branch in Dubai were made "for the benefit of a select few account holders with their apparent connivance". Many reports say Mr Modi has left the country, and police have as yet been unable to speak with him. Both Mr Modi and his uncle have had their passports suspended. A spokeswoman for India's tax authority told Reuters it had seized 105 bank accounts and 29 properties linked to Mr Modi and his companies, as it investigates possible tax evasion. Meanwhile, opposition political parties have been seeking to link Mr Modi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a photo emerged of the pair together at the World Economic Forum in January - along with dozens of others. The men are not related. Nirav Modi was born into a diamond trading dynasty, based in the industry capital Antwerp, and later established Firestar Diamond - his own diamond making operation in India almost 20 years ago. He started trading under his own name in 2010, specialising in diamonds. The brand made its mark in some style after one of his earliest pieces was featured on the front cover of a Christies catalogue and was sold by the auction house in Hong Kong for $3.8m.

A minor earthquake with a 4.4 magnitude has affected parts of Wales and England. The quake was felt over all of Wales, most of western England, as far east as London and as far north as the southern edge of the Lake District, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said. The epicentre was approximately 20km north-north-east of Swansea and at a depth of 7.4km, it added. There have been no reports of serious damage or injuries. Events of this magnitude happen in the UK every three to five years, the BGS said. Roger Musson, from the BGS, said it was the largest earthquake in mainland Britain for the last 10 years - since one with a magnitude of 5.2 struck in 2008 in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. He said it was "relatively shallow" for a larger British earthquake. They are usually around 15-20km deep. Dyfed Powys Police force said it had received "an extremely high volume" of calls relating to tremors. South Wales Police urged the public to avoid calling the emergency services unless it was to report damage or injuries. The tremors caused play to be held up at a Welsh Football League match at Port Talbot, 10 miles from Swansea, as the town's team faced Taff's Well. A tweet from Port Talbot's Twitter account said: "Temporary stop in play. A recorded earthquake in the area. Incredible." Steven Clathworthy, who lives near Bridgend, south Wales, said he heard a bang and the settee moved. "All the neighbours were out asking 'what's happening?'" he said. Bryan Jones, 72, of Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taff, said: "It was like a tremor but it was quite frightening for my granddaughter - she swore a little bit and my wife got up asking 'What was that?'" 'The walls cracked' Vera Sanderberg, from Croyde in north Devon, said she felt her house shake. "The neighbour's horses bolted," she said. "It was just a split second. We can't see anything damaged." In Cheltenham, Paul Samway said it felt like "a washing machine breaking down". "We heard the walls crack and there was a bit of juddering," he added. "We thought nothing of it until we saw reports from other people on social media." Louise Craig, from Connah's Quay in north Wales, said it was "the most excitement I've had on a Saturday afternoon for a while". "I get a lot of fat wood pigeons jumping up and down on my chimney and I first of all thought the noise was them but they must have put on a heck a lot of weight to make the house shake," she told the BBC. Donna Johnson in Caerphilly said she was "really scared". "The house started rocking, and I said, 'oh my god the house is falling down'. We have a bungalow, and there is risk of subsidence here," she told the BBC. "I ran outside - I was shaking like a leaf... The cat went outside before me, so she must have known." Sue Field in Shifnal, Shropshire, said she felt the tremors from her armchair. "I thought I'd had one too many wines for my birthday lunch," she said.

TOP Russian and American officials exchanged barbs in Germany over the US indictment of 13 Russians accused of an elaborate plot to disrupt the 2016 presidential election. H.R. McMaster, US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that the federal indictments showed the US was becoming “more and more adept at tracing the origins of this espionage and subversion.” “As you can see with the FBI indictment, the evidence is now really incontrovertible and available in the public domain,” McMaster told a Russian delegate to the conference. Just minutes before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had dismissed the indictments as “just blabber,” according to remarks through an interpreter. “I have no response,” Lavrov said when asked for comment on the allegations. “You can publish anything, and we see those indictments multiplying, the statements multiplying.” The two men addressed the conference of top world leaders, defence officials and diplomats, giving more general back-to-back opening remarks. But both were immediately hit with blunt questions about the US indictment and the broader issue of cyberattacks. In Russia, news of the indictments was met with more scorn. “There are no official claims, there are no proofs for this. That’s why they are just children’s statements,” Andrei Kutskikh, the presidential envoy for international information security, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. McMaster also scoffed at the suggestion that the US would work with Russia on cyber security issues. “I’m surprised there are any Russian cyber experts available based on how active most of them have been undermining our democracies in the West,” he said to laughter. “So I would just say that we would love to have a cyber dialogue when Russia is sincere.” The federal indictment brought Friday by special counsel Robert Mueller represents the most detailed allegations to date of illegal Russian meddling during the campaign that sent Trump to the White House. Lavrov argued that US officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, have said no country influenced the U.S. election results. “Until we see the facts, everything else is just blabber — I’m sorry for this expression,” Lavrov said. The indictment charged 13 Russians with running a huge but hidden social media trolling campaign aimed in part at helping Republican Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. It outlined the first criminal charges against Russians believed to have secretly worked to influence the U.S. election’s outcome. According to the indictment, the Russian organisation was funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy St. Petersburg businessman with ties to the Russian government and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lavrov denounced “this irrational myth about this global Russian threat, traces of which are found everywhere — from Brexit to the Catalan referendum.” In Russia, one of the 13 people indicted said that the U.S. justice system is unfair. Mikhail Burchik was quoted Saturday by the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda as saying that “I am very surprised that, in the opinion of the Washington court, several Russian people interfered in the elections in the United States. I do not know how the Americans came to this decision.” Burchik was identified in the indictment as executive director of an organisation that allegedly sowed propaganda on social media to try to interfere with the 2016 election. He was quoted as saying that “they have one-sided justice, and it turns out that you can hang the blame on anyone.

CLASSICAL French soloist Ophelie Gaillard was robbed of her cello worth $1.5 million outside her home in a Paris suburb in a violent attack. The thief also stole her mobile phone and fled on foot. Ms Gaillard wrote a desperate Facebook post asking for anyone with information about her missing 18th century instrument — which had been loaned to her by the CIC bank — to come forward. The award-winning musician, 43, described the theft, which was conducted at knifepoint, as “very violent” and said she had not been able to sleep for two days following the attack. But the incident was to have a melodic ending, and the cello was mysteriously returned, with Ms Gaillard receiving an anonymous tip-off that the cello could be found in her car. One of the car windows was broken and the musician said she quickly grabbed the instrument, which is “in good condition”, before notifying police. A source close to the investigation by the unit in charge of armed robberies said, “It’s not an instrument that can be sold to a fence on the corner”. “I am so relieved to have found it. I’m coming out of a two-day nightmare — it’s a miracle,” Ms Gaillard said. The valuable cello was made in Italy in 1737 by Luthier Francesco Goffriller, son of Venetian master cello-maker Matteo Goffriller. The cello case also contained her bow, which Ms Gaillard said was made by acclaimed 19th-century French bowmaker Jean Pierre Marie Persoit “around 1825 in Paris”. In 2003, Ms Gaillard was named the best new instrumental soloist at the French classical music awards.

ANGELA Merkel has told Theresa May that she still hates Brexit, even a year and a half after Britain voted to leave the bloc. The German Chancellor said during a joint press conference with the British Prime Minister that she “deplores” the UK’s exit from the EU, The Sun reports. The PM held crunch talks with Merkel on a post Brexit future over the weekend — amid talk that the Germans are frustrated by the UK’s lack of clarity on leaving the bloc. Mrs May flew to Berlin on Saturday, where she is under huge pressure to reveal what Britain wants in future from the EU. “I’m not frustrated at all, I am just curious on how Britain envisages this future partnership. And obviously we have our own vested interests,” Mrs Merkel said this afternoon. “We very much look forward to Britain again setting out its ideas.” And she said that they were “under a certain amount of time pressure” to get an agreement together, but it must be done in a “diligent and careful” way. “We need a permanent exchange, because sometimes we don’t know how our opposite is seeing things,” she said. Work needs to be done to make sure that planes can continue to take off and land, that tourists can travel, and healthcare systems remain in place, the German Chancellor explained. “We would like to preserve this close partnership.” But Mrs May told her “it isn’t just a one-way street” and insisted that she wanted a “bold and ambitious” deal that would be good for all sides — inviting her to share her thoughts too. “I want a future economic partnership that is good for Germany, the other members of the EU ... and the UK,” she added. And in a boost for the PM, Mrs Merkel hinted that a bespoke trade deal IS on the cards. She said that there needed to be an outcome that is a “fair balance” — one that is “as close as possible” but not the same as Britain has now. “That does not need to be cherrypicking,” she insisted. Meanwhile, Sabine Weyand, Michel Barnier’s number two, said today that she thinks Britain lacked a clear direction. She said: “We have very competent negotiating partners, but what they often lack is a clear political orientation, and that’s because the political discussion in the UK isn’t over. “They don’t know what version of Brexit a majority stood for. The remaining time is short, but we need clarity.” Ahead of the visit Mrs Merkel’s spokesman warned that “time is running out” to hammer out a transition and trade deal. German officials are said to be frustrated with the lack of clarity and progress on plans for our split. Britain and the EU are currently thrashing out a transition deal — which will come into place after March 2019 when we leave the bloc, but will keep many rules the same to help businesses prepare and adjust. But the last time Mrs May and Mrs Merkel met, relations went somewhat sour — when they got in an embarrassing conversation over what Brexit would look like. Their discussions on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month reportedly got locked in a circular chat, with both sides refusing to back down. At a briefing with journalists the Chancellor joked that her exchanges with Mrs May had become locked in a “loop”. She had asked the PM what she wanted from a deal, who replied: “Make me an offer”. Mrs Merkel claims she then told Mrs May: “But you’re leaving — we don’t have to make you an offer!” They met today ahead of Mrs May’s key speech in Munich tomorrow, where she will spell out how Britain will work together with other EU nations on security co-operation after we quit the bloc in 2019. But this morning former NATO secretary-general Anders Foch Rasmussen said “security is not on the radar screen right now” and the issues must be addressed as soon as possible. He told Radio 4’s Today program: “I have urged the negotiators on both sides to start negotiations on security issues right now.” And in a rare joint statement, the head of MI6 joined with his French and German counterparts earlier today to call for continued intelligence-sharing after Brexit. They said co-operation in the current climate was still “indispensable” — and must go on after we leave the bloc to tackle terrorism, illegal migration and cyber attacks.

A MILITARY helicopter carrying officials assessing damage from a powerful earthquake crashed in southern Mexico on Friday local time, killing 13 people and injuring 15, all of them on the ground. The Oaxaca state prosecutor’s office said in a statement that five women, four men and three children were killed at the crash site and another person died later at the hospital. Jorge Rosales, a local reporter who was aboard the helicopter when it crashed, described harrowing moments as the pilot lost control and the helicopter attempted to land in a swirl of dust. “The moment the helicopter touched down it lost control, it slid — like it skidded — and it hit some vehicles that were stationed in the area,” he told a Mexican television news program. “In that moment, you couldn’t see anything, nothing else was heard beside the sound that iron makes when it scrapes the earth.” Mexico’s Interior Department said that the helicopter was carrying Secretary Alfonso Navarrete and Oaxaca state Gov. Alejandro Murat, who were evaluating reports of damage from the powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake, before their helicopter crashed. The helicopter was attempting to land on a vacant lot in the city of Jamiltepec, about 30 kilometres from the area of Pinotepa Nacional, the Mexican army said. The US Geological Survey originally put the magnitude of Friday’s quake at 7.5 but later lowered it to 7.2. It said the epicentre was 53 kilometres northeast of Pinotepa in southern Oaxaca state and had a depth of 24 kilometres. President Enrique Pena Nieto said via Twitter that both officials and crew were fine, although the interior department said that they had light injuries.

HENRY BOLTON, the British politician and leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), was finally ditched today as UKIP leader after-party members voted to force him out. Angry activists turned against him after he made the party a laughing stock by dating a 25-year-old model — who was later exposed as a racist. Nearly 1,400 UKIP members cast a ballot in the vote of confidence, with 63 per cent voting to throw Mr Bolton out, and only 37 per cent supporting him. The result was announced after a fiery meeting in Birmingham where the party boss fought in vain to save his political career, which hit the rocks when The Sun revealed he’d left his wife for a 25-year-old model. The party will now hold a new leadership election — with the winner set to be announced by the end of May. Speaking to the activists, Mr Bolton said he was “bitterly sorry” for hurting his family by walking out on his wife and kids. But he blamed “the enemy within” for undermining his leadership, claiming senior officials had made it impossible for him to do his job properly. He said he might sue the body that runs UKIP, accusing them of conspiring against him. The vote came after Mr Bolton’s girlfriend Jo Marney was found to have sent a string of racist messages about Meghan Markle. According to The Sun Mr Bolton, 54, insisted the messages had been misinterpreted and claimed the pair had broken up — but he continued to see her regularly, and admits he still has feelings for her. Prior to the vote, the ditched party leader insisted he was “quietly optimistic” about his chances of surviving. He received a boost this week when ex-leader Nigel Farage backed him and insisted he is the right man to take the party forward — but it was not enough to keep him in the job. Last month, The Sun revealed that Mr Bolton had suddenly left his wife and moved in with Jo Marney. Mr Bolton admitted he had separated from Tatiana Smurova, his third wife, but insisted he was in a committed relationship with his new girlfriend. Ms Marney mocked victims of Grenfell Tower and suggested Prince Harry’s fiancee will “taint the royal family” because she is mixed-race. Last night he compared himself to Princess Diana because of the public attention on his personal life.

After hiring the services of a private investigations firm, Epic Games discovered they'd sued another minor for alleged cheating. The gaming company asked the court to keep the personal information of the kid under seal. A private investigator was also used to locate another minor defendant in a separate case, who is now risking a default judgment. Last fall, Epic Games released Fortnite’s free-to-play “Battle Royale” game mode for the PC and other platforms, generating massive interest among gamers. This also included thousands of cheaters, many of whom were subsequently banned. Epic Games then went a step further by taking several cheaters to court for copyright infringement. In the months that have passed several cases have been settled with undisclosed terms, but it appears that not all defendants are easy to track down. In at least two cases, Epic had to retain the services of private investigators to locate their targets. In a case filed in North Carolina, the games company was unable to serve the defendant (now identified as B.B) so they called in the help of Klatt Investigations, with success. “[A]fter having previously engaged two other process servers that were unable to locate and successfully serve B.B., Epic engaged Klatt Investigations, a Canadian firm that provides various services related to the private service of process in civil matters. “In this case, we engaged Klatt Investigations to locate and effect service of process by personal service on Defendant,” Epic informs the court. As Epic Games didn’t know the age of the defendant beforehand they chose to approach the person as a minor, which turned out to be a wise choice. The alleged cheater indeed appears to be a minor, so both the Defendant and Defendant’s mother were served. Based on this new information, Epic Games asked the court to redact any court documents that reveal personal information of the defendant, which includes his or her full name. Epic’s request to seal This is not the first time Epic Games has used a private investigator to locate a defendant. It hired S&H Investigative Services in another widely reported case, where the defendant also turned out to be a minor. In that case, the mother of the alleged cheater wrote a letter to the court in her son’s defense, but after that, things went quiet. This lack of response prompted Epic Games to ask the court to enter a default in this case, which means that the defendant risks a default judgment for copyright infringement.

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Sea of Thieves is one of the most anticipated games of 2018, and it aims to deliver players an open-world, swashbuckling pirate experience. However, the game will sadly not feature a tie-in to one of the most well-known pirate franchises. In response to a fan's question, developer Rare confirmed today that there won't be Pirates of the Caribbean DLC coming to Sea of Thieves. As a result, you won't be meeting eccentric captain Jack Sparrow on the high seas in the game. "We won't be adding anything specific to other IPs," Rare wrote on Twitter. "However you can rest assured that you will get a heavy dose of pirate goodness every time you play Sea of Thieves." Sea of Thieves launches on March 20 on PC and Xbox One. If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, Sea of Thieves will be available as part of the program as soon as it launches. In addition, Rare recently revealed the PC requirements necessary to run the game. Be sure to check out our recent feature on Sea of Thieves' potential as well as our concerns about it.

Bandai Namco's upcoming action-RPG Code Vein promises a distinct style, a dense world, and difficult combat--and , the publisher revealed that it'll also feature cooperative multiplayer. On Twitter, the company announced that you'll be able to explore the vampire-themed world and tackle its difficult enemies with friends. From the description, it sounds like it'll operate similarly to Dark Souls' co-op functionality. As you explore and attempt to complete dungeons alongside an NPC companion, you can send out a distress signal to summon a different player. As Gematsu reported, this player will have to fulfill "certain conditions," although it's unclear what these conditions will be. This player will appear alone and can help you clear a dungeon, and then they can stay with you as a party member. They'll also be affected by your NPC's special perks, called Gifts. Bandai Namco also released a few new screenshots for the game, which you can see above. Code Vein is scheduled to launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in early 2018. It's in development with the team that made the God Eater series, and it won't have an easier difficulty setting; instead, you can change your stats freely throughout the game.

Since the launch of its Battle Royale mode last year, Fortnite's popularity has exploded. That's no doubt thanks in part to being free-to-play, but while it follows the same basic format as other games in the increasingly popular sub-genre, it does offer a unique twist with its building mechanics. At the press of a button, you can build walls, floors, and stairs, and that ability is key to success. However, with no tutorial and players eager to kill you, actually getting the hang of building is not especially easy. Building can generate a lot of noise, which invariably attracts unwanted attention. To help you get started, we've put together the video above in which we run through the basics of gathering materials and building. We cover both the small so-called "panic forts" that you'll build during the course of a match to protect yourself, as well as the towers that are frequently used at the end of a game. In the video, you'll also get a look at the recently added minigun. Epic continues to make changes and add new content to Battle Royale, some of which can have a significant effect on building. The minigun is one such case, as it makes for an ideal way to rapidly destroy the cover that enemies are hiding behind. A new update for Fortnite introduced the Crossbow, which, while packing unlimited ammo, doesn't offer the kind of firepower that's ideal for demolishing structures. It does, however, allow for stealthy takedowns, something that can provide you with a real edge. We'll have more tips and guides for Fortnite soon, but in the meantime, check out Battle Royale's new skins and upcoming Valentine's Day-themed content.

Microsoft has rolled out a fresh set of deals on Xbox Live, and there are some solid offers to be had across Xbox One and Xbox 360. Starting with Xbox One, the newest Call of Duty game, Call of Duty: WWII, is on sale for one of the first times since release. Right now, you can get it for $39, which is 35 percent off its normal $60 price. Some other notable Xbox One offers this week include Rocket League ($12), XCOM 2 ($20), WWE 2K18 ($30), NBA 2K18 ($39), Injustice 2 ($32), Firewatch ($8), Evolve ($7.50), and Destiny 2 ($39). Additionally, Mafia III ($16) and lots of add-on content for Rocket League and Rainbow Six Siege is on sale, with discounts as deep as 50% off. On Xbox 360, BioShock 1-2 and Infinite are on sale, alongside Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Other 2K games are on sale as well, including Mafia II, Spec Ops: The Line, The Darkness II, and XCOM: Enemy Within. Go to Major Nelson's blog to see a full rundown of this week's Xbox One and Xbox 360 deals, including country-specific price points and more. The offers, some of which require an Xbox Live Gold membership, are good through February 19. In other news, Xbox Live Gold members can now pick up some of February's free Games With Gold titles. These include Shadow Warrior on Xbox One and Split/Second for Xbox 360.

As it does occasionally, Rockstar is providing a welcome freebie to players of Grand Theft Auto V. Players will be able to get some free money in GTA Online for a limited time, and in a roundabout way, everything available for sale will be discounted. Attributing this to a move by the fictional San Andreas Treasury Department, Rockstar has announced a stimulus package for all players on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. By logging into GTA Online between now and February 26, you'll qualify for $250,000 of in-game cash. This won't be handed over immediately--you can expect it to reach your Maze Bank account sometime between February 27 and March 6. In addition to that, Rockstar has kicked off a promotion that requires you to have GTA money now but will save you some in the long haul. Any in-game cash you spend from now until February 26 will get you a 10% refund (for example, spend $500,000, and you'll get $50,000 back in the bank.) The most you can earn back through this promotion is $1 million, though that'd require you to spend a whopping $10 million. The refund will be delivered on February 27. You can stack this offer with this week's new sales, which include 25% off Executive Offices, all 10-car properties, and the Nagasaki Buzzard attack helicopter, among other vehicles. It's also not too late to take advantage of some of the other bonuses going on in GTA 5 this week, which coincided with the release of a new vehicle, the Vapid Hustler.

The release of the major new Rainbow Six Siege update, Chimera, is drawing near. While we're still waiting for a full reveal of everything it will include, we have now gotten details on what to expect from its two new Operators, Finka and Lion. Ubisoft's website has released bios on both characters, including fairly extensive (and personal) back stories. More importantly, it also shares their weapon loadouts and what their gadgets do. Finka is an Attacker-class character who "delivers a nanobot shot to each Operator before an operation." During the course of the round, she's then able to activate the nanobots to assist her teammates. Specifically, Operators get "a short boost of health to get them back on their feet, to give them an extra push, and to steady their aim." Finka is rated at two speed and two armor, and her primary weapon choices are the Spear .308, SASG-12, and 6P41. Chimera's other new Operator is Lion, also an Attacker. His unique gadget is EE-One-D, which "allows Lion to survey hot zones and maintain quarantine protocols on missions." More specifically, it provides him with some kind of notification when movement is detected in an area. He also has two speed and two armor, and his primary weapon options are the V308, 417 Marksman Rifle, and SG-CQB. With the Rainbow Six Siege Invitational now underway, we should be receiving more details on these two characters and everything else coming in Chimera. The update also includes a big, limited-time co-op event mode called Outbreak. That will be playable with only select characters, including both Finka and Lion. This all launches on March 6 to kick off Siege's Year 3, although PC players will get to try much of it out on the Technical Test Server next week. Ubisoft is currently holding a free weekend event for Rainbow Six Siege, allowing players on PS4, Xbox One, and PC to check out the full game for free.

Pokemon Go's Valentine's Day event may soon be coming to an end, but a new one has now begun in the popular mobile game. Niantic has kicked off a Lunar New Year event in Pokemon Go, which will fittingly reward players with bonuses when they catch certain dog-like Pokemon. To celebrate the start of the Year of the Dog, Pokemon Go players will earn triple the normal amount of Stardust when they capture Poochyena, Growlithe, Snubble, Eevee, or Electrike. All of the aforementioned Pokemon will also spawn more frequently for the duration of the event. However, like the Valentine's Day celebration, the Lunar New Year event will only be around for a very brief period of time, running from February 15-17. Pokemon Go players in Taiwan can participate in a separate Lunar New Year event. From February 26 to March 3, Niantic is hosting a Safari Zone event at the Chiayi Lantern Festival. Players will have a chance to encounter Dratini, Mr. Mime, Growlithe, and other Pokemon during the day, while Chinchou and Lanturn will spawn at night when the lanterns begin to glow. You can read more about the Safari Zone even on the Pokemon Go website. Pokemon Go's Valentine's Day event was scheduled to conclude on February 15; however, due to server issues that prevented many players from logging in to the game, Niantic has extended the event by an additional 24 hours. That gives players another chance to encounter increased spawns of Luvdisc and Chansey and earn triple Stardust for each one they catch. Niantic recently introduced another batch of Gen 3 Pokemon to Pokemon Go, which consisted primarily of Dragon- and Flying-types like Salamence and Altaria. A new Gen 3 Legendary, Rayquaza, is also now available in the game. The Sky High Pokemon will appear in Raid Battles at Gyms until March 16. The second Pokemon Go Community Day is still slated to take place later this month, on February 24. Like January's Community Day, which featured a Pikachu that could use Surf, players will have a chance to encounter a Pokemon that knows a special move during the event. Niantic hasn't revealed what that move will be, but the Pokemon this time is the rare Dragon-type Dratini.

February has been a busy month for Nintendo Switch owners so far, but this week in particular is packed with great games to choose from. A total of 18 new titles arrive in the Switch Eshop this week, many of which are worth a download if you're looking for something new to play on the hybrid console. Headlining this week's releases is Platinum Games' acclaimed action game, Bayonetta 2, which arrives alongside the original Bayonetta today, February 16. Originally released for Wii U back in 2014, Bayonetta 2 is one of the few games to earn a rare 10 out of 10 from GameSpot. Those who pick up the physical version will receive a free download code for the first Bayonetta. Each title will also be available individually on the Eshop, and purchasing one will entitle you to a significant discount on the other. Arriving alongside Bayonetta 2 today is Fe, a beautiful adventure game from EA and developer Zoink. The game puts players in control of a cub who explores a dark forest, learning different animal cries that can be used to interact with other animals or plants to solve puzzles. Fe is the first title published under EA's indie-oriented EA Originals program. Other notable games available for Switch this week include the latest ACA Neo Geo classic, Fatal Fury 3; the touching 2D adventure game Owlboy; the flashback-driven retro RPG The Longest Five Minutes; the Metroid-style platformer Xeodrifter; the classic arcade shoot-'em-up Samurai Aces; and the underwater 2D shooter Aqua Kitty UDX. Switch owners can also now download free demos for Quest of Dungeons, Violett, and Wanderjahr. You can find the full list of this week's new Switch releases below. On top of all the new title, the Shadow Dragon DLC pack for Fire Emblem Warriors also arrives on Switch this week. This is the second of three DLC packs planned for the game, and it introduces three characters originally from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon--Navarre, Minerva, and Linde--as well as new History maps, weapons, and costumes. The DLC pack is included in Fire Emblem Warriors' $20 season pass or can be purchased separately for $9. This Week's New Nintendo Switch Releases February 13 The Fall Part 2: Unbound The Longest Five Minutes Monster Energy Supercross Owlboy February 14 Fire Emblem Warriors -- Shadow Dragon DLC Pack February 15 ACA Neo Geo: Fatal Fury 3 Aqua Kitty UDX Escape Trick: 35 Fateful Enigmas Johnny Turbo's Arcade: Gate of Doom Millie Pool Billiard Samurai Aces TorqueL: Physics Modified Edition Wanderjahr: TryAgainOrWalkAway Xeodrifter February 16 Bayonetta Bayonetta 2 Fe Joe Dever's Lone Wolf New Nintendo Switch Eshop Demos Quest of Dungeons Violett Wanderjahr: TryAgainOrWalkAway

Bungie has explained its approach to changing Destiny 2's Exotics, offering insight into its goals and what it hopes to achieve in a game update planned for March. In the latest Bungie Weekly Update senior designer Jon Weisnewski said the gameplay tuning pass on Exotic gear is focused on "adding and/or increasing player Power spikes," and although all items are being considered, special attention is being paid to low-usage items. The goal, he says, is to "lean into an item's established gameplay and push it harder" while avoiding "catch-all improvements that dilute item identity." To show what this means Weisnewski used the Graviton Lance as an example, explaining that the feedback has been that it looks cool, but isn't viable for getting kills in player-versus-player scenarios. Bungie is remedying this by reducing the recoil of the first of the weapon's burst shots. On top of that, it's introducing some aim assist to control recoil and changing it from three shot burst to two shot. "This still plays into the fantasy of a low-damage gravity-neutralizing round forming a projectile tunnel for the last bullet," he said. "It also allows us to ensure the damage per burst is at a competitive level for PVP engagements. In fact, it gives Graviton a slight mathematical edge against other pulse rifles." Weisnewski also said that, as a result of feedback, the way an enemy's body now behaves after being hit with a Graviton Lance has changed. "We made it so that rather than violently flying backwards and likely out of range of a potential splash damage opportunity, the defeated opponent floats back and up," he explained. "Then we made the explosion bigger, increased the damage, and added some void field projectiles that seek out any remaining targets." According to Weisnewski, "this is one of the more exaggerated examples to help describe how we’re looking at our goals and applying them to the gear." He went on to name weapons that aren't getting an update: Merciless, Telesto, Wardcliff Coil, MIDA Multi Tool, Colony, Legend of Acrius, and Vigilance Wing. The team decided not to change these as some don't require it, while the others will benefit from other tuning changes included in update 1.1.4. "We'll be touching a lot of powerful gear with this update and to truly understand the impact for players requires a lot of design iteration and test time," Weisnewski said. "It isn't enough to crank up the damage and run one strike or Crucible match with a gun and helmet and move on. Dialing in the right amount of power, testing in all activities with all types of load outs, finding the bugs, fixing the bugs, updating the perk description text to reflect new behaviour, and then handing that off to localization for translation--it’s a ton of work, but we're up to it. We sincerely appreciate your patience. I believe it will be worth the wait." As previously detailed in the Destiny 2 roadmap, the changes are expected to go into effect on March 27 when the Sandbox & Crucible update will be launched as part of patch 1.1.4. Destiny 2's Crimson Days event is now live, introducing a special 2v2 Crucible playlist. By taking part in the event you'll be working toward unlocking the real highlight of the new content: new gear. There's lots of new goodies for Destiny 2 players on PC, PS4, and Xbox One to acquire, but only for a limited time. You can take a look at the new items, rewards, and gear in Destiny 2 Crimson Days update here. Crimson Days is now live on all platforms, and it runs until the weekly reset on February 20. Even if you don't plan on playing much, you can get a free Crimson Engram just by logging in and speaking with Tess at The Tower.

Capcom has released a new update for Monster Hunter: World, making a few small tweaks to the Slashberry management and the way squads join multiplayer sessions. Patch 1.06 and 1.0.0.11 are available for PS4 and Xbox One respectively now, and you can see what they do below courtesy of Capcom. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One Fixed an issue that occurred when hunters had 31 or more Slashberries in their item pouch at the time of the last update (PS4 v1.05 / Xbox One v1.0.0.10) where the maximum number of Slashberries a hunter can hold in their item pouch was reduced from 60 to 30. This update will move any Slashberries exceeding 30 in your item pouch to your item box. Made additional fixes to an issue fixed in the last update (PS4 v1.05 / Xbox One v1.0.0.10) where, rarely, uninvited non-squad members could join a Squad Online Session, or Squad members could not join one of their own. Xbox One Readjusted the search algorithm when searching for another player's session to join. PS4 players who have save data for Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition on their consoles can now accept the first Street Fighter V Event Quest, which is called "Down the Dark, Muddy Path." It's a three-star mission that requires a Hunter Rank of 3 or higher, and all it requires you to do is slay a Barroth. Once the mission is complete you'll be rewarded with items to craft the Ryu armor set, which will turn your hunter into the iconic Street Fighter character when equipped. You can take a look at the Ryu armor here. Monster Hunter World's second Horizon: Zero Dawn event begins on February 28. Like the previous quest, it will be exclusive to PS4 players. The mission this time around will be to hunt a giant Anjanath, and the reward will be materials to craft Aloy's bow and armor. Equipping the armor will change your appearance to look like Aloy, regardless of your hunter's gender. If you'd like to see more of the high-level armor available in the game, you can check out our gallery of high-rank gear for male hunters and high-rank gear for female hunters. In GameSpot's Monster Hunter: World review, Ginny Woo said the game is "the biggest and best that the franchise has ever been" and awarded it an 8/10. "It's not just the comparative depth of the narrative," she continued, "It also boasts almost seamless integration between combat systems that were previously incomprehensible for amateurs. The Monster Hunter formula has definitely honed its claws, and all the above factors play their part in making Monster Hunter World a meaningful evolution for the series at large."