The publisher acknowledged that it doesn't own the rights, but potential 'shared code' led to the takedown demand. Leisure Suit Larry creator Al Lowe put a number of interesting artifacts from his Sierra days up for auction a couple of weeks ago, including the source code for the original Leisure Suit Larry on 5.25" diskettes. Bidding quickly skyrocketed, but shortly after the auction went live it was canceled, as did a separate auction for the LSL2 code. Lowe pulled the plug on the auctions, according to Britton Mathews of the Sierra Gamers Facebook group, after receiving a letter from a law firm hired by Activision demanding that he take them down. Interestingly, Activision acknowledged in the letter that it does not own the rights to the Leisure Suit Larry IP, but said that the source code probably contains "shared code" that's also present in the King's Quest and Space Quest games, which it does own. That was apparently enough to spur the takedown notice. Lowe anticipated something like this when he posted the auctions, and so included a note saying that the winning bidder "will not own the intellectual property rights to the game." He told Mathews that he believes he's in the right legally—but the costs of fighting Activision's takedown demand would be more than the auctions would bring in. Lowe confirmed in an email that Mathews' account of their conversation is accurate. When asked if he had any alternate plans for the source code diskettes, he suggested that "searching for the bulk eraser from [his] reel-to-reel tape days" was the only thing that had come to mind so far. I suspect he was not being entirely serious.

Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone announced earlier this month that he was parting ways with publisher Chucklefish and going it alone as a self-published indie. But it turns out that he's not really "going it alone" in the strictest sense at all. In fact, he's putting a team together to help him continue to work on Stardew Valley. That's actually bit of a double-twist, as Barone has also said previously that he wants to devote all his time to the new game he teased last year. But he just can't quit Stardew Valley. "While there have been times in the past where I felt burnt out, and maybe even said that I wanted to move on, I always find myself coming back to Stardew Valley," Barone wrote in a new developer blog post. "For one, I keep getting new ideas for ways to improve and expand upon the game. This world is so full of potential, I could probably work on it for the rest of my life."

Update: The link below for Project Stream sign-ups wasn't working for some people, even if they're in the US. That should be fixed now, but if that happens again for you, I suggest Googling the project separately and finding a link that way. Also note that signing up for Project Stream doesn't guarantee you'll get to test it—Google will review your application first (although the promise of freebies suggests they're looking to get as many testers as possible). Original story: Google's game streaming project is now open for testing, and anyone that signs up and plays an hour of Assassin's Creed Odyssey on it gets to keep a Uplay copy of the game for free. You can only sign up to the project in the US, and you have to be 18 or older. Project Stream, currently in its "technical test" stage, will stream the game to your laptop or desktop via Chrome, which you'll need to install first, and you'll also need to have a linked Uplay account to get your free copy. A fair list of requirements, then—but getting Ubisoft's excellent action RPG for free will surely be worth it. All your game saves and in-game items from the Project Stream version will transfer over to your free copy. You have until January 15 to sign up for testing. Anyone that test Project Stream, no matter for how long, will also receive 1,000 Helix credits, equivalent to $10 on the Uplay store, Ubisoft said in a blog post.

Capybara's Zelda-inspired roguelike Below, which Lauren spent some time with earlier this year, is out now after five years of development. It looks beautiful: I particularly like the way your tiny hero's lantern lights up the cavernous depths of its procedurally-generated labyrinths in the launch trailer, above. You'll delve into a giant underworld full of interconnected passageways, fighting enemies and exploring hidden areas, and when you die (which you'll do a lot) you'll be booted back to the start to do it all over again. From Lauren's preview it sounds like it's more than just a looker: she called it a "dark, violent game" with "snappy" combat, and she didn't feel frustrated despite numerous deaths. The early Steam user reviews are mostly positive, although some people are criticising the slow pace—the word "boring" comes up 13 times on the first page of reviews. But as I said, most people like it, and the art style alone might be enough to convince some people to check it out. If you're one of them, then you can pick it up for $22.50/£18 on Steam.

Get yourself a new graphics card. Or an SSD. Or an entire PC. Earlier this week, eBay released a site-wide promo code that took 15% off the price of many PC peripherals. For the rest of today (ending at midnight PT), you can now get 10% off most tech products. The maximum discount this time is $75, so this isn't the best eBay promotion in recent months, but you can still grab PC parts and accessories at good prices. All you need to do is enter code PICKUPSALE at checkout to get the discount. Here are some items we found that work with the code: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 XC Ultra — $744.99 ($75 off) EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti SC — $386.99 ($43 off) Intel 545s 512GB SATA SSD — $49.49 ($5.50 off) Samsung 860 Evo 250GB SSD — $62.99 ($8 off) Intel Core i7-8700K — $333.98 ($37 off) Intel Core i5-8600K — $234.98 ($26 off) Logitech G602 Wireless Mouse — $34.77 ($3.70 off) Logitech Orion Spectrum G910 Keyboard — $80.99 ($9 off) The code works on new and used items alike, so have a blast. You can use the same code to save 15% on non-tech products too. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.

A maximum of 12 players to begin with. Custom games and weapon camos will arrive in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's battle royale mode next week, Treyarch has announced. You'll be able to launch a private Blackout match for you and your friends, competing in solo, duos or squads. To begin with the maximum player count will be 12, but that will increase over time, the developer said in a Reddit post. Treyarch says custom games will give you more time and freedom to explore the map and find secrets (suggesting some are still undiscovered), but didn't say whether you'll be able to adjust the speed at which the play area shrinks, or even turn off the storm altogether. Camos will be supported in regular matches and custom games, and any that you've earned in multiplayer, Zombies or the black market will transfer over to Blackout. You'll equip them in a new Armory menu before a match, and they'll appear on the corresponding weapon if you find it in-game. I've been holding off of Blackout because of the price, but the recently-released $30 Battle Edition, which doesn't include Zombies, certainly makes it more attractive.

Just Cause 4 is a fun playground for physics mayhem—but a slew of performance problems, including random crashes and texture pop-in, have left it with "mostly negative" user reviews on Steam. Yesterday, Avalanche Studios and Square Enix released a patch that aimed to fix the worst of the issues, and the companies are promising that more performance updates are on the way. The patch, specific to the PC version, has "numerous stability fixes" to stop crashes, as well as updated texture mapping and improved asset rendering, which might stop the "ugly pop-in" that Robert experienced in his review. The patch also widens control options by adding the ability to remap movement keys and increasing the range of mouse sensitivity. It aims to fix wonky keyboard controls while flying and prevent menu navigation problems for those playing with a mouse and keyboard. "Please rest assured that this is just the start of the work we are carrying out," publisher Square Enix said in a Steam post. "We are prioritising as best we can, and we are already looking into working on further other fixes for patches updates that will come in the New Year." It also apologised for the technical issues and acknowledged that lots of players were experiencing them. It promised to update players as soon as possible about progress with other bugs. Some of the reviews posted today still mention random crashes, so Avalanche may well have its work cut out.

Follows major adjustments to Time to Kill [TTK] and Time to Death [TTD]. DICE's recent changes to Time to Kill [TTK] and Time to Death [TTD] in Battlefield 5, which were designed to make the shooter more enjoyable for new players, have been a "big talking point and caused a divide in the community", according to the developer. Lots of players preferred the old values, so DICE will add "Core" versions of every playlist, complete with the original TTK and TTD values, next week, it has announced. When it made the changes earlier this week, it added a "Core" version of the Conquest playlist, but that has "clearly not [been] enough", it said in a Reddit post. "To fix that, we will be adding a 'Core' version of all playlists in the game next week, giving you a clearer choice between new and old settings." It'll update players early next week to tell them exactly when the new playlists are coming, it added. Most of the criticism of the adjusted values essentially says that, yes, Battlefield 5 is difficult for new players, but that's as it should be. The top comment on DICE's Reddit post sums it up: "New players are struggling? No shit...name me one multiplayer game where new players can jump in instantly do as good as the experienced players?" I'm not opposed to having modes that ease new players into the game, but two sets of playlists that are identical except for a slightly different TTK seems a bit messy. I'd hope that, eventually, DICE settles on a value and sticks with it across the board.

Dark Souls developer From Software's next game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, is currently top of Steam's wishlist chart, followed by the Resident Evil 2 remakeand Metro Exodus in third. I didn't even know you could see which games were most wishlisted until industry event organiser Simon Carless pointed it out on Twitter today, but it might be a useful way of knowing what should be on your radar. The list appears to rank games that have been most wishlisted recently, rather than the most wishlisted games of all time. Behind Sekiro, the Resi 2 remake and Metro Exodus is Total War: Three Kingdoms, action RPG Biomutant and The Outer Worlds, the RPG that blends Firefly and Fallout. Rounding out the top 10 are Square Enix's shooter Left Alive (which David called "underwhelming" in his preview) Studio Wildcard's pirate MMO Atlas, The Division 2 and Tropico 6, which Phil reckons could be the definitive edition of the island builder. Also in the top 20 are Epic Store timed exclusive Ashen, Wild West strategy game Desperados 3 and Yakuza Kiwami. It's worth browsing the full list if you're looking for upcoming titles to be excited about (or you could read our guide to the best games of 2019).

Game director is keen to bring it to Steam. Bayonetta and Nier: Automata developer Platinum Games may bring its upcoming action RPG Granblue Fantasy Relink to Steam, publisher Cygames has announced. The RPG is due to release in Japan on PS4 at some point in 2019, but game director Tetsuya Fukuhara has told Famitsu (translation via RPG Site), that he wants to bring the game to Steam too. Cygames were already planning localised versions of the game in the West. Granblue Fantasy Relink will be set in the same universe as 2014 mobile RPG Granblue Fantasy, which proved hugely popular in Japan, but the story will take place in a different time period. You'll be able to play it in co-op with up to four players or solo. You can watch some newly released gameplay footage above. It's no huge surprise that a Steam release could be on the cards: Platinum has said in the past that it wants all its games to end up on PC but that it "depends on the publisher"—and for now, Cygames seems to be on board.

"We messed up and rolled out the Infinity Blade overpowered / without good counters, especially in the end game." Update: The Infinity Blade has been vaulted, and Epic released the following statement explaining why, and what to expect in its future approach to mythical items. Fortnite’s Infinity Blade is a mythic weapon that was introduced this season, and it’s been causing chaos. It’s immensely imbalanced, blessing its wielder with regenerating health, the ability to leap great distances and the strength to destroy buildings in one hit. The response to the weapon’s introduction in the regular game mode and Winter Royale tournament has been largely negative, and Epic’s planning an update to address some of the issues, though likely not the ones players wanted. In the 7.10 update, you won’t be able to harvest resources with the Infinity Blade. “When designing the Infinity Blade the goal was to provide a weapon with inherent risk to balance out the great capability it provides—the ability to harvest/build removes a great deal of that risk,” Epic said. “By taking away the ability to harvest/build we hope to tune the Infinity Blade to where it feels risky to have, but still satisfying to wield.” I’m one of the few people who actually likes the Infinity Blade being in the regular game, but this definitely seems to miss the point. The replies on Redditare pretty consistent: players want the Infinity Blade to have its own limited time event, allowing people to choose to play without it. It’s the same thing they’ve been asking for this entire time. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mention harvesting and building, because that’s not what makes the weapon so incredibly powerful. Epic also clarified its philosophy on mythic weapons. “The presence of Mythic items in gameplay is to provide an interaction a step above the Legendary item functionality and something you’ll continue to see. To us, that means changing the way the game is played for those who interact with that item. The addition of items in this tier provide new and flavorful ways to interact with the map and generally shake up normal play across default modes.” It didn’t address their role in tournaments, like the Winter Royale, but more information on that will be coming early next week. Mythic weapons are obviously here to stay, however, and it looks like they’ll continue to feature in the regular mode, not just LTMs. Update: The Infinity Blade has been vaulted, and Epic released the following statement explaining why, and what to expect in its future approach to mythical items.

Welcome to Invitehawk dude

Welcome to Invitehawk

Welcome to Invitehawk

It's been a good year for fans of rail travel, with speedy new train services opening around the world, linking major cities and slashing rail journey times. Whether travelers are looking for an alternative to flying, or just want a faster train ride, these services are offering new travel opportunities. Also known as the XRL, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link opened in September. The 26-kilometer (16-mile) service connects the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong with mainland China's extensive high-speed rail network. Read: What to expect from Hong Kong's new bullet trains Bullet trains run from Hong Kong's newly opened West Kowloon station to 44 destinations. The journey between Hong Kong and Guangzhou, previously two hours by train, takes just 47 minutes. Trips to Shenzhen take 14 minutes. Direct trains from Hong Kong to Beijing take nine hours and to Shanghai, eight hours. They each run once a day. Read: 40 beautiful places to visit in China In an unprecedented arrangement, West Kowloon station is divided into Hong Kong and Chinese immigration controls -- which means passengers can avoid an additional check when traveling in and out of Hong Kong. The move has not been without controversy: part of the station is governed by Chinese authorities and patrolled by mainland police. Travelers from Hong Kong still need to have a valid Chinese visa or travel document to ride the train. The Tel Aviv-Jerusalem railway -- Israel's first electric train line -- partially opened in September. It currently links Ben Gurion Airport, 13 miles (20 kilometers) southeast of Tel Aviv, to the Jerusalem-Yitzhak Navon railway station. The journey takes around 20 minutes. Once completed, the direct link between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will reduce travel between the two to less than 30 minutes, with trains that run at a top speed of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour. It will be an alternative to the existing train route between Jerusalem and the ancient town of Jaffa, 6 kilometers from downtown Tel Aviv, which takes one hour and 40 minutes. Read: Guide to Israel, West Bank and Gaza Originally slated to open in 2008, the project has been plagued by delays and no completion date has been announced. It's another controversial project: two sections of the line -- largely underground -- run through the West Bank, which is considered occupied Palestinian land by the international community.

Chartered jets arriving in Udaipur for Indian heiress Isha Ambani's wedding contributed to a four-fold increase in flight traffic at the city's airport Saturday. The next day, celebrity guests were treated to an intimate private concert by Beyoncé.And that's just the pre-party. The most lavish Indian wedding of the year is underway in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, as 27-year-old Isha Ambani -- daughter of the country's wealthiest man -- prepares to tie the knot with businessman Anand Piramal. The pair won't officially wed until a Wednesday ceremony at the bride's family residence in Mumbai. But celebrations kicked off over the weekend at Udaipur's City Palace, a grand 16th-century complex overlooking Lake Pichola. The bride's father Mukesh Ambani, chair of the multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries, is worth more than $47 billion, according to Forbes. And the family appears to have spared no expense putting on a show for Bollywood A-listers, business magnates, politicians and sports stars. The guest list included advertising tycoon Martin Sorrell, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and the businesswoman and author Arianna Huffington. Hillary Clinton, a long-time friend of the Ambani family, was also in attendance. Guests were able download a custom app to help stay abreast of the schedule, which is expected to include feasts, rituals and entertainment events. Chief among these was the "sangeet," a night of music and dance traditionally hosted by the bride's family. Descending on the exclusive Oberoi Udaivilas Hotel on Saturday night, a star-studded crowd witnessed performances from various musicians and Bollywood icons. Ambani currently sits on the boards of two companies within her father's business empire. Her 33-year-old husband-to-be also hails from a powerful family, serving as executive director of Piramal Group, a sprawling conglomerate with business interests spanning healthcare, manufacturing and real estate.

Dirt, dust, and fingerprint smudges aren't going to do any long-term damage to your monitor, but they certainly might distract you while trying to headshot Tracer in Overwatch. Let's face it, your monitor is filthy—it's time to clean it. You might think that cleaning your monitor is easy, and you're right. But the process is slightly more complicated than just wiping it with the corner of your t-shirt—or even worse, a paper towel. Here are a few do's and don'ts: How not to damage your monitor Before we start, let's go over a few big no-no's, as accidentally damaging your monitor is a pricey mistake we want to avoid. First off, avoid corrosive substances! That means no alcohol- or ammonia-based cleaners (like diluted rubbing alcohol or Windex). These cleaners can damage your screen by stripping anti-reflective coatings, cause clouding, or worse. Monitors have come a long way from the giant glass bulbs of old-school CRT screens, but that means they're a lot more sensitive too. Next, be careful what you use to wipe the screen. Paper towels might seem like a good option, but at a microscopic level, they're actually quite abrasive. Ditto to t-shirts or other household rags, which might be harboring a stowaway spec of sand, metal, or something else that could scratch up your display in a single wipe. Finally, you never want to spray your cleaning agent directly onto your monitor. Excess liquid runs the risk of pooling in the corner of your screen, seeping in through tiny weak spots and wreaking havoc on the sensitive materials inside.

Update: We've added Maverick and Clash, and juggled a few other operators based on balancing tweaks and how they sit in the current meta. There is no true 'best' Rainbow Six Siege operator. Which character is best depends on the map, the objective location, your playstyle, and your opponent. We can, however, outline recommendations for which operators we think are best for most players, in most situations. Rook has simple, essentially guaranteed utility. Thermite is useful on Consulate, and a bunch of other maps that require hard breaching. Here, then, are the operators we value most in the meta right now. New operators Rainbow Six Siege's final season of 2018 will take us to Morocco for Operation Wind Bastion, where we'll be introduced to two new operators from that nation's special operations unit: one attacker, one defender. We'll meet them, along with a new map, on November 18. Expect an update to this guide around then.

Update: Footage of Rainbow Six Siege's Morocco map has leaked, giving us a much more detailed look at the Atlas Mountains stronghold. The leak comes courtesy of Redditor velocitycontrol, who alleges that the video comes from Ubisoft Thailand. From the inside, it looks more like a self-contained city than a fortress. It's an elaborate, multi-levelled affair, and I suspect it's going to take a bit of time for everyone to memorise its nooks and crannies. Good thing we're sneaking this early look, then. Update: Ubisoft has revealed more about what's coming in year 3 season 4 of Rainbow Six Siege, Operation Wind Bastion, which will see two members of Morocco's Groupe d'Intervention de La Gendarmerie Royale [GIGR, not to be confused with France's GIGN] special operations unit join the fight. The first operator, a Defender, is the commander of the unit, "as stoic as the mountains are immovable," Ubisoft said. "Strict and imposing, he inspires respect and has taken it upon himself to guide the future of Moroccan Special Forces." Keeping the cosmos in balance, the second operator is an Attacker: "She’s among the few explorers who can cross the Sahara, climb up the Alps, trek through Asia’s rainforests, march along the Arctic Circle…and still return to her unit in operational shape. Perceptive and resourceful, she’s an expert on environmental operations with a knack for pushing the enemy back." The map Ubisoft teased earlier today is a fortress in the Atlas Mountains that apparently serves as a GIGR training facility. "You’ll have the rare opportunity to test your skills inside a stunning mudbrick kasbah," Ubisoft said. "Enjoy unprecedented roof access, but do try to stay focused despite the breathtaking oasis just next door." The full Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Wind Bastion reveal will take place on November 18 during the Pro League finals. Original story: We’ve known that Rainbow Six Siege would be taking a trip to Morocco for a year, but until now we’ve not known much more than that. Ubisoft’s first vague teaser for the new map, appearing on Twitter yesterday evening, doesn’t really change that. It does, however, suggest that the wait won’t be much longer. Accompanying a sedate gif featuring billowing curtains in a dusty but ornate room, there’s a brief message in Arabic: “Welcome to Morocco”.

Intel Extreme Masters will return to Sydney in 2019 for the third year running, bringing world class Counter-Strike: GO play to the city's Qudos Bank Arena. Sixteen teams will compete for a US$250,000 prize pool, with winners working towards attendance at the Intel Grand Slam. Nathan Lawrence was in attendance at last year's event, and it's safe to say that professional Counter-Strike doesn't get much bigger and more lavish in Australia. Over 7,500 folk were in attendance last year, while 13.5 million people viewed from home. The proceedings take place May 3-5 next year, but you can get in early for tickets: they go on sale this Friday, November 16. Prices range $39 for a day, through to $139 for the whole weekend. There are also Weekend Premium and Global Elite tickets for $239 and $1,199 respectively. Check out a trailer below:

The Golden Joystick Awards have determined that Subnautica, the undersea survival sim that is really a horror game in disguise (and if you don't believe me, give it a try sometime and let me know how it goes), is the PC Game of the Year. CD Projekt's upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 took the title for Most Wanted Game, while Fortnite beat out not-on-PC heavyweight Red Dead Redemption 2 to claim the overall Game of the Year title. Fortnite is a phenomenon, of course, and while I wouldn't necessarily argue that it's a better game that RDR2 taken in isolation, I don't see the Housers turning up on Ellen anytime soon, or shit-talking an entire nation just because they can. Subnautica, meanwhile, is spectacularly good: Excellent as a survival game, but with so much more going on beneath the surface (pardon the pun). It suffered from a few niggling technical issues but was otherwise a serene, sublime experience of remarkable beauty—except when the bad things happen, and then it's a five-alarm nope back to the surface for a few minutes. (Or days.) I am down with the winners, in other words, but feel free to debate their merits in the comments. The full list of victors is down below: Best Storytelling: God of War Studio of the Year: Sony Santa Monica Best New Streamer/Broadcaster: Amelia Rose Blaire and Bryan Dechart Mobile Game of the Year: Playerunknown's Battlegrounds Best Competitive Game: Fortnite PC Game of the Year: Subnautica PlayStation Game of the Year: God of War Best Co-op Game: Monster Hunter World Xbox Game of the Year: Forza Horizon 4 Best Visual Design: God of War Nintendo Game of the Year: Octopath Traveler Best Indie Game: Dead Cells The 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Hidetaka Miyazaki, president of From Software and producer/director on the Dark Souls games, Bloodborne, and the upcoming Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Epic Games wants you to pay attention to its new store, and it's not playing. As of right now, and until December 25, the outstanding underwater exploration sim (and horror game) Subnautica is free to take, and keep. This was previously announced shortly after the Epic Games Store launched. Subnautica is really great: Philippa called it her favorite game of the last five years in her 89/100 review, and Steven explained the importance of water bottles in this all-too-true tale of spinning small troubles into full-blown catastrophes. It was enough to convince me to try it, even though survival games aren't really my thing, and they were so right—it's one of the best things I've played in years. Not much more to it: Go to the Subnautica page on the Epic Games Store, click the "free" button, and go for a swim. You won't regret it.

North Korea often flaunts its military hardware but of late, it appears to be making progress in developing civilian technologies - or at least is claiming to be. As with most things in the country, it is difficult to verify these claims, but it is significant to note the importance being given to technology. In recent months, state media have publicly celebrated various achievements in advanced technologies, including an "intelligent home system". Beyond the purpose of propaganda, emphasis on the sector reflects North Korea's desire to harness technology to improve its economy - a key goal for Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. Growing tech prowess? One of the latest tech ventures is a new wi-fi service called Mirae, which enables mobile devices to access a state-sanctioned intranet network in the capital, Pyongyang. State-run Korean Central Television on 8 November showed an Arirang 171 smartphone being used to access Mirae during an "Exhibition of IT Successes". The US-based monitoring website 38North noted that this was the first time an outdoor wi-fi service had been mentioned in North Korean media, and that it runs alongside two cellular networks operating in the country that provide wireless data service. Another device shown at the exhibition was an "intelligence home system" which recognises human voice to automatically operate electronic instruments such as fans, air conditioners, televisions and lights. This system was developed by the Kim Il-sung University, which seems to be at the forefront of the country's high-tech endeavours. DPRK Today, a propaganda website, reported on 21 November that researchers from the university had developed a number of advanced artificial intelligence systems, including a Korean-language voice recognition programme.

For years tech companies such as Amazon, Alphabet and Uber have promised us delivery drones bringing goods to our doorsteps in a matter of minutes. So why are they taking so long to arrive? One word: regulation. If our skies are to become as crowded as our streets, airspace rules need updating to prevent accidents, terrorist attacks, and related problems, such as noise pollution. But that's easier said than done. Here's a rundown of the main issues. Noisy nuisances? According to a recent study by Nasa, the noise made by road traffic was "systematically judged to be less annoying" than the high-pitched buzzing made by drones. The locals in the Australian suburb of Bonython, Canberra thought much the same thing when Wing, Google owner Alphabet's delivery drone service, began fast-food delivery trials there. Consequently, limiting noise pollution is an important consideration for regulators, many of whom have forbidden drone deliveries after dark - precisely the time many hungry householders would like that takeaway meal delivered. "Noise pollution has been an area of debate during the drafting of the new European rules," says Yves Morier of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Rogue drones Even with relatively few drones in the skies, the number of potentially dangerous incidents is worryingly high. Just last month, a "rogue" drone closed Wellington Airport in New Zealand, while a UK drone user was charged with endangering lives by flying too close to a police helicopter. And Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he was recently the target of a drone "attack". Regulators are trying to take back control by implementing registration schemes.

"Yellow vest" protesters have gathered in Paris and other cities for a fifth consecutive Saturday of demonstrations. Protesters defied a government call to suspend the action following Tuesday's attack on Strasbourg's Christmas market where a gunman killed four people.However, fewer people turned up - 66,000 altogether, officials said, compared to 125,000 last Saturday.The movement, initially against a rise in fuel taxes, now addresses other issues, including education reforms. Seven people have died in the "gilets jaunes" (yellow vest) protests so far, the latest in an accident resulting from a blockade by protesters on Friday. How is this Saturday shaping up? About 69,000 police have been mobilised across France to prevent a repeat of the violence of previous weeks. In Paris, slightly more than 2,000 took to the streets on a cold and rainy day, compared to 10,000 last week. A few hundred desultory figures in day-glo vests wander up and down the Champs Elysées. Occasionally there are whoops and jeers, followed by a bang and a bit of gas. A group of protesters has got too close to a police cordon, and a show of force pushes them back. The mini-panic lasts about 15 seconds. That is about the extent of the fifth yellow-vest demonstration, which confirms the downward trend of last Saturday. Maybe the troublemakers will enter the game like they did last week - but it can't be on the same scale, because today there simply aren't enough bona fide protesters around to give them cover. The "gilets jaunes" who have turned out seem to be the hardline left-wing element. There is a lot of talk about the "RIC" - Citizens' Initiative Referendums. This is a demand of the far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon - and a long way from the yellow vests' original call, which was for a simple cut in fuel tax (long since conceded). The movement - or at least the Saturday protest movement - is shrinking and hardening.