#Sissa

Game Information Initial release date: 11 October 2019 Developer: Forever Entertainment, SUNNYSIDE GAMES INC Publisher: Forever Entertainment, Noodlecake StudiosSérie Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS I’m sure if we were to conduct a survey, most people wouldn’t say that they are swayed too much by the visuals of a game over gameplay or story. That’s a no-brainer. However, it helps when things look good. Towaga: Among Shadows is absolutely gorgeous. From the opening cutscene straight through to the action, it feels like the game is a movie tie-in, or based on a po[CENSORED]r Cartoon Network show. Playing as light-bearer Chimù, you take on Metnal the Voidmonger – a shadow-like nasty intent on spreading the world in darkness. You are the last hope and a literal beacon of light that blasts these enemies out of the sky and off of the numerous shrines you are sworn to protect. The available options are pretty varied; a Story Mode, Survival, Flying and the Void Realm. Let’s begin with the Story, as that will be what most people will play at first. We opened with the visuals, and that admiration continues with the character designs – both Chimù and the enemies; the animations are superb. As Chimù, you take centre stage – in the centre of the screen – and defend your position by firing a mixture of your light beam (by holding down the right analogue in the direction you wish to attack) and with your available magic with the ZL button. Each time you kill an enemy, it unlocks an entry in the Codex which you find at the title screen. The levels are called a Phase and are usually pretty quick – 40+ in all. That’s not to say there isn’t a challenge. When you strip down the presentation, the concept is pretty simple: move the right stick to wipe out the waves – never being concerned with running out of ammo or waiting for a cool down, then when you get swarmed, use your magic. Magic in the game isn’t an ace card you can rely on; it’s an invaluable tool to stay alive. Towaga: Among Shadows is a challenging, but fun game. What starts out as a reasonably straightforward task soon borders on overwhelming early on, but there’s an assist mode should you get stuck, and this gives you 50% more health and damage and makes the game a breeze if you require it. Just when you think you’ve got the hang of it though, Chimù powers up and shoots up into the sky for the second part of the game. In the flying mode, you hover in the sky doing the same as before, but without the spells. At first, I thought the freedom to move around was needed for the game, but I found that I preferred the stationary position and felt this section was a little more monotonous. Once you complete the first few flying phases, it shifts to the ground game, and back and forth when you’re near saving a shrine. As can be expected, there are mini-bosses too to take care of. They’re slightly overpowered in places, but one of the great things about the game is the ability to shoot enemy projectiles. Sounds easy, but when you fight harder enemies while being attacked by lesser ones, it’s pretty easy to get caught out. However, the controls in the game are perfect. While moving the stick around without holding a button at the same time sounds lazy, it’s quite taxing as you need to be alert all the time, but the accuracy is perfect. Hands down, this is one of the most rewarding experiences when targeting enemies as your focus doesn’t wander off or you miss the baddies on the attack. The ordeals that follow are based on the sheer number of attackers and multitasking at a level sufficient to survive! In the beginning, you can play either a single or multiplayer game – all the additional options such as your Profile, the Codex and Trials are all locked, but after the very brief introduction, you can access them almost immediately. The currency in the game is soul shards, which you earn through playing the game, and it’s quite scarce. In the Profile section you can spend your shards on new powers, spells and outfits, in the Codex is the list from the bestiary and with Trials, these aren’t bonus stages, but an archive of the items you’ve unlocked in the game. Think of it as in-game achievements. With the Profile, it’s pretty broad as you can upgrade your beam size and damage, health points and mana points among others. As for the spells, these are pretty devastating, but unlike being able to see the available upgrades for your character stats, spells have to be unlocked through playing the Story Mode. What surprised me most was the enjoyment that came from the survival mode. As someone more interested in the story than hi-scores, I’m fairly dismissive of these modes and only playthrough to justify a review, or perhaps unlock new items. There are two survival modes – the first is from the ground and the other from flying. For both, it’s absolute chaos and nothing like the story as it’s non-stop attacks from all angles and I found it impossible without upgrading the spells. There are six to unlock through the story, but my preference was the opening spell as you can disperse the enemies with a bubble-like attack that will stop them in their tracks and allow you to focus the beam elsewhere. The challenge can be brutal, but there’s something enjoyable about it where you feel like you’re making progress – even if it’s only 10-20 points at a time. After a while, Towaga: Among the Shadows started to get a bit familiar, and it is a repetitive game, but an excellent one at that. Once you finish the story, the focus is with the story more or for hardcore gamers, the Void Realm, which is a beast. Will this be a game you keep coming back to? I think so. Sometimes the simplest of ideas are the better ones, and there’s definitely an addictive element to the game. The story isn’t going to win any awards, but it’s decent nevertheless and should be completed before tackling the survival modes (you need to level up and perfect your aim!). System Requirements MINIMUM: OS: Windows® 7, Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10 Processor: Dual core processor, 2.3 GHz or equivalent Memory: 2 GB RAM Graphics: Intel HD 4000 / HD 7450 1Go / GeForce GT 330M 1Go or equivalent DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 1 GB available space Additional Notes: Controllers needed for local multiplayer RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows® 7, Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10 Processor: Quad core processor, 3.3 GHz or equivalent Memory: 4 GB RAM DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 1 GB available space Additional Notes: Controllers needed for local multiplayer

Unidentified human remains have been discovered in the search for a soldier who disappeared from her Texas base in April, according to the US Army. Private First Class Vanessa Guillen, 20, was last seen on 22 April in a car park where she worked in Fort Hood. Army spokesman Chris Grey said the partial remains were found in an "area of interest" agents had returned to in the search for Ms Guillen. Her disappearance prompted rallies in Fort Hood and her native Houston. An attorney for Ms Guillen's family told CBS News that investigators informed them the remains may belong to the soldier, but forensic experts have not yet confirmed it. "No confirmation as to the identity of the remains has been made at this point and we ask for the media and public's understanding that the identification process can take time," Mr Grey said. Agents from the US Army Criminal Investigation Command, Texas Rangers, FBI and local police revisited the site, near the Leon River about 30 miles (48km) from Fort Hood due to a tip. "After receiving additional information, agents have discovered what has been described as partial human remains after analysis from a forensic anthropologist." The remains were found in a shallow grave. Ms Guillen, a small-arms repairer with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, is originally from Houston, Texas - about 200 miles (320km) from Fort Hood. After her disappearance around noon on 22 April, Ms Guillen's car and barracks keys, ID card and wallet were found in the armoury room where she had been earlier that day. A Texas state lawmaker who has been working with Ms Guillen's family told reporters last week Army officials suspected "foul play" in the case. "The question is who, what and when," congresswoman Sylvia Garcia said. "And we've been reassured that they're going to do everything they can, they will leave no stone unturned until they find Vanessa." The Army Criminal Investigation Command had increased the reward for information concerning her disappearance to $25,000 (£20,000) earlier this month. Ms Guillen's family has alleged that she had been harassed by someone within her unit, but officials have said they have no information to indicate she was sexually assaulted. The 3rd Cavalry Regiment has launched a separate investigation regarding those claims.

Game Information Initial release date: 2019 Developer: Funktronic Labs Publisher: Funktronic Labs Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows Google Stadia is flying under the radar right now with the current generation of current consoles coming to an end and a new generation on the horizon it is still difficult to see quote how the underrated Stadia is going to perform. Wave Break comes crashing onto the scene in which is a first to Stadia exclusive with plans to arrive on Steam at a later date. Funktronic Labs are the developers here and they have created something here that is both unique but also familiar to some gamers. Now if I muttered the words Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater to most experienced gamers they would know exactly what I am speaking about. If you don’t know what I am talking about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is a series of skateboarding games that were massively po[CENSORED]r in the early 2000s and went on to succeed with many sequels and then fizzled out around a decade or so ago. You may be asking me what this series of titles has to do with Wave Break and it is clear to see when you boot the game up and start playing through it has taken some huge inspiration from the Tony Hawk series. The first we heard of Wave Break was quite recently actually when the Google Stadia showcased what games were coming to its platform after a very quiet first six months in the life of Stadia. Wave Break caught my attention as it looked from the trailer to pay homage to skating titles in the fact you could do similar skills and tricks but on a speedboat with an animal taking the wheel. You’ll notice almost immediately that the game has an 80’s/90’s vibe to it and that is just basing it off the visuals. For some reason, the title California Games from the Sega Mega Drive era popped into my mind. So there you have it, Tony Hawk esque animal boat skating fun is what you are dipping your toes into. If you have played skating games before then you’ll find this fairly simple to pick up and play without much thought but if you haven’t then there will be more learning and adaptation for you to negotiate but that is all part of the fun here. The control system is very similar to skating games in the fact that you’ll be able to conduct various combinations of buttons to pull off tricks and using Y to grind along edges. There are four levels to play through here and I guess we will call them skate parks for the purpose of the review. Instead of a skateboard though, you are in control of a mini speedboat and it surprisingly works well. The campaign mode of the game will of course place you on the first level of the game with a list of objectives to work through and they echo Tony Hawk almost to the letter. By letters, instead of collecting the letters S-K-A-T-E you’ll be plucking the letters B-R-E-A-K instead, see why I directly compared it to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater now? There are of course the obvious missions such as hitting three preset high scores, collecting other objects, and hidden cash. You haven’t got all day to grab all these though you will be on a time limit to try and proceed through these but obviously you can have multiple attempts to tick them all off. Once you smash through enough of these then the next level will unlock for you to try. Now I’ll have you know that I was actually very good at skateboarding games and in the top ten players in the world at Tony Hawk’s Project 8 on Xbox 360 so I guess you could say I am a dab hand at the genre. What I found a real bugbear here was how clunky and frustrating the grinding element was. I found it difficult to keep a consistent grind going no matter how hard I tried and I didn’t feel like it was down to my ability. This made it increasingly difficult when attempting to chain together combos to smash the high scores. Aside from this the game is pretty solid in terms of how it plays and handles it actually does a really good job and genuinely fun and unpredictable to play. I enjoyed having that feel again of rushing as fast as I could to see how many objectives I could do in the timeframe and the perfectionist in me stopping the game and starting it again because I did one trick slightly off. Another frustrating feature was the camera angles sometimes navigated totally off and didn’t fit the natural style you were playing. This made it especially trickier in more contained areas but in the open waters, it didn’t seem quite as annoying. Whilst this criticism may come across as big points it doesn’t hamper the gameplay experience too much and I genuinely had so much fun with the core elements and chasing the objectives. I did feel four levels felt really short and I worked through the campaign ever so quickly in maybe just shy of two hours and that was spending my time doing everything. Hopefully, the developers can add in some more levels at a later date, I do appreciate the logistics of the levels as the ones that are there are excellent in visual design and colourful too. The soundtrack here is surprisingly good and has an 80’s vibe to it and I found myself turning the background music off on Spotify and listening to the game’s soundtrack as it really added to the gameplay. It’s a rarity these games to have an exceptional soundtrack and Wave Break has nailed it in this respect so hats off to the developers. Thankfully they chose to add online multiplayer to Wave Break so that you can play against others and your friends. I found it genuinely exciting battling against someone to try and nail the high score but also the fact you have machine guns on your boat so you can wreck their chances mid-combo. There is also the option to use cash to upgrade your character and customise them too. Overall I really enjoyed Wave Break more than I initially thought I would do, the campaign mode whilst short-lived was fantastic fun. The multiplayer adds longevity beyond the campaign mode for those who want a competitive edge. I feel that more levels are needed here to make it feel worth its value of £23.99 at the time of writing but to hardcore fans of the skating genre, it is well worth the investment or just if you fancy something different. Beyond this, some additional work on the grinding elements and camera angles and it would tune the title to perfection. Would I recommend Wave Break, I certainly would on Stadia it is up there with the best of the titles on the platform. System Requirements MINIMUM: OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, or 10 Processor: Intel i5 or better Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: GTX 950 or equivalent DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 1 GB available space RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows 10 Processor: Intel Core i5 6600 or better Memory: 16 GB RAM Graphics: GTX 970 or equivalent DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 1 GB available space

The White House is under pressure to explain how much the administration knew about allegations Russia offered the Taliban bounties to kill US troops. Officials have insisted that President Donald Trump was not "personally" informed of the alleged plot in Afghanistan in 2019. But reports say the president received a written briefing earlier this year. There is concern that Mr Trump might have had access to information about threats to US forces but did not act. The intelligence reportedly arrived amid US attempts to negotiate a peace deal to end the 19-year war in Afghanistan and while Mr Trump sought to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Reports by The New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, quoting unnamed US officials, said a Russian military intelligence unit had offered Taliban-linked militants bounties to kill US troops in Afghanistan. Twenty American troops died in Afghanistan in 2019, but the New York Times said it was not clear which deaths were under suspicion. Russia denied the initial reports, while the Taliban said it had not done any deal with Russian intelligence. The allegations come as Mr Trump seeks re-election in the November poll. Moscow maintains close links with the Taliban, as it sees the US involvement in Afghanistan winding down, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says. He says Russia is also waging a "grey" or undeclared war against the West. Under President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has smarted from every perceived indignity suffered since the fall of the Soviet Union. It was US support for Afghan irregular fighters that contributed to Moscow's forced withdrawal from Afghanistan in the 1980s. What are the new developments? On Monday, the New York Times, citing two unnamed US officials, said the intelligence assessment had been included in the President's Daily Brief report - a written document with key government intelligence - in late February. CNN and the Associated Press have also reported that the president received the intelligence in a written briefing earlier this year, without specifying when. Mr Trump is said to largely ignore the President's Daily Brief, relying more on oral briefings by intelligence officials a few times a week. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not answer when asked by reporters whether the information had been included in the president's written briefing, saying only that Mr Trump had not been "personally briefed". Ms McEnany also said there was "no consensus within the intelligence community" about the assessment. But former intelligence officials told US media that, in previous administrations, claims of such importance would be reported to the president, even if the evidence had not been fully established. Eight Republican Congress members attended a White House briefing led by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien on Monday. Some expressed alarm about the claims, calling for action against Russia and President Putin to be taken if the intelligence reports, currently under review, were confirmed. Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Michael McCaul, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement: "If the intelligence review process verifies the reports, we strongly encourage the Administration to take swift and serious action to hold the Putin regime accountable." In a separate statement, Representatives Liz Cheney and Mac Thornberry, who is the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, said: "We believe it is important to vigorously pursue any information related to Russia or any other country targeting our forces." Democrats were not included in the initial meeting, and they have been scheduled to take part in a briefing with White House officials on Tuesday. Late on Monday, the Associated Press reported that top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of the classified intelligence on the topic, and that the assessment had been included in at least one of President Trump's written daily briefings at the time. Separately, journalist Carl Bernstein reported that officials close to Mr Trump were convinced the president himself "posed a danger to the national security" given how "consistently unprepared" he was in dealing with foreign leaders. Writing on CNN, Bernstein - one of the journalists who investigated the Watergate scandal in the 1970s - said there were special concerns over "[Mr] Trump's deference to [Mr] Putin", with the US president "inordinately solicitous of [Mr] Putin's admiration" while ignoring important matters on the bilateral agenda. His report, based on unnamed sources with knowledge of hundreds of highly classified calls with foreign heads of state, echoes remarks made by former members of the Trump administration, including John Bolton, who served as national security adviser and said Mr Trump "remained stunningly uninformed on how to run the White House". In an interview to promote his book, Mr Bolton said of Mr Trump: "I think Putin thinks he can play him like a fiddle." What is the context? The unnamed officials cited by the New York Times' initial report said US intelligence agencies had concluded months ago that a unit of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency had sought to destabilise its adversaries by covertly offering bounties for successful attacks on coalition forces. Watch: What is the GRU? Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, were believed to have collected some money, the newspaper said. The officials quoted by the New York Times said the White House's National Security Council had considered how to respond, including imposing an escalating raft of sanctions against Russia. According to the Times story on Friday, President Trump was briefed on the reports in March. Mr Trump denied having been briefed, writing on Twitter on Sunday that neither he nor Vice-President Mike Pence had been told "about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians". Sergei Zhirnov, a former agent of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), told BBC Russian that the GRU's actions could be a part of a larger game between Mr Putin and Mr Trump unfolding in the global arena. "The GRU is a massive machine, which works towards making war. Putin likes to flex his muscles when there is no chance of retribution," said Mr Zhirnov. The President, the Russians and the 'personal briefings' Tara McKelvey, BBC White House correspondent Did President Trump know about the alleged bounties for the killing of US troops? Intelligence officials reportedly gave the information to the White House, but the White House press secretary said the president was not "personally briefed" on the matter. His knowledge or lack of it may be one of those Washington mysteries that remains unsolved. One thing is clear, however: he has never paid much attention to CIA findings. Unlike previous presidents, he does not receive written briefings. Instead intelligence analysts explain their findings in meetings, get-togethers that are scheduled sporadically. When it comes to the Russians, though, the president pays attention. At a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in 2018, Trump said he believed President Putin's claims that Moscow did not meddle in 2016 US elections, contrary to the findings of the US intelligence agencies. The controversy over the Russian bounties is yet another reminder that Trump's relationship with Putin has been close. For Russians, this is a joy. For many in the US, it is deeply troubling.

Game Information Title: The Great Perhaps RELEASE DATE: 14 Aug, 2019 DEVELOPER: Caligari Games PUBLISHER: Daedalic Entertainment Literature is filled with tales of the mysteries of time travel. People have long claimed that the ability to shift through different times exists, and only the most gifted, rich, and powerful are allowed to be aware of its existence. If you had the power to jump through time, what would you do with it? Would you use it for personal gain? Or would you look to improve mankind, and right some wrongs? The Great Perhaps is a tale about a spaceman named Kosmos, he inadvertently gains the power of time travel and uses his gift to try to save his family and humanity. The Great Perhaps has been developed by Caligari Games and published by Drageus Games. This time-travelling puzzle game asks you to work off a linear storyline, where you must move from the present day to the past. You solve the problems that arise and eventually piece together the mystery of what has occurred on Earth. The story unfolds across 14 chapters. The action opens with a cinematic that shows Kosmos stuck in space, observing a world-ending event. The disaster enforcing him to enter cryosleep, he is awoken 100 years into the future with no idea of what has happened on the planet surface. L9 his trusty AI computer asks to join him on his mission to Earth, after all, no one wants to be left alone for all eternity. The pair forms an unlikely partnership that brings clarity and humour to what is otherwise a situation of loss and despair. As you land on a polluted and bleak looking world, you are advised that one life form is present. You eagerly rush to its location, only to find no person, just the existence of a brass lantern. Once the light is obtained, life is never the same again. The landscape changes, it’s clearly the same location, just not the same time. The air is clear, and the buildings are colourful and pristine, more importantly, people are alive. As the lantern’s power fades, a hulking shadow creature is standing over you in the present. Time travel has got the beast’s attention. You must evade its wrath, and escape, all with the knowledge that it will continually stalk you until it obtains the lantern for itself. The title itself is an unusual and charming puzzle adventure, where you must combine both past and present to overcome the problems that you face. Fallen debris may be avoided by simply switching on your lantern and using a different time zone to your advantage. Items present at one point will be required to power switches, and repair electrical goods at another. Each chapter that you face contains its own unique issues and none of the problems transfer across to the other levels. This made understanding and working out each puzzle much easier, as you weren’t concerned with anything other than what was happening in front of you. I bet some of you are saying, “But that will make it too easy, puzzle games are meant to be challenging!” And you’d be absolutely correct. Though, I found a lot of the solutions were not straightforward, and there had to be a number of Eureka moments in order to stumble across the solution. The game style felt very similar in both design and look to Terry Pratchett’s Disc World Noir. The puzzles are often solved by interacting with the dry and witty NPC’s. Strangely, they are often painfully unaware of the bizarre nature of a spaceman wandering around their city. For me, this highlights an underlying theme, that our own self centred and selfish behaviours are the main reason for our own demise. Even though our main protagonist is there to save mankind, he ultimately wants to know about his family, and he wants to be able to put them first. The stalking shadow beast isn’t always present, but when it does appear, the level focusses on evading its long grabbing arms. For me, these puzzles were the best part of the game. Don’t get me wrong, all of them were clever, and fun to solve, but the added element of fear and pressure got the adrenaline pumping. It would have been nice if the developers had used this puzzle and action mechanic with other NPC’s. Most of the other problems can be approached with a slow and methodical pace, which was great, but, to mix the gameplay up a bit with some more time-restricted puzzles would have been the cherry on top of the cake. The Great Perhaps is absolutely stunning with its graphical approach. The landscapes that you wander through are both beautiful, and desolate, the constant mix of destruction, and perfection blends wonderfully. Caligari Games have done a brilliant job of creating an interesting world to experience. A varying colour palette emphasises the emotions of each period. The fun and carefree attitude of the past with its bright and vivid colours juxtapose the bland and sad beige and brown images of the doomed present. The character models are all detailed with crisp lines, they add fun and personality to the story. I couldn’t get over how great it looks for an Indie title. Silence is such a key element to creating suspense and atmosphere, which The Great Perhaps uses perfectly. Music was, however, utilised during a number of levels where it plays softly in the background and doesn’t overpower the story, or the action which is unravelling before you. The minor tones in most of the songs only serve to compound the feeling of despair and loss, and the echoed thuds of your footsteps are a constant presence. They remind Kosmos that he is truly alone! The gameplay opens with a very basic tutorial, no more is needed than this, as it’s so simple to pick up and play. Effectively, it’s; Move, Jump, pick up, and use the item. If you need to throw something, you are given an arc on the screen that indicates its trajectory, so it’s all very easy to master. Picking up objects doesn’t require you to be in a certain area, as long as you are within the vicinity, it’ll scoop up the item for you. If I was to look for a small gripe with this game, it would have to be a lack of inventory space. There were a number of times where several items are required, and you are forced to chop and change between them, instead of just carrying it all. Kosmos carries a backpack, so goodness knows what’s in there. All I know is it’s definitely not puzzle solving objects. The unfortunate thing with any title in the puzzle genre is the lack of replay value. I mean, once you’ve solved all the problems, why would you go back? The story of The Great Perhaps is excellent, but I don’t need to replay the game to know that. If the developers had implemented an NG+ mode, where the puzzles were similar, but the solutions were different. Then I’d be all over it in a heartbeat, unfortunately, however, it doesn’t. Even the achievement list will fail to bring you back, as the majority of them are earned through natural progression. When you hear the phrase time-travelling puzzle game, your imagination goes crazy. The last thing I imagined was a dark and melancholy look at mankind’s selfish nature which leads to our own demise. This bleak and sombre adventure is brilliantly punctuated with wit and humour. The puzzles are challenging, but certainly achievable. This makes it a title that will be enjoyed by everyone, from newbies to the veterans of the genre. Would I recommend it? 100% yes! I absolutely loved every minute, and can’t recommend it enough. If you fancy becoming a time traveller and righting the wrongs of mankind, now is the time. Grab your space suit and your lantern. Past and present no longer matter when the fate of mankind hangs in the balance. System Requirements MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7 (64 Bit) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: NVidia Geforce GTX 650 Ti, AMD Radeon HD 7790 DirectX: Version 10 Storage: 5 GB available space Sound Card: Direct X Compatible RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 (64 Bit) Processor: Intel Core i5 3.0 GHz Memory: 6 GB RAM Graphics: NVidia Geforce GTX 750 Ti, AMD Radeon R7 260X DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 5 GB available space Sound Card: Direct X Compatible

Politicians in the US state of Mississippi have taken a major step towards removing the Confederate emblem from the state flag. On Saturday, both chambers of the Republican-led state congress voted to begin the process of changing the flag. Mississippi is the last state in the US to feature the emblem on its flag. The Confederate emblem is viewed by many as a racist symbol, with recent protests over the death of George Floyd reigniting debate over its use. The flag was originally used by the slave-owning states who lost the US Civil War (1861-65). The vote passed in both chambers of the Mississippi legislature: in the House of Representatives by a margin of 84-35, and then in the Senate by 36-14. It means a bill to change the state flag can now be formally introduced. It is expected to be proposed on Sunday when the state congress is back in session, US media report. A two-thirds majority was needed to begin the process. This was viewed as the biggest test because only a simple majority is needed to pass the final bill. And in a major boost to the movement for change, Republican Governor Tate Reeves said that he would sign a bill to do so if it was approved in congress. He had previously said that he would not veto a bill, but did not publicly back it. "The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it's time to end it," he wrote on Twitter. He added: "We should not be under any illusion that a vote in the Capitol is the end of what must be done - the job before us is to bring the state together." "I would never have thought that I would see the flag come down in my lifetime," Democrat Barbara Blackmon, who is African-American, said on Saturday. If the bill passes, a commission will design a new flag, to be be voted on in November. Hundreds of statues dedicated to the Confederacy - the southern states which revolted against the US government - exist all throughout the US, and often serve as an reminder of the history of slavery and racial oppression in the US. But the depth of feeling that followed the death of George Floyd has led to renewed demands for an end to institutional racism. In the US and other countries statues of controversial historical figures have either been pulled down or taken down.

The wholesale price of used vehicles, the prices generally paid by dealers at auctions, fell steeply when the coronavirus-related shutdowns began, but since then, they have jumped above pre-pandemic forecasts. Nonetheless, the retail price, or the price paid by consumers, of used vehicles has remained fairly flat. The used-vehicle market's landscape could change greatly in the coming months when a lot of cars with leases extended during the pandemic come back to dealerships, and also if a cash-for-clunkers program comes to fruition. While states across the country issued stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of COVID-19, the used-car market shuddered as the flow of used vehicles to dealer lots was disrupted. Wholesale used-car values, or the prices paid by dealers, fell 11.3 percent from March to April, according to the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index. Yet, after hitting a low in April, values have recovered 13.9 percent through mid-June, producing, in effect, the fabled V-shaped recovery. On top of that, according to research from J.D. Power, the value of used cars on the wholesale market has surpassed the analytics firm’s pre-pandemic forecast. Consumers Don't Have to Fear High Prices Dealers are paying more to get used vehicles in their lots, but that doesn’t mean that consumers are paying more, nor will they have to, according to Jonathan Banks, vice president of J.D. Power valuation services. "In general, retail prices have remained pretty flat, so on the question of if you're a consumer, should you sit on the sideline? Not really, because prices really haven't gone up for used vehicles," adding that that was why he believes the increase in wholesale prices is unsustainable. A mix of factors aided a quick recovery in used-vehicle values. First, the market was already primed for strong sales before the pandemic because of digital infrastructure investments—i.e., a move toward online selling—and younger buyers looking for cheaper vehicle options, according to Banks. Second, dealers have been scooping up used-vehicle inventory, particularly as the supply of new vehicles has slowed because of pandemic-related production pauses. New Trucks May Be in Short Supply "New-vehicle inventory is strained, and our forecast suggests it'll be even more strained before we move into full production of 2021 models, which won't happen until September or October, and then you're really going to have problems with trucks, especially in certain regions," Banks said. "In Texas, you'll be hard pressed to even find a new truck." With high demand for used vehicles, the market was ready to absorb any sort of fleet liquidation from Hertz following the company's bankruptcy declaration in May. Some had predicted that with all the former rental cars from Hertz flooding the market, used-car values could take a hit. So the value of used vehicles has been volatile, but there are a number of factors that could stop the upward trend in prices and make used vehicles cheaper for consumers. In fact, higher prices haven't directly affected buyers so far. Bernard Swiecki of the Center for Automotive Research said one reason they probably won't is that lease holders often had their terms extended this year because of the pandemic, and that will mean a jump in the number of vehicles coming off lease later this year. Wait until Later in the Summer? "Frankly, if I were in the market, I would wait to see what would happen in July or August," Swiecki said. "Because we've already seen a good amount of appreciation [in used-car values], the risk of too high a growth of prices seems fairly low, so I would just see how these vehicles coming off lease impact the market." Swiecki also mentioned, as a "complete wild card," the idea of bringing back a cash-for-clunkers program has been floated recently. Critics of the program back in 2009 said that it caused a shortage of used vehicles, increasing their cost. "It's not something I anticipate, but at the same time, politically, it's a hard time to rule out anything that you might see coming out of Washington," Swiecki said. "This is not a time when typical stuff unfolds typically." So, if you're thinking these are not ordinary times for car buying (or anything else), you're right. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

Game Information TITLE: Knockout Party GENRE: Action, Casual, Indie, Massively Multiplayer, Sports, Early Access DEVELOPER: Toxic studio PUBLISHER: Toxic studio RELEASE DATE: 15 May, 2020 Knockout Party is a silly party game about being the last person standing! Developed and published by Toxic studio who also has published eBall! Knockout Party got released on May 15th, 2020, and received positive feedback from most of the people who have played it! Most of the things about Knockout Party is really appealing and some things are less appealing things that I will be talking about. There really isn’t anything to be said about Knockout Party when it comes to the story. You and the other participants will be battling against each other and see who is the last one standing. You can choose from a great variety of different arenas! You will be able to battle each other in anything from a construction site to an empty warehouse! At first, you and the other participants will spawn in and as the time passes, boxes that contain loot will be opened. Soon after that, weapons will be scattered around the map. My personal favourite must be the spear The game is also heavily physics-based which leads to the game being quite interesting. The feel of the game can be compared to Totally Accurate Battlegrounds, which is a physics-based battle royale. When I first tried looking for a match, I noticed that Knockout Party barely had any matches available. I created my own match and waited for people to join so I could play the game the way you’re supposed to play it. I had a blast playing Knockout Party! It really satisfying to whack your fellow players as well as fooling them with some of the in-game mechanics! Knockout Party barely has any controls at all and in that way the approach is very simple! You can jump and walk as well as faking your death using the “F” key. This is where the gameplay truly shined! When faking your death you will be turned into a ragdoll-like state in which makes the player throw themselves onto the ground. If used wisely, you can make great escapes through gaps if you use the momentum the right way! It is also a great way to hide under or behind certain things as well as pretending to be knocked down and as soon as they turn around, you’ll give them a lesson! Knockout Party looks okay for being a party game! I have seen better and worst looking party games throughout my time as someone who plays video games! The redeeming quality of this Knockout Party is after all the silly things you can do! I would love to give praise to the soundtrack of Knockout Party! I couldn’t stop jamming as I was playing because it was just too good! I would more than love to play Knockout Party again once I’ve got more friends to play it with! The more people there are, the better it’s gonna be! At the current state of the game, I find the waiting to be really boring. Considering that Knockout Party currently is in Early Access, I believe that the developers got some plans for the official release of the game! There really isn’t anything else to say other than that I really suggest picking up Knockout Party if you and your friends are looking for a fun and silly party game to enjoy together! I really do believe that anyone can pick up Knockout Party since the game really suits any age no matter how old or experienced you are. Basically, Knockout Party is a fun and hilarious party game that I highly suggest playing with your friends since finding a match online can be really difficult! Other than that, I really think that Knockout Party is a party game done right! System Requirements MINIMUM: OS: Windows 7 or higher Processor: Inter core i3 Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: 1GB Video RAM DirectX: Version 9.0 Storage: 5 GB available space RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows 7 or higher Processor: Intel core i5 Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: 2GB Video RAM DirectX: Version 9.0 Storage: 5 GB available space

Archaeologists in Norway have begun the first excavation of a Viking ship in more than a century. The vessel was discovered in a burial site in Gjellestad in the south-east of the country two years ago. Although it is believed to be in poor condition, the find remains significant as only three other well-preserved Viking ships have been discovered in the country. The excavation is expected to last five months. Knut Paasche, an expert from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research said that only part of the ship's timber appeared to have been preserved, but added that modern techniques could allow archaeologists to discover its original shape. The ship, which is about 20m (65ft) long, was discovered by experts using ground-penetrating radar in 2018. A large number of burial mounds and longhouses were also found at the same time. "The Gjellestad ship is a discovery of outstanding national and international importance," Norway's Culture Minister Sveinung Rotevatn said, according to the AFP news agency.

China has accused Indian troops of a "deliberate provocation" in its first official comments on Monday's deadly clash at a disputed Himalayan border. Foreign ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao said the troops had crossed into Chinese territory and attacked, triggering "fierce physical conflicts". However he did not give details of any Chinese casualties. On Friday Indian PM Narendra Modi said no foreign soldiers had crossed India's borders and no territory had been lost. Mr Modi vowed that India would defend its border with military force if necessary. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the clash in the Galwan Valley. India has said that both sides suffered losses during the fighting. What is China's version of events? In a series of tweets, Mr Zhao said the Galwan Valley was on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the poorly demarcated border between the two nuclear-armed powers. He said the clash occurred at a time when tension had been easing after India demolished infrastructure it had built on the Chinese side of the LAC in May and withdrew personnel, following an agreement between Chinese and Indian officers. But on 15 June Indian troops "once again crossed the Line of Actual Control for deliberate provocation when the situation in the Galwan Valley was already easing", Mr Zhao said. "India's front-line troops even violently attacked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went there for negotiation, thus triggering fierce physical conflicts and causing casualties," he said. India has been building "roads, bridges and other facilities" at the LAC in Galwan Valley since April, Mr Zhao said. What did PM Modi say about it? In a televised statement on Friday, Mr Modi said there had been no incursion into Indian territory. "Nobody has intruded into our border, neither is anybody there now, nor have our posts been captured," he said. India's armed forces had been "given a free hand to take all necessary steps" to protect Indian territory, he added. "The entire country is hurt and angry at the steps taken by China," he said, adding: "India wants peace and friendship, but upholding sovereignty is foremost." His government had previously blamed China for the clash, with the foreign ministry releasing a statement on Wednesday saying it had been sparked after "the Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan valley on our side of the LAC". What happened in the Galwan Valley? Media reports said troops clashed on ridges at a height of nearly 4,300m (14,000 ft) on steep terrain, with some soldiers falling into the fast-flowing Galwan river in sub-zero temperatures. At least 76 Indian soldiers were reportedly injured in addition to the 20 dead. China has not released any information about Chinese casualties. The fighting took place without any firearms because of a 1996 agreement barring guns and explosives from the area. An image that emerged on Thursday purportedly showed some of the crude weapons used in the fight. The photograph, which appears to show iron rods studded with nails, was passed to the BBC by a senior Indian military official on the India-China border, who said the weapons had been used by the Chinese. The image was widely shared on Twitter in India, prompting outrage from many social media users. Neither Chinese or Indian officials have commented on it. Why were there no guns? The Galwan river valley in Ladakh, with its harsh climate and high-altitude terrain, is close to Aksai Chin, a disputed area claimed by India but controlled by China. This is not the first time the two nuclear-armed neighbours have fought without conventional firearms on the border. India and China have a history of face-offs and overlapping territorial claims along the more than 3,440km (2,100 mile), poorly drawn LAC separating the two sides. The last firing on the border happened in 1975 when four Indian soldiers were killed in a remote pass in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The clash was variously described by former diplomats as an ambush and an accident. But no bullets have been fired since. At the root of this is a 1996 bilateral agreement that says "neither side shall open fire... conduct blast operations or hunt with guns or explosives within two kilometres of the Line of Actual Control". But there have been other tense confrontations along the border in recent weeks. In May Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged physical blows on the border at Pangong Lake, also in Ladakh, and in the north-eastern Indian state of Sikkim hundreds of miles to the east. India has accused China of sending thousands of troops into the Galwan Valley and says China occupies 38,000 sq km (14,700 sq miles) of its territory. Several rounds of talks in the last three decades have failed to resolve the boundary disputes.

The Trump administration is making a last-ditch effort to stop the publication of a damaging new book by a former national security adviser. Among several allegations, John Bolton says Donald Trump "pleaded" for help from China to win re-election in 2020. The Justice Department has filed an emergency order seeking to block the release on national security grounds. Constitutional experts say the move is unlikely to succeed and US media have already published extracts. The new work - The Room Where It Happened - is due to go on sale on 23 June. In it, John Bolton paints a picture of a president whose decision-making was dominated by a desire to win the presidency again. Many of the allegations are based on private conversations and are impossible to verify. The Trump administration has pushed back against Mr Bolton, with the president saying the book was "made up of lies and fake stories". Despite this Mr Bolton's book has been keenly anticipated, given his formerly high-ranking status as the president's top adviser on security matters. Among the book's allegations President Trump sought help from Chinese President Xi Jinping to win the 2020 vote, stressing the "importance of farmers and increased Chinese purchases of soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome" He also said China's construction of internment camps in the Xinjiang region was the "right thing to do" President Trump was willing to intervene in criminal investigations "to, in effect, give personal favours to dictators he liked". Mr Bolton said Mr Trump was willing to assist Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over a case involving a Turkish company The US leader said invading Venezuela would be "cool" and that the South American nation was "really part of the United States" President Trump was unaware the UK was a nuclear power and once asked a senior aide if Finland was part of Russia Late on Wednesday the Justice Department asked a judge for a hearing on Friday to stop the book's release. The Trump administration argues that publication moved forward before the book could be properly vetted. The work "still contains classified information," the Justice Department wrote in filing. "This means it contains instances of information that, if disclosed, reasonably could be expected to cause serious damage, or exceptionally grave damage, to the national security of the United States." The White House filed another lawsuit earlier in the week against Mr Bolton on similar grounds. Publisher Simon & Schuster rejected the allegations, calling the filing a "frivolous, politically motivated exercise in futility". Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties' Union wrote that any bid to halt its release was "doomed to fail". "As usual, the government's threats have nothing to do with safeguarding national security, and everything to do with avoiding scandal and embarrassment." On one hand, the account John Bolton offers in his new book should seem somewhat familiar. This is hardly the first time a former adviser or anonymous current aide to Donald Trump has offered anecdotes about a president seemingly uninterested in the details of governing and uninformed on basic issues of foreign policy. For nearly three-and-a-half years, there have been plentiful stories about a White House rife with backbiting and internal power struggles. Mr Bolton's book goes beyond this well-trodden ground, however, in painting a broad portrait of a president willing to bend foreign policy to advance his domestic and personal political agenda. This was the heart of the impeachment case congressional Democrats made against Trump in January. Mr Bolton confirms their allegations that the president wanted the withholding of military aid to pressure Ukraine to provide damaging information about Democratic rival Joe Biden. Mr Bolton adds that Trump's dealings with China were also done with an eye on his re-election, and that he repeatedly intervened to assist friendly autocrats around the world. Republicans suggest this is all the work of a disgruntled employee trying to sell books, while Democrats are already growling that Bolton should have volunteered these bombshells during the impeachment proceedings. That ship has sailed, of course, but Bolton's book can still have a bite, distracting a presidential campaign struggling to find its footing less than five months before election day.

Game Information Initial release date: October 18, 2018 Developer: DYA Games Publisher: DYA Games Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows Horror games have always been a firm favourite of mine. I love unravelling well-concealed stories hidden behind traditional images of spooky buildings and gimmicky jump scares. With so many of these games built on internet folklore or the fragility of the human psyche, some of these games go even further with conventions of the genre and remind the player that things are not always as they seem. Viviette is a classic horror puzzle game, utilising it’s 16-Bit graphics and 3D sound to challenge the definition of a scary game. Do not mistake this game for a quaint To the Moon companion. Retro indie graphics do not hold this game back in the fear department. We begin Viviette towards the end of the story. Our third-person playable character Jules Fosset wakes up in a hospital, informed that he is part of a police investigation and is asked to recount his version of events of how he, his sister and his friends were all found on Neuville’s Islet near the long-abandoned manor. The game is almost entirely isolated to this extended flashback, as you play through what Jules experienced and discovered in this terrifying place. As you guide Jules around the Neuville manor, finding clues and items to unlock doors, solve puzzles and piece together not only how the past and present are converging but the biggest mystery of all. Who is Viviette and what happened in this house? Jules’ sister is quickly taken over by some sort of strange force that pursues you endlessly. Throughout the game, there are documents to be discovered and read: diaries, letters and books. All of these documents tell a chilling story that must be read to be believed. And as you complete all of this, you are followed by this dreadful presence eager to kill you. Only running outside is a definite, temporary relief from persecution. You are not safe inside this house. Viviette plays very much like a fetch quest and is filled with puzzles that require logic and outside of the box thinking to complete and progress. A lot of these puzzles were based on finding things in other rooms and were not very difficult. However, several of the puzzles especially early-game puzzles left me scratching my head for a while. While I am by nature an ‘interact with everything’ player, Viviette takes this to another level – rewarding curiosity and punishing an A to B approach of the puzzle genre. With multiple endings not bound by the ‘correct’ choice of branching dialogues, every move you make inside and outside of the manor matters. After playing all of the way through the game, I found myself reaching a Very Bad ending. Typically, the player understands why they have received a bad ending. Viviette’s narrative does not make this abundantly clear. A player is advised by this humble reviewer to make strategic save states when you feel like you’ve made significant progress or found a new key or item. To discover all of the endings, including the very difficult good ending, you may have to make several full playthroughs of this game. This is made less tedious by the short length and fast pace of the narrative but may not be suited to a speed-runner or someone expecting anything but a detail-orientated story. This puzzle game encourages exploration. But with the constant almost inescapable presence of the possessed Felice, who is able to follow you (and kill you!) in every room of the large building, this necessary exploration is the blatantly difficult choice. Viviette’s infrequent save points make this game significantly more difficult, leaving the player vulnerable to losing a lot of progress if they miss one. You can save infinitely at these glowing points, however, meaning you can retry certain decisions from specific save states. I found myself running out of the manor for a breather incredibly often, as this is the only way to guarantee you have lost the ‘monster’. I even quit to the menu without saving several times, literally squealing at the sudden appearance of Felice mid-puzzle. She certainly became less scary and more of a nuisance the further I progressed. Being so close to finishing a puzzle after an hour of searching for a specific use of a key only to be killed and returned to my last save state was a true low point of my experience with this game. By turning my infinite torch battery off, I was able to allude her a couple of times. But even in complete darkness, she often waited for Jules and made horrific moans in the pitch-black corridors. Sometimes this felt purely down to encountering some bad AI. On several puzzles completing jaunts through the manner, I barely encountered her. At other times I struggled to get away from her and she followed me right down to the entrance hall and I button-mashed to escape her seconds from the front door. (I did play for the most part on easy mode, feel free to mock me.) Without spoiling the endings or the plot, I’d really recommend setting a good space of time aside for this game. The story is so much deeper than one would expect, worthy of recognition and merit. There were some moments where I felt like the story did not make sense, even after thorough searches and multiple playthroughs of the Viviette. While this was frustrating, I can understand why a lot of ambiguity was left in the narrative – even in the final moments of the story. There were also a few typos across the story in the English version of this game which is a bit of an oversight in an otherwise tightly focussed and carefully put together the plot from Dya Games. Everything felt very deliberate, with every visual and written element of the plot. My main criticism of the plot, and it is a small one, would be that the different endings have some identical dialogue. Whilst this makes sense in two of these endings where the tone and outcome are comparatively bad, I often felt uncertain of which ending I was playing when watching it. But this is a minor detail and does not have a massive impact on a casual playthrough of this game. Music in Viviette was phenomenal in capturing tone and controlling the fear of the player. One of the only ways to predict an oncoming Felice were subtle 3D sound effects and increasing crescendos in the musical score. I played this game with earphones on my Switch and the music really helped with the immersion in this game. It really sounded like the monster possessing Felice was on my right, lurking in the shadows while I solved a puzzle on the left side of the room. The changing music helped me adapt my gameplay style and fall victim a lot less deaths across multiple playthroughs. This music combined with the lovely 16-Bit graphics really helped capture the scene and its nostalgic value for the games I played as a child. Some character movements were a bit vague, limited by the art style, as I was wondered why Jules kept flailing his arms randomly at his clearly distressed sister. But overall Viviette was beautiful in design, a calculated effort by the developers to make every detail matter. This game suited handheld play more for immersion, although some of the darker rooms in the mansion could be difficult to navigate without the use of the torch which would inevitably make you more prone to an attack. There are achievements in the main menu of the game, such as completing a playthrough in under 1 hour or achieving a playthrough with no deaths at all. These are great for players who loved this game as it adds more challenging elements to the already challenging game. Further, there are three levels of difficulty (this seemingly correlates with how often you will be under threat) and the puzzle’s exact solutions change with every playthrough. This game is very replayable and remains incomplete if you only get the bad end and consider yourself finished. Viviette is not only reminiscent of retro games from the original usages 8-Bit and 16-Bit like some of the older Zelda and Mario games but also of the indie revivals of this graphical and gameplay style such as games like the cult favourites To the Moon and Undertale. The never-safe tone reminded me of the Slender series. For a great horror indie comparison however, I’d have to recommend this game to fans of Sen’s Mad Father and Misao. The fetch-quest puzzle style, expansive 2D maps and ‘more than meets the eye’ narrative is of similar calibre. While I feel like Mad Father’s plot and gameplay was a lot stronger, Viviette was far more frightening due to the randomised appearance of auditory and visual jumpscares. If you’re looking for something to raise your heart rate which leaves you to piece the story together, Viviette is the game for you. Viviette left me out of breath more times than I’d care to admit as I raced around the house trying to unlock the implied secrets that would lead to the good ending. It takes the best of the horror genre and adds an infusion of charm, a detailed heart-wrenching story and hours of investigative play. With some gameplay issues like the deadly Felice being a bit too random and the AI not always responding in a way that makes sense, this game could not receive a perfect score. But this game is definitely something that I will continue to revisit, despite finishing it already multiple times. As Viviette is their first horror game, I look forward to what Dya Studios has coming next. System Requirements MINIMUM: OS: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 Processor: Dual Core 1.6 GHz Memory: 1 GB RAM Graphics: OpenGL compatible 256MB VRAM DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 40 MB available space

A California utility has pleaded guilty to the deaths of 84 people in a wildfire, the deadliest US corporate crime ever successfully prosecuted. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) admitted the 2018 Camp Fire, the state's deadliest and most destructive, was caused by its faulty equipment. In the court hearing, a judge read the name of each victim aloud to the company chief executive. The company will be fined millions of dollars, but no-one will go to jail. Many of the Camp Fire's victims were elderly or disabled. A number of them were found in burnt-out cars, killed as they attempted to flee the blaze with their family and neighbours. Others were discovered in and around their homes, as some elderly residents decided against leaving early, not understanding the gravity of the threat. In Butte County Superior Court on Tuesday, an image of each victim was displayed on a screen as PG&E's chief executive Bill Johnson pleaded to every single count of involuntary manslaughter, responding 84 times: "Guilty, your honour." In a highly unusual US corporate acknowledgment of criminal wrongdoing, Mr Johnson apologised to the families, saying: "I've heard the pain and anguish. "No words from me can ever reduce the magnitude of that devastation "We know we cannot replace all that the fire destroyed." But some survivors have condemned the plea deal as a slap on the wrist for PG&E, which has been linked to several dangerous blazes since 2015. They accuse state officials of long failing to hold the utility accountable because of its political clout. The largest publicly held utility in the US, it has to pay a maximum fine of $3.5m (£2.7m) and cover the $500,000 costs of the investigation. PG&E also admitted one count of unlawfully starting a fire because it did not properly maintain the power line, which ignited in a forested area known for strong winds. Eighty-five people lost their lives due to the Camp Fire, though one death was ruled a suicide. The blaze devastated the town of Paradise, located north-east of San Francisco, which some say will take up to a decade to fully rebuild. Over 10,000 homes were burned down and more than 153,000 acres razed. PG&E will be sentenced later this week. The utility has already committed to settle claims from insurers and local government agencies for more than $25bn. That includes a $13.5bn settlement with fire victims. The agreements are expected to pave the firm's exit from its 2019 bankruptcy filing. In 2016, PG&E was convicted of safety violations and obstruction of an investigation into a 2010 gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people in 2010 in a town south of San Francisco. In 1996, the firm had to pay one of the largest sums ever awarded in a US class action lawsuit after activist Erin Brockovich sued over the chromium poisoning of residents in Hinckley, California. The Camp Fire began in November after a suspension hook on a nearly century-old tower broke and caused a power line to fall and release sparks on to dry grass in the Sierra foothills. PG&E says it has since made changes to ensure a safer power grid, including replacing old poles and clearing flammable vegetation. But it will also continue the unpo[CENSORED]r power cuts during dangerous weather conditions that it began last year.