Alcooliks ;x

Looking out from a grid of thumbnail-sized pictures, women and children hold placards; forlorn expressions on those with uncovered faces. "Bring back my son", reads one; "Bring back my brother", says another; and "Bring back my father". All are relatives of men who have been disappeared in Yemen. The picture has come to me by WhatsApp, sent by a group known as the Abductees' Mothers Association. They are just a handful of those left in anguish by some of the hundreds of forced disappearances of their loved ones in Yemen, a country in which rebels and pro-government forces have been at war since 2015. It is a phenomenon that has become increasingly worse in the past four years. An independent human rights group, Mwatana, has been monitoring cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and deaths in detention across Yemen, documenting many in a recently released report. One - 21-year-old Othman Abdo - was snatched nearly four years ago by gunmen in civilian clothing from the courtyard of the mosque next to his house in Hamdan, a district near the rebel-controlled capital, Sanaa. He was bundled into a car without licence plates and taken to an unknown location. Yemen crisis: Why is there a war? Yemen medics braced for 'unspeakable' crisis Othman's family did not know of his whereabouts until they received a phone call from him four months after his disappearance to tell them that he was being held by the rebel-run Political Security Agency in Sanaa. After many attempts by his relatives, they were allowed to visit him in February 2017. "When I saw him for the first time, his condition was deplorable, and he was clearly tortured," Othman's mother told Mwatana. "He had a fractured wrist, with pain in his joints and back." The young man's relatives said that he had been treated badly and was in urgent need of medical care, which they said was refused by those in charge of the site where he was being held. His mother said she had to sell the family home to cover the cost of following up the case and to provide for her son while in detention. He was interrogated and accused of collaborating with the Saudi/UAE-led coalition fighting rebels in support of the government, and with the government itself. Killed and buried Stories like his have become all too common in Yemen. The report uncovers a grim picture of 11 unofficial detention centres run by all those involved in the conflict - some by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and others by their enemies; armed groups loyal to the Yemeni government; and military factions allied with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

There are no plans for rear-wheel-drive variants of Audi Sport models, despite the recent introduction of the R8 V10 RWD. The German maker changed the name of its performance arm from Audi Quattro to Audi Sport in 2016 in order to better encompass its sporty portfolio and to remove confusion with the Quattro four-wheel drive system offered on all Audis, sporty or otherwise. It was also thought to open the way for front- and rear-wheel-drive variants of RS models. A move to rear-wheel drive would help enable lower emissions for the Audi Sport line-up, alongside introducing electrified variants, as the pressures of tightening emissions legislations are felt across the company. However, Rolf Michl, Audi Sport's sales and marketing boss, said: “We have used rear-wheel drive in the latest R8. But normally, Quattro is part of our heritage. It means safe, agile and competitive driving. “I don’t hear any different views [from people] on this, even with electrified versions in the future. We’ll stay with our approach: Quattro is a major part of RS models.” Talking about the broader future of the R8, which has long been in question, Michl said: “The R8 is one of the most important cars in our portfolio and for the entire Audi brand. It’s a real brand-shaper.” He continued: “Audi Sport is committed to the R8, and we’re doing everything to get a concept for the future. The R8 shares much with the race car, which proves the competitiveness of the car and a clear commitment, but it has to fit future expectations and is therefore a complex decision.” Audi Sport boss Oliver Hoffmann has previously confirmed to Autocar that the next-generation R8 will be electrified, but a decision is yet to be taken on whether it will be hybrid or fully electric. Autocar understands that Audi is leaning towards the latter option, with the R8 becoming the second electric Audi Sport model after the E-tron GT RS, which is due in the next 12 months.

Iran has said the misalignment of air defence equipment was responsible for the accidental downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane in January. In a report released on Saturday, the Civil Aviation Organisation of Iran (CAOI) blamed "human error" and poor military communication. All 176 people on board were killed when the plane was hit by two missiles shortly after take-off in Tehran. Iran initially denied responsibility for the incident. But after Western intelligence officials said evidence pointed to Iranian involvement, the country admitted fault, saying it had mistaken the plane for a cruise missile. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described it as an "unforgivable mistake". The Ukraine International Airlines flight was downed on 8 January amid heightened tensions between Iran and America. What we know about flight PS752 Plane crash victims 'were the best of us' Iran's air defences had been on high alert at the time. Hours earlier, the country had fired ballistic missiles at two US bases in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by a US drone strike in Baghdad. What does the report say? A full version of the CAOI's report has not been made publicly available, but excerpts have been published by state news agency Fars. In its findings, the CAOI said the passenger plane travelled in a normal flight corridor, but the air defence unit that targeted it had recently moved and failed to calibrate its equipment correctly. As a result, it misidentified the civilian plane as a hostile object. Iran has repeatedly delayed releasing the plane's "black box", which holds key data and communications from the cockpit. It is expected to send the box to France for examination on 20 July, according to state news agency IRNA. There has been much speculation about why Iran did not clear the skies during the attack. A recent audio recording obtained by Canada's CBC News suggests that the airspace remained open to avoid giving away Iran's intention to attack the US air base in Iraq. The recording is allegedly a conversation between the family of one of the accident victims and Hassan Rezaeifar, who at the time was leading Iran's investigation into the incident. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Baharvand dismissed the recording, saying it could not be used as evidence.

Nissan is about to launch its second dedicated electric car for Europe, the Ariya SUV, with a new preview video revealing a debut date of 15 July. The video doesn't fully give the game away, but it does give us enough of a glimpse to see that the Ariya retains much of the design of the 2019 concept car that previewed it. A striking LED lighting signature can also be seen at the end. Earlier this year, revealing patent images were posted online, showing how the production car's shape differs from the concept that was revealed at the 2019 Tokyo motor show. The shots, posted most clearly by Instagram fan account Nissan Arabia, show the 4.6m-long family SUV retains the concept's overall shape, although a few detail changes can be spotted. The bumper shape, particularly the lower portion, has been slightly altered, with a towing eye cover visible and LED lights also brought in to the intakes at the edges of the front. The side view seems broadly identical, bar a charging port raised higher in the wing, a shark-fin aerial on the roof and alterations to the roof spoiler. The side mirrors aren’t incorporated in the patent shots, suggesting Nissan might be looking to swap traditional items for cameras, as per the Honda E and Audi E-tron. At the rear, more significant alterations are visible. It looks like the rear window has been reduced in terms of visible area, while a rear wiper has been brought in. The backlit Nissan logo seen on the concept also appears to have been ditched, although the full-width LED tail-light design should be retained. The bumper shape has also been altered for production. With no interior images, we can only go by the minimalist design of the concept’s cabin for reference. Expect it to showcase the long-awaited generation shift of Nissan interiors and infotainment alongside the new X-Trail seven-seat SUV, which is due at the end of this year.

Russia and China have vetoed at the UN Security Council a one-year extension to a deal allowing aid deliveries to north-western Syria via Turkey. Up to now, food and other aid for millions of people have come through two crossing points to Aleppo province and to rebel-held Idlib. A Belgian-German draft resolution was a last-ditch attempt to prolong the deal, which expires later on Friday. Russia wants one crossing to be open, and a vote on this is now expected. Moscow argues that aid for Syria should be channelled through its ally there, the government of President Bashar al-Assad. But analysts say the government in Damascus has a record of restricting the flow of aid to areas in the hands of its opponents. Last month, the head of the World Food Programme warned that Syria faced the risk of mass starvation or another mass exodus unless more aid money was made available. David Beasley told the BBC a million Syrians faced severe food insecurity and some were already dying. The war-torn country's currency has collapsed and food prices have soared. In desperation, many Syrians might have no choice but to try to flee to Europe as they did in 2015, Mr Beasley said. More than 380,000 people have been killed and 13.2 million others - half the pre-war po[CENSORED]tion - have been displaced inside and outside Syria since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011. Some 6.6 million refugees are scattered throughout the world, the vast majority of them in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, where the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on economies. Assad under pressure as economic crisis batters Syria Carpets, olives and handcrafts: The Idlib I loved and lost The UN and its partners have appealed for $3.8bn (£3.08bn) for humanitarian work inside Syria and another $6.04bn to help countries in the region hosting Syrian refugees. The appeals are currently 30% and 19% funded respectively. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has warned that the Covid-19 crisis has had an immediate and devastating impact on the livelihoods of millions of Syrian refugees and their host countries, where there have been sharp economic downturns and poverty has spiralled.

Mercedes-AMG is about to unleash the swansong for its GT sports car range - the Black Series - with an official video giving a revealing glimpse at the new model. Posted to social media, the video (below) shows the model being taken for a spin around a wet circuit. The Black Series can be seen from numerous angles, revealing it takes inspirating from the brand's GT3 and GT4 racing programmes. The most noticeable addition is a massive, two-level rear wing dominating the tailgate. Other changes visible include a big rear diffuser, new front grille for increased cooling and a big splitter underneath. It's clear that adding downforce and high-speed stability was a prominent development focus. Previous images of prototypes testing at the Nürburgring showed an adapted GT R bodyshell with new bonnet vents necessary to cool an extensively modified twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, which is mooted by insiders to put out at least 680bhp. The future range-topping coupé will be beaten in acceleration terms only by the limited-run AMG One hypercar when it arrives in mid-2020, AMG boss Tobias Moers confirmed to Autocar at the New York motor show. Moers said: “It will be the fastest AMG yet, bar the One. Not in terms of top speed, but lap times. “Driveability is most important but, with balance, it gets good lap times too.” Currently, the most powerful iteration of the 4.0-litre V8 is found the GT 63 4-door Coupé, where it makes 630bhp. The expected pushing of the envelop up to and possible above 680bhp would ensure the Black Series easily surpasses the peak output offered by the 577bhp GT R and GT R Pro. It would also edge it towards one of the category's most radical supercars, the 690bhp Porsche 911 GT2 RS. According to Moers, the Black Series will be “great competition with our close neighbour.” The GT Black Series' extra grunt will be accompanied by a more focused chassis and aerodynamic setup, which may go even further than the track-focused GT R Pro. That car was designed with uprated suspension and aerodynamic upgrades but received no extra power over the regular GT R. Such a setup should ensure the GT Black Series tips the scales at around 1575kg, in line with or slightly less than the GT R Pro. The 2020 arrival of the GT Black Series will mark a return for AMG's most extreme moniker after a seven-year hiatus. The last Black Series model was based on the SLS and entered production in 2013.

In late June, two cases of coronavirus were confirmed in New Zealand. When many countries are registering thousands of cases a day, two seems little to worry about. But until that point, New Zealand had gone 24 days without a single case, so these - linked to quarantine breaches - were enough to lead to the resignation of the health minister. So what was the strategy behind New Zealand's Covid-19 success? When did New Zealand bring in border closures? On 2 February, a man in the Philippines became the first person outside China to die of Covid-19. At this point, there were no reported cases in New Zealand, but the next day, the country began banning entry to any foreigner coming from or via China. Any New Zealander returning from China had to isolate for 14 days. As the virus spread globally, a flight ban was also extended to Iran - the origin of New Zealand's first case - and restrictions placed on anyone arriving from South Korea, northern Italy, or who was showing symptoms. As of midnight on 16 March, everybody - including New Zealanders - had to go into self-isolation on arrival in the country, unless they were coming from the largely unaffected Pacific island nations. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said these were the strictest regulations in the world, for which she would "make no apologies". Then, a few days later, Ms Ardern took the unprecedented step of closing the borders entirely to almost all non-citizens or residents. "Doing this early on with only over a few thousand cases [worldwide] at the time allowed them to basically stop the influx and stop the community transmission," Prof Martin Berka, an economist at the country's Massey University, told the BBC

I really like story creations, but respond to more requests in the community. #pro

Utilizarea tehnologiei pentru munca pe timp de pandemie are deja efecte asupra angajaților, arată un studiu realizat de către compania de cercetare iSense Solutions. Mai exact, 74% dintre românii din mediul urban vor o pauză de la mediul online și o conexiune directă cu alte persoane, cum ar fi familie, prieteni, apropiați. Mai mult, 56% vor să se relaxeze într-o altă manieră decât în fața dispozitivelor electronice, 34% spun că se simt distrași de mediul online, iar 31% spun că deja au experimentat probleme de sănătate din cauza lucrului preponderent online, precum turburări de vedere sau dureri de spate. Relaxare în natură Atunci când iau o pauză de la mediul online, cea mai mare parte a românilor din mediul urban se relaxează în natură (68%), alături de familie (67%) sau investesc în dezvoltarea proprie (39%). Cu toate acestea, tehnologia a fost și rămâne de ajutor în timpul pandemiei. Mediul online i-a făcut pe români să păstreze legătura cu cei dragi. De asemenea, participanții spun că privarea de internet i-ar fi făcut să se simtă singuri, deprimați, plictisiți sau stresați. Patrulaterul de aur: WhatsApp, Facebook, Google, YouTube Aproape jumătate dintre românii de la oraș (48%) au spus în mai 2020 că folosesc mai mult WhatsApp decât anul trecut. Tendința este la fel și în cazul Facebook, unde 33% dintre români spun că stau mai mult pe platforma de social media, dar și în cazul Google (34%) și YouTube (33%). Telefoane și ceasuri inteligente Chiar dacă aproape trei sferturi dintre români își doresc să ia o pauză de la online, aceștia aleg în continuare să fie conectați. Citeşte întreaga ştire: Studiu: 74% dintre românii de la oraș s-au săturat de munca online și vor o pauză În topul preferințelor se află smartphone-urile și ceasurile inteligente. Digitalizarea crește productivitatea, dar afectează starea mentală a angajaților Din cauza pandemiei, activitățile care au putut fi digitalizate au trecut online. La nivel mondial a crescut masiv utilizarea platformelor video online, precum Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco WebEx și Microsoft Teams. Pe de altă parte, nu este prima oară când apar semnale de alarmă privind efectele negative ale lucrului online: experții au avertizat anterior că angajatorii s-ar putea confrunta cu o epidemie de depresie în rândul angajaților. Un clasament realizat în primăvară de Broadband Deals arăta că Bucureștiul este cel mai bun loc din lume pentru munca de acasă. Citeşte întreaga ştire: Studiu: 74% dintre românii de la oraș s-au săturat de munca online și vor o pauză

I support you with a #pro.

A quirky wooden sculpture of US First Lady Melania Trump is reported to have been set on fire near her hometown in Slovenia, prompting its removal. Brad Downey, the American artist who commissioned the statue, said it was targeted on 4 July, Independence Day in the US. The Berlin-based artist arranged for the charred statue to be removed the next day. Police told Reuters news agency they had launched an investigation. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The sculpture of Mrs Trump, which could be described as only bearing a crude likeness to the US first lady, was carved out of a tree trunk on the outskirts of Sevnica, her hometown in central Slovenia. The statue, which depicts Mrs Trump dressed in a blue coat similar to one she wore to her husband's inauguration and with a club-like hand gesturing to the sky, received mixed reviews when it was erected in July 2019. Some residents branded the statue a "disgrace", complaining it looked more like the Smurfs character Smurfette than the first lady. Mr Downey told Reuters he wanted to understand who targeted the statue and why. He said he had hoped the statue would open a dialogue about the political situation in the US, including the fractious debate on immigration. Melania Trump statue in Slovenia gets mixed reviews Mrs Trump, a model who grew up in Slovenia when it was part of Yugoslavia, moved to the US in the 1990s. The statue in Slovenia was targeted at a time when monuments of US leaders with links to slavery are being re-evaluated as a result of national reflection prompted by anti-racism protests. In recent speeches, including his Independence Day address, US President Donald Trump has taken a hardline against those who vandalise or tear down statues. Since Mr Trump was elected US president in 2016, Sevnica has become a tourist magnet, as visitors search for an insight into Mrs Trump's early years Residents have brought out ranges of Melania-branded merchandise, including slippers, cakes, and Trump-like burgers with fly-away cheese "hair". In August last year, a wooden statue of President Trump was constructed in Slovenia, east of the capital Ljubljana. Like the rendering of Mrs Trump, the statue of her husband divided opinion. Standing nearly 8m (26ft) tall, the statue was burnt to the ground by unknown arsonists in January this year.

The CLA 45 S Shooting Brake is the sort of special car that comes along when a manufacturer follows its nose for longer than is normal or, perhaps, sensible. The road that led to the creation of this expensive and unbelievably quick junior AMG estate began when Mercedes introduced the third-gen A-Class in 2013. It was a different car from the imaginative, original A-Class. The body had morphed into more customary two-box proportions and, as for the powertrain, rather than sitting obliquely beneath the front footwell in an ingenious feat of packaging that didn’t compromise safety, it now rested above the front axle, as with every other hatchback. It was sad to watch the likeable A-Class fall to convention, but the new layout meant Mercedes could put into production an idea it had only ever dared toy with for those precariously tall early cars. That idea was to build an entry-level AMG that could fire the brand headlong into the hot hatch wars. And AMG being AMG, when that car arrived in the form of the A45, the 355bhp developed by its hand-built 2.0-litre engine really was, for a while at least, ‘world-beating’. And outrageous. At the same time, Mercedes also took the opportunity to re-body its reinvented A-Class. The sleeker CLA saloon was born and it spawned an all-new shooting brake with added practicality and, in the eyes of many, added desirability. The arrival of AMG derivatives then gave us one of the most curious and rare-groove cars on sale at any price point in the form of the original CLA 45 AMG Shooting Brake of 2015. It felt forged in the mould of the V10 BMW M5 Touring and Ferrari FF: fast but useful and quirky, even though, with limited space and route-one handling, it never appealed as much as it could or should have. That car has now been revamped, AMG permitted to reprise the 45 recipe, only with more power and technology. There’s absolutely no mistaking the new car, either. In 2020, the CLA 45 S comes replete with almost comical motorsport-style canards, four 90mm exhaust pipes and AMG’s new 2.0-litre M139 meisterwerk powerplant unusually swivelled 180deg. It means the turbo now faces backwards, vacating space for a generous, Corvette-esque intake duct at the front along with better aero. The M139 also delivers 415bhp and 369lb ft and accelerates the car to 62mph in 4.0sec, making the CLA 45 S Shooting Brake quicker on paper than both AMG’s own V8-engined C63 Estate and even the Audi RS4 Avant. And now I suspect I’ve really got your attention. Out-sprinting the Audi really does guarantee mad pace, doesn’t it? The AMG is of course lighter than its rivals from the class above, although at 1705kg it’s also some 90kg heavier than before. Some of that extra mass derives from the new AMG Torque Control rear axle that, as in the A45 S hatchback with which this hottest CLA shares so much DNA, uses electronically controlled clutch packs built into the differential. At its most extreme, the set-up can siphon all of the available torque – half of what the engine is making at any given moment – to either side, and the car has all too many modes through which the driver can influence the behaviour of the system. On track, it means things can get quite lurid, although in the car’s most conservative modes, you’d never guess it had this in its locker. At the front, you have the same limited-slip differential (LSD) found in the A45 S, which also donates its electromechanical steering, dual-clutch ’box and adaptive suspension. It’s a similar story inside, so if you like the bright, prominent screens and slightly chintzy details of the A-Class, you’ll like it in here (not least because, in the AMG, more of the trim is actual metal). If you don’t, you’re unlikely to be so understanding of the fact that AMG’s serious bucket seats eat into the regular CLA’s already limited rear leg room and head room is only adequate. More concerning for the Shooting Brake’s appeal as family transport is the fact that the rear door grabs jut out just where the passenger’s leg will want to go. Along with the fact that neither seats-down carrying capacity nor the aperture of the boot opening is as generous as you’ll get with fully fledged performance estates or even the outgoing Volkswagen Golf R Estate, it means the Merc is slightly compromised from the outset. So it’s an imperfect tool, but if you merely want an A45 or CLA 45 saloon with added practicality, you’ll have few complaints: the Shooting Brake beats both hands down for space, and the ski hatch is also useful. On the move, the car again does an A45 S double act in that it can be a picture of docility one moment then reveal dizzying performance and capability the next. This duality borders on the freakish. During normal, fast-ish road driving, the CLA 45 S rides confoundingly well in its most languid damper setting. Rarely does it crash onto its bump stops and rarer still does it fall prey to those fleeting but heart-stopping losses of composure you get with estates when the big body wants to go one way and the chassis another. The steering response is also clean but surprisingly meaty, the car easy to place and dry grip levels mammoth, even if in the wet you can break traction at either end with surprising ease. That this pumped-up engine will also do 38mpg on the motorway and everywhere you go possesses easy drivability – even with its big turbo, huge output and satisfactorily peaky power and torque curves – is exceptional. Rotate the mode dial and it’s difficult to envisage too many cars in any class that could keep up with the CLA 45 S. Despite its identical wheelbase, the CLA has greater track widths than the A45 S but is still conveniently proportioned and stress-free on B-roads. Although the engine sits fractionally ahead of the front axle, you’d also swear it was tucked under the dashboard, such is the way the car flatly ferrets through direction changes. Admittedly, the CLA doesn’t generate quite the same sense of wrist-flicking agility as the A45 S, or the almost total front-axle stability of an RS4, but what it will do is lean generously on its rear axle if driven in the required manner. You won’t necessarily achieve true power oversteer, but there are easily unearthed moments where the CLA does an excellent impression of being rear driven, and the sense of balance this brings. In short, it does fun better than expected – more so in the wet.

Rogan, a 300-year-old craft tradition that once flourished in Gujarat’s Kutch region, today rests in the hands of Abdul Gafur’s family in Nirona village. A craft form that has been handed down through the menfolk, Sahil is the youngest, representing the eighth generation to take it forward. Initially, Rogan graced mainly ghaghra-cholis, bridal trousseaus, bedsheets and tablecloths, it now adorns more contemporary items. The lack of opportunities took it to the brink of extinction, with entire villages that practiced it switching to other trades. In 1983, a young Abdul Gafur Khatri followed the trend and went to Ahmedabad and even Mumbai to find work and make a life. He says, “At that time, there were no tourists visiting Gujarat and our art was not selling. It was only later that the government gave us a project that started helping us and my grandfather and father asked me to return to the village.” Gafur became so attached to Rogan that he promised his father to take it to the international level, which he did eventually. “I fulfilled my promise when Rogan art was presented to Barack Obama, the then President of the United States, by Narendra Modi during his visit to the US in 2014,” says Abdul Gafur Khatri, the recipient of Padma Shri Award (2019), five National Awards, eight State awards, three National Merit certificates and an International Designer award.

Medaliatul de opt ori cu aur olimpic, a publicat pe rețelele sociale social poze cu primul său copil, dezvăluind și numele: Olympia Lightning Bolt. Sportivul jamaican în vârstă de 33 de ani a publicat pe Instagram o serie de imagini cu fetița sa, în timp ce a sărbătorit ziua de naștere a iubitei sale, Kasi Bennett, spunând că „au început împreună un nou capitol”. „Vreau să-i urez iubitei o zi de naștere fericită. Abia aștept să ajung acasă să petrec o zi specială cu tine. Nu vreau altceva decât fericire pentru noi și voi continua să fac tot posibilul să păstrez un zâmbet pe fața ta”, a scris Usain bolt pe Instagram. „Am început un nou capitol împreună cu fiica noastră Olympia Lightning Bolt”. În fotografiile postate, Olympia poartă o rochie roz și o bandă din tul asortată în timp ce privește camera. Alte fotografii o arată pe Kasi Bennett purtând o rochie de aur. Tatăl mândru a adăugat că așteaptă cu nerăbdare să vadă ce îi va aduce „viitorul” și a promis să fie „piatra de stâncă pentru această familie” Citeşte întreaga ştire: Cel mai rapid om din istorie și-a botezat fiica Olympia Lightning Bolt.

The headline stat is 538lb ft at 1750rpm. There’s also 350bhp at 4000rpm, but it’s the torque that moulds the brawny character of the new D3 S, endowing it with the sort of low- to-mid-range punch that proves performance-based diesels really do have some life left in them. The latest hot diesel-powered Alpina is based on the already potent BMW M340d xDrive. Like the four wheel-drive donor car, it comes in saloon and Touring bodystyles – the latter of which we drove briefly on the Bilster Berg club circuit in Germany. As is Alpina’s way, the styling changes are subtle. The D3 S gets a front bumper extension, the firm’s signature turbine wheels and a reworked rear bumper valance that houses four round chromed tailpipes. It’s not much, but it’s enough to visually differentiate it from the more aggressively styled M340d. Even at a quick glance, you know it’s an Alpina. The same is true inside, with its reworked digital instruments, revised steering wheel, new-look trim, reupholstered front seats and a badge within the centre console that indicates this is one of just 2000 or so Alpinas assembled each year. It’s under the bonnet, though, where the most significant changes lie. The D3 S runs an upgraded version of BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel with a 48V starter-generator. Its 350bhp and 538lb ft outputs are 15bhp and 22lb ft more than the M340d’s, mostly through the adoption of a new exhaust system. The engine sounds relatively quiet within the cabin at start-up and it’s remarkably smooth at idle. There is some diesel chatter as you move off but the sound of the reworked six-cylinder is never overly intrusive. There is a fleeting moment of turbo lag as the D3 S fully gets into its stride, but once you’ve tapped into that huge plateau of torque, it proves wonderfully determined. There’s great flexibility to the delivery on a light throttle, making it truly relaxed when you’re just tooling around. However, it’s the rich seam of urge as you dip further into its reserves that appeals the most. The official 0-62mph time of 4.8sec doesn’t adequately describe the extraordinary performance this car can muster in lower gears, although a top speed of 168mph is a good indication of its potential. We’ve only driven the new Alpina on a circuit, but it’s easy to see how its torque-infused hustle would make for spectacularly effortless touring. The diesel engine doesn’t have the emotional appeal of a well-sorted petrol unit and offers little above 5000rpm. But what it lacks in its ability to rev, it more than makes up for in its muscular mid-range. You can shift up manually at 3000rpm and encounter a rabid acceleration as the full load of torque is unleashed. The ZF-produced eight-speed automatic gearbox, featuring a beefed-up torque converter among other changes, does a great job of transferring the drive. Its operation alters from smooth and suave in Comfort mode to fittingly resolute and abrupt in Sport. Traction is never in doubt, either: a reworking of the M340d xDrive’s four-wheel drive system imbues the D3 S with an outstanding ability to place the power and torque to the road. Dynamically, there’s also much to like here. You’re aware there is a heavy engine sitting up front but the adoption of new springs and dampers as well as revised anti-roll bars and specially developed Pirelli P Zero tyres bring greater fluidity and body control than you’ll find in the M340d. Grip levels are always high and the new Alpina model is predictable at the limit. It remains nicely neutral during all cornering, with oversteer only really evident after a good deal of throttle provocation. If you’re after a performance diesel, the D3 S is well worth a look. It doesn’t possess quite the same responsive change of direction as its B3 petrol sibling, but you get outstanding in-gear performance and excellent refinement. Its economy and range also promise to be quite exemplary, making it the perfect everyday car for just about any driving conditions. Be aware, though, that its CO2 emissions of 199g/km are 40g/km more than the M340d on the WLTP cycle. Alpina D3 S Touring specification Where Germany Price £55,950 On sale September Engine 6-cyl, 2993cc, turbocharged diesel Power 350bhp at 4000-4200rpm Torque 538lb ft at 1750-2750rpm Gearbox 8-spd automatic Kerb weight 2010kg Top speed 168mph 0-62mph 4.8sec Fuel economy 37.2mpg CO2 199g/km Rivals BMW M340d Touring

The director of the FBI has said that acts of espionage and theft by China's government pose the "greatest long-term threat" to the future of the US. Speaking to the Hudson Institute in Washington, Christopher Wray described a multi-pronged disruption campaign. He said China had begun targeting Chinese nationals living abroad, coercing their return, and was working to compromise US coronavirus research. In a nearly hour-long speech on Tuesday, the FBI Director outlined a stark picture of Chinese interference, a far-reaching campaign of economic espionage, data and monetary theft and illegal political activities, using bribery and blackmail to influence US policy. "We've now reached a point where the FBI is now opening a new China-related counterintelligence case every 10 hours," Mr Wray said. "Of the nearly 5,000 active counterintelligence cases currently under way across the country, almost half are related to China." The FBI director said that Chinese President Xi Jinping had spearheaded a programme called "Fox Hunt", geared at Chinese nationals living abroad seen as threats to the Chinese government. "We're talking about political rivals, dissidents, and critics seeking to expose China's extensive human rights violations," he said. "The Chinese government wants to force them to return to China, and China's tactics to accomplish that are shocking." He continued: "When it couldn't locate one Fox Hunt target, the Chinese government sent an emissary to visit the target's family here in the United States. The message they said to pass on? The target had two options: return to China promptly, or commit suicide." Washington now sees Beijing as global leadership contender Analysis by Zhaoyin Feng, BBC News Chinese, Washington This is not the first time FBI Director Christopher Wray has categorised China as a "top intelligence threat" for the US, but on Tuesday he ramped up the criticism by focussing on Beijing's "whole-of-state effort" to become the world's only superpower. It clearly signals that Washington now sees Beijing not only as an aggressive adversary, but also an ambitious contender for global leadership. Since the Covid-19 outbreak in the US, the Trump administration has attacked China on everything from its initial response to coronavirus to Hong Kong's new national security law. Mr Wray's remarks are among a series of hard-hitting speeches by senior US officials on the topic. The Trump administration says it is now time to wake up from the 40 years of policy failures with regard to China, while critics see this as an attempt to deflect attention from the president's own failures in office and to increase his chances of winning re-election. What is certain is that the power dynamics between China and the US have fundamentally shifted, and no matter who will be the next US president, the tense stand-offs of Sino-US relations will inevitably continue. In the unusual address, Mr Wray asked Chinese-born people living in the US to contact the FBI if Chinese officials target them seeking their return. The Chinese government has defended this programme in the past, saying it is part of a legitimate anti-corruption effort. The threat posed by China will be further addressed by the US attorney general and secretary of state in coming weeks, Mr Wray said.

The all-new BMW M4 is tipped for a reveal in the coming months, and new spy shots show that it will feature the same striking upright grille as the standard 4 Series, while gaining extra air intakes and flared arches for a sportier stance. Last month, the M4 was seemingly caught completely undisguised in a leaked online image. The image, first posted on Reddit from what looks like a BMW facility, showed the model's front-end look without disguise for the first time. Now, these latest images appear to confirm that the leaked car was the full-fat M4, rather than a modified version of the 4 Series. The M4's grille appears to be even more prominient than that of the new 2020 4 Series on which its based, thanks to black detailing. It's also flanked by new lower intakes, as is typical with M models. BMW claims the new grille design is inspired by that of the iconic 328 sports car from the 1930s. 2020 BMW 4 Series Coupe revealed with dramatic new look Previous spy shots showed the new generation of Munich's sports coupé with limited disguise, with bulky rear wheel arches that afford a more muscular stance, and a swooping rear deck like that of the brand's flagship M8. Differences between this and the standard 4 Series are familiar, with the return of bigger intakes and quad exhaust tailpipes. . We already know that the new BMW M3 and M4 will receive a significantly upgraded six-cylinder engine producing more than 500bhp in its top form. The flagship model to use this new engine will be a new M4 Gran Coupé (imagined by Autocar below), the first time the four-door coupé has featured a full-fat M variant. The coupé and convertible will also return beside the M3 saloon. The 3.0-litre powerplant, which carries the internal codename S58, is a development of the firm’s standard B58 unit, as used in the existing 440i and other BMW models. But as M division officials have revealed to Autocar, “it is for all intents and purposes an all-new drivetrain with significant changes to the base engine that allow it to rev beyond 7000rpm and deliver a much higher specific output” than today’s S55 engine.

On Independence Day, music superstar Kanye West tweeted that he will run for president in the 2020 election. The 43-year old rapper has previously been vocal in his support of President Trump, but would now be running against him and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States!” he wrote alongside the hashtag #2020VISION. This isn’t a complete surprise, actually — at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, West said he would be running in the 2020 election during his speech for the Vanguard Award. Additionally, he had also set his sights on the 2024 election, telling Power 92 Chicago’s DJ Pharris in 2018. With four months away to the 2020 election, there are a few bumps in the road this late in the game: the deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has already passed in a few states. Although many people on Twitter greeted the announcement with skepticism, not among them was SpaceX CEO and chief executive of Tesla, Elon Musk, who tweeted in response: “You have my full support! Of course, speculation mounted over West’s possible motives: is this just another publicity stunt for the famously controversial artist? Was he trying to steal voters from Joe Biden in an effort to secure Trump’s reelection? West’s own website bore no information about a presidential run at the time of his announcement. Neither did his Instagram account. It remains unclear if he has completed the official paperwork necessary to make this bid. The Grammy-winning rapper is one of the most acclaimed musicians of his generation, selling over 140 million records worldwide. He has released ten albums since 2004 and is married to reality star Kim Kardashian, whom he has four children with.

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in 2-3 zile o sa fac si orele acestea. Nu stiam ca trebuie facute orele pe canalul special de journalisti.

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Tesla, producătorul de automobile electrice american a depășit compania japoneză Toyota la valoarea de piață. Momentul este unul notabil, într-o industrie care s-a bazat timp de peste 130 de ani pe motorul cu ardere internă. La finalul ședinței de tranzacționare de miercuri, Tesla Inc avea o capitalizare bursieră de 207,2 miliarde de dolari, față de 201,9 miliarde de dolari în cazul Toyota Motor Corporation. Cifra pentru marca japoneză include și un stoc de trezorerie (acțiuni care sunt cumpărate înapoi de către compania emitentă și sunt păstrate în propria trezorerie) în valoare de aproximativ 30 de miliarde de dolari. Tesla a depășit Volkswagen în ianuarie și are acum o valoare dublă față de cea a companiei germane, potrivit Bloomberg. Valoarea mărcii din SUA va continua, cel mai probabil, să crească. Compania a dezvoltat, împreună cu un partener, o baterie care ține 16 ani și 2 milioane de km. Acumulatorul are potențialul de a reduce semnificativ prețurile automobilelor electrice, până la nivelul mașinilor echipate cu motoare pe benzină. Tesla este o companie atipică pentru industria auto. Producătorul de vehicule electrice a început să construiască automobile în California, unde forța de muncă este scumpă, iar mai apoi să le vândă pe internet, ceva de neconceput pentru alte mărci acum 10 ani. Totuși, producția Tesla pălește în comparație cu cea a Toyota. Compania americană a construit 103.000 de vehicule în primele trei luni ale acestui an. Prin comparație, pe porțile uzinelor Toyota au ieșit 2,4 milioane de mașini în aceeași perioadă. Deși a fost un pionier pe piața automobilelor electrice, cu modelul său hibrid Prius, Toyota s-a mișcat încet și nu este un jucător important în domeniu. În ciuda faptului că are valoare mai mare decât Toyota, Tesla mai are mult de lucru până să atingă nivelul de fiabilitate al mărcii din Japonia. Un raport al JD Power arată că mașinile Tesla au cele mai multe probleme la suta de unități vândute, informează go4it.ro