FearLess

?

The Day of the Shining Star dawned bitterly cold in Pyongyang. But thousands of North Koreans lined up in temperatures of minus 8 degrees Celsius on Saturday to pay their respects to late leader Kim Jong Il on his birthday. Kim, the son of the isolated North's founder Kim Il Sung and the father and predecessor of current leader Kim Jong Un, was born on February 16. According to Pyongyang's orthodoxy, he came into the world in 1942, in a snow-covered hut at a secret camp on the slopes of Mount Paektu, the spiritual birthplace of the Korean people, where his father was fighting occupying Japanese forces. Outside historians point instead to official Soviet records, which say he was born a year earlier in a Siberian village where Kim Il Sung was in exile. Either way, it is a key anniversary in a nuclear-armed nation whose people are taught from birth to revere the "Paektu bloodline", as the Kim family which has ruled it for three generations is known. Referred to as the Day of the Shining Star, the occasion is celebrated with ice skating displays, flower shows, and laudatory tributes in state media, all reinforcing the underlying narrative. Driver Kim Chol Jun, 42, took his two boys to Mansu Hill, where giant statues of the two older Kims look out over the capital, to pay his respects to them and the current leader. "No sons and daughters feel tired when they visit their parents," he told AFP. "The great leaders are regarded as our own parents, so I visit here to bow before our parents with my sons." Ordinary North Koreans consistently express unequivocal support for the leadership and its policies when speaking to foreign media.

E-cigarettes have obliterated past progress in reducing tobacco product use among teenagers, US health officials said Monday. About 4.9 million middle and high school students were current users of a tobacco product in 2018, up from 3.6 million in 2017, according to results from the annual National Youth Tobacco Survey. All told, more than 1 in 4 high school students and about 1 in 14 middle school students used a tobacco product in 2018, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Researchers chalk this increase up entirely to e-cigarettes, noting that no significant change was found in the use in any other tobacco product - including traditional tobacco cigarettes. "The skyrocketing growth of young people's e-cigarette use over the past year threatens to erase progress made in reducing youth tobacco use. It's putting a new generation at risk for nicotine addiction," CDC Director Dr Robert Redfield said in a statement. Kids who use e-cigarettes could be more likely to progress to smoking tobacco after becoming hooked on nicotine, according to previous research cited by the CDC. Strong evidence The nicotine in e-cigarettes also pose other health hazards, said Dr Anne Schuchat, the CDC's principal deputy director. "Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm brain development, including harmful effects on learning, memory and attention," Schuchat said. Nicotine also primes the brain for addiction to other substances, she added. Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called the survey results "deeply troubling." "These results are strong evidence that e-cigarettes are not helping to drive down youth cigarette use," Myers said. "Indeed, if anything, the evidence to date indicates that e-cigarettes could increase the number of kids who smoke cigarettes." There were 1.5 million more young e-cigarette users in 2018 than 2017, and those who vaped did so more often, the CDC found. E-cigarette use increased to nearly 21% among high schoolers and 5% among middle schoolers in 2018, up from about 12% and 3% in 2017, respectively. The proportion of high schoolers who vaped at least 20 of the past 30 days increased to 28% in 2018 from 20% the year before, the CDC added.

Bentley Motors has announced the full details of the world’s fastest production SUV. The Bentayga Speed features an enhanced 466kW version of the renowned 6.0-litre W12 engine that delivers a top speed of 306km/h and 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds. Most powerful to date Designed, engineered and handcrafted in Great Britain, the Bentayga Speed is the most powerful and performance-oriented Bentayga to date. It builds on a long tradition of Speed models that was born with the Continental GT in 2007 and pushes the boundaries of Bentayga performance further since claiming the production SUV record at the gruelling Pikes Peak International Hill Climb last year. With a top speed of 305km/h, the Bentayga Speed is our most powerful and performance-oriented variant to date. To match the elevated levels of performance, the Bentayga Speed sports a purposeful exterior look. Dark-tint headlights, body-coloured side skirts and a striking tailgate spoiler hint at the SUV’s performance credentials. The Pinnacle of SUV luxury and performance The new model takes the Bentayga’s extraordinary abilities to new levels, boosting maximum power from 447kW in the existing 6.0-litre W12 twin-turbocharged model to 466kW in the new Speed. Effortless acceleration is delivered thanks to 900Nm of torque. With exceptional performance, comfort and handling, maximum speed is also increased from 301km/h to 306km/h in the new Speed, while the 0-100km/h acceleration time is reduced from 4.1 seconds to 3.9 seconds. The performance pinnacle of the Bentayga range, Speed is equipped with four on-road Drive Dynamics modes: Comfort at one extreme, and Bentley and Sport at the other, with Custom for customers who opt to create their own driving set-up. Luxurious and unique Handcrafted in Crewe, England, the cabin is the epitome of modern British design. The SUV introduces a new colour split interior, specifically designed to highlight unique styling lines. Key to this is the use of Alcantara trim in a Bentayga for the first time. Alcantara is a highly tactile cloth that is often the preserve of high-performance cars – it has previously been used by Bentley on models such as the Continental Supersports.

British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered another humiliating Brexit defeat at the hands of her own eurosceptic MPs on Thursday, with just weeks to go until Britain officially leaves the EU. In the symbolic vote, MPs voted 303 to 258 against a government motion endorsing its next moves in trying to secure a new withdrawal deal with the European Union.

The British premium brand has announced a new version of the extremely sporty small car to come out in 2020. It makes use of a 4-cylinder turbo engine with more than 220kW and motor racing technology by John Cooper Works that promises a whole new dimension of performance and driving fun. Packing a punch The abbreviation GP in connection with MINI regularly sparks the interest of racing enthusiasts who are fans of the British premium brand. Next year the new Mini John Cooper Works GP will be taking roads all over the world by storm – along with the hearts and minds of a particularly performance-oriented target group. The new edition of the top athlete in the model range is powered by a 4-cylinder engine with an output of more than 220kW and featuring Mini's TwinPower Turbo Technology, making it by far the fastest and most powerful Mini ever to be approved for use on the road. Limited production Its market launch will call for fast decisions, too: the special edition is to be produced in a limited edition of just 3 000. Anyone who gets the chance to take a seat in one of these exclusive, extremely athletic cars can look forward to pure driving fun and uncompromising race feeling. This was the promise offered at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September 2017 when the car was presented for the first time. Large front and rear aprons, a striking roof spoiler and the extensive use of lightweight materials left no doubt as to the sporty ambitions of the study. Serial production development for the car is now entering its crucial phase – namely on the race track, where whole-vehicle testing is to be carried out in the course of the next few months. Drawing on tradition-steeped John Cooper Works expertise, the suspension developed specifically for this model will be precisely adapted to the exceptionally high output of the new engine. Rigorously defined aerodynamic properties and an optimised weight go together with the relevant drive and suspension technology to create an optimum all-in package for thrilling performance characteristics. Focused application of motor racing technology and expertise lays the foundation for new records in the fight against the clock. The benchmark here is the top athlete of the last Mini generation. The Nürburgring-Nordschleife lap time achieved by the predecessor model was 8:23 minutes - faster than many a sports car from the higher segments. In fact, the brand has quite a tradition of leaving supposedly superior competitors behind it. In the hands of Formula 1 designer John Cooper, the classic Mini itself matured to become a small but high-speed racing machine that regularly beat the big players at their own game – not least with its three outright victories at the Monte Carlo Rally.

Mozilla has teamed up with Ubisoft to release future versions of Firefox more quickly. The browser developer is using Clever-Commit, an AI coding assistant developed by Ubisoft La Forge to make writing code faster and more efficient. Firefox is destined for some major updates over the coming months, with Project Fission promising a total overhaul of the browser for improved security and new features for the mobile version being tested in the new Reference Browser for Android. The addition of Clever Commit means these updates should arrive sooner, with minimal time spent fixing bugs. Clever-Commit helps developers see whether an edit will introduce a new bug based on previous programming mistakes. That could be a huge help for Mozilla, as it releases a new version of Firefox every six to eight weeks, each of which contains an average of 8,000 software edits. "Thanks to Clever-Commit, Firefox users will get to use even more stable versions of Firefox and have even better browsing experiences," Mozilla said in a blog post.

Intel’s 9th generation processor rollout has been a wild ride with the introduction of new F-series CPUs, the company’s first 28-core processor and now the secretive sale of an Intel Core i9-9990XE chip. According Puget Systems, Intel just held a secret quarterly auction where the company sold a new, unheard of 14-core Core i9-9990XE CPU for $2,300. That’s a fairly extravagant selling price for a high-end desktop processor, especially when Intel’s current Basin Falls Refresh flagship chip, the 18-core Intel Core i9-9990XE, costs noticeably less at $1,999 (£1,999, AU$2,729). That said, bear in mind that this chip wasn’t just bought at a store, but an auction for the privilege of being one of the first to test this chip. What makes the Intel Core i9-9990XE worth all that cheddar? Well Puget Systems has shared that this 14-cores and 28-threads CPU comes with a mighty fast 4.0 GHz base clock and an incredible 5.0GHz all-core boost. Comparatively, the Intel Core i9-9980XE might feature 18-cores and 36-threads, but it only runs at clock speeds between 3.0GHz and 4.4GHz.

A robot will attempt to examine radioactive fuel at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant on Wednesday in a complex operation seen as key to clean-up efforts after the 2011 meltdown. The operation is intended to better assess the status of the melted fuel, including whether it is stable enough to be picked up for removal, or may crumble upon contact. "The operation began at 07:00 local time and will last around five hours. So far no problems have been reported," a spokesperson for the plant's operator TEPCO told AFP. The operation is being carried out at the plant's reactor 2, one of three that melted down after a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. Robots have already peered inside the reactor to allow experts to assess the melted fuel visually, but Wednesday's test will be the first attempt to work out how fragile the highly radioactive material is. Removing the melted fuel is considered the most difficult part of the massive clean-up operation in the wake of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. It is not expected to begin until 2021, and TEPCO has other issues to resolve including how to dispose of large quantities of contaminated water stored in containers at the plant site. The March 2011 tsunami that caused the meltdown was triggered by a massive undersea quake and killed around 18 000 people. Tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes because of the threat of radiation. Authorities have been working to rebuild the region, about 240km north of Tokyo, although areas near the crippled plant remain uninhabitable because of radiation dangers.

The Range Rover Sport effortlessly combines dynamic on-road handling, luxurious refinement and trademark Land Rover all-terrain capability. The introduction of an all-new 294kW in-line 6-cylinder 3.0-litre petrol engine enhances performance, refinement and responses along with improved fuel economy. More power Available initially on the special edition HST model, the all-new 294kW Ingenium engine is more responsive and better balanced than the previous V6 petrol. With 550Nm of torque, it powers the Range Rover Sport from 0-100km/h in 6.2 seconds and to a top speed of 225km/h. The smooth and responsive engine has an innovative combination of advanced features, including the introduction of an electric supercharger to deliver immediate power response. Able to spool fully in just 0.5 seconds at up to 120 000rpm via a direct connection with the throttle, the new technology virtually eliminates turbo lag. The latest step These performance-boosting technologies work alongside a new Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) powertrain that is underpinned by the new engine, bringing enhanced efficiency to the range with fuel economy of 9.3 litre/100km. This is the latest step Land Rover has taken towards meeting its commitment of offering an electrified option on all new models from 2020.

Authorities say the mother of a 3-year-old who disappeared more than 30 years ago in the Las Vegas area has been arrested in Florida on a warrant charging her with killing the boy. Police in North Las Vegas said on Monday that 60-year-old Amy Elizabeth Fleming was being transferred from Palm Beach, Florida, to Nevada to face a murder charge in Francillon Pierre's death in 1986. The child's body hasn't been found, but police say they recently obtained new witness accounts implicating Fleming in his death. Fleming and her fiancee, Lee Luster, had told police that the boy wandered away at a Saturday afternoon swap meet. North Las Vegas police Officer Eric Leavitt says the couple married and moved to Boca Raton the following year.

Africa's Travel Tourism Indaba, which was originally set for 6-9 May, will have to be rescheduled due to South Africa's elections. The announcement by SA Tourism followed the President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation address, where he confirmed that the general elections will be taking place on 8 May this year, in the middle of Indaba's original schedule. Part of the challenge is also related to the Indaba's main venue - the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban - which also serves as the main hub for elections in KwaZulu-Natal and takes priority over other events. “We are currently exploring all viable alternative options in light of the announcement of the election date,” said South African Tourism CEO, Sisa Ntshona. “We also need to consult with our various partners and stakeholders and appreciate the understanding of our buyers, exhibitors and delegates who will now await a new date to attend Indaba. “We know the importance of Indaba to the travel industry and want to ensure that we are still able to provide a world-class show despite having to change the date,” added Ntshona.

Further proving that 2019 is the year of the dark mode, Google's latest Chrome 73 beta for Android has revealed an early look at the mobile browser's upcoming night-friendly viewing option. Having already revealed its plans to bring dark mode to its macOS and Windows 10 browsers, the Android test is still in its early stages, only appearing in pop-up menus when Android 9 Pie’s 'Night Mode' is set to 'Always On' in 'Developer Options', as reported by 9to5Google. As you can see from the images below, the experimental dark mode turns pop-up menus dark gray, as opposed to their usual all-white design. Based on these images, it's clear that Chrome for Android's dark mode still has a long way to go, with URL text still displaying in black, making it quite hard to read against a dark gray background. Aside from appearing in pop-up menus, Chrome's dark mode is also reportedly absent from the rest of the app – if a proper dark mode for Google's Android browser does go ahead, it's expected that its regular menus, address bar and navigation section will also receive the night mode treatment. To test out the experimental dark mode for yourself, you can download the latest version of the Chrome Beta app from the Google Play Store now, though you will need a handset running Android 9 Pie for it to work.

A "yellow vest" demonstrator lost his hand during clashes with police outside the main parliament building in Paris on Saturday, witnesses told AFP, during a 13th weekend of anti-government protests across France. Despite a drop in numbers from the massive turnouts of the first demonstrations in November, tens of thousands still turned out in cities across the country to protest against French President Emmanuel Macron's policies. Clashes broke out outside the National Assembly building in Paris after a march from the Champs-Elysees avenue arrived there. While many demonstrators marched peacefully, some masked activists tried to break down barriers outside the parliament while others urinated nearby. Masked men threw projectiles at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades. As the march continued, vandals burned rubbish bins as well as cars - mainly luxury models - vandalising bus shelters, cash machines and shop windows along the route. One of the torched cars belonged to Sentinelle, France's anti-terrorism unit. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner expressed his "indignation and disgust" in a tweet. A man was being held for questioning over the blaze, Paris prosecutors said. Volunteer medics at the National Assembly told AFP that a man had had his hand ripped off during the clashes between police and protesters. 'It went off when he touched it' One witness who filmed the incident, 21-year-old Cyprien Royer, said the victim was a yellow jacket photographer taking pictures of people trying to break down the barriers protecting the entrance to the National Assembly. He said he was hit in the calf by a type of stun grenade as the cops attempted to disperse people. "He wanted to bat it away so it didn't explode by his leg - and it went off when he touched it," he added. Paris police said the man had lost four fingers. Officers had arrested 39 people and 21 were being held in custody, they added on Saturday night.

Everything about the Jaguar XF 25t R-Sport exudes elegance, luxury and sportiness - characteristics synonymous with the British brand. The large grille and LED headlight duo is imposing and hints at what the car really possesses. Taming the 'wild cat' Even though it produces 184kW and does 0-100km/h in less than seven seconds, the host of on-board electronic aids limits its performance to provide a more luxurious driving experience. Drivers can be assured quality materials throughout the cabin with plenty of space on offer, including stretch-limousine comfort for the rear passengers.

Police in the Maldives have asked the country's prosecutor general to charge a former president with money laundering and his former Cabinet minister with aiding him. A police statement says investigators have found grounds to charge Yameen Abdul Gayoom and his former Legal Affairs Minister Azima Shakoor. The case stems from an allegedly shady deal to lease islands for tourist resort development and the discovery of $1m in Yameen's bank account. Police also say they asked the prosecutor general to charge Yameen and Shakoor with providing false information to investigators. Yameen lost the presidential election last year after a five-year strongman rule.

Lamborghini first unveiled its Aventador SVJ at a worldwide premiere during Monterey Car Week in California during September 2018. Order books for local buyers also opened in SA at the time. In January 2019, the first SVJ has been shipped to South Africa for a cool R9 695 000 and it's absolutely breathtaking. Production is limited to 900 units and it's available from R9.6-million (including a three-year or 100 000km Driveplan). The new Aventador SVJ, where SV historically stands for Superveloce - meaning 'superfast' - takes the 'Jota' suffix, denoting its track and performance superiority: the Aventador SVJ has already claimed its position as the Nürburgring-Nordschleife production car record holder, completing the 20.6 km lap in just 6min44.97. "The challenge to Lamborghini designers and engineers was to improve the purest essence of the Lamborghini super sports car, drawing on every inspiration from a space ship to a jet fighter: all the most exceptional examples of super-fast, super-athletic, aerodynamic superiority. The Aventador SVJ takes another step into the future, shaping the potential for super sports car development." The SVJ develops 720Nm at 6750rpm, while a dry weight of just 1525 kg gives the SVJ a weight-to-power ratio of 1.98 kg/hp. The SVJ accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds and from 0 to 200km/h in 8.6 seconds. It has a claimed top speed of more than 350km/h with a braking distance of 100km/h to 0 in 30 meters. The Aventador SVJ is a driver-focused car, developed to maximize the union between driver and car in the most extreme road and track conditions and ensure the most rewarding experience. It has three driving modes: Strada, Sport and Corsa, as well as the EGO option allowing the driver to further customize his preferences for car set-up, the cockpit features Kombi graphics on the TFT digital dashboard display as well as showing live status of the ALA functions.

SanParks issued a release today confirming that a female elephant is roaming the Knysna forest solo. Research conducted by SANParks scientists has confirmed the presence of a female elephant roaming the Knysna forest. Lizette Moolman, SANParks scientist says: "...the Knysna elephant is of the same subspecies as all the other elephant po[CENSORED]tions in South Africa, namely Loxodonta africana. The elephants that roam in Central African rainforests are of a different subspecies namely Loxodonta cyclotis."The latest Knysna elephant survey used camera trap technology which covered the whole elephant range. There is now more information about the elephant such as her age and behaviour. "She is about 45 years old and moves in the indigenous forest and fynbos areas on SANParks and neighbouring private land," says Moolman. Her reproductive status is uncertain. The camera traps have also assisted SANParks management to understand who else lives in the forest. So, says Paddy Gordon, Park Manager of the Garden Route National Park, "...camera traps have assisted to inform management not only about the elephant, but also about other wildlife prevalence and movements, and how these are potentially disturbed by both legal and illegal activities in the forests. We will use the information provided by this research to further monitor and manage the forest areas, fynbos and neighbouring private land." Head of Scientific Services, Stef Freitag-Ronaldson says "...we are proud of the work undertaken by Moolman and team. SANParks has conducted numerous meetings and workshops with stakeholder groups about this research and its findings. Some of these workshops specifically dealt with identifying, discussing and risk-analysing possible management options for the Knysna elephant." She adds "...the situation is complex, with many unknowns.

If he challenged member doesn't reply within 2 days, the battle is closed. Topic Closed.

When Windows 7 reaches its End of Life on January 14 2020, Microsoft will no longer support the aging operating system, which means anyone using Windows 7 could be at risk as there will be no more free security patches. However, with many people – and businesses – still using Windows 7 (we reported a few days ago that Windows 7 is actually gaining users), this could leave a lot of people in the lurch, which is why late last year Microsoft announced it would be offering Windows 7 Extended Security Updates for a fee. It has now been revealed who will be eligible for those extended security updates (ESU), and how much they will cost. Microsoft has apparently disclosed how much these updates will cost, and they will be made available to Enterprise and Microsoft 365 customers, which can buy the Windows 7 Extended Security Updates on a per device basis. These updates are aimed at businesses that are unable to move to Windows 10 before Windows 7’s End of Life date, and are only meant to offer support while businesses prepare to move. The pricing is expensive, and the cost rises over the years. So, for support for Windows Enterprise users using Windows 7 for the first year after the End of Life date (January 2020 – January 2021), the cost is $25 (around £20, AU$35). This rises to $50 per device (around £40, AU$70) for year two (January 2021 – January 2022), and $100 (around £80, AU$140) for year three (January 2022 to January 2023). It appears that at the moment that Microsoft is hoping by 2023, Windows 7 use will be small enough to stop offering the extended security updates. As this is a per device cost, businesses with numerous PCs running Windows 7 will soon find this very expensive. If they are using Windows 7 Pro, then those prices are even higher, with $50 (around £40, AU$70) for year one support, $100 (around £80, AU$140) for year two and $200 (around £150, AU$280) for year three. If you’re a non-business user who wants to keep using Windows 7, then you could theoretically sign up as an Enterprise user, as there’s no minimum purchase necessary for the Windows 7 ESU, but we wouldn’t recommend it. It’s far cheaper – and easier – to say goodbye to Windows 7 and instead upgrade to Windows 10.