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Alessandro Michele has radically shifted Gucci codes and challenged fashion norms in his 6 1/2 years as creative director of brand founded by Guccio Gucci as a travel bag company in Florence 100 years ago.(Source AP Photo) Alessandro Michele has radically shifted Gucci codes and challenged fashion norms in his 6½ years as creative director of the brand founded by Guccio Gucci as a travel bag company in Florence 100 years ago. To mark the centenary, Michele has curated an exhibition in the Gucci Garden gallery, on Florence’s Piazza della Signoria, that underlines some watershed moments in his era. Those include an advertising campaign for perfume featuring a transgender model, an all-Black cast for the pre-Fall 2017 campaign and a lipstick campaign featuring everyday faces in all their imperfections. The exhibition will be reproduced in seven cities, including Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Seoul. The 48-year-old designer credited CEO Marco Bizzarri, who tapped an unknown Michele from the Gucci design team to take over as creative director in January 2015, with allowing him leeway to go beyond the usual schemes driving the luxury business model. “No one would have wanted, we can say it, a transexual in the world of beauty,” Michele told reporters Thursday in Florence. He said the campaign, featuring Hari Nef, Petra Collins and Dakota Johnson walking through a field of wildflowers, proved conventional fashion world wisdom wrong by creating “an absolutely up-to-date female imagery.” “If fashion and the fashion market want to continue to have a stage, there needs to be some sort of movement. That campaign, in a very gentle and very poetic way, gave space and voice to a world of very different femininity,” Michele said. Likewise, Michele said the casting of only Black models in the 2017 campaign was at the time a breakthrough, noting that “things have changed in a dizzying and very fast way in the last year.” The pandemic year has been a year of collaborations, including with North Face, and Ken Scott and Doraemon. A tie-up with Balenciaga will reach stores later this year. Gucci revenues rose 20% to 2.16 million euros in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same period last year, Women’s Wear Daily reported. Michele’s eclectic style, which has gone a long way toward mainstreaming genderless codes, especially for men, has created a sort of tribal following. Dubbed the Gucci Gang, Michele has fully embraced the power of that very distinct crowd during his pandemic year collections, which have been unveiled as digital presentations. Those collections include this year’s “Aria” that ends with the runway cast converging dreamily in a garden, to “Ouverture” last November, with videos by Gus Van Sant featuring an Italian actress moving through a rarified Roman landscape with her Gucci tribe. Michele said the brand’s real-life fans defy easy description, ranging in age “from 10 to 90.” “It has happened that someone who could be my mother’s age greets me, or that Marina Cicogna (an 86-year-old film producer) tells me, ‘When I go in the store, I find crazy things,’” Michele said. “It is strange because (we) also manage to dress someone who is 13 years old. Not only: Yesterday a young person stopped me who had a tattoo that said “Blind For Love,” and it was not the first,” Michele said, referring to one of the po[CENSORED]r slogans that have adorned his creations.

A US envoy has arrived in Tel Aviv for de-escalation talks as unrest between Israel and the Palestinians continues. Hady Amr will take part in talks with Israeli, Palestinian and UN officials and reinforce what US diplomats said was the need for a "sustainable calm". An Israeli air strike on a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip killed 10 people on Saturday, while a Palestinian rocket killed a man in Israel. This week's violence in Gaza and Israel is the worst since 2014. On Saturday afternoon, an Israeli air strike destroyed a high-rise building housing media organisations, including The Associated Press and Al-Jazeera, plus a number of offices and apartments. In a statement released shortly afterwards, the Israeli military said the building housed military assets belonging to Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza. The building's landlord has denied this. The Associated Press (AP) said the block was hit roughly an hour after Israeli forces ordered people to evacuate. The news organisation's CEO, Gary Pruitt, said: "This is an incredibly disturbing development. We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life. A dozen AP journalists and freelancers were inside the building and thankfully we were able to evacuate them in time." At least 139 people have been killed in Gaza and nine in Israel since the fighting began on Monday, and sirens were sounding again on Saturday afternoon in Tel Aviv and elsewhere in Israel. Israel says dozens of militants are among the dead in Gaza, while Palestinian health officials say nearly half are women and children. Follow our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict Saturday is the day when Palestinians commemorate what they call al-Nakba, the Catastrophe. It marks the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were forced or driven from their homes in the Arab-Israeli war which began the day after Israel's declaration of independence in 1948. Mothers fear for their children Why an Israeli mayor is warning of civil war What is the latest on the fighting? Thirteen people died in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, with 10 killed by an Israeli air strike at a refugee camp west of Gaza City, Palestinian health officials said. A five-month-old baby is said to be the only survivor of that strike, found trapped in the rubble next to his dead mother. A number of people were also reported missing. Israel's Iron Dome missile shield Are you in Israel or Gaza? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Akram Farouq, 36, dashed out of his home in Gaza along with his family after a neighbour told him they had received a call from an Israeli officer warning their building would be hit, Reuters news agency reports. "We haven't slept all night because of the explosions, and now I am out in the street with my wife and children, who are weeping and trembling," he said. An estimated 10,000 Palestinians have left their homes in Gaza since Monday because of the conflict, according to the UN. Israeli officials reported about 200 rocket launches from Gaza overnight, with homes hit in the southern cities of Ashdod, Beersheba and Sderot.

Audi recently revealed its most affordable electric car yet, the Q4 E-tron, a mid-size SUV tipped to sell for between £40,000 and £50,000 when it arrives in UK showrooms late this year. It offers generous, Q5-matching interior dimensions in a more compact exterior package and is widely seen as the German brand’s first mainstream EV. Shortly afterwards, the wraps came off the A6 E-tron concept, a realistic glimpse at the electric version of the long-running A6 executive saloon. Clearly the electrification of Ingolstadt’s line-up is gathering pace, and there are questions over what that means for the brand’s ICE offerings, its small cars and its market positioning. Autocar recently spoke exclusively to Audi CEO Markus Duesmann for an understanding of what the near future holds for the company as it undergoes one of the most significant transformations in its 111-year history, ushering in no fewer than 20 all-new electric models by 2025. Could the Q4 E-tron become Audi’s best-selling car? “Hopefully it will. The car is certainly positioned in the middle of our strongest models, and we definitely want to do high volumes with it. “Battery cars are becoming more and more significant in the market, and we’re finding that our BEV clients don’t want to go back [to ICE], so we expect strong growth. “Will the Q4 E-tron be the best-selling Audi? The truth is we don’t know. Deciding how much volume to install in our factories is one of the difficulties we have. We can react to changes, and that’s a good thing, but predicting demand was always difficult for cars with combustion engines, and this is harder.” The Q4 E-tron is as big inside as the Q5 yet more compact. Does this suggest that EVs will change the classic model range structure? “It’s a good question, and we’ve thought a lot about it, but we expect the line-up to stay much as it is now. In all segments, we have customers wondering when we’ll launch an EV that suits their preferences. “You’re right to think that our EVs’ ratio of internal to external size is better, but buyers’ preferences depend on more than that: budget, whether you sit high or low, whether the car is short or long... So we expect the classic segments to stay.” The Q4 E-tron’s UK entry price is around £40,000. Will it be possible to buy a cheaper Audi EV, such as a Q3 E-tron? “We’re looking into this, and we do see some options, but we haven’t decided yet. Maybe we will do it, but not in the short term. The Volkswagen Group provides other opportunities for people who want smaller and lower-cost EVs. We think our market position means we shouldn’t stretch too much for lower entry segments.” Will electrification cut the number of Audis on offer? “I wouldn’t expect the number of models we offer to rise, and perhaps it will fall a little. The number of combustion models will certainly fall as we launch electric models, but cutting the total number of models isn’t a priority for us. Keeping our stable together is the priority.” You’ve said Audi won’t develop any new engines, but Ford has gone further with the goal for all of its European cars to be EVs by 2030. Will Audi make a similar announcement? “No, my official announcement is that the last combustion cars we make will be the best of that type we ever make. It’s too early for us to announce a final date, given the disparate requirements of our many markets. But we’re in the process of reviewing the whole Audi strategy, and this will certainly be a discussion point for us.” Some manufacturers say the impending Euro 7 efficiency standards will add huge cost to engines, which, together with a fall in battery prices, will cause the cost of EVs and combustion cars to cross over. What’s your view on this? “It’s certainly true that meeting Euro 7 [standards] adds a lot of cost to combustion engines and that a crossover point is coming – we think by the middle of the decade at the latest. Euro 7 is a real headache, especially since it doesn’t do much to improve the environment. So we will reach this crossover point soon.” There are suggestions that BEVs have progressed so quickly that plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) might be needed only for a short time. Do you agree? “We see the PHEV as a convenient bridge technology, but it’s also a technical overkill, because it requires a car to have two powertrains – one of which will soon be an expensive Euro 7 combustion engine. And it still doesn’t make mobility CO2-neutral. That’s why we’re strongly focusing on BEVs for future Audi models.” Is this to say that you would prefer not to offer PHEVs? “No, we offer them now. The needs of our subsidiaries and our customers force us to do that. It probably sounds hard, saying it like that, but that’s how it is. We’re convinced that pure battery-electric vehicles are the future.” Are batteries truly reducing in price, and if so, how fast? “Many things influence battery costs: commodity prices, materials supply, fluctuating demand, transportation... But the technology trend is that costs will go down, and significantly. We’ve predicted a 50% drop by the middle of the decade. The technology is already far enough developed to see that this can happen.” How will electric motors progress? “They will develop more too, especially when problems of battery range and [EV charging] infrastructure reduce. There’s not much sign of design convergence at present, but this will change over the next 15 years. The main drivers will be size – have you seen those tiny motors they use in Formula E? – plus weight, efficiency and cost. It’s not an easy technology. It looks easy and there are fewer legislative problems, but it’s still very difficult to do well.” Many manufacturers say that the existence of small cars is under threat, because they aren’t profitable. What’s the truth? “Earning money from little cars is definitely difficult. Diesels have already disappeared from little cars, because they’re just too expensive to make; cheaper to use, maybe, but expensive to make. We continue with the A1 Sportback [supermini], because it’s only two-and-ahalf years old. In the longer term, we will stay with cars in the A1 and Q2 [crossover] bracket. It’s not where we make money, but it’s a segment that our customers like, so we will continue.” So Audi will continue building the A1? “I don’t say that we will have a successor for the A1; that’s not so likely. But in the entry segment, we will definitely have an offer.” It has often been said that Audi is the Volkswagen Group’s biggest profit-earner. Is that still true? And if so, does that mean that you can do more of what you want? “Yes, it’s true that we’re one of the money-makers, along with Porsche. Our claim has always been ‘vorsprung durch technik’ [progress through technology], so we’re always aiming to emphasise Audi’s position as the spearhead of Volkswagen Group technology, and we will do more of that. “This is why I’m also responsible for engineering across the whole Volkswagen Group. In a position like this, it’s always helpful if you’re making some money.”

Spain expects foreign tourist arrivals to reach as many as 45 million this year, over half the pre-pandemic level, its tourism minister said on Wednesday, inviting potential visitors to start planning their Spanish vacations. “Spain will be ready to reopen to the world very soon,” Reyes Maroto told reporters at a presentation of Spain’s promotional campaign to entice visitors back this summer. “International tourists can start planning their Spanish vacations now.” Foreign tourism to Spain – the world’s second most visited country before the COVID-19 pandemic – plunged 80% last year from 83.5 million visitors in 2019 as pandemic restrictions brought leisure travel to a virtual standstill. With vaccination rates rising across the world, tourism-dependent nations like Spain are hoping to salvage at least some of the economically vital summer season and are scrambling to define rules for safe travel. The government had previously said it expected tourism to reach half its pre-pandemic levels this year. Maroto said Spain would introduce a colour-based classification for tourist visits, assigning countries with low infection rates a green rating, while those with higher risk would be classified as orange or red. A European Union-wide vaccine passport scheme set to come into force in June would only be required for travellers from higher-risk countries, Maroto said.

President Joe Biden has hailed a "great day for America" as US officials said vaccinated Americans can go mask-less in most indoor and outdoor settings. The president removed his mask in the Oval Office with Republican lawmakers as the guidance was being announced. The advice still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes and hospitals. The Biden administration has faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people. In another major step for the US in returning to pre-pandemic life, the president of the 1.7m-member American Federation of Teachers labour union called for schools to reopen fully in the autumn. US says vaccinated people can meet without masks Why are Americans so angry about masks? The mask-wearing city that bucked the trend It comes after Pfizer's vaccine was approved for children aged 12 to 15. The US coronavirus caseload has fallen to its lowest point since last September, with deaths at their fewest since last April. According to the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical distancing can also cease for the fully vaccinated. Mr Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris and staff went without facial coverings during a White House Rose Garden event to trumpet the new guidelines. "We're not going to go out and arrest people," added Mr Biden, urging non-vaccinated Americans to wear masks. His Twitter account advised: "The rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do. The choice is yours." The US president has no power to order Americans to get vaccinated or wear masks. The latest rules come as rates of vaccinations begin to slow, with about 35% of Americans now fully vaccinated. CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said on Thursday at the White House: "Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask. "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things you have stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy." The guidance does not apply to healthcare facilities or places such as prisons and homeless shelters. Masks are also still advised for planes and other public transport. France calls on US to drop vaccine export bans The CDC's advice does not supersede local ordinances, and some businesses may still require customers and workers to wear masks. In April, the CDC said masks can be avoided for most outdoor activities, but recommended their use in crowded settings. Dr Walensky said that immuno-compromised people may want to consider continuing to wear a mask outdoors. The guidance does not apply to unvaccinated Americans, and people who experience Covid-19 symptoms should resume using a mask. The CDC defines "fully vaccinated" as two weeks after receiving a second jab of a two-dose vaccine, or two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The move could alarm some Americans, with less than half of the po[CENSORED]tion fully vaccinated and no way to confirm whether someone has received their shots or not. President Biden has set a 4 July goal of vaccinating 70% of Americans with at least one jab. Around 250m jabs have been given so far, according to latest estimates.

Video title: New Funny Videos 2021 ● People doing funny and stupid things Part 34 Content creator ( Youtuber ) :Vines best fun Official YT video:

Ahead of customer deliveries getting underway in the coming months, Mercedes-Benz has introduced two new trim levels for its new EQA electric crossover. Previously, the electric version of the GLA was available to order exclusively in £44,495 EQA 250 guise, which sends 188bhp and 277lb to the front axle, but now a pair of four-wheel-drive options with more power have been added. Priced from £48,495, the new EQA 300 4Matic adds an extra motor on the rear axle for a combined output of 225bhp, while the top-rung EQA 350, priced from £49,995, takes the total output to 288bhp. Each is available in a choice of three trims - AMG Line, AMG Line Premium and AMG Line Premium Plus - and shares a 66.5kWh battery pack with the entry-level car for a range of 264 miles. The entry-level car comes as standard with cruise control, a reversing camera, adaptive high-beam assist, a multifunction sports steering wheel and a raft of driver aids as standard, while AMG Line brings bespoke styling elements, 20in alloy wheels, artificial leather sports seats and aluminium interior trim. The front-wheel-drive EQA 250 is capable of 0-62mph in 8.9sec, but the two new additions to the range cut that sprint time to 7.7secs and 6.0secs, respectively The battery capacity is 66.5kWh (usable), with a WLTP range of 265 miles promised (a longer-range variant with a claimed 311-mile range will arrive later). A maximum DC charging rate of 100kW is quoted, allowing for an 80% charge in around 30 minutes. An 11kW AC charge can take it from empty to full in just under six hours. Mercedes-Benz EQA: unique exterior design and cabin The brand's entry-level EV is one of six EQ models to be launched by 2022, including a seven-seat EQB sitting directly above the EQA. Using the latest GLA crossover as its base, the EQA features a number of unique styling details to mark it out from its conventionally powered sibling. These include the now signature 'black panel' EQ radiator grille, plus unbroken lighting strips at the front and rear. The front has the standard full-LED headlights connected via a fibre optic strip across the front fascia. At the rear, a completely different tailgate design from the GLA, which moves the numberplate down to the bumper, enables the tail-lights to merge as a single-piece light bar. Mercedes claims these features ensure a "high level of recognisability both in daylight and at night". Distinctive wheel designs not offered on 'standard' Mercedes models are also available at up to 20in in size. These are bi-colour or tri-colour designs, with some featuring rose-gold-coloured or blue detailing. A competitive drag coefficient of 0.28 boosts aerodynamics and therefore range. Changes made to the interior of the GLA to create the EQA are less extensive than those on the outside. Fundamentally, the basic layout is unchanged, but there is now rose-gold-coloured trim inserts on the vents, seats and key, plus additional trim backlighting. A fully loaded Edition 1 spec brings special leather with blue fabric perforations, too.

Shweta Tiwari has a distinct take on fashion. She is open to experimenting with her looks and can carry off western and ethnic wear with equal ease and comfort. Currently shooting for the upcoming edition of Khatron Ke Khiladi, the actor has myriad style clues up her sleeve. From statement shoulders to sequins and ruffles — here is what we spotted on her Instagram profile. Don’t forget to share your favourite look with us! Shweta looked lovely in a cream-white lehenga featuring sequins and rhinestones. Styled with a one-shoulder blouse, the look was accessorised with minimal jewellery along with a soft blowout and nude makeup look. Styled by celebrity stylist Victor Robinson, she kept it bright in a lime green dress that stood out for its ruffle detailing and statement sleeves. The deep V-neck dress was styled with striking danglers and smokey eye makeup. Seen in yet another powerful look, Shweta left us impressed in a puffy shoulder silk shirt which was styled with a pair of straight-cut pants and block heels. With her hair tied into a simple ponytail, the look was completed with golden statement earrings. It is no surprise that the Kasautii Zindagii Kay actor also jumped on the pantsuit bandwagon. In this look, she kept it bright in a Satya Paul pantsuit with tangerine floral prints.

Emergency services gathered outside School No 175 in Kazan where the attack happened Children and a teacher have been killed in a shooting at a school in the Russian city of Kazan. Reports over the number of deaths varied, but officials said at least seven children had died. Many more were wounded and taken to hospital. A teenager was detained after the attack at the school, located some 820km (510 miles) east of Moscow in the mainly Muslim republic of Tatarstan. Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov described the shooting as a "tragedy". Responding to the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would review Russia's gun control laws. Kazan school shooting updates What do we know about the shooting? The shooting happened at School No. 175 on Tuesday. Heavily armed police and emergency vehicles responded to the incident. Footage shared on social media showed some children jumping from windows to escape as well as injured people being evacuated. Russian TV reported that two of the children died after jumping from a second-floor window. Reports initially said that there were two shooters, one of whom had been killed. But officials later said there was only one suspect. Officials have confirmed eight deaths. Mr Minnikhanov said the victims included four male and three female eighth-grade students. His press service later added that a teacher was also killed. He told reporters outside the school that in addition to the fatalities, 12 children and four adults were being treated in hospital. "The terrorist has been arrested. He's 19. He's a registered firearm owner," he said. One video on social media captured a teenager lying on the ground apparently being detained outside the building.

In the immediate wake of the pandemic and with the government’s 2030 ban on the sale of new ICE-only cars fast approaching, 2021 has the potential to be a defining year for several brands in thie UK, but few more so than Kia. The Korean manufacturer’s first bespoke EV, following on from electric derivatives of the ICE-powered Niro and Soul, is the headline-grabbing EV6 performance crossover. Despite being capable of outpacing the Porsche Taycan 4S in its most potent GT form and offering a Jaguar I-Pace-beating range of 316 miles, it’s priced from a mere £40,895 – just £3350 more than its far less sporty Soul EV sibling. To receive the latest industry news, please click here to sign up to the Autocar Business newsletter Kia UK managing director Paul Philpott told Autocar that this is because the EV6 isn’t a “demonstrable push upmarket”; rather, it happily aligns with his open-minded approach to competition. “We will sit against anyone,” he says, in reference to the fact that the diminutive Picanto city car will remain on sale alongside the EV6 GT, despite being some five times cheaper. Maintaining a degree of polarity in Kia showrooms is instrumental to the brand’s enduring appeal to a wide variety of consumers. Buyers coming in to view a basic Ceed are unlikely to be coaxed into the twice-as-expensive, top-rung Sorento parked beside it, but Philpott maintains that this diversity is inherent to Kia’s accessibility and reputation. “We’re still a relatively new brand to the UK,” he says. “We’re 30 years old this year, whereas others have a 100-year history behind them. Awareness of Kia is still not as strong as it is of Ford or Mercedes-Benz, so we still have work to do. “By being in more segments for more different customers allows us to increase awareness of Kia more quickly." To illustrate his point, Philpott notes that his 80-year-old mother drives a Venga, while his 20-year-old niece drives a Picanto. “We’re not narrowing ourselves down into one segment,” he says. “We’re a volume brand for multiple different demographic segments.” Kia’s current offering is one of the most varied among all mainstream manufacturers. Prices start at £11,000 for the Picanto (the third-cheapest car offered in the UK), rise to just over £25,000 for the Niro Hybrid and top out at £53,095 for the top-rung 4 version of the flagship Sorento PHEV. By the end of next year, the EV6 GT will be offered from £58,295 – which, although significantly cheaper than the more overtly premium EVs to which it bears comparison, is a marked step up the pricing ladder for Kia. Promisingly, all signs point to UK consumers being more than happy to consider range-topping Kias against their more established rivals. Some 50% of Sorento PHEVs, for example, are ordered in 4 trim, and it’s the same for the slightly cheaper Sorento Hybrid. “In the end,” says Philpott, “it’s about ‘does it represent value for what you get as a product, and what you pay as monthly payment?’. That means you need to secure a strong residual value, which we’re doing with the Sorento, and customers are voting with their wallets. £58,295 for the GT version of the EV6 doesn’t scare me in terms of price.” Lower down Kia’s EV line-up is the more accessible e-Niro, which, following the market introduction of the new 2 Long Range variant, remains eligible for the government’s reduced EV subsidy with its larger (64kWh) battery pack. The lower-volume Soul EV crossover narrowly misses out on the grant, because its prices start at £37,545. With regard to Westminster’s decision to lower the grant threshold from £50,000 to £35,000 and the amount contributed toward each car from £3000 to £2500, Philpott said: “I do understand the point that people will make: if you have £35,000 to £40,000 to spend on a new car, why do you need a government grant to do so? [However,] it creates an artificial cliff edge at one specific price point.” Back to top VIDEOS FROM AUTOCAR Volkswagen ID 3 v Nissan Leaf review | which is the best new EV? | Autocar Philpott noted that several competitors soon cut the prices of affected EVs to ensure they remained under the threshold but said that “the customer won’t necessarily be better off.” He explained: “The residual value is lower, because the list price is lower, they won’t have as many incentives and the dealer won’t have as much margin in the car. “People need to look at this in totality. If I had been consulted, I would have looked at something more graduated.” The change means that, come the introduction of the EV6, just one of Kia’s three EVs will be eligible for the grant and only in its entry-level form. However, Philpott points to pleasing levels of pre-launch interest in the EV6 as an indication that the brand isn’t wholly dependent on financial incentives to create demand for its EVs. In any case, Kia’s global electrification plans remain unhampered by the UK’s legislative alterations, and the company remains on track to introduce seven new bespoke EVs by 2026. At ground level, Philpott said, this means “buyers will ultimately see the rapid shift to electrification”. Currently, aside from the aforementioned EVs, Kia sells mild hybrid, full hybrid or plug-in hybrid versions of several of its core models; and the next-generation version of its bestseller, the Sportage, is tipped to offer all three alongside its conventional ICE powertrains. However, the future remains unclear for such cars, with the UK government banning the sale of nearly all non-EVs from 2030, with the exception of some PHEVs until 2035. Nevertheless, Philpott is ebullient about Kia’s potential to weather the storm. “We’re still in consultation about what the 2030-2035 period means for hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, which we continue to believe are a very valuable stepping stone for manufacturers and customers into EVs,” he reasoned. Last year, Kia aimed for 30% of the new cars it sold in the UK to be electrified (not including mild hybrids) and achieved just over 29%, despite the major impact of the pandemic. So far this year, electrified cars have account edfor more than a third of the brand’s UK sales, of which there were around 20,000 in the first quarter – despite the fact that showrooms were largely closed and test drives were banned. These statistics are encouraging for Philpott, who said: “2030 doesn’t worry me, because we’re in a really good place with EVs today, and that will only get better.”

The US government declared a state of emergency on Sunday after the largest fuel pipeline in the US was hit by a ransomware cyber-attack. The Colonial Pipeline carries 2.5 million barrels a day - 45% of the East Coast's supply of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel. It was completely knocked offline by a cyber-criminal gang on Friday and is still working to restore service. The emergency status enables fuel to be transported by road. Experts say fuel prices are likely to rise 2-3% on Monday, but the impact will be far worse if it goes on for much longer. Multiple sources have confirmed that the ransomware attack was caused by a cyber-criminal gang called DarkSide, who infiltrated Colonial's network on Thursday and took almost 100GB of data hostage. After seizing the data, the hackers locked the data on some computers and servers, demanding a ransom on Friday. If it is not paid, they are threatening to leak it onto the internet. The ransomware surge ruining lives Travelex being held to ransom by hackers Colonial said it is working with law enforcement, cyber-security experts and the Department of Energy to restore service. On Sunday evening it said that although its four mainlines remain offline, some smaller lateral lines between terminals and delivery points are now operational. "Quickly after learning of the attack, Colonial proactively took certain systems offline to contain the threat. These actions temporarily halted all pipeline operations and affected some of our IT systems, which we are actively in the process of restoring," the firm said. "We are in the process of restoring service to other laterals and will bring our full system back online only when we believe it is safe to do so, and in full compliance with the approval of all federal regulations." Independent oil market analyst Gaurav Sharma told the BBC there is a lot of fuel now stranded at refineries in Texas. The emergency amendment of the Jones Act enables oil products to be shipped in tankers up to New York, but this would not be anywhere near enough to match the pipeline's capacity, he warned. "Unless they sort it out by Tuesday, they're in big trouble," said Mr Sharma. "The first areas to be impacted would be Atlanta and Tennessee, then the domino effect goes up to New York." He said oil futures traders were now "scrambling" to meet demand, at a time when US inventories are declining, and demand - especially for vehicular fuels - is on the rise as consumers return to the roads and the US economy attempts to shake off the effects of the pandemic. While DarkSide is not the largest such gang in this space, the incident highlights the increasing risk ransomware is posing to critical national industrial infrastructure, not just businesses. It also marks the rise of an insidious criminal IT eco-system worth tens of millions of pounds, that is unlike anything the cyber-security industry has ever seen before. In addition to a notice on their computer screens, victims of a DarkSide attack receive an information pack informing them that their computers and servers are encrypted. The gang lists all the types of data it has stolen, and sends victims the URL of a "personal leak page" where the data is already loaded, waiting to be automatically published, should the company or organisation not pay before the deadline is up. DarkSide also tells victims it will provide proof of the data it has obtained, and is prepared to delete all of it from the victim's network. According to Digital Shadows, a London-based cyber-security firm that tracks global cyber-criminal groups to help enterprises limit their exposure online, DarkSide operates like a business. The gang develops the software used to encrypt and steal data, then trains up "affiliates", who receive a toolkit containing the software, a template ransomware demand email, and training on how to carry out attacks. The affiliate cyber-criminals then pay DarkSide a percentage of their earnings from any successful ransomware attacks. And when it released a new software in March that could encrypt data faster than before, the gang issued a press release and invited journalists to interview it. The gang even has a website on the dark web where it brags about its work in detail, listing all the companies it has hacked and what was stolen, and an "ethics" page where it says which organisations it will not attack. It also works with "access brokers" - nefarious hackers who work to harvest the login details for as many working user accounts on various services as they can find. Rather than break into these accounts and alert users or the service providers, these brokers sit on the usernames and passwords and sell them off to the highest bidders - cyber-criminal gangs who want to use them to carry out much larger crimes. How did the attack occur? Digital Shadows thinks the Colonial Pipeline cyber-attack has come about due to the coronavirus pandemic - the rise of engineers remotely accessing control systems for the pipeline from home. James Chappell, co-founder and chief innovation officer at Digital Shadows, believes DarkSide bought account login details relating to remote desktop software like TeamViewer and Microsoft Remote Desktop. He says it is possible for anyone to look up the login portals for computers connected to the internet on search engines like Shodan, and then "have-a-go" hackers just keep trying usernames and passwords until they get some to work. "We're seeing a lot of victims now, this is seriously a big problem now," said Mr Chappell. "Every day there's new victims. The amount of small businesses that are falling victim to this - it's becoming a big problem for the economy globally." Mr Chappell added that Digital Shadows' research showed the cyber-criminal gang is likely based in a Russian-speaking country, as it seems to avoid attacking companies in the Commonwealth of Independent States - an organisation of the countries of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

What is it? If you must have a Kuga in your life, Ford certainly has an engine option to suit. There's one petrol, three diesels (one of which is a mild hybrid) and two proper hybrids - one conventional, one plug-in. Factor in the four-wheel-drive versions available with some and picking the right Kuga rapidly turns into a brain-teaser. Ford justifies offering all this because the Kuga is now its ‘heartland’ car. As a sign of the way things are heading, the Kuga and Puma SUVs were both in the top 10 of UK car sales in April. The Focus? It slipped out of that top bracket. We’re testing the 2.5-litre Duratec FHEV (Full Hybrid Electric Vehicle) here, with 187bhp and a 0-62mph time of 9.1sec (a torque figure isn’t available yet, as the homologation isn’t complete). It’s attached to a CVT, while a 1.1kWh battery and AC synchronous motor provide the electrical assistance. Official fuel economy and CO2 emissions are 49.6mpg and 131g/km respectively, which is on the money for rivals such as the Hyundai Tucson. As it’s a 'self-charging' hybrid, you don’t get the benefit of as much electric-only range, so the CO2 figures take a battering compared with plug-in rivals. Ford talks up the weight savings on the Mk3 Kuga, with plenty of aluminium in places such as the suspension control arms, plus lighter carpets and hollow shock-absorbers. The company claims an admirable 80kg saving overall, but it’s still a big lump of a car so tips the scales at 1701kg. What's it like? As ever with a conventional hybrid, the Kuga starts silently on electric only, but it’s not long before the 2.5-litre petrol engine kicks in - anything above car park-pace starts it. To be fair, though, it’s a smooth transition and the powertrain is largely refined, with enough punch to make any sort of journey effortless. The caveat above is down to the CVT: it's fine for pottering about, but as soon as you ask for more, it winds itself up, the engine note climbs to the top of the rev range and there it stays, wailing away. It settles down again once you ease off, but it lacks sophistication – and the Kuga PHEV with the same gearbox somehow manages to contain the whining better.

London’s Victoria & Albert museum unveiled a revamped look for its gallery holding the Raphael Cartoons on Thursday, following a refurbishment carried out to mark 500 years since the Italian Renaissance master’s death. The renovated Raphael Court features acoustic panelling, LED lighting and bespoke furniture, all aimed at showcasing the works’ colours and intricate details, the museum said. Raphael, who died in 1520 aged 37, painted the seven large designs for tapestries, which depict scenes from the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, after they were commissioned by Pope Leo X for the Sistine Chapel. ALSO READ |Sotheby’s to accept bitcoin, ethereum for Banksy auction “Cartoon in this context is a work which is a design for something … It’s a work which is a kind of design tool,” Philippa Simpson, director of design, estate and public programme at the V&A, told Reuters. “The works … are probably some of the most significant Renaissance masterpieces in the U.K.” Visitors will also be able to use a QR code for a detailed digital explanation of the Cartoons, on loan to the museum from the Royal Collection. London's V&A museum, V&A museum Raphael gallery, Italian Renaissance master Raphael, Raphael artworks, V&A museum london covid The newly refurbished Rafael Court is seen at the V&A in London, Britain. (Photo: REUTERS/Peter Nicholls) The V&A, named after Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, will re-open its doors to the public on May 19 in the next phase of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown. Though entry is free, visitors will need to book timed tickets and wear face coverings. “It has been a really tough year,” Simpson said. “Galleries … really do feel like a ghost ship without the visitors in them. It’s a building which is brought to life by the public.”

At least 163 Palestinians and six Israeli police officers have been injured in clashes in Jerusalem, the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service and Israeli police said. Most were hurt at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades as Palestinians threw stones and bottles. Thousands had gathered there earlier to observe the last Friday of Ramadan. The Red Crescent said it had opened a field hospital to treat the wounded. Tensions have been high for days, with daily skirmishes over the potential eviction of Palestinians from homes in east Jerusalem, to make way for Israeli settlers. The Al-Aqsa mosque complex is one of Islam's most revered locations, but is also a Jewish holy site, known as the Temple Mount. The site is a frequent flashpoint for violence, which unfolded again on Friday night. Israeli Police said they had used force to "restore order" due to the "rioting of thousands of worshippers" after evening prayers. An Aqsa official called for calm over the mosque's loudspeakers. "Police must immediately stop firing stun grenades at worshippers, and the youth must calm down and be quiet!", Reuters news agency quoted them as saying. The Red Crescent said 88 of the injured Palestinians were taken to hospital after they were hit with rubber-coated metal bullets. Police said some of the six officers injured needed medical treatment. The international community also appealed for de-escalation on Friday as anger mounted over the threatened evictions in Jerusalem's Shaikh Jarrah district. A United Nations spokesman urged Israel to call off any evictions and urged "maximum restraint in the use of force" against protesters. A US State Department spokeswoman said Washington was "deeply concerned about the heightened tensions". Israel's Supreme Court will hold a hearing on the long-running legal case on Monday.

Volkswagen is gearing up for the launch of the updated Tiguan Allspace, which will gain an exterior redesign and new driver assistance and infotainment systems. Set to be revealed in full on 12 May, the updated seven-seat SUV is likely to follow the standard five-seat Tiguan in receiving a number of design tweaks, mainly focused around its front end. In Autumn 2020, the standard Tiguan gained new LED lights at the front and rear as standard, in addition to a new front bumper with enlarged air intakes and a more prominent grille. A Tiguan R performance model was also added to the line-up. However, it's unlikely that this or the powertrain enhancements will be coming to the Allspace, since the extended, long-wheelbase Tiguan places a greater focus on comfort and practicality. It's also unclear whether the Allspace will be offered with the new eHybrid PHEV powertrain, given that its battery is mounted under the boot floor in the standard Tiguan. What the new Allspace certainly will gain, however, is a raft of new technology to bring it more in line with newer models, such as the Touareg. While Volkswagen has yet to specify upgrades precisely, customers of the new Allspace can expect “new control and assist systems”. Assuming the Allspace takes after the regular Tiguan, this is likely to be a version of Volkswagen’s updated IQ Drive Travel Assist system, which provides enhanced assisted driving capabilities. Finally, Volkswagen will also improve the larger Tiguan’s infotainment, adding a wide range of online-based services and functions. The Tiguan Allspace will be built at two different sites. The Tiguan L, as it's called in China, will be manufactured in Shanghai, while the Volkswagen factory in Puebla, Mexico, will build the Allspace for the US and Europe. Volkswagen has yet to reveal prices, but we expect these to track relatively closely to the current Allspace, which starts from £29,370 in the UK.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant with the couple's second child, said on Tuesday that Archie and Harry were the inspiration for a new children's book she wrote that will be published next month. (Photo: Reuters) Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan marked the second birthday of their son Archie on Thursday by calling for donations to help provide COVID-19 vaccines to the world’s most vulnerable. The couple, who now live in California after they left Britain and stepped away from their royal duties last year, said they could not think “of a more resonant way to honor our son’s birthday” than with a $5 donation. “We have been deeply touched over the past two years to feel the warmth and support for our family in honor of Archie’s birthday,” Harry and Meghan wrote on their website, saying currently 80% of the 1 billion COVID shots so far administered had been in wealthier countries. “Many of you donate to charities on his behalf, and mark the occasion by giving back or doing an act of service – all through the goodness of your hearts. “The British royals often mark their birthdays by releasing new pictures, and last year the couple released a video in which Meghan was reading Archie, the seventh-in-line to the British throne, a story. However, this year they eschewed that tradition as they have many royal customs since seeking new financially-independent lives in the United States, although the other senior members of the family sent customary birthday messages by Twitter. “Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 2nd birthday today,” said a message posted on Queen Elizabeth’s account, with similar good wishes following from Archie’s grandfather, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, and his uncle and aunt, Prince William and wife Kate. Archie unwittingly became a focal point of the deterioration in the relationship between Harry, the 95-year-old monarch’s grandson, and the rest of the family after they quit their royal roles. During an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, Meghan, 39, whose mother is Black and father is white, said one unnamed royal had asked how dark Archie’s skin might be before he was born. The allegation prompted William to deny that the Windsors were racist, while the queen put out a statement saying the issues raised on race were concerning but that “some recollections may vary”. ALSO READ |‘Boundaries and respect’: Meghan Markle shares privacy concerns with Oprah in an unaired clip Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, said on Tuesday that Archie and Harry were the inspiration for a new children’s book she wrote that will be published next month. “The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story,” she said in a statement.

A women's rights group in France is calling on the government to remove guns from violent partners, after a brutal murder shocked the country. Chahinez, a 31-year old mother-of-three, was shot and set alight by her husband, less than a year after he was sentenced for domestic violence. She is the 39th woman to be killed by a partner or ex-partner this year. The justice and interior ministries have launched an investigation into the case. Hundreds gathered in Mérignac near Bordeaux on Wednesday evening, laying flowers and paying tribute to the victim. "Horrified by this heinous crime, I extend my sincere support to the family of the victim," France's Minister for Citizenship Marlène Schiappa wrote on Twitter. "The fight against domestic violence and femicide continues." When home gets violent under lockdown in Europe The murders of women giving Europe a wake-up call The French rights group, La Fondation des Femmes (the Women's Foundation), says guns are used in a third of killings of women by current or former partners or family members. "The law encourages police to confiscate weapons from the perpetrators of domestic violence. And for good reason: every year, a third of femicides are carried out using a firearm," the organisation said in a statement on Wednesday, referring to the killing of a woman by a current or former partner or a family member. But the Women's Foundation said that its "repeated warnings" about guns in the hands of violent partners had been ignored by the interior ministry: "What we feared has therefore happened again." What happened? The prosecutor in Bordeaux revealed on Thursday that the suspect, 45-year-old Mounir B, had waited in a van outside his estranged wife's home all day before Tuesday's attack. When he saw her in the street the same evening, he shot her twice in the legs. An autopsy showed that she was still alive when he poured flammable liquid on her body and set her alight. He also threatened a neighbour who attempted to intervene. Mounir B fled the scene and was arrested around 30 minutes later, the prosecutor said. During the investigation, he said that he wanted to "punish" his wife but denied intending to kill her. He said he had obtained the weapons used in the attack from "illegal immigrants in town". Chahinez came to France from Algeria in 2015 after marrying Mounir B. She had two children from a previous marriage and a five-year-old son with her second husband. Last June, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, half of which was suspended, on charges of domestic violence. Under the terms of his release in December 2020, he was banned from contacting or approaching his former partner. However, when she contacted police in March this year to report that she had been attacked by her husband, they were unable to locate him. The Women's Foundation has raised questions about why Mounir B was not wearing an electronic tag at the time of the attack. Anne-Cécile Mailfert, the organisation's president, told France Info that only around 40 electronic bracelets had been distributed during the previous year, despite the government approving their use to prevent violent partners from breaking restraining orders. What is France doing to address violence against women? The issue of femicide in France came to the fore in 2019, when thousands took the streets to protest the issue of gender-based violence. A total of 146 women were killed by their spouse or partner that year, according to France's justice minister. France announces anti-femicide measures French femicide protests too loud to ignore In response, the government introduced measures including more funding for emergency accommodation and increasing the protection for women at risk. Last year, the number of women killed by their partner fell to 90, although rights groups say it is too early to determine whether the trend will continue. What is the situation elsewhere in Europe? In western Europe, France is said to be among the countries with the highest rate of women killed by their partner, with 0.18 victims per 100,000 women, according to Eurostat figures from 2017. This compares with a rate of 0.13 in Switzerland, 0.11 in Italy and 0.12 in Spain, but is less than in Germany (0.23). In 2019, Spain recorded the 1,000th murder of a woman by a partner since records began in 2003. The country has developed a system of special courts reserved exclusively for cases of sexual violence against women. All professionals, whether medics, police or judiciary are trained in dealing with conjugal violence. And police must register every complaint with judges required to deal with cases within 72 hours. Short presentational grey line Help and advice If you, or someone you know, have been affected by domestic abuse or violence, these organisations in the UK may be able to help. All European countries have a helpline: In France: The "Violences Femmes Info" helpline can be reached on 3919 In Spain: 24-hour domestic violence helpline 016 and 24-hour helpline for women - (0034) 900 19 10 10