Flenn.

The Windows 10 May 2019 Update is inbound, but not before it has spent a bit more time in the hands of testers excluded from the disastrous October 2018 Update. Microsoft is taking its time with this one. It was widely expected to be given the April 2019 Update moniker, but now looks like Windows fans can expect to see it in May. Maybe. This time around, the gang is "taking further steps to be confident in the quality of the May 2019 Update" by flinging the code at the Release Preview ring of the Windows Insider programme next week to shake out any issues before commercial customers get their hands on it towards the end of the month. This is in stark contrast to the position taken prior to the launch of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, where additional testing in the Release Preview ring was deemed unnecessary. Festooned with bugs, including one that deleted user data, the Windows 10 October 2018 Update – aka The Update of the Damned – turned out to be a distressing experience for some. The May 2019 Update is going to spend "increased time" lurking in Release Preview, and Microsoft intends to chow down on its own dog food with employees encouraged to put the code on their own personal devices. We'd have to admit to a certain amount of surprise that this wasn't the norm. The team is also splitting Feature Updates (such as the May 2019 Update) from the usual day-to-day patching malarkey that occurs when users hit the "Check for Updates" button. Feature Updates will now be offered via a separate control. This means there is less scope for an accidental install. Updates may also be paused for up to 35 days (seven days at a time) for all users, including those on Windows 10 Home. Alas, once those 35 days are up, you'll have to take your medicine before pausing again. Feature updates, on the other hand, can be ignored until the Windows 10 installation in question hits end of service. At that point, Windows Update will have a crack at automatically initiating a feature update. After the early adopters have had their fun, users on a currently supported version of Windows 10, on devices that Microsoft reckons have no compatibility issues, will be able to opt to download and install the May 2019 Update. This means that users on Windows 1803 and earlier can simply skip that whole 1809 thing. May will also mark the start point for the release's 18-month servicing period. The OS still retains the 1903 version number, even though March 2019 has been and gone. When questioned on whether this might change in the future, Insider supremo Brand LeBlanc was direct It is looking increasingly likely that Build 18362, currently in testing in both the Fast and Slow Rings of the Insider programme, is going to be the May 2019 Update. Microsoft has been busy patching this build, which now stands at 18362.30, over the last few days. One of the notable fixes this time concerns PCs being left unbootable after installing a cumulative update and then installing an optional feature on demand. Presumably the lesser-known "brick my box" component. The caution shown for this release is an indicator that, while there has been little in the way of handwringing mea culpas from the Windows team after 2018's annus horribilis, some lessons, at least, have been learned.

Looks like AMD is finally gearing up for the launch of the anxiously anticipated Navi GPU. Before the launch of any major silicon product, device IDs are generated and preliminary support for these is added to testing, benchmarking and detection tools – one of which is HWINFO. In a recent change-log, the tool has added preliminary support for AMD Navi – an indicator that the GPU is finally ready to launch and that its machine IDs have been finalized. AMD’s Navi GPU, the first non-GCN GPU, is ready for launch NAVI GPU is a very special GPU, in fact, it is slated to be the first graphics card from AMD that will not be made on the GCN macro-architecture. This is something that I was told in my talks with AMD insiders more than a year back – the same people who told me that NAVI is not landing before 2H 2019. While we have no idea what specs AMD will decide to go with, we do know this will be the first GPU architecture capable of breaking the 4096 SP limit imposed by the GCN macro arch. This is exciting stuff because it will put AMD back in the GPU game. That said, it would make sense for the company to start off slow and with mainstream segment cards rather than the high end one. In fact, I have been told that one of the earliest SKUs will have just 40 CUs – which translate to a core count of 2560 SP IF the CU to SP ratio is the same as GCN (of which there is no confirmation as of yet). If that is the case then we are looking at a performance metric that will go up against the GTX1660 Ti/RTX 2070 class of cards – which is really the most profitable and voluminous segment. We are also pretty sure that AMD will be launching the Navi GPU very soon (more on this soon, stay tuned) which is why if you are someone who is still on an old RX 480/580, wait just a little bit longer and you will have the perfect card to upgrade too. AMD has taken its merry time with the GPU segment and its clear that they are in no rush. Navi will be a new microarchitecture and the same IP that powers the succeeding Navi die. Here’s the thing though: there has actually been rumblings that AMD is going to start with Navi 12 first and not Navi 10. And it is Navi 12 GPU that will have 40 CUs. If this is true then Navi 10 is going to be the flagship part that y’all need to look out for. The performance of the card will be somewhere around the Vega 56 depending on the clock rate but much cheaper!

AC Schnitzer, of ‘Tuning All The BMWs’ fame, has modded the little BMW M2 before. But now, it’s seen to the M2 Competition. This is exciting and a little baffling. Exciting, because the M2 Comp features a proper M engine – the twin-turbo straight-six ‘S55’ motor from the M3 and M4 twins. Baffling because, well, how could someone hope to make the M2 Competition palpably better? The upgrades leave no area of the M2 Comp untouched. Let’s start with the ones you can see: forged alloy wheels, carbon aero splitters and wings, and interior upholstery in AC Schnitzer-spec orange’n’black. We like the powertrain upgrades too. Chiefly because while you can boost the engine to 500bhp (from 404bhp) thanks to a simple ECU switch, you don’t have to dress up the motor in gaudy garnish. Adding power costs £5,113. Dressing up the engine bay to look smarter at car shows is a £486 extra. You can have the go without the show. Or you can fiddle with the handling, if you’re brave. Fully adjustable suspension, which might come in handy for bumpy UK roads in the fighty little coupe, is two and a half grand. Or if you’re lazy, for ten times that, AC Schnitzer will lob the entire catalogue at your car and perform a full all-over bells’n’whistle conversion. That’s the car in the picture. Spending half as much again on an upgraded M2 Comp is a brave move. The standard car’s a bargain at £50,975 - the cheapest M car is also the most old-school, the most satisfying and most loveable one made currently. Would you risk £25k to try and out-do the M Division?

Considering that tomorrow is Valentine's Day, chances are that a gnawing question is eating at you and at many of your fellow overachievers. That question: Can entrepreneurs find love? Or, will our gravestones read “Founder of …” instead of “beloved husband/wife”? Witnessing yet another entrepreneur couple, Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, take a nosedive, it’s normal to ask ourselves, “What hope do I/we have if the biggest players and their relationships are falling apart?” My own response is, “Don’t give up!” There’s still hope for your own power-couple love story to blossom. You just need a road map on how to thrive in business and your relationship as an entrepreneur. Read on! If you, or the person you’re dating is in the early stages of launching a business, then get ready for a wild ride. A study from the Harp Family Institute (HFI), a research outfit studying the effects of entrepreneurship on relationships, found that 80 percent of entrepreneurs surveyed had experienced cash- flow problems in their new ventures. More important, a direct correlation was found between increases in financial problems and a decrease of physical romance in their relationships. Still, even with these challenges, there is hope. As a relationship coach who specializes in entrpreneur couples specifically, and as a business owner myself for the past two decades, let me ease your worry by sharing ... a story. It may bear similarities to your own. I’ve changed the names of the principals to protect their privacy, but the story itself is told here exactly the way it happened. In this together "Sherry" and "Brad" initially started dating when Sherry’s business was just six months old and Brad was still working full-time for a company, diligently planning his escape into the entrepreneurial realm. Since their relationship at the time was new, there was a lot of chemistry to mitigate the typical challenges these two encountered. "Typical challenges" of course describes the way in which increased stress and anxiety tend to lower physical drive and desire. But Sherry and Brad were fine, or thought they were. Yes, they both worked long hours: Sherry, to get her business off the ground and Brad, to develop his business plan and secure funding. Neither of them minded the hours because they had the shared attitude, “We’re in this together!” But then things started to come apart; and three years into the relationship, they came to me for help. Sherry’s business was thriving while Brad’s business was less than a year old. Sherry was resentful that Brad seemed stressed all the time, spending every waking moment working on his venture. On the other side of the aisle, Brad was angry that Sherry couldn’t just understand the priorities he'd set and support him as he had done with her when she was a budding business owner. What I quickly discovered was that Brad was handling his stress levels on his own without turning to Sherry for love and comfort. Adding to the strain was the enormous pressure he felt to prove himself after leaving the corporate world. A daily dose of love and support “Turn toward each other in times of celebration as well as in times of stress,” I counseled them. “Have a 20-minute meeting daily where you share your ‘to-do’ lists with each other [10 minutes each]. Be sure to include: a) what you’re excited about; b) what challenges you’re facing; c) what’s getting in the way of solving those challenges; and d) any support you’d like to receive.” The couple agreed to embark on just such a daily meeting, and this one exercise alone began to shift Sherry’s feelings from resentment to compassion. This one-on-one re-invoked the couple's “We’re in this together” attitude that had been so successful in their early days of dating. Here are some other magic love potions that will help break through any relationship blocks: Keep in mind that the skill set that got you to where you are in business is not the same as the skills you need to nurture a successful relationship. Ambition in business translates into control, into a strategy of bulldozing (when necessary) and into decision-making for the betterment of your company without any personal feelings involved. In a relationship, it is the exact opposite: Aany major decision made should include your partner, particularly when the decision impacts your life together. Reserve a digital detox date (D3) for Valentine’s Day. What your partner desires most from you, the entrepreneur, is an electronics-free, pre-planned date that makes him or her feel you’ve been thinking about ways to increase your amount of quality time together. So put all electronics on snooze, airplane mode or silence notification. Or be bold and turn those devices off completely (for at least two hours). This will send a clear message to your partner that you care and want to devote your full attention to your special evening. Choose to save pockets of energy throughout the day so that by the end of the workday you have some reserve-energy left in the tank for self-care and being present with your partner. This could mean making a conscious decision to sign off from work an hour earlier than you’d like, or delegating work to your team. Pre-plan how you intend to respond in the next conflict. By doing this, you’ll show up as your best self instead of saying something you might regret. Plan in advance that before speaking, you’ll pause long enough to share this one sentence, “I’m having a reaction.” This statement is both easy to say and easy for your partner to hear. It is also the closest thing to taking 100 percent responsibility for the conflict. But what if you don't yet have a partner? At this point, if you’re single, you may be asking, “What about those of us who aren’t dating anyone yet, or are in the early stages of dating someone?” Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten you! If you’re in the early dating phase, allow yourself to be discerning. Your mission should be to find someone who loves your quirky entrepreneur qualities rather than judges them. That is, find someone who is comfortable with boundaries, clarity and truth sharing - three things a lot of people avoid when they're first dating. Be "you" at all costs at the beginning of dating someone new. Free time is sacred to us entrepreneurs because we always want more of it! This, then, will make it all the more important for you to show up as your 100 percent true authentic self in the early months of a new relationship. It will enable you to find out faster whether the person you're with truly loves the real you, and avoid having to drop that “This is who I really am” bomb months into your time as a couple. Related: How to Thrive in Both Romance and Business Remember that your goal is not perfection. It's not the complete avoidance of conflict. It’s about how quickly you pivot toward each other, drop all defenses and remember the truth: You love each other! On Valentine's Day tomorrow, you can work anything out.

Thousands have taken to the streets of the Algerian capital demanding a complete overhaul of the country's political structure. This is the seventh successive week of Friday protests and Tuesday's resignation of long-serving President Abdelaziz Bouteflika does not appear to have satisfied the demonstrators. According to the constitution, parliament's speaker should take over. But protesters want all those associated with Mr Bouteflika to go. The president, who had been in power for 20 years, said this week that he was "proud" of his contributions but realised he had "failed in [his] duty". The youth are the main driving force behind these demonstrations, young men and women who have known no president other than Abdelaziz Bouteflika. But they are not satisfied. "We are tired of this regime, they have robbed us. We've had enough of that," an emotional young woman tells me. Nearly half of the po[CENSORED]tion is under 30, many of whom are unemployed and having to live in poor conditions. But I have also seen Algerians from older generations taking part in the protests. Everybody here wants a change. They are sending a clear message: "a new phase with new faces". They tell me they don't trust anyone associated with the Bouteflika era. The mood is full of enthusiasm and energy but the people here take pride in the peaceful nature of the protests. They have been emboldened by their success in unseating the president and now believe the same can happen with his entourage. How did the protests come about? Pressure had been building since February, when the first demonstrations were sparked by Mr Bouteflika's announcement that he would be standing for a fifth term. The octogenarian leader suffered a stroke six years ago and has rarely been in public since. Tens of thousands protested across the country on 1 March. Mr Bouteflika's promise not to serve out a fifth term if re-elected, along with a change of prime minister, failed to quell the discontent. Leaders of the protests also rejected Mr Bouteflika's offer this week that he would go by the end of his current term - 28 April - as not quick enough. It seems the powerful military agreed. Its chief, Lt Gen Ahmed Gaed Salah, said on Tuesday: "There is no more room to waste time." Mr Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday but that was not enough for protesters. Who is former President Bouteflika? He is a veteran of Algeria's war of independence who served as foreign minister for more than a decade before becoming president in 1999. His primary task was to rebuild the country, and its economy - but first, he needed to end Algeria's brutal civil war sparked by the military's refusal to recognise the election victory of the Islamic Salvation Front in the early 1990s. Despite guaranteeing stability in the oil-rich nation, his government has been accused of widespread corruption and state repression. The man who once said he would not accept being "three-quarters a president" spent his last years in a wheelchair after a stroke in 2013, rarely appearing in public, and fuelling fierce debate over who was really in charge, the BBC's North Africa correspondent, Rana Jawad, says. Who is officially running the country now? A caretaker government is currently in place. The president has resigned. What more do the protesters want? The demonstrators are pushing for the removal of three people they dub the "3B". That is Senate Speaker Abdelakder Bensalah, head of the constitutional council Tayeb Belaiz and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui. But they want much more than that - they want to dismantle the whole political system. They say that the country is actually run by a group of businessmen, politicians and military officials who used Mr Bouteflika as a front. They want to take the power away from this group, known as Le Pouvoir. Specifically, one of the leading voices of the protest movement, lawyer Mustapha Bouchachi, told AFP news agency that he doesn't want the "symbols of the regime" to run the next election. Who else has lost their position of power so far? Earlier on Friday, the head of intelligence and close ally of Mr Bouteflika, Athmane Tartag, was reportedly sacked. He was a close ally of Mr Bouteflika.

It’s another small Ford crossover. We tell you that first, because if we’d begun by saying Ford is bringing back the Puma name, you might have got too excited. But no, the new Puma isn’t a fun-packed little coupe. An addition to the crossover hordes then… Ford’s only letting us show this picture. Doesn’t tell you too much. Sorry. More in June. It’s based on the platform of the new Fiesta. That puts it between the EcoSport (more utilitarian, cheaper) and the new Kuga. The Puma will be on sale in early 2020, just a couple of months after the new Kuga. The engine lineup mirrors the Fiesta’s, majoring around the 1.0-litre Ecoboost, with mild hybrid boost to 155bhp. The newcomer is being aimed, says Ford Europe boss Stuart Rowley, at people “who live a big life in a small space”. The boot’s a handy 456 litres, with - we’re promised - a flexible space. There’s even a hole in the boot floor so the water can drain off your wetsuits. Why another small crossover? Because the EcoSport isn’t as big or car-like as rivals. And because across the car industry one in three vehicles sold is now a crossover or SUV. In Ford’s case that number is one in five so it’s lagging the trend and wants to catch up. There’s even the chance of an ST version – with the Fiesta ST’s powertrain. Might not be as much fun as that old Racing Puma, but given Ford’s nous in hot hatches, it might be fun anyway. Not that they’ve officially said they’re going to do it, but they don’t deny it either. So use the comments box if you fancy lobbying them for or against. Would it be a fun and useful car, or a betrayal of the ST name?

Google Inbox is dead. Long live Google Inbox! As of today, Google's beloved email app Inbox is no more. Fans loved it because it took a different approach to managing email by breaking out messages into different categories instead of one long list, as Gmail does. It's a downright shame that it's gone. But before you gnash your teeth in disappointment, we'll direct you to Spark and Spike, two other apps that could help fill the void. Before we get to those, here's another option. The Gmail app has done a respectable job of folding Inbox features into the main Gmail app over the past few months, so if you'd rather avoid using alternatives, you can stay in Googleland. Or, you can use the two non-Google apps below, which offer Inbox-like flair with their own personal touches. Coinciding with the sunsetting of Inbox, Spark is now available on Android. Previously, Spark was only available on iOS and Mac. Spark is free to download and use, with the option of a premium plan that includes some unique features. Spark works with a healthy list of email providers, including Gmail, iCloud, Exchange, Outlook, Kerio Connect and IMAP email accounts. You can add more than one account to the app and view your emails in a unified view, or view each account on its own. What makes Spark so appealing is its smart inbox feature, which separates emails into Personal, Notification and Newsletter categories. There's also a Classic view for those who prefer a chronological list of emails. Spark also includes the options to schedule when an email is sent, snooze received emails to clear up inbox clutter, incorporate your calendars for quick access to your schedule and pin messages that need to be dealt with. Business users can sign up for Spark's premium service and use Spark's Teams feature. Teams are able to comment on emails, delegate emails to other members or compose emails together with a collaborative Google Docs-like feature. Spike is a relatively new email app that works on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac (download is on same page as the Windows version) and in any web browser. Spike's approach to email gives you the option to ditch the traditional inbox and organize messages based on contacts -- similar to a chat app like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. The Chat feature tries to strip all the unnecessary formatting and signatures from the body of emails and present only what you need to read in a chatlike layout. If you'd rather have your inbox organized by email thread, there's an option for that, too. Other notable features offered by Spike are encrypted emails (both users need to use Spike for this feature), calendar integration, advanced search and file management. Spike works with Gmail, Outlook, Exchange, iCloud, Yahoo and IMAP email providers. With a free personal account, you can create Groups with your coworkers, classmates or family members to work on a project or plan a trip together. Spike's Groups feature essentially creates a chat room for members to chat in. Personal Spike users can use up to 10 group chat rooms, while premium users get unlimited chat rooms. The chat aspect of Spike is an interesting take on email and one that surely will take some getting used to. Let's be honest, nothing will ever truly replace Inbox, but nonetheless, Spark and Spike are legitimate alternatives. And with both apps offering their core features for free, you have nothing to lose in giving either one a try. Who knows, you may be happy Inbox is gone.

Each year, one in four Americans give up indulging in one of life’s little luxuries for the period of Lent, the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday ending this year on April 18. Lent, of course, is the time when Christians undergo a small personal sacrifice to honor the suffering of Jesus Christ. While drinking alcohol, smoking and eating sugary treats are the vices that typically top people’s Lent lists for abstention, a newer breed of modern “guilty pleasures” has gained acceptance by the faithful who practice Lent. These activities include taking a break from habits like TV binge-watching, video game playing and, new this year ... plastics. Indeed, clergy from places as diverse as Pittsburgh and London are encouraging parishioners to give up the irresponsible use of plastic, with Britons actually invoking a mini social-movement via the hashtag #PlasticFeeLent on Twitter. Pope Francis himself last month urged Catholics to break free from the “clutches of consumerism,” which include the distractions our mobile devices provide, keeping us from focusing on life’s essentials. The Pope's call has more than a few people choosing to disconnect from their mobile phones. National-level concerns The U.K. just conducted the first national inquiry into the impact of social media addiction on mental health, concluding that such addiction is a disease. The result is that Parliament is looking to charge social media giants like Facebook a tax that would help fund a new “Social Media Health Alliance” program. Here in the United States, a University of Pennsylvania study this past winter linked social media use with depression and loneliness in young adults, finding that young people studied who put limits on their social media engagement reported feeling better. There’s no question we’ve all gotten a little bit too attached to our mobile devices. And many of us are taking notice that they take up tremendous amounts of our personal time and attention, leaving us to wonder whether all this connectivity is all that healthy for us. The benefits of abstention In 2018, Americans spent more than five hours a day on their cellphones, according to research by Flurry Analytics According to the same study, that time wasn’t spent making calls. Nearly half of it was spent texting, checking social media feeds or being engaged with entertainment apps. As the founder of a non-profit that shows people the benefits of detaching from electronic devices, I’ve seen a lot of good come from the exercise of "de-teching." Limiting technology lets us develop a keener perspective and a deeper appreciation for our personal and spiritual relationships. It can be a real eye-opening experience. Taking a break from checking emails, texts and shopping promos that come across our cell phones gives us time to reconnect with others, engage in community, explore our creative impulses and execute meaningful change in our lives. Giving up the cell phone for Lent may at first seem a challenge. But a little over a week in, many people report feeling better, more present and even happier once they take the plunge. So what are some tips for taking a break from hand-held tech? Enforce an actual physical separation. One of the best things you can do is physically separate yourself from the device. Put it in a different room, so checking it becomes a true intention, not just a force of habit. This means putting the phone away during mealtimes, bedtime and, of course, when you're driving. Check for messages and feeds only once or twice a day. Make sure you let your friends and colleagues know to call you if it’s important and explain that you are trying to use your mobile device only for necessary calls. Turn off distracting notifications. Uninstall any addictive game apps. You can always re-install them after your tech break. And hopefully, you won’t have any desire to do so! Make alternate plans. Start making plans with all the free time you suddenly have on your schedule. The most rewarding activities involve face-to-face interactions with those friends and family members you’ve gotten into the habit of communicating only online with. Set up outdoor activities, brunches, a game or paint night -- whatever brings you closer to other people and lets you enjoy spontaneous play. Be mindful of your positive feelings. Pay attention to the feelings you get from being present and aware of your surroundings. Cherish the time you have for contemplation, meditation and creative endeavors, understanding that, by only using technology when necessary and for a limited time, you are regaining your connection with the real world and all it has to offer. If you do find yourself jumping back into a group text with friends, or responding to Facebook feeds, do so in a single session, then get right back on the abstinence track. Also, don’t waste time beating yourself up over this infraction. We’re all human. It’s what we learn from our slip-ups that really counts. Rediscover your balance. Cell phones and mobile devices are not inherently bad. They have made our lives much more productive and safe in myriad ways. We should be grateful for that. But at the same time, we need to be mindful of their influence over our daily lives. Taking a break from their overuse is a good way to spend Lent. Taking a break from their overuse as a permanent lifestyle is even better. No matter what your faith or time of year, consider scheduling your own experimental break from tech.

During CES 2019 the Cooler Master MasterBox Q500L made its first appearance to the public and and I was really impressed with the direction over the Q300L by allowing a full size ATX system to fit in the volume of an already small mATX form factor. The Q500L even made its way into my ‘Top 3 Surprises From CES2019‘ roundup as I was exceptionally skeptical after being briefed on it but not having seen it until then. Cooler Master has finally launched the MasterBox Q500L and we got to get our hands on it in the following video and find out if it was possible to finally shrink my workstation down to a size that makes it take up so little room I could finally fit it back on top of my desk without being a hindrance. The MasterBox Q500L is a fairly impressive achievement by the team at Cooler Master who were able to take an existing design and modify it in a way that it feels natural and is easy to work with. Sure, there are limitations when it comes to graphics cards and power supply selections, but even in our setup after choosing to replace the MasterLiquid 240 AIO with a small powerful air cooler we were able to move the power supply up enough to even use an EVGA Power Link to help tidy up the inside even more. The only major complaint I have for the moment is we’re still not clear on when we can expect to see all of those wonderful accessories shown off at CES, perhaps I’ll just flex my old modding muscles back into shape and really make this one mine. So for a case that can be build in a traditional stand, inverted design, or even laying down to make a HTPC the MasterBox Q500L has you covered in those. Don’t like where the I/O is, then move it all around since there is not much stopping you. Cooling concerns you say? Nothing is stopping you from top and bottom mounted fans along with the rear exhaust and if your PSU is short enough you could fit one in the front to boot.

Talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn to break the Brexit deadlock have been called "constructive". The two leaders met on Wednesday afternoon and agreed a "programme of work" to try to find a way forward to put to MPs for a vote. It is understood that each party has appointed a negotiating team, which are meeting tonight before a full day of discussions on Thursday. A spokesman for No 10 said both sides were "showing flexibility". And he added that the two parties gave "a commitment to bring the current Brexit uncertainty to a close". Speaking after the meeting, Mr Corbyn said there had not been "as much change as [he] had expected" in the PM's position. He said the meeting was "useful, but inconclusive", and talks would continue. Meanwhile, Chancellor Philip Hammond has said a confirmatory referendum on a Brexit deal was a "perfectly credible" idea. He told ITV's Peston programme he was not sure if the majority of MPs would back it, but "it deserves to be tested in Parliament". This evening, MPs have debated legislation which would require Mrs May to seek an extension to Article 50 and give the Commons the power to approve or amend whatever was agreed. The bill passed its first parliamentary hurdle by 315 to 310 votes, and MPs are now voting on a raft of amendments. Supporters of the bill, tabled by Labour's Yvette Cooper, are trying to fast-track the bill through the Commons in the space of five hours, in a move which has angered Tory Brexiteers. Mr Corbyn said he raised a number of issues with Mrs May, including future customs arrangements, trade agreements and the option of giving the public the final say over the deal in another referendum. The Labour leader is coming under pressure from senior colleagues to make a referendum a condition of signing up to any agreement. Demanding the shadow cabinet hold a vote on the issue, Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said not backing a confirmatory vote would be a "breach" of the policy agreed by party members at its last conference. The UK has until 12 April to propose a plan to the EU - which must be accepted by the bloc - or it will leave without a deal on that date. The PM proposed the talks in a statement on Tuesday night. She wants to agree a policy with the Labour leader for MPs to vote on before 10 April - when the EU will hold an emergency summit on Brexit. If there is no agreement between the two leaders, Mrs May said a number of options would be put to MPs "to determine which course to pursue". In either event, Mrs May said she would ask the EU for a further short extension to hopefully get an agreement passed by Parliament before 22 May, so the UK does not have to take part in European elections. The two leaders also met Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The SNP leader said she had "good" and "open" conversations with both, and while she believed Mr Corbyn would "drive a hard bargain", she was "still not entirely clear" where the prime minister was willing to compromise. The SNP leader, who backs a further referendum and wants to remain in the EU, told reporters: "My concern is that in the rush to reach some compromise with the clock ticking, what will happen over the next few days... is a bad compromise will be reached." The SNP, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Plaid Cymru and the Independent Group have also held a joint press conference, calling for any decision made by the leaders to be put to a public vote. But some Tory Brexiteers have condemned the talks, with two ministers resigning over the issue. Chris Heaton-Harris quit on Wednesday afternoon, claiming his job at the Department for Exiting the European Union had become "irrelevant" if the government is not prepared to leave without a deal. Wales Minister Nigel Adams also resigned earlier, saying the government was at risk of failing to deliver "the Brexit people voted for".

You just walked in the door from an exhausting day at work. You’re hungry and spent, just wanting to catch your breath for a minute. You grab something to eat and then veg out in front of the TV. Next thing you know, you've just binge-watched five episodes of the latest Netflix show. While that’s okay occasionally -- we all need ways to decompress and shut down -- this isn’t a healthy habit. That’s why the most successful people in the world spend their free time learning. It’s not exactly breaking news. During his five-year study of more than 200 self-made millionaires, Thomas Corley found that they don’t watch TV. Instead, an impressive 86 percent claimed they read -- but not just for fun. What’s more, 63 percent indicated they listened to audiobooks during their morning commute. Productivity expert Choncé Maddox writes, “It’s no secret that successful people read. The average millionaire is said to read two or more books per month.” As such, she suggests everyone “read blogs, news sites, fiction and non-fiction during downtime so you can soak in more knowledge.” If you’re frequently on the go, listen to audiobooks or podcasts. Maybe you’re thinking: Who has the time to sit down and actually read? Between work and family, it’s almost impossible to find free time. As an entrepreneur and a father, I can relate -- but only to an extent. After all, if Barack Obama could fit in time to read while in the White House, what excuse do you have? He even credits books to surviving his presidency. President Obama is far from the only leader to credit his success to reading. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Mark Cuban and Jack Ma are all voracious readers. As Gates told The New York Times, reading "is one of the chief ways that I learn, and has been since I was a kid." So how do they find the time to read daily? They adhere to the five-hour rule. Breaking down the five-hour rule. The five-hour rule was coined by Michael Simmons, founder of Empact, who has written about it widely. The concept is wonderfully simple: No matter how busy successful people are, they always spend at least an hour a day -- or five hours a week -- learning or practicing. And they do this across their entire career. Simmons traces this phenomenon back to Ben Franklin, who was constantly setting aside time to learn. Franklin generally did this in the morning, waking up early to read and write. He established personal goals and tracked his results. In the spirit of today's book clubs, he created a club for artisans and trademen; they'd come together to pursue self-improvement. He also experimented with his new information and asked reflective questions every morning and evening. The three buckets of the five-hour rule. Today’s successful leaders have embraced Franklin's five-hour rule by breaking the rule into three buckets. Read: Self-made millionaires including Mark Cuban and Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, read between one and three hours daily. Elon Musk learned how to build rockets, which lead to SpaceX, by reading. Besides expanding your knowledge, Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba, says that “reading can give you a good head start; this is often what your peers cannot obtain. Compared to others, readers are more likely to know other industries' strategies and tactics.” Even if you can't commit to an hour or more of reading every day, start with 20 to 30 minutes. I always have a book with me so when I’m waiting for a meeting to start or in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, I can read instead of waste time on my smartphone. You could also try audiobooks during your daily commute or when exercising. Reflect: The five-hour rule also includes reflecting and thinking. This could be just staring at the wall or jotting down your thoughts. For example, Spanx founder Sara Blakely is a longtime journaler. Focusing on the past gives you a chance to learn from mistakes you've made, as well as assess what you did correctly. As a result, you’ll be better suited to achieve your goals and improve your life. In 2014, a University of Texas study found that metnal rest and reflection improves learning. Need help getting started? Schedule reflection time in your planner. I’ve found blocking out 15 to 20 minutes after lunch is ideal because I’m coming out of that post-lunch slump. But start small: allocate five or 10 minutes per day, and then work your way up so you’re not overwhelmed. Know the questions you want to ask. Stick with just two or three questions focused on that specific day. For example, if you attended a conference, ask, “What were the key takeaways?” and “How can I apply this to my business?” Experiment: The third and final bucket is rapid experimentation. Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison became leading inventors and thinkers because of their experiments. We have Gmail because Google allowed employees to experiment with new ideas. The reason experiments are so useful is because you have facts, not assumptions. Experiments show you what’s working. You can learn from your mistakes and obtain feedback from others. Best of all, experimentation isn’t that time-consuming. Most of the time, you’re testing through the same activities you'd perform without testing. Jack Ma even recommends applying the knowledge you’ve learned to a real-life scenario. For example, after reading a book about collaboration and teamwork, you could take on new volunteer work to put that knowledge to use. When you make learning a habit, you’ll be more successful and productive in life. By investing in a reading habit, you can ensure you're growing yourself -- and your company -- every day.

Autonomy Trial Former HP top man Léo Apotheker told the High Court yesterday morning that Mike Lynch described Autonomy to him as a "pure-play software company". HPE's case is that nobody from their side knew very much about Autonomy's hardware dealings before it bought the unstructured data analysis business for $11bn in 2011. Autonomy's annual report for 2010 (PDF) stated: "Autonomy is one of the very rare examples of a pure software model." In a private meeting between the two chiefs in April 2011, Lynch "gave a very positive description of his company" with emphasis on Autonomy's 2010 full-year financial results, Apotheker testified. Wearing a black suit and sky-blue tie, Apotheker described how he and Lynch talked about "databases, structured data, unstructured data, who was winning, who wasn't winning" in a "bit of a holistic 360-degree, high-level overview of the industry". Crucially, he also recalled that Lynch, while boasting about Autonomy's financial results, described the firm as "a pure-play software company". Under cross-examination from Lynch's barrister, Robert Miles QC, Apotheker said Lynch "did briefly talk about the financial results of his company for 2010", adding again: "I believe he did mention that it was a very focused pure-play software company." Miles's cross-examination of Apotheker yesterday focused on the notion that Apotheker had not properly looked at the detail of the Autonomy deal, a point that came to light during one tense exchange: Miles: You think you can remember things when you're shown documents but don't remember when you don't have the documents. Apotheker: I don't remember! It's almost 10 years, I really don't remember. Miles: What I'm asking- we show you a lot of documents, you're able to answer questions when I show you a document, I'm asking how much you actually remember. Apotheker: As much as I can and I'm under oath so I'll tell you whatever I remember. Miles: It's not a criticism, it's a question. Apotheker: I don't know how to answer that question. Miles: Isn't it right by this stage unstructured data was at the centre of your plans? Apotheker: No, that's not right. It was part of the plan. Miles: Did you regard it as one of the core areas of the plan? Apotheker: The plan, if you go through the speech I gave to investors, but if you would- Miles: No, just answer my question, did you regard it as one of the core areas of your plan? Apotheker: Among other areas. In later exchanges Apotheker also took a swipe at HP's then-chief financial officer, Cathie Lesjak – and there is no love lost between the two after Lesjak's revelation in court earlier this year that the chief exec had tried to fire her over her opposition to the Autonomy buyout. Responding to Miles's questions about HP's accounting, Apotheker snidely remarked: "It appears that HP's forecasting capabilities and abilities under the CFO were not very good." Miles seized on this: "Did you think she was deliberately changing numbers to say that there would have to be a downgrade in the earnings towards the end of the year?" "Deliberately? No, I wouldn't go that far," hedged Apotheker, eventually conceding that had complained about her to HP's HR department – though he said he did not remember whether or not he had complained about Lesjak's bean-counting skills to HP's ethics department. The 65-year-old German executive spent large parts of yesterday's cross-examination hunched forward in the witness box, a solicitor sitting next to him to help sort through the paper ring binders of evidence Miles was referring to. Up on the bench Mr Justice Hildyard, the judge, watched intently, supporting his chin on his hands as his two judicial assistants switched between watching Miles and Apotheker, like tennis spectators. Apotheker is on the stand again today for HPE's barrister, Laurence Rabinowitz QC, to cross-examine him in turn. The case continues.

In an official press release, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council has confirmed that AMD’s CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, will be presenting the Computex 2019 opening keynote on 27th May, 19. During the keynote, AMD’s President and CEO will be presenting a range of new technologies that will utilize the brand new 7nm process node. AMD’s CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, To Present Ryzen 3000 CPUs and Radeon RX Navi GPUs During The Opening Computex 2019 Keynote Computex will officially kick-off on 27th May in Taiwan at 10:00 AM (Monday). The event will be live-streamed to the public and AMD’s CEO will be presenting the opening keynote for the event. AMD’s keynote will also set the stage for next-generation technologies announcement where Dr. Lisa Su can introduce their next-gen 7nm products, especially the Ryzen 3000 series processors and next-gen Radeon RX Navi GPU based graphics cards. “COMPUTEX, as one of the global leading technology tradeshows, has continued to advance with the times for more than 30 years. This year, for the first time, a keynote speech will be held at the pre-show international press conference,” said Mr. Walter Yeh, President & CEO, TAITRA, “Dr. Lisa Su received a special invitation to share insights about the next generation of high-performance computing. We look forward to her participation attracting more companies to participate in COMPUTEX, bringing the latest industry insights, and jointly sharing the infinite possibilities of the technology ecosystem on this global stage.” AMD confirmed that they will be introducing the said next-gen products, offering key details as to what the general audience should expect from the respective CPU/GPU lineups. Now I’ve been stating this for a while that AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series and Radeon RX Navi GPUs always had their announcements planned for Computex 2019 but it looks like we may get a launch later in July as previously reported. Looking at the current schedule and 7nm roadmap, AMD could push the launch ahead and go live with these products at Computex 2019 but if that doesn’t happen, we should still expect to hear some good details including a live demo of the final Ryzen 3000 series processors during the event. Upcoming products include 7nm AMD EPYC datacenter processors, 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen desktop processors and graphics cards based on the next-generation “Navi” architecture – all of which are designed to create exceptional experiences for gamers and creators as well as help solve many of the toughest challenges in our lives. During the CEO Keynote, Dr. Lisa Su and other high-profile guests will highlight new details of upcoming products and showcase how the industry is building a new high-performance computing ecosystem that will push technology to the next level. Here’s What To Expect From The AMD Ryzen 3000 Series Processors The AMD Ryzen 3000 lineup is based on the new Zen 2 core architecture which is made possible with TSMC’s bleeding edge 7nm process node. AMD has reaffirmed that their Zen 2 based Ryzen 3000 series processors for the AM4 desktop platform will be available in mid of 2019. We are now hearing multiple reports of a possible launch in early July and that might be it as far as the launch day is concerned for the new desktop processors. AMD has made significant changes to their CPU architecture which help deliver twice the throughput of their first generation Zen architecture. The major points include an entirely redesigned execution pipeline, major floating point advances with doubled the floating point to 256-bit and double bandwidth for load/store units. One of the key upgrades for Zen 2 is the doubling of the core density which means we are now looking at 2x the core count for each core complex (CCX). Improved Execution Pipeline Doubled Floating Point (256-bit) and Load/Store (Doubled Bandwidth) Doubled Core Density Half the Energy Per Operation Improved Branch Prediction Better Instruction Pre-Fetching Re-Optimized Instruction Cache Larger Op Cache Increased Dispatch / Retire Bandwidth Maintaining High Throughput for All Modes AMD X570 Chipset – A New Home For AMD’s Next-Gen Ryzen 3000 Series CPUs As we saw with X470, there were a few features for the Ryzen 2000 series processors which were only supported by new motherboards such as Precision Boost Overdrive and XFR 2.0. There’s no doubt that AMD’s Zen 2 based Ryzen mainstream processor family would come with new features but the main highlight would be support for PCIe Gen4. The X570 platform would be all PCIe Gen4 solution which means this would most probably be the first consumer platform to feature support for the new PCIe standard. That, however, doesn’t mean that AMD Ryzen 3000 series would only be compatible on X570 boards since just like last time, the new CPUs will be backward compatible with X470 & X370 boards too and new BIOS firmware has already started rolling out on existing motherboards. As for the AMD Radeon RX Navi GPUs, we are looking at a mainstream lineup which would replace the 14nm Polaris based Radeon RX 500 series family while offering better performance per watt and also some modern graphical features such as Variable Rate Shading and the supposed support for Microsoft’s DXR API. Now it’s not confirmed whether AMD RTG would be talking about the actual products or the underlying architecture of Navi GPUs. Currently, it looks like they will only be giving us an overview of the architectural details with a proper launch scheduled for mid or second half of 2019. In addition to the mainstream parts, AMD will also be lifting the wraps off of their 7nm EPYC Rome processors which will battle with Intel’s Xeon processor in the server space. Recent reports suggest that AMD is all set to take away major market share from Intel with their upcoming 7nm datacenter processors featuring up to 64 cores and 128 threads. We will be at Computex to bring you the latest news from the event floor as soon as they arrive so stay tuned for the coming month.

If you’re a massive Top Gear nerd, you might have already spotted this is a special Audi R8. It’s a 2007 R8 4.2 V8 FSI manual. The quintessential original R8. And OY07 MHL is the very car you saw on the television, 12 whole years ago, being power tested by one Jeremy Clarkson, in a terrible cream blazer. Okay, it narrowly lost a drag race to the Porsche 911 Carrera S, but you’ve rarely seen a machine go to the Top Gear test track and leave with higher praise. Fast-forward to 2019 - 53,000 miles later - and Audi UK has tracked down and bought back this celebrity R8. The workshop’s mildly restored it, undoing the tasteless cosmetic mods wreaked upon it by its previous owner and fitting a fresh set of unkerbed wheels. Inside, there’s some patina – the plastic has worn on the steering wheel around the volume knob, the leather seats are shinier than Donald Trump’s suits, and the bolsters sag like his jowels. But there are no squeaks or rattles. The FM radio doesn’t crackle. The air con blows cold, the bum warmers are fiery and beneath a scratched-up alloy gearknob lies the first R8’s defining party piece: the open-gate manual, as precise and purposeful as the day it left the factory for a hard life of impressing journalists. Let’s see if it can pull that off again today, with some awkward company. Yes, we’ve brought along the new Audi R8. Over a decade since Audi first went after the Porsche 911 and Aston Martin Vantage with a mid-engined, four-wheel drive two-seater, the brief for its flagship is still the same: be a user-friendly, angry-looking everyday supercar. It’s just the ingredients – and numbers – have grown up a lot. A V10 engine with 200bhp more than the original’s RS4-derived V8. An unflappable flappy-paddle gearbox. Driving modes for every mood or weather. And a price, for this R8 V10 Performance, of almost £170,000 as tested with its carbon fibre and Bang & Olufsen garnish. Even stripped back to base spec, it’s twice the money the old R8 V8 asked when new. Instead of chasing humble Carreras, this one gobbles up 911 Turbos and harries turbo’d McLarens. Course, you could argue the big numbers, bigger speeds and massive temptation to extend that spectacular V10 and hope you’re not in the eyeline – or earshot – of any local law or dash-cam vigilante isn’t progress. It’s just asking for trouble. On paper, the new R8’s a much faster, cleverer car for all occasions. But when you just jump in and go, what you notice isn’t the quantity of punch on tap, but how easy the box-fresh car makes everything for you. Automatic handbrake peels off, gears shift seamlessly without so much as a tap on the horribly cheap plastic paddles, and you know there are multiple sensors and a high-def camera to save any parking bump blushes. Wonder how many of the lessons the VW Group learnt making various Bugattis and Lamborghinis so freakishly useable have drip-dropped down into cars like this. Mind you, the original R8 was hardly a four-wheeled Justin Bieber, all bratty and disobedient. The visibility is sensational for a mid-engined car. The driving position’s pretty sorted – it’d be nice to sit a bit lower, but you could say the same of the new car. It starts with a quaint twist of a key, and having let the fine needles sweep around the dial, settles into a whispering idle once the oil’s warm. Watch the temperature gauges settle on the handsome dials – remember when Audis had actual clockfaces, not a giant virtual cockpit screen?

For the first time since Greece's northern neighbour became independent in 1991, a Greek leader has visited the newly renamed North Macedonia. PM Alexis Tsipras completed a deal in January to end their three-decade name row, and the two countries are now seeking to boost their relations. Counterpart Zoran Zaev greeted him with a selfie outside government buildings. "The first prime minister of Greece to visit North Macedonia. Truly historic day," he wrote on Twitter. The Greek prime minister was accompanied by 10 ministers and more than 100 business leaders. Tweeting the selfie, Mr Zaev referred to "happy moments for an even happier future for the peoples of our friendly countries". The two men signed a series of agreements before holding a joint news conference, in which Mr Zaev spoke of his opposite number as a "close, personal friend". Greece had always objected to its neighbour's use of "Macedonia", because of the northern Greek province of the same name. Under last summer's Prespa accord, the two countries agreed that the Balkan state would become the Republic of North Macedonia, in return for Greece backing its long-stalled bids to join Nato and the European Union. The deal came into force in February, after ratification by both parliaments, and North Macedonia hopes to join the Western military alliance soon. What the two leaders said Arriving in Skopje, Mr Tsipras said the "historic visit" began by crossing the Friendship motorway, whose name was changed from Alexander of Macedonia motorway in February 2018 as part of efforts to improve relations. Greeks long accused their neighbours of trying to appropriate the ancient heritage of Alexander and of having territorial ambitions. Mr Zaev said there would be big economic benefits from the deal with Greece. The two leaders convened the first co-operation council between the neighbours and they agreed to open a second border crossing. Under the deal, a joint committee of experts has been formed to assess possible bias in school textbooks, and Mr Tsipras said their consultations had ended in a positive manner. Ahead of his arrival, Mr Tsipras gave an interview with North Macedonian media in which he acknowledged that "a significant portion of the Greek people was and still is seriously concerned about this issue". An opinion poll late last month suggested 73% of Greeks "probably disagreed" with the Prespa agreement. He said he and Mr Zaev had a responsibility to show how both countries could build mutual trust and benefit from the new deal. Both leaders have endured difficult political opposition at home. Mr Tsipras faces elections later this year, with conservative leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis backing Greeks in the Macedonia region who he said felt humiliated by the agreement. Mr Zaev has himself been bitterly criticised by President Gjorge Ivanov

Everyone approaches their morning differently. Some people wake up excited to start their day. Others like to ease into their day more gradually. No matter how you like to start your morning, there are things you can do to ensure every day gets off to a great start. A good morning routine will help you feel relaxed, alert and energized. Starting your morning on the right foot means creating a feeling of happiness that you can carry with you all day long. Your morning routine should include not only getting ready, but also making space for feeling joy and feeling mentally and physically prepared to take on whatever the world has in store for you. Start your day off the right way with these 9 habits that happy people use to get their morning going. (Hint: It’s not about gulping coffee and running out the door.) 1. Get enough sleep. An exhausted person isn’t a happy person. Nothing will kill your happiness faster than waking up tired and grumpy. If you aren’t getting enough sleep at night, you’re probably starting your day drained and irritated. It’s hard to have a positive outlook when all you want to do is crawl back into bed. A good night’s sleep is like a magical elixir for your physical health, and is key to your overall sense of happiness and well-being. Research has shown that sleep is one of the most effective ways to improve concentration, strengthen the immune system and improve a person’s mood and feeling of well-being. However, not getting enough sleep impairs memory and increases levels of stress hormones. So, the first step to creating a happy, cheerful morning is ensuring you get enough quality sleep the night before. Set a sleep schedule for yourself and stick to it -- your happiness may depend on it. 2. A new day, a new start. Happy people begin each day anew. They wake up with the mindset that each day is a new beginning -- a chance to move forward and not let past failures weigh them down. Yesterday may have been a rotten day, but that doesn’t mean today has to be. Happy people start their day with an affirmation. They declare from the outset how they want their day to go. A positive morning affirmation can be a powerful way to start your day feeling confident and ready for success. Examples include: I have the knowledge to make smart decisions for myself. I am, and always will be, enough. I let go of any negative feelings about myself or my life and accept all that is good. I am courageous. I am willing to act and face my fears. 3. Wake up grateful. Waking up with a feeling of gratitude ensures you start your day in good spirits. A thankful heart is a happy heart. Gratitude is powerful because it’s both a feeling and an action. Actively thinking about things you’re grateful for, in turn, makes you feel grateful. It’s a positive thought loop that’s easy to practice and has beneficial effects on your physical and mental health. You can wake up feeling grateful by simply taking a moment when you first open your eyes to look about and feel a swell of appreciation for everything around you. Recognize how wonderful this moment is, and how good it feels to be here. Today is a gift, and you can do with it what you will. You can choose to make the most of it. You can choose happiness. Take a moment to acknowledge all you have and see the possibilities of the day before you. 4. Keep a manageable morning routine. Happy people don’t frantically tear around trying to get ready at breakneck speed and then rush out the door, already late for their first meeting or appointment of the day. Doing this will set you up for feeling stressed out and harried all day long. Starting the day with a contented and peaceful attitude requires you to have time to wake up properly and to get ready at a calm and measured pace. Happy people tend to keep their routine simple and manageable. A complex routine is hard to stick to and can leave you feeling anxious and exasperated first thing in the morning. Cut out multitasking and reject unneeded distractions, like checking and returning email while trying to get ready. Do one thing at a time. Keep your morning uncomplicated and as stress-free as possible so you’ll set yourself up to be in a good mood all day long. 5. Meditate Daily meditation, whether it’s a quick five-minute practice or a lengthier session, can help create a contented and happy mind. Spending time meditating each morning improves focus, increases self-esteem and confidence, and quiets the cacophony of mental angst and turbulence we are constantly contending with. You can meditate at any time of day, but it’s best to do it in the morning so you’re sure to get it in, and so you can benefit from its effects throughout the day. To begin the practice of meditation, start by sitting quietly in a comfortable position or in a chair for two minutes every morning. This is a chance for you to check in with how you're feeling, both in your mind and body. Be focused on the moment. Turn your attention to your breaths or do a body scan, focusing on one body part at a time. Recognize your thoughts and feelings, and maintain a loving attitude toward yourself. Meditation is a chance to get to know yourself and be aware of each moment you are in. 6. Start your day with exercise. Before you dive into a long day of work, make sure you take time to get some exercise in. Some people find that fresh air first thing in the morning brightens their mood all day. Try a brisk walk, a run around the block or a trip to the gym. Other people may prefer to start their day with a home workout, such as stretching or yoga. Morning exercise gets your blood flowing and gives you a boost of energy for the day. Exercise also releases feel-good brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. These may buffer feelings of stress and anxiety, and help relieve symptoms of depression. Research has shown that working out improves how we feel about our bodies and gives us a sense of well-being. 7. Make your bed. It may sound silly, but beginning your day by making your bed can set you up for feeling ready to take on the world. According to one survey of 2,000 Americans, bed makers tend to be adventurous, confident and sociable. People who don’t make their beds tend to be shy, moody and sarcastic. Many successful people recommend making your bed as a simple way to start the day off on the right foot. For example, Tim Ferriss has said that the simple act of bed making teaches us that it’s the little things in life that matter. US Navy SEAL commander Admiral William H. McRaven gave a now-famous commencement speech at the University of Texas in which he said that making your bed is so powerful because it gives you a feeling of accomplishment first thing in the morning. It encourages you to take on even more tasks and motivates you to get more done in life. 8. Nourish your body. You’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s true. Eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism and gets your body and mind prepped for a busy day. Research has found that breakfast eaters have better diets and consume more fruit and vegetables than those who don’t eat breakfast. But just as important, a nourished body leads to an improved mood. Eating breakfast also sends a positive message to yourself that you are taking care of your health and well-being. You’ll find you can concentrate better if you start the day with a healthy meal. You’ll be less likely to feel fatigued and get that “hangry” feeling mid-morning, which leads to overeating at lunch. The best breakfasts pair carbs with proteins to get your body fueled and ready to go. 9. Set goals for the day. Happy people often have a sense of purpose. They aren’t wandering aimlessly through life; they work each day to make progress and accomplish their tasks. It feels satisfying to have set priorities for yourself and strive to meet milestones. Happy people make sure they begin their day by setting goals for themselves. What do you want to accomplish today? What is the most efficient and effective use of your time? Make it a point to spend a few minutes each morning determining what you want to do that day. Be sure to think through your to-do list carefully -- often we spend too much time on things that aren’t really important. Focus on what matters and make sure you’re scheduling downtime. After all, the secret to lasting happiness is finding ways to enjoy each day in its entirety.

It’s time to *record scratch* rewind and take it back to the old-school. See, having spent the last few years swanning around the world shooting the best supercars on the streets of California, Japan and Monaco, you may think that Alex Penfold would have gone full tilt diva and forgotten about his roots. But you’d be wrong. He still skulks around England’s capital to seek out the finest cars on our fine city’s streets. And he’s still very good at it. Having returned from his far-flung travels, our supercar paparazzo has been on a tireless quest chronicling the recent explosion of exotica strewn expensively around our ancient streets. Scamping around the streets, he’s eaten out of bins and slept in an old TV box to make sure he spots the finest four-wheeled cars in Zone 1. This may be an exaggeration. But as you can see, he’s managed quite the haul of hypercars. With a flock of McLaren Sennas, the new Ferrari F8 Tributo and a host of gorgeous classics to name a few, there’s plenty out there. This weekend the clocks spring forward, meaning summer and the latest crop of scintillating supercars will soon be parked on the streets. So click through to whet your whistle at what’s coming. Then let us know what you’d like to see on the street below. Ferrari F8 Tributo This is the new Ferrari F8 Tributo. Not only the most powerful mid-engined V8 Ferrari supercar in history, but also a rosso-liveried haymaker aimed at Woking. Watch out 720S: the 488’s successor is here. Pagani Zonda Uno The Zonda is the seemingly oxymoronic never-ending limited production run. This one being the ‘Uno’, a special one-off built for Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani, a member of Qatar’s royal family who loves his rare cars to come in the same colour as posh parts of the sea. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster At the 1957 Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz introduced a convertible version of the celebrated 300 SL coupe “Gullwing,” the 300 SL roadster. 62 years later, it’s still just as stunning. Ferrari 288 GTO Conceived to go racing in the subsequently aborted Group B category, the 288 had the F1 team’s fingerprints all over it, and used a high tensile steel spaceframe, with Kevlar, fibre glass and aluminium elsewhere. Its 395bhp, 2,855cc 32v V8 was mounted longitudinally, which allowed the ancillaries, gearbox and twin IHI turbochargers to be more efficiently packaged, though Pininfarina design boss Leonardo Fioravanti still had to stretch the wheelbase by 11cm and widen the track. Lamborghini Reventon Roadster There have been many extreme cars in Lamborghini’s history. But this is one of the most mental of the bunch. The drop-top version of the jet fighter-inspired V12 supercar, the Reventon Roadster. Porsche 918 Spyder The 918 is the car with the biggest difference between Race mode and “all off”: switch off all the electronic minders, and the fastest Porsche becomes tricky. Leave them on and you’ll be gasping. Not that you can do that around London. Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale Literally ‘Challenge Street’ in honour of Ferrari’s one-make race series, the 360CS was the car that really kicked off the lightweight trend for Ferraris. True, there were uprated versions of the 348 and F355, but the howling 420bhp really is the daddy of Scuderia and Speciale. Porsche Carrera GT Launched in 2005, the Carrera GT produced 612bhp from its 5.7-litre race-derived V10. Mounted in the middle of that lightweight tub, it revved to 8,400rpm and made the most incredible wail. If you could get around the tricky clutch, you’d see 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and a top speed - where permitted, naturally - of 205mph.

Polls have opened in Ukraine as the country votes in the first round of presidential elections. Current leader Petro Poroshenko is seeking re-election but the surprise front-runner is comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Both candidates, along with former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, have expressed largely pro-European views during campaigning. None of the pro-Russian candidates are seen as serious contenders. If no candidate gets more than 50% on Sunday, the top two will fight it out in a second round on 21 April. A total of 39 candidates are on the ballot paper, but only the three front-runners are considered to have any chance of victory. The Ukrainian president has significant powers over security, defence and foreign policy and the ex-Soviet republic's system is described as semi-presidential. How did we get here? Mr Poroshenko, one of Ukraine's wealthiest oligarchs, was elected in a snap vote after former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was toppled in the February 2014 Maidan Revolution, which was followed by Russia's annexation of Crimea and a Russian-backed insurgency in the east. The next president will inherit a deadlocked conflict between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists in the east, while Ukraine strives to fulfil EU requirements for closer economic ties. The EU says that about 12% of Ukraine's 44 million people are disenfranchised, largely those who live in Russia and in Crimea, which Russia annexed in March 2014. Separatist-controlled areas are boycotting the election. Just who is the surprise front-runner? Mr Zelenskiy, 41, is aiming to turn his satirical TV show - in which he portrays an ordinary citizen who becomes president after fighting corruption - into reality. He has torn up the rule book for election campaigning, the BBC's Jonah Fisher reports from Kiev. He has done no rallies and few interviews, and appears to have no strong political views apart from a wish to be new and different. His extensive use of social media appeals to younger voters. His readiness to speak both Russian and Ukrainian, at a time when language rights are a hugely sensitive topic, has gained him support in Ukraine's largely Russian-speaking east. Opinion polls suggest he will have a clear lead over Mr Poroshenko and Ms Tymoshenko in the first round, and would retain it in a run-off against either of them. Who are the other candidates? Mr Poroshenko, 53, aims to appeal to conservative Ukrainians through his slogan "Army, Language, Faith". He says his backing for the military has helped keep the separatists in eastern Ukraine in check. He also negotiated an Association Agreement with the EU, including visa-free travel for Ukrainians. During his tenure the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has become independent of Russian control. However his campaign has been dogged by corruption allegations, including a scandal over defence procurement, which erupted last month. The third main contender is Yulia Tymoshenko, 58, who has served as prime minister and ran for president in 2010 and 2014. She played a leading role in the 2004 Orange Revolution, Ukraine's first big push to ally itself with the EU. The front-runner among the pro-Russian candidates, Yuriy Boyko, says he would "normalise" relations with Russia.

NVIDIA isn’t yet done with their Turing line of graphics cards and would soon be offering the entry-level GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. The GeForce GTX 1650 will be aimed at budget PC gamers at a sub-$200 US price point which is considered to be the sweet spot for the gaming audiences. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Benchmark Leaks Out, Faster Than The Radeon RX 570 – Reportedly Launching on 22nd April According to previous rumors, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 series would be the last entry to the Turing based GeForce graphics card lineup. Videocardz states that the GeForce GTX 1650 cards will reportedly feature a Ti and a non-Ti variant. The card that would be launching first would be the non-Ti GeForce GTX 1650. The card is being expected to launch on 22nd April with the Ti variant coming in later. In previous leaks, we got a little hint of what the specifications of the GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card would look like. We know that the graphics card would feature 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM that would operate across a 128-bit wide bus interface at speeds of 8 Gbps (2000 MHz effective clock speed). This would result in a total bandwidth of 128 GB/s which would prove to be a good boost over the 112 GB/s bandwidth on the GeForce GTX 1050 series graphics cards. Also when it comes to clock speeds, the card reportedly operates at 1395 MHz base and 1560 MHz boost. Earlier, it was reported that the base clock of the GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card would be 1485 MHz but that could very well be a factory overclocked variant. The card is also said to feature the TU117 GPU core which is a chip we haven’t seen before. When it comes to performance results, the card was listed over at the Final Fantasy XV benchmark database and tested on 1080p resolution with High quality. The card scored a total of 3803 points against the 3728 points of the Radeon RX 570. Similarly, the card was close to the GTX 1060 3 GB which scored 3901 points. Now considering the price, the Radeon RX 570 4 GB models are currently available for as low as $129.99 US and the GeForce GTX 1650 should be priced close to $149 US with the Ti variant being slightly higher but offering performance on the same caliber as the Radeon RX 580 or better. The Ti variant is also reportedly going to use GDDR6 memory over the GDDR5 memory of the non-Ti variant. It will be interesting to see how the card performs, especially when these would be sub 100W parts with extremely efficient designs. AIB partners are already prepping up various custom models of the GTX 1650 so expect them to be available at launch.

Overview What is it? It’s the latest iteration of one of the most iconic hot hatchbacks in the business. Yep, the Megane RS may not have decades of history like a Golf GTI, nor the motorsport lineage of a Ford RS, but since the late 2000s the fast Megane has been the absolute handling benchmark for hot hatches at any price point. Thus the new one has rather a lot to live up to, but it doesn’t take too long prodding and poking around it to realise it’s different to the cars that came before. It has five doors for the first time (and five doors only), not to mention a huge infotainment screen, ambient lighting and the option of an automatic gearbox. It appears Renault Sport is growing up. Given how many Golf GTIs that VW shifts, you can’t really blame the Megane’s makers for chasing a more mature corner of the market with much bigger sales potential, even if it comes at the expense of the ‘cut-price 911 GT3’ vibe the old RS simply oozed. There’s still some serious hardware beneath the skin to prick up the ears of enthusiasts, though; you’ve a choice of 280 Sport, 280 Cup or 300 Trophy versions, the latter two getting stiffer suspension and a limited-slip differential on the driven front axle. All three get a four-wheel-steering system called 4Control, to increase agility in slower corners and stability in quicker corners. All three use a 1.8-litre turbo engine, too, producing 276bhp in the Sport and Cup, and 296bhp in the Trophy. A six-speed manual gearbox remains standard – something of a U-turn after the outgoing Clio RS went automatic only – with a paddleshifting auto a stocky £1,700 option on all models. Indeed, the options list is a little precarious. Kicking off at around £27,000, the Megane RS at its base is basically the cheapest full-size hot hatch on sale. Only an entry-level Hyundai i30N costs less, and that’s the 247bhp version (with the i30N you really want topping £29k). Problem is, many things standard on the Megane’s rivals are optional here, and if you manage to spec one for less than £30,000, we doff our cap to you. Still, we’d argue it looks worth the money. Is there a hatchback on sale with better stance or more presence? It looks utterly fantastic and with a selection of yellows, oranges and reds among its paint palette, allows you to have a bold hot hatch without the overt aggression of, ooh, a Honda Civic Type R. For some, that might be the only vindication they need to click ‘confirm’ on the Renault Sport configurator. But you? You’re more discerning than that, so click on to see what the Megane does well. Or not so well… Driving What is it like on the road? Driving a brand new performance icon can be a desperately nervy process, as you wait on tenterhooks for it to reveal whether it’s kept the magic of its forebears alive. Unfortunately for the Megane RS, that moment doesn’t arrive in the first few miles. Or even first few hundred miles. While the old RS was an instant-hitter, a car whose specialness coursed through every component, the new ‘un is different. It’s a broadly comfy, competent fast hatchback in the vein of a Golf GTI, but not a mesmeric back-road blaster like the car it replaces. Evidencing its change of character is the fact the 280 Sport – i.e. the softest chassis option – is actually the one that feels most natural. Yeah, it’s basically like asking for Lemon & Herb in Nando’s, and much like the difficulty of daring to order the tamest spice in front of your mates, we’re not sure we’d actually let ourselves spec the base Megane owing to pangs of worry we’d regret our choice. The Cup and Trophy are both notably firmer riding, but with their limited-slip differential, they’re notably sharper when you dig into the Megane’s deep reserves of grip and drive it with some vigour. Indeed, its limits are higher than ever, especially with the four-wheel-steering system which adds complexity to its handling, but arguably no more fun. You can cover ground at ungodly pace here, but with less of a grin plastered across your face than in not only its key rivals, but the car that went before it. Hmm. Its 1.8-litre turbo engine can be chalked up as a success, though. Perhaps no surprise when it’s related to the wonderful Alpine A110’s. The gearing is short enough that you can feel like you’re extracting a decent amount of its performance even at sane road speeds, while the sports exhaust makes you sound like a proper hooligan, but sounds heaps more natural than competitors’ equivalents, each pop and crackle different to the last. No choreography here. You can turn it off, of course, which means delving into one of the most befuddling drive select systems on the market. There are four set modes (Comfort, Normal, Sport, Race) and one customisable mode (Perso), yet you can also fiddle with the preset modes, which are fixed in rivals. Everything is adjustable – right down to the colour of the dials – save for the suspension. You make your choice of how stiff you’d like the suspension when you spec between Sport, Cup and Trophy in the showroom. Tech getting in the way of good old-fashioned fun? Perhaps, though the Megane does at least keep you in your previous selection when you restart the car after parking up, which is rare, and a sign the driving nerds still got to have some say in the development meetings. On the inside Layout, finish and space Fast Renaults have never been particularly strong in material quality or tech, but always nailed the essentials of a real driver’s car; the steering wheel, seat and pedals were all positioned perfectly, and the gearknob was wonderful to hold and slick to operate. The new one turns all that on its head. In the centre of the dashboard there’s a new, portrait infotainment screen with track telemetry at one end of the scale, and a choice of which colour of the rainbow you’d like the interior ambient lighting at the other. Very fancy. The steering wheel has its Alcantara in the wrong places, however, and the gearknob is interesting to look at, but awkward to hold and notchy to operate. And it’s tricky to get a satisfying driving position. But there are roomy back seats and a big boot. There’s still appeal, you’ll just find it in different places to before. You’ve numerous seat options up front, but the standard chairs are so hugging, the optional Recaros are no longer the must-have they used to be, especially now they come only in leather/Alcantara and thus cost £1,500. You could have a whole Clio 172 as track toy for that. The dials are now entirely digital, with four different visuals available, one of which doesn’t even include a rev counter. Blasphemy. They’re adjusted via the drive select system, which sits in that new touchscreen. It looks cool but these things just work better with a landscape layout; perhaps the biggest indictment of its flawed design is that when you plug your phone in to use Apple CarPlay, the display is a horizontal strip across the screen, akin to watching a YouTube video while still holding your phone upright. The air con controls remain physical though (hurrah!) and you can spec some properly boomy Bose audio while the sat nav is a TomTom system, so it ought to work nearly as well as your phone. Owning Running costs and reliability This is the section where the old Megane RS would have slipped up, but the new one aims to whip the rug from beneath its rivals with some flexibility; it comes with a choice of manual and paddleshift automatic gearboxes, and three different levels of chassis stiffness (Sport, Cup and Trophy). All have five doors and the base price, at a whisker over £27,000, is very tempting. But start adding the kind of options that match its rivals – something like a Hyundai i30N Performance packs a limited-slip diff and lots of active safety tech as standard, for instance – and the Megane easily sails past £30,000. Or £34k, in the photographed car’s case, which is a manual Cup that still manages to have less tech inside than a £5k-cheaper Hyundai. Eek. Of course, many people lease cars rather than buy them outright, but the Hyundai’s £50 a month cheaper here, too. A basic Megane RS will set you back around £400 a month over three years, (with a six-month deposit and 10,000 miles per year). You’ll add around £25 to that figure if you want the Cup chassis, and £30 if you want a paddleshift gearbox. Verdict Final thoughts and pick of the range The Megane RS has a newfound maturity. Better for tackling the Golf GTI, worse for tackling your local trackday The Megane RS will undoubtedly be much simpler to live with than before, and on tricky roads it still exhibits the world class damping and body control we know and love from Renault Sport. But it’s not as much fun as we’d hoped, and our suspicion is the softer, Sport-chassis car is the car more comfortable in its own skin. Which is a damning judgement if you’ve ever experienced the euphoric highs of an old Megane Cup driven at its limit. It’s hard to deny Renault’s logic in chasing a more mature market, though, it’s just thanks to Peugeot’s return to form, Honda’s coming of age and Hyundai’s startling arrival on the hot hatch scene, the Megane suddenly faces a more exciting, more diverse bunch of rivals than ever. And beyond its more glamorous looks, the RS struggles for an irresistible, must-have-it USP when battling them.

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 1809, aka the Update of the Damned, is now ready for "broad deployment." The announcement – which comes mere weeks before the next version of Windows 10, 19H1, is expected to put in an appearance – means that the Operating System update is ready to be unleashed on businesses. Handy, because so far only the most ardent of Windows fans could describe the adoption figures of the disastrous update as anything better than flaccid. 1809, which Microsoft named the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, memorably debuted during a Surface event at the beginning of October before being unceremoniously pulled a few days later amid some distressing quality issues. The update was quietly re-released in November and has been gradually plip-plopping onto compatible Windows 10 machines ever since. While Microsoft has kept schtum about just how many installations now have the update, estimates hover around the 26 per cent mark. A far cry from the hysterical rate at which the April 2018 Update was emitted. As of yesterday, the release is now on the Semi-Annual Channel (SAC), having been on the soon-to-be-culled Semi-Annual-Channel (Targeted) since November last year. According to Microsoft, customers should "begin deployment of each SAC release immediately to devices selected for early adoption and ramp up to full deployment at your discretion". So start your engines. However, be sure to take a good, hard look at the support notes. There are a few issues even in the most recently patched version, bedevilling Internet Explorer 11 and systems with multiple audio devices. For the latter, Microsoft has said it is working on a fix to "be available in late March 2019". Only a couple of days to go, team, so no pressure. The most recent releases to the SAC have usually occurred three months or so before the next update. For this one it could be a matter of weeks.

A quick glance at my (and your) agenda over the past few weeks shows us that this year’s event season is already in full swing- although in Dubai there is hardly ever a period with no occasion worth noting. Since the demanding work hours, in addition to the harmful city dust, will soon take their toll on my skin, I headed to Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont The Palm in Dubai for a Déesse Pro LED mask facial treatment. It is an hour-long facial developed by Dr. Rita Rakus, a London-based doctor who lists celebrities like Madonna, Chrissy Teigen, and Kate Hudson, among her clients. Deesse Pro LED mask treatment at Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont The Palm in Dubai I soon discover that the treatment is not just about the face, but about taking the whole of me to the state of balance. After being welcomed by the spa’s friendly staff, I’m taken to a clean, dimly lit and extremely relaxing treatment room, where a beautician starts by removing makeup and dust from my face, telling me more about the patented HydraFacial technology -dubbed a confidence booster- whose spiral design helps cleanse, exfoliate, and extract impurities and dead skin cells, while infusing vital nutrients such as antioxidants, peptides, and hyaluronic acid into the skin. This phase lasts for half an hour, and over the next 20 minutes, she puts a Deesse Pro LED mask on my face, a device that uses low light therapy by way of medical-grade light emitting diodes to expose the skin to clinically proven wavelengths of light, delivered in safe, therapeutic doses- all of this is to say that this is, essentially, a pain-free way to achieve naturally vibrant and clearer skin.

Theresa May and her cabinet are looking for ways to bring her EU withdrawal agreement back to the Commons for a fourth attempt at winning MPs' backing. The PM said the UK would need "an alternative way forward" after her plan was defeated by 58 votes on Friday. MPs from all parties will test support for other options during a second round of "indicative votes" on Monday. However, Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis said the government did not support any of those options. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on Mrs May to change her deal or resign immediately, while Northern Ireland's DUP - which has propped up Mrs May's minority government - also continues to oppose the deal. The government has so far failed to win over 34 Conservative rebels, including both Remainers as well as Tory Brexiteers, who say the deal still leaves the UK too closely aligned to Europe. But a No 10 source indicated the prime minister would continue to seek support in the Commons. They insisted efforts were "going in the right direction", given the margin of defeat was down from 149 a fortnight ago. MPs will hold another set of votes on various Brexit options in the Commons on Monday. Mr Lewis told Radio 4's Today programme: "The government's position is very clear - we do not support these options. The government's position is we believe the best way to respect the referendum is to deliver the deal." He said one of the voting options put forward, which supports staying in a customs union with the EU, would go against the result of the referendum and the Conservatives' election manifesto. The customs union allows businesses to move goods around the EU without checks or charges. Continued membership would bar the UK from striking independent trade deals after Brexit. Nicky Morgan, a former cabinet minister and fellow Tory MP, said there may need to be a government of national unity to end the deadlock over Brexit. She told Today: "It may well be that if you end up with a cross-party approach to finding a majority in the House of Commons, it might be that you need a cross-party approach to implementing it. "There have been periods in our history when we have had national unity governments or a coalition for a very specific issue." There is every chance that the prime minister will again - with routes outside the normal boundaries - try to make a version of her Brexit deal the end result of all of this. Despite a third defeat, despite the embarrassment of repeated losses, don't imagine that she is ready to say a permanent farewell to the compromise deal she brokered with the EU or, straightaway, to her time in office. There is still a belief in the heart of government that there could be a way round, perhaps to include the prime minister's agreed treaty as one of the options that is subject to a series of votes that will be put in front of the Commons next week. The aspiration, strange as it sounds, for some time now has been to prove to MPs that the deal is the least worst of all the options... Mrs May has until 12 April to seek a longer extension to the negotiation process to avoid the UK leaving without a deal - which most MPs believe could harm business and create disruption at ports. However, she said any further delay to Brexit was "almost certain" to involve staging elections to the European Parliament in May. Downing Street later said this was not an "inevitability". Meanwhile, Leave voters registered their anger at the latest rejection, on the day the UK was originally scheduled to leave the EU. Thousands gathered outside Parliament to protest against the delay, bringing traffic to a standstill. And the Conservative former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who has campaigned for a further referendum on the deal, is facing deselection after losing a vote of no-confidence in his Beaconsfield constituency. The prominent Remainer, who remains an MP for the time being, clashed with his local Conservative Party over Brexit. The withdrawal agreement is the part of the Brexit deal Mrs May struck with Brussels that sets out how much money the UK must pay to the EU as a settlement, details of the transition period, and the Irish backstop arrangements. If Mrs May wants to hold another vote on the deal in Parliament, it has to comply with Commons Speaker John Bercow's ruling that it can only be brought back with "substantial" changes. This is why the government separated the withdrawal agreement from the political declaration - on the future relationship with the EU - for Friday's vote. Downing Street said Mrs May would continue to talk to the Democratic Unionist Party about more reassurances over the backstop - the "insurance policy" designed to prevent physical infrastructure at the Irish border. The DUP says that by temporarily subjecting Northern Ireland to different regulations to the rest of the UK, the backstop would risk a permanent split. Its Westminster leader, Nigel Dodds, told Newsnight: "I would stay in the European Union and remain, rather than risk Northern Ireland's position. That's how strongly I feel." After the result of the latest vote was announced, Mr Corbyn said: "The House has been clear, this deal now has to change. "If the prime minister can't accept that then she must go. Not at an indeterminate date in the future but now, so that we can decide the future of this country through a general election." Will European leaders accept a longer delay to Brexit? Despite all the drama, the money and time spent by EU leaders on Brexit (summits, dedicated governmental departments, no-deal planning) and all the hard, hard graft put in by the EU and UK negotiating teams, Europe's leaders are asking themselves what there is to show for it all. Ongoing Brexit divisions in Parliament, in government and in Theresa May's cabinet were on screaming technicolour display again last week. EU leaders used to use the threat of a no-deal Brexit as a negotiating tactic (as did the UK). They now believe it to be a very real prospect. That has led to a number of countries - notably France - questioning the logic of delaying Brexit for much longer. They wonder if the UK will ever unite around a Brexit Way Forward - be it a softer Brexit, no deal or no Brexit. Would a Brexit extension, allowing for a general election or a second referendum, really settle the issue, they ask?

I travel a lot. And by a lot, I mean really a lot. I've flown more than two million miles and spent more than 1,000 nights in hotel rooms. Did I mention that I travel a lot? Here are some things I've learned about my phone's ability to make my travels a whole lot smoother that I hope you can use on your next trip. Happy trails! 1. Turn your calendar into a Swiss Army knife. If you’re not using a calendar that’s synced between your phone and laptop or is cloud-based (like on Google) then stop reading and go figure that out right now, dinosaur. Your calendar is a very powerful and valuable tool which can solve a lot of problems, but only if you use it properly. First, mobile calendars automatically adjust for the time difference when you travel, showing your appointments, flights and reservations in the local time (the time in the place you are in). So, if you put in all your flights, appointments, etc., into the calendar, you'll always know what’s what. If you're working on the road overseas, and have to be on conference calls back in the U.S., the appointments you made in your calendar before you left will show in the local time, so you won’t get confused and miss calls and deadlines. Pro tip: Add in all the details of your flights and hotel reservations, as well as the phone number and addresses of your destinations into the notes for each appointment. Isn't that a lot of work? Nope. Most confirmation emails from hotels and airlines include a link or an attachment which do it automatically with a click. When you're done, finding your way to your next appointment is a single touch on the address in your calendar -- the navigation app opens automagically -- and all the information about your next activity will be right there. No more frantically searching your emails for addresses and phone numbers. 2. Add a +1 to all your U.S. contact numbers. When you're overseas, the numbers in your phone may not work correctly, or not at all, because every country has its own unique way of dialing phone numbers. Adding +1 (1 is the country code for the U.S.) before all your important U.S. phone numbers in your mobile address book will usually fix all of that so that you’re able just to use your phone as you normally would. Otherwise, you're going to have to learn the prefix ("exit code”) for each country you visit, because even your home number is an international call when you're overseas. Pro tip: Make sure your personal contact information is stored correctly (including the +1) and complete. Sharing your contact card is a very tech-savvy look when people “ask for your number” -- just be sure there’s nothing stored in there you don't want to share (like your home address or passwords -- yes, some people do that). You can create a second contact card (”personal”) if you want to have one with all your secret deets. 3. Upgrade your passcode. If you don't use a complicated passcode to unlock your phone, you're asking for trouble. Besides having all your personal information, photos and who knows what else in it, your phone is the most perfect way for thieves to steal your identity. Thieves can use your phone to send and receive texts and emails posing as you, and can reset every password you have: banks, social sites, medical records, your video doorbell, webcams…Plus they can send pictures to your ex that might cause even bigger problems. And don’t forget about the codes to unlock your laptop or tablet you might leave behind in the hotel while you’re out. In the age of the cloud, access to any of those devices presents the same open doorway to making your life miserable. Pro Tip: If you're using fingerprint or FaceID to unlock your phone, good for you, but remember when you first bought the phone and set the password to “0000” because you never use it? Oops. Your phone’s password bypass just as easily unlocks it, so make it something complicated as if your life depends on it. 4. Get your airline and hotel apps. Before you leave, download the apps for your hotel and airline and sign in. The apps will instantly update you about flight delays and gate changes and often offer local tips and events during your stay. Most importantly, you’ll be able to make quick modifications to reservations on the move, so changing a flight or extending a hotel stay is a little less painful. Pro tip: These apps also include the proper international phone number to reach reservations and customer service, as well as the direct number to your hotel. 5. Your camera is good for more than selfies. If your phone is not from the bronze age, and you have location services turned on, the photos you take with your phone are precisely geotagged. This allows you to find a place you visited, or find out more information about something you might have seen, using the location embedded into the photo’s metadata. (Don't worry about the tech -- the phone does the work for you). Forgot to write down the name of that awesome locals-only pub? Opening a photo you took will allow you to find the location, and most of the time, the exact name. Pro tip: Remember that GPS works best outside, so if it’s somewhere you really want to remember, be sure to take a photo when you're leaving.