The Corvette C8 is among the hottest commodities of 2020. Despite the on-going pandemic, fans and enthusiasts were crazy for the mid-engine sports car, which keeps Chevrolet so busy producing and fulfilling the orders for the rest of the year. So much so, in fact, that the 2021 model year is already underway. If you're unaware of the new things to see on the 2021 Corvette, Chevy puts its visualizer out there so you can, ugh, visualize what to expect for the next model year for both the coupe and convertible versions. We've configured our own coupe with these updates, which you can see below. Notice what's new? If not, here's a rundown. For the 2021 model year, Chevy adds two new exterior body colors – the Silver Flare Metallic (seen above) and Red Mist Metallic Tintcoat. Both colors will replace similar hues from the outgoing model year. The Stinger Stripe gets three new colors as well, which will be Carbon Flash/Edge Red, Carbon Flash/Edge Yellow, and Carbon Flash/Midnight Silver. For those who like a set of full-length stripes, Blue, Orange, Red, and Yellow will be available as options. Inside, there are only a few things added, led by the new Sky Cool Gray/Yellow Strike interior color. The infotainment system also gets wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto capabilities, which will be standard across the range. The updates aren't all aesthetics for the 2021 model year. The Magnetic Selective Ride Control suspension can now be ordered even outside the Z51 package. A Buckle To Drive safety feature will also be standard. This feature won't allow you to shift from Park if you haven't buckled up for more than 20 seconds. There won't be any price change for the 2021 Chevy Corvette, at least for the base model, but there are reports that options and higher trims will cost higher. More importantly, it seems like it will be a long wait even if you order for one today.

It’s hard to imagine a more luxurious place to spend two weeks of quarantine than the Anantara Phuket Suites & Villas in Thailand, where visitors are pampered in private residences that can have their own pool and courtyard. Yet more than three months after the resort and more than a hundred like it reopened to extended-stay travelers in an attempt to revive Thailand’s battered economy, foreign arrivals have failed to meet even rock-bottom expectations. Just 346 overseas visitors have entered the country on average each month on special visas since October, according to the Thailand Longstay Company, which helps facilitate the program. That’s well below the government’s target of about 1,200 and a tiny fraction of the more than 3 million who came before the pandemic. The tepid response to Thailand’s highly publicized reopening illustrates the difficulties facing tourist-dependent countries as they try to shore up economic growth while also protecting citizens from Covid-19 before vaccines become widely available. Thailand had hoped to lure retirees escaping the European winter and others who could stay for an extended period. They would have to go through quarantine, but that could be done in the comfort of high-end resorts in a country that had been relatively unscathed by the pandemic. After two weeks, Thailand would be theirs to roam for as long as nine months. The lack of interest is adding pressure on Thai policy makers, who have struggled to accommodate both industry players calling for relaxed quarantine rules and public-health experts warning against putting people in danger. All the while, as the beaches stay empty, many tourism-related companies are going out of business. To make matters worse, virus cases have jumped in the country. “It’s really challenging to balance the demands of the tourism industry and locals,” said Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association. “I understand how hard it is to be stuck in a room for 14 days. I’ve done it. But the safety of the people gets priority because tourists come and go but locals live here.” In 2019, Thailand received more than $60 billion in tourism revenue from about 40 million visitors. The industry contributed about a fifth of gross domestic product before the pandemic, compared to about 10% globally. But six months without any foreign arrivals followed by months with just a trickle has battered the sector. At least 931 registered tourism-related companies closed last year, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of data from the Commerce Ministry’s Department of Business Development. The real number is probably much higher as many tourism businesses aren’t registered in any database. On Thailand’s famed resort islands, the situation is particularly bad. Take Phuket, which got about 90% of its tourism income from foreign visitors before the pandemic. At Patong, its main tourist town, a once busy street of bars and nightclubs lies empty. Bangla Road is lined with shuttered businesses, with chairs stacked on tables and chains barring access. Dust gathers on the barstools and countertops. The few places that are open have barely any customers. “When there are no foreigners, the area is just empty,” said Rungarun Loiluen, who works at The Kitchen, a restaurant and bar at the end of Bangla Road. She’s one of eight employees who kept their jobs from about 30 before the pandemic, albeit with fewer working hours. “There’s barely anyone walking down the road.” On the next block over, Hotel Clover Patong Phuket has slashed its prices by as much as 75% to attract domestic travelers instead of its usual clientele of American, Russian and Chinese tourists. Still, it ran at about 10% occupancy in December, a period that used to be overbooked, according to Jessada Srivichian, the hotel’s country financial manager. Despite the government’s efforts to help tourism businesses, such as subsidizing the cost of hotel rooms, meals and airfares, domestic tourists who usually travel just on weekends can’t fill the gap left by foreign visitors. Even though only about half the country’s hotels have reopened, the average occupancy rate is only about 34%, Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said in an interview in December. “I’ve been in Phuket for 20 years and have never seen it this quiet,” Hotel Clover’s Jessada said. “We need international visitors. We’re not thinking of making a profit but instead focusing on minimizing losses, because as long as there’s a quarantine requirement, people won’t come.” The government should consider waiving the two-week isolation requirement for visitors from regions of countries with no local infections for more than 60 days, Vichit Prakobgosol, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said in late September. He was hoping to have the rule relaxed for visitors from some parts of China, Thailand’s biggest source of tourism income. But no such deal was concluded. “It seems impractical to double the duration of a trip to satisfy the local quarantine requirements,” said Ron Cooper, an American photographer and business consultant who traveled abroad for leisure several times a year before the pandemic. “Add to that the cost of staying in a hotel for two unproductive weeks — not a very attractive proposition.” Thailand’s approach contrasts with other tourism destinations that have been less cautious. The Maldives reopened to overseas tourists in July without requiring a quarantine, although a negative Covid-19 test is needed. The archipelago has seen more than 172,000 arrivals since then, according to Maldives Immigration data. While new infections increased in the aftermath, they’ve since declined. “It was bold, daring to open up the Maldives with all the risks attached to it,” said Dirk De Cuyper, chief executive officer of S Hotels & Resorts Pcl, whose December occupancy rate at Maldives properties was 70%. And that might be bad news for Thailand, he said. “Many travelers won’t buy into quarantine, particularly when other countries are opening up and they have no quarantine rules.” But most Thais opposed the reopening plan and are unlikely to want relaxed quarantine rules, partly because local residents live close to the resorts, unlike in the Maldives where properties are often isolated on their own islands. “If I had to choose between health and income, I’d choose health,” said Wiparad Noiphao, a fruit and vegetable vendor at Banzaan fresh market in Patong. “We have to prioritize safety.” As a compromise, the government’s Covid-19 task force discussed shortening the quarantine period to 10 days. But that has yet to be implemented because of concerns about new infections. The government has also approved six golf resorts as quarantine centers. “Any modification to the original plan would mean higher risks,” said Thira Woratanarat, an associate professor at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine. “There are many examples of free international travel that led to a resurgence,” he said, giving the example of Europe. “We should wait until the global virus situation has improved.” A resurgence of the virus has also weakened the case for easing quarantine rules. Thailand has seen Covid-19 infections more than double to more than 12,000 in less than a month. An outbreak that began in seafood markets and migrant communities has spread throughout the country. The government curbed travel in some high-risk regions but has so far refrained from imposing a broad lockdown. It has also extended its travel-subsidy program. Ultimately, the country won’t fully reopen until vaccines are widely available, government officials have said. Thailand plans to offer the shot developed by Sinovac Biotech Ltd. to frontline health workers and those with underlying conditions before the end of February. From May, it will give one by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford, aiming to inoculate at least 33 million people, about half the nation’s po[CENSORED]tion, by the end of 2021. Questions remain about how international tourism will function as more people become vaccinated worldwide. Vaccine passports are seen as a way to get people traveling again, but whether and how they will be implemented is still unclear. It’s not even known whether vaccinated people can transmit the virus. Taking all this into account, the Bank of Thailand estimates that even in 2022, overseas visitors will still fall well short of the 40 million in 2019. It projects that 5.5 million people will visit this year and 23 million in 2022. The economy is estimated to have contracted 6% in 2020, the biggest decline since the Asian financial crisis. It’s projected to expand 3.5%-4.5% in 2021, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council. Despite the hit to the economy, the Phuket Tourist Association’s Bhummikitti says Thailand’s cautious reopening plan was the correct option, and the embattled tourism industry has little choice but to wait for vaccines to take hold. “We can’t close our borders forever, and we can’t let people in without strict measures in place,” he said. “So this controlled, gradual reopening is the best approach.”

Rabat – The Global Firepower Index has ranked Morocco’s military strength in the 53rd position out of 137 countries across the world. The 2021 report shows that Morocco climbed three spots from the 2020 ranking, with a score of 0.8763. This year’s ranking also marks an improvement from both 2019 and 2020 rankings, when Morocco’s military ranked 61st and 56, respectively. It takes into account the potential war capability of nations based on different factors, including resources; manpower; finances; geography; and the country’s naval, land, and air forces. In terms of manpower, the report ranked Morocco 40th out of 138. It estimated the total available people in Morocco to serve military duty at over 17 million. Fit-for-service personnel in Morocco are estimated at over 14 million, while active personnel stood at 310,000. For airpower, the North African country also has 83 fighters, two tanker fleets, and four special missions. The report shows that Morocco equipped itself with heavy military equipment in terms of land forces. The land forces feature for Morocco shows that the country has 3,003 tanks, 8,000 armored vehicles, 510 self-propelled artillery, and 144 rocket projectors. The country’s defense budget is estimated at $6 billion. Morocco ranked fifth in Africa. Read also: Rabat Hosts 11th Morocco-US Defense Consultative Committee Session Despite an internal economic crisis, Algeria continues to dominate regionally, positioning itself as Africa’s second power in terms of military strength. The report ranked Algeria 27th worldwide and second in Africa in terms of military strength, with a score of 0.4461. In terms of manpower, the report shows that Algeria has over 20 million people ready to engage in military duties, and 1 million personnel fit-for-service. For equipment and logistics, the numbers do not show significant changes in terms of land forces. According to the report, Algeria has 2,024 tanks, and 7,000 armored vehicles, in addition to 300 rocket projects. The significant difference between Morocco and Algeria in terms of military strength exists, however, in their defense budgets. According to Global Firepower, Algeria’s defense budget is estimated at nearly $14 billion, far above morocco’s $6 billion. Both countries have heavy external debt, however. Algeria has an external debt estimated at $6 billion. Meanwhile, Morocco’s debt surpasses that of Algeria considerably. According to the report, Morocco has an external debt estimated at over $51 billion. In Africa, Egypt is the first military power and 13th internationally, followed by Algeria (27), South Africa (32), and Nigeria (35). The US tops the global list, followed by Russia, China, India, and Japan.

What is it? MK has made more than 4000 of its two-seaters, and every time we’ve tried an Indy, we’ve fallen for it. There are myriad options, from a single-donor Mazda MX-5 car to build yourself through to fully assembled and track-ready cars. The Suzuki GSX-1300R Hayabusa bike-engined Indy RR is towards the latter end of the spectrum. As with many cars you can self-build, there’s a bunch of bespoke components (the chassis, body and so on) and a donor for some mechanicals. Traditionally that was Ford Sierra, but parts tend to be Ford-like and supplied new now. You can buy the whole thing from £18,877 (plus engine) to build or from £23,617 (plus engine, so call it £25,000) for a fully built car. There are options around windscreens, roll cages and more, all viewable in a 200-plus-line spreadsheet in which it’s rather easy to immerse yourself. Our RR came in a fetching yellow (the body panels are glassfibre, not part-aluminium as on a Caterham) with 13in wheels (my favoured size on such cars, usally) and a pretty racy sparse trim. A Caterham likely looks better finished, but the RR is very functional and stands up to scrutiny. What's it like? The GSX-1300R Hayabusa gearbox is retained, so behind the wheel there’s a single, centre-hinged paddle that you shift like on a bike: push for first, then pull for upshifts, with neutral between first and second. There’s no reverse on bikes, so MK hit on a really neat idea: an electric motor attached to the flywheel. It’s quite hard on the battery but superbly effective if you keep a few revs on. You could even tell people it’s a hybrid. The forward gears are what the RR is about, though. In this trim, it makes more than 200bhp and weighs less than 500kg. And with rose-jointed wishbones and pushrods plus a limited-slip differential, it has the potential to be set up really nicely, as this factory test car has been. The ride is really composed on its 185/60 front and 205/60 rear Toyo Proxes tyres, there’s no tramlining and the unassisted steering (2.5 turns between locks) is lithe and feelsome. The dynamics are great. The engine is pretty sweet, too, albeit buzzy – at 60mph in sixth, it’s turning over at 5000rpm, and it revs to 10,500, so this car really is best if you’re on top of it, instead of cruising. If you want something more laidback, you could fit a Ford or Honda S2000 engine or tick the MX-5 box. But for a 1.3-litre screamer, there isn’t a complete absence of low-end torque; it makes only about half as much torque as power, but remember that its kerb weight starts with a four. If you ask a lot of it, the Hayabusa engine really delivers: it zings, it’s fast and it’s immersive. A crash helmet is all but essential in screenless cars, but earplugs are a decent idea, too. Because there’s more load through the gearbox than on a bike, clutchless upshifts aren’t quite so simple. But with a little pressure on the lever, the tiniest pop on the clutch releases the tension and cracks through another gear. The RR stops fantastically, too. Should I buy one? It’s brilliantly engaging and a real driver’s car, with the depth of engineering to match its headline figures. Our time was spent on the road, but I recall how good it was when I drove one on a track (in 2013), since when MK has found new owners, who supply a lot of parts to the self-build car business, and which has had even more development. Admittedly, this sort of car is right up my street, but the RR is terrific.

Even as countries have started to welcome tourists from outside of its borders — albeit cautiously — there are some which continue to keep their borders closed, for fear of an influx and subsequent surge in coronavirus cases. Among them is the Philippines, which has extended its ban on travellers from more than 30 countries and territories. According to a report in The National, the ban applies to countries where a “more transmissible variant” of COVID-19 has been detected. In fact, the restrictions also apply to Filipinos wanting to return to their country. The report further states that the flight ban has been expanded from an initial 19 countries and territories, and will be in effect until January 31, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has said. As such, under the ban, travellers looking to visit the country from the following places will not be allowed to do so: India, United States, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, per the report. Previously, Filipinos were allowed to return to their country, even if they wanted to do so from one of the aforementioned ‘banned’ nations. The only condition was that they completed a 14-day quarantine in a government-designated isolation facility. Exemptions will now be issued on a case-by-case basis by the coronavirus task force in the country.

Rabat – American company FotaHub will invest in a project seeking to develop the first Moroccan-made robot called “Shama.” Moroccan State media reported that Morocco’s expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) attracted the American company, which picked up the Shama project developed by the team of Hajar Al-Moussanif, a professor at the Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech. In the first phase, the American company allocated a budget of MAD 1 million (over $100,000) to support the necessary development of the project, which will make the first collaborative research platform within th Moroccan university ecosystem. Moulay Hassan Hbid, the president of Cadi Ayyad University and FotaHub CEO Abdelghani El-Kcinimi signed an agreement on the collaboration on January 13, Moroccan state media reported. El Kacimi said the collaboration will “initiate a multitude of projects aimed at accelerating the convergence between the world of connected objects (IoT) and that of AI.” He emphasized the importance of updating the parameters from AI training models, saying that it represents a real challenge to date. FotaHub is able to solve the challenges through “it’s very innovative technological approaches,” the company’s CEO said. He noted that Hajar Mousannif has been among a handful of academic and industrial specialists and speakers who have had the opportunity to “preview powerful remote update services,” known under the technical term of Firmware update over the Air-Fota. Read also: Morocco’s Hajar Mousannif Wins Artificial Intelligence Award The American company has also announced it will launch a platform that will have a “big impact on the accessibility” to the complex techniques of updating connected objects.” For her part, Hajar Mousannif said that her team built the Moroccan robot, Shama, from “almost nothing.” “Shama will move gracefully to Shama 2.0 thanks to FotaHub Inc., an exceptional young company in the United States,” she said. Hajar Mousannif is an expert at Artificial Intelligence and scientific research. Last year, WomenTech Global Awards 2020 announced Hajar Mousannif as the golden winner of the WomenTech Global AI Inclusion Award. The award is one of the most prestigious recognitions for women in the field of advanced technology. Hajar Mousannif surpassed five nominees in the AI category, including researchers, CEOs, and professors. During a previous interview with Morocco World News, Hajar Mousannif expressed pride, saying the win represented a recognition of her efforts and achievement in the field of AI. The researcher is also a winner of the 2014 L’Oreal-Unesco For Women in Science International Awards, which annually recognizes “five outstanding women scientists.”

my vote goes to DH2 , i liked the sound & the rhythm

16/01/2021

DH1 : 5votes DH2 : 2votes @R E V O- the winner

DH1 DH2

v2 , text & blur

Nickname : @R E V O- Tag your opponent : @The GodFather Music genre : moroccan rap Number of votes ( max 10 ) : 6 Tag one leader to post your songs LIST : Me

The Toyota Land Cruiser won't return to the U.S. market for the 2022 model year, according to a dealer source. It may return later on in redesigned form, but we don't know how long of a hiatus it will take. The 2021 model year will be the last for the current 200-series model. Earlier this year, a rumor surfaced that the Toyota Land Cruiser, beloved behemoth and longtime owner of the Fanciest Toyota title, was getting axed after the 2021 model year. Since we prefer not to fan unverified Internet rumors, we refrained from jumping into the fracas on that one until we could get some confirmation—which, of course, was unforthcoming from Toyota. But now we've spoken with a partner in a large dealer franchise who confirmed that 2021 is the end of the trail for Toyota's iconic SUV. But, thankfully, maybe not for long. "It's gone for 2022, but I think it'll be back soon, and way more modern and luxurious," he told us. The current Land Cruiser—the 200-series, in Cruiser parlance—dates to the 2008 model year and is (over)due for major improvements, especially on the fuel-economy front, where its 14 mpg EPA combined rating is doing Toyota's fleet average no favors. Toyota also has a habit of dropping nameplates and reviving them later on, and not always at multi-decade intervals like the Supra. The Venza went on a walkabout in 2015 and returned for 2021, and we'd suspect that the Land Cruiser won't be gone for six years. One reason for the decision would appear to stem from sales, or lack thereof. In 2019, Toyota sold 3536 Land Cruisers, which represents a 9.7-percent sales increase over 2018 but still amounts to a rounding error for a company that sold about 2.4 million vehicles in each of the prior two years. Still, if we modestly estimate that Toyota makes $10,000 per Land Cruiser—and, given the age of the platform and the shared Tundra engine, we'd suspect it's much more than that—$35 million a year isn't a bad take for a niche vehicle. But if the Land Cruiser is to become more than a niche player, it needs a wholesale overhaul. Do we see an 300-series with a hybrid powertrain ambling over a pass out there on the horizon? Let's hope so. And let's hope the Land Cruiser isn't gone for as long as the Supra (or the Bronco, for that matter). A redesign can be exciting, but everybody loves a comeback.

Actors are moving in and out of the airport with their face masks on. But, that does not deter them from looking on-point. Whether it is Sara Ali Khan’s classic white Kurti staple or Raveena Tandon’s boho-chic look — here are the best ways to make your look on point the next time you are travelling. Check out the best airport looks we spotted in the recent past. Raveena Tandon makes a classic move by pairing her floor-length floral printed dress with a denim jacket to keep herself warm. Paired with juttis, the look was completed with a maroon-coloured face mask and a pair of silver earrings. Monochrome can never go out of style and Nora Fatehi shows us how to ace it without putting in a lot of effort. Here she can be seen in a white ribbed top paired with cream coloured pants and overcoat. The look was completed with a pair of pointy-toe stilettos in white and a handbag. The Kedarnath actor has been spotted in white Kurtis a lot of times and this time too she was seen looking pretty as a picture in the same. This time she was seen pairing it with a sheer yellow dupatta and a pair of juttis. Samantha Akkineni looked pretty as a picture in a printed red and white A-line dress. Styled with a matching mask, the look was paired with camel brown suede ankle-length boots along with a tote bag. Ranveer Singh looks dapper as ever in a grey turtle neck knitwear paired with white trousers with a greyish-silver double-breasted overcoat. However, it is his printed bucket hat that steals the look. Shahid Kapoor keeps it sporty in a graphic T-shirt paired with black track pants and an olive green puffer jacket which looks extremely cosy and warm! His look was completed with a red face mask and a pair of chunky sneakers.

Agadir – Al Omrane Group’s development projects in Morocco’s southern provinces have reached over 145,000 households since the group established its local office, Chairman of the Board Badr Kanouni said on Thursday. This means that 60% of the local po[CENSORED]tion have benefited from initiatives that improve housing and living conditions, according to Kanoui. Al Omrane Group has invested nearly MAD 7 billion ($780 million) in development projects in Morocco’s south, he added. Mr. Kanouni spoke at the opening of the 35th National Architects Day in Dakhla, on January 14. The Ministry of National Land Use Planning, Town Planning, Housing and City Policy and the National Council of the Order of Architects of Morocco hosted the event. Al Omrane Group has worked on development of the southern provinces for years through a variety of projects, according to Kanouni. He emphasized a “collective commitment” and “sense of citizenship” in the various projects Al Omrane has carried out with local partners, according to Morocco’s state media. Also on Thursday, speaking at the opening of the government council meeting he chaired by videoconference from the city of Dakhla, Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani welcomed Morocco’s “strategic achievements” in preserving territorial integrity and national unity. El Othmani underlined that the US’ recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces has “suddenly accelerated a series of decisions strengthening the partnership between Rabat and Washington, particularly in the areas of economic development, trade, and technology transfer,” as cited by Morocco’s state media The Architects Day’s theme for the year was “Post-Covid spatial planning: Case of the city of Dakhla between challenges and perspectives.” It was an opportunity to highlight architects’ role in both the act of building, as well as their importance in territorial development. The day witnessed conferences, workshops, debates, and competitions in order to set up a roadmap for the city of Dakhla as an international and an African destination in the medium and long term. The purpose of the conference was to raise awareness of the issues facing cities, especially the pressure of urban planning and how these relate to traffic and environmental degradation, as well as financial challenges in urban planning.