BMW has become the latest brand to remove a number of diesel engine options from its UK range, including Mini, as demand for the fuel continues to drop. Confirmed by the brand in a statement sent to Autocar, the 2 Series Coupé and 2 Series Convertible are now solely available with only petrol engines, ranging from a 1.5-litre three-cylinder in the 218i to the 3.0-litre straight six in the M240i. It's understood that this is primarily down to the need to upgrade the diesel engines to meet the forthcoming Euro 6d emissions standard, which BMW has decided isn't worthwhile, given that these cars are due to be replaced next year. However, Mini will cease taking orders for the diesel Countryman Cooper D SUV despite a Euro 6d-compliant engine being added only in July. This is down to reduced customer demand for the fuel, with a spokesman confirming the product range is “reviewed and refined on an ongoing basis in order to reflect customer preferences”. Finally, BMW has ceased Europe-wide production of the range-topping M50d versions of the X5, X6 and X7 SUVs. Introduced in 2016, the quad-turbocharged six-cylinder engine put out 395bhp and 561lb ft in those applications. Although not officially confirmed, previous reports suggest the engine’s complexity has made it too expensive to produce as diesel falls out of favour. Many manufacturers have either reduced or culled entirely their range of oil-burners in the last few years. The fuel’s market share is down to around a fifth in 2020, while data recently gathered by Autocar shows the number of diesel variants offered for sale in the UK has almost halved in the past five years.

A Hindu activist is calling on luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton to pull a yoga mat made partly from cowhide leather, calling it “hugely insensitive”. Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, said in a statement Tuesday that the mat is ‘highly inappropriate’ to practising Hindus, who regard cows as sacred symbols of life. “The scenario of yoga – a profound, sacred and ancient discipline introduced and nourished by Hinduism – being performed on a mat made from a killed cow is painful,” Zed said. Paris-based Louis Vuitton did not immediately respond Tuesday to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. The company’s yoga mat, made mostly of canvas with leather details and a cowhide carrying strap, retails for USD 2,390 online. In an email to AP, Zed called on Louis Vuitton executives to apologise and adhere to its corporate code of conduct, which includes commitments to ethical and social responsibility. The company ‘should not be in the business of religious appropriation, sacrilege, mocking serious spiritual practices and ridiculing entire communities,’ he said. The Universal Society of Hinduism, which is based in Reno, Nevada, has led several recent campaigns targeting what it considers the commercial misuse of sacred symbols. Zed’s organisation is part of an interfaith coalition that’s recently called on Anheuser-Busch InBev to rename its Brahma beer line which shares its name with a Hindu god, but isn’t named for the deity, the beer giant says and also urged nightclubs to stop using sacred Buddhist and Hindu imagery as decor. In August, online home goods giant Wayfair pulled a towel depicting the Hindu deity Lord Ganesha after the coalition objected.

Rabat – Morocco’s Ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, sought to reduce the tension that arose from the recent statement of Morocco’s Head of Government, Saad Eddine El Othmani, suggesting that the Spanish-controlled enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are part of the Moroccan territory. Speaking with Saudi television channel Al Sharq, El Othmani suggested that Morocco should begin discussing the situation of Ceuta and Melilla. “Ceuta and Melilla are among the points on which it is necessary to open discussion,” El Othmani said. “This file has been suspended for five to six centuries, but it will be reopened one day,” he added. The two cities, which were part of Morocco for much of the medieval age, have been a source of contention since the 15th-16th centuries, when Spain claimed them. Read also: El Othmani’s Statement on Ceuta, Melilla Puts Spain on Defensive Spanish diplomacy considered El Othmani’s statement as a challenge to the Iberian country’s “territorial integrity” and the Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Cristina Gallach, summoned the Moroccan ambassador for clarification. During the meeting, Benyaich declared that Morocco’s position regarding Ceuta and Melilla is unchanged and the country considers them occupied territories, La Vanguardia reported. However, she assured the Spanish official that El Othmani’s statement does not mean that Morocco will seek to bring the topic to the center of bilateral relations between the two countries. According to La Vanguardia, Benyaich’s assurance that Morocco does not intend to challenge the status quo has calmed the concerns of the Spanish official. Despite Benyaich’s diplomacy, however, tensions may be greater than publicly communicated. Morocco, Spain, and the Western Sahara development El Othmani’s statement came only a few days after the US recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara—a major breakthrough for Moroccan diplomacy. Some observers believe his remarks translate Morocco’s displeasure with lukewarm support and a lack of clarity about Western Sahara, from the region’s former colonial occupier, following the US’ decision. Tensions between the two countries came to the fore in mid-November due to a tweet from Pablo Iglesias, Spain’s vice president and the leader of Podemos. On November 15, he indirectly called on the UN to allow the po[CENSORED]tion of the Sahara to exercise their right to self-determination. This was the real reason behind the decision to postpone the high level meeting scheduled for December 18 until next year. Following the hostile tweet and Spain’s underwhelming reception of President Trump’s decision, Spanish newspaper El Espanol reported that Spain has contacted President-elect Biden’s team, attempting to convince him to reverse the decision and revert to multilateralism. As Biden’s inauguration approaches, Benyaich may have more significant diplomatic developments to navigate in the coming months.

A German retailer ElectronicPartner (via IThome), has shared the specifications for Acer's next-generation Nitro 5 (AN517-41-R9S5) gaming laptop. On this iteration, AMD joins forces with Nvidia to bring out the best of what the Zen 3 CPU and Ampere GPU architectures have to offer. The Nitro 5 will leverage one of AMD's much-awaited Ryzen 5000 (Cezanne) mobile chips for starters. The Ryzen 7 5800H is an octa-core processor with simultaneous multithreading (SMT) with 16MB of L3 cache at its disposal. A Geekbench 5 benchmark of this same Nitro 5 device reveals the Ryzen 7 5800H with a very respectable 3.2 GHz base clock and 4.44 GHz boost clock. It's approximately 32.7% and 10.2% faster than the current Ryzen 7 4800H in single-and multi-core performance. Although the Ryzen 7 5800H does come with a Vega iGPU, the Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3080 (Ampere) will do all the heavy lifting when it comes to graphical workloads. It's probably the mobile version, which will likely feature cut-down specifications. Thus far, the German merchant listed the graphics card with 8GB of memory, which we presume to be of the GDDR6 type. The Nitro 5 is equipped with a 17.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS panel with a nice refresh rate of 144 Hz. With the GeForce RTX 3080 on duty, the Nitro 5 should have no problems hitting that refresh rate, especially at 1080p. The particular configuration that ElectronicPartner is offering also comes with 32GB of DDR4 memory and a 1TB SSD. The laptop's other attributes include a full-size keyboard with backlighting, an integrated webcam with microphone, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and a Li-ion battery with a battery life of up to eight hours. The Nitro 5 also provides one HDMI port, three USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, and a combo 3.5mm audio jack. The Nitro 5 sells for €1,948.61 (~$2,372.16) at the German store, but that's with value-added tax (VAT) included. After deducting Germany's 19% VAT rate, the price comes down to $1,993.41. However, we should bear in mind that electronics are typically more expensive overseas, so the Nitro 5 could end up costing less in the US.

Cryptocurrencies are currently going through an accelerated period of growth. Research from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance suggests that the number of global crypto users has increased from 35 million in 2018 to 101 million in 2020. Stablecoins make up just one part of this burgeoning ecosystem, but their influence and adoption is growing rapidly. They are now supported by more cryptocurrency service providers than ever before, with a market capitalisation of just under $ 25 billion. These assets were first issued by fintech companies and cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, but more and more financial institutions are now also getting in on the act. These include JPMorgan Chase, which recently launched its own in-house stablecoin, the Chinese central bank and tech companies such as Facebook. We've built a list of the best Bitcoin wallets available Check out our list of the best Bitcoin exchanges right now Here's our list of the best mining rigs out there But despite their growing prominence, they remain a mystery to many. So, what exactly are stablecoins and what role do they have to play in the future of the cryptocurrency landscape? What makes stablecoins different? In a nutshell, stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that are designed to minimise price volatility relative to a particular “stable” asset or basket of assets. Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, a stablecoin is one that is pegged to a real-world asset like fiat money (e.g. the Euro) or exchange-traded commodities (e.g. gold). This means they maintain a steady value against a target price, making stablecoins an attractive proposition for investors as well as providing the much-needed stability for merchants looking to participate in the crypto space. Most importantly, it makes them more viable as an actual currency because they aren’t subject to wild, daily fluctuations in price and are useful for all the things people actually want to use money for. As such, they can enable a number of practical use cases that traditional crypto-assets simply can’t – from insurance and loans, to payments and investments. They also substantially reduce friction by letting people use something that they’re familiar with – such as the Pound or the Dollar – as well as allowing users to cheaply and quickly transfer value around the globe while maintaining price stability. This will all be key to fostering mass adoption in the future. By increasing confidence that they are stable enough to be used as a daily medium of exchange, consumers will be more likely to trust the technology. Ultimately, they offer users the best of both worlds: the processing speed and security/privacy of cryptocurrency payments, combined with the volatility-free valuations of fiat currencies. How do stablecoins work? There are three main categories of stablecoins available to users, all of which peg their units in different ways. Fiat-backed This is the most common form of stablecoin in the market, consisting of crypto assets that are directly backed by a government-issued currency (or commodities such as gold) with a fixed 1:1 ratio. Their value is based on the value of the backing currency. In this setting, a central issuer or bank holds a certain amount of fiat currency in reserve and issues a proportionate number of tokens. The key requirement is that the amount of backing currency reflects the circulating supply of the stablecoin. For example, the issuer holding $100,000 dollars would equate to 100,000 tokens with the value of $1 each, which can be freely traded between users. While they are registered with regulatory bodies such as US Securities and Exchange Commission, the off-chain nature of the system – i.e only the issuing financial institutions have complete oversight into the fiat money deposits – necessitates a certain degree of trust. There is no way for a user to be sure whether the issuer actually holds the funds in reserve, so the stability of the stablecoin’s price depends on their trust in the issuer. Crypto-backed In this case, stablecoins are issued with cryptocurrencies as collateral instead of being backed by fiat currencies. The main idea here is to peg them to a basket of cryptos or a cryptocurrency portfolio. Since everything is done digitally on the blockchain, the system depends on the use of smart contracts to handle the issuance of units, ensure governance and establish trust. This creates a decentralised ecosystem that is regulated by the users themselves, as opposed to one issuer or third-party regulatory body dictating monetary policy. Users have to trust that all the network participants will act in the best interests of the group as a whole, which is one of the big draws of cryptocurrencies in general. To acquire crypto-backed stablecoins, users lock their cryptocurrency into a contract, which then issues the token. Stablecoins must then be paid back into the same contract before their collateral can be returned, with price stability achieved through various supplementary instruments and incentives. Algorithmic Also referred to as non-collaterised stablecoins, these aren’t backed by any fiat currency, commodity or cryptocurrency reserve. Instead, algorithms and smart contracts manage the supply of tokens issued to maintain a stable price, mirroring the monetary policy used by central banks around the world to manage national currencies. Advertisement These smart contracts are implemented on a decentralised platform and can run autonomously, reducing or increasing the supply of tokens in circulation based on the price of the stablecoin relative to the price of the fiat currency it tracks. If the price falls below the value of the fiat currency, the token supply is reduced and vice versa. Although they aren’t collateralised in the same way as fiat and cryptocurrency-backed stablecoins, algorithmic stablecoins may have a pool of collateral in reserve in case of black swan events. Stablecoins in the crypto market It has become clear that stablecoins will play a major role in the future of the cryptocurrency industry. They will help drive long-term adoption and use, primarily because they overcome a key barrier that has historically held cryptos back from being used as genuine daily currencies: the massive volatility and short-term fluctuations in value. In the past, it has largely been a case of ‘all crypto, no currency’ as the instability of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin has positioned them primarily as an investment opportunity, rather than a normal currency for everyday transactions. But this is now changing thanks to the increasing prominence of stablecoins, which are helping to alleviate concerns around volatility. As well as building trust in the technology, they will act as a bridge towards mainstream crypto adoption by helping consumers and businesses recognise the value that cryptocurrencies can offer to society. Stablecoins give users access to an asset that isn’t just for speculative investments, but also offers the price consistency needed to form the backbone of a new economy. This quality, combined with the implementation of innovative payment solutions that use stablecoins as transport currency to facilitate crypto-fiat exchange, is what will drive future crypto development. Cryptocurrencies are certainly here to stay and it’s looking increasingly likely that stablecoins will be the answer to reducing friction, increasing stability and, ultimately, enabling the future of money in a digital world. Here's our list of the best cloud mining services right now

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It’s possible I missed it after 40 years of the Audi Quattro and 30 years of the Honda NSX, but amid all the automotive anniversaries that have been celebrated in 2020, I don’t recall too much bunting strewing the streets in celebration of the fact that this is the year in which the Ford Escort XR3 hit its fifth decade. Perhaps that’s not terribly surprising, but we should pause even just for a moment to consider that it has now been four decades since Ford’s fast family hatchback has been running up against what is now eight successive generations of Volkswagen Golf GTI. I wonder how many of those encounters it has actually won? Few if any of the early skirmishes, I would warrant, and probably fewer still after the Golf GTI rediscovered its mojo for its fifth generation in 2004. So why is this contest between the brand-new Golf GTI and the still fresh Focus ST going to be any different? It all looks very familiar on paper. As ever, the Ford has the statistical lead, although we know from experience that, in the real world, that might not count for much at all. There’s a chunk more power and torque for the Focus (34bhp and 35lb ft respectively) for not much additional weight, leading to a 0.6sec gap opening up from rest to 62mph, despite these cars’ traction-limited front-drive configurations. The Focus is cheaper, too, although by less than a grand in the showroom, so not as much as in the past. Then again, it comes positively groaning under the weight of all its standard equipment. Put 19in rims, adaptive damping, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a reversing camera on the Golf and the gap widens considerably. The first surprise once you’re on board is that the interior of this Golf has lost some of the class of its predecessor. Of course, it’s now all ultra-high-definition screens, in line with the modern vogue, and it’s full of clever stuff like ventilation controls labelled ‘cool my feet’ and a pulsating engine start/stop button, while you can choose for your interior to be lit in any of 30 different colours. I would trade it all for some better-quality plastics and simple ergonomics that don’t require you to dive through menus to find what you need. If, for instance, you want to suppress or switch off the electronic stability control, you have to go into vehicle settings, then swipe through until you find ‘brakes’ (which isn’t where I would first think of looking), ask it to turn off the systems and then be patronised by Volkswagen telling you that it doesn’t recommend you do so before it forces you to confirm your ill-advised choice with another stab of the screen. I would rather just press a button. Not that the Focus offers a more palatable alternative, and you only have to park it next to a Fiesta costing half the money to see that Ford is stretching the art of parts-bin commonality a decent distance further than it cares to go. Actually, the Focus’s systems are less complicated and more easily understood than the Golf’s (surely a first?), and if their blue-lit graphics weren’t quite so nasty, that might be a sizeable blow landed against its rival. But despite my reservations about the Golf, the Focus’s cockpit feels even cheaper and lacking in occasion. For a car costing the uncomfortable side of £30,000, it could and should be better than this. However, I know this car and know that, on the right road, I won’t be overly troubled by the inelegance of its displays. Exmoor lies before us, so grab a gear and go. In the very first instant, the Focus is slightly disappointing. The steering feels slightly artificial in the way that electrically assisted racks often do when coming off centre and the gearchange is reasonable but no more. But as soon as you start to work the engine and suspension, it begins to make sense. A great deal of sense. It’s startlingly good on these roads. The engine brims with more character than you would attribute to a turbo four, while the clever front suspension and electronically controlled limited-slip differential inject all that torque straight to the street surface without dither or delay. It’s annoying that you can’t separate the engine and damper maps in Sport driving mode, but it’s so lively even in standard settings that it’s usually best to leave the button unpressed. But where it elevates impressive point-to-point pace into a genuinely special experience is when you push harder and discover that, instead of starting to struggle, it goes on getting better and better. It never wilts, at least at public-road effort levels, and never suggests that you’ve had all the fun that you can handle. Grip is superstrong, its poise into the apex beyond question. You always know where the nose is going and, even with the stability merely in Dynamic mode, it’s so throttle-adjustable that you can place the back wherever you like. It may not be quite so rapid as the previous-generation Focus RS, but it’s sharper, more communicative and more predictable. With this ST at your disposal, you find yourself wondering whether Ford’s decision not to replace the RS is that great of a loss after all. Or at least I do. After a display like that, what can we expect from the Golf? Something less pyrotechnical perhaps, but at least as inwardly satisfying, for that’s what these cars have always done. They don’t wow and amaze, they impress and enthuse. Except it’s not quite like that this time. Our Golf came with optional adaptive dampers, which allow you to choose (through the Individual option of the standard driving mode function) one of 15 preprogrammed maps for your shockers. This is fun to play with, although you still want to be only about three clicks off fully soft for a typically undulating British country road. It all smacks of something rather racier than we’ve come to expect from a Golf GTI. And that’s what it delivers. Don’t be delayed too long by the statistics that say the Golf is rather slower than the Focus. In reality, the gap is there but is smaller than you would think and doesn’t appear much of a shortcoming, even in the highly artificial scenario where you have the two cars to make the comparison, so owners shouldn’t be troubled at all. The Golf has a good engine, too – not quite as characterful as the Focus’s, perhaps, but at least as smooth and allied to an even better gearshift. In other areas, though, the Focus is clearly ahead. The Golf’s chassis is more incisive than it used to be, but it doesn’t hit its marks like the Focus, nor can you steer it anything like as effectively with your right foot. It has excellent traction and faultless mid-corner stability, but that lovely feel of the old Golf that was key to its cross-country charm as it breathed its way effortlessly across the landscape has been sacrificed to give the car more sporting chops. Is this a sensible trade-off for its undoubted additional edge? I’m not so sure. The Golf hasn’t just moved closer to the Focus philosophy in the way it handles: not too surprisingly, the ride has gone the same way as well, which is a less desirable trait. The Focus is predictably firm, even when not in Sport mode, but there’s a consistency in what it does. The ride isn’t great, but it’s good enough for this kind of car and you always know what you’re going to get. The Golf’s ride is similarly firm now – or close to it – but uncharacteristically uneven. You will be on the point of concluding that it does actually ride better than its rival when a change in road surface will unsettle it and have you concluding that, no, the Focus does it better. The Golf is probably still better overall, but by a smaller margin than ever. It’s curious, this new Golf. It’s not a clunker by any stretch, but nor does it seem likely to be remembered as one of the greats, like its Mk2, Mk5 and Mk7 forebears. There’s no question in my mind that Volkswagen has tried to vary the formula, but in its attempt to sex up the Golf, something got lost along the way. The little-spoken truth is that although we think of the Golf GTI as the archetypal hot hatch, it has in recent years increasingly become the exception to a rule that says such cars have to be road warriors in hatchback form. It has delighted in taking the other view – the view that prioritises feel, comfort and flawless proficiency over the more rough-and-ready, up-and-at-’em approach that others take. And some of that has gone now. By contrast, what Ford has done with the Focus that so impresses is that instead of moving its skillset in one direction or the other, it simply expanded it. That fast-Ford character we know so well has been retained in full. In fact, it’s sizeably enhanced. This is a car that loves the open road. It’s a driving machine to its boots. And yet so too is it an easy car with which to live. Sure, its cabin looks grim, but it works well enough, while its ride and refinement are, well, almost Golf GTI-like. Don’t mistake me: I do like the new Golf GTI, just not as much as I had expected to. It’s like those quiet, quirky kids at school who are always happy to do their own thing until one day they decide to conform and, by trying to be more like the others, give up something of themselves. And for a car whose character was already so distinct and charismatic, that’s a pity. The Focus ST suffers no such identity crisis. It knows exactly what its job is and delivers an entirely convincing performance from the moment action is called. It wins.

Rabat – Morocco’s government announced another set of lockdown measures to continue to limit the spread of COVID-19, including a night curfew. The government issued a press release on Monday evening announcing the closure of restaurants, cafes, shops, and supermarkets at 8 p.m. starting Wednesday, December 23. Morocco’s new measures, which will take effect for a period of three weeks, include a night curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. nationwide, allowing for some exceptional cases. In addition to the curfew, the measures also include the ban of public and private gatherings and parties across Morocco. Morocco also announced a total closure of restaurants in the cities of Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir, and Tangier for a period of three weeks. The measures come less than two weeks before New Year’s Eve, when celebrations are common in major cities, particularly Marrakech. The city known for its charming weather and architecture typically hosts millions of local and foreign tourists who come to the area to spend the New Year and Christmas holidays. In addition, Morocco announced that it will maintain all the precautionary measures the government previously announced. Morocco is still under a partial lockdown within its ongoing state of emergency. A set of cities where the COVID-19 pandemic is surging are still under heavy preventive measures, including Casablanca. On November 22, Morocco’s government decided to extend the city’s lockdown and COVID-19 preventive measures in force to prevent the spread of the pandemic. Read Also: New Year’s in Morocco: EasyJet Launches 4 Marrakech-France Flights The measures took effect on September 7 in the city. Health workers and authorized employees can bypass the curfew hours with a signed exceptional movement permit from local authorities. Morocco’s government continues to ask citizens to take all necessary measures to limit the spread of the pandemic, including the wearing of face masks in public, respect of social distancing, and the regular use of hygienic products.

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Sara Ali Khan is busy promoting her upcoming film Coolie No 1, and so far, she has been impressive with her sartorial choices. But her recent look left us disappointed. Styled by Ami Patel, the actor was seen in an ensemble from designer Namrata Joshipura, which comprised a denim co-ord set. And while we are all for denim on denim, we understand the combination can be tricky to pull off. The flared asymmetrical skirt did not work at all, and neither did the sparse sequin detailing. Also, we are a bit unsure about the hairdo. She looked really pretty in a cherry red ensemble from the label Safiyaa, which she had worn a couple of days ago. The outfit stood out for the slit sleeves that added some drama to the look. Styled by Patel again, the look was completed with matching nail polish, perfectly-styled hair and a lot of mascara.

What is it? With the exception of the Jimny, whose presence in the UK range became as embarrassing for emissions-conscious executives as it was endearing to the man or woman on the street, Suzuki’s passenger car line-up is now exclusively electrified. Quite some achievement, and it all happened in the blink of an eye, with mild-hybrid powertrains rolled out to the Ignis, Swift, Vitara and S-Cross in the space of just a few months. The most ‘electrified’ of all the Japanese marque’s models, however - if you’ll permit such a clumsy superlative - is this: the Across, and it may not have escaped your notice that it’s not really a Suzuki at all. The first badge-engineered car to be born from a new agreement between Suzuki and Toyota, the Across is all but identical to the RAV4 on which it is based, save for the addition of a less aggressive front end, bespoke wheel designs and a smattering of Suzuki badges. More interesting, though, is that the Across takes its power from a new four-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid powertrain that has yet to be rolled out to European RAV4 models and that makes its debut Autocar appearance here. Comprising a 173bhp 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder mated to a pair of electric motors - one with 180bhp on the front axle and another with 54bhp at the rear - the system endows the Across with 302bhp, making it Suzuki’s most powerful production car by nearly 200bhp and giving a 0-62mph sprint time of just 6.0sec. The economy statistics are equally eyebrow-raising: the Across can manage 46 miles of electric-only travel from a charge, achieves a combined 282mpg, emits just 22g/km of CO2 and - crucially - attracts a benefit-in-kind rating of just 6%, undercutting the Ford Kuga PHEV, Citroën C5 Aircross Hybrid and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. One final headline figure, then: £45,999. That’s what you’ll pay for this one-trim-only SUV, which slots it straight in at the higher end of the segment, making it a far cry from the brand’s other, more value-oriented models. Elsewhere, things are somewhat more familiar. The cabin is lifted directly from the RAV4, meaning there’s a 9.0in infotainment touchscreen with hybrid-specific displays, a nice chunky Tonka-toy-style gear selector and just the right amount of buttons, knobs and switches. What's it like? Two years since it first hit UK roads, this quirkily styled bodyshell still stands out in a crowded car park, and Suzuki’s subtle tweaks haven’t diminished its visual clout. A slatted grille reminiscent of the cutesy Ignis and Jimny might have helped it blend in on a Suzuki forecourt, but critics of the RAV4’s heavily creased visage will no doubt be swayed by the Across’s slightly softer and more rounded approach. A bit more differentiation inside wouldn’t have gone amiss, though. You’ll find the same dark, featureless frontage in versions of the RAV4 costing more than £10,000 less (albeit with a bit less leather), and when the Across is priced some way above the rather more design-led Peugeot 3008 and Volvo XC40 PHEVs, you’d expect the odd bespoke flourish here and there, or maybe a bit more chrome at least. Close your eyes, however, and it’s a fine place to spend time. The leather seats are supportive and comfortable over long distances, the physical controls are intuitively placed and satisfying to prod and poke, and all-round visibility is good despite those chunky C-pillars. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard fitments, as you might expect of a car in this price bracket, but it’s difficult to excuse the omission of something as mundane as sat-nav, especially when Toyota’s own system could have been carried over wholesale, potentially even with added functions like a charge station locator for this new plug-in model. Not that the Across is likely to ever be charged as a matter of urgency, of course. Battery charge mode - one of four powertrain combinations available - shuts down the electric motors and uses energy recuperated under braking and deceleration to top up the 18.1kWh battery, and does so quickly enough that you could probably get away without installing a charger at home. Unless, of course, you’d rather conduct the daily commute in EV mode and leave the combustion motor for the weekends, in which case you can expect a full charge in 2.5 hours from a three-pin plug. That might be the ideal driving balance, too, given the competence of the electric element of this powertrain. Take-up is smoother than its headline-grabbing acceleration figures would suggest, the silence doesn’t make way for excessive amounts of wind noise and tyre roar, even towards its 84mph limit, and the official range figure is pleasingly realistic. It’s a shame it’s not even greater, really, because the combustion element is let down, as is so often the case with Toyota’s otherwise slick systems, by its CVT gearbox. Driving around in hybrid mode, you might not even notice the petrol motor taking over from its zero-emission team-mate, such is the seamless nature of the transition, but you’ll soon realise when the droning of that single-ratio transmission discourages you from approaching the upper reaches of the rev range. Not that the Across is actively unpleasant to drive in any sense. Gearbox gripe aside, the overall package is one of well-rounded dynamics and pleasing ride quality. Cornering behaviour won’t trouble the best in class, with the low-mounted battery pack failing to quite compensate for the unavoidable fact that the Across tips the scales at nearly two tonnes, but urban ground is covered smoothly enough to gloss over that substantial heft, excusing the odd thunk and jolt. An honourable mention should go, too, to the decent-sized boot (complete with low load lip), roomy rear seats and plethora of storage cubbies. This is a near-faultlessly practical proposition. It’s just a shame your fleet manager might take some persuading. Should I buy one? If you can reconcile yourself with the idea of a near-£50,000, 300bhp-plus Suzuki, there’s little to be disappointed about here. Although faintly uninspiring inside, the Across is (just) plush and distinctive enough to justify price parity with cars like the Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e, straight-line performance is at a level way beyond what you might expect of something in this segment, and its 46-mile electric-only range gives it a considerable edge over the majority of rival plug-in hybrid SUVs. Suzuki has already said that availability will be “extremely limited” during the model’s first year on sale, so you’ll need to act fast. However, our experience of the Across suggests that if you end up missing the boat, the RAV4 Plug-in will be equally appealing, not to mention likely cheaper in lower-rung trims.

Rabat – In order to minimize the impact of COVID-19 in Morocco, the Ministry of Health continues to test as many people as possible. The ministry reported that 11,457 tests turned out negative in the last 24 hours. Since the start of the pandemic, Morocco has tested more than 3.8 million people. The Ministry of Health today confirmed that Morocco has recorded 1,899 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. The daily increase has led to a total number of 417,125 cases since the start of the pandemic. The COVID-19 epidemic claimed another 48 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total COVID-19-related death toll to 6,957. Morocco’s fatality rate is currently still 1.7%. Morocco’s healthcare sector today has 32,014 active cases receiving treatment. Out of the total active cases, 1,071 are in critical condition in intensive care units across the country. Out of those patients receiving intensive care, 95 had to be intubated while 729 patients received non-invasive breathing support through ventilators. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a heavy impact across the world, with hundreds of thousands of new cases still being recorded every day. WHO data shows that so far over 75 million cases have been confirmed worldwide, leading to nearly 1.7 million COVID-19 related deaths. The WHO reported that 795,942 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. New reported COVID-19 cases by region Morocco’s largest city, Casablanca, continues to be the worst-hit region by COVID-19 in the country with 474 new cases in the city alone. Home to more than 3 million people, the Casablanca-Settat region reported another 641 cases and 13 deaths. The Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region, home to Morocco’s capital Rabat, recorded 309 new COVID-19 cases as well as 10 new deaths. Sale is the worst hit city in the region with 98 new cases and 7 deaths. Kenitra follows with 83 news cases and no deaths. The largest city Rabat remains relatively less impacted, with 48 new cases and one death. In the north, medical authorities in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region was the third worst-hit region in the country. It reported 260 new cases and 7 new deaths to the Ministry of Health on Sunday. More than half of the local cases were reported in Tanger (87) and Tetouan (72.) The Marrakesh-Safi region today reported 190 new cases and 5 deaths amid deep economic malaise caused by the absence of tourism in the famous city. Marrakesh reported 113 out of the 190 total new cases in the region. The Souss-Massa region in the heart of the country reported 164 new cases and one new fatality because of the epidemic. Agadir recorded 57 new cases while Inezgane- Ait Melloul registered 39. The one casualty in the region was reported from Tiwnit where 24 new cases were also registered. In the Draa-Tafilalet region authorities registered 73 new cases and one additional COVID-19-related death. Read also: Morocco’s COVID-19 Figures Still Relatively High Ahead of Vaccination Campaign The Fez-Meknes region witnessed 70 new COVID-19 cases and 4 new fatalities. Fez reported 26 new cases while all other cities in the region faced less than a dozen cases each. The Oriental region in Morocco’s east registered 69 new cases and three new fatalities. In the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region, the Ministry reported 40 new cases and one death. Morocco’s southern provinces of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra and Dakhla-Oued Eddahab reported 41 and 9 new cases respectively, while thankfully reporting no COVID-19-related deaths over the last 24 hours. The central region of Guelmim-Oued Noun confirmed 33 additional COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths.