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What is it? A year on from its mid-life facelift, the second-generation Nissan Qashqai is comfortably still the country’s most po[CENSORED]r crossover - but this is a rapidly growing corner of the market, and competition is fierce. Rivals were beginning to eclipse the class-defining Qashqai with more dynamic handling and more up-to-date infotainment - although not, it must be said, with higher sales. So, to maintain its position at the top, Nissan has fired back with a focus on technology and a brace of new engines. There’s now a single petrol, a 1.3-litre turbocharged four-pot, which replaces the 1.2-litre and 1.6-litre units. It's available in two states of tune, and both versions are more efficient than the engines they replace, with improved fuel economy and lower emissions courtesy of a petrol particulate filter. Plus, they are tuned to deliver more torque at the lower end of the rev range - something lacking in the old 1.2. The more potent 158bhp engine can now be mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, a first for any mainstream Nissan and following in the tyre treads of the flagship GT-R supercar. It is the model tested here, in top-end Tekna trim. The petrol is joined by a 1.5-litre diesel at launch and will be followed by a 1.7-litre oil-burner in early 2019. The latter will reintroduce a CVT transmission to the range, along with four-wheel drive. All petrol models are front-wheel-drive only. What's it like? Quiet, composed and a world away from the droney CVT of the outgoing car, the dual-clutch gearbox shifts smoothly and makes for a more pleasant drive all round. It’s a full second slower to 62mph than the manual, at 9.9sec, but downshifts are fast enough that overtakes are never a concern. There’s also no real emissions or fuel consumption penalty for opting for the auto over the manual. The more powerful engine is sprightly, with a fairly linear power delivery, but unless you’re carrying a full contingent of passengers and luggage, performance isn’t that much greater than that from the 138bhp unit to make it worth the £1100 premium (£2550 with the auto ‘box). The Qashqai feels less composed on British B-roads than it did on Barcelona’s smoother Tarmac at the car's European launch, fidgeting and riding firmly over bumps that are clearly felt inside. A short drive in a model running on 17in wheels, rather than Tekna's 19in set, revealed a much-improved experience, absorbing undulations better and making for a more pleasant drive for all passengers. Inside, the updated Qashqai is much like the old car, which means a largely well-built interior comprised of soft plastics up top and harder ones below your line of sight. There’s ample room for rear passengers, even with the panoramic glass roof eating somewhat into the available head room, and a generous, 430-litre boot - although this is still some way off the class leaders'. The overhauled infotainment system makes a big difference, replacing the rapidly ageing old touchscreen with a more responsive unit. Sharper visuals and iPad-like multi-touch gestures make interactions intuitive, although it could be a little quicker to react at times. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring are both welcome additions, and Nissan has kept its useful shortcut keys so you don’t need to operate everything through the screen. Sat-nav mapping is provided by TomTom, and while the visuals look a little old-hat, functionality is better than that of more visually attractive systems. That’s true of the Qashqai's entire system: it does much and is easy enough to use, but it looks less advanced than better-designed rivals'. Should I buy one? There’s a reason the Qashqai is the UK’s most po[CENSORED]r crossover hatchback. It’s just so well-rounded, and the changes made ensure it isn’t wildly outclassed by any of its main rivals. In top-end Tekna spec, it rides firmly, due to its large wheels, making it less of a comfortable cruiser than it can be, and the extra shove provided by the 158bhp engine is only going to appeal to those regularly running heavy loads. As the mid-range models still get a generous amount of equipment, a 138bhp engine and N-Connecta trim will likely prove the most po[CENSORED]r combination. This stands to improve on the four-star score awarded here, although it does forego the option of an automatic gearbox. While some welcome infotainment upgrades keep the Qashqai competitive, the Seat Ateca is more engaging to drive and the Skoda Karoq has the edge on practicality. Neither of which will likely stop the Nissan from proving as po[CENSORED]r as it ever has. Nissan Qashqai 1.3 DIG-T 160 Tekna DCT specification Where Cheshire, UK Price £29,445 On sale now Engine 1332cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged, petrol Power 158bhp at 5500rpm Torque 199lb ft at 1600-3500rpm Gearbox six-speed manual Kerb weight 1435kg Top speed 123mph 0-62mph 9.9sec Fuel economy 49.4mpg CO2 131g/km, Rivals Seat Ateca, Skoda Karoq

US National Security Adviser John Bolton said the two nations were "deliberately and aggressively" attempting to gain an economic advantage over the US on the continent. He said the Trump administration's new strategy for Africa would focus on trade and countering terrorism. He warned the US would no longer fund "unproductive" peacekeeping efforts. "Under our new approach, every decision we make, every policy we pursue, and every dollar of aid we spend will further US priorities in the region," he said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. Should Africa be wary of Chinese debt? US cuts Africa troops amid Russia focus He accused China of using "bribes, opaque agreements and the strategic use of debt to hold states in Africa captive to Beijing's wishes and demands". He highlighted China's influence in Djibouti, which he said was not only having a direct impact on the US's military base there but could soon shift the balance of trading power in the region towards the east. Russia, he said, was seeking to increase its influence in Africa by advancing "its political and economic relationships with little regard for the rule of law or accountable and transparent governance". He said Russia was continuing to "sell arms and energy in exchange for votes in the United Nations" and extracting "natural resources from the region for its own benefit". The BBC's Anne Soy says Mr Bolton's speech could cause disquiet among Africans already concerned that their continent is being used as a platform to advance the agenda of global players. The US strategy may be viewed by some Africans through the same lens the Trump administration is using to assess China and Russia's intentions in Africa, she notes.

The image, published on a forum dedicated to the new car, shows the Porsche Cayman rival uncovered on a car transporter. It's not clear if the original source is a Toyota employee or somebody contracted to transport the model. Appearing to be the final production car intended to be revealed to the world next month, it shows the revived Supra's front-end design will stay broadly in line with the previous concept and prototypes. Deliveries of the new sports car will begin soon after the Detroit reveal, Toyota has confirmed, with the first cars due to be seen in the first half of next year. Read our review of the 2019 Toyota Supra prototype The Supra name will be back on a Toyota sports car for first time since 2002, development of this model having taken place alongside the new BMW Z4. Development started in 2012 as one of a series of projects between Toyota and BMW. Power comes from a BMW-sourced 3.0-litre straight-six engine with around 340bhp and 350lb ft. Drive is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. The Supra, which also features a BMW M Active limited-slip differential, weighs around 1500kg and has a 50:50 weight distribution, its body constructed of a blend of steel and aluminium. The model's lengthy gestation period has led to a series of leaks and drip-feed of information in the build-up to its hotly anticipated launch. Previous images that surfaced on a parts catalogue site published to the SupraMkV.com forums show three different wheel sizes for three different specs, as well as the availability of turbocharged four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines. Full styling of the car is not revealed in the images, but key elements such as the front lights, bumper, dashboard with digital instrument display, rear bumper and splitter are shown separately, giving more hints as to what the car will look like. It will also feature the distinctive, script-like Supra logo seen on the previous-generation car. Chief engineer for the project, Tetsuya Tada, previously told Autocar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the car made its dynamic debut, some of the tech specs of the new model. “I can’t disclose specific figures, but the output of this engine is on a par with that which we have with the F-Series from Lexus,” Tada said. The RC-F and GS-F make 389lb ft. He continued: “But you can imagine from seeing it that the car is light and compact – its wheelbase is even shorter than the GT86’s. It’s around 200-300kg lighter than the F-Series [which weighs around 1700-1800kg].” The Supra's expected 1500kg makes it 250kg heavier than the GT86 and 14kg lighter than the fourth-generation Supra, which went out of production in 2002. This would also make the car 14kg lighter than a PDK-equipped Porsche 911 Carrera S, with which the Supra's expected 0-62mph time of 3.8sec would make it most comparable. Goodwood Festival of Speed live coverage While Lexus’s 5.0-litre V8 is naturally aspirated and makes its peak torque at nearly 5000rpm, the BMW-sourced turbocharged straight-six unit is likely to produce its peak power in the 2500rpm range. Tada says that the Supra will be neutrally balanced and perhaps even more focused than the GT86 sports car, for which he was also the chief engineer. “The centre of gravity is lower than the GT86’s,” Tada said, “and body rigidity is twice that of the GT86.” As with the GT86, insiders have stated that driving pleasure will rank above outright performance. Tada told Autocar earlier this year: "It's really fun to drive this car. Front engines, rear drive… with such a concept, you can have the greatest amount of fun to enjoy a drive in the world. It's fun on the road as well as the race track, the autobahn and the English countryside." Tada emphasised that the Supra and Z4 will be very different from one another, suggesting that while they share several common parts, their handling will differ by quite some margin. He said: "It's different to the Z4; they are two different cars. We didn't start by finding common parts. We worked on our own ideas to see what cars we wanted to create, then we shared ideas to identify where we can share common parts." An earlier sighting of the Supra's interior showed BMW switchgear, including a dashboard-mounted infotainment screen and accompanying rotary dial controller on the central tunnel, as well as BMW heating control buttons and a BMW automatic gear selector. Toyota might fit its own parts to the final car's interior, but this sighting suggests the electrical architecture beneath will be based on BMW's systems. Toyota hinted at the performance focus of its upcoming sports car with the reveal of a GR Supra Racing Concept at this year's Geneva motor show. That model, which was badged under the firm's performance arm, Gazoo Racing, was a pared-back and more hardcore version of the Supra. Toyota executives have previously revealed intentions to produce several variants of the Supra with different power outputs, suggesting this motorsport-inspired concept hints at a future range-topping version, likely to be badged as a GRMN. Toyota is also likely to widely race the new Supra in sports car championships worldwide. A hybrid version of the car is also predicted to come as part of the BMW tie-up, with both the Supra and Z4 due with electrified four-wheel-drive powertrains at a later stage. Both BMW and Toyota are experts in high-performance hybrid power, with the former having launched the i8 back in 2014 and the latter competing in the World Endurance Championship and winning Le Mans with its TS030 Hybrid. Toyota's racing-derived energy-storing supercapacitors are due to be fitted to the Supra to power its electrified drive hardware. First previewed by the FT-1 concept of 2014, the design of the next Supra is slightly toned down compared with the concepts that have preceded it. While the FT-1's overall silhouette is familiar, with the headlights, tail-lights and double-bubble roof remaining, the car does away with aggressive features such as side air intakes and a fixed rear wing.

He is the first member of Mr Trump's inner circle to be jailed over the special counsel's inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He has pleaded guilty to crimes including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress. In a New York court on Wednesday Cohen lashed out at his former boss. The 52-year-old told Judge William Pauley that Mr Trump caused him to "follow a path of darkness rather than light". He told the court his "weakness was a blind loyalty to Donald Trump" and that he "felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds". The sentencing was related to two separate cases brought by the Southern District of New York and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. All you need to know about Trump Russia story Memo reveals Cohen's help on Russia probe Mr Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations for his role in making hush money payments to women who alleged affairs with Mr Trump. He will serve that term concurrently with a two-month sentence he was given for lying to Congress about a possible Trump Tower project in Moscow, a charge levelled by Special Counsel Mueller. Cohen enters a lift at Trump Tower in December 2016 during the Trump transition to the White House The judge gave Cohen until 6 March to report to jail at the Otisville prison in upstate New York. In addition the jail term, he was also ordered to forfeit nearly $2m (£1.6m). As he left the court, he did not pause to speak to the assembled media. If there's a lesson to be learned from the tale of the two Michaels, it's that deals with federal prosecutors are best done quickly. Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, when confronted by the special counsel's office, was quick to co-operate. He may end up with a sentence that includes no jail time. Michael Cohen, on the other hand, initially put up a legal fight. Prosecutors say he never fully co-operated. Now the 52-year-old is facing three years in prison. Another message from the fate of the two Trump associates is that Mr Trump's business dealings, not Russian election meddling, could present a greater legal threat to the president. According to Mr Cohen's lawyer, his client had the "misfortune" of being the president's personal lawyer, business partner and all-around fixer for more than a decade. When investigators began digging into his actions, they uncovered a variety of chargeable crimes. By all accounts, Mr Trump's larger business empire is getting similar scrutiny. His long-time accountant is co-operating with investigators. There's no telling where Mr Mueller's Russia investigation will end up, but one thing is clear - it's not the only shark circling the White House.

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Test mules for the Ford Mondeo rival are hard at work cold weather testing in the Arctic circle, and a number of tweaks to the exterior are hidden behind camouflage. The front-end will be brought into line with the yet-to-be-revealed Golf, so expect reprofiled headlights and new grille and bumper designs. At the rear, redesigned tail-lamps will feature. Inside the Passat will benefit from VW's latest infotainment system, found in the facelifted current Golf and new Touareg. It's larger, more feature-packed and brings gesture control. Expect the usual trim and material revisions, too, but it's likely Volkswagen's wide-reaching cost-cutting plan will reduce the number of trim level and engine choices. Speaking of engines, we know for sure that VW will be drafting in the firm's new 1.5 TSI Evo petrol engine in place of the old 1.4. It's plausible that diesel engine choice may shrink, although the fleet-heavy mix of Passat sales means it's still expected to be the volume fuel. One way VW intends to decrease the Passat's CO2 emission rating is by offering the plug-in hybrid powertrain in cheaper variants than the existing GTE version, which was a victim of the WLTP emissions regulation change. The powertrain itself will receive minor improvements including a larger lithium-ion battery, allowing for a greater all-electric range. It's also likely that VW will integrate 48v mild hybrid tech into certain variants, as it will on the next Golf.

Many people spend their 20s getting some unhealthy behaviours out of their system — like sleeping until 2pm on Saturdays and spending all their disposable cash on new kicks. But your 30s are an ideal time to cement the habits that will help you achieve personal and professional fulfilment for the rest of your life. To give you a head start, we sifted through recent Quora threads on this critical life transition and highlighted the most compelling responses. 1. Stop smoking. If you've started smoking, stop immediately, suggests Quora user Cyndi Perlman Fink. While you can't undo the damage you may have already incurred from smoking, research suggests that those who quit before age 40 have a 90% lower mortality risk than those who continue. 2. Start going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day. It might be tempting to use the weekends to recoup your sleep debt, but Nan Waldman recommends you hit the hay and wake up around the same time every single day. If you oversleep for even a few days, experts say you risk resetting your body clock to a different cycle, so you'll start getting tired later in the day. Avoid a lifetime of sleep issues by sticking to bedtime and wakeup routines whenever you can. 3. Start exercising regularly. “Try to move yourself as much as possible,” says Alistair Longman. “It doesn't matter if it's walking, cycling, running, weightlifting, hiking, swimming — as long as it involves some movement.” In the later half of your 30s, you start losing muscle mass, so it's especially important to exercise at this time. But remember to choose physical activities you really love, since you're less likely to continue exercising if you dislike your workouts. 4. Start keeping a journal. “Journal your life! Your written records will entertain and endear in your future,” writes Mark Crawley. Even if you'd prefer to keep your musings to yourself, putting your thoughts and feelings on paper can help you deal with stressful events. 5. Start saving money. “Building the habit of saving early means you'll continue it further down the line,” says Cliff Gilley. It might seem like your golden years are a lifetime away, but the earlier you start saving, the more time your money has to accrue interest. 6. Start pursuing a life dream. “Don't delay pursuing your life goals,” writes Bill Karwin. “Want to buy a house? Have kids? Write a book? Pick one of those life goals and get started. What can you do between now and the end of the year to embark on one of them?” 7. Start learning to be happy with what you have. “If you are content with what you have, you will have a happier life,” says Robert Walker. It's really about gratitude: Research suggests that appreciating what you have can increase happiness and decrease negative feelings. Perhaps that's why Oprah Winfrey kept a daily gratitude journal for years. 8. Stop thinking you need to satisfy everyone. “After I reached 30, I stopped feeling the need to please everyone. You can choose your friends and contacts more carefully,” says Kevin Teo. In particular, Teo realised he wasn't obligated to be nice to people who were unfriendly toward him. Whether you decide to whittle down your Facebook friends to a mere 500 or simply hang out more with the people who make you happy, it's important to invest your time and energy wisely. 9. Stop comparing yourself to others. “If you are unable to do some things in life compared to your siblings and friends, then please be at peace with yourself,” advises Mahesh Kay. “Don't be harsh on yourself.” As one psychotherapist writes, constantly peering over your shoulder to see what others are doing doesn't help you accomplish your goals. You'd be better off spending time thinking about what you want to achieve and evaluating your progress on those fronts. 10. Start forgiving yourself for your mistakes. “Forgive yourself your mistakes. We all make plenty of them. Don't dwell on the errors of the past — learn from them, let them go, and move ahead,” writes Liz Palmer. One social psychologist says that self-compassion (the ability to forgive yourself and learn from your mistakes) is the key driver of success. That's likely because people who practice self-compassion see their weaknesses as changeable and try to avoid making the same errors in the future.

Jacob Walter Anderson, 24, faced charges of sexual assault after allegedly attacking the woman at a fraternity party two years ago. But after agreeing to a plea deal on a lesser charge, the former Baylor University student was given three years' deferred probation. The woman said she was "devastated". "He stole my body, virginity and power over my body and you let him keep it all for eternity," the woman told Judge Ralph Strother in a Waco courtroom after he agreed the deal, NBC News reported. "I not only have to live with his rape and the repercussions of the rape, I have to live with the knowledge that the McLennan County justice system is severely broken," the woman added, according to a family statement. "I have to live with the fact that after all these years and everything I have suffered, no justice was achieved." Survey reveals 'alarming' attitudes on rape How 'MeToo' is exposing the scale of sexual abuse University to pay $215m over abuse claims This is the third time Judge Strother has approved probation for sexual assaults of Baylor students in the last two years, news agency AP says. However, District Attorney Abel Reyna has defended the deal, which saw four counts of sexual assault dropped in return for a "no contest" plea to unlawful restraint, as achieving "the best result possible with the evidence at hand". The woman, who has not been named, alleged she was repeatedly raped at a party by Jacob Walter Anderson in February 2016. She accused him of attacking her after she was given a drink which made her feel ill. He had offered to take her outside for some fresh air, where she alleges he assaulted her until she passed out. Jacob Walter Anderson, who was president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, has agreed to get counselling and pay a $400 (£317) fine as part of the deal, which meant he did not admit any guilt to the charge of unlawful restraint but did not offer any defence. If he had been found guilty of the original charges, he would have faced years in prison and been made to register for life as a sex offender. Neither Judge Strother nor Jacob Walter Anderson have commented to local media.

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