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(ANSA) - VENICE, APR 15 - Life Is Beautiful Oscar winner Roberto Benigni will receive this year's career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, organisers said Thursday. The honour to the director, actor, and screenwriter will be awarded during the 78th Venice International Film Festival (1-11 September 2021). The decision was made by the board of La Biennale di Venezia, which embraced the proposal of the Festival's Director, Alberto Barbera. Roberto Benigni, in accepting, stated, "My heart is full of joy and gratitude. It is an immense honor to receive such an important recognition of my work from the Venice International Film Festival." Regarding this award, Director Alberto Barbera declared, "Right from his debut, marked by his innovative and irreverent approach to rules and traditions, Roberto Benigni stands out in the panorama of the Italian performing arts as an unprecedented and unequaled figure of reference. Juggling his appearances on theatrical stages, movie sets, and television studios, each time with surprising results, he shines in all of them thanks to his exuberance and impetuosity, his generous way with the public, and the passionate joyfulness that is perhaps the most original hallmark of his opus. With admirable eclecticism, and always true to form, he is one of the most extraordinary comedy actors in an admittedly rich gallery of Italian performers; a memorable director who makes enormously po[CENSORED]r movies; and, his most recent transformation, one of the most esteemed performers and po[CENSORED]rizers of Dante's 'Divine Comedy'. Few artists have equaled his ability to combine explosive comic timing, which is often accompanied by irreverent satire, with his admirable talent as an actor - at the service of great directors such as Federico Fellini, Matteo Garrone, and Jim Jarmusch - and as an engaging and sophisticated literary exegete." Roberto Benigni was born in Misericordia (Castiglion Fiorentino, Arezzo) on October 27, 1952. He began his career in the early 1970s and soon became one of Italy's most beloved and po[CENSORED]r actors, directors, and screenwriters, well-known and appreciated throughout the world. His film La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful, 1997), which he wrote and directed, received the 1998 Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival and in 1999, of the seven Oscar nominations the movie received, it won Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor (as well as Best Music, awarded to Nicola Piovani). With the same film in 1999 he won the Screen Actor Guild and Bafta award as Best Actor. La vita è bella is Italian cinema's most po[CENSORED]r movie: 9.7 million spectators. And it goes down in the history of Italian cinema as the Italian movie that has totaled the highest number of spectators worldwide. Besides the four David di Donatello Awards and the four Silver Ribbons he won with La vita è bella, Benigni also received David di Donatello Awards for Il piccolo diavolo (The Little Devil, 1988) and Johnny Stecchino (1991); Silver Ribbons for Down by Law (1986), Johnny Stecchino (1991), and La tigre e la neve (The Tiger and the Snow, 2005); and, recently, a David di Donatello Award as Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Geppetto in Pinocchio (2019) by Matteo Garrone. In 2008 he received in Paris the César d'Honneur. In 2016, he received an Italian Golden Globe for Lifetime Achievement and the following year, a Special David at the David di Donatello Awards. In 2020 he was awarded the Prix Lumière for Lifetime Achievement. He has also made his name in American cinema, acting with directors such as Jim Jarmusch (Down by Law, 1986; Night on Earth, 1992; Coffee and Cigarettes, 2003), Blake Edwards (Son of the Pink Panther, 1993), and Woody Allen (To Rome with Love, 2012). His po[CENSORED]rity in the piazzas of his native Tuscany convinced the 20-year-old Benigni to move to Rome. His first successes were in avant-garde theatre and, later, on TV shows (L'altra domenica, 1976, by Renzo Arbore, as a hilarious movie critic). He then brought one of his own shows onto the silver screen, Berlinguer ti voglio bene (Berlinguer I Love You, 1977), directed by Giuseppe Bertolucci. Next, he put himself in the spotlight as the protagonist of Chiedo asilo (Seeking Asylum, 1979) by Marco Ferreri and of Il minestrone (1981) by Sergio Citti and he participated in La luna (Luna, 1979) by Bernardo Bertolucci and Il pap'occhio (1980) by Renzo Arbore. He played the lead in Down by Law (1986) by Jim Jarmusch and he was the surreal and poetic Ivo in the testament film by Federico Fellini, La voce della luna (The Voice of the Moon, 1990), co-starring Paolo Villaggio. Benigni debuted as a director with Tu mi turbi (You Upset Me, 1983) and together with Massimo Troisi he directed the po[CENSORED]r Non ci resta che piangere (Nothing Left to Do But Cry, 1984), the first of a series of box office successes such as Il piccolo diavolo (1988), starring Walter Matthau and the first movie he co-wrote with Vincenzo Cerami. Since 1987, he has worked with Nicoletta Braschi, the female lead in all of his movies and the co-founder in 1991 of the company "Melampo Cinematografica" which, from then on, has produced all their films: Johnny Stecchino (1991), Il mostro (The Monster, 1994), La vita è bella (1997), followed by Pinocchio (2002), which received two David di Donatello Awards and a Silver Ribbon, and La tigre e la neve (2005), which received two Silver Ribbons. Benigni has proven to be an extraordinarily talented po[CENSORED]rizer of high culture, performing and analyzing The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri; the Italian national anthem, Il Canto degli italiani; the Fundamental Principles of the Constitution of the Italian Republic, and the Ten Commandments of the Bible, all to great public and critical acclaim. In 2005, the President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi named him a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He has received ten honorary degrees and many other awards and recognitions throughout the world. On the occasion of Dantedì 2021, Benigni recited the Canto Paradiso 25, broadcast live from the Great Hall of the Cuirassiers at the Quirinal Palace and in the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella and the Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini. (ANSA).

own a long private driveway off Fox Hill Road is a castle of a home, reminiscent of an old English country estate — though this home was built just eight years ago. This unique estate sits on about 40 acres of what once was a horse farm. Now the property of John and Jill Fees features a formal garden, complete with a water feature and sculptures dotting the manicured space. But it’s also a working farm and orchard, with a green house, a large vegetable garden, a kitchen garden and enough chickens to get about two dozen eggs per day. The Fees’ home and gardens will be featured on Lynchburg’s Historic Garden Day tour. Jill said the couple agreed to be part of the annual event after learning of the work the Garden Club of Virginia does to rehabilitate historic gardens for all to enjoy. The Fees’ house features a central hall plan, providing a straight shot from the front door through to the ample patio, and on to the formal garden dotted with sculptures. The centerpiece of this space is a large water feature. Visitors on Garden Day will get to pass through the house and peer into the rooms that extend from the space, including the parlor, the large kitchen and the formal dining room lined by a mural of old Lynchburg. The patio in the back has its own kitchenette, complete with a wood-fired oven, and off to one side sits a kitchen garden where, in summer, the couple can pick their own salad accoutrements. “If you want a little side salad with dinner, it’s nice to be able to walk out here and just dress it out,” John said. The couple owned the property for a while before construction began on their home. There was other work to be done to prepare the property, including demolishing an old house, realigning the driveway and building a bridge, he added. “We were looking at land all over the place, and we just decided we didn’t really want to be that far from town,” John said. “So we tried to find a decent piece of property to do what we wanted to do, but not have to drive an hour to get to town. So this was a really convenient spot. We’re two miles from Boonsboro Road and feel like you’re kind of still out in the middle of nothing. So that was sort of a compromise, was to try to get a decent-sized piece of land but not really far away.” The design of the house is inspired by English manor homes the couple notices when they lived in Houston. “We were attracted to the design,” Jill said. “There’s one architect that we particularly liked, so we’d go to these open houses on the weekends. … We came across this one architect, every time we go to a house that we really, really loved, he was the architect. We talked to him about doing long distance and it just wasn’t gonna work.” So the couple took their ideas to local architect Scott Glass, who made their vision a reality. Built of various types of stone, the house is crafted to be low maintenance.

The open source and Chromium-based browser Vivaldi has removed Google's FLoC from its software as it believes the implementation of the new advertising technology is a “dangerous step that harms user privacy”. The search giant's Federate Learning of Cohorts or FLoC for short is designed to replace third-party cookies for ad tracking through a new API which was recently added to Google Chrome. Vivaldi isn't the first company to block FLoC as the anti-tracking browser Brave and the privacy-centric search engine DuckDuckGo took similar steps immediately after its release. We've assembled a list of the best browsers around These are the best business VPN services on the market Also check out our roundup of the best anonymous browsers In a new blog post, co-founder and CEO of Vivaldi, Jon von Tetzchner explained that FLoC doesn't align with the company's principles when it comes to privacy, saying:“At Vivaldi, we stand up for the privacy rights of our users. We do not approve tracking and profiling, in any disguise. We certainly would not allow our products to build up local tracking profiles. To us, the word “privacy” means actual privacy. We do not twist it into being the opposite. We do not even observe how you use our products. Our privacy policy is simple and clear; we do not want to track you.” FLoC off! Although Vivaldi is based on Chromium, the browser only relies on the Chromium engine to render pages correctly unlike Microsoft Edge and other Chromium-based browsers. According to Tetzchner, the FLoC experiment does not work in the company's browser because it relies on some hidden settings that are not enabled in Vivaldi. The FLoC API calls on Google's servers to check to see whether it can function since the search giant has only enabled it in parts of the world that are not covered by GDPR. As Vivaldi has modified the Chromium engine to make it safer for its users, the company does not allow its browser to make these sorts of calls to Google. Unlike cookie-based ad targeting which requires third-party cookies to remain on a user's system, FLoC builds a profile for each user built with data based on their browsing habits to determine their preferences. With FLoC enabled, advertisers will be able to see much more information regarding each user as this data is tied to their FLoC ID which follows them around the web.We'll have to wait and see whether the outrage from Vivaldi, Brave and DuckDuckGo is enough to warrant Google making big changes to how FLoC operates or if the search giant will decide to entirely scrap its replacement for third-party cookies.

Parallels has released a new version of its Parallels Desktop for Mac virtualization software that features full native support for Mac computers equipped with either Apple M1 or Intel processors. The program allows users to run Windows 10 Arm Insider Preview as well as various Linux distributions on systems running the M1 SoC at native speeds. Advertisement Running Windows on Apple's Mac computers may not be a priority for most of their owners, but there are still quite a lot of users who need to run Windows applications from time to time. Since the latest Apple MacBook Air/Pro 13 and MacMini are based on the Arm-powered M1 SoC, it's impossible to install regular Windows 10 as the second OS on them. Furthermore, unlike other programs for Mac, virtualization machines did not run well on M1-based Macs via the Rosetta layer, so Parallels had to redesign its Parallels Desktop to make it run on an Apple's M1 SoC natively. Parallels Desktop for Mac 16.5 supports all the capabilities that that users of PDM are used to on Apple M1 systems, including coherence mode, shared profile, and touch bar controls, just to name a few. In addition to Windows 10 for Arm, Parallels Desktop for Mac 16.5 also supports guest operating systems on M1 Macs,including Linux distributives Ubuntu 20.04, Kali Linux 2021.1, Debian 10.7, and Fedora Workstation 33-1.2. To ensure flawless operation of its Parallels Desktop for Mac virtual machine, Parallel used help of more than 100,000 Mac M1 users who ran Microsoft’s Windows 10 on Arm Insider Preview along with various software from PowerBI to Visual Studio and from SQL server to Meta Trader. In addition, engineers from Parallels did not forget games and ensured that titles like Rocket League, Among Us, Roblox, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Sam & Max Save the World worked well on Parallels Desktop for Mac 16.5 and Apple M1-powered systems. Right now, Parallels Desktop for Mac 16.5 is good enough to launch it commercially, according to the company. There are some interesting findings about performance of Apple M1 and Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac: An M1-based Mac running Parallels Desktop 16.5 and Windows 10 Arm consumes 2.5 times less energy than a 2020 Intel-based MacBook Air. An Apple M1 machine running Parallels Desktop 16.5 and Windows 10 Arm performs 30% better in Geekbench 5 than a MacBookPro with Intel Core i9-8950HK in the same conditions. Apple M1's integrated GPU appears to be 60% faster than AMD's Radeon Pro 555X discrete graphics processor in DirectX 11 applications when running Windows using the Parallels Desktop 16.5. "Apple's M1 chip is a significant breakthrough for Mac users," said Nick Dobrovolskiy, Parallels Senior Vice President of Engineering and Support. "The transition has been smooth for most Mac applications, thanks to Rosetta technology. However, virtual machines are an exception and thus Parallels engineers implemented native virtualization support for the Mac with M1 chip. This enables our users to enjoy the best Windows-on-Mac experience available."

Ten years later, I still consider Minecraft to be one of the scariest games I've ever played—due in no small part to the lonely melodies that fade in and out of an otherwise quiet game and the dreary moans of monsters that echo through its pitch black caves. Minecraft's original soundtrack, created by Daniel "C418" Rosenfeld, is an iconic companion to the sandbox survival game, but I've never seen the same attention paid to its bizarre and unmistakable sound effects. That's exactly what the latest episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz, a podcast exploring the origins of the most recognizable sounds in the world, set out to do. Host Dallas Taylor spoke to Rosenfeld about his early work on Minecraft (way before it was a global hit) and how he made some of the game's most ubiquitous sounds. At the time, Rosenfeld didn't consider himself a sound designer. He sourced sounds for Minecraft from Freesound.org wherever he could. Whenever he hit a wall with the limitations of the free library, he'd have to make them himself. And some of them, as it turns out, are pretty weird.

has revealed the production-ready Q4 E-tron before UK deliveries of the electric SUV begin in the second half of 2021. The Q4 is Audi’s fourth dedicated electric vehicle, following the E-tron, E-tron Sportback and recently unveiled E-tron GT, and it's the first to be based on parent company Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric vehicle platform - as used for the Volkswagen ID 4 and Skoda Enyaq. The Q4 E-tron is produced in two distinct bodystyles: the standard SUV model places its emphasis on overall practicality, while a sleeker, rakish-roofed Sportback model aims for a more sporting market position. The production versions retain largely the same design as their respective concepts, with a bluff front end dominated by a blanked-off grille, heavily structured air ducts, angular headlights with LED functionality, a contoured bonnet and deeply etched swage lines above each wheel arch. They are further differentiated by way of a subtly different treatment for the front bumper and grille. At the rear, the SUV model receives an angled rear screen within an upright tailgate, whereas the Sportback features a shallower liftback-style tailgate similar in design to that of the larger E-tron Sportback. As is customary on each of Audi’s production electric vehicles, both have a wraparound brake light bar with distinctive LED graphics. The wheels vary from 19in to 21in. At 4590mm long, 1865mm wide and 1613mm tall, the Q4 E-tron SUV is 185mm shorter, 15mm wider and 13mm taller than its Tesla Model Y rival. A 2760mm wheelbase endows it with relatively short overhangs and, in combination with its skateboard-style platform that features a flat floor, an interior that is described by Audi as being among “the longest in its class”. The German car maker puts the drag coefficient of the SUV at 0.28 and the sleeker Sportback at 0.26. Inside, the two Q4s adopt their own specially designed dashboard and cabin architecture. Key elements include a new steering wheel with touch-sensitive controls, a 10.25in digital instrument display with unique graphics and a standard 10.1in (optional 11.6in) centrally positioned MMI infotainment touch display combined with a 'Hey Audi' voice control function as an option. Customers can choose between three different set-ups: Standard, Virtual and Virtual Plus. The Q4 E-tron is also the first Audi model to feature an augmented-reality head-up display, with information, including moving navigation commands, projected onto the windscreen in two separate fields and with varying depth of field. To accommodate the battery, the rear bench seat is mounted 70mm higher than the front seats in their lowest setting. Boot space for the Q4 E-tron SUV totals 520 litres, extending to 1490 litres when the 40:20:40-split rear seat is stowed, but there is no provision for a front storage compartment. The space underneath the bonnet is occupied by the power electronics system. The Q4 E-tron will be sold in the UK with the choice of three powertrains offering both rear- and four-wheel drive. The Q4 35 E-tron opens the line-up with a rear-mounted electric motor delivering 168bhp and 229lb ft in combination with a 52kWh (net) lithium ion battery. Tipping the scales at 1890kg (1895kg Sportback), it boasts an official 0-62mph time of 9.0sec and a range of 208 miles on the WLTP test cycle in SUV guise. Next up is the rear-wheel-drive Q4 40 E-tron, which receives the same rear-mounted electric motor set-up as the Q4 35 E-tron but raises power to 201bhp (torque is unchanged at 229lb ft) and battery capacity to 77kWh (net) for a 0-62mph time of 8.5sec and, in the SUV, a range of 316 miles. Heading the range is the four-wheel-drive Q4 50 E-tron quattro with front- and rear-mounted electric motors developing a combined 295bhp and 339lb ft and packing the 77kWh battery. It offers a claimed 0-62mph time of 6.2sec and an estimated range of 295 miles for both variants.

Every year Hindu New Year is observed in the month of either March or April. This year, it is commencing from April 14, the second day of Chaitra Navratri. The Chaitra Navratri began on April 13. In this festival, people worship the nine forms of Goddess Durga for nine days. Hindu New Year also known as Solar New Year is known by different names in different regions. In Maharashtra, New Year commence with a festival which is known as Gudi Padwa. In Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, this festival is known as Ugadi. In Punjab, this festival is known as Baisakhi. The Kashmiri Hindus celebrate this day as Navrey, Sindhis celebrate this day as Cheti Chandi. On the other hand, in West Bengal, this festival is celebrated as Poila Baishakh. Now, as the Hindu New Year 2021 is here, we have brought you some wishes, quotes, messages that you can share with your loved ones on this day:Another year is here as a disguise of joy. Say goodbye to the old year and start the new one on a positive note. Happy Hindu New Year. *Wishing you and your family a wonderful Hindu New Year! May God grant you the wisdom to choose the path carefully. Have a promising and fulfilling New Year! *Starting this New Year, may God bless you with immense power and strength to fulfill all your dreams and make it big in life! *Forget the past and enjoy the present, as this New Year brings happiness, success and prosperity. Happy New Year! *I wish you have a great start to the new year, more blessings throughout, and end it with joy. Happy Hindu New Year. *May this new year bring peace, prosperity, and success to your life. Happy Hindu New Year. *Another year is here as a disguise of joy. Say goodbyes to the old year and start the new one on a positive note. Happy Hindu New Year.

French was the most po[CENSORED]r language in job vacancies in 2019, according to a University of Luxembourg study, while English was still most sought after in finance. Luxembourg’s multilingualism is reflected in the country’s job offers. The latest update of the university's "Languages in job vacancies in Luxembourg (1984-2019)" study confirms this. It concludes that in 2019, French was the most requested language in job offers, with 76.3% of advertisements explicitly asking for knowledge (whether or not the offer was associated with another language). Next came German, followed closely by Luxembourgish (for 68.2% and 67.3% of announcements, respectively). Demand for Luxembourgish grew by 17% over five years. Majority English in finance “The progression of Luxembourgish as a requested language was very significant between 2014 and 2019 (from 50.3% of announcements in 2014 to 67.3% in 2019),” the study’s authors, Isabelle Pigeron-Piroth and Fernand Fehlen, explain. Luxembourgish also appeared in first place for the desired languages in 9.8% of ads in 2019, compared to 1.4% in 1984. These data should be qualified, however, as the study is based on a sample of 8,340 job vacancies published by Luxemburger Wort alone, “which publishes few vacancies for the sectors with the most demand in English (finance, international sector, etc.)". Therefore, English is only requested in 16.9% of the advertisements studied. Differences according to activity sectors In 2014, in the previous version of the study, the authors looked at the vacancies published on the Jobs.lu website, where 88.6% of the ads published referred to English. “In the professional world, depending on the origin or nationality of a company, the working language can be Luxembourgish, French, German, English, and even Portuguese (especially in the construction sectors, hotels and cleaning),” confirmed Adem in an August 2020 publication. Luxembourgish is mainly required in transport and communications, as well as in public administration, while the financial sector only requires this language in 20% of cases. This disparity is also felt in the demand for languages in specialised institutes. The Luxembourg branch of Berlitz confirms that English is in the lead, with 31% of requests, followed by French (30%), Luxembourgish (15%) and German (14%). This article was originally published in French on Paperjam and has been translated and edited for Delano.

The best ecommerce platforms can enable your business to set up an online store that suits your needs.There is a huge variety of ecommerce platform packages from which to choose, so building an online store has never been easier. To begin, first you'll need ecommerce web hosting, which is to say hosting that will scale up with your business without interruption. Next you'll need shopping cart software to run with your ecommerce site. This will probably include a payment gateway for credit card processing, though if you're already established and have a decent enough credit rating you could apply for merchant services to reduce transaction costs. Your ecommerce website doesn't have to be expensive to design, either, as there are plenty of ecommerce themes available. Additionally, if you also have a bricks-and-mortar store than a Point of Sale (POS) system for mobile credit card processing can be particularly desirable. Which ecommerce software is best for your business depends entirely on your specific requirements. If you're an online-only outfit, then POS integration won't be necessary, but you may get a lot of business from overseas, in which case foreign currency support would be a requirement. In this article, we’re going to highlight some of the best ecommerce platforms available right now, before moving on to consider other options you might want to explore in terms of creating your own ecommerce solution. Wix is our top-rated ecommerce platform If you want a simpler alternative to some of the full-on web store building solutions here, check out Wix. It’s highly user-friendly, yet there’s still plenty of ecommerce power available to create a suitably impressive online store.

If there's one area where Intel's ongoing cutting-edge fabrication issues won't be an issue it's the auto industry, where 14nm chips in most cases would be a major advancement. So given the silicon shortages currently plaguing auto plants, it makes perfect sense that Intel wants to step in to produce chips for auto companies. But while Intel is reportedly already in talks with several car companies, don't expect Intel silicon to solve production problems any time soon. The optimistic goal is to start producing chips in the next six to nine months, which means actual Intel silicon wouldn't likely be available on the auto assembly line for at least a year. But something clearly needs to be done to improve supply. The chip shortage has gone from bad to worse and escalated to the point where companies like GM and Ford are already shutting down several automotive plants due to a lack of supply. Over the past 20 years, microchips have become increasingly integral to a vehicle's functionality, to the point where building a modern vehicle without them isn't an option. Equipment such as the ECU, infotainment system, navigation, and vehicle avoidance safety systems are all controlled by some sort of custom CPU. In many ways, Intel is in a good position to produce automotive chips. It's one of the only chip makers with its own fabs, and enough of them to produce most of its own silicon. Unlike AMD and Nvidia, Intel isn't majorly impacted by the ongoing drought in Taiwan that's dealing a blow to the already production-constrained TSMC, or as impacted by the crushing substrate shortages. At least not yet. That's why plenty of Intel's desktop 10th and 11th Gen desktop processors are in stock and going for very reasonable prices, while CPUs and graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia are often tough to find.So while it won't happen overnight (or even over a season or two) Intel should be able to respond to the automotive chip crisis rather quickly. It can use fabs that are already operational, rather than having to build new facilities dedicated to automotive chip production. Intel also says it will use its current process nodes to speed up production, though we don't know which process (or likely processes) those will be. Older, larger process nodes in the 22-45nm range are still quite common in the auto industry. So while Intel may finally move away from 14nm in the PC space with Alder Lake later this year, the car you buy in 2023 and beyond might have that sweet 'new' 14nm++ smell.

Oculus has announced its first entirely game focused showcase for next week, with Lone Echo 2, Pistol Whip and Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge all confirmed to be in attendance. In addition to those titles there will apparently be some "surprises in store". Lone Echo 2 is a long-awaited sequel to the 2017 space adventure developed by Ready at Dawn, which was acquired by Oculus last year. Pistol Whip is a first-person shooter that actually released back in 2019, though it received a substantial update in the form of '2089' back in November. What this new showing entails is anyone's guess. "This is our first event wholly dedicated to the stellar games across the Oculus Platform," so reads Oculus' announcement post. "You can expect new updates to fan-favorite titles, never-before-seen footage from some unreleased games, and a few surprises in store."Shaun is PC Gamer’s Australian editor and news writer. He mostly plays platformers and RPGs, and keeps a close eye on anything of particular interest to antipodean audiences. He (rather obsessively) tracks the movements of the Doom modding community, too.

Marketing new cars is some sort of dark art. However, broadening the appeal of a dullish family car by associating it with someone who is handy behind the wheel has to be an easy call. I mean, adding ‘Schumacher’ to the Fiat Stilo moniker at least grabs some attention. Only 200 of them were made for the UK market in 2006, so I thought it might be a challenge to find one of these beauties as a used proposition. I mean, this side of a Seicento, it is the cheapest way to get into an Italian motor connected to the German Formula 1 world champion. I was tipped off that there’s a 104,000-mile one coming up for auction. It’s a bit well used around the edges, but it has a full service history, a fresh MOT and a new master cylinder. I’ve no idea what it will go for but I chanced across a three-owner example with a modest 46,000 miles that is up for £3250 in the classifieds. There didn’t seem too much wrong with it apart from a dodgy CD player. It looked quite fetching and contemporary in red with black alloys. Those are the bargain basement of the F1-related hatch market and the premium-priced ones are the legendary Renault Clio Williams. You will pay solidly over £20k for one, maybe a lot more depending on the condition, which should be exemplary, and what limited-edition number it is. A Clio Williams 2 from 1995 is still something of a legend and the one I saw had done 73,000 miles and had had a recent cambelt change. It was up for £15,495 at a dealer. I also discovered a 1995 privately advertised example with 69,000 miles that would need checking out, but £12,000 certainly seems reasonable. Apparently, there are only 174 left out of the 444 made. Something of a bargain, then. Why is F1 so special, though? Rally drivers do it in the dirt and in the dark. With that in mind, just imagine the rarity and charm of owning a Toyota Celica GT4 Turbo Carlos Sainz, which isn’t just a transfer on a bootlid but a rather special package, including an intercooler and lighter bodywork. I could not find one for sale in the UK right now, but a 1992 example with just under 120,000 miles that sold at auction for just over £9000 last June seems like spectacular value now. Which brings us to the rather interesting Mitsubishi Lancer. Specifically, the Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition. This can be identified by having much more bodykit, plus 10mm-lower suspension, revised dampers, a front limited-slip differential and a titanium turbocharger. Again, they’re thin on the ground when it comes to classified ad or dealer examples, but last year there was one for auction. This 2001 car had covered a reasonable 78,000 miles and went for £22,750. Motorsport marketing certainly works on used cars and doesn’t mean mega money.

Chaitra Navratri, the auspicious nine-day festival in which the devotees offer prayer and pay ode to Goddess Durga is around the corner. This festival is observed twice a year and is celebrated with full zeal and zest across the nation. This time, Navratri will begin on April 13 and it will end on April 22. In this festival, the devotees keep a day-long fast, offer prayers and perform aarti to appease Goddess Durga. Ahead of the auspicious festival, we are bringing wishes, quotes and images that you can share with your friends and family:Let the spirit of these pious Navratri days bring you hope and courage in life. Happy Navratri to all. *May the 9 avatars of Maa Durga bless you with 9 qualities – power, happiness, humanity, peace, knowledge, devotion, name, fame and health. *This Navratri, may you be blessed with good fortune as long as Ganeshji’s trunk, wealth and prosperity as big as his stomach, happiness as sweet as his laddoos and may your troubles be as small as his mouse. Happy Chaitra Navratri! *May this Navratri be as splendid as ever. Hope it lightens up yours as well as your dear one’s lives. *With the blessings of Maa Durga, may you achieve success in all your endeavours. A very Happy Navratri to you and your family.Here's wishing you a very happy, prosperous and healthy life on the auspicious occasion of Navratri. *Aap sabhi ko Navratri ki dheron shubh kamnayein. Jai Mata Di *This Navratri, may Goddess Durga remove all your sufferings and may you get blessed with a happy and healthy life. Jai Mata Di. *May the blessings of Maa Durga always stay with you and your family. Here's wishing you a glorious Navratri! *May the choicest blessings of Maa Durga bring happiness, peace, good health, wealth, prosperity and harmony to your life. Shubh Navratri! Chaitra Navratri Quotes *May the goddess Durga give you all gifts of life, gifts of joy, gifts of happiness, gifts of friendship, gifts of love and all other gifts you want to have in your life. Happy Navratri!!

The governing body of the Jagtial Zilla Parishad has decided to introduce English medium in government-run primary and high schools from the next academic year. A meeting of the panel presided over by chairperson Dava Vasantha passed a resolution to this effect and passed on its copies to the principals and chairmen of the Vidya committees on Monday. Vasantha said the education imparted in these schools will be of high standards matching with the levels of the corporate schools. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has taken steps for strengthening the government schools by providing all kinds of basic facilities along with good infrastructure, she noted. “Keeping in view the spread of the second wave of coronavirus, the government ordered closure of schools in the state. Once the situation returned to normalcy, they will be reopened,” she said. Vasantha thanked KCR for announcing Rs 2,000 and 25 kg of rice every month for each private school teacher until the schools reopened in view of the Covid-linked economic crisis and non-payment of salaries for them. As many as 1.5 lakh private school staff would benefit by this decision, she said. She noted that the students of Jagtial were coming in top positions in the SSC examinations for the past three years. Teachers and principals should put in the same kind of efforts by providing students with quality education. ZP chief executive officer Srinath Rao, deputy CEO Sandhya Rani and Jagtial PACS chairman Mahipal Reddy were among those present.

Providing your devices and online activity with some of the top antivirus protection currently available, Norton 360 Deluxe leads the way in the range offered by world-renowned Norton AntiVirus. In this article, we discuss that premium package. We give you a clear sense of what Norton 360 Deluxe offers, from its features to its overall performance, so you can decide if it suits your cybersecurity needs.Norton 360 Deluxe is the second smallest (and second best priced) antivirus plan in the 360 range, sitting directly ahead of the Standard plan. You can go even more basic still if you're happy to drop down to the Norton AntiVirus Plus plan. For customers in the USA, Deluxe is followed by three progressively bigger Norton 360 plans: LifeLock Select, LifeLock Advantage, and LifeLock Ultimate Plus. For customers outside the USA, Deluxe is the middle of three plans, sitting ahead of Standard and followed only by Premium. Our dedicated guide on Norton plans will help you choose between the three. What devices can I use Norton 360 Deluxe on? As with all other Norton 360 plans, Deluxe can be used on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android operating systems. This means you can protect all types of devices, including smartphones and tablets. One of the key differences between Standard and Deluxe is that the latter package offers protection for up to five devices per subscription, as opposed to just one. In the context of the entire Norton 360 range, the Deluxe package offers a small to mid-size array of security/privacy features that build on what you get with the Standard plan. Baseline security and privacy features - Online threat protection utilizes AI-enhanced security technology to tackle various kinds of malware. - 50GB worth of cloud storage (only available on Windows PC) automatically backs up your files/data. - Norton Password Manager helps you create and store complex passwords for your accounts. - Norton Smart Firewall (only available for Windows PC and Mac devices) actively checks your network connections for threats. - Unlimited use of Norton Secure VPN safeguards your online anonymity and gives VPN functionality for up to five devices across Windows PC, Mac, iOS, and Android operating systems. - SafeCam (only available on Windows PC) prevents hackers from gaining access to your device’s webcam. - Dark Web Monitoring protects you from identity theft by monitoring dark web marketplaces. Additional features Unlike Norton 360 Standard, the Deluxe package also includes a Privacy Monitor feature and a Parental Control system. The Privacy Monitor feature means you can make any of your personal information held online - like date of birth or address - unavailable to data brokers. These are companies that collect information about you through various sources, such as social media sites and web browsing histories. The Parental Control system enables parents to effectively supervise their children’s internet usage via various features, such as screen-time management and web supervision. You can monitor your child’s activities from any type of device/operating system, and Parental Control can even be installed onto your child’s device (unless it’s a Mac). How good is Norton 360 Deluxe? Norton 360 Deluxe is a tangible step-up from the Standard plan, namely because it extends protection for up to five devices per subscription, increases cloud storage by 40GB, and includes an appealing Parental Control system that contains many useful tools. With all these features in mind, the first-year subscription price for Norton 360 Deluxe is quite reasonable. It poses convincing competition to rival plans from other leading antivirus software companies, such as Bitdefender with its Total Security 2021 package. Norton’s Secure VPN has a few issues: it doesn’t have a kill switch, doesn’t always satisfactorily notify you about connection issues, and can’t consistently unblock some region-restricted content (e.g., US Netflix). Overall, though, you can rely on Norton 360 Deluxe for dependable functionality and easy use.

HP has been unintentionally exposing AMD's Ryzen 5000 (Cezanne) APUs. Apparently, the tech giant (via momomo_us) has also shared the specifications for the Ryzen 5000 Pro lineup via one of the company's support documents. The Pro series, which is oriented towards business and professional users, utilizes the same formula as its mainstream counterparts. Ryzen 5000 Pro APUs come equipped with potent Zen 3 cores and an improved Vegas graphics engine. The processors still stick to a monolithic die design and are based on TSMC's 7nm manufacturing process. The most attractive trait with the Ryzen 5000 Pro lineup is the Zen 3 cores, which have proven to offer an IPC upgrade up to 19% in comparison to Zen 2. Unlike AMD's Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) chips, these new Zen 3 APUs will not offer PCIe 4.0 support. Ryzen 5000 Pro will drop into the current AM4 socket so a simple firmware upgrade should be more than sufficient to get the APUs working on existing AMD motherboards.The Ryzen 7 Pro 5750G, Ryzen 5 Pro 5650G and Ryzen 3 Pro 5350G are the Pro equivalent to the Ryzen 7 5700G, Ryzen 5 5600G and Ryzen 3 5300G, respectively. The Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 SKUs are equipped with eight and six cores, while the Ryzen 3 model sports four cores. All three processors leverage simultaneous multithreading (SMT) to tackle demanding workloads. Frequency-wise, Ryzen 5000 Pro processors should be identical to their non-Pro versions. The biggest difference between the two product lines is the feature set. The Pro variants come with enhanced security features, 18 months of software stability, 24 months of availability and a 36-month limited warranty. Ryzen 5000 Pro APUs operate within the 65W thermal limit so they aren't choosy when it comes to power or cooling requirements. Unlike Ryzen 5000 processors, the Ryzen 5000 Pro APUs possess an integrated Vega engine that's powerful enough for many daily workloads so a discrete graphics option isn't mandatory. Many of these Zen 3 APUs will likely find their way into very compact, business-oriented systems. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any indication if AMD's Zen 3 APUs will be available on the retail market. Ryzen 4000 (Renoir) desktop APUs were aimed at OEMs. However, AMD did promised that the next generation of APUs will arrive on the DIY market although the chipmaker didn't specifically refer to Ryzen 5000.

If you hate the Thalmor like all right-thinking Skyrim players, here's a mod for you. Assault on Valenwood ends the treaty between the high elf supremacists and the Empire, and lets you join the Imperial Legion in a war for the province of Valenwood. You'll be supported by some of the local wood elves and khajiit as well while you take the province back city by city. It builds on the previous Valenwood mod, taking that huge map and adding a series of battles across it. Note that you don't need the original mod to use this one, though you will need Skyrim Special Edition version 1.5.73 or higher and, as modder theblackfist warns, "a bunch of followers to help you and your allies out" and "A LOT OF POTIONS". To begin Assault on Valenwood, travel to the Solitude docks and find a ship called The Avenger. Find the trap door on board, open it, and enjoy your time in the Imperial Navy. Here are the best Skyrim Special Edition mods, and if you're still on vanilla, the best Skyrim mods.

They include some landmark designs such as the Alfa Romeo Alfasud, Fiat 127 and, er, the Morris Marina. Then there were all of the cars that have long since been forgotten – unless you can remember the magnificence of the Austin Apache or Clan Crusader that is…

Every year on April 10, Siblings Day is celebrated to mark the special bond. Siblings are the most irritating being on this earth, but a day without them is like a hell. We may have as many friends, but a friend like them is nowhere in the world. Whether you are blessed with a younger or an elder sibling, they are going to stand by you no matter what consequences they have to face. Well, we know it's hard to appreciate them in a person, so here is an opportunity for you all. As the special day is here, we have brought you some amazing messages, wishes, greeting and quotes that you can send to your sisters and brothers. Also, mark this day by sharing these wishes on your WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram status.You owe a special place in my heart that I can’t express in words. Happy sibling’s day! Happy Sibling’s Day to the world’s Best Brother. Thank You for being my brother and guardian angel. Happy Sibling’s Day to one favourite sibling to another. Happy sibling’s day. No matter what, you’ll forever be my best friend. Happy sibling’s day to my favourite sibling. Thank you for saving my back, always. On this national siblings day, you must thank me for my existence in your life. Thanks for being my most favourite person to annoy all day, every day. Happy national siblings day.

Intel took to YouTube on Thursday with a deceptively simple goal—help people understand how a CPU works. The company uploaded two videos as part of those efforts: a Key Concepts video covering the most basic aspects of CPU design and a Microarchitecture Deep Dive offering more information about those concepts. Surprisingly, the videos come without the usual bit of marketing we would expect from the company, so they’re incredibly informative without pushing Intel’s products. Both videos were hosted by Intel CVP of Client Engineering Boyd Phelps, who "has worked on some of the most well-known chip designs in Intel’s history, from Nehalem to Haswell to Tiger Lake and more." Here's the first of the twoPhelps offers a high-level overview of what a CPU is, how CPUs have changed over time, and how they rely on the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) in that video. That's more than most people might think, but the video is a little under 19 minutes long, and Intel included chapter markers for each section of the video. Here's the second video:That one's a bit longer; it clocks in at about 25 minutes. But it also has a lot more to cover—Phelps offered high-level overviews of everything from pipeline depth and superscalar execution to the microprocessor front-end and the CPU back end. This is probably the easiest way to learn more about processors that we've seen to date. It doesn't seem like Intel will stop here, either. As it said in the video's description: "Architecture All Access is a master class technology series featuring Senior Intel Technical Leaders taking an educational approach to the historical impact and future innovations of key architectures that will continue to be at the center of ‘world-changing technology that enriches the lives of every person on earth.’" The company also encouraged people "interested in CPUs, FPGAs, Quantum Computing and beyond" to "subscribe and hit the bell to get new episode notifications." If the videos on those subjects are this high-quality, well, that might make this the first time that deciding to "hit the bell" was a good idea.

Intel has started releasing a series of explainer videos as part of a new series called Architecture All Access, and it's actually a good way to learn more about your PC. In each video, senior Intel leaders will go deep on a particular facet of how computers work, starting with, unsurprisingly, the CPU. With the competition between AMD and Intel so fierce right now, it's a great time to learn about the brain of a modern PC. This week's two-part course is Modern CPU Architecture hosted by Boyd Phelps, the CVP of client engineering at Intel. Phelps has worked on Intel CPUs dating back to Nehalem in 2008, up through the recent Tiger Lake chips. There's a lot to take in from these videos, but if you have some time to kill this weekend, you can learn about the history of CPUs, and get to take some deep dives into the more advanced CPU architecture concepts. Part one covers the broad strokes of what CPUs are and what they do, and also has a great story about the first computer bug. (Spoilers: It was an actual bug.) Part two covers the key parts of a CPU in a "microarchitecture deep dive" and goes into the future of computing in the coming years. Phelps does a great job explaining complex topics like branch prediction and CPU microarchitecture in a digestible way. The series doesn't require a doctorate in computer engineering to understand, which is always a plus.Jorge Jimenez is a Hardware Writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, you can find Jorge streaming bad games with his dog or binge-watching an irresponsible amount of superhero TV shows.

I know what you’re thinking: we’ve lost the plot. It’s just not a fair fight, is it? I mean, how could it be? It’s like asking the well-meaning Old Boys squad from your local rugby club to play 80 minutes against a first-string All Blacks side. The result is only going to go one way, and in an uncomfortably brutal fashion. Yet there’s method to our madness here, because the Ford Puma ST and the Lamborghini Urus have more in common than a 444bhp difference in power and £140,000 gap in price (you could buy nearly six Pumas for the cost of one Urus) would have you believe. You see, these two are essentially the bookends of an increasingly po[CENSORED]r genre: the super-heated SUV. It’s obviously not a new concept (Porsche has been at it for the best part of two decades now), but in recent years we’ve seen an explosion in their numbers, to the point that the majority of new ‘driver’s cars’ launched these days take their design cues from rutted tracks as much as race tracks. Hell, so strong is the apparent allure that when Seat’s hot halo brand Cupra went its own way, its first offering wasn’t a pocket rocket or a sports car but an SUV.Believe the hype and these cars serve up a multitasking approach to motoring, their Swiss-army-knife-on-wheels shtick promising both thrills on the road and more than a modicum of go-getting, adventure-seeking character that traditionally tuned tin boxes don’t have the ground clearance or go-anywhere gumption to deliver. So this is both a straight headto-head and an exploration of the wider impact of such cars. You might be appalled or perplexed by the seemingly never-ending appetite for SUVs or unable to shake off the belief that anything with so much extra heft and height can ever raise smiles and spirits when you’re in the mood for going hard and fast. But do these prejudices marry up with reality? Time to find out. On looks alone, both of our contenders play on their rough-andtumble influences. The pugnacious Puma’s muscular transformation is particularly effective, its 19in alloy wheels and subtle ST add-ons giving it a more squat stance than the standard car, even if the decision to colour-key the usually grey plastic wheel arches makes it look more like a slightly taller family hatchback than a true crossover. Either way, it’s dwarfed by the look-at-me ostentatiousness and tape-measure-stretching dimensions of the Urus, which commands attention everywhere it goes. The Giallo Auge yellow paint plays a part, but even if it were finished in ignore-me grey, this vast and angular Lamborghini would have a magnetic effect on eyeballs. Love it or loathe it, there’s no arguing with the high-riding Italian’s towering kerb appeal. Height, of course, is one of the big draws of cars like these, their increased elevation offering drivers a panoramic vista (and a sense of superiority) plus a clearer picture of the road ahead – something that’s especially useful when it’s unfamiliar. You certainly sit high in the Urus, but while you do look down on other road users, you do so through a letterbox-shaped viewfinder, the low, coupé-like roofline robbing you of some of the usual visibility benefits of a big SUV.

A majestic New England style homestead set in English style park-like grounds on Auckland’s Southern outskirts has been placed on the market for sale. The five-bedroom/five-bathroom mansion sits on some 1.44 hectares of semi-rural land at Karaka, in Counties just off State Highway One, and is accessed by a meandering tree-lined driveway delivering total privacy in manor-like surrounds. The substantial home was completely remodeled some 10 years ago to plans drawn up be noted Kiwi architect Terence Hitchcock – whose vision for the stately manor included installing a lift between the two floors, recladding the residence’s exterior in black stained cedar, and altering the roofline to be more in undulating harmony with its countryside surrounds. Terraced gardens planted with shrubbery and topiary hedging overlook gently rolling lawns fringed by mature trees and a large lily-filled pond. The aquatic theme is continued on the horizon - with the home’s vista across Whangapouri Estuary on the inner reaches of the Manukau Harbour. Reflecting the English heritage of the estate, the grounds of 49 Walters Road are planted with mature oaks, swamp cypress, chestnuts, crab apples, magnolias and poplars. The property at 49 Walters Road is now being marketed for sale by tender through Bayleys Papakura, with tenders closing on April 21. Salesperson Peter Sullivan said the home reflected the best of two continents – with a stereotypical New England dwelling representing the East Coast of the USA, and the gardens paying homage to the landscaping styles seen in rural England and France. Mr Sullivan said that with vast six-metre ceiling studs throughout much of the home’s spacious 567-square metre interior, the designer character delivered a lofty “roominess” rarely seen in Kiwi lifestyle abodes – sustaining a luxury and lifestyle of the highest quality in one of Auckland’s foremost ‘stock-broker’ belts. The residence is heated by two large open fireplaces, with underfloor heating installed in the tiled spaces within the kitchen, bathrooms and entrance foyer. In addition to the communal lounge and dining room areas, the home also features a media room, study and studio space, and a wine cellar. The home has garaging for five vehicles. “With the ways Covid-19 changed working remotely from residential dwellings last year, this property is well suited to sustain a work-from-home office environment which is totally separate from the family living spaces,” Mr Sullivan said. “The study is already laid out to sustain a private area for either children to undertake homework or for parents to enjoy a space dedicated to administrative office-type tasks, while the substantial studio with its own kitchenette could easily be reconfigured into an office for two or three staff.” Mr Sullivan said that with the home centrally located in the middle of the park-like grounds, there were numerous corners around the living areas for any new owner to add swimming and spa pool amenities. “The paved wrap-around pathways encircling the main home, along with existing sheltered BBQ and al-fresco social spaces, mean a substantial pool area could be established either surrounded by the trees, or with views over the inner harbour,” he said. “Additionally, there are ample fenced paddocks of luscious grass for a family with an equestrian inkling to accommodate several ponies - with plenty of room to add stables and a tack room.” The home’s master bedroom is located in its own wing, and features a luxury ensuite, walk-in wardrobe, and doors opening out onto the gardens. Two other bedrooms are also located on the ground floor. Both the upstairs bedrooms have their own ensuites. Irrigation for the paddocks and water for the home are derived from three sources – directly from town supply, through reticulated run off stored in underground tanks, and with a deep bore – meaning the property has the potential to be self-sufficient if needs-be.

Adults with a disability or mental illness are receiving extra care bills running into thousands of pounds that they say could force them to cut back on food and heating and threaten their social independence. Amid a care funding crisis, some English councils are quietly increasing charges to people with learning disabilities and mental illness, in effect clawing back welfare payments and leaving some working-age adults with little more than £3 a day to spend. People facing the charges fear they will be unable to afford enough clothes and worry that basic pleasures like swimming trips will have to stop. One single man living with bipolar disorder said he may have to put down his dog because he will be unable to afford to look after it. Advertisement Care charities have drawn up dossiers of charges they describe as a new “care tax” and say it is a result of national underfunding of social care. The Health Foundation has estimated that at least an additional £6bn a year is needed to meet growing demand, rising to £14bn if the country wants to improve access to care and pay more to staff, many of whom earn minimum wage. Mencap, the learning disability charity, said it had received dozens of “concerning” calls to its helpline about the issue, and its chief executive, Edel Harris, said it was “causing huge distress for them and their families, and leaving many without enough money to cover their additional needs”. Some people are refusing to pay and are considering legal challenges. Care Act guidance says charges must be “reasonably practicable” for people to pay and that the approach to charging should promote “independence, choice and control”. One of the councils levying increased charges, West Sussex county council, said that while it had previously charged working-age care recipients less than Whitehall rules allowed, increases were now necessary because of “decreased funding from central government”. Care recipients in the county have seen weekly charges rise sharply, in one case from £5.59 to £83 a week, and in another from £40 to £151 a month. Matthew Welch, 22, who has cerebral palsy, has seen his care contribution more than double to £77, leaving him with just £23 a week from his welfare benefit, a move his mother, Sarah Welch, described as “appalling”. Sue Livett, the managing director of the Aldingbourne Trust, a charity in West Sussex that provides care for people with learning disabilities and autism, said at least 50 families had complained about increased charges. Advertisement A council spokesperson said: “Our charging arrangements follow national guidance and are based on an individual assessment of a person’s financial circumstances. We have asked people to contact us if they will find it difficult to pay so we can work with them on an individual basis.” A parent in Staffordshire said their family had been hit with a backdated bill exceeding £20,000 for their adult children with learning disabilities. “It’s disgraceful,” they said, requesting anonymity. “They have no opportunity to go out and earn money on their own. They rely completely on benefits.” Also in Staffordshire, a young adult with complex learning difficulties who needs round-the-clock care was sent a bill demanding he pay £88 a week towards the costs, equivalent to £4,500 a year. It has to be taken from his universal credit payments and leaves him with just £25 a week for other expenses. His mother, a hairdresser unable to work during the pandemic, said she was “absolutely furious” and it meant they would not be able to afford enough clothes for her son, which is a particular issue owing to his incontinence, plus it could prevent him from going to the cinema or the swimming pool with his carers. “It’s a huge effect on his quality of life,” she said. “He won’t have any variety in his day. We are not acknowledging that people are individuals and have needs in their lives.” Dr Richard Harling, the director of health and care at Staffordshire county council, said the amount people were asked to contribute was “based on what they can afford to pay while still being left with income to meet their living costs”. He added: “If a person feels they are contributing too much, they can contact us to appeal their financial assessment.” Social Care Futures, a coalition of care givers and receivers, has received more than 150 reports of rising charges. “Escalating charges must be capped and there must urgently be a significant investment in social care, our lives and freedom,” said Anna Severwright, the coalition’s convener. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “People should pay affordable rates and not be charged more than it is reasonably practicable for them to pay. Local authorities should ensure people retain enough of their benefits to pay for support not provided by the council. “We are providing councils with access to £1bn in additional funding for social care in 2021-22, on top of a further package of support worth £3bn to help address the additional pressures during the pandemic.” David Jones, 60, lives alone in West Sussex with bipolar disorder, which 10 years ago rendered him unable to work. The former newspaper subeditor relies on two hours of support a week to help him keep his flat in order but is facing an increase in his contribution for this from £40 to £151 a month. The money would have to come from his personal independence payment (Pip) and would take up a third of that budget. He said that would leave him choosing between “heating and eating” and it would affect his budget so much that he will have to consider putting down his 14-year-old dog, Megan, which he said would be “beyond awful”. Pip is supposed to help people with illness, disabilities and mental health conditions maintain norms of everyday life. He said clawing this money back was “just ridiculous”. “I simply can’t afford it,” Jones said. “This extortionate demand represents 20% of my monthly income from benefits. It has to be outright unfair and a national scandal that the Department for Work and Pensions awards us Pip with one hand, and the county council takes up to a third of it away with the other. “I would have to cut my food budget drastically and might end up having to go to a food bank,” he said. “I have a dog and if I was going to try and budget for the amount of money [I have left] the dog would have to go.” He said Megan had been a “lifeline to sanity” during the pandemic and had been “incredibly helpful for my mental health”. “This [demand] has caused me incredible distress and anxiety,” he said. “There are people in an even more vulnerable position than me suffering with mental health illnesses, autism and learning disabilities and it must be extremely difficult for them to cope with this. It’s really heartless and cruel. I don’t think it’s going to raise an awful lot for the county council but it’s a vast amount for us.” The council has said central government cuts precipitated the increased charges and it has asked “people to contact us if they will find it difficult to pay”.

A new irrigation policy that favors Taiwan's chipmakers over its rice farmers has led to increased tension between the two, The New York Times reported Thursday, as the country attempts to respond to a water shortage caused by an ongoing drought. Liberty Times Net reported that Taiwan's Water Resources Agency shut off irrigation to more than 183,000 acres of farmland to conserve water. Yet companies in the Hsinchu Science Park—most notably TSMC—still receive the precious liquid. It might seem odd to prioritize chip production over farming, but Water Resources Agency deputy director Wang Yi-Feng told the NYT that the inverse would be a "lose-lose" because the farmers would suffer from low yields even with irrigated water. Yet a recent study co-authored by the Semiconductor Industry Alliance estimated that 92% of the world's sub-10nm chip production happens in Taiwan. That means problems in the country "may cause severe interruptions in the supply of chips."Companies like TSMC have responded to the water shortage with everything from improved recycling processes to trucking in water from elsewhere. These efforts won't completely solve the problem, however, at least in the short term. Taiwan's Water Resources Agency is essentially in a no-win situation. If it favors rice farmers it runs the risk of further limiting chip production during a global shortage, and there's no guarantee that the farms would receive enough water anyway. But, as The New York Times report showed, prioritizing the semiconductor industry is already rubbing some residents the wrong way. It's also a temporary solution that appears to be intended to bide time until the drought finally comes to an end. In the meantime, TSMC can announce plans to spend $100 billion in three years to improve chip supply and continue developing new technologies, but it can't actually make it rain.