Re-Adding Mr. @#EVIL BABY as Vgame Reviewers Coordinator. WELCOME BACK!

Stellantis has removed all combustion versions of its small van-based MPVs from sale in most of Europe in an effort to speed up the group’s move to all-electric power. The decision to continue with only electric versions of these vehicles was announced in separate statements by Citroën, Peugeot and Opel/Vauxhall – which sell the technically idential Berlingo, Partner and Combo MPVs respectively. The move is a significant development for the UK automotive industry, as Stellantis is investing £100 million in the old Vauxhall Astra factory at Ellesmere Port to produce the electric versions of these MPVs (as well as the van variants), creating 1000 new jobs. Production is expected to get under way later this year. The group's mid-sized MPVs – the Citroën SpaceTourer, Peugeot Rifter and Vauxhall Vivaro Life – will also go all-electric in the designated markets. This has significant implications for the cost of these models. Prices for the all-electric Citroën ë-Berlingo, for example, start at £29,575, whereas the now-unavailable combustion version could be bought for £22,135. Autocar understands that Citroën will alter its prices to help account for the disparity. The Berlingo's Peugeot and Vauxhall siblings are similarly affected. Business customers outside the EU and those in Switzerland and the Balkans will still be able to buy combustion-powered models, Stellantis said, and Fiat, which sells its own variants of the small and mid-sized MPVs, has not issued a statement on the matter. Citroën told Autocar that converter partners – who configure the Berlingo and SpaceTourer for disabled users - will still be able to order the combustion versions. “There is no alternative to electrification. In the future, Opel will gain even more traction with environmentally friendly innovations,” said Uwe Hochgeschurtz, CEO of Vauxhall's sibling brand Opel. "From 2024, we will offer an electrified version of every Opel model, without exception,” he said. “In other words, the successors to Crossland and Insignia will also be electrified. Our statement is clear: from 2028, we will exclusively sell battery-electric vehicles in Europe.” Citroën described the decision as a “bold move” for “the benefit of customers and the environment". The Berlingo was the UK’s best-selling compact van in 2021, registering over 12,000 units. “This decision is the result of a responsible approach on the part of an activist brand that asserts its commitment to the energy transition and wishes to provide its customers with a solution for the future,” Citroën said. Peugeot is also pushing hard for the shift to electric models. All of its commercial vehicle line-up is offered with an electrified powertrain and 75% of its passenger car range is available as an EV. Link : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/business-tech%2C-development-and-manufacturing/stellantis-axes-combustion-mpvs-uk-built-ev

The most intriguing rumor we’ve heard about the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is that the phones might not have a notch, with a punch-hole used for the front-facing camera instead. However, the latest leak suggests that may not be the case. Mark Gurman, a journalist with a good track record for Apple leaks, has claimed in his latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg that the iPhone 14 range will have “a hole-punch-sized notch.” So from the sounds of things that would mean a notch that’s the same sort of size as the aperture for a punch-hole camera. That said, there’s some uncertainty here, since usually the term 'hole-punch' is used to describe a cut-out in the screen, rather than a notch, and some sites have suggested that this is what Gurman means. Further confusing matters, Gurman’s wording suggests this change could potentially come to every iPhone 14 model, which isn’t something we’ve heard before, but we could believe Apple would at least shrink the notch on every phone. So this creates more questions than it answers, but some of Gurman’s other recent claims are clearer, as he also used this newsletter to reiterate things we’ve heard before, including that an iPhone SE 3 with 5G could land in the first half of the year. Gurman also reiterated that a new iPad Pro with wireless charging is apparently in the works, and that the Apple Watch 8, Apple Watch SE 2, and a rugged Apple Watch will all be unveiled this year too. Analysis: whether there’s a notch or not, in-screen Face ID looks likely Whether you interpret Gurman’s words as meaning that the iPhone 14 range will have a punch-hole cut-out instead of a notch, or will have a tiny notch, something would need to be done about the Face ID components, as they wouldn’t fit in either of those options. So if Gurman (and the many other leakers who’ve made similar claims) are right, then it looks very likely that the Face ID tech will be hidden under the display of at least some iPhone 14 models. With that in mind, we’d also think a punch-hole camera is more likely than a small notch, since the former tends to be seen as more premium, and presumably wouldn’t be any harder to achieve. But don’t count on all four iPhone 14 models getting this; Apple is likely to keep it as a premium feature, in which case, as the rumors suggest, you’ll probably have to go Pro to get this design upgrade.

AMD’s Zen architecture propelled it to the top of the desktop PC market, but Intel’s Alder Lake CPUs have now taken the lead on our list of Best CPUs for gaming. Not to be outgunned, today AMD teased renders of the coming 5nm Zen 4 chips that will come with Ryzen 7000 branding and a radical new design that will drop into the new AM5 LGA socket. In addition, AMD demoed a Ryzen 7000 ‘Raphael’ chip running Halo Infinite with all cores surpassing 5.0 GHz during the benchmark. AMD says the Ryzen 7000 processors will arrive in the second half of the year. We have more in-depth details below. In the interim, AMD will fire back at Alder Lake this spring with its Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor. This new chip features AMD’s new 3D V-Cache tech that packs a whopping 96MB of L3 cache onto a single processor via 3D-stacked SRAM, which AMD says will boost gaming by an average of 15% across a selected range of game titles at 1080p. AMD says the 5800X3D will be the fastest gaming chip in the world, and it provided its own benchmark results against Intel’s flagship Core i9-12900K to prove it. AMD also announced its Ryzen 6000 ‘Rembrandt’ series mobile chips with the Zen 3+ CPU architecture, RDNA 2 graphics, and the 6nm process. You can read about those chips here. The X3D Era Begins - Ryzen 7 5800X3D with 3D V-Cache The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is the first AMD chip that will come to the consumer market with its 3D V-Cache technology, though AMD already uses this tech on its Milan-X processors for the data center. As a quick refresher, 3D V-Cache leverages a novel new technique that uses hybrid bonding to fuse an additional 64MB of 7nm SRAM cache stacked vertically atop the Ryzen compute chiplet, thus tripling the amount of L3 cache per Ryzen die. You can read the deep dive details here and here. As AMD CEO Lisa Su demoed at Computex last year, 3D V-Cache can enable up to 192MB of L3 cache on a single consumer chip. However, the 192MB of L3 only applies to Ryzen models with two dies, and AMD’s new Ryzen 7 5800X3D only has a single die. That means it comes with 64MB of cache stacked atop the 32MB of cache already present on the chip, thus yielding 96MB of L3 cache. It remains unclear if AMD will bring another ‘X3D’ model based on the higher-end Ryzen 9 5900X or 5950X to market in the future. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D comes with the same eight Zen 3 cores and 16 threads as the standard Ryzen 7 5800X, but has a lower 3.4-GHz base and 4.5 GHz boost frequency. That means AMD has reduced the base clock by 400 MHz and trimmed 200 MHz off the boost frequency. The chip will drop into existing 400- and 500-series motherboards, offering a hassle-free upgrade path for AMD users as they wait for Zen 4. AMD hasn’t announced pricing yet, but as we’ll explain below, it could be tricky. The 5800X3D’s lower clock speeds are an inevitable tradeoff — AMD stacks the additional SRAM directly in the center of the compute die to isolate it from the heat-generating cores on the sides of the chiplet. However, due to the need for a uniform mating surface with the integrated heat spreader, AMD has to use silicon shims on top of the cores to provide an even surface for the top of the chiplet. Silicon is an excellent thermal conductor but it will inevitably trap at least some heat, thus resulting in less thermal headroom. It also consumes more power. That’s likely the source of the slightly lower clock speeds, but as you can see below, the net result is a big win for gaming performance. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Gaming Benchmarks AMD’s stacked SRAM delivers 2TB/s of throughput between the two dies and minimal latency impact. Along with the additional cache capacity that’s kept closer to the cores, it leads to the types of performance gains that we would expect from the jump to a new chip architecture. Above we can see AMD’s internal test results, and as with all vendor-provided benchmarks, take them with the requisite grain of salt.

Name of the game: Metro Exodus Price: 9,89$ Link Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/412020/Metro_Exodus/ Offer ends up after X hours: in 22 hours Requirements: Minimum : Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7/8/10 Processor: Intel Core i5-4440 or equivalent Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: GeForce GTX 670 / GeForce GTX 1050 / AMD Radeon HD 7870 DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 59 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card Recommended : Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 Processor: Intel Core i7-4770k or equivalent Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: GeForce GTX 1070 / GeForce RTX 2060 / AMD RX VEGA 56 DirectX: Version 12 Storage: 59 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Car

The new Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept is claimed to set new energy efficiency benchmarks to get a “real-world range of more than 620 miles” – 167 more than the EQS flagship EV. The rakish compact saloon is the latest in a long line of design studies made public by Mercedes-Benz. It has been conceived to challenge existing EV principles in a programme aimed at hatching new ideas, processes and innovations for adoption on upcoming EVs. But asked what would stop Mercedes putting the radical concept itself into production, chief technology officer Markus Schäfer told Autocar: "Basically, not much. You can have a spin with it in a few months." Schäfer noted that the concept is a running and driving protoype, which even uses a version of the existing MBUX infotainment system. It uses a prototype of Mercedes-Benz's next-generation EV drivetrain, with innovative battery technology that will enter production in 2024. "There are many, many elements of the vehicle which are very close to moving into series production," he added. "We can look at the shape and form of the vehicle, and we are very close to the series car that we are going to see in 2024 with all the ingredients to make it one of the most efficient electric vehicles that exists". Chief designer Gordon Wagener confirmed that the EQXX is "at least one segment smaller" than the recently revealed EQE, hinting at its eventual production potential as an electric equivalent to the C-Class, which Autocar has previously reported is due around that time, likely using the all-new MMA platform for compact and mid-sized EVs. Despite conforming to all existing German roadworthiness regulations and providing seating for four adults, the EQXX is claimed to set a new record for aerodynamic efficiency, with a drag rating of below 0.18Cd. This compares with the 0.20Cd of the EQS. The development programme for the EQXX is said to have seen key contributions from UK-based Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, which builds the complex V6 turbo-hybrid powertrains for Mercedes’ Formula 1 cars. In developing the one-off prototype, Mercedes not only focused on the drivetrain but also challenged its designers and engineers to rethink other key areas of EV development. Central to the outstanding range achieved by the rear-wheel-drive saloon is its high efficiency rating, which at more than 6.2 miles per kWh is almost double that of the Mercedes-Benz EQS on the WLTP test procedure – a figure that Mercedes says is the equivalent of more than 282mpg in a petrol car. It has been achieved using a newly developed motor and a bespoke lithium ion battery, which, at just under 100kWh, has a lower overall energy capacity than the EQS – the longest-range version of which lasts 453 miles. Using cells supplied by Chinese battery specialist CATL, the 1750kg EQXX’s new battery is also claimed to be “50% the size” of the EQS’s 107.8kWh pack and is some 35% lighter, at about 495kg. Mercedes said that the new high-silicon-content battery operates at more than 900V and features “active cell balancing” – a process whereby energy is drawn evenly from each cell for enhanced efficiency at a cruise. Link : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-mercedes-benz-vision-eqxx-hyper-efficient-ev-saloon

US car giant General Motors has lost its title as America's top car seller for the first time in 90 years. Japan's Toyota claimed the top spot, selling more than 2.3 million vehicles last year, up 10%. GM said its sales, which fell 13%, were hurt by the widespread shortage of semiconductor parts that has been affecting the car industry. The Detroit company had ranked as the number one US car seller since 1931 and vowed it would bounce back. "I wouldn't rush out if I were (Toyota) and get a 'We're No 1' tattoo," spokesman Jim Cain said, according to Reuters. Overall, analysts expect the number of new cars sold in the US is projected to have increased roughly 2% in 2021 compared to 2020, when buyers were reeling from the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. But purchases remain depressed compared to their pre-pandemic levels, as companies grapple with supply chain woes, problems that have also pushed prices higher for consumers. "The key constraint for sales continues to be reduced inventory levels as a result of the semiconductor shortage," GM chief economist Elaine Buckberg said in a statement discussing the firm's sales and outlook for 2022. GM sold roughly 2.2 million vehicles last year down from 2.5 million in 2020, relying on its profitable pick-up trucks and SUVs to boost its bottom line. Toyota, which saw strong sales of its hybrids and other models, has been less affected than some other car makers by the shortage of chips, thanks to its decision to build up a stockpile after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. But it has also been forced to cut production amid the shortages. But America's top car companies have been ceding ground to international rivals well before the pandemic-related snarls. Ford, General Motors and Chrysler once accounted for as much as 90% of all US car sales and still claimed more than half as recently as 2008. But that has slid lower. Toyota's Camry has been the top-selling passenger car in the US for 20 years, while its Rav4 has ranked as the best-selling SUV for five years. Link : https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59874070

Happy birthday brother ❤️

Removing @Dracarys............. from the team. Reason : Childish behaviour, and his deccission.

V1 : V2 : Start Votes!

Opponent's nickname: @King_of_lion Theme (must be an image): Work Type: Avatar Size & Texts: 150x250 / Battle & (watermark) How many total votes?: 9 Work time: 1 hour

Urime urime bossi ❤️

Today is a special day for @K3T²²². We wish him a happy birthday, and a happy life.

What’s the point of prognosticating if you can’t swing for the fences, amirite? Sure, you can go elsewhere and read predictions for a very incremental 2022, but you come to me for the wild stuff, the possibilities that will make you go, “Wow, didn’t see that coming.” These predictions aren’t necessarily unhinged but I think most prove that while we can move the needle in key tech sectors, we’re also just as likely to muck it up or make the wrong choices. Case in point: in 2021 we’ve seen a raft of amazing wireless earphones that include water resistance and noises cancellation, and yet we still choose the most expensive option from Apple. As we close out 2021 and step in 2022, I’d like to prepare you for what will inevitably be the two steps forward, one step back nature of all things technology. The metaverse 2021 was the year Facebook forced us to confront the possibility of a virtual existence but the current reality of this unreality is less than ideal. That might change in 2022. It’ll be full speed ahead for VR and NFT fans in a suddenly exploding Metaverse World where everyone’s bought cheap VR headsets from Meta ($99 sounds about right) and is locking down for an hour a day or more to have virtual meetings, play still-blocky Capture the Flag, and cook metaverse animals with digital spices. We will shop for NFTs (worth even less in an all-virtual world) and virtual cars that we can then drive to our virtual friends’ houses, where we’ll take turns trying on Metaverse outfits. Reports of people suffering from something called meta-aversion will be widespread. Regulation We’ve been talking about tech regulation for all of 2021, with endless hearings and even more posturing (by politicians and tech leaders). In 2022, the U.S. government will stop holding hearings and pass, with President Biden’s signature, the first online bill of rights and regulations that will remake COPA and the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230, so that they all finally make sense—meaning these companies are no longer shielded from responsibility for the content on their platforms. Social media and tech firms will have exactly 12 months to fully comply with all the new rules or pay hefty fines each quarter. Shortly after, lawmakers will realize that the new laws repeatedly mention Jack Dorsey as the CEO of Twitter (he left in 2021) and the company “Facebook” which no longer exists. AR Glasses After years of companies big, small, and vaporware jockeying for pole position in what will surely be one of the more impactful personal technology segments in years, augmented reality enters a new phase in 2022 Apple, Snapchat, Google, Meta, and 45 other companies will release their latest augmented reality glasses, but Apple will rule the day with $799 iGlasses that, while being significantly more expensive than, say, Google’s $99 NotGoggles, will sell 10 million units in the first quarter. Space Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos got his astronaut badge and we launched Captain Kirk (William Shatner) into space, making 2021 the year of private citizen space junkets. However, space tourism is but the Kármán line of space possibilities. We still have Mars to attack and the moon the reexplore. No one will make it back to the moon in 2022, but we will see the first private astronaut spacewalk. It would’ve been Jeff Bezos, but Blue Origin’s New Shepard only spends about 3 minutes in space on each launch—not nearly long enough to venture outside the capsule. The task will ultimately fall to an upcoming SpaceX Dragon or Starship launch. Elon Musk himself will do the honors, stepping outside the capsule to affix a Dogecoin sticker to the gleaming silver surface of his spaceship. Pandemic 2021 marked another chapter in this long and interminable pandemic existence. However, by 2022 our approach might look a little different. With the world experiencing its sixteenth COVID variant (YaMomma), the CDC and WHO will launch a global vaccine pass for Android and iPhone that works with virtually every healthcare system, vaccination verification, and test-site and -result. No more cards, just phones you can tap against new NFC-based vax readers and go—everywhere (provided you have a mask and lots of hand sanitizer). All of the systems will break when Apple releases iOS 16 and Google launches Android 13. Internet stability We learned a lot about how the Internet really works in 2021, most of it not so good. 2022 will be the start of people taking proactive steps to ensure its stability. Tired of the all-too-frequent outages, governments around the world will propose massive redundancies for backbone systems. Unsure of what they mean by this, Amazon, Cloudflare, and others will unveil v2 of their cloud services. AWS2 and Cloudflare2 will launch in mid-2022 and crash for a few days in August 2022 and again in December. 5G Thanks to 5G support across Apple iPhones and most major Android releases, plus the rapid expansion of 5G support from T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, most of us have at least experienced a little bit of 5G’s formidable throughput power. We’ve also been mostly underwhelmed. 5G’s incredible promise will become reality in 2022. We’ll finally see traffic lights talking to each other and passing cars over 5G. A few overzealous car companies will add audio reminders that are triggered when a light notices a speeding car or one not slowing down for yellow. Sound systems will shout “Slow down!” at odd intervals, all thanks to the promise of 5G.

Although MSI’s MAG Z690 Tomahawk WIFI is priced fairly low (yes, $310 is low for a flagship-chipset board these days), the motherboard doesn’t disappoint on features. It comes with four M.2 sockets, integrated WI-Fi 6, the latest-generation audio codec, and a stealthy appearance that’s refreshing after years of RGB overload. Compared to the previous generation Z590 Tomahawk, you get PCIe 5.0 support, an additional M.2 socket, updated power delivery, and a more premium appearance that skips integrated RGB lighting. The best part about the Tomahawk is the price. At $309.99, it’s on the ‘reasonable’ side of Z690 motherboards, and its price only increased about $30 over the last generation Tomahawk. Most (if not all) motherboard pricing has increased over the last couple of years, due to a combination of shortages and the more demanding needs of faster PCIe lanes. So to see such a meager increase from one generation to the next is refreshing. Performance on the Z690 Tomahawk ended up average overall among the other boards we tested. While all tests were very close in either direction, the Procyon tests showed the most significant departure from average, matching the slower DDR4 boards more closely than their DDR5 counterparts. Gaming results were on par, if not marginally faster, than the rest so we’re in good shape there. During testing, the only complaint I had with the MAG Z690 Tomahawk WIFI was that the board used too much voltage for stock operation, which caused minor thermal throttling during a stress test. Read on for more details covering the features, overclocking, and our takeaways from testing and use. First though, here’s a complete list of the MAG Z690 Tomhawk’s specs, direct from MSI. Inside the box, along with the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WIFI, is the accessory stack designed to get you started with the basics (think SATA cables, Wi-Fi antenna and a driver disk) without another a trip to the store. We have all of that, plus the driver disk is on a USB stick. Below is a complete list of the included extras. USB drive (drivers) Cleaning brush Wi-Fi antenna Case badge User manual Quick installation guide MAG and Cable stickers M.2 screws/standoff sets EZ M.2 clip Screwdrivers EZ Front panel cable (2) SATA cables Looking at the Z690 Tomahawk WIFI itself on our test bench, we get a better view of the jet-black 6-layer PCB and heatsinks. The Tomahawk still keeps the military theme, with the heatsinks looking like panels on an army vehicle. You’ll find minimal branding, including the Tomahawk name in white on the chipset, while the MSI and MAG names hide on the VRM heatsink in black. If you’re looking for integrated RGB lighting from the motherboard, look elsewhere as the Tomahawk WIFI does without. All lighting has to come from external RGB strips, but you do get four headers for that purpose on the board. In all, this board doesn’t jump out at you as a showpiece, but you don’t need to hide it in a windowless chassis either. Focusing on the top half of the board, we’ll start on the left side and look at the large metal VRM heatsinks first. There is plenty of mass and surface area here to keep the VRMs below running within spec. The heatsinks aren’t connected to each other, but proved they could handle whatever we threw at them using the Intel Core i9-12900K processor. The two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required), located between the VRM heatsinks, deliver power to the CPU. Shifting focus toward the right, we move past the socket area and run into the four double-side locking DRAM slots. These unreinforced slots support up to 128GB of DDR5 RAM (there is a DDR4 version of this board as well) with speeds listed up to DDR5 6400+ MHz. The more RAM sticks and higher capacity used, the lower peak value. For example, a two DIMM per channel configuration lists up to DDR5 4000. As always, your mileage may vary as to what you can achieve as what’s achievable depends on the memory kit in use and the processor’s memory controller. Advertisement Just above the DRAM slots are the first two (of eight) 4-pin fan headers. The CPU_FAN1 and PUMP_FAN1 located here default to PWM mode and output up to 2A/24W and 3A/36W. The remainder of the fans (SYS_FAN1-6) start in DC mode and provide up to 1A/12W. Overall, there are plenty of fan headers with plenty of power behind them to drive your chassis fans and water pump without worry. To the right of the fan headers are the first two (of four) RGB headers. There are three 3-pin ARGB headers and one 4-pin RGB header. It’s nice to see plenty of RGB options, despite the lack of lighting on the board itself. We spy a SYS_FAN header along the right edge, the EZDebug LED, 24-pin ATX connector, a USB 3.2 Gen1 header, and a front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C header. Everything is in its place here.

Name of the game: DayZ Price: 19,99$ Link Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/221100/DayZ/ Offer ends up after X hours: 5 January Requirements: Minimum : OS: Windows 7/8.1 64-bit Processor: Intel Core i5-4430 Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 or AMD R9 270X DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 16 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX®-compatible Additional Notes: Internet connection Recommended : OS: Windows 10 64-bit Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD R5 1600X Memory: 12 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD RX 580 DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 25 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX®-compatible Additional Notes: Internet connection

This year’s nonsensical Frankencar is a paean to performance – performance of the sledgehammer variety, rather than the fairy dust type that’s epitomised by delicate playthings such as the Alpine A110. That said, with its track dayleaning but road-ready set-up, our car should be every bit as rewarding and precise to drive as it is desirable on the spec sheet alone. It has an atmospheric engine and one of the most feelsome EPAS systems around. A rear-drive layout with the engine halfway back beneath the dashboard, DTM-style, also gives it innate agility, yet a saloon wheelbase imbues it with stability and predictability on the limit. We hope. Our unholy creation looks epic and sounds even better – but alas could never actually exist. To create such an utterly perfect machine, you would need to spend £1.95 million on seven cars, then butcher them. Would it work in practice? Who truly knows? Probably best the Frankencar stays within these pages, as a product of our dreams and your nightmares. Gearbox Ferrari 812 Competizione: I haven’t experienced this particular application of Ferrari’s seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, but I have it on the very highest authority – a text message from Matt Prior – that the thing is ridiculously good. Of course, it also comes with the biggest and best shift paddles in the business. Wheels BMW M5 CS: ‘Goldbronze’ seems to be the latest design fad in the car world, with everyone from Land Rover to Cupra to BMW M applying it for added, er, swankiness. We’re not particularly fond of the M5 CS’s grille treatment, but the car’s 20in wheels are plain delicious. They’re forged, too, and the Y-spoke design strikes an agreeable balance between elegance and motorsporty undertones. Best of all, they allow for a generous slab of sidewall, which looks so much nicer than many modern-day elastic-band tyre profiles. All hail the wheel of the year. Materials McLaren 720s GT3X: The 720S GT3X isn’t road-legal, or even homologated for racing. It’s every bit as pointless as our Frankencar, but that only makes it a shoo-in for inclusion. Carbonfibre and Kevlar abound in this unhinged vision of what the 720S racer would be if not emasculated by petty rules. With help from a Ti exhaust, this big car’s kerb weight is just 1210kg – and that’s DIN, not dry. Engine Lamborghini Huracan STO: Lamborghini’s much-loved – nay, worshipped – 631bhp V10 was first seen in the Huracán Performante, and don’t let the riveting noise it makes distract you from just what an excellent companion it is for serious driving. It has precision enough to allow one to make the very finest adjustments to our car’s mid-corner angle of attack and a turbo-free linearity that’s not only enjoyable but also helps engender confidence, even in the sopping wet. Only Ferrari’s latest V12 runs it close, but here we’re going for the more compact V10 for our front-mid-engine layout. Link : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/ultimate-car-all-industrys-best-bits-one

Russia's Supreme Court has ordered the closure of International Memorial, Russia's oldest human rights group. Memorial worked to recover the memory of the millions of innocent people executed, imprisoned or persecuted in the Soviet era. Formally it has been "liquidated" for failing to mark a number of social media posts with its official status as a "foreign agent". That designation was given in 2016 for receiving funding from abroad. But in court, the prosecutor labelled Memorial a "public threat", accusing the group of being in the pay of the West to focus attention on Soviet crimes instead of highlighting a "glorious past". Russia labels reporters foreign agents after Nobel award Rainsford: My last despatch before Russian expulsion Founded in 1989, Memorial became a symbol of a country opening up to the world - and to itself - as Russia began examining the darkest chapters of its past. Its closure is a stark symbol of how the country has turned back in on itself under President Vladimir Putin, rejecting criticism - even of history - as a hostile act. There were shouts of "shame!" from those in court as the decision was read out. The ruling also shines a light on the rise in repression in modern-day Russia, where Memorial's own human rights wing now lists more than 400 political prisoners, and independent groups and media are increasingly blacklisted as "foreign agents". In court, lawyers for Memorial argued that the group's work was beneficial for the "health of the nation". They declared Memorial a friend of Russia, not its enemy, and called the case for liquidation absurd and "Orwellian". Among the sites the group failed to mark with its "foreign agent" status was the vast database of victims of political repression that it has assembled over three decades of work. The team argued that any mistakes had been corrected and that shutting down a prominent and respected organisation over such technical errors was disproportionate. In a statement later on Tuesday, International Memorial said it would challenge the ruling and find legitimate ways to continue its work. Russians needed an honest reflection of their past and no-one would succeed in "liquidating" that need, it added. The justice ministry argued that a group's social significance could be no excuse for breaking the law. But the prosecution's closing speech pointed to a deeper motivation for this case. 'Why should we be ashamed?' "International Memorial… is almost entirely focused on distorting historic memory, first and foremost about the Great Fatherland War [World War Two]," Alexei Zhafyarov told the court, accusing the group of creating a false image of the USSR as a "terrorist" state. Vladimir Putin has placed great store on the Soviet victory over the Nazis in World War Two, part of his hankering for the old days of superpower status - a far more attractive focus for many Russians than the parallel history of secret courts, prison camps and firing squads. "Why should we, descendants of the victors, be ashamed and repent, rather than take pride in our glorious past? Memorial is probably paid by someone for that," the prosecutor claimed in court. Link : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59808624