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The World of Work research, an in-depth view on international working and global mobility, compares trends from 2017 and 2020, highlighting significant changes in the process of establishing and supporting international assignments. Another significant change was the increased challenge facing Global Mobility Managers in developing healthcare packages for international workers. Half of the HR managers surveyed stated that some of the biggest challenges facing their organisation were developing benefit packages that are consistent across different employee types and geographies (52% in 2020 compared with 45% in 2017) and meeting demands for a wide range of healthcare and wellbeing services (51% up from 34%). However, the HR decision-makers surveyed indicated that, compared to other benefits, managing the cost of providing a comprehensive package was considerably less challenging than in previous years, falling from 52% in 2017 to 39% in 2020. Which is positive when you consider that, before the impact of Covid-19, the average cost of placing an assignment had increased from $50,000 in 2017 to $69,000 in 2020. Andy Edwards, global head of international healthcare, AXA Global Healthcare, commented: "The need for international working has not gone away since our initial report in 2017. If anything, the appetite for it has grown. Undoubtedly, the Covid-19 pandemic, which began as this research was being undertaken, will bring a new perspective to international assignments. But of those Global Mobility Managers we interviewed some weeks into the pandemic, many suggested that it wouldn't necessarily change their business need for international assignments to take place." "Instead, it appeared to be the nature of the assignments that might evolve, with shorter-term assignments and focus on choosing the right person to send becoming even more prevalent. We might even see this evolution unfold differently in individual sectors, depending on their ability to deploy skills and resources when needed." "We were particularly pleased to see a change in the challenges in developing healthcare packages. Emphasis is now less on managing cost and more on developing a package that meets a wider range of employee demand. This can only be of benefit for employees, as they look for more support from their employer. The concept of offering more specific benefits for individuals with different needs, while challenging for the manager to deliver, will support the specific needs of the employee wherever they are in the world." At every stage of the assignment process, changes have been noted. Support available following an assignment's completion has also improved. A full repatriation package was made available by 54% of managers (up from 43% in 2017), which can include career coaching or preparing for a new role. In addition, over half of Mobility Managers now see international assignments as a route to career progression, with an assignment often ending in a promotion for the employee (up to 53% from 42% in 2017). Edwards concluded: "International working has no doubt been hit hard by the pandemic, creating huge uncertainty for those on assignment and those managing the process. As we move forward into 2021, and a new normal is established, we expect more focus to be upon who takes assignments and an increase in specific support to maximise the likelihood of the placement's success."

Chinese state media touted the timing of the Thursday call, which came on the eve of the Lunar New Year – among the biggest holiday seasons in many Asian countries, including China. "This was widely interpreted as a gesture that Biden showed respect for President Xi and China," according to an editorial by the English-language Global Times. "It seems that he was using such goodwill to balance the tough messages the new U.S. administration sent in recent days and various interpretations on those messages." The outlet is run by the Chinese Communist Party but is not considered a direct mouthpiece for it. Friday's editorial highlighted Xi's deep personal experience with Biden, who led a series of American delegations to Beijing – including one in 2011, when as vice president he was scheduled to meet with the Chinese leader five times. Biden himself has previously touted the value of their meetings, particularly for a leader like Xi, whose personal character remains relatively unknown globally while his grip on the levers of power at home steadily grows. Their call on Thursday lasted for two hours – rare for a session between leaders of the world's most consequential powers. American readouts of the call said Biden challenged Xi on its recent military and human rights practices, with the president later saying that Beijing will "eat our lunch" on infrastructure spending if the U.S. does not do more to catch up. The Biden administration has, however, also set out to establish a more amicable tone than the previous one, particularly following President Donald Trump's escalating vitriol toward China over the last year as he blamed Beijing for the fallout from the coronavirus within the U.S. Many of Trump's top advisers, particularly then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, made containing China a cornerstone of their tenures, and they perpetuated a trade war whose effects remain in place. Though insisting the U.S. will embrace competition rather than combativeness, Biden has continued to take a hard line against Beijing, which the Global Times noted on Friday. On Thursday, the Pentagon expanded on the formation of a new, high-profile task force designed to study U.S. military policy toward China and how it might change. "China is the No. 1 pacing challenge for the department," Defense spokesman John Kirby said Friday following the announcement of the new task force, to be led by longtime Biden staffer and China hand Ely Ratner. [ READ: China Threatens U.S. Over Taiwan ] Biden also, notably, has not lifted any punishing measures Trump levied as a part of his trade war – perhaps a sign that he intends to maintain some elements of his predecessor's more muscular foreign policies, as many analysts have suggested he do. Regardless, Beijing appears to have embraced the new tone Biden has set even while acknowledging its differences with Trump. "The Biden administration is at the crossroads of how to re-manage and control those differences," the Global Times said. Again citing the timing of Thursday's call, it added, "Biden's basic attitude is the U.S. would have extreme competition with China, but won't allow competition to develop into conflict. This is Biden's bottom line." Early appraisals from within the U.S. of Biden's approach have also been positive but cautious. "The president and his team have struck an effective balance between determination to confront China and openness to change, between urgency and patience," Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., said shortly after this week's phone call. "Messages from the White House and Foggy Bottom have been clear, but measured, making it easier for allies to sign on to American initiatives and more difficult for Beijing to demonize and dismiss American statements." [ MORE: U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities and Problems ] However, Daly said the administration must also immediately begin pursuing other consequential policies on which China and the U.S. can collaborate, such as climate change. "The president has the broad strategy, the team and the temperament for what he calls 'extreme competition with China. There is no point in waiting passively for China's next move," Daly said. And challenges remain. China continues to militarize contested areas of its land and sea borders. This week a flotilla of its warships again engaged in provocative maneuvers in the Strait of Taiwan, threatening its eponymous sovereign nation that the Pentagon considers a critical bulwark against Chinese expansionism. Beijing continues harsh civil rights crackdowns in Hong Kong. It so far has not condemned the Myanmar military's attempted coup earlier this month – and threatens to block international action against it. And just this week it expelled the BBC and banned its broadcasts in China for what it considers anti-Chinese bias, a move the State Department blasted as "troubling" for "one of the most controlled, most aggressive, least free information spaces in the world."

Software AG has entered a collaboration agreement with Automation Anywhere, which will facilitate scalable automation for more organizations. Software AG’s ARIS platform will bookend Automation Anywhere Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with process mining and process management. This will increase the discovery of automation possibilities and the management of automated processes. Software AG’s Digital Business Platform (DBP) is a business process management tool that provides the control needed to improve every business process’s speed, visibility, consistency, and agility while minimizing costs and increasing standardization. The solution combines the vendor’s webMethods BPMS product with its middleware stack and advanced analytics capabilities. With Software AG’s leading BPM system, you can rapidly build or change business practices and workflows, creating applications that are as dynamic as your business is. The platform enables users to manage tasks and teams more efficiently, fostering greater collaboration between stakeholders and departments. Software AG also launched a cloud platform for its process mining tool called ARIS Process Mining SaaS in 2020. Automation Anywhere provides RPA technology, which has significantly grown in demand in the past year as businesses look to enhance efficiency and cost savings. Software AG delivers solutions to manage automation as RPA continues to become more commonplace and rise in po[CENSORED]rity. In a press statement, Marc Vietor, Head of Business Transformation at Software AG, said, “if RPA is effectively a member of the workforce, ARIS is the HR department to look after them. It’s important that businesses have the visibility to not only spot good opportunities to automate manual processes, but that they can optimize and develop their robotic processes too. If the platforms or applications that the robots work with change, something has to spot whether they can cope with that change. In the same way that if a human’s job role changes, the business lead is there to ensure the right guidance training is provided to manage that transition. The combination of Software AG and Automation Anywhere creates a complete package for business transformation end-to-end.”

New York, Feb. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Hardware Support Services Global Market Report 2021: COVID 19 Impact and Recovery to 2030" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06009775/?utm_source=GNW 03 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $1098.15 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 9%. The hardware support services market consists of sales of hardware support services and related goods by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that provide hardware support services including computer and peripherals support services, storage and servers support services, networking support services and others. Hardware support services may be either a reactive support, preventive-based support, or proactive support. The hardware support services market is segmented into computer and peripherals support services; storage and servers support services; networking support services and other hardware support services. Western Europe was the largest region in the global hardware support services market, accounting for 49% of the market in 2020. North America was the second largest region accounting for 28% of the global hardware support services market. Africa was the smallest region in the global hardware support services market. Cloud software solutions have been gaining acceptance from companies across all industries as it eliminated the need for physical storage space required to deploy the software. The cloud is a software delivery method where a vendor hosts a software application in a remote server and customers can access it through the internet. As cloud computing services continue to grow, the demand for cloud data recovery solutions is gathering pace. Disaster recovery tools are particularly needed because the cloud stores data which is prone to cyber and malware attacks. For instance, Kroll Ontrack offers SharePoint and SQL server cloud data recovery solutions. The outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has acted as a significant restraint on the hardware support services market in 2020 as supply chains were disrupted due to trade restrictions and employees working for these establishments faced difficulties related to infrastructure and communication owing to lockdowns imposed by governments globally, forcing them to work from home. COVID 19 is an infectious disease with flu-like symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. The virus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province of the People’s Republic of China and spread globally including Western Europe, North America and Asia. Steps by national governments to contain the transmission have resulted in a decline in economic activity with countries entering a state of ’lock down’ and the outbreak is expected to continue to have a negative impact on businesses throughout 2020 and into 2021. However, it is expected that the hardware support services market will recover from the shock across the forecast period as it is a ’black swan’ event and not related to ongoing or fundamental weaknesses in the market or the global economy.? Governments around the world are investing in the creation of smart cities; this is expected to drive the demand for computer hardware products and subsequently hardware support services market during the forecast period. The European Union is actively promoting smart-city initiatives, with funds for research and sustainability targets for member states. The concept of smart cities is becoming more po[CENSORED]r in developing nations too. For instance, more than 1,000 smart city pilot projects are either ready for or are under construction globally and around 500 of these projects are in China. The overall smart-city experience involves systems and objects interconnected through various technologies like local, wired and wireless networks. The establishment of smart cities in turn increases the demand for the hardware support services.

Apple's car plans could involve several potential manufacturing partners capable of building an electric self-driving vehicle for the technology giant. The secret project has gained momentum in recent months, adding multiple former Tesla executives, gaining the supervision of Apple's top artificial intelligence executive and ramping up road tests. The initiative, known as Project Titan inside Apple, is attracting intense interest because of its potential to upend the automotive industry and supply chains, much like the iPhone did to the smartphone market. If and when Apple commits to building a car, it is likely to seek multiple partners -- including a major one to build the vehicle and many others to supply key components. The following companies -- whose representatives declined to comment -- are possible candidates: Foxconn Foxconn Technology Group already has a close relationship with Apple. For well over a decade, it has been the U.S. company's largest production partner, assembling the majority of the world's iPhones and a big chunk of its Macs and iPads from vast complexes employing upwards of a million people across China. In October, Foxconn, whose main listed arm is Hon Hai Precision Industry, unveiled its first electric-vehicle chassis and a software platform to help automakers bring models to market faster. It also plans to release a solid-state battery by 2024. The Taiwanese company, founded by billionaire Terry Gou, announced a plan in early 2020 to form a joint venture with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to develop and make electric vehicles in China, though Foxconn will not be involved in any assembly itself. In January, Foxconn signed a manufacturing deal with Chinese EV startup Byton with the goal of starting mass production of its full-electric M-Byte SUV model by the first quarter of 2022. It also announced another venture with China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to provide production and consulting services. Magna International Canada's Magna is the third-largest supplier in the world by sales and has a contract-manufacturing operation with years of experience making entire car models for a variety of brands. Magna produces everything from chassis and car seats to sensors and software for driver-assistance features. Automakers including BMW and Jaguar Land Rover have hired its Magna Steyr unit and outsourced production to its factory in Graz, Austria. Magna also pitches its engineering and manufacturing services to EV startups. Last fall, it agreed to provide Fisker with an EV platform for its Ocean SUV and added self-driving features to the deal in January. In December, Magna put about $450 million into a joint venture with Korea's LG Electronics to make EV powertrains. It's also expanding its manufacturing footprint in China, the largest EV market, by building the ArcFox Alpha-T for Beijing Automotive Group -- the first vehicle it has assembled outside of Europe. Magna has also has the benefit of a prior relationship with Apple: the two were in talks to build Apple's car when the iPhone maker first set out on this path about five years ago. Hyundai or Kia Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors have drawn the most attention so far this year, thanks in part to Hyundai initially confirming reports in Korea last month that it was in discussions with Apple. But the automaker quickly walked that back and recently repeated that it was not in talks. Hyundai and Kia both have plants in the U.S., in Alabama and Georgia. Their dedicated EV platform will deliver driving range of over 500 kilometers (311 miles) and be capable of recharging car batteries up to 80 percent in 18 minutes. While the two sell EVs derived from existing models, they will start selling vehicles based on the dedicated EV platform from March, helping to bring down costs and improve performance efficiency. They plan to introduce a combined 23 new EV models and sell 1 million units globally by 2025. The big disadvantage Hyundai and Kia have is the recent back-and-forth on whether they are developing a car for Apple, a notoriously secretive company. Although the two automakers have said talks are not happening, it's possible discussions could restart if Apple deems them the best possible partners. Nissan/Renault Although it's seen as a long shot, Nissan brings several elements to the table that could be beneficial for Apple. Nissan already has a common EV platform developed with French partner Renault, which will be used for its Ariya compact SUV debuting later this year. When asked whether the Japanese company would be willing to build cars for Apple, CEO Makoto Uchida said during an earnings news conference that Nissan "has the DNA to do things others won't do." The automaker has been mired in a slump, reporting its biggest loss in two decades in fiscal 2019, and could get much-needed revenue from helping Apple develop or manufacture its vehicle. It also could benefit from access to Apple's technology. After pursuing a strategy of volume at any cost that ate into profit, Nissan needs to attract higher-paying customers largely with the technology inside of its cars. JPMorgan speculated that Renault could be a good partner for Apple because of its experience in contract manufacturing and industrial collaboration. An Apple tie-up could also reduce Renault's excess capacity in Europe, the investment bank said. Stellantis One factor in determining the suitability of a partner for Apple may be availability of production capacity. This could point to automakers such as Stellantis, whose Fiat and PSA Group operations in Europe have been hit by the region's sales slump and has spare room in some plants. Stellantis is under pressure to find synergies after forming last month through the merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. CEO Carlos Tavares said during a Jan. 19 press conference that Stellantis is open to working with Apple or any tech company on EVs, "as long as it doesn't create any technology dependence" that would jeopardize the automaker's future. Chairman John Elkann said in 2016 that the auto industry should work with "new industry participants" like Google and Apple rather than try to compete with them.

Your lifestyle is determined by a number of factors - including the time you wake up, what you do right after it, what you eat, how much exercise you get, and if our not you have a few habits such as smoking, or drinking. Your mental well-being and what you do to keep your mental health intact also becomes a part of your lifestyle. Being healthy and staying fit are on this list of goals for everyone - no matter who they are and where they live. People often associate all their health troubles to the lifestyle they follow. Whether it is waking up in time, eating healthily, exercising regularly, or the habits we have - all are a part of the lifestyle we lead. However, people often confuse various health phenomenons - for instance, some people believe that being skinny is healthy - whereas being underweight, or unusually skinny can be both a cause and effect of an underlying health condition. "Physical fitness is simply our body’s ability to complete physical work. This can include cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and muscular endurance etc. Usually, people who maintain a good level of fitness are lean, maintain normal body weight and lead a healthy lifestyle. But, this may not always be true, as exceptions are there," says Dr Biju K S, Senior Medical Officer at Vieroots Wellness Solutions, even as he shares more insights on the link between fitness, and lifestyle. Can your level of fitness bespeak your lifestyle? The word ‘Lifestyle’ has broad meaning as it incorporates elements of health, finance, culture, environment etc. Considering the aspect of health, it is fair to say that, the better level of fitness of a po[CENSORED]tion is directly related to a good lifestyle of the po[CENSORED]tion. Since ‘fitness’ is a measurable indicator of health, generally we can say, the more fit you are the healthier you are. The physical fitness assessment of a person can help a healthcare professional to understand about his lifestyle, which in turn helps to advise regarding what changes the person needs to make in his lifestyle to become more fit and healthy. Here also there are exceptions, that one may seem ‘fit’ in his external appearance, but internally he may not be ‘healthy’. Pointing to the case of Sourav Ganguly, even a fit person can also easily get into lifestyle diseases. This was not an isolated incident. It is happening to a lot of common people around us, and since they are not celebrities these incidents go unnoticed. Thus it is high time to analyse your level of ‘fitness’ with the help of a competent professional and using highly advanced tools. We all know, lifestyle diseases are the number one killer, when it comes to death due to diseases. The ultimate solution for these diseases is nothing but changing the lifestyle itself. As a part of adopting a healthy lifestyle, embracing a fitness regime and supplementing the nutrients which are lacking in food are some of the methods adopted by people nowadays. The flipside is, some used to lead unhealthy lifestyles (smoking, eating a lot of junk foods) and to overcome its ill effects, they indulge in various quick-fix fitness programs and overload themselves with dietary supplements, which is absurd. But in general, people who give importance to fitness and find time for it knows the importance of a healthy lifestyle and follow it. Dietary supplements and your lifestyle Dietary supplements cannot substitute a well-balanced diet. at the same time, it is tough to have all the required nutrients in our daily diet these days due to innumerable reasons. Consuming dietary supplements became a part of our lifestyle as many nutrients are lacking in our new dietary practices in this fast-paced world. But, there is a not-so-familiar dimension for this. For example, if you think, you are taking enough supplements to better your health, sometimes you might be wrong. Consider, you are taking a Vitamin-A supplement in B-carotene form and if your body has reduced capacity to convert B-carotene to Vitamin-A, you still possess the risk of deficiency of vitamin-A. Thanks to the advancement in medical science, now it is easier to find which nutrients you need in supplement form by doing a metabolic assessment using various advanced techniques. Also, it is crucial to find out the right brand. The purity, efficacy and bioavailability of the supplements play a vital role, as this market is flooded with products and some of them are sham, too. Consuming a lot of supplements won’t make you healthy but the right choice of them as per your need and its efficacy are the keys. Yes, your nutritional habits and your fitness levels play a major role in deciding whether you are leading a healthy lifestyle or not. It is worth every penny in spending in these ‘preventive’ areas because the expenses incurring after becoming a victim to lifestyle disease will be much higher than that required to prevent it. Also many at times your money cannot bring yourself back to perfect health, too.

Gaspé gardener Damien Allard is officially a Guinness World Record holder for the 29-kilogram turnip he unearthed in November. Weighing roughly as much as an adult husky or a 65-inch television, the turnip crushed the previous record of 17.7 kilograms set in 2004. Allard and his wife received confirmation from the Guinness World Records management team on Wednesday morning. Allard, a cabinetmaker by profession who lives in Carleton-sur-Mer, Que., unveiled the turnip on Nov. 2 at its official weigh-in. It had a circumference of 138 centimetres, a height of 35 centimetres and a width of 46 centimetres. "There are eight billion of us on Earth. I'm the only one who managed to make a big turnip like that," he said at the time. "It's a bit exceptional." According to the Guinness World Records website, Allard has had his eye on this particular title since 2016, when he dug up a seven-kilogram turnip and decided to check the world record. From there, he got to work. He nearly broke the existing record in 2018 with a 15.5-kilogram turnip, but fell about two kilograms shy of a win. In 2020, officials and journalists attended Allard's November harvest to verify his latest contender's weight and size Allard actually broke the previous record with a total of three turnips, the Guinness site said, with the other two turnips weighing in at 22.9 and 24.4 kilograms. "I am very, very happy," Allard told Radio-Canada in November. "It's been two years that I have been working quite intensely on my turnips. I suspected very strongly that this year was the right one, but I never thought I would have been more than 10 kilos above the old record."

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Hogwarts Legacy — the next Harry Potter game — has been delayed from 2021 to 2022. On Wednesday, Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software and Portkey Games (the Harry Potter video game publishing label owned by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) announced that they need more time to deliver the “best possible experience”. As such, Hogwarts Legacy has been pushed back a year. Hogwarts Legacy is set in the titular school in the 1800s, a century before the Chosen One — Harry Potter, duh — ever lived. “We would like to thank fans from around the world on the tremendous reaction to the announcement of Hogwarts Legacy from our Portkey Games label,” Hogwarts Legacy makers said in a prepared statement on Twitter. “Creating the best possible experience for all of the Wizarding World and gaming fans is paramount to us so we are giving the game the time it needs. Hogwarts Legacy will be released in 2022.” The open-world action RPG Hogwarts Legacy was originally announced back in September. Avalanche revealed then that players would step into the shoes of “a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the Wizarding World apart. You have received a late acceptance to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and soon discover that you are no ordinary student: you possess an unusual ability to perceive and master Ancient Magic.” For Utah, USA-based Avalanche, Hogwarts Legacy is the biggest project it has taken on in its history. Best known for developing the Disney Infinity series in recent times, Avalanche was closed after Disney shuttered Disney Interactive Studios in 2016. But then a year later, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment acquired and renewed the flame. Avalanche Software is not to be confused with Avalanche Studios, the Swedish developer behind

And what everyone wanted to know was: "How do I get that filter?" Some asked if it was utilising deepfake technology because the filter seemed sophisticated. But it is a decades-old piece of software pre-installed on some Dell laptops. Lawyer gets stuck with cat filter during virtual court case Cat Zoom layer shocked to become an internet star The Live Cam Avatar software was also available for people to download. It is not clear how the lawyer found himself speaking through the face of a worried-looking cat . But it seems even in its heyday, there was a history of people becoming trapped as the avatar and finding it hard to remove. 'Frantically scrolling' One, ChemBark, describes in a blog how he appeared "as a sad kitten" during a job interview via Skype. "I started frantically scrolling down all of the menus in Skype, trying to remedy the situation," he writes. Tweeting now the filter is back in the news, he says it "was the default setting on Dell's webcam software". Another blog, written in 2010, offers a detailed explanation of how to remove "the stupid white cat". The company behind the filter, Reallusion, described it as a "customisable emotive facial animation that gives you much more fun that the conventional video chatting". Cat lawyer? There are other ways to access cat filters, though. Snapchat app Snap Camera can be integrated with Zoom. And Zoom has its own filters, as well as allowing people to integrate ones from third parties. Last year, a Pakistani politician's livestreamed press conference descended into farce when he switched a cat filter on by mistake. And the latest Zoom cat-filter mishap has garnered reaction from around the world. Even Downing Street's cat, Larry, tweeted: "Is there a filter for Zoom that turns cats into lawyers?"

Having sold more than 2.5 million examples of the fourth-generation C-Class, Mercedes-Benz was never going to stray too far from it when developing the new W206. The similarities between the old and new C-Class are clear even though it’s wearing a light disguise ahead of its premiere later this month. Its cab-backwards shape emphasises its classic rear-wheel-drive mechanical layout, while the design is instantly familiar, even if every panel and detail has been altered. Distinguishing features include new ‘power domes’ on the bonnet (standard across the range), larger wheelhouses and a wider front track. Christian Früh, development boss of the past three C-Class generations, is our chauffeur for today. He tells us the saloon is 65mm longer than before, with an additional 10mm in its front overhang, 30mm within its wheelbase and 25mm within its rear overhang to move it away from the A-Class Saloon. Inside, it’s clear to see that inspiration has been taken from the new S-Class in crafting the dashboard, which is dominated by a digital instrument display, a large central touchscreen and four central air vents that glow in shades of blue and red. New features such as an augmented reality display are controlled by Mercedes’ latest MBUX system, which supports over-the-air software updates. It all looks thoroughly contemporary and is seemingly of suitably high quality, with soft-touch materials in places you expect and some not-so-pleasing plastics in those that matter less. It’s also virtually devoid of switches, with only the hazard lights appearing to have a physical button. It’s more spacious, too. “The packaging has been improved,” says Früh, claiming that there’s now 25mm more rear leg room and 13mm more head room. The new C-Class is based on the Modular Rear Architecture – the same platform used by the S-Class. However, unlike its posh relation, it uses a much higher percentage of steel than aluminium. It also has a completely new 48V electrical architecture. All of the engines are now mild-hybrid four-cylinder units, because Mercedes’ new straight sixes would have necessitated a much longer engine bay and front overhang. The big news for the C300e petrol and C300de diesel plug-in hybrid models is that their battery capacity has been almost doubled, from 13.5kWh to 25.4kWh. That means an electric-only range of more than 62 miles, says Früh. The C300 4Matic that we’re in has a 255bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine with a 20bhp integrated starter-generator (ISG). It also has an overboost function that liberates an extra 27bhp for up to 30 seconds under full throttle. It gets a nine-speed automatic ’box and four-wheel drive as standard. The C300 isn’t the most powerful C-Class, but its ISG manages to endow it with a good burst of acceleration, accompanied by a typical four-pot thrum at middling to high revs in lower gears. It’s at lower revs, in a more subdued state, where it’s most convincing. A number of measures have boosted rigidity, which Früh claims has led to improved steering feel and handling precision. Our car isn’t fitted with the rear-wheel steering option, but it certainly appears responsive in the more sporting of its driving modes, with crisp turn-in and plenty of grip. The handling seems to have an engaging fluidity, thanks to excellent body control; there’s progressive roll and the front is largely unperturbed by mid-corner surface imperfections. Boosting refinement was a key focus for Früh’s team. Sure enough, we noticed less engine vibration under load and, thanks to a slippery 0.24Cd drag coefficient, remarkably little wind buffeting. There’s an appealing calmness to the C300’s fast-cruising ability that wouldn’t be amiss in a car twice its projected £40,000 price. This also extends to the ride, which is superbly controlled, with outstanding compliance and quietness, even despite the stiff sidewalls of winter tyres. The suspension set-up has a similar double-wishbone front and multi-link rear to that of the old C-Class, although the option of air springs is now reserved for hybrid models. The overall composure on the 10mm-lower AMG Line set-up here is quite impressive, maintaining ride height over sharp undulations without nasty vertical movements. On this showing, Mercedes appears to have succeeded in imbuing the C-Class with the expected qualities. It could be a very appealing proposition.

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, as people around the world, and India in particular, adjust to the new concept of normal, Almond Board of California, hosted a session around 'the importance of ensuring family health and nutrition amidst a pandemic'. The discussion focused on the current health situation in the country and highlighted preventive measures families can include within their daily diets and lifestyles. The session was moderated by actor & show host, Sharmila Kasala and featured celebrity fitness expert & trainer Kiran Dembla as well as Sheela Krishnaswamy, nutrition and wellness consultant.As several people continue to work from home and children attend virtual classes, a sudden shift has been noticed in the family routine which has further resulted in chaotic and inconsistent schedules. This includes a mix of erratic meals, higher screen time, lack of physical activity, anxiety, stress, and an overreliance on snacking due to easy access and boredom. Addressing these issues through the session, Kiran and Sheela, focused on three areas of health - proper nutrition and dietary habits, the need to incorporate regular exercise, and the importance of self-care during these challenging times.Through the session, the guests also highlighted the importance of mindful snacking and urged families across the city to inculcate healthy snacking routines within their diets. Both guests also shared anecdotes and examples from their personal lives, as well as suggestions for dietary and lifestyle adjustments that families can make to better support their health, immunity and boost overall well-being. Talking about the need to focus on improving immunity by consuming nutrients that support it, Kiran Dembla said, "The past year has been a unique one which has made many of us realize the true value of life. As a mother and wife, I feel it's my responsibility to undertake adequate preventive measures that can help in maintaining my family's safety and good health. For this, I rely on almonds as they are known to contain the immunity supporting nutrient zinc, which plays an important role in growth, development, and the maintenance of immune function. I make sure to keep almonds in the house at all times and ensure that each family member eats at least a handful every day. This is something I have been doing for several years now, and urge other families to do so as well." Awareness of good food choices and snacking habits is key to leading a healthy lifestyle, especially now when the world around us is changing rapidly. Make sure to focus on consuming balanced and nutrient-rich diets including a handful of almonds, as they contain several nutrients like vitamin E, magnesium, protein, riboflavin, zinc, etc. which, in the long run, will aid in overall health and well-being. But besides this, it's also pertinent to stay fit by incorporating some form of physical exercise into the routine, and also maintaining a positive attitude while adjusting to these unprecedented times. During the session, Sheela Krishnaswamy, said, "The ongoing pandemic has highlighted more than ever the need for right nutrition amongst Indian families. Many Indians suffer from ailments such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes and obesity, and in many cases, these existing co-morbidities have led to fatalities in Covid19 patients. Whether you are suffering from one of the aforementioned ailments, or are at risk, be sure to include nuts like almonds in your family and your daily diet as they are nutrient-rich and add to the body's overall health. Besides this, almonds also contain copper, folate, iron, and vitamin E, nutrients that are known to contribute to supporting immune function. So be sure to include a handful of almonds to the diet every day!" As most of us spend a large part of our time during these times, it is important to reevaluate the family's nutrition and lifestyle choices and make the necessary revisions that can add value to every member's heath. By making small dietary and lifestyle changes like incorporating nutritious foods including a handful of almonds everyday and exercising regularly, families across India can make a healthy difference to their lives and strengthen their immunity while taking relevant precautions to keep themselves safe from the ongoing outbreak.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday targeted an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia causing a civilian plane on the tarmac to catch fire, the kingdom’s state television reported, an attack that threatened to escalate Yemen’s grinding war. No one was hurt in the assault, but the damaged passenger plane at Abha airport served as a powerful reminder of the danger that Houthi rebels pose to Saudi Arabia, which nearly six years ago launched a bombing campaign that has devastated the Arab world’s poorest country. The Iran-aligned Houthis soon claimed responsibility for the assault, with military spokesman Yehia Sarea stressing that the Houthis consider Abha airport to be a military, not civilian, target. “This targeting comes in response to the continued aerial bombardment and the brutal siege of our country,” Sarea said, adding the group attacked with four bomb-laden drones. Col Turki al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen, said forces earlier intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by Houthis toward the country’s south. He condemned the assault as a “systematic and deliberate attempt to target civilians”. “The attempt to target Abha airport is a war crime and put civilian travellers’ lives in danger,” the coalition statement said, adding that the aircraft was on the ground at the time and that the fire was brought under control. Photographs later aired by Saudi state television showed the aircraft, a three-year-old Airbus A320 flown by low-cost carrier FlyADeal. It appeared the drone had punched a hole through its fuselage, with scorch marks on the metal. An anchor on state television said there were no injuries on the ground from the fire. FlyADeal did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Since 2015, the Houthis battling the Saudi-led military coalition have targeted international airports, along with military installations and critical oil infrastructure, within Saudi Arabia. The Houthis repeatedly have used drones against Saudi Arabia, including crashing them into the kingdom’s Patriot missile batteries, most recently on Sunday when the coalition said it intercepted five “booby-trapped” drones. Those attacks, often striking near the southern cities of Abha and Jizan, have wounded dozens and killed at least one person in recent years. As recently as late January, US forces stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh trained Saudi troops on how to counter the threat posed by drones, which can fly low to the ground, evade radar and detonate against targets in the kingdom. In November 2017, the Houthis even reached Riyadh’s international airport, deep inside the kingdom. No one was hurt in the attack, which marked the first time that a Houthi missile had come so close to a heavily po[CENSORED]ted centre. Riyadh is around 620 miles (1,000 kilometres) north of the border with Yemen. Saudi officials have blamed Iran for providing ballistic missiles to the Houthis used in such attacks against the kingdom. Tehran denies arming the Houthis, despite evidence to the contrary. Pakistan strongly condemned the drone attack on Abha airport. "These attacks threaten peace and security of Saudi Arabia, as well as the region. We call for the immediate cessation of such attacks," the Foreign Office said in a statement. "Pakistan reiterates its full support and solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity," it added. Yemen's war The attack late Wednesday afternoon reportedly was the first to impact a civilian aircraft at the facility. Flight-tracking websites showed delayed and cancelled flights scheduled to either take off or land at the airport. Flights at Abha airport resumed some time after the attack. The US Air Force’s Central Command, based at Al-Udeid Air Base in neighbouring Qatar, declined to comment on the assault. In recent weeks, the Houthis have accelerated their push to wrest control of Yemen’s oil-rich government stronghold of Marib and escalated their cross-border attacks on the kingdom. On Tuesday, UN envoy Martin Griffiths said he was “extremely concerned” about hostilities in Marib, especially at a time of “renewed diplomatic momentum” to end the war. Yemen’s war started in 2014, when the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north. Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates and other countries, intervened months later to dislodge the Houthis and restore the internationally recognised government. The war has killed some 130,000 people and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. President Joe Biden has turned a spotlight on the brutal conflict, declaring last week that the United States would end its support of the Saudi-led military offensive, including “relevant” arms sales. The administration has also moved to lift a terrorist designation against the Houthis, citing the need to mitigate Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. But Biden stressed that the US would continue to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against outside attacks, as part of maintaining key security, counterterrorism and military ties with the kingdom, a strategic partner and global oil giant.

Yes, @Happy boy?

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The company behind troubled gaming blockbuster Cyberpunk 2077 has been hit by a ransomware attack, it has said. In a post to its Twitter feed on Tuesday, CD Projekt, the Polish developers, shared the ransom note left by the hackers, who claimed to have copied the source code for a number of the studio’s biggest games including Cyberpunk and The Witcher 3, as well as encrypted the servers themselves. “Although some devices in our network have been encrypted, our backups remain intact,” the company said in a statement. “We have already secured our IT infrastructure and begun restoring data. “We will not give in to the demands nor negotiate with the actor, being aware that his may eventually lead to the release of the compromised data. We are taking necessary steps to mitigate the consequences of such a release, in particular by approaching any parties that may be affected due to the breach.” The company said it had confirmed that no player data was stored on the compromised systems. But, according to the ransom note, personnel data was stolen. “Your [sic] have been EPICALLY pwned!!,” the hackers wrote, according to the note released by CD Projekt. “We have dumped FULL copies of the source codes from your Perforce server for Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3, Gwent and the unreleased version of Witcher 3!!! “We have also dumped all of your documents relating to accounting, administration, legal, HR, investor relations and more!” The attack is emblematic of a growing trend from criminal hackers, who supplement traditional ransomware with a new tactic, sometimes called “doxware”. Conventional ransomware simply encrypts servers, locking up data, and demands a fee for the key; but with the growth of the malware class, companies such as CD Projekt are increasingly likely to maintain access to timely and easy-to-restore backups. “Doxware” involves stealing the data itself, and demanding payment in exchange for not publishing it on the web. The tactic has had mixed success. Cybersecurity experts strongly recommend against paying the blackmail, since, unlike with ransomware, there is no way of ensuring that the attackers won’t simply demand more money down the line. Cyberpunk 2077, the latest game from CD Projekt, released to mixed reviews in December, due to severe technical flaws on older consoles and several game-breaking bugs. The game involves hackers called netrunners breaking in to the servers of mega-corporations, bypassing their “Ice” – technological defences – to steal or destroy data for profit or politics

Investors generally look to put their money in products with wide moats, which in the tech world is a strategic competitive edge. Economic moats protect lasting profits and market share. It could be economies of scale, a viral community or a breakthrough innovation. Identifying a strong moat is key when trying to secure funding. During a time of uncertainty, moats have become more essential to retain customers. One moat that's close to my heart is hardware. Unfortunately for hardware startups, many investors run for the hills the minute they realize the pitch has a hardware component unless they have some expertise or background in hardware. Software's low barrier to entry is enticing. It allows companies to get products out faster with fewer resources and have the ability to quickly pivot if things don't go as planned. Remember, though, that if a company can get a product out in virtually no time and at extremely low costs, so can its competitors. The churn rate for mobile apps is 71% after three months of download. It is nearly impossible to become a viral app with a lasting business model. Free trials and 12-month contracts have helped SaaS companies increase conversions and lower churn, but even then, an unhappy customer is just a click away from a competitor. MORE FOR YOU Preparing To Open Your Business After The Pandemic And The Push Toward Mobile Access Control Six Lessons Learned In Six Months As A Pandemic CEO How To Raise $36 Million In The Middle Of A Pandemic A decade ago, passing on the round for a hardware product was not uncommon. Products were clunky, hard to ship and had high BOM costs with small margins, and human errors couldn't be fixed with an update. That's just not true anymore. Hardware has evolved. The exponential growth and innovation seen in the last decade with mobile, sensors and the cloud becoming ubiquitous and connected has enabled hardware to behave more like software. Hardware is now smaller, cheaper to build, more flexible and easier to manage. Our smartphones, small sensors and connected devices are constantly collecting data around us, merging the physical and digital world together. When I say hardware is a moat, I'm not talking about some IoT device that may or may not get stuffed in a drawer after a few months. Hardware becomes the moat when the actual product is a service that uses intelligence to solve a real problem in the physical world. Hardware is the stepping stone into using the platform. When a consumer buys the hardware, they get locked into the software. It takes more than a click to jump ship. It's stickier. I have personally seen this true with my company, Nexkey. When hardware enables a service, it opens up a world of possibilities never seen before in the hardware arena. Once the main event, hardware is now the keynote speaker leading customers into the rest of the platform. We start to see personalization and UX enter the stage to solidify and deepen the moat, similar to software. Hardware merges SaaS and IoT together, using data to create value and personalized experiences. An app solving the same problem may run dry. You see this most notably in health and fitness with companies like Mirror and Peloton. In this case, it's very possible for a hardware product to see the same margins you see in SaaS. Margins are also expanding because hardware is easier than ever to develop and scale. Hardware components have become extremely inexpensive. New laser cutters, 3D printers and open hardware make rapid prototyping available to anyone. Today, you can upload a CAD file to a CM website and have parts shipped the next day with no tooling or NRE costs. This on-demand manufacturing can relieve upfront costs and risk. Hardware is flexible. Updates are shared over the air. As human behavior changes, hardware doesn't have the same limitations as it has in the past. Companies can use the existing smart hardware to improve the UX to update bugs and build new features, which justifies a monthly fee. Having a hardware component still has its challenges. It's not as easy as developing a software product, and there are still many moving parts — which does take time. However, it also takes time for competitors to catch up. New technology waves bring in new players — who become new market leaders. Existing market leaders become buyers, as they just don't have it in their DNA. Why innovate yourself when you can just buy it? With software, new trends create competitive environments. Hardware gives you a significant head start where new entrants don't see the same level of competition, and there's more interest from existing market leaders. How do you prepare so your hardware product can stand out and excite investors? The best products are changing something we do on a daily basis because there is a better chance of virality. When customers touch something every day, users are more likely to tell friends and colleagues or will experience it naturally while interacting with early adopters. Expansion and referrals become a key part of growth, building up a second moat — a network effect. Don't forget about the team. Investors look at who is on the team and your vision. Hardware still has challenges, risk of human error and potential pivot. R&D is important, but not as important as getting the product out into the world. Ensure your team is flexible and capable of being quick to market and then optimizing the platform based on feedback to be successful. Hardware today needs to behave more like software, where the interaction and personalization build better products. If you don't have these in your vocabulary, start. UX needs to be discussed as a key differentiator. Innovation doesn't come from the hardware; it's what you do with it as well as the intelligence and experience you add to it. Hardware can become a powerful tool when important problems are identified and new technology enables the solution, not the other way around. We are still in the early days of this hardware revolution, and I am excited to see more platforms embrace hardware as their moat to make solutions that revamp the way we work and live.

After four years of bitter fighting, California and the federal government agree they need to set ambitious climate goals, and major automakers are increasingly betting that the future of their business lies with electric cars. But consumers aren't there yet. Despite growing momentum for a national shift toward cleaner cars, less than 1% of vehicles on the nation's roads are electric. A recent analysis found that Americans were buying so many gas-guzzling SUVs and pickup trucks that they had effectively canceled emissions reductions from every electric vehicle in the United States. This divide between the reality of America's auto market and what the federal government and some automakers hope it will become is certain to create dilemmas for the Biden administration as it sets out to negotiate a new set of fuel-economy standards. "The challenge for the administration is that they're going to be faced with the car companies saying you can't make the overall standards too strong because the consumers aren't there," said John DeCicco, research professor emeritus at the University of Michigan Energy Institute. "There's a pretty severe misalignment between the market and the regulatory need." At stake is President Joe Biden's ability to deliver on his promise of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to prevent the worst effects of climate change. Calculating backward, most environmentalists say the only way to meet that goal is to mandate all new cars be emissions-free by 2035. Biden is expected to replace the weaker tailpipe emissions standards put in place by the Trump administration with new regulations modeled on California's voluntary agreement with five automakers. Under the state's rules, car companies would be required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 4% each year. But both federal and California regulators, as well as major car companies, are already looking ahead to the next set of standards that would apply to cars built after model year 2026. Finalizing these rules could take two years and prove the ultimate test of whether the administration is able to rein in the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, most of which come from the transportation sector. Going into the negotiations, traditional automakers are in a bind. They have earned billions of dollars selling SUVs and pickup trucks but have struggled to sell electric cars, ceding the American share of the market to Tesla. China, meanwhile, has mandated that 40% of all new cars must be electric by 2030, threatening to bar slow-to-adapt automakers from the world's largest automobile market. Ford, Volkswagen and other car manufacturers anticipating the looming change in the market have already begun investing heavily in electrification. General Motors last week announced that it aspired to have an all-electric fleet by 2035. Many of these companies are expected to ask the Biden administration to require only small emissions improvements over the next decade so they can devote their resources to introducing dozens of new electric models. This would allow them to continue selling their most profitable and highest-emitting SUVs and pick-ups while gas is inexpensive and most consumers aren't concerned with fuel efficiency. "Companies are constrained in their capital, and this fundamental shift will take all their attention and money," said Robbie Diamond, CEO of the advocacy group Securing America's Future Energy. "It's not to let anyone off the hook, but rather to focus on that transformation." But this trade-off would clash with Biden's ambitious plans to combat climate change. And it doesn't sit well with many environmentalists. They are concerned that auto companies are dangling promises of electrifying their fleets to justify lenient standards in the short term—a trade-off that could result in huge increases in emissions if automakers don't keep their word. They point to companies like GM, which agreed to stricter tailpipe standards under President Barack Obama and then pushed President Donald Trump to weaken them, as evidence of the industry's untrustworthiness. "This is not a time for deals; this is a time for for tough action," said Dan Becker, who runs the Center for Biological Diversity campaign to reduce tailpipe emissions. DeCiccio, the University of Michigan professor, said the automakers' arguments for looser standards in the short term to boost electric cars in the long run also didn't compute. To make up for the additional planet-warming emissions from the oversized gas-burning vehicles Americans favor, he said, electric car sales would have to increase fivefold. With millions of high-emitting vehicles likely to remain on the road for the next 15 to 20 years, DeCiccio said, "the electric car is barely relevant for significant greenhouse gas emissions for the next decade." The White House hopes to accelerate the shift by offering more financial incentives and rebates to lower the cost of electric cars. It also wants funding to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the country to make it easier for drivers to find a place to plug in. Experts agree that these steps are necessary if electric cars are to go mainstream. They could also make it easier for automakers to accept a new federal standard effectively banning the sale of gas-burning vehicles by the middle of the next decade. "The auto industry is going to want the government to help," said Jody Freeman, who was Obama's adviser on climate change and now directs the environmental law program at Harvard. "And I think that could drive the agreement." Market analysts say that American drivers are unlikely to embrace electric cars as quickly as the White House and California regulators hope. If the Biden administration requires all new vehicles sold after 2035 to be emissions-free, said Maryann Keller, an analyst who has been tracking fuel economy issues since the 1970s, it could backfire. Rather than running out to buy electric cars, which most households can't afford, they'll turn to used gas-burning and hybrid cars. "New car sales will dry up," she said. "Politicians don't understand this issue—they think it's 14 years in the future," Keller said. "It's less than that, because people have to anticipate how their lives will change."

A 24-month lifestyle intervention provided in the primary care setting by health coaches improved cardiometabolic risk factors among patients with obesity compared with usual care alone, according to data published in Circulation. These findings from the PROPEL trial demonstrated the impact of intensive lifestyle intervention in lowering BMI and improving HDL and metabolic syndrome severity among patients with obesity. “Intensive lifestyle interventions are the first-line approach to promote weight loss and to effectively treat obesity and manage associated health risks,” Christoph Höchsmann, PhD, of the ingestive behavior laboratory at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and colleagues wrote. “However, only a small proportion of the po[CENSORED]tion has access to intensive lifestyle interventions in academic health centers. Therefore, uptake of similar approaches by primary care, the cornerstone of medical care in the United States, is imperative for a meaningful effect on the global obesity prevalence and for achieving public health goals to reduce health inequities.” The PROPEL trial randomly allocated 18 clinics to provide intensive lifestyle interventions through health coaches or usual care to 803 adults with obesity (mean age, 49 years; mean BMI, 37 kg/m2; 67% Black; 84% women). Participants in the intervention group underwent a 24-month high-intensity lifestyle-based obesity treatment program in weekly sessions up to month 7 and monthly through 24 months. The usual care group received standard primary care. “Participants at clinics allocated to the intensive lifestyle intervention group received a comprehensive, high-intensity lifestyle intervention program based on Diabetes Prevention Program, Look AHEAD and CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy Phase) and consistent with the 2013 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/The Obesity Society guidelines,” the researchers wrote. “The regimen was adapted to be literacy and culturally appropriate for a low-income target po[CENSORED]tion.” Effect of intensive lifestyle intervention Researchers found that participants in the intervention arm lost more weight in 24 months compared with those who received usual care (mean difference, 4.51%; 95% CI, 5.93 to 3.1; P < .01). At 12 months, larger reductions in fasting glucose occurred in the intervention group compared with the usual care group (mean difference, 7.1 mg/dL; 95% CI, 12 to 2.1; P < .01); however, there was no difference at 24 months (mean difference, 0.8 mg/dL; 95% CI, 6.2 to 4.6; P = .76). Increases in HDL were greater in the lifestyle intervention arm compared with the usual care group at 12 and 24 months (mean difference at 24 months, 4.6 mg/dL; 95% CI, 2.9-6.3; P < .01). At 24 months, the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL in the intervention arm was lower compared with the usual care groups (mean difference, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.14; P < .01), and the intervention group had less metabolic syndrome severity (mean z score difference, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.06; P = .01). “A major strength of PROPEL is it’s sample, consisting of a racially diverse, low-income po[CENSORED]tion that typically lacks access to effective weight-loss treatment in clinical research or primary care,” the researchers wrote. “The minimal inclusion/exclusion criteria of the trial allow broad generalizability to other underserved po[CENSORED]tions across the United States. Furthermore, the present results underline the effectiveness of a comprehensive and scalable weight loss and cardiometabolic risk factor treatment model that applies to many primary care settings.”

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