Month: January 2021

Categories
Entertainment

Celebrities communicate out after Cicely Tyson’s demise

Celebrities speak out after Cicely Tyson's death

On Thursday the whole world was shocked to learn that the legendary Cicely Tyson had passed away at the age of 96.

Her work has inspired generations and her colleagues were sure to express their shock, but they also thank Cicely for her inspiration and contributions to the culture.

Immediately after the news of her death, honors poured in, actors and actresses like Tiffany Haddish, Lance Gross, Zendaya, Martin Lawrence, Taraji P. Henson, Michael B. Jordan and many others speaking out as they shared some fine words about her Life and career.

Some of Hollywood’s biggest names who have worked closely with Cicely Tyson have also spoken out.

Tyler Perry said, “This one got me on my knees! She was the grandmother I never had and the wisdom tree I could always sit under to fill my cup. My heart breaks in one beat while I celebrate her life the next. To think that she lived for 96 years and that I was allowed to be part of the last 16 gives me great pleasure. She called me son. Well today your son mourns your loss and will miss our long conversations, your belly laughs and your presence. “

Viola Davis, who starred in “The Help” and “How To Get Away With Murder” alongside Cicely, said, “I’m devastated. My heart is just broken. I loved you so much !! You were everything to me!” You made me feel loved and seen and valued in a world where there is still a cloak of invisibility for us dark chocolate girls. You gave me permission to dream … because I am only in my dreams could see the possibilities in myself. I am not yet ready for you to be my angel. “

Other honors that came in included Barack and Michelle Obama, Beyonceé, Whoppi Goldberg, Steve Harvey, Jenifer Lewis, and many others.

In her extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson was one of the rare award-winning actresses whose work on screen was only matched by what she could achieve with it. She had a heart like no other – and for 96 years she shaped the world that few will ever reach. pic.twitter.com/JRsL3zlKtP

– Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 29, 2021

What struck me every time I spent time with Cicely Tyson wasn’t exactly her star power – although that was obvious enough – it was her humanity. Only by entering a room did she have that way of getting everyone around her up. pic.twitter.com/o6VAV63wqd

– Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 29, 2021

Rest in peace, Queen Tyson. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/xOWeo1l5lP

– Jenifer Lewis (@JeniferLewis) January 29, 2021

During this difficult time, we continue to offer our deepest condolences to the Cicely Tyson family.

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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @ Jade_Ashley94

Categories
Health

The EU places strain on AstraZeneca for late vaccination and divulges particulars of the deal

The EU puts pressure on AstraZeneca for late vaccination and reveals details of the deal

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will give a lecture at the end of a video conference of the members of the European Council that dealt with the Covid 19 pandemic in Brussels on January 21, 2021.

OLIVIER HOSLET | AFP | Getty Images

LONDON – The European Union released an edited version of the contract it signed with AstraZeneca on Friday as the bloc put pressure on the drug maker to deliver the promised Covid vaccine shipments.

The EU, which has been criticized for its slow adoption of vaccinations, was hit with a blow by AstraZeneca last week when the company said it could only deliver a fraction of the shots it agreed to for the first quarter.

AstraZeneca has denied it failed to deliver on its commitments, stating that shipments to the 27-nation bloc were targets rather than promises. The company also cited production problems at its European plants for the delays.

The European Commission, the EU executive, welcomed AstraZeneca’s commitment to greater transparency after the company agreed to publish details of the agreement. AstraZeneca was not immediately available to leave comments when CNBC contacted them.

The contract, which was signed on August 27, provides for AstraZeneca to undertake to the best of its ability to build capacity to produce 300 million doses of vaccine, with the Commission having the option to order an additional 100 million doses.

In the case of AstraZeneca, the agreement defines “best effort” as the activities a company with similar resources would undertake in the development and manufacture of its vaccine.

This includes “bearing in mind the urgent need for a vaccine to end a global pandemic that is creating serious public health problems, restrictions on personal freedoms and economic impacts around the world, but considering its effectiveness and safety”.

The contract states that AstraZeneca will use its “best possible efforts” to manufacture the vaccine at manufacturing facilities in the EU. The deal also provides for this to include plants based in the UK, although the country left the bloc last year.

AstraZeneca has been told to send some of the UK-made cans to the block, but the company said a separate deal with the UK prevented that.

The European Medicines Agency is expected to make a decision on Friday on whether the AstraZeneca vaccine will actually be approved for use.

International Competition Concerns

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Friday morning on German radio: “There are binding orders and the contract is crystal clear.”

“AstraZeneca also explicitly assured us in this contract that no other obligations would prevent the fulfillment of the contract,” she said, according to Reuters.

Von der Leyen of the EU claimed the deal included clear delivery amounts for December and the first three quarters of 2021.

Earlier this week, Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, said the EU contract was based on what is known as a “best effort” clause and did not officially oblige the drug maker to a specific delivery schedule.

The EU von der Leyen rejected this proposal on Friday, adding that the clause would only apply if it was unclear whether AstraZeneca could develop a safe and effective vaccine. She also claimed that the contract specifically mentioned four manufacturing facilities that would supply the vaccine to Europe, two of which are in the UK.

A look at the headquarters of the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca as a Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and inspected in Brussels, Belgium on January 28, 2021.

Dursun Aydemir | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

EU officials have indicated that deliveries from the UK to Europe could be rerouted if delays in European production persist.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he remained “confident” of delivering the AstraZeneca vaccine developed in partnership with Oxford University. Johnson added that he was “very pleased” that the country was among the fastest in Europe to introduce the vaccine.

The UK has the second highest number of confirmed Covid cases in Europe after Russia, recording the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths of any European nation and the fifth highest worldwide.

The EU of around 450 million people is struggling to get its vaccinations up and running as it is insufficiently supplied and is currently lagging far behind countries like Israel and the UK in delivering vaccines to its citizens.

Vaccine maker Pfizer-BioNTech initially delivered a blow, announcing it would temporarily cut production to improve its production capacity in Belgium. This was followed by AstraZeneca last Friday, which reduced its delivery estimates for the region.

An unnamed senior EU official told Reuters that the bloc expected about 80 million doses by March but had been told it would only receive 31 million doses instead. The company has not confirmed the quantities concerned.

A deepening dispute between the EU and AstraZeneca has raised concerns about international competition for limited vaccine supplies. Hopefully the vaccinations can help end the coronavirus pandemic.

– CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.

Categories
Sport

Which gamers may transfer? Who’s a free agent? What do golf equipment want?

Which players could move? Who is a free agent? What do clubs need?

What a difference a year makes. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, football clubs have taken some drastic steps to reduce their spending in the January transfer window, and, as a result, the big moves that drive interest in the game at this time of year are nowhere to be seen. At the time of writing, there have been fewer than 15 deals in Europe’s “big five” leagues with transfer fees attached. January is traditionally a quieter time than the summer window, but, influenced by the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic, the figures make difficult reading.

Jump to: U.S players linked | Free agents | Expiring contracts | Premier League clubs | European clubs

In January 2020, according to transfer tracking website Transfermarkt, Premier League clubs spent just over €242m on 88 arrivals; in January 2021, the difference is clear, with spending of just €47m on 32 arrivals. Europe is a similar story with German Bundesliga clubs (€196m in 2020 vs. €41m in 2021), Spanish La Liga clubs (€152m vs. €31.2m), Italian Serie A (€215m vs. €17m) and French Ligue 1 clubs (€124m vs. €18.3m) all doing the same.

2 Related

The transfer window can throw up some surprises — Odion Ighalo joined Man United on deadline day in January 2020, after all — so there might be a few things to catch the eye. However, it might be only loan deals, swaps or free transfers this month, so if you’ve come for news of €100m deals for Borussia Dortmund pair Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho, Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly or Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, you’re likely to be disappointed. Even Barcelona legend Lionel Messi is deferring the decision over this future until the summer. That said, plenty of top teams have some serious needs ahead of the most grueling stretch of the season.

Loan moves have been top of the agenda, and there are already a number of deals completed, but what does Deadline Day hold? Who are the players available for a bargain, and what do the top clubs in Europe still need to do? *All fees via Transfermarkt

Deadline Feb.1: Bundesliga (12 p.m. ET) | Serie A (2 p.m. ET) | Premier League (6 p.m. ET) | La Liga (6 p.m. ET) | Ligue 1 (6 p.m. ET)

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Mark Ogden assesses where Dayot Upamecano will land this summer if he leaves RB Leipzig.

Which players could still get a move before the deadline?

Dayot Upamecano: With a reported €42m release clause that comes into effect in the summer, the RB Leipzig defender will likely stay put this month. However, all of Europe’s top clubs are after him, and it’s possible one (Chelsea or Liverpool?) might try to steal a march on their rivals with an early move.

Dele Alli: After being a central player under Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham, Alli’s star has fallen under Jose Mourinho. Now nothing more than a backup, the midfielder needs to move on, and PSG are keen to reunite him with Pochettino on loan.

Christian Eriksen: Having joined Inter Milan only a year ago from Tottenham, the 28-year-old midfielder was told he can leave the club, but he could now be set to stay; his injury time free-kick to defeat rivals AC Milan in Tuesday’s Coppa Italia quarterfinal could have been interpreted as a celebration. Arsenal were keen in November before they signed Martin Odegaard, but now a return to Spurs for Eriksen is possible if they move on Alli and work out a deal.

Edin Dzeko: The 34-year-old was linked with a return to Manchester City, as well as to rivals United, but it seems that he might swap Roma for Inter Milan, with Roma landing Alexis Sanchez on loan too.

Joshua Zirkzee: Bayern Munich’s young striker hasn’t been getting much game time, which is tough to do when Robert Lewandowski is ahead of you in the pecking order. A loan move to Everton or Parma has been reported by Sky Germany, with Parma looking the most likely to land him.

Yves Bissouma: The Brighton midfielder has been being closely followed by Liverpool, sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens; manager Jurgen Klopp views him as a potential replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who is out of contract in the summer. If Wijnaldum does move before the window shuts, then £30m might land them Bissouma, though Arsenal, Man United, Chelsea and Real Madrid have also been linked.

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Julien Laurens suggests USMNT prospect Bryan Reynolds will develop better at Roma than Juventus.

Any U.S. players being linked in Europe?

Bryan Reynolds: Roma are leading the race to sign the FC Dallas right-back for around €8m, sources have told ESPN’s Tom Hamilton. The 19-year-old has drawn interest from Juventus and Club Brugge, but Roma are now in pole position, and sources said they are optimistic of confirming the move.

Chris Gloster: The PSV Eindhoven and USMNT youth international left-back has drawn interest from Newcastle United, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle. But any move to the Premier League side would be subject to Gloster obtaining a U.K. work permit, and it seems like that won’t happen; instead, he could join Danish club SonderjyskE (who have U.S. owners) or stay at PSV.

DeAndre Yedlin: Galatasaray have made an offer for the USMNT and Newcastle United right-back, sources have told ESPN’s Tom Hamilton. The Super Lig side have offered Yedlin a three-and-a-half-year deal and are pushing for an answer from the 27-year-old defender. Yedlin’s Newcastle contract is up in June, and he has previously expressed his desire to extend his stay at the Premier League side. However, sources said he’s now weighing up the offer from Galatasaray.

Paul Arriola: Swansea City are interested in adding the D.C. United winger to their squad on loan, sources have told ESPN. The Championship side have already snapped up Jordan Morris on a loan deal from Seattle Sounders and have returned to America with interest in another U.S. star. Sources said there is a “50/50” chance of the deal happening before Monday’s deadline, with Swansea and D.C. United in discussions.

Caden Clark: The New York Red Bulls’ midfielder is set to move to RB Leipzig in January 2022, despite playing less than 400 minutes in the first team to date. The Athletic reports that the 17-year-old will move for around $3m, but will stay on loan in New York for a year.

How about free agents?

Diego Costa: Incredibly, the former Chelsea striker is being linked with Manchester City after terminating his contract with Atletico Madrid. With Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero struggling for fitness, Costa would certainly do a job, but according to Sid Lowe the 32-year-old would need to “pay a €15m penalty if he moves to a team in La Liga or the Champions League.”

Stephan El Shaarawy: The Italy international is set to return to AS Roma but has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, according to Sky Sport Italia, and his medical has been delayed. Still only 28, the forward left Roma for Shanghai Shenhua in 2019.

Samir Nasri: The former Arsenal and Manchester City playmaker has been without a club since leaving Anderlecht last summer. He will need to prove himself again, at 33, with AC Milan reportedly keeping an eye on him.

Hulk: The Brazilian might be a self-confessed Arsenal fan, but after leaving Shanghai SIPG last year, he’s keen to return to FC Porto. The 34-year-old is still looking for a club, though he has been linked with Turkish club Besiktas, as well as Flamengo, Atletico-MG and Palmeiras back home.

Neven Subotic: After terminating his contract with Denizlispor, Subotic is available at a time when a number of top clubs are looking for a backup defender. At 32, he still has a few years left at the top despite some injury issues and could be of interest to many managers, including his former boss at Borussia Dortmund, Klopp.

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ESPN FC’s Mark Ogden assesses what the best move will be for Manchester City defender Eric Garcia.

Some players have contracts running down, will they move?

Maybe…

Eric Garcia: Manchester City don’t want to let him go for nothing next summer, but Barcelona have no money to sign the 20-year-old defender, so he might have to wait unless PSG or Arsenal swoop late, or until the Catalan club somehow works out a deal. The player himself is willing to play for free, but will City let him depart?

Georginio Wijnaldum: Similar to the above, if he doesn’t sign a new deal at Liverpool then Wijnaldum looks likely to leave for Barca in the summer. He’s very unlikely to move, however, as Liverpool would need a midfield replacement and Barca have no cash unless they get creative.

Memphis Depay: Barcelona and Juventus are the two clubs that have been linked most with the Lyon winger, but a reported fee upward of €20m will be required to land him this month.

Florian Thauvin: With his future at Marseille looking bleak, the 28-year-old midfielder has received reported interest from Tottenham, Leicester, Napoli, Milan, Roma and Sevilla. It looks like he could be allowed to leave this month.

Joshua King: Manchester United were keen on King this time last year, but their interest fizzled out and the Bournemouth forward was relegated at the end of the season. Now Burnley, West Ham and West Brom are offering him a way out.

Not until the summer

David Alaba: The one player they all want. Unable or unwilling to agree a new contract at Bayern, the 28-year-old defender has his pick of Europe’s elite clubs. He’ll move on a free transfer, most likely to Real Madrid, though there could be a few twists and turns along the way before he decides.

Sergio Ramos: Manchester City are closely monitoring Ramos’ situation at Real Madrid with an eye to signing him as a free agent, sources told ESPN’s Rodrigo Faez, while PSG have also reportedly made him an offer. Ramos will turn 35 in March, but he’s still top class and it looks like he might move on.

Lionel Messi: The world will be watching and waiting for Messi’s decision this summer. He won’t move before then, and he might even sign a new deal depending on who wins the club’s presidential elections in March, but Man City, PSG, various MLS sides including NYCFC, and Newell’s Old Boys are in the running should he want to go.

Sergio Aguero: Linked with Barcelona as a possible replacement for Messi, Man City’s all-time leading scorer might move away from the Etihad. He’ll have his pick of clubs, but at 32, he’s a little young to be thinking of his retirement at former club Independiente.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu: Gab Marcotti wrote about the trio at the start of the month, and Milan need them all if they are to maintain their challenge for the Serie A title this season.

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Gab Marcotti explains why Paul Pogba staying at Man United would be a huge coup for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

What do the big teams still need?

PREMIER LEAGUE

MAN UNITED

INS: Amad Diallo (£19m, Atalanta)
OUTS: Ethan Laird (loan, MK Dons), Timothy Fosu-Mensah (£1.75m, Bayer Leverkusen)

After the arrival of 18-year-old Amad Diallo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still thinks he is two or three players short, but new arrivals — likely to include a centre-back and a forward — will have to wait until the summer. Marcos Rojo and Sergio Romero have been given permission to talk to other teams and could leave before the deadline. There’s also interest in sending Facundo Pellistri on loan as he has been restricted to U23 games since signing in the summer and Club Brugge have been in touch; Jesse Lingard has already agreed terms for a temporary move to West Ham, but the club have rebuffed enquiries for Donny van de Beek. Sources told ESPN that Manchester United are prepared to wait for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, while Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho will remain a target — Rob Dawson.

LIVERPOOL

INS: None
OUTS: Liam Millar (loan, Charlton), Adam Lewis (loan, Plymouth)

A centre-back has been mooted all window long, with Alaba and Upamecano in the conversation, and the injury to Joel Matip might see one arrive if they can do it. Lille centre-back Sven Botman is on the radar of a string of clubs in England, including Liverpool, sources told ESPN, while Ajax’s Perr Schuurs has also been considered. But Klopp will need to get creative with a lack of funds available. Brighton midfielder Bissouma is being closely followed by Liverpool, sources told ESPN, with manager Klopp tracking him as a potential replacement for Wijnaldum, who is out of contract in the summer. Derby County wonderkid Kaide Gordon, 16, has also been linked. — Mark Ogden.

MAN CITY

INS: Filip Stevanovic (£7m, Partizan Belgrade)
OUTS: Morgan Rogers (loan, Lincoln), Mix Diskerud (undisclosed, Denizlispor), Daniel Arzani (loan, AGF)

Manchester City are resigned to losing centre-back Garcia to Barcelona, either before the deadline for €3m or in the summer for free. Pep Guardiola has done his best to convince the 20-year-old to sign a new contract at the Etihad Stadium, but Garcia has been clear in his desire to return to Spain and it will happen eventually. Guardiola says he is not expecting any new arrivals this month, but there will be focus on bringing in an established centre-forward in the summer — whatever happens with Sergio Aguero’s contract, which expires in 2021. — Rob Dawson

TOTTENHAM

INS: None
OUTS: Jubril Okedina (loan, Cambridge United), Jack Clarke (loan, Stoke)

Jose Mourinho stated Wednesday that he does not expect Tottenham to do any business before Monday’s deadline. Sources have told ESPN that Dele Alli is keen on a loan move to Paris Saint-Germain, but chairman Daniel Levy is wavering over allowing a player previously so influential at the club to leave. Levy plays his hand late in the window so nothing can definitively be ruled out, but Mourinho is content with his squad and the club’s longer-term targets — including a centre-back and a new right-back — will likely be put on hold until the summer. Harry Winks has been linked with a move to Valencia, though the England midfielder is expected to stay in north London. Mourinho’s sparing use of Real Madrid loanee Gareth Bale has also taken several Tottenham players by surprise, sources told ESPN. — James Olley.

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Gab Marcotti explains why Chelsea signing Kai Havertz over Declan Rice might be keeping Lampard in a job.

CHELSEA

INS: None
OUTS: Charlie Brown (undisclosed, MK Dons), Lucas Piazon (free, Braga), Danny Drinkwater (loan, Kasimpasa), Fikayo Tomori (loan, AC Milan)

New manager Thomas Tuchel will have his own plans, and Chelsea had been keen to sign Rice before the sacking of Frank Lampard, but sources said the 42-year-old was driving the Blues’ pursuit of the England international while senior figures at the club had reservations about paying a high fee — the Hammers demanded £80m last summer — for a former academy graduate. Chelsea have also been been monitoring the progress of Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens, while the club want to keep veteran striker Olivier Giroud until the end of the season despite interest from Inter and Juventus. Young midfielder Billy Gilmour could depart on loan as he searches for game time. — Mark Ogden.

ARSENAL

INS: Mat Ryan (loan, Brighton), Martin Odegaard (loan, Real Madrid)
OUTS: William Saliba (loan, Nice), Sead Kolasinac (loan, Schalke), Matt Macey (free, Hibernian), Sokratis (released), Mesut Ozil (free, Fenerbahce)

Arsenal remain hopeful of adding a left-back before Monday’s deadline. They have not yet made contact with Southampton over reported interest in Ryan Bertrand and have only minimal funds available; Marseille defender Jordan Amavi has been considered, but again, no formal offer has materalised as of yet. Ainsley Maitland-Niles could leave on loan, but only if another full-back arrives.

The majority of their business has already been done with Martin Odegaard and Mat Ryan arriving on loan while Mesut Ozil, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Sead Kolasinac have left the Gunners to help reduce their wage bill. Manager Mikel Arteta will continue an overhaul of the squad in the summer with a centre-back among his priorities once Shkodran Mustafi and Calum Chambers depart while they are expected to try to sign goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford having failed with a bid last summer.

The long-term pursuit of Houssem Aouar is set to be complicated by the Lyon midfielder’s desire to wait for interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona to materialise this summer before deciding his next move, while Emile Smith Rowe has made a strong impression after breaking into the Arsenal first team, but talk of a new contract is premature, sources told ESPN. — James Olley.

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Archie Rhind-Tutt and Steve Cherundolo discuss Erling Haaland’s future if Dortmund fail to qualify for the Champions League.

EUROPE

BARCELONA

INS: None
OUTS: Carles Alena (loan, Getafe)

There is no money for moves, so the club have to turn to youth. There’s a vague possibility they might spend €3m on Man City defender Garcia if they can raise it, but with no president or board in place, it’s impossible to make a decision. One source at the club told ESPN they hoped to be able to move on Neto and Junior Firpo, the latter of whom is of interest to AC Milan and West Ham United, and that they would also listen to reasonable offers for Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann. But no club has any money to sign the duo. Moves for Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay, or even an unlikely swoop for Aguero, will have to wait until the summer, as will the future of Messi. But a lot will change in five months. — Sam Marsden.

REAL MADRID

INS: None
OUTS: Takefusa Kubo (loan, Getafe), Luka Jovic (loan, Eintracht Frankfurt), Martin Odegaard (loan, Arsenal)

With no money to spend at the Bernabeu, there will be no additions even though Karim Benzema and Mariano Diaz are the only two strikers in the squad. Long term, sources told ESPN, the club is looking to land Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga, but they would cost a lot and Madrid have bigger issues right now. A free transfer for Bayern star David Alaba looks likely in the summer, but the future of captain and legend Sergio Ramos is unresolved, with PSG and Man City keen to get him for free too. Luka Modric should sign a new contract, but it seems Lucas Vazquez won’t, while centre-back Eder Militao has been linked with a move but should stay this month. Sources told ESPN that Odegaard felt let down by Madrid, as he was not given a chance in the first team before being allowed to join Arsenal on loan. — Alex Kirkland.

ATLETICO MADRID

INS: Moussa Dembele (loan, Lyon)
OUTS: Manu Sanchez (loan, Osasuna), Ivan Saponjic (loan, Cadiz), Diego Costa (released)

Having won the past transfer window with the free transfer of Luis Suarez from Barcelona, Atletico needed to bring in a replacement for Diego Costa and did so with the loan of Moussa Dembele from Lyon. Vitolo could depart, while Lucas Torreira has been a peripheral figure since moving on loan from Arsenal in the summer and Monaco have been interested. The club really wants to renew manager Diego Simeone’s contract until 2024. — Alex Kirkland.

BAYERN MUNICH

INS: None
OUTS: None

Nothing will happen in January, but Alaba will leave in the summer after failing to agree on a new contract. A replacement could come in the form of RB Leipzig’s Upamecano, and they are also tracking Gladbach’s Florian Neuhaus to take over from Javi Martinez, who will also depart when his deal ends. A new contract for young star Jamal Musiala is on the agenda, while Bayern remain interested in signing Frenkie de Jong, but sources told ESPN the chances of the Dutch midfielder leaving Barcelona are minimal, despite the Catalan club’s financial woes. — Stephan Uersfeld.

DORTMUND

INS: None
OUTS: None

Keeping their top stars including Sancho, Haaland and Gio Reyna was the priority, and that has been achieved. They have been linked with Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Florian Neuhaus, though the latter’s €40m release clause is too expensive for Dortmund right now. Mo Dahoud could depart if they get a suitable offer, while sources told ESPN that 16-year-old Julian Rijkhoff will sign from Ajax and be added to the club’s U17 side. — Stephan Uersfeld.

PSG

INS: None
OUTS: Jese (Released)

New manager Mauricio Pochettino wants to sign Alli from Tottenham on loan, and has also been linked with another former player in Eriksen, but the priority for PSG is to get Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to sign new contracts. The club’s sporting director Leonardo has said they are interested in signing Messi as his contract with Barcelona comes to an end this summer, while sources told ESPN they have approached Bayern’s Alaba and are reportedly keen on Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos — both on free transfers. Wingers Julian Draxler and Angel Di Maria should stay until summer, despite links abroad, with Di Maria opening talks over a new contract. — Julien Laurens.

JUVENTUS

INS: Marley Ake (€8m, Marseille), Nicolo Rovella (€18m, Genoa)
OUTS: Stefano Gori (loan, AC Pisa), Franco Tongya (€8m, Marseille), Manolo Portanova (€10m, Genoa), Elia Petrelli (€8m, Genoa), Nicolo Rovella (loan, Genoa).

Juventus’ focus has been on signing players for the future. Sassuolo forward Gianluca Scamacca could arrive for around €25m, while highly rated midfielder Nicolo Rovella arrives from Genoa, but will return to the club on loan. Juve’s biggest concern is to bring down the age of the squad with Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Cristiano Ronaldo needing to eventually be replaced. Paulo Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi were among the players offered to Manchester United as Juventus looked for ways to put together a deal to sign Paul Pogba early in the window, sources told ESPN’s Rob Dawson. But there now seems to be an acceptance that Pogba will stay until the summer. — Andrew Cesare Richardson.

INTER MILAN

INS: None
OUTS: Radja Nainggolan (loan, Cagliari), Sebastiano Esposito (loan, Venezia), Giacomo Pozzer (loan, Lucchese), Axel Bakayoko (Free, Red Star)

Inter are expected to be quiet as they continue their push for a first Serie A title since their Treble-winning season of 2009-10, but could sneak through a loan swap deal for Edin Dzeko and Alexis Sanchez with Roma. Eriksen had been considered a potential outgoing, with director Beppe Marotta admitting in December he was transfer listed, but his last-gasp winner in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday could give him a reprieve; manager Antonio Conte noted after Tuesday’s match that the club has been working on a new position for the Denmark international. Inter’s priority remains to get striker Lautaro Martinez to sign a new deal, and they have already met with his agent. — Andrew Cesare Richardson.

AC MILAN

INS: Mario Mandzukic (Free), Fikayo Tomori (loan, Chelsea), Soualiho Meite (loan, Torino)
OUTS: Andrea Conti (loan, Parma), Leo Duarte (loan, Istanbul Basaksehir), Lorenzo Colombo (loan, Cremonese), Mateo Musacchio (undisclosed, Lazio)

AC Milan have been busy in January, bringing in three players. They would have likely signed Mohamed Simakan from Strasbourg for around €15m had he not been injured, but instead they picked up Tomoroi on loan from Chelsea. Defender Mateo Musacchio joined Lazio, and Milan have sounded out Barcelona about a move for out-of-favour left-back Junior Firpo, sources have told ESPN’s Moises Llorens. New contracts (see above) for a key trio are also on the agenda. — Andrew Cesare Richardson.

Categories
Technology

How a military of sewage robots may help us repair our clogged pipes

How an army of sewage robots can help us fix our clogged pipes

There are around a million kilometers of pipes beneath Britain’s streets, buildings and parks. The maintenance and repair of these pipes requires around 1.5 million road excavations per year, resulting in total or partial road closures. These jobs are loud, dirty, and cause a lot of inconvenience. They also cost around £ 5.5 billion a year.

It doesn’t have to be like that. Research teams like me are working to save the time and money on pipe maintenance by developing infrastructure robots.

Going forward, these robots will work for us, repairing our streets, inspecting our water and sewer pipes, maintaining our lampposts, surveying our bridges, and maintaining other vital infrastructure. They can get into places that are difficult or dangerous for people, such as sewer pipes full of harmful gases.

We develop small robots for underground pipe networks, both in clean water and in sewers. They examine them for leaks and blockages, map out where the pipes are, and monitor their condition for signs of problems. But what if the robots have to go to places where our existing wireless communication can’t reach them? If we cannot communicate with them, we cannot be in control.

Pipebots swim around the network of sewage and clean water pipes. Human Studio, author provided

The pipe bots

The underground pipe networks are complex, varied and difficult to work with. There are many sizes of pipes made of different materials and arranged at many different depths. They are connected in many different configurations and filled with different content to different extents.

Pipebots is a large UK government funded project working on robots that will help maintain the pipe system. These robots come in different sizes depending on the pipes. For example, the smallest must fit into a 2.5 cm (1 inch) side cube, while the largest are up to 50 cm long.

Thanks to the numerous sensors on board, they work autonomously. The robots use computer vision and a combination of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetic field sensor to detect where they are. They have ultrasonic and infrared distance sensors to help them navigate the pipes. Finally, they will also have acoustic sensors and ultrasonic sensors to detect cracks in water pipes and blockages in sewer pipes and measure the overall condition of those pipes.

[Read: How this company leveraged AI to become the Netflix of Finland]

The information gathered in this way is sent to the water company responsible for the pipes. Primarily, the robots only monitor the pipes and call a separate repair team if necessary.

One of the biggest challenges will be that they communicate with each other through the pipes. This requires a wireless communication network that can function in a variety of conditions as the pipes may be empty, full of water or sewage, or somewhere in between. The three main options we are investigating are radio waves, sound waves, and light.

Diagram of how the robots monitor pipes.The robots have acoustic sensors and ultrasonic sensors to detect cracks in water pipes. Human Studio, author provided

Radio waves

Wireless communication technology using radio waves is ubiquitous these days – WLAN, Bluetooth and of course cellular networks such as 4G. Each of them works with a different frequency and has different bandwidths.

Unfortunately, none of these signals can pass through the ground. We are all too familiar with how cell phones are disconnected when a train goes through a tunnel. However, if we already had a base station in the tunnel, radio waves could be transmitted along its length.

Fortunately, sewer pipes look very similar to radio wave tunnels – at least when they are relatively empty. We’re adapting technology similar to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to ensure that the Pipebots doing the sewer inspection are always connected to the control center.

Water blocks radio waves even more than soil and earth do. In fact, it acts as a mirror at high enough frequencies. In order to maintain control of the robots in our water pipes we need to use both sound and light.

Computer generated image of the robots in a pipe.They have ultrasonic and infrared distance sensors to help them navigate the pipes. Human Studio, author provided

Sound and light

Wireless communication methods using sound and light are not yet widely used in commerce. But they are making waves in the research community.

One method, visible light communication (VLC), uses transmitters and receivers, such as. B. LEDs that are small and small Energy efficientand also offer dazzling data rates on the order of ten gigabits per second. However, because the light moves in a straight line, VLC can only be used when robots that are close together need to communicate. One possible solution is to have many robots in the same pipe and form a chain along which information can be transmitted in pipe bends.

On the other hand, sound can travel for miles along pipes and move around corners with ease. The downside is speakers and microphones can be greedy for powerand sound does not offer particularly high data rates. Instead of the billions of bits per second that can be sent with 5G and post-5G technology, sound waves can only transmit a few bits per second. While this is enough to know if a particular robot is still working, it is not enough to relay a lot of useful information about the pipes.

In the video above, tThe first pipe robot in action.

It’s not about choosing radio, sound or light waves. The wireless communication network we are developing for our underground little helpers will use a combination of these methods. This ensures that the robots are doing what they are supposed to do, that we are in control of them, and that they keep their promise.

We hope that a full Pipebots system will be demonstrated in a realistic network by 2024. Once this is successful, we will need to go through a thorough certification and compliance process to ensure that Pipebots can be used safely on living water and sewer systems.The conversation

This article by Viktor Doychinov, a research fellow at the University of Leeds School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, was republished by The Conversation under Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Published on January 29, 2021 – 10:00 UTC

Categories
Science

Exoplanetary system with 6 worlds in orbital resonance discovered

Exoplanetary system with 6 worlds in orbital resonance found

200 light-years from Earth is a K-type main sequence star called TOI (TESS Object of Interest) 178. When Adrian Leleu, astrophysicist at the Center for Space and Habitat at the University of Bern, observed it, it seemed as if it were two planets would have orbited it at roughly the same distance. But that turned out to be wrong. In fact, six exoplanets orbit the little star.

And five of those six are locked in an unexpected orbital configuration.

Five of the planets are involved in a rare rhythm, dancing around the star. In astronomical terms, they are in an unusual orbital resonance, meaning that their orbits around their star have repeated patterns. This property makes them a fascinating object of study that could tell us a lot about how planets form and develop.

“Through further observations we have established that it is not two planets orbiting the star at approximately the same distance, but several planets in a very special configuration.”

Adrian Leleu, Center for Space and Habitability, University of Bern.

Adrian Leleu leads a research team that has investigated the unusual phenomenon. They presented their results in an article entitled “Six Transit Planets and a Chain of Laplacian Resonances in TOI-178”. The paper was published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

From the team’s first observations, there appeared to be only two planets, five of which move in such a way as to fool the eye. However, further observations indicated that something else was happening in the system. “Through further observations we have established that it is not two planets orbiting the star at approximately the same distance, but several planets in a very special configuration,” said lead author Leleu.

In this artist’s animation, the rhythmic movement of the planets around the central star is represented by a musical harmony created by assigning a note (on the pentatonic scale) to each of the planets in the resonance chain. This note is played when a planet completes either a full or half orbit. When planets align themselves at these points in their orbits, they ring in resonance. Photo credit: ESO

The orbital resonance from TOI-178 is similar to another known orbital resonance here in our own solar system. This includes Jupiter’s moons Io, Europa, and Ganymede.

The orbital resonance shared by Ganymede, Europa and Io is pretty simple. Io makes four full orbits for every single orbit of Ganymede and two full orbits for the full orbit of Europe. But the planets around TOI-178 have a much more complex relationship.

The five outer planets of TOI-178 are in a resonance chain of 18: 9: 6: 4: 3. The first in the chain and the second from the star complete 18 orbits, the second in the chain and the third from the star complete 9 Orbits and from there it goes on. The planet closest to the star is not part of the chain.

For a system to orbit its star in such an orderly and predictable manner, the conditions in this system had to be relatively calm. Huge impacts or planetary wanderings would have bothered it. “The orbits in this system are very well ordered, which shows that this system has developed quite gently since it was born,” explained co-author Yann Alibert from the University of Bern.

But there is more.

In our solar system, the small inner planets are all rocky, while the planets in the outer solar system are large and gaseous. Beyond Neptune is a region with ice dwarf planets and objects of the Kuiper Belt. Photo credit: NASA / JPL / IAU

In our solar system, the inner planets are rocky and the planets beyond the asteroid belt are not. They are gaseous. This is one of the times we may be tempted to believe that our solar system is some kind of norm. However, the TOI-178 system is very different. Gaseous and rocky planets are not delineated as in our system.

“It seems that there is a planet as dense as Earth, right next to a very fluffy planet half the density of Neptune, followed by a planet the density of Neptune. It’s not what we’re used to, ”said Nathan Hara from the Université de Genève, Switzerland, one of the researchers involved in the study.

“This contrast between the rhythmic harmony of the orbital movement and the disordered densities certainly calls into question our understanding of the formation and development of planetary systems,” says Leleu.

The team used some of the European Observatory’s most advanced flagship tools in this work. The ESPRESSO instrument in the VLT as well as the NGTS and SPECULOOS instruments in the Paranal Observatory of ESO. They also used the European Space Agency’s CHEOPS exoplanet satellite. These instruments are all specialized in one way or another for studying exoplanets that are practically impossible to see with a “normal” telescope.

Exoplanets are far from Earth, and the overwhelming light from their stars makes them nearly invisible in a normal optical telescope.

The instruments used in this study record and characterize exoplanets in a number of ways. But what matters is recognizing light. The transit method used by NGTS (Next-Generation Transit Survey), CHEOPS (Characterizing ExOPlanet Satellite) and SPECULOOS (Search for Habitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-COOl Stars) detects the ingress of starlight when an exoplanet passes in front of its star. The radial velocity method used by ESPRESSO detects shifts in the normal spectrum of starlight when an exoplanet pulls on the star and shifts its position slightly.

Using multiple instruments with different methods and skills, the team was able to characterize the system in detail. The innermost planet in the system that is not in resonance with the others moves the fastest. It completes an orbit in just two Earth days. The slowest planet moves ten times slower. The planet sizes range from one to three earth sizes and the masses range from 1.5 to 30 times the earth’s mass.

The orbital resonance of the planets is in exquisite equilibrium. The authors write: “The orbital configuration of TOI-178 is too fragile to withstand huge impacts or even significant encounters. A sudden change in the period of one of the planets of less than a few 0.01 days can make the system chaotic. “They also write that their data” … shows that modifying a single period axis can break the resonance structure of the entire chain. “

This discovery just means more work for astronomers. The planets’ unusual orbital resonance and position means they need to rethink some of our theories about the formation and evolution of planets and solar systems.

This figure from the study compares the density, mass, and equilibrium temperature of the TOI-178 planets with other exoplanet systems. In Kepler-60,
Kepler-80 and Kepler-223 the density of the planets decreases
when the equilibrium temperature decreases. In contrast to the three Kepler systems, the density of the planets does not increase in the TOI-178 system
Function of the equilibrium temperature. The team behind this study says if they can understand why the TOI-178 system is different, it could become something of a Rosetta Stone for deciphering the solar system and planetary evolution. Photo credit: Leleu et al., 2021.

The authors write in their work: “The determination of the architecture of multiplanetary systems is one of the cornerstones for an understanding of planet formation and evolution. Resonance systems are particularly important because the fragility of their orbital configuration ensures that no significant scattering or collision event has occurred since the earliest phase of formation in which the protoplanetary parent disk was still present. “

The nebula hypothesis, also called the Solar Nebular Disk Model (SNDM), is the working theory for the formation of our solar system and others. According to the model, a huge molecular cloud collapses by gravity, and if enough gas collects, it eventually begins to merge and the life of a star begins. Most of the material in the cloud is taken up by the star, and in our solar system the sun has the lion’s share: about 99.86%.

The remaining material forms the protoplanetary disk, which rotates around the star in a flattened pancake shape. When material clumps together in the rotating protoplanetary disk, it eventually forms planets. There are some problems with the fog hypothesis, and other theories have tried to explain it.

These are images of nearby protoplanetary disks. There is a young star in the center of each, and the gaps in the disks are caused by the formation of exoplanets. Photo credit: ALMA (ESO / NAOJ / NRAO), S. Andrews et al .; NRAO / AUI / NSF, S. Dagnello

But this system challenges that theory. The SNDM suggests rocky terrestrial planets form closer to the star. They start out as planetary embryos and through violent fusions they create planets like Venus, Mercury, Mars and Earth. According to the SNDM, gas giants form beyond the frost line of the solar system, where planetary embryos form from frozen volatile substances.

However, the TOI-178 system questions this understanding. If the planets in this system followed the SNDM, the gas planets would be farther from the star and the rocky planets would be closer. Since this is not the case, something must have bothered her. But if something bothered them, their orbits would not be choreographed in such an exquisite rhythm. It’s a mystery.

“In a single framework, it will be a challenge for models of planetary system formation to understand the apparent perturbation in planetary density on the one hand and the high order in orbital architecture on the other,” they write.

Systems like this are difficult to understand, but ultimately they drive researchers to think harder and observe more fully.

The team of scientists wrote in its conclusion: “The TOI-178 system, as is evident from the most recent observations in this article, contains a number of very important features: Laplacian resonances, density differences from planet to planet and a star’s brightness which has a number of Follow-up observations made possible (photometric, atmospheric and spectroscopic). It is therefore likely to become one of the Rosetta Stones for understanding planet formation and evolution, even more so as additional planets are discovered that continue the chain of Laplace resonances and orbit in the habitable zone. “

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Sport

Zdeno Chara scores first objective with Capitals and his teammates are insane

Zdeno Chara scores first goal with Capitals and his teammates are insane

Zdeno Chara is the oldest active player in the NHL at the tender age of 43. He spent 15 of his 23 NHL seasons with the Bruins before shocking the ice hockey world and signing a one-year deal with the Capitals on December 30th.

Over the course of 1,560 games in the regular season (between the Islanders, Senators, Bruins and Caps) and 195 other games in the playoffs, “Big Z” scored a total of 223 goals. But maybe none was bigger – or had the best reaction – than the one he scored on Thursday night.

In the second stage, the senior statesman got the puck at the left point and shot a shot that passed some traffic before hitting the islanders goalkeeper Semyon Varlamov. Quick note: Chara won the NHL’s toughest shooting competition for five consecutive years (2007-12) and holds the record at 108.8 mph.

Sure, it was a special goal as it was his first with the Capitals in his eighth game (he already had an assist Thursday). But what happened next will surely give you all the feelings.

After Chara met, he was attacked by the camera on the bank of the capitals. Craig Laughlin of NBC Sports Washington exclaimed, “Big Z with all of his kids around him, I love it!”

It was quite a scene on the bench and the old man had the biggest smile when the “kids” raved about him and patted him on the head. It’s not an easy task, by the way, because Chara certainly lives up to his nickname with an NHL high of 6-9.

The gate also completed a series of markers for the capitals entering the middle frame in a 3-0 hole. Connor Sheary started the comeback with two tallies before Garnet Hathaway, John Carlson and Chara built the stack. All five goals came in a decent nine minutes and 23 seconds.

Categories
Entertainment

Pioneering Hollywood icon Cicely Tyson useless at 96

Pioneering Hollywood icon Cicely Tyson dead at 96

Cicely Tyson, the Emmy and Tony Award winning actress, has died. She was 96 years old.

E! News received a statement from her manager Larry Thompson His statement read: “I have managed Miss Tyson’s career for over 40 years and each year has been a privilege and a blessing.” Thompson added, “Cicely envisioned her new memory as a Christmas tree adorned with all the ornaments of her personal and professional life. Today she put the last ornament, a star, on the tree.”

On Tuesday, January 26th, she published her memoir Just As I Am.

Tyson won an Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Drama in 1974 for the autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and has since received more than a dozen Emmy nominations, including five for her guest appearance on ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder Viola Davis.

She made history as a black actress in the entertainment industry. After she was nominated for leading actress in a drama series Emmy in 1995 for NBC’s Sweet Justice, it was almost two decades before another black actress was nominated in that category. Kerry Washington had the honor in 2013.

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Science

Adjustment Is Extra Worthwhile Than Injury Management – Watts Up With That?

Adjustment Is More Profitable Than Damage Control - Watts Up With That?

Clintel.org just released a nice press release about the idea of ​​preparing for climate change, rather than the controversial idea of ​​destroying the fossil fuel industry in the hopes that reducing carbon emissions will somehow improve the climate .

So far, we have not been able to measure the impact of additional CO2 on the climate, although some believe the impact is between 1.5 and 4.5 degrees per doubling in CO2 concentration. We can’t even be sure, because there are credible estimates that are below one degree.

So it seems sensible to spend our hard earned money adjusting to whatever happens. Adaptation works when the changes are natural or artificial. The article is from Guus Berkhour and Marcel Crok from the Netherlands, where they understand customization better than most. Your dykes have a breakage probability of 1 in 10,000 years.

Read the press release here.

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Health

Altria mentioned cigarette trade shipments flattened in 2020

Altria said cigarette industry shipments flattened in 2020

Marlboro cigarettes, a product of Philip Morris International

Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images

After years of accelerating smoking decline, tobacco giant Altria announced a trend reversal as U.S. cigarette volumes remained unchanged year over year across the industry.

However, the company declined to predict how things would play out in 2021, as it is unclear whether the factors that contributed to this trend would continue.

The pandemic brought more people into their homes, giving smokers more opportunities to take a break from their hectic days and glow more often, especially given the overall higher levels of stress and anxiety due to the economy and health crisis. Employees who worked from home were no longer in a smoke-free office, and consumers generally had more disposable income from restrictions on other forms of entertainment such as restaurants and bars, movie theaters, and travel.

The trend was more pronounced in Altria’s own store. The Marlboro maker’s total cigarette shipping volume declined 0.4% from 2019 and rose 3.1% in the fourth quarter. For comparison: Altria’s cigarette volume decreased by 7.3% from 2018 to 2019.

Altria said it is paying close attention to trends that could affect future cigarette sales.

“Looking ahead, we expect the volume trends in the cigarette industry in 2021 to be driven most by home smoker practices, unemployment rates, tax incentives, cross-category movements, timing and breadth of COVID-19 use – Vaccines and consumer purchasing behavior following vaccine will be affected, “Altria said on a conference call on revenue.

With the expected decline in smoking, Altria has invested in alternatives to cigarettes such as the heated tobacco product iQos and nicotine pouches.

Altria shares closed Thursday at $ 42.65, up 1.98%. The stock is down nearly 15% over the past year for a market value of $ 79.26 billion.

For the fourth quarter, the company reported net income of $ 1.92 billion, or $ 1.03 per share, compared to a loss of $ 1.81 billion a year ago. Excluding items, Altria earned 99 cents per share, which was below analyst estimates. Revenue was better than expected, increasing to $ 6.3 billion from $ 6 billion a year ago.

For 2021, after adjustments, the company expects earnings of $ 4.49 to $ 4.62 per share.

Categories
Technology

London doubled its variety of fast chargers for electrical automobiles in 2020 – stunning

London doubled its number of quick chargers for electric vehicles in 2020 - beautiful

This article was originally published by Christopher Carey on Cities today, the leading news platform for urban mobility and innovation reaching an international audience of city guides. For the latest updates, see Cities Today Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Youtubeor sign up for Cities Today News.

London has achieved its goal of adding 300 more fast charging points for electric vehicles to its network before the end of 2020, bringing the total number of fast chargers in the UK capital to over 500.

Mainly used by commercial vehicles such as taxis and delivery drivers, the chargers are designed to charge quickly in 30 minutes.

The London boroughs have also supplied more than 2,000 residential charging points on the street Go Ultra Low City Scheme with more than 3,000 forecasts due for delivery by spring this year. Both projects and a grant program to help taxi drivers convert to electric vehicles are government funded Office for Emission-Free Vehicles (OZEV).

Work with BP Pulse and ESB Energy as the charging point operator, Transport for London (TfL), has achieved the goal, although the work was interrupted from April to June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alex Williams, Director of Urban Planning at TfL, said, “Fast charging stations will play a key role in decarbonising transport and moving towards cleaner vehicles. To make it easier for drivers to switch from older, more polluting to electric vehicles, they need to be confident that plugging in will be convenient and hassle-free. “

One recently report until International Council for Clean Transportation It showed that London was at the top of a league of European cities in terms of policies to grow its EV market.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan The delivery schedule for the infrastructure of electric vehicles predicts a sharp increase in the demand for charging infrastructure. It is estimated that the city will need up to 4,000 fast charging stations and up to 48,000 home chargers by 2025 as more people and businesses switch to electric vehicles.

Cost is still a factor

Almost eight in ten UK motorists (78%) believe that electric cars are still too expensive compared to conventional vehicles of a similar size, based on the latest research RAC report on driving a car.

The report found that 9% of 3,000 respondents said they want to switch to electricity the next time they change vehicles – up from 6% in 2019 and 3% the previous year.

[Read: How this company leveraged AI to become the Netflix of Finland]

More than half of drivers (53%) would like VAT on zero-emission vehicles to be either reduced or eliminated, with a slightly smaller proportion (48%) in favor of a scrapping program to make switching more affordable.

Rod Dennis, spokesman for RAC Data Insight, said, “With 2030 clearly set as the end of sales of new gasoline and diesel cars and vans, the momentum is growing to get more of us into electric vehicles – and it is clear that an increasing proportion increases the driver’s response.

“But the biggest obstacle for a driver who chooses an electric car instead of a gasoline or diesel powered car has to cost.

“While good finance leases and offers like free home recharging for a set period of time can help, it seems that the price of many new EVs remains prohibitive for many people and most drivers want more funding for government help, to cut costs. “

Almost every third motorist (30%) is in favor of increasing electricity by £ 1,000 ($ 1,367) Plug-in Car Grant, that would take it up to £ 4,000.

Other European countries like Norway have introduced tax cut measures on the purchase of new electric vehicles that have increased electric vehicle ownership dramatically.

SHIFT is brought to you by Polestar. It’s time to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility. That’s why Polestar combines electric driving with state-of-the-art design and exciting performance. Find out how.

Published on January 28, 2021 – 09:45 UTC