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Fly me to the Moon: Japan billionaire offers space seats
It's the sort of chance that comes along just once in a blue Moon: a Japanese billionaire is throwing open a private lunar expedition to eight people from around the world. Yusaku Maezawa, an online fashion tycoon, was announced in 2018 as the first man to book a spot aboard the lunar spaceship being developed by SpaceX. Maezawa, who paid an undisclosed sum for the trip expected to launch in 2023 at the earliest, originally said he planned to invite six to eight artists to join him on the voyage around the Moon. But on Wednesday, in a video posted on his Twitter account, he revealed a broader ...
Relaxnews
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Uber spins off robot delivery unit of Postmates
Washington (AFP) - Uber is spinning off the sidewalk robotics division of the Postmates delivery service acquired last year, creating a new company called Serve Robotics. A statement Tuesday from Serve said it had an unspecificed amount of seed funding from venture capital firm Neo with participation by Uber and other investors. Serve Robotics "will continue spearheading the development of a new form of mobility by creating autonomous robots to deliver goods in urban environments," a statement from the new company said. "Its fleet has already proven its viability by serving thousands of househ...
AFP
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A 1961 Bentley is the latest cherished car to get an electric rebirth
Classic car electrification specialist Lunaz has launched what it calls "the world's first electric classic Bentley" for fans of the brand who want to boost their green credentials. The electric-powered 1961 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur looks just the same as the original version which is driven by a gas-guzzling 6.2-litre V8 engine. The petrol unit has given way to a 80-kWh battery pack which offers a range of more than 250 miles (380 kilometres) and a respectable claimed zero to 100 km/h time of less than five seconds. The first car has recently rolled off the production line and Lunaz...
DPA
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Add to cart: Volvo's new electric SUV, the C40, sells online only
The Recharge version of the XC40 was launched at the end of 2020 as Volvo's first fully electric SUV. Now, with the C40, the Swedish manufacturer wants to follow up with another electric SUV with coupe-like features. With the new C40, Volvo is taking a further step towards the goal of all-electric mobility. In fact you can only buy it electronically - Volvo is exclusively selling the C40 online. When this compact SUV with a sleek rear goes on sale in late 2021, it will be available exclusively as a Recharge with batteries instead of a petrol tank, the Swedish manufacturer announced March 2. Th...
DPA
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Oh look, another SUV: What makes Hyundai's new Bayon so special?
Just try and stop Hyundai making another SUV. The latest plus-sized ride from South Korea after the Kona, Tucson and Santa Fe is the Bayon, a small crossover set to join an ever-more-crowded range of SUVs. With a length of just under 4.20 metres, it will go tyre to tyre against the likes of the Opel Mokka and VW T-Cross in the first half of 2021, the manufacturer has announced. International pricing has not yet been confirmed, but according to company sources, the car will start at well under 20,000 euros in Europe. The Bayon (not to be confused with the Chinese manufacturer Byton) has a compa...
DPA
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Maserati Ghibli launches as a cheaper hybrid
The Maserati Ghibli, the car that's been muscling in on Audi A6, BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class territory, is now being sold as a cheaper hybrid version. With it, the new luxury saloon brings a 48-volt system and an electric starter-generator, as well as a four-cylinder engine, rather than six or eight. This reduces not only consumption but also the price, which now starts at 71,210 euros in its home market and marks the entry into the world of the Ghibli. The new 2.0-litre engine produces 330 horsepower, almost as much as the V6 petrol engine, but is about 20 per cent more frugal and consum...
DPA
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Porsche takes the Taycan off road with SUV-styled Cross Turismo
An electric Porsche is probably not the first kind of car you'd picture tackling rugged landscapes and dirt roads. And yet the Germany luxury car manufacturer is now giving its long-standing SUV line-up a new, battery-powered boost. With a new electric sports saloon, the Porsche Taycan is getting a sister model in the first half of 2021, the company's first electric cross-turismo, the company announced on the sidelines of test drives. According to project manager Stefan Weckbach, the makers want to push things further than with the conventionally powered Panamera and the Sport Turismo. In addi...
DPA
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Netanyahu points finger at Iran after Friday freighter attack
It is obvious that Iran was behind the attack on an Israeli freighter in the Gulf of Oman last week, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. In an interview with the broadcaster Kan, Netanyahu took the opportunity to reiterate that Israel will never allow Iran to become a nuclear-armed power. Iran rejected Israel's accusations. "We will not allow the Zionists [Israel] to sow unrest and panic in the region with baseless accusations," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told state television. Khatibzadeh added that not Iran but Israel was a factor of insecurity in t...
DPA
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In Somalia, a female taxi driver defies convention
At 19 years old, Asha Mohamed is divorced and drives a taxi in Somalia, defying conventions to support her family in one of the world's most conservative and dangerous countries. For the past year, the young woman has crisscrossed the capital Mogadishu in her white taxi, with a faux fur throw covering her dashboard. Her career choice was driven by passion, but also necessity, after she divorced her husband -- whom she married at age 16 -- and was left to take care of her two children and her mother. Taxi driving in Mogadishu is not only typically reserved for men, but is also dangerous in a ci...
Relaxnews
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Airbus reveals carbon footprint of its planes
Airbus unveiled Friday the carbon footprint of its aircraft, a move that will help measure progress made by the aviation industry towards its goal of reducing emissions. It is the first time an aircraft manufacturer has released lifetime carbon emissions of its aircraft, and Airbus Executive VP Corporate Affairs Julie Kitcher said it was an opportunity to increase transparency in the sector. "We really want to demonstrate our commitment to driving decarbonisation of the sector," she said. The industry currently represents 2 percent of global CO2 emissions, according to the International Civil ...
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