Madrid, (IANS): The devastating wildfires sweeping across Spain this summer should serve as a warning to the rest of Europe about the rising dangers of climate change, a Barcelona-based climatologist said.
"This is a warning to countries that have traditionally enjoyed temperate, cool summers... because these conditions of intense heat will increase in latitude and will reach these countries," Javier Martin-Vide, climatologist and professor of physical geography at the University of Barcelona, told Xinhua.
According to Thursday's update from the European Forest Fire Information System, wildfires have scorched 403,171 hectares of land in Spain so far this year. Around 350,000 hectares were destroyed in just the past two weeks, coinciding with a severe heat wave that began in early August, Xinhua news agency reported.
Martin-Vide emphasised that climate models point to worsening conditions in the coming decades. "Adaptation is key to reducing the risk," he said, noting that temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in central and northern Europe will pose serious challenges to societies less accustomed to extreme heat.
He called for stronger prevention measures and better landscape management, highlighting the effects of rural depopulation. "The woods are not as clean as in the past, when there were cattle, sheep, goats grazing and eating the vegetation that now acts as the fuel that starts a forest fire," he explained.
The climatologist urged innovative strategies, including the creation of "mosaic landscapes with forest areas interspersed with cultivated fields," to make land more defensible against blazes.
He also pointed to adaptation already underway in agriculture, as olive and wine producers move production to higher altitudes, in search of more favorable climatic conditions to maintain both quality and output.
Martin-Vide welcomed the Spanish government's plan to establish a nationwide pact on fire prevention, calling it "very necessary."Spain is enduring its worst summer for wildfires this century, with more than 20 major blazes still burning, mainly in the northwestern provinces of Orense, Zamora and Leon. The interior ministry said over 33,000 people have been evacuated, while four people, including three firefighters, have died. Wildfires in Spain signal growing climate risks for Europe, expert warns | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo could be involved in an ambitious takeover of a Spanish club fighting for promotion to La Liga, GOAL reports, citing Marca.
Ronaldo could become involved in the Saudi takeover of Almeria, who have been purchased by an investment group led by Mohamed Al-Khereiji. The relationship between the new owner and Ronaldo is said to be closer after he facilitated the former Real Madrid star's move to Al-Nassr in 2022.
Ronaldo could buy shares in the investment group that has completed the takeover and is linked to media, advertising and sport. The report states it is likely he would then be involved in Almeria in the future. The club are currently battling to win promotion back to La Liga in the final weeks of the season.
Ronaldo has been building a business empire away from football, including investments in hotels, fashion, technology and health. He also has a stake in water brand URSU.Ronaldo is likely to feature in Al-Nassr's final two matches of the Saudi Pro League season, against Al-Khaleej and Al-Fateh, though did miss Friday's 1-1 draw with Al-Taawoun Source Article
The anchor found by fishermen aboard the Cornish vessel Spirited Lady suspected to come from ‘El Dorado of the seas’ – SWNS
A team of marine experts are to begin hunting for the most valuable shipwreck in history which sank 400 years ago carrying $4.3 billion worth of gold.
Royal Merchant, a 17th-century English treasure ship known as “El Dorado of the Seas” sank in bad weather off Lands End, eastern England in 1641.
It was returning to Dartmouth laden with treasure from Mexico amounting to at least 100,000 pounds of gold, 400 bars of Mexican silver, and 500,000 pieces of eight.
Carrying a crew of 80 under the command of Capt. John Limbrey, the ship was described as having “£300,000 in silver, £100,000 in gold and as much again in jewel” lying in its hold.
Proceedings in the House of Commons were halted to hear the news it was lost, and King Charles I spoke of the event as the “greatest loss ever sustained in one ship.”
Fast forward to modern-day and in 2019, a massive anchor was brought up in the nets of The Spirited Lady off the coast of Cornwall, and experts speculated it belonged to the Royal Merchant.
So now a team of marine cargo recovery experts from Cornish-based company Multibeam Services is working with former local fishermen in a mission to find the wreck and its treasure.
Multibeam plans to spend all of 2024 looking for the wreck, covering a 200-square-mile area of the English Channel to the tune of millions of British pounds. They say if they find the boat, the governing authorities will be notified.
“We’ve got state-of-the-art technology, and one of the best dive teams in the world,” said Nigel Hodge, from Multibeam Services who leads the on-water team. “We will definitely find it—we’ve found everything we’ve ever looked for and we’ve been in the business looking for 35 years.”
“We are a team of marine exploration experts trained from working at sea as ex-commercial Cornish fisherman, so we have a knowledge of the local area.”
Multibeam will use remote-controlled unmanned submersibles equipped with sonar and cameras each costing around $3.8 million. The company has used them previously to find submarines and other shipwrecks.
With a treasure haul estimated at $4.3 billion, Multibeam aren’t the only ones interested in finding it, and in 2007, news reports surfaced that the wreck was apparently found by the US company Odyssey Marine Exploration.
The State Department Cables from Wikileaks revealed that Odyssey lost a legal battle and was ordered to hand over coins recovered from the wreck to Spain, suggesting that the ship was really a Spanish frigate.The project to find the Merchant Royal will begin in April and will be televised in a series hosted by TV presenter Jason Fox. Experts Begin Hunt for Most Valuable British Shipwreck in History, and the Gold Worth 4 Billion
However, retaining existing staff is a paramount strategy.
The pandemic accelerated the exploration of more flexible work arrangements, while the idea of a four-day work week is continually gaining traction. Could this be a solution to improve the retention of burnt out staff in the health-care sector?
The strain of balancing demanding work schedules, including long hours and shift work, with family responsibilities, can lead to work-family conflicts. Also, the nature of the profession means staff are often exposed to traumatic situations such as patient deaths, further elevating stress levels. COVID has intensified the issue of burnout in health care.
A four-day work week is based on the so-called 100-80-100 arrangement, where 100% of productivity is achieved in 80% of the time with 100% of pay. So that might mean working Monday to Thursday, but getting paid a full wage, and with an expectation that you’ll produce as much in four days as you did in five.
In a pilot study by Cambridge University and 4 Day Week Global, 71% of participants reported feeling less burnt out, while there was a 57% fall in staff resignations. These outcomes are similar to results from trials in Belgium, Spain, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
But the execution of a four-day work week in health care comes with unique challenges. The model has primarily been trialled in office and corporate environments, where a five-day work week, totalling 35-40 hours, is conventional.
For many health-care workers, especially nurses, longer hours and shift work are the norm. Nurses are often expected to work on public holidays, and may have to work for six or seven consecutive days before having a few days off, instead of the standard five days on, two days off.
Also, many health-care services, such as hospitals and aged care facilities, require staffing seven days a week. It’s imperative any restructured work arrangements are designed to ensure continuous, adequate staffing.
Consequently, a direct transition from a five-day to a four-day work week might not be immediately logical or applicable.
Instead, this model should be conceptualised more broadly for health care, focusing on reducing and optimising working hours, and addressing the specifics of rostering and workforce planning in the industry.
Applying this model to health care
The focus should be on achieving greater productivity through reducing stress and burnout. Although shifting to a four-day work week won’t necessarily be practical, there should be an emphasis on shorter hours, guided by the 100-80-100 model.
The application of this model within health care would vary. For example, specialist physicians work 50 hours a week on average, so applying the model would reduce their work week to 40 hours.
Shift design, particularly for nurses, should focus on ways to reduce fatigue and in turn burnout. This might include scheduling shifts at a consistent time of day for individual staff members, implementing shorter shifts, and rostering reasonable consecutive working days (instead of seven or more days in a row before getting a day off).
Trials of a four-day work week have shown positive results in corporate settings. Jacob Lund/Shutterstock
The benefits
Reducing the hours worked and optimising shift rostering could help to alleviate stress, burnout and work-family conflict for health-care workers. All this is likely to improve staff retention.
Any reduction in staff turnaround would save on direct costs associated with hiring new staff. The cost to replace a highly specialised health-care professional can reach up to 200% of their annual salary.
Also, implementing shorter shifts – for example shifts lasting four or eight hours instead of 12 – may increase the uptake of shift times that are usually hard to fill. Measures like shorter shifts could also appeal to part-time workers or those who have retired.
Finally, reducing burnout and absenteeism will improve productivity among staff. This will indirectly lower costs and benefit public health.
Some challenges
As it can take a few months to a few years to recover from burnout, once any changes are implemented, the benefits would take time to be seen.
And reducing working hours as well as other changes to rostering will initially be difficult given current staff shortages in the sector.
Hopefully, measures such as migration incentives and subsidised training for health-care professionals will bolster the workforce and make bridging this gap a little easier.
Although the implementation is not straightforward, changes to working arrangements in the health-care sector could have an even greater positive impact than in other industries.
By Aniket Gupta: Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), the leader among India’s tractor industry companies, has set its sights on a remarkable goal. It aims to double its exports from India within the next three years.
This ambitious plan will gain momentum from the introduction of its innovative platform, OJA, which was recently unveiled in Cape Town, South Africa.
Mahindra Tractors is a part of the group’s farm equipment division of the $19.4-billion Mahindra Group, and the flagship unit of the division.
During the year ended 31 March 2023, the Mahindra Group exported 18,104 tractors. Hemant Sikka, president of the farm equipment segment, aims for a substantial leap, aspiring to raise this figure to 36,000 tractors by fiscal 2025-26.
With the introduction of the OJA lineup, M&M is embarking on an expansion into a dozen new markets. This initiative includes the establishment of a new office in Thailand, which will serve as a strategic base for accessing the ASEAN markets.
The company's sights are set on European markets as well, with special focus on countries renowned for vine cultivation, such as Germany, Italy, and Spain. Sikka emphasized that M&M currently lacks a footprint in both regions, ASEAN and Europe.
What about the American market? Growth there has been slow, but Sikka anticipates this is a temporary situation.
In Brazil, M&M has already achieved a remarkable feat by increasing its market share from 3.5 per cent to an impressive 7.2 per cent in the past two years.
Distinct sub-platforms
Comprising four distinct sub-platforms — sub-compact, compact, small utility, and large utility — the OJA platform is a comprehensive family. At present, the sub-compact tractor range is earmarked exclusively for international markets and will not be offered in India. Special attention will be paid to the American market, according to Sikka.
However, Sikka has noted that if there is a demand for the sub-compact category within India, its introduction in India too would be considered.
Beginning in January 2024, M&M is set to initiate the export of the sub-compact series within the OJA tractor range. On the other hand, the introduction of the expansive utility platform is reserved for a later timeframe, anticipated around the fiscal year 2025-26. This forthcoming platform is created to serve both the domestic Indian market and international export markets.
What about pricing? The Mahindra OJA 27 HP tractor will be priced at Rs 5.64 lakh, and the OJA 40 HP tractor at Rs 7.35 lakh.
Production of the OJA range will happen at M&M's Zaheerabad facility in Telangana, which has a total annual manufacturing capacity of 100,000 tractors.
Sikka notes that the tractor industry has maintained a consistent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 7 percent over several years. In contrast, in the horticulture segment, tractors are experiencing a faster, double-digit growth rate.
The OJA series is a dedicated range of tractors tailored for specific uses, finding utility in both horticulture and paddy cultivation. Sikka explains that paddy farming need to be lighter as the presence of water makes heavier tractors vulnerable to sinking in the fields.In an unveiling event on Tuesday, 15 August 2023, M&M introduced three distinct OJA offerings spanning a weight range of 700 kg to 2000 kg and containing power capacities ranging from 20 horsepower to 40 horsepower. Source: https://www.domain-b.com/
Colombian music star Shakira will stand trial in a Spanish court for allegations of tax fraud amounting to 14.5 million Euros. A Barcelona court has ordered the singer to stand trial for six alleged tax crimes, although a date has not yet been set. Spanish prosecutors want to jail the superstar for eight years and fine her 23.8 million Euros if she is found guilty.The 45-year-old has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Source: https://www.fijivillage.com/
SEOUL, Apr. 23, 2015 ― LG Electronics (LG) will begin the global rollout of its premium LG Watch Urbane this week in South Korea to be followed by key markets in North America, Europe and Asia in the weeks to come. Customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States will be able to purchase the LG Watch Urbane on Google Store starting this month. At MWC 2015, the LG Watch Urbane received numerous awards and accolades from consumers, media and industry thought leaders for its modern design, full-circle Plastic OLED (P-OLED) display and overall usefulness. The LG Watch Urbane carries over the 1.3-inch P-OLED display from the LG G Watch R but features a less prominent and lower profile bezel. Its dimensions are smaller overall and thinner, without reducing the size of the display or the battery. Responding to consumers’ desire for style as well as function, the LG Watch Urbane has a full metal body with a stitched genuine leather strap. The stainless steel body is available in a luxurious polished rose gold and silver, accentuated further with a narrow bezel that gives the device the sleek lines of a classic timepiece. Unlike many other competing smartwatches, the band can be exchanged with any replacement 22mm leather, silicone or metal strap for the ultimate in convenience and personalization. LG Watch Urbane is the first new smartwatch powered by the latest version of Android Wear which works seamlessly with smartphones running Android 4.3 and above. Some of the features available for the first time on any Android Wear device include Wi-Fi connectivity, always-on apps to keep the display from going dark when running, navigating or even grocery shopping and an improved UX that makes launching favorite apps and getting in touch with friends easier than ever before with everything now front-and-center. The latest OS allows users
to send emojis by drawing them directly on the LG Watch Urbane. Draw a smiley face, a clock showing a certain time or any other pictures and Android Wear will match your drawing to the closest Unicode emoji for sending to another Android Wear watch, smartphone, or computer. Other improvements include the ability to change the font size and see notifications even when looking at another function on the display, such as directions. What’s more, the screen on the LG Watch Urbane can now be set to lock automatically when it is removed from the wrist. Included in LG Watch Urbane are two new and useful features not available on other Android Wear devices: LG Call and LG Pulse. LG Call allows the wearer to access recent calls and the favorite contacts list on the connected smartphone to dial out directly from the watch. When connected to a Bluetooth headset, there is no need to remove the phone from one’s pocket to place a call. And LG Pulse takes health monitoring to a whole new level by measuring the wearer’s heart rate every second during exercise with no maximum time limit. At the end of the activity, LG Pulse will report the average heart rate over the entire duration of the activity and display a heart rate graph on LG Health (coming soon). “The LG Watch Urbane is the third Android Wear device introduced by LG in the past year which demonstrates our commitment to this platform,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “More importantly, LG Watch Urbane is a perfect example that Android Wear watches can be functional and beautiful and a useful accessory that complements any wardrobe. No one would mistake LG Watch Urbane for a computer on your wrist.” Price and additional purchase details will be announced locally at the time of availability.
Key Specifications:
Chipset: 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 400
Operating System: Android Wear™
Display: 1.3-inch P-OLED Display (320 x 320, 245ppi)
The New Year began with pundits telling the same old story: the global economy is in crisis. Growth forecasts are being revised downwards for both developed and developing nations. The chieftains of world capital are now choosing to warn the rest of the world of an impending global economic catastrophe if solutions are not found quickly.Europe and America's financial and economic woes are long and deep - and of their own making. The resulting spasms reflect the accelerating decline of the traditional global financial network, as the galloping changes in global power centers of world finance find themselves unable to keep up with the economic realities. The Euro area is deep in the economic danger zone. Its public debt rose to 88.4 percent of GDP in 2011. Its economy is forecasted to contract 0.5 percent in 2012 before returning to meager growth of 0.8 percent in 2013. Indeed, the very future of the Euro - its crown jewel - is threatened as member-states face financial meltdowns created by fiscal and monetary overheating. Powerful lenders Germany and France are forced to rethink as the defaults expand. Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal and Greece have all moved from boom to bust, as the EU faces its worst recession in living memory. Greece badly needs to pay 14.5 million Euros in debt redemption and get private creditors to write off over another 100 million Euros - all by March 20, 2012 - to be able to get a 130 billion Euro bailout needed to avoid going bust and setting off another global financial meltdown. Source: China.org.cn
Torresol Energy, a joint venture between the SENER engineering and technology group and Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, has emerged as the final winner in the CSP Today Seville 2012 Awards in the ‘CSP Dispatchability Solution’ category. These awards are a new recognition of Torresol Energy’s efforts to ensure that thermal energy is more competitive and efficient. The company already has three solar plants in Spain: Gemasolar in Seville and Valle 1 and Valle 2 in Cadiz. The three of them, although there are still in their learning period since they entered into commercial operation, have been able to export more than 100 million KWh each to the grid. Gemasolar, located in Fuentes de Andalucia, in the province of Seville, is the first commercial plant in the world with central tower receiver and molten salt heat storage technology. This system allows for the production of electricity at full power for 15 hours without sunlight. Solar power is thus converted into a manageable energy source capable of supplying the grid according to demand, regardless of whether it is nighttime or cloudy. Valle 1 and Valle 2 are twin installations of 50 MW each that use parabolic trough collectors with a thermal storage system identical to Gemasolar’s, allowing them to operate at full power for 7.5 hours. Torresol Energy promotes the technological development, construction, and operation and maintenance of large CSP plants around the world. The numerous innovations of the three plants it operates have once again earned its nomination for the CSP Today Awards, while it has previously won the awards for ‘CSP commercialized technology innovation 2011’ and ‘Most effective CSP project development 2011.’ The winners of this year’s edition of the CSP Today Seville Awards were announced on 13 November during a ceremony at the Hotel Barceló Renacimiento in Seville. Source: Renewable Energy Magazine
A physical space can encourage and facilitate certain behaviours. Anna Mitchell looks at how learning spaces, and the technologies within them, are changing in education.
Cesc Fabregas struck the winning spot kick as holders Spain beat Portugal 4-2 on penalties after their Euro 2012 semi-final ended goalless after extra time on Wednesday. Spain keeper Iker Casillas saved Joao Moutinho's opening penalty then Bruno Alves hit the bar to eventually open the door for substitute Fabregas, who scored via the post. After a lively first half when Portugal took the game to their neighbours, it got cagier with fewer chances as Cristiano Ronaldo lashed two dipping free kicks just over the bar and sent another flying over in the last minutes after a counter-attack. Spain's Alvaro Arbeloa swept a half-volley over the bar in the ninth minute and remarkably that proved to be Spain's best chance of a disjointed performance until Andres Iniesta forced Rui Patricio into his first serious save just before halftime in extra time when they finally injected some pace and took control. Germany play Italy in Warsaw on Thursday in the second semi-final with the final in Kiev on Sunday.Source: Indian Express
Fresh Plaza: The mandarin, which originated in China, has over the years, under gone the necessary changes. The best known are the Clementine and Satsuma. According to Dick Pijpers there is little trace of the original mandarin. "By breeding and selection you always get another, better fruit than the original." Seasons for the mandarins which came fore mostly from Spain have significantly expanded, they used to appear just before the Christmas market. "This was the Mediterranean mandarin, which has a very typical old-fashioned taste and odour, and gave you a mouth full of pits." Dick says that this taste can no longer be found in contemporary mandarins. "They are no longer related to the Mediterranean mandarin." This does have to be, according to him, negative. "The grower chooses a good technical product cultivation, that have little need for plant protection products, and are resistant to frost. "Also, the season is now expanded with both early and late varieties. "Each year new varieties are seen. Thanks to in vitro techniques, they may even be cultured without the use of seeds. " Today's consumer demands a seedless mandarin. "100% seedless is almost impossible," explains Dick Pijpers. Many growers have gone into the cultivation of new varieties because they could no longer earn a living with the old mandarin varieties. "In the trade it goes on returns." Reverting to older breeds with the taste of the Mediterranean mandarin will never disappear. The Tardive, a race known in Europe as the Mediterranean mandarin, is still available. The supply comes mainly from Sicily (Italy), and runs from January to April. According to Dick, there are more and more producers again reverting to the old races, just to stand out from the crowd. "Also, we see consumers going back to taste. ""Source: Fresh Plaza, ***
Sensei Fun and Knowledge : In the Spanish city of Valencia once again People calebrated one of the most vibrant festival in Spain – A festival of Las Fallas, celebration of fire and the arrival of spring….Just have a look of amazing pictures of fireworks and celebration. 1 .Every year in the memory of Saint Joseph, Fallas festival was celebrated from 14 to 19 March in Spain.
2. A week before the holiday carpenters, painters, architects and sculptors started creating a variety of complex structures of paper, wax, wood, papier-mache, foam and other materials. 3. The sculptures, which depict politicians and fairy-tale characters, music, performers and other celebrities, are so
Bikya Masr: Spain’s King Juan Carlos faces overwhelming public scorn following an extravagant elephant hunting trip to Botswana earlier this month. Juan Carlos, an honorary president of World Wildlife Spain, had his private trip publicized when he was flown back to Madrid for medical attention after reportedly slipping and fracturing his hip. Hundreds of thousands voiced their condemnation of Juan Carlos’ hunting extravaganza through social media and online petitions demanding his resignation as honorary president of World Wildlife Fund Spain, a position he has held since 1968. Animal activists protested outside the hospital treating the king on Tuesday, toting signs featuring pictures of elephants and slogans such as “ban hunting” and “victims of the royal hunt.” The King’s passion for hunting has long been known and his list of kills includes an endangered bison on a trip to Poland in 2004 as well as water buffalo. Pictures previously posted on Botswana based big game hunting company Rann Safari’s webpage showed the king posing beside a dead elephant and water buffalo from a previous trip. In response to the public outcry, World Wildlife Fund Spain has announced it will be taking necessary steps to remove King Juan Carlos as a patron of their charity, despite his taste for hunting having no conflict with their ideals. “It’s a problem of the image it sends nationally and internationally rather than the issue of elephant conservation in Botswana,” states Juan Carlos del Olmo, secretary general of World Wildlife Fund Spain. World Wildlife Funds’ dedication to the conservation of species differs greatly from animal welfare groups commitment to the protection of animals against suffering, as is evident in WWF Canada’s approval of harp seal hunting. “Conservation groups are concerned with conserving animals for specific purposes and mainly for human use,” Jane Dollinger, PETA Spokesman, tells Bikya Masr. “Conservation groups are supported by hunters; they promote hunt culls to artificially reduce an animal population, which frees up available resources and causes animals’ breeding to increase, thereby increasing the population over time and ensuring that the species will always be there for humans to hunt.” “Left alone, animal populations regulate their own numbers based on the availability of food and a secure habitat.” Following his surgery King Juan Carlos issued a televised apology for his actions, an unprecedented event in the history of the Spanish crown. “I am very sorry,” he said, “I made a mistake and it won’t happen again.” The King’s recovery is reportedly going well and he is expected to be able to resume office duties in approximately 10 days. Source: Bikya Masr
Indian Express, Associated Press: Barcelona, Lionel Messi became the first player in almost 40 years to score 60 goals in a single European top-flight season after a brace helped Barcelona come from behind to beat 10-man Zaragoza 4-1. Messi's 23 goals from the last 12 games has helped him arrive at the landmark 60 figure, the first time since Gerd Muller scored 67 goals in the 1972-73 season for Bayern Munich. With a minimum of nine games still to play in the league and cup, 24-year-old Messi has the German's record well within his sights. Barca's victory yesterday also helped the champions slash Real Madrid's lead to three points with Jose
Mourinho's side facing a tough April schedule, starting against third-placed Valencia today. After that comes the Madrid derby against Atletico and the El Clasico showdown with Barca also to feature. Relegation-haunted Zaragoza took advantage of a slow start from Barca with Carlos Aranda heading them in front in the 30th minute after earlier missing a penalty. Carles Puyol brought Barca back on level terms six minutes later and then Messi hit a double ftowards the end of either half, the second from the penalty spot. In injury time, Messi set up Pedro Rodriguez for the fourth. "All we can do is keep going and see what happens in the matches still to play. We knew this would be a difficult game for the way that the opposition has been playing in the last month and the state of the pitch made it worse for both of us," said Barca coach Pep Guardiola. Source: Indian Express
BusinessDay, Android phones already outselling Apple iPhone to become the biggest smartphone operating platform, but dominance can be limiting factor in itself, Hugo Miller: GOOGLE’s ubiquitous Android operating system has surpassed Apple’s iPhone to become the biggest smartphone operating platform, attracting a big crowd of cellphone makers. But Samsung Electronics’ increasing dominance among Android phones may limit the software’s success, crimping sales at some of Samsung’s competitors. Companies such as HTC and Motorola Mobility Holdings risk being squeezed between South Korea’s Samsung and China’s Huawei Technologies. HTC, which introduced its HTC One phone this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, shifted its focus to Android in 2009. Motorola Mobility also turned to Android to reverse a sales slump. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who decided against using Android and instead teamed up with Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform to try to revive the Finnish company’s fortunes, watches the crowded Android market with relief. "There are certain players who are quite strong in Android, others who have become less strong, there’s a balancing going out there," he said in Barcelona. "If we had made a decision to go Android, how would we be feeling right now? I feel much better being in the place where we have a unique and differentiated point of view." At least 12 handset makers are jostling for position on Android, which is available free to any manufacturer. Android phones represented 51% of all smartphone sales in the fourth quarter from 31% a year earlier, according to research company Gartner. Among individual companies, Samsung’s share of the smartphone market reached 22,5% in the fourth quarter from 9,4% a year earlier and Huawei’s more than doubled to 3,5% from 1,4%, according to researcher IDC. HTC’s market share dropped to 6,4% from 8,6%, while Motorola Mobility fell to 3,3% from 4,8%. The strain has started to show in the results of some players. In October Taiwan-based HTC forecast fourth-quarter sales that trailed analyst estimates after already missing them in the previous period. The maker of the Sensation and Desire handsets cut that outlook less than a month later, before forecasting revenue this quarter that also missed the average estimate. It is a fall from grace for HTC, which was briefly the largest smartphone maker in the US market in the third quarter of last year as consumers waited for the latest version of the iPhone to come out, according to researcher Canalys. "You’re in a tough spot if you have to compete with Samsung on quality and Huawei on cost," said Matt Thornton, an analyst at Avian Securities in Boston, who was at the wireless show in Spain this week. Read Full: BusinessDay - Dominance a threat to Android?, Image: flickr.com
Toby Price: The Israeli solar company, Aora, has announced that it will commission its second hybrid micro concentrating solar power (CSP) plant next month. After developing its first solar-gas hybrid plant in Israel in 2009, the company has been working to build a second plant in Spain capable of generating low-cost, continuous clean energy 24/7.Back in 2009, the Israeli firm, Aora, impressed the CSP community when it installed an innovative tower plant based on technology developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in the Arava desert in southern Israel. The facility was immediately nicknamed the "Power Flower" station, due to its unique yellow tulip design developed of by Haim Dotan Ltd. architects. The plant consists of a field of 30 tracking mirrors (heliostats) situated on half an acre of land, with a 30-metre high tower standing in the middle of the complex at Kibbutz Samar, outside Eilat. Described as the world's first hybrid solar thermal gas turbine power station, the facility is capable of generating 100 kW of electric power in addition to 170 kW of thermal power. “This marked the first time that CSP stations can provide environmentally-friendly power 24 hours a day”, said Aora’s CEO at the time, Haim Fried. The patented receiver uses the solar energy to heat air to a temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius and directs this energy into the turbine, which converts the thermal energy into electric power that is fed directly into the national grid. Besides solar energy, the power station can also run on other alternative fuel, including bio-gas, bio-diesel and natural gas. So the station can produce electricity when sunlight is insufficient, such as at night or when it is cloudy. "It can shift seamlessly between using the sun as fuel and a conventional or another renewable fuel," explains Pinchas Doron, Aora’s Chief Technology Officer Click Hear To Read Full At Renewable Energy Magazine
Hindustan Times, Madrid, Agence France-Presse: Millions of crisis-hit Spaniards are snatching up tickets for the world's richest lottery draw on Thursday, which will shower winners with a record 2.5 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in prizes. Undeterred by a 21.5-% jobless rate and the prospect of recession, four out of every five Spaniards are expected to snatch up a ticket to a lottery known as "El Gordo", or the "Fat One". Long queues snaked through the streets as people took a chance to dream of an escape from the economic crisis, each person buying an
average of more than 60 euros' worth of tickets. In Madrid's main artery, the Gran Via, many waited for tickets at a small kiosk. "I am spending more than last year, 100 euros, and I am sharing the tickets with my friends and family," said a 48-year-old office worker, Victoria. "Some of them are having a very tough time financially and I want us to win," she said. A tradition that dates back nearly two centuries, "El Gordo" is an engrained Christmas ritual. Family, friends and 'colleagues can play the same number and share the gains if they are lucky on December 22, when pupils from former Madrid orphanage San Ildefenso sing out the numbers on national television. At Madrid's Dona Manolita lottery ticket shop, which is famed for having sold the winning number several times, superstitious players are prepared to wait for hours for a ticket. "And they say Spain is in a crisis," a passer-by could be heard muttering as he struggled to get past the huge queue. Spaniards' attachment to "El Gordo" allows the national lottery to rake in a fortune each year, of which 70% is shared out in prizes. It makes the draw one of the world's most generous, said Juan Antonio Gallardo, sales director of the national lottery. The jackpot has grown to 400,000 euros from 300,000 euros last year. With lottery ticket sales expected to amount to 3.6 billion euros, up from 2.7 billion euros last year, the total prize money to be shared out is expected to be 2.52 billion euros. "The Christmas lottery is written into Spaniards' DNA. No other lottery in the world sells so much," Gallardo said.Read Full: World's richest lottery to shower 3.6 bn euros - Hindustan Times
Easy Destination Blog: More than 22,000 air travelers are stranded due to shutdown of Spanair airline. Spanish carrier Spanair has cancelled over 220 flights since halting the operations that have created nightmare for the 22,000 stranded passengers. The sudden shutdown by the airline without any prior warning has sparked anger among the passengers and the Spanish government. Spain has decided to take strict action against Spanair for violating aviation rules by suddenly halting
the operations. So far 220 flights have been cancelled. The number is expected to reach 268 later today. Spain has created a special committee to handle the Spanair situation. This committee is going to help all the passengers of backrupt airline Spanair. Spanair has reached an agreement with 3 European airlines Iberia, Vueling and Air Europa which will offer low rates to the stranded passengers of Spanair airline. All three airlines will offer flights to stranded passengers at at reduced prices of between 60 and 100 euros starting February 3. European Low Fares Airline Association has also come to rescue passengers of Spanair airline. The association has announced that all member airlines like Ryanair and Eastjet will offer special discount on the fares to the stranded passengers of Spanair. This is second big collapse last week that has affected thousands of travelers. One of the biggest tour operators in Russia “Lanta-Tour Voyage” also halted operations last week that stranded over 8000 Russian tourists. Source: Easy Destination Blog
Indian Express, Zurich: Lionel Messi's claim to a place in football's pantheon of greats should be advanced tomorrow when the FIFA Ballon d'Or trophy is awarded to the world's best player in 2011. The Argentina forward heads a three-player shortlist, alongside Barcelona teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, and seeks to win for a third straight year. Only World Cup winners Zinedine Zidane of France and Brazil's Ronaldo have won three times since FIFA created its world player award in 1991, now merged with the Ballon d'Or presented by France Football magazine since 1956. Only France great Michel Platini ever claimed that trophy for three consecutive years, winning from 1983-85 in an era in which only European players were eligible. That Messi likely will have three awards by the age of 24 is even more remarkable. Few players have ever had a year quite like Messi's 2011. He defined an elegant Barcelona team which won the Champions League, Spanish League, European Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and, after voting closed in November, the FIFA Club World Cup. Read Full: Messi set to win 3rd straight world player honour - Indian Express, Image: flickr.com
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Trials of a four-day work week have shown positive results in corporate settings. 
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