Crime in spotlight as Californians head to the polls in key races grabbing national attention

Crime, homelessness and soaring gas prices are in the spotlight as Californians head to the polls on Tuesday in key races grabbing national attention. …read more

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/crime-californians-polls-key-races-grabbing-national-attention

Sudan security forces kill 100th person in anti-coup protests

The 100th protester was killed in an anti-coup demonstration in Sudan after protests began in response to military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visit. …read more

https://www.foxnews.com/world/sudan-security-forces-kill-100th-person-anti-coup-protests

Nigerian church attack casualties revised down to 22 killed, 50 injured

The casualty report for Sunday’s attack on a Catholic church in Nigeria was revised down to 22 killed and 50 injured on Tuesday after initial reports said 50 people were killed. …read more

https://www.foxnews.com/world/nigerian-church-attack-casualties-revised-down

Could North Korea become a breeding ground for new COVID mutations?

With few people vaccinated, an overwhelmed medical service, and generally poor health among its population, virologists fear North Korea could be the source of dangerous new mutations of the virus. …read more

https://www.dw.com/en/could-north-korea-become-a-breeding-ground-for-new-covid-mutations/a-62051700?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf

Ryanair under fire for asking South Africans to prove nationality with Afrikaans test

Ryanair has come under fire for asking South African travelers to take an Afrikaans test to prove their nationality before boarding flights.

…read more

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/ryanair-slammed-for-issuing-afrikaans-test-for-south-africans/index.html

‘Mr. Reyes, what is going on?’ Uvalde teacher describes watching all 11 of his students die in classroom

• Key GOP senators signal age hike to buy semiautomatic weapons is off the table
• Opinion: The reason people tell me they want to buy an AR-15

…read more

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/07/us/uvalde-school-teacher-arnulfo-reyes-interview/index.html

US, South Korea conduct fighter jet drills amid North Korea tensions

The American and South Korean air forces conducted a joint drill that saw 16 fighter jets fly in formation as North Korea is expected to conduct a nuclear detornation. …read more

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-south-korea-fighter-jet-drills-north-korea-tensions

Burger King has a ‘Pride Whopper’ with ‘two equal buns’

Burger King’s new hamburger to celebrate Pride Month has caused quite the stir on social media.

…read more

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/07/business-food/burger-king-pride-whopper/index.html

Polestar’s first SUV, the Polestar 3 EV, arrives in Q3 2022

Polestar released teaser images Tuesday for its first battery-electric SUV, the Polestar 3, which will make its global debut in October.

The teaser shows a sleek, four-passenger SUV with a panoramic sunroof that stretches from windshield to rear spoiler and a bold taillight design.

The Polestar 3, which will be built at the Volvo plant in Charleston, South Carolina, later this year, is the third model from the high-performance EV maker, following the discontinued, 600-horsepower Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid, and the Polestar 2 all-electric sports sedan.

Polestar’s latest model allows the automaker to enter one of the industry’s highest-margin, fastest-growing segments in the U.S.: larger, luxury EVs. Several automakers have begun tapping into this twin demand for both luxury SUVs and electric vehicles. New entrants including the Maserati Grecale, Lexus RZ, Cadillac Lyriq are expected to become top sellers for their brands.

The automaker said its SUV will travel an estimated 372 miles on a fully charged battery and feature a dual-motor drivetrain. Production in the U.S. and China will begin in early 2023. Eventually, the SUV will be able to provide autonomous highway piloting, powered by LiDAR sensors from Luminar and centralized computing by NVIDIA.

Polestar intends for the SUV to showcase the brand’s capability and performance. With this car, we bring the ‘sport’ back to the SUV, staying true to our performance roots,” CEO Thomas Ingenlath said in a statement.

Polestar, which formed in 2017 as a standalone brand under the aegis of Sweden’s Volvo Cars, has aggressive plans for the future. Starting with the Polestar 3’s public premiere this fall, Polestar plans to launch one new model annually over the next three years.

The goal is to increase its presence to at least 30 global markets by the end of 2023, while growing its global sales tenfold to 290,000 units through 2025, compared with the 29,000 units it sold in 2021.

To fund its lofty targets, Polestar plans to go public this summer through a merger with Gores Guggenheim. The SPAC deal values the company at $20 billion. Most of the EV makers to go public through a so-called reverse merger instead of an IPO have stumbled, ultimately leading to investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the removal of top executives, and tumbling valuations.

Polestar announced last week that it will build 270 units of a high-performance edition of its Polestar 2 electric compact sedan. The 2023 Polestar 2 BST Edition is a four-door fastback with 476 horsepower – 68 more than the regular Polestar 2 – and a starting price of $75,500. Customers will begin receiving their orders late this year.

…read more

https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/07/polestars-first-suv-the-polestar-3-ev-arrives-in-q3-2022/

Europe seals deal on USB Type-C common charger rules

European Union co-legislators have reached provisional agreement on a common charging solutions for smartphones, laptops, tablets and other small and medium sized electronics — some 15 different categories in all — agreeing that, by autumn 2024, USB Type C will be the common charging port for in scope devices.

Laptop makers have been given a little longer to implement the common charging solution on account of different power charging characteristics — with 40 months after the rules enter into force to adapt their kit.

Wireless charging interoperability is also being addressed by the EU — although not immediately; lawmakers have agreed for the Commission to ask standards authorities to come up with a standard to enable wireless charging interoperability. The Commission will then be empowered to adapt the directive via delegated acts to ensure that wireless charging kit does not sidestep the requirement for a common approach.

The provisional agreement between the European Parliament and Council paves the way for a formal vote later this summer to approve the amendment to the EU’s Radio Equipment Directive — but the bloc’s co-legislators reaching a compromise is usually the crux moment for EU lawmaking.

The new rules will enter into force 20 days after publication in the EU Official Journal — with the common charger provisions starting to apply 24 months after that (hence 2024).

The parliament has been pushing for common charger rules for over a decade, arguing it’s a key step to shrink the volume of e-waste generated by consumers in the bloc. Unused chargers are estimated to represent about 11,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, per EU lawmakers.

The Commission finally came forward with a proposal last fall — and it’s notable that today’s compromise only took a matter of months to agree.

“The common charging solution will not only affect Apple. It will affect a lot of brands producing some of these 15 different types of products when it will come into force in two years time,” said the parliament’s lead negotiator on the file, Alex Agius Saliba, speaking during a press conference in which he dubbed the provisional agreement “historic” and a “great achievement”.

Under the incoming rules, EU consumers will have a choice to buy a new device with or without an external power supply — and must be provided with clear information on the charging characteristics of new devices so they can easily tell whether their existing chargers are compatible or not.

In-scope products placed on the market before the date of application will not be required to comply so it will be interesting to see whether or not there’s a flurry of device releases by manufacturers seeking to use up existing components ahead of the deadline.

Internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, who was also at the press conference to laud what he described as a “very important” agreement, said a common charging approach is in the interests of European consumers and the environment.

“It’s true we have been waiting for 10 years,” Breton went on. “It was not easy but we …read more

https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/07/eu-common-charger-usb-c/