Features

LAS VEGAS — Entrepreneur Antony Perzo introduces a small device called Emobot, which looks like a cross between a speaker and a piece of abstract art, and explains: “It’s an emotional thermometer!”

Like hundreds of other exhibitors at CES, the world’s biggest tech expo, French engineer Perzo is selling the merits of an object that depends on the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.

AI is the big buzzword at the Las Vegas tech extravaganza, with companies big and small unveiling anything from TVs to toothbrushes that depend on big data and connected computing to impress.

Perzo’s Emobot, shown in a corner of Sin City’s Venetian hotel, is used to detect possible psychiatric disorders in the elderly and could help caregivers in nursing homes adjust treatment without waiting for the psychiatrist.

The technology can “analyse micro facial expressions” that reflect human emotions, themselves a magnifier of our “psychological and psychiatric state”, said the engineer.

Nufa, another startup, defines itself as a “pioneer in body transformation through AI”.

The mobile app allows users to edit a photo to see themselves with a slim and athletic body, and motivate themselves to follow a 90-day plan to achieve this result “in real life”.

In Last Vegas, AI-powered gadgets cram the hallways — there are AI bird feeders, baby carriages or fatigue-fighting wristwatches — to the point that some wonder if the phenomenon is being oversold.

But AI “isn’t just a buzzword to win the CES bingo”, noted tech analyst Avi Greengart.

The technology “is used in smartphone cameras, in factories to spot defective products, in agriculture to identify weeds and spray them with weed killer. AI is here to stay”, he said.

Using AI to explore emotions is also the ambition of Emil Jimenez, who founded MindBank Ai in a “quest for immortality... so my daughter could always ask her daddy a question”.

His app asks users to record their answers to deeply personal questions (“What does love mean to you?”) in order to “save your mind forever on the cloud” by creating a personal digital twin.

‘Huge opportunity’

AI can also be used to understand crowds. Canadian company Advanced Symbolics has developed askpolly, which trawls through social media to conduct market research in just minutes.

The user asks it a question — for example, “Is this a good time to buy an apartment?” or “Should underage criminals go to jail?” — and the programme scans social networks like Twitter and Instagram to survey public opinion on a large scale.

The biggest AI headlines lately have been on algorithms that make it possible to create original content at the click of a mouse.

California-based company OpenAI has impressed with ChatGPT, an easy to use software that generates a poem or school essay in seconds, and DALL-E which creates visual art.

In a similar way, French start-up Imki has designed a sound and light show for an ancient Roman theatre in southern France using similar programs.

“This allows us to create content quickly with very low production costs,” said Marie Lathoud, marketing director of Imki.

While he sees AI as a tool for artists, Saket Dandotia, director of operations at Magnifi, admitted that so-called generative AI represented a threat to the designers it will replace, much like robots in factories.

AI tools like ChatGBT are “faster, less costly”, Dandotia said.

His team created Strobe, an automated video software. “For us, AI is a huge opportunity, which will transform the entire creative design industry,” he said.

LONDON — Irreverent British designer Vivienne Westwood, who died on December 29, succeeded in keeping her fashion house financially independent, even as others sought stock market listings or security within major luxury groups.

She weathered the Covid pandemic, inflation and other storms thanks to the support of celebrities such as actor Emma Watson, singer Dua Lupa and British Queen Consort Camilla.

The punk icon’s fashion house had just two board members — Westwood herself and long-time director general Carlo D’Amario — until Jeffrey Banks joined them just two weeks ago on December 16.

In 2018, the company went into the red and was restructured.

But it stayed afloat.

“Vivienne did have ups and downs because of Covid, as well as inflation, especially in Europe,” said Andrew Burnstine, associate professor in marketing at Lynn University in Florida.

“One of the reasons she was able to weather the recent storm was because of the incredible celebrity client base she had,” Burnstine told AFP.

“Having a loyal and solid client base, licences, franchises and yearly collections are the best way to continuing your brand name and identity,” he added.

“Vivienne was very good at making calls, meeting with clients and, most importantly, marketing her brand and name on social media and the media.”

‘Buy less. Choose well’

The latest financial results for Westwood’s fashion house published on the UK government’s Company House website — covering the 2020 financial year — showed a pre-tax profit of £3.9 million ($4.7 million) on sales worth £42 million.

The label had around 500 employees.

The trade press made much of a past run-in Westwood had with the UK tax authorities.

She was accused of underestimating the value of her label by means of payments to a Luxembourg-based subsidiary and was forced, about a decade ago, to pay around £500,000 in extra tax.

Westwood was an environmental and anti-capitalist activist, and coined the phrase “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last.”

But she was accused of hypocrisy for continuing to produce several collections every year, including men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, perfumes and wedding dresses.

The Westwood label nonetheless prides itself on using organic or recycled synthetic materials, has stopped using plastic packaging and regularly publishes its carbon emissions.

While the majority of the label’s sales are in the UK, where it owns six boutiques, the brand also has one outlet each in France and Italy, and two in the United States.

It is also making inroads in Asia, notably in China, Japan, Thailand and Singapore.

It has production sites in the UK, China, Italy and Kenya, with a “Made in Kenya” line that aims to develop a sustainable supply chain in Africa.

Subverting conventions

Since 2016, the company’s artistic direction has been steered by Westwood’s husband and long-time business partner Andreas Kronthaler, who has made a significant contribution to the style of the brand since the couple met in 1989. 

That style cocks a snook at bourgeois and aristocratic conventions by subverting traditional British clothing habits.

The cuts are sophisticated but asymmetrical.

Westwood uses traditional flowery or tartan prints, along with tweed and romantic tulle fabrics. But the prints and colours clash.

Tucked-up skirts and crumpled crinolines make for a mad princess or wonky ballerina look — always provocative, always tongue in cheek.

SM apparel combines with the corsets of romantic heroines. Taffeta dresses are worn as mini skirts with fishnet tights — a look Westwood herself sported when she collected an award at the Florence Biennale in 2021, at the tender age of 80.

Once a punk, always a punk.

SANTIAGO — Every morning, trucks collect potato and avocado skins, orange peels and other food scraps that residents of Santiago’s poorest neighbourhood leave hanging in bags on their front doors or in tree branches or place in special bins.

For nearly two decades, the residents of La Pintana have been pioneers of recycling in Chile — South America’s largest garbage generator.

Under a project started in 2005, the commune of 190,000 people enthusiastically gather their plant-based food waste, which is then turned into compost to help green their community.

In La Pintana, where 15 per cent of people live in poverty, 50 per cent of the community’s organic waste is collected for recycling — a figure that puts to shame the 0.8 per cent achieved by Chile as a whole, according to environment ministry data.

“They do a lot with it [the waste]:  They produce compost and it is used for the community itself, for the squares and gardens,” La Pintana resident Jose Vera told AFP as he left two large cardboard boxes filled with scraps on the sidewalk, proud of his contribution.

“It is also a saving [for the municipality] because they no longer have to buy” fertiliser or pay landfill fees, he said.

Chile generates some 1.13 kilogrammes of waste per person per day — the highest output in South America, according to World Bank data.

And in terms of recycling, it is far from achieving even Latin America’s low average of four per cent of solid municipal waste processed.

But La Pintana, one of the first neighbourhoods of Chile’s deeply socially unequal capital to adopt such a project, now collects some 20 tons of organic waste every day.

It is delivered to a local plant that turns the scraps into natural fertiliser for the town’s own municipal nursery, and others.

‘A change in people’

The municipality estimates to be saving some $100,000 per year — money that can go to other community projects.

“There has been a change in people,” since the project started, resident Vera said. 

“They are now concerned about recycling and no longer put the vegetables with the garbage.”

La Pintana’s nursery, built on what used to be an unsightly landfill, yields some 100,000 plants of 400 different species every year.

These are planted back in La Pintana, one of the areas of Santiago with the fewest green spaces per inhabitant.

The nursery uses about a ton of humus — a dark organic matter created when plant material decomposes — every year, according to project member Cintia Ortiz.

All of it is obtained from La Pintana’s plant waste.

“This humus, the benefit it gives us, is that it is organic... thanks to the community and the workers,” Ortiz told AFP.

In addition, “as we can keep the plants well-nourished, we do not have to use chemicals”.

Planting flowers outside a municipal sports center, municipal worker Jeanette Gonzalez told AFP the project “brings us... joy. The town is improving”.

“When we took over... it was a town where every 200 metres there was a landfill,” Claudia Pizarro, mayor of La Pintana since 2016, said of the trailblazing project, which has received several international awards.

“It is a virtuous circle: People see that where there used to be a landfill there is now greenery and everything is flourishing, and they stop throwing garbage there,” she added.

There have been spillover benefits too: More than half of the municipal nursery’s 15 staff are former inmates doing community work in lieu of serving prison time.

Chile’s Environment Minister Maisa Rojas recently proposed a bill to reproduce the project in the rest of Chile.

SAN FRANCISCO — The latest leaps in artificial intelligence in everything from cars, robots to appliances will be on full display at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opening on Thursday in Las Vegas.

Forced by the pandemic to go virtual in 2021 and hybrid last year, tens of thousands of show-goers are hoping for a return to packed halls and rapid-fire deal-making that were long the hallmark of the annual gadget extravaganza.

“In 2022, it was a shadow of itself — empty halls, no meetings in hotel rooms,” Avi Greengart, an analyst at Techspotential told AFP.

“Now, [we expect] crowds, trouble getting around and meetings behind closed doors — which is what a trade show is all about.”

The CES show officially opens on January 5, but companies will begin to vie for the spotlight with the latest tech wizardry as early as Tuesday.

CES will be spread over more than 18 acres (seven hectares), from the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Centre to pavilions set up in parking lots. Ballrooms and banquet rooms across Sin City will be used to hustle up business.

With transportation now computing’s new frontier, next generation autos, trucks, boats, farm equipment, and even flying machines are expected to grab attention, according to analysts.

“It’s going to feel almost like you’re at an auto show,” said Kevan Yalowitz, head of platform strategy at Accenture.

More than ever, cars now come with operating systems so much like a smartphone or laptop computer, Accenture expects that by 2040 about 40 per cent of vehicles on the road will need software updated remotely.

And with connected cars come apps and online entertainment as developers battle to grab passenger attention with streaming or shopping services on board.

Electric vehicles enhanced with artificial intelligence will also be on display “in a big way”, Greengart said.

“What has really been the buzz is personalised flying machines,” said independent tech analyst Rob Enderle.

“Basically, they are human-carrying drones.”

Metaverse momentum?

Led by Zuckerberg’s Meta, immersive virtual worlds referred to as the metaverse are seen by some as the future of the ever-evolving Internet, despite widespread criticism that the billionaire CEO is over-investing in an unproven sector.

After being a major theme at CES last year, virtual reality headgear aimed at transporting people to the metaverse are expected to again to figure prominently. 

Formerly known as Facebook, Meta will be allowing selected guests to try its latest Oculus Quest virtual reality headset, trying to persuade doubters that the company’s pivot to the metaverse was the right one.

Gadgets or services pitched as being part of the next-generation of the Internet — or “Web 3” — are also expected to include mixed reality gear as well as blockchain technology and NFTs.

Web 3 promises a more decentralised Internet where tech giants, big business or governments no longer hold all the keys to life online.

“The idea of how we are going to connect is going to be part of the big trend at CES,” said Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Analysts had expected cryptocurrencies to be touted among Web 3 innovations at the show, but there “could be pullback” because of the implosion of cryptocurrency platform FTX and arrest of its boss Sam Bankman-Fried, according Milanesi.

COVID and climate

CES offerings will likely show effects of the pandemic, since products designed during a time of lockdowns and remote work will be now heading for market even if lifestyles are returning to pre-COVID habits, noted Greengart.

Tech designed to better assess health and connect remotely with care providers will also be strong at CES.

And though the show is unabashedly devoted to consumerism, the environment will also be a theme from gadgets designed to scoop trash from waterways to apps that help people cut down on energy use.

A lot of companies are eliminating plastic from packaging and shifting to biodegradable materials, while also trying to reduce carbon emissions, according to analysts.

“If you are the kind of person who is off the grid growing vegetables, then CES is not for you,” Greengart said.

“But, I do commend companies that find ways to make their products and the supply chain more sustainable.”

A popular independent market import rather than official dealership model, the Chinese-built electric Volkswagen e-Golf version of the seventh generation of the German brand’s most defining modern model continues even as a new eight generation entered service.

Revised rather than retired in the same year — late 2019 — as the mk8 was introduced, the updated mk7 Chinese e-Golf remains one of the more aesthetically appealingly discrete and ‘normal’ EVs widely available in Jordan, and is all the better for its improved power and driving range.

Improved in performance and efficiency but otherwise near identical to the outgoing variant, the e-Golf meanwhile maintains the handsomely conservative yet subtly sporty demeanour and uncluttered sense of design clarity that the mk7 introduced when first launched back in 2012. Perhaps something of an EV for car buyers who do not like EVs, or at least not the often extravagant and sometimes downright “odd” designs, attention-seeking style or virtue-signalling badges and detailing of many modern electric-powered cars, the e-Golf has a reassuring sense of familiarity.

Classy and conventional

Little distinguishable from the regular combustion engine mk7 Golf and sharing the same clean and sharp design ethos, big glasshouse, and understated sense of momentum, the e-Golf’s differs with it discreet badges, blocked off and purely decorative integrated rear “exhaust” ports and C-shaped LED lighting framing its front fascia. 

The e-Golf’s differing radiator shutter and grille, and flush alloy wheels — shod with low rolling resistance tyres — are perhaps the biggest EV drive-line giveaways, which along with underbody panels go towards achieving a low 0.27 drag co-efficiency.

Built on Volkswagen’s highly capable MQB platform underpinning the mk7 generation Golf, but adapted for EV duty, the e-Golf shares a similarly conventional front motor and front-drive layout with batteries located at the rear, rather than Volkswagen’s similarly sized but dedicated rear engine ID.3 hatchback, with its under-floor batteries. 

Built using increased lightweight aluminium content as all mk7 Golfs, the e-Golf’s heavy batteries — estimated at around 350kg — make it even heavier than the powerful outgoing mk7 four-wheel-drive Golf R, at a hefty 1,580kg.

Improved output

Never a particularly brisk machine to be compared to hot hatch Golf R or GTI variants, the revised e-Golf’s output has been usefully bumped up from 115BHP to 134BHP, while torque rises from 199lb/ft to a more generous 214lb/ft. 

Though marginally heavier, the improved e-Golf’s output increases translate into performance gains. With quicker 9.6-second 0-100mkm/h acceleration, over the outgoing model’s 10.4-seconds, and a 10km/h top speed rise to 150km/h, the e-Golf easily exceeds national speed limits and is adequately quick for an eco-oriented EV family hatchback.

With a near instant torrent of torque on tap, the e-Golf’s is responsive from standstill, chirping its driven front wheels and progressing with confident versatility at moderate speeds. 

Driven through a single-speed automatic gearbox, the e-Golf’s uninterrupted acceleration is always contingent on its high-revving motor’s speed, with its rate of acceleration dropping off somewhat at higher speeds of travel. Relying more on torque that outright power, the near silent driving e-Golf is, meanwhile, confident on inclines and when carrying heavy loads.

Comfortable character

Most efficient and with driving range at its best in urban in driving, in contrast to combustion vehicles that are best on motorways, the revised e-Golf features improved 35.8kWh battery capacity and longer single charge range, increased from 133km to 190km. 

Charging through a variety of wall chargers or conventional wall plugs in between 5-hours, 15minutes to 16-hours, 30-minutes, the e-Golf can be charged by a fast high capacity charger in 36-minutes at best, where available.

Manoeuvrable and compact yet practical, refined and reassuring, the e-Golf works well as a commuter car, if not long distance tourer, where it is hindered by range and charging time. With light steering, good visibility and compact dimensions, the e-Golf is meanwhile easy to park. Its driving character and dynamics are similar to petrol-powered variants, with quick and direct steering, confident cornering, and motorway stability. The e-Golf’s regenerative lift-off braking is however the biggest difference in driving character style.

Smooth and silent

Reminiscent of combustion engine sisters, the e-Golf turns into corners with similar agility and response, if slightly more tendency for understeer and body lean, owing to a combination of a more forgiving ride, slimmer 205/55R16 tyres and heavier weight than sportier GTI and R variants previously driven. 

Instant and abundant torque also translates into slight torque steer if one comes back on power hard and early when exiting a tight corner. That said, it finds a good balance between ride comfort and body control, and is smooth, stable and comfortable.

Well insulated, well built and refined, the e-Golf’s cabin is classy, conventional and user-friendly, if not quite luxurious. It provides a supportive, comfortable and well-adjustable driving position, clear instrumentation and controls, comparatively good cabin room and above average visibility. 

Luggage room is reduced owing to under-boot batteries, but still adequate at 341-litres, to 1,231-litres with the seats down. It is also reasonably well equipped with safety, convenience and infotainment features, including reversing camera. 

Though not licensed to sell new, the local official Volkswagen dealership is however reassuringly certified to service the e-Golf.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: Synchronous AC permanent battery, front-mounted electric motor

Battery, voltage/capacity: Lithium-ion, 325V/35.8kWh

Gearbox: 1-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 134 (136) [100]

Power-to-weight: 84.8BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 214 (290)

Torque-to-weight: 183.5Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 9.6-seconds

Top speed: 150km/h

Range, EVBD (NEDC) [WLTP]: 190km (300km) [232km]

Fuel consumption equivalency EVBD (NEDC) [WLTP]: 1.9- (1.4-) [1.7-] litres/100km

Charging time, wall chargers and plugs/fast charge: 5h15m-16h30m/36m.

Length: 4,267mm

Width: 1,799mm

Height: 1,479mm

Wheelbase: 2,631mm

Ground clearance: 143mm

Headroom, F/R: 975/967mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,046/903mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,420/1,370mm

Luggage volume, min/max: 341-/1,231-litres

Kerb weight: 1,580kg 

Payload: 480kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Lock-to-lock: 2.76-turns

Steering ratio: 13.6:1

Turning Circle: 10.9-metres

Suspension: MacPherson struts,/multi-link, anti-roll bars

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres: 205/55R16

SANTOS, Brazil — From the second floor of her house, Onofra Alves Costa Rovai can see the Vila Belmiro, the stadium where Brazilian football legend Pele first took the world's breath away.

Rovai has fond memories of chatting with "O Rei" (The King), who died on Thursday in a Sao Paulo hospital at age 82, triggering an outpouring of emotion in Brazil — and especially in Santos, the city where he played most of his storied career.

"He would come out that door after matches and we would talk football. He was like that — just an ordinary person, he would talk to anyone about anything. He was marvelous," said Rovai, 91, motioning to the stadium's main gate, a stone's throw from her modest blue house.

"My mother used to love Pele," the white-haired retiree recalled with a smile. "What a player. My God in heaven, he was born for it."

Santos, a south-eastern port city around 75 kilometres from Sao Paulo, is preparing a massive tribute to its late hero, widely considered the greatest footballer of all time.

A 24-hour wake for Pele, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, will be held at the 16,000-capacity stadium from Monday to Tuesday.

That will be followed by what is expected to be a massive funeral procession through the city's streets. He will then be buried in Santos's Memorial Cemetery in a private ceremony on Tuesday.

'Where he belongs' 

Pele debuted for Santos at the age of just 15, and went on to score 1,091 goals in 1,116 matches for the club, winning 45 titles along the way, according to the team's records.

The Vila Belmiro has become a place of pilgrimage for a stream of die-hard fans since Thursday, all eager to pay homage to the only player in history to win three World Cups.

As Brazil held the second of three days of national mourning for Pele Friday — extended to seven days in Santos and surrounding Sao Paulo state — a light rain drizzled from a gray sky in the port city, fitting the local mood.

Several houses sported Santos FC banners celebrating Pele's 18-year career with the club.

Three bouquets of flowers had been placed at the foot of a Pele statue outside the stadium.

One lifelong Santos fan, Anaur Aparecido Deolindo, went to the stadium as soon as he heard the news.

"It's as if I lost a family member. He was just a boy when he arrived here. He grew up here and went on to conquer the world," the 57-year-old retiree told AFP.

"Now he's back where he belongs, right in God's lap," he added.

"Edson died, but Pele is eternal."

Idol forever 

Jonas Augusto dos Santos, another lifelong Santos fan, like his father and grandfather, went to the stadium with a group of friends in tribute.

"Life hasn't been easy for Brazilians, that's why we're always in search of a hero. Pele may be dead, but he won't stop being one, said the 28-year-old software analyst.

He added: "I'm sure his soul is right around this stadium, and in the hearts of all Brazilians."

Wearing the club's jersey, elementary school teacher Luiz Santos said the gloomy weather had kept many mourners away — but that he was sure the turnout for the wake and funeral procession would be massive.

"This is going to be packed on Monday," he said.

"A lot of people are going to come."

LONDON — "That Lorca is completely bonkers," says the actress in Spanish, prompting laughter from a group of British teenagers at London's Cervantes Theatre.

Artistic director Paula Paz, who co-founded the theatre with the actor and director Jorge de Juan, said Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca is a firm favourite with audiences in the UK.

From an unassuming corner of south London, the venue is helping to drive a growing interest in Spanish, which is now the most-studied foreign language in the UK.

The theatre, built from scratch in a former garage under railway arches, opened in 2016 with Lorca's 1933 tragedy "Bodas de Sangre" ("Blood Wedding").

One of the highlights of its forthcoming season is a seven-week run of his last play from 1936, "La Casa de Bernada Alba" ("The House of Bernada Alba").

Lorca — killed later than year during Spain's civil war — is not the only dramatist to be showcased at the tiny 80-seat theatre in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames.

Others include the 16th-century playwright Felix Lope de Vega as well as lesser-known and up-and-coming writers from Spain and Latin America.

They include Chilean author Isabel Allende's "La Casa de los Espiritus" ("The House of the Spirits") and "La Realidad" ("The Reality") by Argentina's Denise Despeyroux.

Bilingual performances

To reach a wider audience, performances alternate between Spanish and English, although plays have also been performed switching between both languages.

They include a bilingual performance of Cervantes' farce "El Juez de los Divorcios" ("The Divorce Judge") and Shakespeare's monologues in 2016.

In September there was a complex in-house production based on Pablo Sorozabal's 1942 operetta "Black, El Payaso" ("Black The Clown").

The dialogue was in English and the songs in Spanish, all translated with digital subtitles.

Despite its name, the Cervantes Theatre is independent from the Spanish language and cultural body the Instituto Cervantes, from which it receives a small grant.

This month, Lorca's lesser-known "Retablillo de Don Cristobal" ("The Puppet Play of Don Cristobal") has been delighting students.

"I think it's a nice way to look at the language," said Zack Fecher, 17, on a trip from Haberdashers' Boys' School in Elstree, just outside London.

"I've seen films in Spanish but this is the first play and you have to focus on the words and they speak very fast."

Ana Zamora, director of the theatre company Naod'Amores, which specialises in reviving lost plays, has been invited from Spain to present the production.

"You don't have to embellish the texts to make them easier for foreign audiences to access," she told AFP.

Audiences can recognise the similarities between the puppet Don Cristobal and the traditional English character Mr Punch, she said.

At the same time there is "an intriguing air of the exotic", she added.

'Nothing like it' 

For Paz, the "demand for quality" gives the theatre its audience, which she describes as a mix of people who like alternative theatre, fans of Hispanic culture, and students of Spanish.

Students studying Spanish are becoming increasingly common in England. In 2019, Spanish became the foreign language most studied in high schools.

According to the British Council's latest "Language Trends" report, last year 8,433 students took Spanish for their end-of-school exams at aged 18.

That compared to 7,671 for French, the study of which has been declining among teenagers alongside German since 2005.

French, however, remains the most-taught language in primary schools.

It may have taken Zack and his classmates 90 minutes to travel to the theatre but other groups come from as far as Liverpool, in northwest England, and Brussels.

"There's nothing like it in Europe," said Paz.

The three tiers of seating and small stage makes the theatre an intimate venue, where the audience can almost touch the actors and feel the emotion.

"It's a magical space, with a very special atmosphere," said Eduardo Mayo, who plays Lorca and voices Don Cristobal. 

"We will be studying Lorca's plays next year but this is a good way to get started," said Fecher, who has been learning Spanish for five years.

BUENOS AIRES — Fans of the Argentine team that claimed football's ultimate prize in Qatar this month are lining up in Buenos Aires for tattoos of victorious captain Lionel Messi and the World Cup trophy.

"For the next two weeks, I have [appointments] exclusively related to the World Cup," tattoo artist Esteban Vucinovich told AFP in the capital.

"Some had already made an appointment for tattoos of snakes or skulls, but they are changing it to Messi or the Cup. I have two or three appointments a day," he said.

The most requested skin art is of the trophy, said Vucinovich, followed by Messi and then goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez who was crucial in the victory of the Albiceleste in the final against France.

Many fans are inspired by the body art of Argentine players such as Angel Di Maria, who has since recently sported a World Cup tattoo on his right leg.

"I got a tattoo of Messi as a gesture of thanks," civil servant Nicolas Rechanik told AFP.

"This represents not only what Messi is but also the team that brought us a third World Cup and all the years of effort to reach this goal."

Before getting the image of Messi in the team's blue-and-white striped jersey and kissing the trophy indelibly attached to his left leg, Rechanik already sported the likeness of another Argentine football icon: Diego Maradona.

"It's a perfect representation of what Argentine football is and what it means to be Argentine," he said.

Football fanatic Alma Ocampo, 20, decided to get a tattoo when, to everyone's surprise, Argentina lost its first match of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia.

"When everyone lost confidence, I decided that... if Argentina wins, I will get a tattoo of the Cup. And so I did, with the date December 18, 2022" of the final, she said, adding "it hurt quite a bit."

Ariel Sacchi, a physical education teacher, got a tattoo representing all five World Cups that Messi has played in. At the center is an image of the Argentine captain kissing the Cup.

"I decided to get Leo [Messi] because he brought the greatest joy to all Argentines," Sacchi said.

Not all tattoos are equal, though, and many a fan has been mocked on social media for blundered ink: A fat-faced Messi or misspelt names are among the trending topics.

MEXICO CITY— Despite his international success, including a new adaptation of the classic puppet tale "Pinocchio", Oscar-winning Mexican director Guillermo del Toro fears that his country's cinema industry is facing "systematic destruction".

Del Toro's animated version of "Pinocchio", in which an elderly woodcarver and his living puppet find themselves in 1930s fascist Italy, was the most watched film on streaming platform Netflix in the week of December 12-18.

Its debut on December 9 came a week before the release of "Bardo", an autobiographical tale of a journalist-filmmaker returning home after years in Los Angeles, by fellow Mexican Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Mexican actors have also enjoyed recent success in Hollywood, including Tenoch Huerta, the rising star of the sequel to "Black Panther", the first major Black superhero movie.

Del Toro, Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron represent a golden generation of Mexican filmmakers who have won the best director trophy at the Oscars five times since 2013.

Del Toro's fantasy romance "The Shape of Water" earned best picture and best director at the 2018 Oscars.

The following year Cuaron scooped three golden statuettes for "Roma" — an intimate black-and-white movie about a family in turmoil in 1970s Mexico City.

'Brutal' destruction 

But in stark contrast to the international acclaim for the trio, dubbed "The Three Amigos", del Toro has now warned that the country's film industry is facing "unprecedented" challenges.

"The systematic destruction of Mexican cinema and its institutions — which took decades to build — has been brutal," he tweeted recently.

Del Toro highlighted an announcement by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences that next year's Ariel Awards — the country's equivalent of the Oscars — were postponed until further notice due to a "serious financial crisis".

The organisation said it regretted that "the support of public resources has decreased considerably in recent years.

"The state, which was the motor and support of the academy for a long time, has renounced its responsibility as the main promoter and disseminator of culture in general and of cinema in particular," it added.

Del Toro even offered to pay for the Ariel statuettes out of his own pocket.

"He's a generous colleague, an artist who is always aware of what is happening not only with Mexican cinematography but with the arts in general in the country," said Academy president Leticia Huijara.

She would, however, prefer an agreement with the state.

In the meantime, the Ariels have been postponed, Huijara confirmed to AFP.

Promoting 

Indigenous film 

Maria Novaro, the general manager of the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), a government agency, thinks the warnings are exaggerated.

"Del Toro says that there is no more Mexican cinema in the year when there have never been so many productions," she said, hailing a "record" 256 films in 2021.

"And 56 per cent received support from public money. Imcine devotes 900 million pesos ($45 million) a year to financing Mexican cinema," said Novaro.

"It's good that Netflix produces a lot of content in Mexico. But it does not replace what Imcine does," she added.

Mexican cinema enjoyed a golden age between the 1930s and 1950s, featuring movie stars such as Dolores del Rio and Pedro Armendariz.

But the industry went through a quiet period before enjoying a revival, helped in recent years by the success of "The Three Amigos".

Mexican cinema has now become decentralised and diversified, according to Novaro, mirroring President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's priorities to help impoverished and Indigenous Mexicans.

Since 2019, there has been a program to encourage Indigenous and Afro-descendant cinema, with 56 such films in production, Novaro said.

"Films are starting to come out that tell about migration from the perspective of Indigenous migrants themselves," she added.

Capturing the glamour, charisma and immersive connection of cars from a bygone era and often lacking in disconnected, over-sanitised, overweight, overwrought and overstylised modern cars, the restomod car niche goes far beyond mere nostalgia, but instead improves on classic recipes. A popular niche industry in Britain — and often focused on iconic British cars — reputable restomod firms utilize expert engineers, artisans and enthusiasts, to modernise, restore and modify cars for performance, reliability and refinement gains beyond what would have been possible in the past.

Jensen International Automotive Range Rover Chieftain Xtreme LSE

As implied, the Jensen International Automotive (JIA) Chieftain Xtreme is the wildest interpretation of the Banbury-based bespoke British builder’s re-engineered classic Range Rover. Starting out as a design study based on a 2-door classic Range Rover body, the Chieftain Xtreme aesthetic treatment differs somewhat from JIA’s first, most extensively re-engineered original Chieftain, circa 2018. Whereas the original had a brutalist charm, the Xtreme instead has a sporting rally raid racer flavour, even in 5-door long wheelbase LSE guise as JIA’s latest — pictured — build. 

With more off-road oriented bumpers for better approach and departure angles, the Chieftain Xtreme however incorporates muscularly broad classic Audi Quattro-like blistered box wheel-arches. Unlike the original Chieftain with its more modern Land Rover Discovery chassis, the Xtreme instead features a modified original Range Rover chassis, with independent double wishbone suspension for enhanced ride comfort and driving dynamics. Luxuriously appointed, the Chieftain Xtreme’s sympathetically re-worked and re-designed hand-crafted cabin is finished and equipped to customer specification.

Outgunning the most powerful versions of Land Rover’s latest generation Range Rover, the Chieftain Xtreme is powered by General Motors’ 6.2-litre supercharged LT4 V8 engine, as deployed by the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. A newer, more powerful iteration than the original 556BHP Chieftain’s small block engine, the Xtreme develops 650BHP at 6,200rpm and 650lb/ft torque at 3,600rpm. Mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel-drive, the Xtreme promises to outdo its predecessor’s brutal 4.5-second 0-97km/h acceleration and 250km/h top speed.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 6.2-litre, in-line supercharged V8-cylinders

Gearbox: 10-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 650 (659) [485] @6,400rpm

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 650 (881) @3,600rpm (estimate)

0-97km/h: under 4.5-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: over 250km/h (estimate)

Wheelbase: 2,743mm (estimate)

Weight: approximately 2,500kg (estimate)

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbones / multi-link (estimate)

Frontline Developments MG Abingdon Edition

A re-built incarnation of Britain’s quintessential sports car, Frontline Developments’ MG models are based on the 1962-80 MGB roadster and coupe line. Retaining the same glamour and analog driving experience, the Frontline Developments MG is however more modern in its engineering, build quality, dynamics and performance, and is built on new CAD-designed seam-sealed rust-proofed 1965-spec British Motorsport Heritage shells. Built to bespoke specifications, the 25-car 2015 Abingdon Edition convertible is however the most powerful and best Frontline Developments MG example yet.

Riding on aluminium independent front wishbone and six-link rear live-axle suspension, the Abingdon Edition benefits from sharp dynamics and low unsprung mass, and improved ride and handling over the original MGB. Small, nimble and maneuverable, it is ever eager and composed through corners, with a limited slip rear differential providing improved stability, agility and traction. An immersive driving experience, its hand-crafted cabin features fine appointments, extensive personalization possibilities and traditional designs with subtle period-style modern equipment and features.

Powered by a Mazda-sourced naturally-aspirated 2.5-litre 4-cylinder engine modified with billet crank and rods, forged pistons, solid lifters and 50mm direct-to-head individual throttle bodies, the rev-hungry lightweight Abingdon Edition delivers a crackling, rasping and wailing soundtrack, razor-sharp throttle responses, and supercar-like performance. Driving the rear wheels through a slick short-throw 6-speed manual gearbox, the Abingdon Edition sprints through 0-97km/h in 3.8-seconds and onto 258km/h, pulling progressively hard from low-end, to an intense, high-strung 7,600rpm rev limit. 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2.5-litre, in-line 4-cylinders

Gearbox: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive, limited slip differential

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 304 (308) [226] @6,800rpm

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 241 (326) @5,200rpm

0-97km/h: 3.8-seconds

Top speed: 258km/h

Wheelbase: 2,312mm

Track, F/R: 1,240/1,410mm

Weight: 897kg

Suspension, F/R: Wishbones / 6-link live-axle

Wheels: 15-inch

Gildred Racing Mini Super Cooper Type S 

Among Britain’s best-selling and most iconic cars, the original 1957-2000 Mini was an innovative and affordable car that always enjoyed a sporting reputation owing to its lightweight and keen go-cart like handling. A candidate for modifications and upgrades for many an enthusiast, the Mini’s transformation from people’s car’s to supercar has perhaps never been a thoroughly executed as Gildred Racing’s Mini Super Cooper Type S, which is the most extreme among the California-based firm’s six Mini restomod offerings.

A radical departure from the original front-wheel-drive Mini, and less extreme Super Cooper Classic and Sport variants, the extensively re-engineered Type S instead adopts a mid-engine and rear-wheel-drive configuration, with coil-over suspension and disc brakes all-round. With its weight shifted significantly rearwards within such a small package and wheelbase, the Type S promises even more alert turn-in and agility, but with a massive power hike as well, it would be expected to be quite a tail-happy handful to drive.

Dwarfing the original Mini’s top 1.3-litre engine the Type S’ Honda 3.2-litre V6 is sourced from the Acura CL-S. Supercharged for good measure, it also gains upgraded forged pistons, connecting rods and 850cc fuel injectors, while a custom intercooler is positioned under the bonnet. Driving the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual gearbox, the Type S develops a massive 502 horsepower and 383lb/ft torque at the wheels – roughly equivalent to 550BHP and 420lb/ft – to rocket through 0-97km/h in under 4-seconds.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 3.2-litre, mid-mounted supercharged V6-cylinders

Gearbox: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive

Power, (wheel) HP: 502*

Torque, (wheel) lb/ft (Nm): 383 (520)**

0-97km/h: under 4-seconds

Wheelbase: 2,040mm (estimate)

Weight: 635kg (estimate)

Wheels: 13-inches

*Approximately estimated at BHP (PS) [kW]: 550 (558) [410]

**Approximately estimated at (crank) lb/ft (Nm): 420 (570)