Last year, the US Department of Commerce blacklisted Huawei. After that, the company announced the development of its OS HarmonyOS. Now, we know that Huawei plans to release computers with its own operating system.

According to Huaweicentral, referring to an insider post in the Chinese social network Weibo, computers with HarmonyOS 2.0 can enter the companys home market. Devices will also run on Kunpeng processors.

An insider reports that several provinces, cities, and regions are already helping Huawei to set up PC supply chains.

Recall that Huawei already reported that HarmonyOS will be a cross-platform solution. This means that the operating system can be flexibly deployed on different devices including smartwatches, personal computers, cars, and others.

Despite the problems associated with the inability to work with Google, Huawei continues to launch new flagship smartphones with Android OS and Huawei mobile services instead of Google mobile services. The company keeps developing its own AppGallery application store and the HarmonyOS operating system, while not forgetting to release full-fledged flagships. But there are times when its representatives are a little odd for example, the head ofHuaweisaid that the company will need no more 300 years to catch up with Google and Apple.

Sales of devices on Android and Apple operating systems in the world are huge, and Huawei is late. Its hard for consumers to accept other operating systems. Thus, the Huawei OS can take a long time to surpass Android and Apple, but no more than 300 years, said the CEO of the company Ren Zhengfei in an interview with Dragon Magazine.

These statements are frustrating for the employees and fans of the giant company. And it is more strange that it comes from the founder of the company.

According to Richard Yu, the CEO of Huawei consumer business. HMS (Huawei mobile services) currently is in more than 170 countries and regions. With more than 400 million monthly active users and more than 1.3 million developers and partners. It is already second only to Google Android and Apple iOS, ranking the top three globally.

At present, Google Play has more than 2.1 million apps, while Huawei AppGalery currently has only 55,000 apps. In the short term, GMSs leading position is undoubtedly difficult to shake, let alone replace Android with Hongmeng OS.

See the original post here:
Huawei to replace Windows 10 with HarmonyOS 2.0 in its PCs - Gizchina.com

Date published: Sunday 3rd May 2020 1:56

Adrien Rabiot has once again emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United, who reportedly hope to sign the midfielder as soon as the summer transfer window opens.

At this stage it remains uncertain when that window will open, given that all major leagues currently remain suspended, but the majority of teams are continuing to identify their top targets.

And the latest reports suggest that the Red Devils are back in for a player who they having been chasing for more than two years, in Juve ace Rabiot.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, United scouted Rabiot earlier this season, and have made plans to swoop for him when the football world gets back to normality.

The 25-year-old could have moved to Old Trafford on a free transfer last summer but opted to head to reigning Serie A champions Juve instead.

The France international has gone on toestablish himself in Maurizio Sarris first XI but despite that, the Turin outfit are still said to be ready to listen to offers for Rabiot.

Juve are conscious of the fact that they could make a small fortune by selling a player that cost them nothing, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still said to be looking for an upgrade on Nemanja Matic despite the club picking up the one-year option to extend the Serbians contract.

Before joining Juventus, Rabiot spent his entire career with PSG after progressing through their academy, making 227 appearances for the French giants and winning a whopping 18 trophies.

His potential arrival in Manchester could lead to shake-up in Uniteds midfield, with Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard continuing to be linked with moves away from the club and Solskjaer also said to be in the market for the likes of Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Donny Van de Beek.

Meanwhile, United, Liverpool and Chelsea target Victor Osimhen is reportedly the subject of a shock transfer bid from an unnamed club.

According to French outlet Telefoot, Lille have received an offer of 75million including bonuses for their 21-year-old striker, who has also been linked with Tottenham and Inter Milan.

However, another report on Sunday claims that the mystery bidder could be Newcastle, who are expected to be very active in the summer transfer market if their Saudi takeover is allowed to go through. Read more

Read more from the original source:
Man Utd reignite interest in Matic replacement with imminent bid expected - Teamtalk.com

When it comes to the iPad, Apple loves to make a controversial statement or two. Remember when CEO Tim Cook said, Why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one? Or the commercial with the iPad-toting kid that sparked rage in the PC world with the question Whats a computer?

Thanks to the iPad Pros new Magic Keyboard, you may find yourself agreeing with Mr. Cook and friends. It has all sorts of advantages over a MacBook, and its floating magnetic design is downright cool.

But when it comes to being a great laptop for getting work done, there are still plenty of reasons why the iPad Pro is not yet ready to replace your MacBook. Its a fantastic 2-in-1 tablet, but here are the key areas where the humble laptop is still a better option for some people.

The Magic Keyboard is a big step forward for the iPad. The improved keyboard and the inclusion of a trackpad bring it closer than ever to replicating a true laptop experience. The physical feeling of the keypresses is better than any other keyboard cover out there, and matches what you get on a MacBook. And yet, when it comes to the pure typing experience, MacBooks still have the upper hand for a few different reasons.

First off, everything on a MacBook is larger and more comfortable. The keyboard layout is more spacious, the trackpad is wider, and the wrist rests are taller. The Magic Keyboard is good enough in these areas, but if you had to choose a better typing experience, youd pick the MacBook every time. The Magic Keyboard also doesnt include a function row, which comes in handy for quickly adjusting settings or accessing shortcuts.

The bigger issue right now is software. Cursor support for the iPad Pro was a huge step forward, but not all applications are up to speed. Apples own apps fluidly switch between contextual cursor types and vastly improve text selection. But important apps like Google Docs and OneNote still use the old iOS-style text selection, which is clumsy. Thatll hopefully get ironed out over time, but right now, the experience is hit-or-miss.

Apple has worked hard to improve the multitasking experience on the iPad Pro. It now features Split View and mouse support, and Apple has forked iPadOS away from iOS to focus on iPad-centric workflows. And still, it cannot compete with MacOS.

Lets look at Split View. It is decent but limits you to only using two apps side-by-side. On a MacBook (with a little help from third-party apps like the excellent BetterSnapTool), you can snap windows to the corners of your screen and have four apps on the go at once. Just drag the windows to your screen corners or better yet, use some keyboard shortcuts and you have an infinitely more flexible workspace than you get on the iPad Pro.

Even without third-party apps, the Mac is better here. For instance, there is no way to have multiple virtual desktops on the iPad, but there is on the Mac. While the iPad Pro does some multitasking things well, its got nothing on the Mac.

Look at your MacBook. How many devices do you regularly connect to it? Maybe you raise it up on a stand and hook up a keyboard and mouse. Perhaps you also use an external monitor with your laptop for a better viewing experience. There are a lot of times where we need to connect more than one peripheral at a time, but the iPad Pros single USB-C port puts paid to that.

Worse, the iPad Pros solitary port means that even if you only want to pair your device with a single peripheral, you cannot do that while simultaneously charging your iPad. While both the iPad Pro and MacBook have USB-C ports, those on modern MacBook models are much faster thanks to being Thunderbolt 3 compatible the MacBooks ports can hit speeds of up to 40Gbps, while the iPad Pro can only reach a quarter of that. All that combined means the iPad Pro is far less flexible when it comes to connectivity.

The Magic Keyboard does include an extra USB-C port in its base, but it can only be used for charging.

In recent years, Apple has belatedly added some level of file management and external hard drive support to the iPad Pro. Thats great for travel photographers who need to manage files on the go, but if you have a massive library of documents that you need to get under control, it still falls short of what you can do on the Mac.

Take this example we experienced when wetried ditching a MacBookfor an iPad Pro: Selecting a thousand photos to add to an album is a pain, as there is no equivalent to a Command-A shortcut to select all. Instead, you have to slide a finger over every image.

The Mac has a wealth of third-party file-management apps, including those that modify or even completely replace the Finder. But even a fraction of that level of customization is not available on the iPad Pro. You can sort your documents in the Files app by date, for example, but on the Mac you can sort by date modified, date created, date last opened, and date added. If you deal with a ton of files every day, the iPad Pro lags well behind the Mac.

If you do serious, pro-level work in the Apple ecosystem, there is still only one choice: The Mac. Sure, you can get some professional apps like Photoshop on the iPad Pro, but if you were hoping that means it can compete with the MacBook, there are some serious shortcomings, both in terms of hardware and software.

Lets look at apps first. While Adobe promised real Photoshop on the iPad, the mobile version still does not have feature parity with the equivalent Mac app (although Adobe is adding new features every month). But Photoshop is an outlier. Looking for apps like Logic Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro, or Final Cut Pro X on the iPad Pro? Tough luck.

Even for those pro-level apps you can get on the iPad Pro, you will find yourself limited. Sure, the Apple A-series processor in the iPad Pro is phenomenally powerful, but you will find yourself held back in other ways. For tasks like video rendering and machine learning, a dedicated graphics card is a must, yet the iPad Pro is devoid of options in this area. If you want to do high-end, serious workloads, you are best off sticking with a MacBook Pro, specifically the 16-inch model.

Read more here:
5 reasons the iPad Pro cant replace the MacBook, even with the Magic Keyboard - Digital Trends

Never was former Vice President Joe Biden the 2020 dream. He promised electability and familiarity, which turned out to be good enough for a plurality of Democratic voters in the early primaries.

But now that every other Democratic contender has dropped out and dutifully lined up behind the presumptive nominee, that choice might be sitting less comfortably. Biden is campaigning from his basement, giving interviews in which he occasionally moves past gaffes into total incoherence, raising questions about his mental fitness. Worst of all, evidence for a sexual assault allegation against him begins to mount.

Add that to pandemic-induced uncertainty about when and how the Democratic National Convention will be held and it's fair to ask: Is Biden definitely the nominee? Right-wing commentators like Glenn Beck and Tucker Carlson as well as former Bernie Sanders Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray have speculated Biden will be replaced on the ticket, but how could that happen? Is there a path to nominating someone else?

Before the convention, which is currently rescheduled for August, the answer is probably no. Suspended primary elections have already raised concerns about abrogation of transparent, democratic processes as have elections that weren't suspended. While Democratic delegates will understand the need to modify normal convention procedure to avoid spreading COVID-19, their understanding won't be unlimited. Sweeping changes to the nominating process would be suspect, and if the process continues as anticipated, Biden will very likely be selected as the nominee on the first ballot.

So far, Biden has 1,406 of 1,991 delegates needed to win that initial vote, and those are delegates pledged (by strong custom, though not law) to Biden by primary and caucus results. Between now and August, there will be 22 more primaries whose outcomes will pledge another 1,368 delegates. Biden has no remaining challengers campaigning against him and needs fewer than half those delegates to win the first ballot. Unless the Democratic Party, wildly improbably, tosses its entire rule book out the window, Biden will take the nomination at the convention in a single vote.

Ah, but what then? In the waning days of the Sanders campaign, I argued endorsements from superdelegates prominent Democratic leaders and elected officials showed party bosses had decided Biden was their guy. I don't expect to see those endorsements disappear, not publicly. But is the party leadership's commitment to Biden as solid as it once was?

Suppose, plausibly, it is not. Suppose they don't want to run a historically elderly candidate amid a pandemic that is deadliest for the elderly? Suppose Tara Reade's assault accusation and Biden's tendency to misspeak even from the low-pressure, high-preparation environment of his own basement further fuel the "two senile sex offenders" narrative of this election? Suppose enthusiasm continues to grow for running New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), whom one poll found 56 percent of Democrats would prefer to Biden as their nominee? (Cuomo says he won't do it, but that could be an obligatory performance of deference to a party elder.)

"The presidential debates are in effect already occurring daily between" Cuomo and Trump, Craig Snyder, a former Republican Senate chief of staff, argued in The Philadelphia Inquirer. We don't have to suppose Democratic Party leaders have noticed; they undoubtedly have.

So if they wanted to replace Biden (whether with Cuomo, the veep nominee, or some arrangement of both) Democratic leadership could wait until after the nomination to do so. Then, as they did with Democratic vice presidential nominee Thomas Eagleton in 1972, they could ask Biden to step aside, citing his health.

Biden's agreement is a long shot. Eagleton continued his Senate career after leaving the 1972 ticket over pressure about his mental health, but he was a much younger man. At Biden's age, stepping aside would end his political career for good. Relinquishing the nomination would therefore suggest he expects an embarrassing loss and ruined legacy if he stays.

With Biden out, the Democratic National Committee, a group of around 350 which is "composed of the chairs and vice-chairs of each state Democratic Party Committee and over 200 members elected by Democrats in all 57 states and the territories," would vote to select a new nominee.

Such a switch could be made any time between the convention nomination and Election Day. Because we technically vote for Electoral College members rather than presidential candidates, it may be, as Vox proposes, that Electors could simply transfer their vote from the old Democratic nominee to the new one regardless of what was printed on the ballot. But the legal situation is uncertain and varies from state to state. "For instance," notes FiveThirtyEight, "Michigan's law requires an Elector to vote for the ticket named on the ballot whereas Florida's rules say that an Elector is to 'vote for the candidates of the party that he or she was nominated to represent.'" That means a sooner swap, allowing more states to print the new name on the ballot, would be better. Yet court battles would be inevitable with the ever-litigious Trump involved.

The likeliest outcome remains the most straightforward: That Biden will be the Democratic nominee and will face Trump in November. But if Democratic leaders did want to change horses midstream, late August or September could well be when they make their move.

See more here:
The smoke-filled room that could oust Joe Biden - The Week

The Meet service has, until now, been offered as part of the company's G-Suite services that businesses and schools pay for. However, Google has now started rolling it out gradually to everyone with a personal or business Google account.

"We really see a need for something which is very secure, very easy to use, and very reliable," said Smita Hashim, Google's head of product, adding that the protections currently used for Meet will keep consumers safe.

Google Meet includes AI-powered features including live automatic captions.

"In enterprises, for example, it's only the in-domain users who are trusted. And for consumers, it will only be the users in the Google Calendar [event] who will be able to enter the meeting, everyone else will have to knock and enter."

Individual users will be able to host chats with up to 100 participants, with no enforced time limit between now and September, in web browsers or via the Meet smartphone app.

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Meet has already seen daily use increase 30 times since January and is currently attracting around 3 million new users a day. Ms Hashim said features, including encryption, complex meeting codes and never allowing anonymous guests, has kept things secure, but the public rollout will nevertheless be conducted "carefully" over a few weeks.

"We were designed in the cloud, we were designed for remote working, but that's now really being put to the test," she said.

While Google and Facebook have the benefit of learning from Zoom's public crises, the security of their own services will face serious scrutiny if widely adopted.

Facebook's Rooms allows groups to open their calls so anyone can join using a web link, even if they don't have a Facebook account. But taking advantage of that feature would likely open meetings up to the kind of issues highlighted by so-called "Zoom bombing".

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Users will also be required to fine-tune their privacy settings to decide who the room would be open to, or whether it will appear on their friends' social media feeds. Facebook and Google have recently faced several challenges related to data privacy, which could act as a deterrent to potential users.

Both companies say audio and video data from the calls will not be used to send targeted ads.

Tim is the editor of The Age and Sydney Morning Herald technology sections.

View original post here:
Google races to replace Zoom as live video app of choice - The Age

Use your own custom images with Microsoft Teams videoconferencing calls.

You can finally add your own background to Microsoft Teams video chats. Designed for business and education, Teams includes group chat, video calling and collaboration tools, and has seen a spike in usage since countries and states have started directing residents to stay and work from home when possible to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

With the update to Microsoft's collaboration tool, you can now pick a custom image as your video chat background. TheZoom video chat servicealso lets you pick yourown custom background images for calls. But with recent concerns about Zoom security,some users are starting to look to other services such as Teams for their chats.

Keep track of the coronavirus pandemic.

Important catch: This feature is only available for scheduled meetings, according toMicrosoft.

1. Start or or join a Teams meeting, from the Windows or Mac application (you can't change your background on the web app at this point).

2. At the bottom of the screen, click or tap the three dots to go to your Meeting controls.

3. SelectMore actions>Show background effects. Either selectBlurto blur your background, or choose from the available images to replace it.

4. You'll be able to preview your background to see how it looks. If you like it, hit Apply. That's it!

In the future, you'll also be able to create your own images, upload them to Teams, and then select them as a background image for your video chats, Microsoft said.

You can have video chats with up to 250 people in Microsoft Teams, and if your workplace or school has access to Office 365, you already have access to it. You can also check out a free version of Microsoft's communication tool.

See the rest here:
Microsoft Teams backgrounds: Here's how to customize yours - CNET

j

Tim, 10 hours agoAnd the million version of gingerbread.... remember my htc phone got 2.3.6 and than jumped to 4.0.It jumped from 2.3.6 to 4.0.1 as Android 3.0 honeycomb was for tablets. That was the main reason you would not get 3.0 on mobile phones.

W28461786

Kangal, 1 hour agoNot at all. Again, GSMArena is now a low-quality publication as opposed to the High-Quality pu... moreI'm no Android fan (see my post below), but iOS has never been better than Android. iOS is a basic OS with way too many limitations. That was true in 2011, and that's still true in 2020.

Apple makes decent flagship phones, but their biggest weakness is the overly restrictive OS they run on.

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It was the time when google still value do no evil

H1

My first Android Gingerbread in 2011

Anonymous, 5 hours agoGSMArena once again knocks this out of the park, with another fantastic flashback article. A... moreNot at all. Again, GSMArena is now a low-quality publication as opposed to the High-Quality publications from the likes of Anandtech. Many of their posts are paid, sponsored, or hype to generate more Ad-Revenue.

I was on several ecosystems at this point.Using Symbian and Windows Mobile, in those match-ups Android 2.3.4 was good.But it's using higher-level coding that cannot match the efficiency of iOS (v4) and it's Semi-Native lower-level coding.

Where iOS lacked features, Android was down-right frustrating because it was very clunky. Besides, Peter forgets that many features that came available on AOSP were already present on earlier versions of Android through OEM modifications. Yes, fragmentation was a problem, and its moreso today. And security? Forget it, this was the early days of the wild wild west... if you wanted security good luck.

Android Gingerbread was NOT great.It was better than the alternatives, and against the likes of BadaOS, webOS, MeeGo, it won because it had support from corporations with funding and devices being made. I remember the Samsung SII when it shipped with an impressive chipset, and it was held-back by the clunkiness of Android 2.3 and TouchWiz. Managed to upgrade the drivers, kernel, and the OS. Running it on a very lean Android 4.0.3 (AOKP) made its battery last half-day longer and feel fast and fluid. That was a major difference. Oh, and many of the Android exploits we discovered back in 2009-2011, which wasn't patched in Gingerbread, yeah those were suddenly fixed. So it was more secure too (for its time).

And keep in mind, I used Android 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3, and I am saying those devices were better than Symbian and Windows Mobile. They were not as good as the iPhone OS though. With Android 4.0.3 suddenly I was converted. And with iOS 7 (iPhone 5S) I was a huge fan of Apple too. The next major improvement I noticed was going from Android 4.4.4 to the bugfixed Android 5.1 Lolipop. Since then we've had incremental upgrades, and mostly for OEMs and not direct users or Rom Developers.

If you must know, EvolutionX ROM (Android Pie 9) is much better than Google Pixel OS (Android10).

S846346

SpiritWolf, 2 hours agoQuestion. Was GSM Arena team paid by Spygle back then, to promote inferior OS? Because you know, for not brainwashed people, Spydroid was a laughingstock.

S846346

Question. Was GSM Arena team paid by Spygle back then, to promote inferior OS?

T17351

Remember buying my LG P500 that was one of the first phones to get 2.3 back then 😀

f17514

I remember when i buy htc rhyme it was very interesting to experience gingerbread thanks Google???

W28461786

Android 2.3 Gingerbread was great for it's time. It was the first Android OS i switched to (i had clinged to Symbian OS till the very end). The OS had everything that one desired for back then. Far more advanced than iOS & a valid replacement to the dying Symbian OS.

Android continued to grow for the next few years, but as of late has been losing it's essence. I look forward to seeing a replacement pop up sometime soon.

M

i always love this posts from gsmarena

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Just like this great article, I would officially like to request the most influential iOS version till date. My vote goes to iOS 7, the 64-bit OS with the all-powerful A7 was crushing the competition in terms of performance.

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Back at that time, I had an HD2. It was running windows from ROM and android from SD. I remember the time I upgraded to 2.3, it was like it had a turbocharger attached to it. I stayed on Ginger bread two years before upgrading to ICS and then to jellybean.Good old days.

?

GSMArena once again knocks this out of the park, with another fantastic flashback article. Amazing.

?

The fact that it was the last version officially supported by Samsung in the first generation of the Galaxy S helped making it so popular (and resilient over time). Plenty of Galaxy S were in people's pockets for many years.

M

GregLu, 11 hours agoStill got and Xperia Ray that was on this version and then updated to ICS mainly for the share... moreXperia Ray was arguably the most beautiful Android smartphone to ever come to existence.When I held it, it felt like something super expensive and did stand out in the crowd.

2

I began android carrer in 2.1 now looking back 2.3 was the the most celebrated release and my favorite yet , the heated fight against nokia symbian, ios, wp really took off with this release and Flashing various roms was fun

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X41, 8 hours agoMy first smartphone was Galaxy y young with android 2.3.6. 5 months after i bought one ,lumia ... moreYeah le too first smartphone ever was the samsung galaxy young! I still have that old device!

R

I had the Samsung galaxy ace plus as my first smartphone and it ran gingerbread out of the box. That introduced me to the world of smartphones!! Definitely nostalgic!! Using wifi Direct to send big video files to other samsung phones was a boon too!!!

See the rest here:
Flashback: Android Gingerbread, the OS version that refused to die, was better than you think - comments - GSMArena.com

BO/20/00808/DOM: Seaview, Bosham Lane. Removal of ground floor wall and extension to form family room incorporating existing external store.

BO/20/00809/LBC: Seaview, Bosham Lane. Removal of ground floor wall and extension to form family room incorporating existing external store.

BO/20/00980/DOM: 4 Westward Close. Proposed rear dormer and 2 no. roof lights to front.

BO/20/01065/DOM: 25 Arnold Way. Rear single storey extension and alterations.

CC/20/00732/DOM: 34 Sherborne Road. Rear first floor extension over existing ground floor.

CC/20/00762/LBC: Prebendal School, 53 - 54 West Street. Reconstruction of section of free-standing curtilage wall to the rear of school.

CC/20/00788/LBC: 6 West Street. Structural repairs to front entrance canopy.

CC/20/00905/TCA: Land South Of 5 Orchard Street. Notification of intention to crown reduce by 30%, crown thin by 30%, crown lift by up to 3m (from ground level) and reduce all branches on north sector (overhanging no.5 Orchard Street) by up to 2.5m on 2 no. Holm Oak trees (Quercus llex) (T02 and T03) and reduce height by approx. 4m (above ground level) on 1no. Bay tree (Laurus Nobilis) (SH01).

CC/20/00944/FUL: 1-3 The Broadway. Retrospective application for secure steel access staircase to the east elevation.

CC/20/00957/DOM: 6 Lyndhurst Road. Demolish lean-to structure and build a single storey rear extension, roof extension and build up existing boundary wall and enclose with a roof.

CC/20/01003/FUL: 1 Little London. Replacement windows.

CC/20/01005/DOM: 30 Highland Road. Garden summerhouse.

CC/20/01013/TCA: 38 Whyke Lane. Notification of intention to reduce height up to 3m and widths by up to 2.5m on 4 no. Leyland Cypress trees (T1-T4). Reduce height by up to 1.5m and widths up to 1m on 1 no. Pittosporum tree (T5).

CC/20/01014/TCA: 52 Whyke Lane. Notification of intention to reduce height by 2m and widths by 1.5m on 1no. Bay tree (T1).

CC/20/01017/FUL: 19 Highland Road. 1 no. dwelling and associated works.

CC/20/01018/DOM: 37 Whyke Lane. Single storey side extensions with rooms in the roof space.

CC/20/01023/DOM: 2 Laburnum Grove. Gable extension and additional first floor window to permitted application 19/02682/DOM, for erection of 2 no. hip to gable extensions to the north and south elevations. Increase ridge height, installation of 1 no. dormer to west elevation and 2 no. rooflights, porch extension and associated alterations.

CC/20/01030/DOM: 5 Clay Lane. Change use of loft space to habitable accommodation to include rear facing dormer window (permitted development) and front facing roof-light. Proposed single storey side and rear extension.

CC/20/01046/REM: Land On The West Side Of Broyle Road. All outstanding Reserved Matters for the erection of 50 dwellings with associated parking, landscaping, informal open space and associated works on Phase 5, Parcel F, pursuant to permission 14/04301/OUT.

CH/20/00737/FUL: The Nest, 13 The Avenue, Hambrook. Erection of 4 no. dwellings and associated works - Various of Condition 2 of planning permission CH/18/00810/FUL - To substitute drawings to reflect proposed addition of garages to Plots 1 and 2.

SDNP/20/01349/HOUS: Jasper, West Marden Hill, West Marden. Replace existing UPVC windows with timber framed and glazing bars in keeping to the original style and new font door, all to the North Elevation. Alterations to existing archway/brickwork.

E/20/00371/LBC: Jasmine Cottage, Bell Lane. Replacement water reed thatch to roof.

E/20/00998/FUL: 113 Second Avenue, Almodington. Erection of 2 no. semi-detached 4 bedroom chalet bungalows - alternative to planning permission - E/18/00578/FUL for change of use to 2no. dwellings and external works.

SDNP/20/01183/CND: Lowerfield House, Easebourne Street. Erection of detached double garage, plant store and studio above. (Variation of condition 1 and 3 from planning permission SDNP/14/02084/FUL- Garage deck enlarged to 3500mm x 4000mm and materials changed from timber to steel frame and composite decking).

SDNP/20/01492/CND: Sorrel Cottage, Duncton Common Road. Single storey extension to the north-west elevation with room in the roof and 2 no. dormers. 2 no. additional dormers to room over existing lounge on north-east and south-west elevations (Variation of condition 2 from planning permission SDNP/16/02535/HOUS - Omission of 2no. pitched roof dormer windows in lieu of 1no. rooflight).

SDNP/20/01510/TCA: Rose Cottage, School Lane. Notification of intention to prune back to previous pruning points on 1 no. Willow tree (T1) and fell 1 no. Norway Spruce tree (T2).

FU/20/00932/FUL: Bramley Barn, Scant Road, East Hambrook. Proposed stables for equestrian use.

SDNP/20/01258/HOUS: Chelsea Cottage, Graffham Street. Single storey side conservatory extension and new porch with associated roof alterations.

SDNP/20/01430/FUL: Glasses Barn, Graffham Common Road. Replacement of a single dwelling house using existing materials and demolition and rebuilding of a former Craft Barn to be retained as ancillary studio space for the house.

SDNP/20/01435/CND: Cartref, Graffham Common Road. Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of 1 no. replacement dwelling and associated works (alternative scheme to previously approved replacement dwelling LPA ref. SDNP/17/05846/FUL) - Variation of Condition 1 of planning permission SDNP/19/04023/FUL - Amendments to approved drawings (Roof Finish & Windows).

SDNP/19/05715/FUL: Tracks adjacent to Freelands, A272 Croucham Lane to Linfold Road, Strood Green. Installation of 6 no. telegraph poles and 2 no. sections of underground ductwork along track (at The Mens Woodland path) connecting up approx. 455m of broadband cable to serve West Cottage and Freelands.

SDNP/20/01405/FUL: Barnetts Cottages, Fitzlea Wood Road, East Lavington. Demolition of two dwellings and replacement with one dwelling and associated annexe, restoration and relocation of timber outhouse, relocation of bridleway, landscape design and drainage works including balancing pond.

PS/20/00581/FUL: Hoveto, Dunsfold Road, Plaistow. Demolition of existing dwelling and proposed replacement dwelling with 3 bay carport.

PS/20/00724/DOM: Waldron, Chalk Road, Ifold. Single storey rear extension and new attached garage to front.

PS/20/00846/DOM: Siskins, 19 The Drive, Ifold. Erection of single storey front and side extensions and detached double garage following demolition of existing single garage, boundary wall and outbuilding. Erection of 1800 high close boarded boundary fence.

SY/20/00963/FUL: Instant Mailing Services Limited, Unit 3, Pulsar Business Park, Ellis Square. Change of use from B1 and B8 use to B1 and B8 or B2 (general industrial use for the repair and maintenance of motor vehicles only).

SY/20/01049/DOM: 17 Sunnymead Drive. Demolition of existing sunroom to rear elevation, replaced with new conservatory.

SI/20/00915/FUL: Jamic Nursery, Street End Lane. Demolition of 2 no. timber buildings and construction of 1 no. replacement timber building to be used for dog training, dog grooming, physiotherapy and business office and erection of 1 no. shed.

SI/20/00942/DOM: Quay House, Mill Lane. Alterations to ancillary building.

SI/20/00943/LBC: Quay House, Mill Lane. Alterations to ancillary building.

SDNP/20/01280/FUL: Cucumber Farm, A286 Cobblers Row To Middlefield. Replacement of existing agricultural barn and improvements to an existing access.

SB/20/00999/DOM: 6 Breach Avenue. Change the garage roof from a capped hip roof to a full gable. Change the bay window roof and the utility room roof from flat to gable. Infill of the void area behind the garage and the main house.

SB/20/01010/REM: Priors Orchard Development. Details of the layout, appearance, scale and landscaping of the proposed development of 157 dwellings approved under the outline planning permission SB/14/02800/OUT - (variation of Condition 5 (Landscaping) of planning permission SB/16/03018/REM) - Existing trees are required to be removed due to condition and safety.

SDNP/20/01563/APNB: Southgrounds Farm, Stopham Road. Prior approval for proposed erection of a general purpose farm building.

SDNP/20/01302/TPO: Land North of Little Orchard to Kresta, Diddybones Nap, Forestside. Fell 4 no. Ash trees (3, 4, 5 and 6) and fell 1 no. Wild Cherry tree (2). All trees within Area, A1 subject to SO/76/00967/TPO.

SDNP/20/01303/TPO: Land North East of Diddybones Knap, Diddybones Nap, Forestside. Fell 1 no. Beech tree (7) 1 no. and Whitebeam tree (11). Pollard 1 no. Oak tree (1) and coppice 1 no. Field Maple tree (6). All trees within Group, G1 subject to SO/72/00966/TPO.

WI/20/00959/DOM: Vivenda, The Street, Itchenor. Installation of 10 No. Photovoltaic Solar Panels to roof of existing garage.

WW/20/00688/FUL: Land North Of White Barn, Elms Lane. Open fronted agricultural barn for Cattle and Storage for equipment, feed and bedding.

WW/20/00914/FUL: 45 Marine Drive. Demolition of existing dwelling and outbuildings and the construction of a new two storey house with one outbuilding.

WE/20/01029/TCA: Mill House, River Street. Notification of intention to crown reduce by 2m on 1 no. Walnut tree (T1).

WR/20/01036/PA3Q: Stroodlands Cottage, Newpound Lane. Prior Approval Application for Change of Use of Agricultural Building to Dwelling (C3).

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Chichester planning applications submitted to the district council and the South Downs National Park Authority - Midhurst and Petworth Observer

AMSTERDAM (JTA) Video calls werent really cutting it for Fiet Aussen, a 91-year-old widow who has spent the past six weeks in lockdown at this citys Jewish nursing home.

Nearly deaf, she isnt really able to use that technology to communicate with family members, who have been unable to visit her at Beth Shalom since it closed its doors in the middle of March because of the coronavirus. COVID-19 has killed 26 of its residents.

So her grandson, Timo Haaker, 26, decided to enlist a different kind of machinery.

He called Riwal, a Netherlands-based international company that specializes in crane machines, to inquire about renting one to lift Aussens relatives up to the window of her third-story apartment, the NIW Dutch-Jewish weekly reported Friday.

Riwal, which is owned by the Israeli-Dutch businessman Doron Livnat, lifted 12 of Aussens relatives up to her on April 15 for free and has offered to do the same for any family of residents at Beth Shalom who want to do the same.

Haaker told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he did not know about Riwals Jewish connections. The company has been targeted by anti-Israel groups for its activity there.

To be honest, she couldnt really hear us on the crane, but it made her super happy, it filled her with new energy, said Haaker, a co-founder of the We Are Amsterdam tourism company, which he runs with his Israel-born partner, Guy Kuttner.

To minimize the cranes footprint on the street outside Beth Shalom, Riwal sent out one of its smallest units, which can only lift one person at a time. Each member of the Aussen clan had a quick chat of about three minutes with Fiet before being lowered and replaced by the next visitor, as onlookers snapped pictures and took videos of the scene on their cellphones.

The sun was shining, there was a great atmosphere and it was just a perfect day, Haaker said.

His mother is one of four children raised by Fiet and her late husband, Hans. They took Haakers mother into the family as a foster child when she was a teenager.

Fiet, who is not Jewish, moved in to Beth Shalom with Hans about a year ago. Hans was Jewish and had survived the Holocaust in hiding. He died in November.

In mid-March, Beth Shalom went into lockdown for fear of the coronavirus, but it was too late for many. To date, 26 of its 120 residents have succumbed to the virus and some are quarantined to their rooms, NIW reported. This made Beth Shalom the worst-hit place in the Dutch Jewish community by COVID-19, according to Esther Voet, the papers editor in chief.

One of Fiets best friends, also a Beth Shalom resident, died on April 13, possibly from the virus.

The infection rate at Beth Shalom made the Aussens increasingly worried about losing Fiet without getting to say goodbye, her grandson said.

Even without the virus, theres a chance that each visit will be the last when youre talking about a person in their 90s, Haaker said. And my grandmother has had lung issues in the past. So this concern about not getting to say goodbye was one of the main reasons I decided to put this together.

Original post:
At this Dutch Jewish nursing home, family visitors can be lifted by cranes to see their loved ones safely - JTA News

A very mild winter apparently did not assist contractors trying to seal up the many broken windows at St. Pauls, as they proposed additional project costs to the village, which were quickly challenged.

The Village Board decided to table an agenda item for its April 15 meeting calling for a change order that would drive up costs of the current stabilization phase at the historic St. Pauls main building. The identification of new broken windows at St. Pauls, during a very mild winter and while the community and country is under quarantine orders wasnt considered an accurate assessment of conditions warranting the expense. Furthermore the St. Pauls School Window Protection project would be under the supervision of the hired construction manager consultants CNY Group, represented by village resident Walter Beal at multiple Board meetings last year.

Superintendent of Public Works Joseph DiFrancisco said three project change orders were submitted by Talty Construction, Inc. at a total cost of $35,776.83; amounts of $19,043.43, $3,600, and $13,133.40, including charges for additional labor and materials.

The suggested total with change orders for the project awarded on January 9, 2020 and begun in early March would increase from $39,400 to $75,176.83.

The first change order ($3,600) submitted would be for aggregate material that was needed on the ground as there was an area where Taltys lift was sinking into the ground surrounding St. Pauls this was due to a building on that site that was removed (Ellis Hall, demolished by the village in 2014). They needed to secure the ground in order for their equipment to operate in that area, DiFrancisco said.

Trustee Stephen Makrinos immediately said it should not be the villages responsibility if the on-site equipment contractors are using and bringing in would sink into the ground. If they needed to prep a job site for work should this have not been in their bid price already? If they didnt price it then, shouldnt that be the contractors problem? Makrinos said.

The other change orders for Window Protection were also lambasted by board members.

The additional changer orders, respectively $13,133.40 and $19,043.43 were for additional windows that have broken since the job has started (less than eight weeks ago) and/or had been missed when the initial evaluation of the scope of Window Protection was done last year. The total amount of Change Orders submitted comes to $35,776 increasing the cost of the Window Protection to $75,176.83, DiFrancisco told the Board.

Members of the Board took exception that the new total amount could exceed the CNY budgeted amount of $69,000 by $6,176.83.

Trustee Mark Hyer was shocked that 29 additional broken windows have resulted over the last month, with no snow or harsh weather damage recorded in the coastal Northeast. He says there was poor oversight if these windows were missed upon initial inspections of St. Pauls.

I think we need to bring in Walter Beal of CNY Group in front of the Board to explain why this was miscalculated, Hyer said. DiFrancisco told the trustees he spoke with CNY the morning of the Board meeting, and they said there were at least 15 to 20 windows, a significant number that have broken since the beginning of March, when the job started. DiFrancisco says that would account for at least half the change orders in front of the Board now.

During a special Board of Trustees work session on St. Pauls, held September 12, 2019 with a lineup of consultants from Beyer Blinder Belle and CNY Group presenting on the initial Stabilization and Abatement stages, Beal commented that 60 broken windows of St. Pauls were to be addressed. The windows were either to be sealed with winter coming, or at least during temporary protection. The work as outlined was going to be handled by two separate crews, Beal explained, with one on the ground to cut the cracked or missing glass and another to install replacement material (either plexiglass or plywood boards).

Last September Beal told the Board the cost would be approximately $750 per window, including equipment, materials and caulking. The overall cost for the Stabilization phase including Window Protection and ivy removal was to run just under a million dollars, at $984,000.

At the same meeting back on January 9 that the Board awarded the Window Protection bid for St. Pauls it had rejected the sole bid for building stabilization from Westar Construction

Group, Inc. of Syosset as it came in $356,500 over the budgeted amount (as reported in The Garden City News January 17, 2020).

Deputy Mayor Robert Bolebruch said it was ludicrous to believe that CNY has an accurate picture to suggest that within a month, one window per day has broken at St. Pauls. Trustee Hyer said the historic property has been fenced in for most of the past one year.

We dont have 27 kids standing in front of St. Pauls and throwing rocks at the building. I would like to have a better explanation from CNY than that, Bolebruch commented.

Trustee Louis Minuto said when change orders this big could drive up project costs, nearly double the amount, Beal will need to present justification and an explanation of the issues to the Board. The other trustees concurred and the village will request his participation in the next Board of Trustees meeting.

If you look at the original project bids, the contractors price now is coming close to the other bids when Taltys was significantly under those (when the bid was awarded). You start to wonder. The broken window count is just arithmetic its just math. I would like Walter showing us the information and talking through these change orders, so that there is not just a blind approval, Minuto said.

Bolebruch added, lets just make sure we arent getting lowballed and then all of a sudden we ended up where the project is far over budget due to change orders.

Trustee Hyer noted that such surprises with contractors on the St. Pauls job suggesting higher prices could be the tip of the iceberg as we move forward with this.

We have to take another look at costs of stabilization and ivy (vine) removal and see if CNY is correct with what they presented. If all the estimates were lowballed, the price could end up three times what were expecting it to be, he said.

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Board balks at St. Paul's window protection change orders - Garden City News