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An Innovation for Energy Storage Solutions

Sharjah Sustainable City is the first community to demonstrate energy storage solutions in the region

Sharjah Sustainable City (SSC) has taken an initiative for a global movement towards sustainable living, promoting a lifestyle that is compatible with the future…reports Asian Lite News

Sharjah Sustainable City, a fully sustainable community by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Diamond Developers, will be the first community in the region to give residents access to a renewable energy storage solution. The move comes after SEE Institute, the research and development arm in The Sustainable City entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hager Group, an international company specialised in renewable energy storage. The agreement, of which Sharjah Sustainable City is the first beneficiary, formalizes an ongoing relationship with the German-based company to test and deploy the latest technologies and innovations in demand management and smart energy solutions.

Sharjah Sustainable City is the first community to demonstrate energy storage solutions in the region

The partnership with Hager Group is aligned with the wider brand -The Sustainable City, which supports innovation through pilot programmes, prototype testing as well as helping to present complex solutions in a real-life context. Sharjah Sustainable City retains an agile and ever evolving outlook towards a low carbon future and is committed to promoting the transfer of sustainability know-how. Hager Group offers varied energy solutions such as battery storage, EV charging stations (EEBUS) as well as energy management systems that allow users to control and balance different energy sources and loads.

Yousef Ahmed Al-Mutawa, Chief Executive Officer of Sharjah Sustainable City said: “We prioritise innovation and leverage the smartest technologies to drive efficiencies across all our sustainability targets. Renewable energy is one of the biggest contributors towards achieving net zero carbon and this partnership with Hager Group will allow us to reach the highest possible energy efficiencies and the lowest energy intensities in our development. Sharjah Sustainable City is proud to be the first beneficiaries of this MoU signed by SEE Institute, our invaluable knowledge hub.”

ALSO READ: ADFD hailed for playing key role in sustainable development

Torsten Hager, Future Energy Solutions International Corporate Strategy Director Hager Group said: “To reach the global targets of carbon neutrality and to realise a sustainable renewable energy supply, we need to integrate energy storage systems and management to control devices.

Our partnership with Sharjah Sustainable City will allow us to demonstrate together new innovative solutions, which will shape the future of sustainable buildings.”

Sharjah Sustainable City aims to be a leader in shaping the way towards a cleaner and greener world. Partnerships and knowledge sharing are key components towards this goal as well as piloting prototypes and testing new ideas. The MoU with Hager Group is only one example of the many ways The Sustainable City projects are building ties all over the world, therefore creating a ripple effect of climate actions, leading the way towards sustainable living.

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Chinese hacks reported in Israeli, Iranian public & pvt sector groups

The international cybersecurity company FireEye announced that a massive cyberattack appears to be part of a long-term spying strategy in the area of technology…reports Asian Lite News

China on Tuesday hacked dozens of Israeli public and private sector groups as well groups in Iran, Saudi Arabia and a variety of other countries for information on technology and business advances.

The international cybersecurity company FireEye announced that a massive cyberattack appears to be part of a long-term spying strategy in the area of technology and business competition and advancement, rather than a desire to harm any of the target countries or businesses, reported The Jerusalem Post.

According to FireEye, Beijing does not discriminate along any of the fault lines in the region, using its cyber tools to spy on a wide array of Middle Eastern countries, which are often at odds with each other, while all doing business with China.

The goal seems to have been to gain intelligence into achieving better negotiation outcomes in terms of pricing by viewing internal email discussions and assessments, and to appropriate certain key technological developments where possible, reported The Jerusalem Post.

In addition, the attack is tied to the cyber exploitation of holes in Microsoft’s SharePoint, announced by the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) in 2019. Its maximum impact is not currently being felt.

Estimates are that some public and private sector Israeli entities started to repel the attack once the SharePoint vulnerability was announced in 2019, but that in other cases, Chinese spying in Israel continued deep into 2020, reported The Jerusalem Post.

The timing of the current announcement seemed to dovetail with the announcement by governments in Europe, Asia, the US and NATO in July of a similar massive cyber attack carried out by China.

Retail sector top target

The global retail sector faced the highest level of ransomware attacks during 2020, with 44 per cent of organisations hit (compared to 37 per cent across all industry sectors), according to a report by UK-based cybersecurity firm Sophos.

The report “Sophos State of Ransomware in Retail,” looked at the extent and impact of ransomware attacks on the retail sector worldwide during 2020.

The total bill for rectifying a ransomware attack in the retail sector, considering downtime, people time, device cost, network cost, lost opportunity, ransom paid, and more, was $1.97 million on average — compared to a cross-sector average of $1.85 million, the report revealed.

Among the retail organisations hit by ransomware, over half (54 per cent) said the attackers had succeeded in encrypting their data, while a third (32 per cent) paid an average $147,811 in ransom.

However, those who paid recovered on average only two-thirds (67 per cent) of their data, leaving a third inaccessible; and just 9 per cent got all their encrypted data back, the report showed.

“The retail sector has always been an attractive target for cyberattacks, with its complex, distributed IT environments, including a multitude of connected point-of-sale devices, a relatively transient and non-technical workforce, and access to a wide range of personal and financial customer data,” said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist at Sophos, in a statement.

“The impact of the pandemic introduced additional security challenges that cybercriminals were quick to exploit,” he added.

To secure retail IT networks against ransomware and other cyberattacks, Wisniewski advised IT teams to focus resources on three critical areas: building stronger defences against cyberthreats, introducing security skills training for users including part time and temporary staff, and, where possible, investing in more resilient infrastructure.

The report survey polled 5,400 IT decision makers, including 435 retail IT managers, in 30 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. (ANI/IANS)

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Technology

Google to Discontinue Sign Ins on Old Android

Google will no longer allow sign-in on Android devices that run Android 2.3.7 or lower starting September 27.

If you sign into your device after September 27, you may get username or password errors when you try to use Google products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps.

“If your device has the ability to update to a newer Android version (3.0+), we advise you to do so in order to maintain access to Google apps and services on that device,” the company said in an update.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our users safe, Google will no longer allow sign-in on Android devices that run Android 2.3.7 or lower starting September 27, 2021,” the company added.

Android 2.3.7 was released nearly 10 years ago.

When support ends for sign-in with a Google Account on Android 2.3.7 and below, the users will receive a username or password error if they try to sign in to their devices or to add an email or calendar account.

“You will be able to sign into your account with a newer Android version (3.0 or newer). If your device has the ability to update to a newer Android version (3.0+), we advise you to do so,” Google advised.

If you cannot update your device to a newer Android version (3.0+), you can try to log into your Google account on your device’s web browser.

You can still use some Google services when logged into Google on your device’s web browser.

Read More:

Epic Games Files Complaint against Google
UK opens probe into Amazon, Google
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Business Technology

Epic Games Files Complaint against Google

Fortnite developer Epic Games has renewed its fight against the app store restrictions, filing a new complaint against Google in its anti-trust lawsuit.

The company last year sued Google over the removal of Fortnite game from Play Store.

The new complaint “adds mostly redacted details about Google’s alleged monopolistic behavior on Android, including banning Epic’s game Fortnite from the Google Play Store last year”, reports The Verge.

Google has denied the claims made by Epic Games.

“While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. We will continue to defend ourselves against these meritless claims,” a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report on Thursday.

Epic plans to launch Fortnite on the Samsung Galaxy Store.

“Google was determined not to let this happen,” so it offered Epic a “special deal” to launch on Google Play.

“When Epic rejected the deal, Google allegedly took other anti-competitive action, but the details of that action aren’t available,” the report mentioned, quoting the new complaint.

A new multi-state antitrust lawsuit in the US this month claimed that Google allegedly used anti-competitive practices to “preemptively quash” Samsung’s Galaxy Store in order to prevent it from becoming a viable competitor to its own Play Store.

Epic is also involved in a legal battle with Apple.

Apple’s main trial with Epic finished in May, with both sides now awaiting a decision from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on the matter.

The much-reported trial between Apple and Epic Games began on May 5, as the companies got involved in a legal battle over the use of an in-game payment system.

While Epic Games argues about Apple’s monopoly over the app market and treats 30 per cent standard fee amount to anti-competitive behaviour that must be regulated by antitrust law, Apple contends that “the whole antitrust allegation and associated dust-kicking is little more than a PR stunt”.

The Fortnite game was removed from App Store in August last year after the company allegedly violated rules by adding an in-game payment system aimed at depriving Apple of its commission on in-app purchases from App Store.

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EU fines 5 car manufacturers $1bn over emission collusion

An official release said that the European Commission has found that Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen group breached EU antitrust rules by colluding on technical development in the area of nitrogen oxide cleaning…reports Asian Lite News.

The European Union (EU) has fined five-car manufactures, including BMW and Volkswagen, USD 1 billion for breaking antitrust rules on emissions.

“Today, the commission took a decision against five car manufacturers: Daimler, BMW, as well as Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche, which are part of the Volkswagen group. The commission imposed a total fine of 875 million euros. These car manufacturers illegally colluded to restrict competition in the area of emission-cleaning technologies for diesel cars,” Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president of the European Commission told a press briefing on Thursday.

An official release said that the European Commission has found that Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen group breached EU antitrust rules by colluding on technical development in the area of nitrogen oxide cleaning.

All parties acknowledged their involvement in the cartel and agreed to settle the case, the release added.

Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said the five car manufacturers possessed the technology to reduce harmful emissions beyond what was legally required under EU emission standards. “But they avoided to compete on using this technology’s full potential to clean better than what is required by law.”

“So today’s decision is about how legitimate technical cooperation went wrong. And we do not tolerate it when companies collude. It is illegal under EU Antitrust rules. Competition and innovation on managing car pollution are essential for Europe to meet our ambitious Green Deal objectives,” she added. (ANI)

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Tesla boosts EV sales in UK

According to a recent report, despite many challenges, Tesla has produced and delivered over 200,000 vehicles in Q2 2021…reports Asian Lite News.

Elon Musk-owned Tesla has delivered a lot of vehicles in the UK in June and that resulted in record electric vehicle sales in the market with an 11 per cent market share of the overall auto market.

The UK has become a very important market for Tesla. In Q1 2021, Tesla delivered 7,304 electric cars in the UK — more than any other European market.

Last quarter, the automaker topped that off with 7,767 vehicles delivered in the country based on registration data.

But due to Tesla’s distribution model, most of those vehicles were delivered in June.

It resulted in an interesting automotive market in the UK in June with 11 per cent of all sales being all-electric.

According to a recent report, despite many challenges, Tesla has produced and delivered over 200,000 vehicles in Q2 2021.

In the second quarter, the electric vehicle company produced 206,421 vehicles and delivered 201,250 vehicles.

“Our teams have done an outstanding job navigating through the global supply chain and logistics challenges,” the company said in a statement earlier.

“Congrats Tesla Team on over 200,000 cars built & delivered in Q2, despite many challenges!!” the CEO tweeted.

Last quarter, Tesla had 185,000 deliveries globally, which was a new record.

Model 3-based police car

Tesla has reportedly built its police car based on the Model 3 electric sedan in the UK and it plans to use it to test the UK emergency vehicle market.

Tesla UK has revealed police liveried Model 3 saloon fitted with blues-and-twos, which the company said will be available to emergency services across the UK for trial and assessment.

The automaker did not reveal any specs for the new vehicle, but it looks like it could be a Model 3 Performance, Electrek reported.

With over 300 miles of range, a top speed of 162 mph, and an acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds, it should more than fit the needs of a patrol car.

In recent years, the Model 3 has become the best-selling electric car in the UK and at times, even the best-selling car, period.

However, there have not been any reported Model 3s used as police vehicles.

Many police departments have done the math and figured out that they could save a lot of money by upgrading their fleets to Tesla vehicles, especially the Model 3, the report said.

Bargersville Police Department in Indiana, which purchased several Tesla Model 3 vehicles. It found after the first full year of using the Tesla Model 3, they had already saved over $6,000, it added.

Fremont Police and the Spokane Police Department have both also recently acquired Tesla Model Y vehicles to use as police patrol vehicles.

But with these projects, the police departments buy the vehicles from Tesla and have them modified to fit their needs as patrol cars.

In this case, Tesla has built the police vehicle itself and plans to offer it for testing to emergency services across the UK.

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M-E’s first autonomous port truck system in Abu Dhabi

It is the first greenfield project of COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited (CSP) operating within Abu Dhabi Ports’ flagship deep-water port Khalifa Port….reports Asian Lite News

CSP Abu Dhabi container terminal has announced its terminal will be the first in the Middle East to implement an autonomous port truck system.

It is the first greenfield project of COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited (CSP) operating within Abu Dhabi Ports’ flagship deep-water port Khalifa Port.

Following a two-month trial period, a total of six electric Q-Trucks will be commissioned by CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal and tasked with supporting mother vessel loading and unloading activities within the facility’s container yard.

Produced by Qomolo, a sub-brand of ShangHai Westwell-Lab Technology Company, the L5 Autonomous Freight Trucks are equipped with an advanced 360-degree sensory system with traffic monitoring and driving guidance system which enables operators to direct vehicles’ navigation and transportation of general and reefer containers with ease.

“We are proud to be the first terminal in the Middle East to implement an autonomous port truck system following the addition of six of Qomolo Q-trucks to our container handling fleet,” said Naser Al Busaeedi, Deputy CEO of CSP Abu Dhabi.

“As well as being extremely efficient and cost-effective, the new vehicles enable us to sustain our container handling operations for longer periods and enable us to continue operating in cases where business continuity becomes an operational challenge.”

Featuring a highly stable, efficient, and environmentally friendly platform, the electric Q-Trucks are powered by a 281 kWh battery, carry a maximum load of 80 tonnes, and have an operating range of 200km.

Capable of operating for up to 44 hours continuously, the vehicle’s electrical systems are further enhanced by a temperature control system that aids in extending battery life in extreme weather.

The new Q-Trucks are expected to deliver reduced transformation and operating costs, a significant reduction in Co2 emissions as compared to traditional trucks and serve as a viable business continuity solution in the event of any manpower crisis.

“The addition of CSP Abu Dhabi’s Q-Trucks has not only accelerated Khalifa Port’s position as the Middle East’s leading maritime facility but also serves as a prime example of how innovative technologies can transform the maritime and logistics industries,” said Saif Al Mazrouei, Head of Ports Cluster at Abu Dhabi Ports.

“Employing solutions powered by ultra-modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence, Internet-of-Things, and electrification can enable businesses to achieve a higher level of efficiency, while simultaneously transforming their respective operations to be more sustainable and cost-efficient.”

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Technology UAE News

Hope Probe releases global images of Mars’ aurora

@HopeMarsMission

The images have revolutionary implications for our understanding of the interactions between solar radiation, Mars’ magnetic fields and the planetary atmosphere….reports Asian Lite News

The Emirates Mars Mission, the first interplanetary exploration undertaken by an Arab nation, has released the first global images of Mars in the far-ultraviolet, providing new insights into the discrete aurora phenomenon in Mars’ nightside atmosphere.

The images have revolutionary implications for our understanding of the interactions between solar radiation, Mars’ magnetic fields and the planetary atmosphere.

“These unique global snapshots of the discrete aurora of Mars are the first time such detailed and clear observations have been made globally, as well as across previously unobservable wavelengths. The implications for our understanding of Mars’ atmospheric and magnetospheric science are tremendous and provide new support to the theory that solar storms are not necessary to drive Mars’ aurora,’ commented Emirates Mars Mission Science Lead, Hessa Al Matroushi.

The images, taken by the Hope Probe’s EMUS (Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer) instrument, show a ghostly glow known as the discrete aurora. Its intricate patterns trace out the regions where Mars’ enigmatic crustal magnetic fields act like a funnel to guide fast electrons from space down into the atmosphere, causing it to shimmer in a manner similar to Earth’s aurora.

This influence of localised magnetic fields is a unique feature of the Red Planet as Mars, unlike Earth, does not have a global magnetic field generated by the planet’s core. The most sensitive ultraviolet instrument yet to orbit Mars, EMUS is able to image these dynamic auroral events globally at high resolution and across a wide range of wavelengths, providing an unprecedented window upon the interaction of the atmosphere with solar particles.

@HopeMarsMission

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While previous studies had theorised the discrete aurora is tied to Mars’ magnetic fields and existing observations had been consistent with that theory, prior images of this phenomenon at this quality had only been available as artist’s impressions.

“We have totally blown out ten years of study of Mars’ auroras with ten minutes of observations,” said EMM Deputy Science Lead Justin Deighan.

“The data we are capturing confirms the tremendous potential we now have of exploring Mars’ aurora and the interactions between Mars’ magnetic fields, atmosphere and solar particles with a coverage and sensitivity we could only previously dream of. These exciting observations go above and beyond the original science goals of the Emirates Mars Mission.”

One of three instruments on board the Mars Hope Probe, EMUS’ principal science goal is the measurement of oxygen and carbon monoxide in Mars’ thermosphere and the variability of hydrogen and oxygen in the exosphere. Members of the science team who had previously worked on the MAVEN Mission had recognised the potential for the more sensitive EMUS instrument to capture new aspects of Mars’ auroral phenomena, but the results of early observations have exceeded their wildest expectations.

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UAE vows to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities

The UAE noted that it is developing a comprehensive national cybersecurity strategy and a national cyber incident response plan…reports Asian Lite News

 The UAE emphasised its commitment to creating the necessary infrastructure and mechanisms to enhance its cybersecurity capabilities, both to protect itself against cyber threats and to better work with others to address shared challenges.

“The Middle East is not immune to the risk posed by malicious cyber activity – it is often the target of major cyber operations and espionage,” the UAE said in a written statement to the UN Security Council’s open debate on cyber security, the first debate held by the body on this subject.

“In the last few years, our region has witnessed severe incidents affecting the telecommunications, banking, and public sectors. Oil and natural gas installations have also been targeted, causing hundreds of millions in damages. Such malicious cyber activity on the region’s critical infrastructure has the potential to spark a conflict in an already tense environment and pose a threat to international peace and security.”

The UAE noted that it is developing a comprehensive national cybersecurity strategy and a national cyber incident response plan through the UAE Cybersecurity Council.

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The UAE highlighted that it hosts the world’s largest cybersecurity and digital transformation conferences, including GITEX, GISEC, and Cybertech to build domestic capacity, and that it has developed a platform for public-private partnership to facilitate information sharing.

Additionally, it outlined the collaboration with states, international organisations, and private sector entities to share information at the policy and technical levels.

In its statement, the UAE recommended that member states of the UN provide training and capacity at the bilateral, regional, and international levels, including through training programs and the development of guidance for responsible state behaviour.

In this regard, the UAE noted that these actions can act as confidence-building measures in response to mistrust and misunderstandings in cyberspace that can pose a risk to international peace and security.

The UAE also recommended that Member States continue to share their views and assessments with the UN Secretary-General and that they actively participate in cyber-related international fora and cross-regional formats to share best practices.

“All states have a responsibility of promoting international peace and security, both online and offline,” the UAE said. “Abiding by norms of responsible state behavior in tandem with obligations under international law is the best place to start.”

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Etisalat announces 6G plans

While Etisalat has not spelt out any timeline, a report earlier this year by ABI Research forecasts 2028-29 as the early commercial deployment years for 6G….reports Joy Chakravarty

While the world seems to be consumed by the potential of 5G, the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) leading telecom operator Etisalat revealed that it has already started working towards the transition to 6G, a mobile network that is expected to be 100 times faster than 5G.

Haitham Abdulazzak, Etisalat’s Chief Technology Officer, revealed that the UAE is “conducting research and developing international standards that are the main building blocks for the 6G ecosystem”.

He was speaking at the ongoing 2021 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, as part of a panel discussing ‘Setting the Roadmap to 6G’.

“Etisalat is upgrading tools and capabilities of its R&D centre to enhance the contribution towards 6G global standardisation within the international fora and alliances,” Abdulazzak said.

Pic credits @etisalat

“Advancement and development of new mobile technologies has become much more rapid than ever. Introduction of new features, capabilities and use of millimetre frequencies seen in 5G is a result of this advancement, which is expected to be complemented with terahertz (THz) spectrum in 6G.

“Etisalat is one of the ambitious players making steps towards the sixth generation of the network.

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“As part of our vision and future technology planning, 6G is going beyond earth networks into space to enable a new era of services and usage scenarios with terabyte data traffic resulting in extraordinary human to machine interaction,” he added.

While Etisalat has not spelt out any timeline, a report earlier this year by ABI Research forecasts 2028-29 as the early commercial deployment years for 6G.

The report also said that the Star Trek-like holographic communication and X Reality (XR, which is a combination of AR, VR, and Mixed Reality) are some of the applications that are very much possible with the speeds that 6G could provide.

5G is designed to provide a peak data rate of 20 Gigabytes per second (Gbps), and an average user experience rate of 120 Megabytes per second (Mbps). These numbers will be closer to 1,000 Gbps and 1 Gbps, respectively, in 6G.

The Global System of Mobile Communication Association (GSMA) has forecast 5G subscriptions, which started rolling out in 2019 in select countries, to reach 1.7 billion.

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