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DHL and Eviation today announced a pretty big moment in the developing history of electric aviation and specifically electric cargo aviation. Starting later this year, DHL will begin testing a fleet of 12 electric cargo planes from Eviation’s sole current model dubbed “Alice.” Deliveries will begin in 2024.

The Alice planes look almost identical, save for some missing windows and seats and an additional 100lbs capacity, to the passenger version of the Eviation Alice plane we’ve talked about in the past, amusingly calling it the “Tesla of Aviation.” It now boasts around 440NM of range or just over 500 miles (800km).

Eviation updated Alice last month with some significant changes:

Changing from a V-tail to a T-tail will “optimise performance and handling, making it easy and reliable for pilots to seamlessly transition to flying the aircraft”.

The updated design “represents a final step in our iterative journey toward Alice’s first flight”, adds Eviation chief executive Omer Bar-Yohay.

Eviation also confirms Alice will use two of Magnix’s 850hp (634kW) Magni650 electric powerplants, rather than three 375hp Magni250s. In June Magnix said it was replacing the Magni250 and another previous model, the 750hp Magni500, with two new derivatives: the 469hp Magni350 and the Magni650.

Additionally, figures from Eviation’s website show the company has in recent years tweaked Alice’s advertised capabilities, shaving some 100nm (185km) off its range.

The website now says Alice will cruise at 220kt (407km/h) and have 440nm range, with power coming from an 820kWh lithium-ion battery system weighing 3,720kg (8,200lb). Previously, Eviation has said Alice would cruise at 240kt and have 540nm range and 920kWh battery system weighing 3,600kg.

Eviation moved its headquarters from Israel to Seattle but retains most of its Israeli leadership.

DHL plans to build the world’s first electric air cargo network with the electric plane, noting that Alice can be flown by a single pilot and will carry 1,200 kilograms (2,600 lbs). It will require 30 minutes or less to charge per flight hour and have a maximum range of up to 815 kilometers (440 nautical miles).

What’s more important is that Alice will operate in all environments currently serviced by short-range piston and turbine aircraft.

Electric airplanes cut costs (oh and save the planet)

Alice’s electric motors have fewer moving parts to increase reliability and reduce maintenance costs over combustion. Its operating software constantly monitors flight performance to ensure optimal efficiency. Electricity costs a lot less per mile than AvGas or Jet Fuel. The plane only requires one pilot for cargo, saving on human resources. Not to mention it is quieter for noise abatement.

“We firmly believe in a future with zero-emission logistics,” says John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express. “Therefore, our investments always follow the objective of improving our carbon footprint. On our way to clean logistics operations, the electrification of every transport mode plays a crucial role and will significantly contribute to our overall sustainability goal of zero emissions. Founded in 1969, DHL Express has been known as a pioneer in the aviation industry for decades. We have found the perfect partner with Eviation as they share our purpose, and together we will take off into a new era of sustainable aviation.”

“The next time you order an on-demand package, check if it was delivered with a zero-emission aircraft like DHL will be doing,” said Eviation Executive Chairman Roei Ganzarski. “With on-demand shopping and deliveries on a constant rise, Alice is enabling DHL to establish a clean, quiet and low-cost operation that will open up greater opportunities for more communities.”

The commercial passenger version of Alice specs are below and appear to be very similar to the cargo version:

Check out some of the images below:

Left to right: Geoff Kehr, SVP Global Aviation Fleet Management, Global Aviation (DHL Express Global Head Office); Omer Bar-Yohay, CEO of Eviation Aircraft; Robert Hyslop, Senior Vice President, DHL Aviation; Jessica Pruss – Head of Sales, General Aviation and Business Aviation, Eviation Aircraft
Eviation’s all-electric Alice eCargo jet.
Eviation’s all-electric Alice eCargo jet.

Electrek’s take:

You love to see it. Short-haul aviation is where we can actually make strides in the next 5-10 years. Long haul will probably require hydrogen if we have to go 0 carbon. There just aren’t battery breakthroughs that are going to solve 10-hour, over-ocean flights in the next decade.

As for this plane, it hits a lot of the right spots, being great for general short-haul aviation. Cape Air in the US has already signed on for its expensive NYC to Cape Cod/Martha’s Vineyard route. I expect to see more of these flying between places like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Another vector these planes might be able to exploit is flying out of quiet little airports that have noise abatement regulations that are prohibitive to jets or turboprops. Flying an electric airplane overhead is a lot easier to swallow than jet fuel exhaust-dumping dinosaurs currently inhabiting our skies.


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Gail Porter opens up about being homeless: ‘Don’t be proud – keep asking for help’

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Gail Porter opens up about being homeless: 'Don't be proud - keep asking for help'

Gail Porter was someone you would see regularly on big TV shows such as Top Of The Pops and Live & Kicking in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as on the cover of lads mags – famously the FHM cover that saw her naked image projected, without her prior knowledge, on to the Houses of Parliament.

But when she was diagnosed with alopecia in the mid-2000s, after already suffering with mental health problems, her TV work dried up.

“My hair fell out, nobody wanted to touch me with a barge pole,” she tells Sky News. “I didn’t want to wear a wig because I find them uncomfortable. And then suddenly the only jobs you’re getting offered are to go on and talk about being bald.”

Gail Porter arrives for the start of Celebrity Big Brother in 2015
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Gail Porter appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2015

After bouts of depression, self-harm, anorexia and a breakdown – and at one point being sectioned – the star found herself with nowhere to go about eight years ago. She had no work, and an unexpected tax bill “completely scuppered me. I was done”.

Porter, 52, says she spent time moving between friends’ spare bedrooms and sofas. “And there were a couple of nights on Hampstead Heath, just sitting, thinking: ‘I’ve got no idea where to go’. It was a very long six months, but I managed to get back on my feet again.”

Porter entered the Celebrity Big Brother house in August 2015, appearing alongside stars including Janice Dickinson, Bobby Davro and Natasha Hamilton, and was able to rent the flat in London she is living in today. “I’m happy to have a roof over my head,” she says.

In recent years, the star has campaigned to raise awareness of those facing homelessness and is now working with the Good Things Foundation, a digital charity, and Virgin Media O2 to highlight The National Databank – described as similar to a foodbank, but for free mobile data, texts, and calls.

Gail Porter sits in an installation by Single Homeless Project under Camden Lock bridge, designed to raise awareness of Londoners facing homelessness over the festive period
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The star worked with the Single Homeless Project before Christmas

‘I never thought in a million years it would get this bad’

The charity says demand for the National Databank is increasing, with its website already receiving almost double the number of visits in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, as the cost of living crisis continues.

Virgin Media O2 surveyed 2,000 adults in the UK, and say more than a third (35%) believe they are only one pay slip away from finding themselves in extremely difficult financial hardship.

“That is such a frightening statistic,” says Porter. “I never thought in a million years it would get to this bad with me. And then it was just spiralling out of control.

“I was trying to apply for jobs, but without my phone or a laptop… I was walking round with a black bin liner with my clothes. ‘Excuse me! You got any jobs going in the bookshop? Or you got any jobs going in the library?’ I just want to work anywhere, I don’t care. It was very difficult for me, traipsing around everywhere with a bag, just trying to get myself back on my feet.”

Read more:
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Porter found herself struggling to access some of the everyday services most take for granted. “I did have a little bit of data on my phone… then when that ran out, suddenly I thought, my gosh, can someone help me get somewhere to stay? Can I go to the doctor’s to talk to somebody about how I’m feeling mentally? Can I contact a friend?”

Because of her fame, the assumption by those around her was that she would be okay.

“All those magazines I did, I never got a penny… not everything is as lucrative as it seems.”

Porter says she appeared on shows for minimum pay and even without payment. “So you’d see me doing lots and lots of things… that kind of went on for quite a long time. You can’t really work for free all the time.”

Moving to stand-up comedy

Life is great now, she says, and there’s a new challenge on the cards – Porter, who is Scottish, is due to launch her stand-up comedy career at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this year.

“I have good days and bad days,” she says when I ask if she’s feeling nervous. “Sometimes I think, this is going to be great, what could possibly go wrong? And then sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with the sweats. What was I thinking of? And it’s my hometown so my friends have said they’ll come.”

Read more on Sky News:
Nearly 100,000 prepayment energy meters forcibly installed last year

Grocery inflation hits new record high – and worse is to come

Porter says she doesn’t want to give too much away, but the show will draw on her personal experiences of mental health struggles and her homelessness.

“Now that I’m on my feet again, I can laugh about certain things,” she says. “So, lots of little stories about losing my hair, being sectioned, all sorts of little funny things. Hopefully people will enjoy it.”

Before she goes, Porter offers advice to anyone who is going through similar experiences to hers – and urges people in need to find their local databank.

“You’re not on your own,” she says. “Don’t be proud. You just have to swallow that and say, you know what? It’s happened. The best thing I can do is go onwards and upwards – and keep asking for help.”

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‘Split-screening’ and other phone habits reveal how children are watching even more videos

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'Split-screening' and other phone habits reveal how children are watching even more videos

Increasing numbers of children are “split-screening” so that they can watch multiple social media videos at a time, new research suggests.

Not content with their endless feeds of single attention-sapping clips on apps like TikTok and Instagram, many youngsters are now dividing their smartphone screens to see two or more simultaneously.

Some even stack videos on top of one another, according to Ofcom‘s report into children’s relationship with media.

In some cases, the clips they watch simultaneously do not even have an obvious connection.

The regulator said the habit appears to be an evolution of “multi-screening” behaviour seen in its previous research, where children reported difficulties in focusing on one screen-based activity at a time.

Ofcom’s report found that 96% of children aged three to 17 watch online videos.

More than half (58%) watch livestreamed content, rising to 80% among 16 and 17-year-olds.

More on Social Media

Short-form videos growing in popularity

While nine in 10 children watch YouTube, increasing numbers are now turning to platforms dedicated to short-form videos like TikTok (53%) and Snapchat (46%).

Both apps have introduced features to restrict how much children use the apps in the face of concerns about the impact excessive social media can have, with Snapchat giving parents access to their accounts.

TikTok has also been keen to promote its safety features, such as screen time limits, as it faces growing scrutiny across the Western world over data and privacy fears.

Ofcom said the most popular videos with children are engineered to grab attention with minimal effort, such as those which promise “commentary” or “reaction” to other content.

Less than a third of children post their own videos online, though, according to the report.

As social media content becomes increasingly well produced, with influencers kitting out their home studios with expensive equipment and software, youngsters are becoming more self-conscious about their online image.

Previous research has warned that children were over-dependent on “likes” to boost self-esteem.

Read more:
Kate Winslet on why social media worries her
These were the UK’s favourite TikTok videos of 2022

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Why is TikTok getting banned?

Older teens taking notice of screen time

But older teenagers and young adults are starting to take more notice of how much time they spend online.

Just over half of users aged 16 to 24 thought they spent too much time on social media, up from 42% in 2021.

They were also more likely to take deliberate breaks from certain apps or delete them altogether, Ofcom said.

The report comes as the government’s divisive Online Safety Bill makes its way through Westminster.

The wide-ranging legislation would give Ofcom the power to regulate internet content to keep people safe, including making companies liable for the content on their platforms.

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Gary Lineker wins £4.9m tax appeal against HMRC

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Gary Lineker wins £4.9m tax appeal against HMRC

Gary Lineker has won his £4.9m tax appeal against HMRC.

The Match Of The Day host was pursued for the cash by tax authorities, who said it should have been paid on income received between 2013 and 2018.

HMRC said Lineker, 62, should have been classed as an employee of the BBC and BT Sport for his presenting duties, rather than as a freelancer.

The bill came as part of legislation known as IR35, designed to crack down on tax avoidance by so-called disguised employees, who charge for their services via limited companies. The aim is for contractors or freelancers to pay broadly the same income tax and national insurance as an employee.

Lineker had maintained that all taxes were paid on his income via a partnership, Gary Lineker Media (GLM), set up with his ex-wife Danielle Bux in 2012.

His lawyer James Rivett KC told a preliminary hearing in London in February that the star had been “dragged through the papers accused of not paying income tax which has been paid”, and claimed there was a political element to the investigations.

Tribunal judge John Brooks has now found that while GLM was a partnership to which IR35 legislation applies, the appeal should be granted because contracts existed between the presenter and both the BBC and BT Sport.

More on Gary Lineker

The judge said: “As a matter of law, when Mr Lineker signed the 2013 BBC contract, the 2015 BBC contract and the BT Sport contract for the provision of his services, he did so as principal thereby contracting directly with the BBC and BT Sport.

“As such, the intermediaries legislation cannot apply – it is only applicable ‘where services are provided not under a contract directly between client and the worker’.

“In this case Mr Lineker’s services were provided under direct contracts with the BBC and BT Sport.

“Although such a conclusion might appear inconsistent with my conclusions that the intermediaries legislation can apply to partnerships… that is not the case.”

He added that he could “dispose of the entire appeal in the appellants’ favour and the appeal is therefore allowed”.

Following the decision, Lineker tweeted: “Thanks for all the congratulatory messages. I am pleased that the Tribunal has endorsed my contention that I have not failed to pay any taxes or National Insurance by reason of the IR35 rules.”

HMRC is considering appealing.

“The tribunal has confirmed the off-payroll rules apply to partnerships, as we have always said,” a spokesperson said. “However, we do not agree with its decision that the rules cannot apply in this case and we’re considering an appeal.”

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The HMRC spokesperson added: “It is our duty to ensure everyone pays the right tax under the law, regardless of wealth or status.”

The Lineker-BBC row

Lineker is Match Of The Day’s longest-serving presenter and has been on the football show since the 1990s following a successful football career for clubs including Leicester City, Tottenham and Barcelona, as well as for England.

Earlier in March, the star was forced off air in a row over a tweet criticising the government’s migration policy, with his co-presenters standing down from the show in solidarity.

He returned the following week following talks with the BBC, which has announced a review, led by an independent expert, on its social media guidance – with a focus on how it applies to freelancers outside news and current affairs.

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What are the BBC impartiality rules?

The football pundit topped the BBC’s highest paid star list in 2022, earning between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 for his work on Match Of The Day, Sports Personality Of The Year, and other programmes.

Lineker’s tax case follows similar attempts by HMRC to target other broadcasters including Lorraine Kelly and Kaye Adams.

As the decision on the presenter’s appeal was announced, former BBC director-general Lord Birt appeared before the digital, culture, media and sport committee (DCMS) as part of a session in the wake of his three-day Match Of The Day suspension.

He told the hearing that presenters such as Lineker who are “inextricably bound up with an important BBC programme” should have to abide by impartiality rules.

Asked whether he thought viewers appreciated the difference between news staff and freelancers, Lord Birt said: “I am sure the public doesn’t even think about it.

“What it knows is that this (Match Of The Day) is one of the most important BBC programmes and this is a well established presenter.

“And yes, he was one of England’s great centre-forwards but let’s not kid ourselves. His status, his standing and his power arises above all else from presenting this extremely important programme.”

Acknowledging public opinion over Lineker’s tweet was split, Lord Birt added: “I don’t ever think the damage in respect to the BBC is terminal because it has got too much credit in the bank.”

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