2018 BMW M5 FIRST LOOK REVIEW

After five generations of rear-wheel-drive M5s, BMW’s heavy-hitting sport sedan will drive all four wheels for the first time ever for 2018. The new model is quicker and more powerful, but it is also more refined than the car it replaces.

The 2018 BMW M5 gets the latest version of the automaker’s twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 tuned to 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, up 40 hp and 53 lb-ft from the last-gen M5. Peak power is reached between 5,700-6,600 rpm, and peak torque is available from 1,800-5,700 rpm. The improvements are achieved in part because of redesigned twin-scroll turbochargers capable of delivering 24.46 psi of boost. Injection pressure has also been raised from 200 bar to 350 bar for a more efficient burn. Additionally, the lubrication and cooling systems have been redesigned, and the cross-bank exhaust manifolds have been optimized for more even exhaust pulses to the turbos. The engine is mated to a performance-oriented eight-speed automatic transmission. BMW estimates that the 2018 M5 can hit 60 mph from a standstill in 3.2 seconds and 124 mph in 11.1 seconds. Top speed is capped at 189 mph when equipped with the optional M Driver’s Package.

But the big news is the M5’s new M xDrive all-wheel-drive system with two-wheel-drive mode. The system defaults to all-wheel drive with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) turned on, but a rear-biased 2WD mode with no DSC is selectable. In this mode, the front wheels are only powered when traction is limited and the rear wheels can’t effectively put the power down by themselves. All other times, the transfer case routes all power to the rear, and the Active M Differential manages torque between the rear wheels. To find out what we think of this setup, read technical director Frank Markus’ M5 prototype drive.

BMW’s M Division had a good starting point in the G30-generation 5 Series, but a number of changes were made to the M5’s chassis. The double-A-arm front suspension and five-link rear suspension have been revised, and the track has been widened for better directional stability. The M5 gets thicker anti-roll bars and stiffer rubber mounts, along with a new steel X-brace. An available Variable Damper Control system adds electronically controlled shocks with three modes, and an available speed-sensitive M Servotronic Steering system gives drivers more options to adjust steering effort. The M5 rides on standard 19-inch wheels fitted with 275/40s in the front and 285/40s in the rear. A set of 20-inch alloys wrapped in 275/35s in front and 285/35 in back is available.

M compound brakes come standard and clamp down on perforated, vented 15.5-inch steel rotors in the front and 15-inch discs in the rear. Blue-painted six-piston front brake calipers emblazoned with the M logo are also standard. If that’s not enough stopping power for you, M carbon ceramic brakes with gold-finished calipers and larger front rotors are available. This option reduces unsprung weight by 50.7 pounds, according to BMW. Other weight-saving measures include a weight-optimized active exhaust, an aluminum hood, and a roof that uses carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP).

If you’ve seen the new 5 Series’ interior, then you’ve seen 90 percent of the M5’s interior, too. The M5 receives heated M Multifunction front seats with illuminated M5 logos and thicker side bolsters, an M Sports Steering Wheel, a red ignition switch, and red accents on the gear selector and paddle shifters. Like the 5 Series, the M5 features a wide central screen with gesture control. The M5 does get a unique head-up display that can project a shift light and other performance data in the driver’s line of sight, however.

The addition of all-wheel drive might upset some purists, but it marks a big step forward for BMW’s performance sedan. Will it be enough to take on Mercedes-AMG’s 603-hp E63 S, which has already had one generation to work out the all-wheel-drive bugs? We can’t wait to find out.

ΔΟΡΥΦΟΡΙΚΕΣ ΕΙΚΟΝΕΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΜΕΓΕΘΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΦΩΤΙΑΣ ΣΕ ΑΤΙΚΗ ΚΑΙ ΚΥΘΗΡΑ!

Wildfires have broken out across southern Europe as a heatwave grips the region. This animation created using images from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites show the live blaze and aftermath of wildfires that devastated an area about 35 km northeast of Athens, Greece, in mid-August.

The images from 14 August show the blaze and billowing smoke, which extends far south pushed by strong winds.

Vegetation appears red in the false-colour images from 19 August, and burn scars covering an area of over 2900 hectares appear black.

KALAMOS FIRES

Southern Europe experienced a relentless heatwave this summer, fuelling wildfires in a number of countries. The Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite pair captured the start of a fire on the Greek island of Kythira on 4 August. Five days later, a huge burn scar is visible across the western part of the island.
Greek authorities say they have contained the blaze, which destroyed more than 2000 hectares of land.
Carrying a high-resolution multispectral optical imager, Sentinel-2 is used to monitor changes in vegetation (in this ‘false-colour’ image, vegetation is in red). The mission offers key information to optimise crop yield, thereby helping to improve food security. It can be used to measure leaf area, leaf chlorophyll and leaf water content to monitor plant growth, which is particularly important during the growing season.

KYTHIRA WILDFIRES

Τουλάχιστον 78 άνθρωποι έχασαν τη ζωή τους στην πολιτεία του Μπιχάρ στην ανατολική Ινδία, όπου το ισχυρό ρεύμα του νερού έχει καταστρέψει πολλά χωριά, σπασμένα γέφυρες και προκάλεσαν κατολισθήσεις.

Al menos 78 personas han muerto en el estado de Bihar, en el este de la India, donde la fuerte corriente de agua ha destruido varias localidades, roto puentes y causado deslizamientos de tierra.

Imágenes dramáticas muestran a varias personas cayendo a la fuerte corriente de agua debido al derrumbamiento de un puente bajo sus pies.

Muchas personas se han visto obligadas a abandonar sus hogares sin apenas pertenencias personales hacia tierras que no estén amenazadas por la subida de las aguas. Las autoridades informan de que alrededor de 175.000 personas de 14 distritos distintos del estado de Bihar han sido rescatadas y puestas a salvo.

En los estados de Assam y Ittar Pradesh, donde se han registrado varias víctimas mortales, también están sufriendo las consecuencias de las inundaciones.

Las últimas inundaciones y deslizamientos de tierra han acabado con la vida de más de 250 personas en la India, Nepal y Balgladés. Hay millones de desplazados desde que comenzara la temporada de monzones el pasado junio.

Los deslizamientos de tierra mortales son episodios comunes en todo el sur de Asia durante la temporada estival de monzones, que suele comenzar en junio y se prolonga hasta septiembre. Mientras que la mayoría de los fallecidos perecen ahogados, se registran muchos muertos que quedan atrapados en viviendas que se derrumban o a causa de árboles caídos.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has now also publicly disputed the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne

Following Turkish President Erdogan’s remarks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has now also publicly disputed the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne that set borders with Greece and claims that some islands should be “returned” to Turkey.

Speaking before Turkey’s National Assembly, Cavusoglu said Ankara will not accept “de facto situations” in the Aegean Sea and that a number of interconnected problems remain in the Aegean between the two neighbouring countries.

“Among these problems is the question of sovereignty of certain islets and rocky formations, and the fact that there are no sea borders which are set by an international agreement between Turkey and Greece,” he said.

The Turkish foreign minister said the problem concerns the interpretation of articles of the Lausanne Treaty of 1923 and the Paris Treaty of 1947, adding that issues are currently discussed within the context of existing channels of communication between Ankara and Athens.

“Our country wants to find a fair solution to all problems within the framework of international law and taking into account its basic rights and interests,” Cavusoglu said.

“In this context, we have announced that we shall not accept de facto situations that Greece may attempt to create in geographical areas with disputed [territorial] status,” he said.

180 ΝΕΚΡΟΙ ΑΠΟ ΜΕΓΑΛΕΣ ΠΛΥΜΗΡΕΣ ΣΤΗΝ SIERA LEONE(VIDEO)

Al menos 180 personas han fallecido como consecuencia de las inundaciones y las avalanchas de lodo que han asolado este lunes varias zonas de Sierra Leona debido a las lluvias torrenciales que han caído durante los últimos días sobre el país. El vicepresidente del país, Victor Foh, ha expresado su temor de que cientos de personas hayan quedado sepultadas en un lodazal en una localidad próxima a la capital, Freetown, informa Reuters.

"Es probable que cientos estén muertos bajo los escombros", ha dicho Foh en declaraciones a Reuters desde la montañosa localidad de Regent, donde ha tenido lugar el suceso. Foh ha explicado que en Regent había muchos edificios que se habían construido de forma ilegal, es decir, sin contar con los permisos necesarios.

ΣΧΕΔΙΟ ΑΠΟΘΑΣΤΕΡΕΟΠΟΙΗΣΗΣ Η ΑΠΛΑ ΣΥΜΠΤΩΣΗ! Στις φλόγες η Ελλάδα: 91 πυρκαγιές μέσα σε ένα 24ωρο

Κάλαμος, Ζάκυνθος και Κεφαλλονιά είναι τα τρία βασικά μέτωπα που έχει να αντιμετωπίσει ο κρατικός μηχανισμός, μετά την εφιαλτική χτεσινή ημέρα, όπου είχαμε τις περισσότερες πυρκαγιές μέσα σε ένα 24ωρο, από την αρχή της αντιπυρικής περιόδου.

Η έκκρυθμη κατάσταση που έχει δημιουργήσει το μπαράζ των πυρκαγιών στην Ζάκυνθο αρχικά, όπου οι επιτελείς της Πυροσβεστικής μιλούν καθαρά για εμπρησμούς, και η πυρκαγιά στον Κάλαμο μετά, έχει φέρει στα όρια του το μηχανισμό δασοπυρόσβεσης, καθώς οι όλες οι δυνάμεις είναι διεσπαρμένες και έχουν υποστεί μεγάλη καταπόνηση.

Μόνο το 24ωρο που πέρασε, στην Ζάκυνθο εκδηλώθηκαν 22 πυρκαγιές.

Σε όλη την Ελλάδα, κατά τη διάρκεια του τελευταίου 24ώρου και συγκεκριμένα από ώρα 06:00 της 13-08-2017 έως την 06:00 της 14-08-2017, εκδηλώθηκαν 91 δασικές πυρκαγιές. Οι περισσότερες από αυτές τέθηκαν άμεσα υπό έλεγχο στο αρχικό τους στάδιο.

Απο τις 22 πυρκαγιές στην Ζάκυνθο χτες, σχεδόν όλες τέθηκαν υπό έλεγχο αμέσως. Παραμένουν, όμως, σε εξέλιξη στο νησί 12 πυρκαγιές από αυτές που εκδηλώθηκαν απο τις 11 Αυγούστου μέχρι και χτες.

Οι πιο σοβαρές από αυτές που εκδηλώθηκαν :
• Στις 11/08/2017 και περί Ω/13:33 στην περιοχή Καταστάρι - Παναγούλα
• στις 12/08/2017 και περί Ω/15:35 στην περιοχή Κοιλιωμένο
• στις 12/08/2017 και περί Ω/23:12 στην περιοχή Ελιές Βολίμων
• στις 12/08/2017 και περί Ω/23:37 στην περιοχή Αστέρι Βολίμων
• στις 13/08/2017 και περί Ω/00:30 στην περιοχή Αλωνάκι 'Ανω Βολίμων
• στις 13/08/2017 και περί Ω/00:32 στην περιοχή Σκούτα 'Ανω Βολίμων

Συνολικά στο νησί επιχειρούν 134 πυροσβέστες με 37 οχήματα, 30 άτομα πεζοπόρο, 1 Ε/Π.

Σε εξέλιξη είναι οι πυρκαγιές που εκδηλώθηκαν στη Κεφαλλονιά:

• Στις 13/08/2017 και περί Ω/21:35 στην περιοχή Δοριζάτα
• Στις 13/08/2017 και περί Ω/21:37 στην περιοχή Καραβάδος
• Στις 13/08/2017 και περί Ω/21:23 στην περιοχή Σβορωνάτα
Όλες οι υπόλοιπες πυρκαγιές στν χώρα είναι σε ύφεση ή υπο έλεγχο.

Σήμερα, σύμφωνα με το Χάρτη Πρόβλεψης Κινδύνου Πυρκαγιάς, προβλέπεται υψηλός κίνδυνος (Δείκτης 3) για την Αττική, Βοιωτία, Εύβοια, Μαγνησία, Χαλκιδική, Θεσσαλονίκη, Αιτωλοακαρνανία, Ηλεία, Αχαΐα, Μεσσηνία, Λακωνία, Λασίθι, Ηράκλειο, Επτάνησα, Δωδεκάνησα, Σποράδες και τα νησιά Σκύρο, Λέσβο, Χίο, Ψαρά, Σάμο, Ικαρία.

Ginormous, 70-Ton Titanosaur Is the Largest Dinosaur on Record

About 100 million years ago, when Earth was uncommonly warm and flowering plants had diversified into an array of bountiful blooms, the largest land-living animal on record — a massive, long-necked titanosaur — stomped around, searching for plants it could eat to fuel its enormous body, a new study finds.

The newly identified titanosaur was so immense — 69 tons (62 metric tons), which is equivalent to the weight of nearly one dozen Asian elephants — that it has claimed the title as the largest dinosaur on record, surpassing the previous record holder, another titanosaur known as Argentinosaurus hiunculensis.

Although it's exciting to discover the world's largest land-dwelling beast, the researchers said they're even more thrilled about the vast number of fossilized bones they uncovered, belonging to at least six of the giants. By comparing these newfound bones with those of other titanosaurs, the researchers were able to construct a comprehensive titanosaur family tree, they said. 

This family tree shows that some of Patagonia's giant titanosaurs — including Argentinosaurus, Puertasaurus, Notocolossus and the newly identified dinosaur — are part of the same evolutionary group, known as a clade.

This clade indicates that "extreme gigantism evolved once in the history of sauropods" rather than multiple times, said study lead researcher José Luis Carballido, a researcher with the Argentine National Research Council (CONICET) who works at the Museum of Paleontology Egidio Feruglio in Trelew, a city in the Chubut province of Argentina.

The family tree shows that the clade of P. mayorum is a sister clade to Rinconsauria, a lineage that includes some of the smallest titanosaurs on record, the researchers wrote in the study. Some of these "small" titanosaurs, including Rinconsaurus and Saltasaurus had body masses of about 6 tons (5.4 metric tons).

Credit: Carballido J.L. et al./Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Colossal discovery

The modern story of the mid-Cretaceous titanosaur began in 2012, when Aurelio Hernandez, a worker on La Flecha ranch in Patagonia, Argentina, found some fossils one day while managing the ranch's sheep. Hernandez showed the spot to one of the ranch's owners, Oscar Mayo, who immediately realized that the specimens were likely dinosaur remains.

Mayo invited paleontologists at the museum to see the site, and they spent a total of 18 months excavating the bones, including an 8-foot-tall (2.4 meters) femur, or thighbone. An analysis revealed that the site contained the remains of at least six different individuals, Carballido told Live Science.

The finding was so momentous that the researchers allowed the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to display a cast of the dinosaur's skeleton in 2016, before the beast was even named. At 122 feet (37 m) long, the reconstructed dinosaur was so huge it couldn't fit into one room, and so museum curators positioned its long neck and tiny head to poke out into the museum's hallway, welcoming guests.

Now that researchers have had time to analyze the titanosaur's bones, they've formally named it Patagotitan mayorum. The genus name references Patagonia, where the dinosaur was found, and "titan" recalls Greek divinities, known for their strength and large size. The species name honors the Mayo family for their hospitality during the excavation, the researchers said in the study.

Superbig

Although all six of the P. mayorum were massive, an analysis of five femur bones and one humerus (a forelimb bone between the shoulder and elbow) revealed that these individuals "had not stopped growing," the researchers wrote in the study.

Even so, they were quite tall, and could likely reach almost 50 feet (15 m) high if their necks were pointing straight up, Carballido said.

The dinosaur model is larger than the exhibition area, so it welcomes guests to the museum at the elevators, as they enter the hall.

Credit: Copyright AMNH/D. Finnin

Given that these dinosaurs were not fully grown, "this means that there are even bigger dinosaurs out there to discover," said Kristina Curry Rogers, a paleontologist at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, who was not involved with the study.

Still, it's important to note that P. mayorum isn't the largest animal by weight in the world. That honor goes to the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), which can weigh up to 200 tons (180 metric tons).

Vanishing lake

The six individuals were recovered from three different layers, or time periods. Perhaps so many individuals died there because there was once a lake in the region, prompting the titanosaurs to return time and again to drink from its waters, Carballido said. This is the first time that this concept, known as site fidelity, has been documented for such large animals, Carballido said.

It's possible that this lake dried out during droughts, and that these six titanosaurs died, in part, from thirst during those times, said Stephen Poropat, a paleontologist at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, who was not involved in the study.

"The stench of their rotting carcasses would have attracted carnivorous theropods [such as] Tyrannotitan, who lost teeth as they fed," Poropat told Live Science in an email. As the theropods chowed down, some of the P. mayorum bones could have been "pushed deeply into the mud," ultimately fossilizing, he added.

"It will be interesting to see if any of the bones have tooth marks on them," Poropat said.

Humungous thighs

The P. mayorum fossils are "very impressive" because they are so well-preserved and enormous, Poropat said. For instance, "the thighbones they have discovered equal or exceed every other thighbone in the fossil record in size," he said.

"There is no doubt that it was pushing at the upper limits of body size, and it will be interesting to see what adaptations it developed to cope with all of the pressures that went with being so big, [such as] acquiring enough food [and] finding a mate," Poropat said.

Patagotitan mayorum, an herbivore, is the largest dinosaur on record.

Credit: G. Lio

Poropat noted that the largest titanosaurs lived within a fairly narrow time span during the mid-Cretaceous, between 113 million and 83 million years ago, in southern South America.

Perhaps the long necks and tails of these titanosaurs helped them lose excess heat, as this period had warmer-than-usual temperatures, Poropat said.

Earthquake in China on August 08 2017

Up to 100 people are feared dead after an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 rattled south-west China. Seven people died and 88 were injured in the quake late on Tuesday, 21 of them seriously, the official Xinhua news agency said. It said all the dead were visitors to the area. But China's national commission for disaster reduction estimated that as many as 100 people may have died, based on 2010 census data of the mountainous, sparsely populated region. More than 130,000 houses may be damaged, it added in a statement posted on its website, based on a preliminary analysis of the disaster in a remote region of Sichuan province. The president, Xi Jinping, called for "all-out efforts to rapidly organise relief work and rescue the injured people", according to Xinhua. Tang Sesheng, a restaurant owner, fled her establishment in the town of Jiuzhaigou after she felt the earth moving under her. "I was also in Jiuzhaigou in 2008 during the last big quake, so I knew what it was. This felt even stronger," she told AFP. She said people had come out of their homes to sit out in the town's large public square, far from any tall structures, afraid to go back inside for fear that buildings might topple. Many were also sitting in cars, thinking it safer. She added: "People didn't dare grab anything like money or clothes - we just all ran outside right away." The quake occurred about 9.20pm (1320 GMT), not far from the site of a massive magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck in 2008 leaving 87,000 people dead or missing. Its epicentre was 284 kilometres (176 miles) north of the provincial capital Chengdu and struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said. The affected region, Jiuzhaigou county, includes one of the country's most famous national parks, a Unesco World Heritage Site known for karst formations and lakes. More than 38,000 people visited the tourist site on Tuesday, according to the official Xinhua news agency, which added that electricity was cut off briefly. Some houses at the scenic spot collapsed after the quake and authorities were organising young people to help evacuate residents, a staff worker at the park told Xinhua. Photos from the area posted on social media showed masses of people milling about on streets scattered with light debris, and a taxi dented from being hit by a large boulder. More than 600 fire officers and soldiers have been deployed, the People's Daily newspaper said. The Red Cross Society of China said it was deploying emergency specialists and volunteers to assist affected communities. "The quake hit at night, communications lines and electricity are disrupted and people are no doubt shocked and scared," said Gwendolyn Pang, a spokeswoman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in China. "It may take some time to learn the extent of damage and casualties." China is regularly hit by earthquakes, especially in its mountainous western and south-western regions. Earlier on Tuesday, a landslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least 24 people in a different, mountainous region of Sichuan to the south of Chengdu.