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It's hard to feel too sorry for anyone wealthy enough to own a new Rolls-Royce, but there's bad news for these folks in the European Union because the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy badge is no longer available. Making matters worse, the light-up hood ornament needs to be removed from any Rolls that currently has it.

The cause of this weird decision is that the illuminated sculpture does not comply with the new EU light pollution regulations. After disconnecting it, Rolls will refund owners for the price of the option and replace the hood ornament with a silver-plated Spirit of Ecstasy. Note that this only applies to vehicles in the EU, and models elsewhere are still free to light up the lady.

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"In February 2019 we sent our dealers a bulletin saying we were removing the option of an unlit Spirit of Ecstasy. It was no longer to be sold to customers. It came off the options list," aRolls-Royce spokesman told The Daily Mail. "Sadly, we are telling our customers that we will by law have to disconnect their Spirit of Ecstasy."

What's not clear is what happens if owners simply doesn't bring their Rolls-Royce to a dealer to remove the illuminatedSpirit of Ecstasy. It's hard to imagine the cops pulling over someone in a Phantom just because there's a light-up hood ornament.

The latest Rolls-Royce to join the range is the new Ghost. It now rides on thededicated Rolls-Royce Architecture of Luxury platform and has an interesting suspension setup with a damper on the upper wishbone that helps create an even smoother ride. There's also aGPS-aided transmission to make motoring in the sedan even more luxurious. Prices start at$332,500.

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Rolls-Royces Illuminated Spirit Of Ecstasy Banned By European Union - Motor1

One of the more unique features of moderns Rolls is the new illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy. The silver statue of the flying lady has adorned the hood of Rolls-Royces for a century and is instantly recognizable as the face of the brand. So you might imagine that some Rolls customers would like to spotlight, quite literally, the iconic symbol. Which is why many Rolls customers opt for the illuminated version of the Spirit, which features a frosted finish that allows it to be lit from underneath, thus created a really interesting glowing look. Except, European customers will no longer be able to order the illuminated version and current owners with said version will have to have theirs replaced.

New European Union regulations actually permit the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy, as it now violates certain light pollution laws. Because of this, Rolls-Royce has had to remove the option from its cars and dealerships are now telling customers that it can no longer be had. Current Rolls owners with the option also have to bring their cars back to the dealer to have the illuminated version replaced with a standard version, which will be free of charge. Additionally, customers will either receive a full refund of the cost of the illuminated Spirit or a different additional option.

We are in the process of putting a package together. We shall write to make an offer of a full refund, a replacement silver-plated Spirit of Ecstasy, or another option from our list. a Rolls-Royce spokesperson said.

This seems like a silly regulation to begin with but even if light pollution laws are really cracking down, does an illuminated grille statue standing less than six-inches tall really create enough light pollution to be a problem? Also, whos going to enforce this? Are cops going to be pulling over cars with lighted grille ornaments? And whos to say that customers arent going to keep the illuminated Spirit after having it replaced and then put it back on themselves afterward?

Personally, I find the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy a bit tacky and unbecoming of a Rolls-Royce. That said, its an option that has a lot of fans, as a lot of customers actually do choose it, so I can see why those customers are upset.

[Source: The Daily Mail]

More here:
European Union Bans Rolls-Royce Illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy - BMWBLOG

BRUSSELS (AP) A top European Union official dealing with the United Kingdom said Tuesday that a cliff-edge rupture between the two without even a basic trade deal by the end of the year is becoming more likely by the day.

European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic told the European Parliament that time is short to reach a deal before a Brexit divorce transition period ends by years end, effectively giving negotiators less than four weeks to broker a deal which must subsequently go through a lengthy approval process.

And he pointed his finger at British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for making things even more difficult when he decided last month to introduce a bill that breaches the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement it struck with the bloc to make sure it could leave on Jan. 31.

Sefcovic said it made Britain less trustworthy and called the plans a heavy blow to the British signature and reliability. Respecting agreements is first a matter of law, but also of trust and in good faith.

He said the plans left the EU with no choice but to launch legal action against Britain. If passed into law, the Internal Market Bill would undermine the EUs previously agreed oversight of trade to and from Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K and shares a border with EU member Ireland.

The bloc is furious that Britain plans to breach portions of the withdrawal treaty that were put in place to maintain an open Irish border, which has underpinned peace since Northern Irelands 1998 Good Friday accord.

Sefcovic said the EU would never change anything to the Brexit divorce deal.

The full and timely implementation of the withdrawal agreement is simply not debatable, he told the European Parliament.

Under such adversarial conditions, negotiators from both sides continue to look for common ground to broker a rudimentary trade deal to avoid a barrage of uncertainty, tariffs and red tape that would hurt economies on both sides when the transition window ends on Jan. 1.

But while negotiators have inched close to agreement in many areas during six months of talks, they remain deadlocked over European fishing boats access to U.K. waters, and over the level of support governments can give to industry. The EU is concerned that British plans to subsidize sectors such as technology will amount to unfair competition.

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EU says that no-deal Brexit becoming ever more likely - Associated Press

Europol, the European Unions law enforcement agency, warnsthat cybercrime has spiked over the past year in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Europols findings were detailed in its annual Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment, released Monday. The assessment highlighted ransomware attacks,such asthose targeting health care organizations, as one of the most persistent cyber threats during the pandemic, including attacks involving hackers threatening to auction off data if a ransom is not paid.

The distribution of child abuse material online has also increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, including livestreaming of sexual abuse. Other concerns have involved SIM swapping, in which the hackertakes over a SIM card on the individuals phone to intercept a two-factor authentication code, and the increased use of the dark web for criminal activities.

Ransomware in particular remains a priority threat encountered by cyber investigators across the EU, Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle wrote in an introduction to the report. The amount of online child sexual abuse material detected continues to increase, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had serious consequences for the investigative capacity of law enforcement authorities.

Phishing emails and online scams have increased, with Europol noting that cyber criminals are increasingly targeting the vulnerable online during the pandemic and that disinformation has become easier to spread during the period of uncertainty.

Users become vulnerable and receptive to disinformation and fake news due to the paradoxical oversaturation with available information combined with a perceived lack of trustworthy sources of news that reinforce some of the users preconceived notions and beliefs, Europol wrote in the report. Disinformation can also be linked to cybercrime in efforts to make social engineering and phishing attacks more impactful.

Edvardas ileris, head of the European Cybercrime Centre, said in a statement that the report is an essential resource for EUs law enforcement and policy makers, emphasizing that cybercrime is an evolution, not a revolution.

Europols report was released the same day Interpol, an international law enforcement agency, launched a new campaign to warn individuals of ongoing online cyber crime, highlighting phishing emails, ransomware and online crimes against children as key threats.

Even the most Internet-savvy person can fall for a cybercriminals tricks, so its important that everyone keeps their guard up when navigating the virtual world, Craig Jones,Interpol's director of cyber crime, said in a statement.

Cyber threats have increased around the globe during the pandemic, with health care groups and other organizations involved in responding to COVID-19 particularly targeted.

Microsoftreported last week that COVID-themed attacks were targeting health care and vaccine research groups, with attacks observed by at least 16 nation states actors.

The Treasury Department also warned of the dangers of ransomware attacks, which have become increasingly widespread over the past two years and have brought the city governments of Atlanta, Baltimore and New Orleans temporarily to their knees.

Link:
European Union police agency warns of increase in cybercrime due to pandemic | TheHill - The Hill

The European Union has celebrated an important anniversary this year. Seventy years ago, on May 9, 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, presented the Schuman Declaration on the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community, which was the first of a series of European institutions that would ultimately become todays EU. Built from the ruins of World War 2, in a bid to establish peace through economic collaboration, the original six-member bloc grew to include 28 countries over the years, and only one of them has left so far, the UK.

Keeping the EU alive and going, though, has been incredibly difficult.

Economic challenges, migration crises, unemployment, and a growing nationalism in several of the member states are only some of the challenges that the bloc has faced throughout the years.

The most recent one is the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the EU to shut its borders, something that has not ever happened in its 70 years of existence.

Adding the pandemic challenge to growing nationalism and anti-EU movements and not-so stable economy, the 70th anniversary has found the EU in an existential crisis like never before.

As many wonder whether the bloc will survive, Italexit Party spokesman Sergio Montanaro has accused the EU of not delivering any of its objectives.

Mr Montanaro said: "I have never been against the EU for the sake of it.

"I once believed that what we were told 70 years ago would have gradually become true.

"And then I realised that it wasn't the case. None of the key objectives set out by Brussels have been delivered.

JUST IN:Labour insider exposes Starmer's real Brexit test

"We were promised full employment, solidarity, and common taxation, therefore the real possibility of having a strong economy everywhere in the EU not just one in certain areas.

"All these things made me considerably revise my opinion.

"And now, I am convinced that the only solution for restoring serenity in Italy is to leave the EU and the euro."

Mr Montanaro plans to take Rome out of the bloc in the next couple of years.

He added: "Our plan is simple. We will bring into Parliament people who want to leave the European Union.

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"Several collections of signatures have been carried out recently but they are pointless as they just collect dust in the end.

"We intend to bring everything into Parliament."

Mr Montanaro noted: "The problem is that there is a lot of confusion about what to do when actually it is very simple.

"If we were the governing party, the first thing we would do is trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

"We would then create a parallel currency flanked by the euro during the two years it takes to actually leave the bloc.

"In those two years, we would negotiate with other states. And all of them will want to do trade deals with us.

"This is because we believe that we carry a message of national identity.

"We'll get back control of your nation and its currency."

Originally posted here:
Furious Italexit campaigner lashes out at EU: Youve failed on EVERY objective! - Daily Express