Features

PARIS — The death of the world’s oldest person at the age of 118 has reignited a debate that has divided scientists for centuries: is there a limit on how long a healthy human can live?

After French nun Lucile Randon died last week, Spanish great-grandmother Maria Branyas Morera, 115, has assumed the title of the oldest living person, according to Guinness World Records.

Back in the 18th century, French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, known as the Comte de Buffon, theorised that a person who had not suffered an accident or illness could live for a theoretical maximum of 100 years.

Since then, medical advancements and improving living conditions have pushed the limit back by a couple of decades.

A new milestone was reached when Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment celebrated her 120th birthday in 1995.

Calment died two years later at the age of 122. She remains the oldest person ever to have lived — that has been verified, at least.

According to the United Nations, there were an estimated 593,000 people aged 100 years or older in 2021, up from 353,000 a decade earlier.

The number of centenarians is expected to more than double over the next decade, according to the Statista data agency.

The Comte de Buffon might also have been surprised by the rise of super centenarians — people aged 110 or over — whose numbers have been increasing since the 1980s.

Natural limit at 115?

So how far could we go? Scientists disagree, with some maintaining that the lifespan of our species is limited by strict biological constraints.

In 2016, geneticists writing in the journal Nature said there had been no improvement in human longevity since the late 1990s.

Analysing global demographic data, they found that the maximum human lifespan had declined since Calment’s death — even though there were more elderly people in the world.

“They concluded that human lifespan has a natural limit and that longevity is limited to around 115 years,” French demographer Jean-Marie Robine told AFP.

“But this hypothesis is partly disputed by many demographers,” said Robine, a specialist in centenarians at the INSERM medical research institute.

Research in 2018 found that while the rate of death increases with age, it slows down after 85. 

Around the age of 107, the rate of death peaks at 50-60 per cent every year, the research said.

“Under this theory, if there are 12 people aged 110, six will survive to be 111, three to be 112, and so on,” Robine said.

A numbers game

But the more super centenarians, the higher chance a few have to live to make it to record ages.

If there are 100 super centenarians, “50 will live to be 111 years old, 25 to 112”, Robine said.

“Thanks to a “volume effect”, there are no longer fixed limits to longevity.”

However Robine and his team are publishing research this year which will show that the rate of death continues to increase beyond the age of 105, further narrowing the window.

Does this mean there is a hard ceiling on how long we can live? Robine will not go that far.

“We will continue to make discoveries, as we always have, and little by little the health of the oldest people will improve,” he said.

Other experts are also cautious about choosing a side.

“There is no definitive answer for the moment,” said France Mesle, a demographer at the French institute of demographic studies.

“Even if they are increasing, the number of people reaching very old age is still quite small and we still cannot make any significant statistical estimate,” she told AFP.

So it might be a matter of waiting for rising numbers of super centenarians to test the “volume effect”.

And of course some future medical breakthroughs could soon upend everything we know about death.

Eric Boulanger, a French doctor specialising in the elderly, said that “genetic manipulation” could allow some people to live for 140 or even 150 years.

With German and British leaders spoilt for choice for official state cars, Italians often opting for the sporty Maserati Quatroporte and the US presidency relying on the truck-based, Cadillac-badged “beast”, the choice of such high level, high exposure transport is a matter of pride for industrial nations. A sought after status by manufacturers, the association can become part of a car’s mythos, with the Citroen DS even credited with saving Charles de Gaulle from assassination.

While the French presidency downgraded to a less glamorous crossover in recent years, Eastern industrial nations have instead maintained or reinvigorated their small specialised domestic luxury car segment. With Japan’s Toyota Century soldiering on uninterrupted, a re-imagined retro-influenced Hongqi limousine meanwhile become the flagbearer for China’s auto industry. A resurgent Russia has, however, launched the high tech Aurus brand in lieu of the Mercedes S-Class that temporarily replaced the iconic and formidable, but dated Zil.

Aurus Senat

Spiritual successor to the Zil limousine, the Aurus Senat is Russia’s Rolls Royce-rivalling high roller that shares similarly enormous dimensions, luxuriously long bonnet, arrogant aura and a huge upright chrome-ringed grille. With a more vertical design orientation and more curved surfacing than the Zil, the Senat is spacious and luxuriously appointed inside, with quality leather, metal accents and open pore wood trim. 

The only retail sale Aurus yet, the standard length S600 shares its 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged hybrid V8 engine with armoured and state car sister models. Developing 590BHP at 5,500rpm and 649lb/ft throughout a broad 2,200-4,750rpm, supplemented with a 61BHP electric motor positioned between its combustion engine and 9-speed automatic gearbox, the S600’s estimated 737lb/ft total system output provides effortlessly muscular versatility.

Putting power down through a sure-footed all-wheel-drive system, the S600 propels its 2,650kg heft through 0-100km/h in 5.8-seconds and onto 250km/h, while a more powerful 6.6-litre V12 version is speculated to be in the pipeline. Engineered for Russian winter conditions, the S600’s all-wheel-drive delivers reassuring road holding over ice, while generous SUV-like 200mm ground clearance provides an advantage over rough snow-covered roads. Driving modes meanwhile include an “all-road” setting. 

Riding on a far more sophisticated fully independent suspension system than its Zil predecessors, the Senat’s ride quality should match western rivals, while optional air dampers provide enhanced comfort and body control. Extensively equipped with driver assistance and safety systems including forward collision, lane departure and blindspot warnings, the Senat’s comfort, convenience and tech features meanwhile include folding tables, privacy curtains, rear refrigerator and double glazed windows.

Specifications

Engine: 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8-cylinders, and electric motor

Gearbox: 9-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 590 (598) [440] @5,500rpm

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 649 (880) @2,200-4,750rpm

0-100km/h: 5.8-seconds

Top speed: 250km/h

Length: 5,630mm

Width: 2,020mm

Height: 1,685mm

Wheelbase: 3,300mm

Kerb weight: 2,650kg

Hongqi L5

Harking back to Hongqi’s long line of luxury limousines and state cars since 1958, the L5 is the retro-infused pinnacle of China’s rapidly growing and ever more sophisticated automotive industry. Introduced in 2014, and currently serving as an official state car, the ultra-luxury L5 flagship is, however, available for private purchase, unlike most of its predecessors, which were produced for government and state use.

Reminiscent of the 1966 CA770 model in particular in term of design detail, proportions and character, the L5 is a dramatically elegant and unapologetically formal three-box saloon with high and level waistline and roofline, slim vertical rear lights and jutting, high-set round headlights. Bearing a sharp and flowing version of Hongqi’s red flag emblem and broad vertically-slatted chrome grille, the L5 is meanwhile powered by a naturally-aspirated 6-litre V12 engine under it long bonnet.

Producing 402BHP at 5,600rpm and 405lb/ft torque at 4,000rpm, the L5’s smooth, powerful engine carries its vast 3,150kg mass to 210km/h, and can divert power to its front wheels for enhanced road holding. Enormous at 5,555mm long, the L5’s hugely spacious and upright cabin is designed as an invitingly impressive, sumptuous and tranquil environment elegantly decked with fine wood, leather, metal, jade and silk and equipped with an abundance of comfort and convenience features.

Specifications

Engine: 6-litre, V12-cylinders

Gearbox: 6-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 402 (408) [300] @5,600rpm

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 405 (550) @4,000rpm

Top speed: 210km/h

Length: 5,555mm

Width: 2,018mm

Height: 1,578mm

Wheelbase: 3,435mm

Kerb weight: 3,150kg

Toyota Century

A car that makes the Lexus LS look no more imposing than a glorified Toyota Camry, the giant Japanese auto manufacturer’s true luxury flagship is in fact the Toyota Century. First launched in 1967 and in its third generation since 2018, the Century’s evolutionary yet conservative aesthetic is a model of understated elegance and clarity, with its crisp lines, clean surfacing, upright cabin, long bonnet and level waistline and roofline.

An ultra luxury domestic model employed by the Japanese imperial household in stretched limousine and four-door convertible parade car guises, the standard Century is meanwhile designed with passenger comfort at the forefront. The vast Century’s low sill cabin is easily accessible, spacious, comfortable and understatedly luxurious rather than ostentatious. It features big comfortable reclining rear seats with a left side foot rest, privacy curtains and a choice of leather or wool upholstery.

Tastefully restrained in style yet boasting extensive comfort, convenience infotainment and safety systems, the Century’s driveline is similarly sophisticated with its hybrid system and naturally-aspirated 5-litre V8 engine positioned behind its broad and intricately styled grille. Developing 375BHP at 6,200rpm and 376lb/ft torque at 4,000rpm, the Century’s engine drives the rear wheels through continuously variable transmission, and is aided by an electric motor for a total 425BHP system output.

Specifications

Engine: 5-litre, V8-cylinders, and electric motor

Gearbox: eCVT, rear-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 375 (381) [280] @6,200rpm

Combined power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 425 (431) [317]

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 376 (510) @4,000rpm

Length: 5,335mm

Width: 1,930mm

Height: 1,505mm

Wheelbase: 3,090mm

Kerb weight: 2,370kg

By Rania Sa’adi
Licensed Rapid Transformational Therapist and Clinical Hypnotherapist

Every year more than 50 per cent of people make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, work out, save money, get a promotion and more. And yet, studies indicate that around 80 per cent of New Year’s resolutions will get abandoned around February. Here are seven reasons why!

Goals are not aligned with your values

Values are the most important thing in life. They are the driving force behind why we get up in the morning, the choices we make and why we behave the way we do. For example, the value behind reading is learning, the value behind exercising is health and so on.

Understanding exactly what is it that you value is the perfect starting point for understanding yourself and your motivators.

Why values matter: 

•Your decisions will be more aligned to what’s important to you when you prioritise as you make decisions

•By understanding your values, your life will be more fulfilling and balanced with meaning. This will lead to you becoming more genuine and truer to yourself, since what you think, say or do will be aligned

•Understanding your values gives you the WHY behind your goal, and therefore keeps you motivated in achieving it

You are too focused on what you DON’T want

The subconscious does not understand negation. Most people know what they don’t want and send out the message to the subconscious in that form.

Directing your thoughts towards the things you wish to achieve and NOT what you want to get away from, engages the subconscious more effectively.

This is how you should be talking to yourself: “I don’t want to be fat,” becomes” I want to be a size 6.” We should focus on: “I want to be healthy and fit.”

Your goals are too vague

Not only do your goals need to be positively stated, but they also need to be very specific.

For example, instead of saying you wish to get fit, a more specific goal might be “I will get fit enough to run the marathon.”

We also need to think about how we measure progress. In the previous example, the ultimate measure would be the exact weight you are aiming for.

Goals are unachievable or unrealistic

The goal(s) you are trying to achieve needs to be achievable within the timeline you have set for yourself. If your goal is not achievable in the time you have allocated, then either your timeline needs to change, or your goal needs to change.

A specific timeline needs to be set in order to keep you on track and direct your thoughts and brain to achieving that goal accordingly.

Trying alone

So many people try to achieve their goals on their own. This causes numerous challenges. Firstly, you have no-one around to help motivate you when things get tough.

Secondly, it’s a lot easier to give up when the only person you are letting down is yourself. When other people are aware of your goals (such as family and friends) you are less likely to give up as you don’t want to disappoint them. Setting a New Year Resolution is a promise to yourself and when you share your goals with others, you are making a commitment to them too. Especially if you know that they are going to check on your progress.

You are NOT emotionally attached to your goal

Your mind brings you closer to pleasure and keeps you away from pain.

You have a far greater chance of achieving your goals when they have real meaning for you. You have to understand why you want to achieve a certain goal. 

What will achieving it mean to you? You should feel a strong pull towards a successful outcome. If achieving it doesn’t mean anything to you, neither will not achieving it and you are far more likely to fail in achieving that goal.

You don’t have a backup plan

It is inevitable that you will hit barriers and obstacles as you progress toward your goals. Sadly, many people allow the first hurdle they hit to become their last and they give up on trying to achieve their goal. Creating a backup plan foreseeing the events or mishaps will prevent you from quitting when they happen. 

So, when you make your New Year’s resolutions for 2023, ensure to set smart goals that are doable and time-bound. Come February it will be smooth sailing for you! 

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

NEW YORK — Pop juggernaut Justin Bieber has sold his music publishing and recording catalog shares to the Blackstone-backed Hipgnosis Songs Capital for $200 million, the company said on Tuesday — marking the industry’s latest blockbuster rights deal.

The sale has been rumoured for weeks, and sees the 28-year-old join a who’s who of artists who have cashed out recently on their catalogs.

Hipgnosis did not publicly disclose terms of the deal, but a source close to the matter told AFP it was worth around $200 million.

Contemporary stars including Justin Timberlake and Shakira have sold large stakes in their work — both also struck deals with Hipgnosis — but the move has mostly been seen among legacy artists like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

The staggering sums — Springsteen’s catalogue went to Sony for a reported half billion dollars — are considered safe bets both for older artists getting their finances in order and investors who can count on consistent returns from time-tested music and the viability of streaming.

Younger catalogues are seen as riskier territory, but Bieber is among the best-selling artists ever, and now Hipgnosis has his share in some of the 21st century’s biggest hits including “Baby” and “Sorry.”

Hipgnosis Songs Capital is a $1 billion venture between financial giant Blackstone and the British Hipgnosis Song Management.

Hipgnosis said they acquired Bieber’s interest in his publishing copyrights to his 290-song back catalogue — all of his music released prior to December 31, 2021.

Bieber’s longtime home Universal will continue to administer the catalogue, another source close to the deal said, and still owns the artist’s master recordings. Hipgnosis has acquired the artist’s stake in his masters as well as his neighbouring rights — a royalty that sees its owner receive a payment every time a song is played publicly.

‘Remarkable’

After the Canada native was discovered on YouTube as a teen, Bieber skyrocketed to global fame, selling more than 150 million records.

He has charted eight number-one records on Billboard’s top albums list, and his songs have streamed on Spotify alone more than 32 billion times.

“The impact of Justin Bieber on global culture over the last 14 years has truly been remarkable,” said Hipgnosis chief Merck Mercuriadis, a longtime music industry executive, in a statement.

“At only 28 years of age, he is one of a handful of defining artists of the streaming era that has revitalised the entire music industry, taking a loyal and worldwide audience with him on a journey from teen phenomenon to culturally important artist.”

Bieber’s health has suffered recently, with the star going on an indefinite touring hiatus after he revealed he’d been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, a rare complication of shingles that for him caused partial facial paralysis.

Lucrative asset class

Music catalogues have always changed hands, but the current publishing sales boom had escalated rapidly, with financial markets increasingly drawn to lucrative music portfolios as an asset class.

Mercuriadis’ Hipgnosis, which went public on the London Stock Exchange in 2018, has played a large part in publicising the spike in sales.

The sector had seemed to cool recently, but the Bieber deal shows investors are still hungry for music acquisitions.

Owners of a song’s publishing rights receive a cut in various scenarios, including radio play and streaming, album sales, and use in advertising and movies. Recording rights govern reproduction and distribution.

The flurry of sales came amid a wider conversation over artists’ ownership of the work, amplified in large part by Taylor Swift, who has found resounding success as she re-records her first six albums so she can control their master recording rights.

That move stemmed from Swift’s very public feud with Scooter Braun, the music manager whose company once owned her original masters, and later sold them to the investment firm Shamrock Holdings.

Braun has been Bieber’s manager for 15 years, and in a statement said “when Justin made the decision to make a catalogue deal we quickly found the best partner to preserve and grow this amazing legacy was Merck and Hipgnosis”.

“Justin is truly a once in a generation artist and that is reflected and acknowledged by the magnitude of this deal.”

PARIS — Far below our feet, a giant may have started moving against us. 

Earth’s inner core, a hot iron ball the size of Pluto, has stopped spinning in the same direction as the rest of the planet and might even be rotating the other way, research suggested on Monday.

Roughly 5,000 kilometres below the surface we live on, this “planet within the planet” can spin independently because it floats in the liquid metal outer core.

Exactly how the inner core rotates has been a matter of debate between scientists — and the latest research is expected to prove controversial.

What little we know about the inner core comes from measuring the tiny differences in seismic waves — created by earthquakes or sometimes nuclear explosions — as they pass through the middle of the Earth.

Seeking to track the inner core’s movements, new research published in the journal Nature Geoscience analysed seismic waves from repeating earthquakes over the last six decades.

The study’s authors, Xiaodong Song and Yi Yang of China’s Peking University, said they found that the inner core’s rotation “came to near halt around 2009 and then turned in an opposite direction”.

“We believe the inner core rotates, relative to the Earth’s surface, back and forth, like a swing,” they told AFP.

“One cycle of the swing is about seven decades,” meaning it changes direction roughly every 35 years, they added.

They said it previously changed direction in the early 1970s and predicted the next about-face would be in the mid-2040s.

The researchers said this rotation roughly lines up with changes in what is called the “length of day” — small variations in the exact time it takes Earth to rotate on its axis.

Stuck in the middle

So far there is little to indicate that what the inner core does has much effect on we surface dwellers.

But the researchers said they believed there are physical links between all Earth’s layers, from the inner core to the surface. 

“We hope our study can motivate some researchers to build and test models which treat the whole Earth as an integrated dynamic system,” they said.

Experts not involved in the study expressed caution about its findings, pointing to several other theories and warning that many mysteries remain about the centre of the Earth.

“This is a very careful study by excellent scientists putting in a lot of data,” said John Vidale, a seismologist at the University of Southern California.

“[But] none of the models explain all the data very well in my opinion,” he added.

Vidale published research last year suggesting the inner core oscillates far more quickly, changing direction every six years or so. His work was based on seismic waves from two nuclear explosions in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

That timeframe is around the point when Monday’s research says the inner core last changed direction — which Vidale called “kind of a coincidence”.

Geophysicists ‘divided’

Another theory — which Vidale said has some good evidence supporting it — is that the inner core only significantly moved between 2001 to 2013 and has stayed put since.

Hrvoje Tkalcic, a geophysicist at the Australian National University, has published research suggesting that the inner core’s cycle is every 20 to 30 years, rather than the 70 proposed in the latest study.

“These mathematical models are most likely all incorrect because they explain the observed data but are not required by the data,” Tkalcic said.

“Therefore, the geophysical community will be divided about this finding and the topic will remain controversial.”

He compared seismologists to doctors “who study the internal organs of patients’ bodies using imperfect or limited equipment”. 

Lacking something like a CT scan, “our image of the inner Earth is still blurry”, he said, predicting more surprises ahead.

That could include more about a theory that the inner core might have yet another iron ball inside it — like a Russian doll.

“Something’s happening and I think we’re gonna figure it out,” Vidale said.

“But it may take a decade.”

LOS ANGELES — Surreal sci-fi “Everything Everywhere All At Once” topped the Oscar nominations on Tuesday with 11, as Hollywood formally kicked off the race to the all-important Academy Awards.

It was followed by German anti-war movie “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Irish black comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which each received nine nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

As expected, Academy voters also rewarded blockbusters such as Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” for helping to bring audiences back to movie theatres after the pandemic.

Both were nominated for best picture, Tinseltown’s most coveted prize, although another crowd-pleaser — “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — missed out.

The remaining best picture slots went to rock-and-roll biopic “Elvis”, Steven Spielberg’s quasi-memoir “The Fabelmans”, Cate Blanchett’s latest tour-de-force “Tar”, Cannes festival winner “Triangle of Sadness” and literary adaptation “Women Talking”.

Absurdist indie film “Everything Everywhere All At Once” portrays a Chinese-American immigrant family undergoing a tax audit, who are quickly drawn into an inter-dimensional battle to save the multiverse from a powerful villain. 

It became a huge word of mouth hit and has grossed over $100 million worldwide.

The film earned four acting nominations for its cast, including best supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan — who appeared as a child in “Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom” almost four decades ago — and best lead actress for Michelle Yeoh.

Yeoh becomes just the second Asian woman ever nominated for lead actress in 95 years of Oscars history, and will compete with double Oscar-winner Blanchett for the prize.

But there was controversy elsewhere in the lead actress category, as no Black women were nominated, despite Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) and Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) having been seen as frontrunners.

Instead the remaining slots went to Ana de Armas (“Blonde”), Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”) and Andrea Riseborough for tiny indie film “To Leslie”, which mounted an unusual, late celebrity-backed campaign for its star.

International voters

In the other individual categories, Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”), Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) and Austin Butler (“Elvis”) are clear favourites for best actor.

The remaining nominations went to Paul Mescal in “Aftersun” and Bill Nighy in “Living”.

In the best supporting actress category, Angela Bassett became the first star in a Marvel superhero movie to ever earn an Oscar acting nomination with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.

Spielberg made the best director shortlist, but no women were nominated in the category, sparking quick social media backlash.

Speaking before the nominations, Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis told AFP this was one of the more unpredictable Oscars races, in part due to the recent massive growth in the number of international Academy voters.

Those members have been credited with surprises such as South Korea’s “Parasite” winning best picture in 2020.

This year they got behind “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which is distributed by Netflix. 

The World War I drama “All Quiet on the Western Front” has built major momentum, scooping a massive 14 nods last week for Britain’s BAFTAs.

‘Saved movies’

Actors Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) and Allison Williams (“Girls”) unveiled the Oscar nominations early on Tuesday morning from Los Angeles.

Television ratings for award shows including the Oscars have trended downwards, as Academy voters in recent years have veered toward honouring lesser-known indie hits like “Nomadland” and “CODA”.

Many in the industry were hoping for a healthy spread of nominations among 2022’s crowd-pleasing sequels, which were sorely needed as giants such as Cineworld, the world’s second biggest cinema chain, filed for bankruptcy protection.

James Cameron’s sci-fi epic “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which sailed past the $2 billion mark globally last weekend, earned four nominations including best picture, production design, sound and visual effects.

“Top Gun: Maverick”, Cruise’s long-awaited sequel to his huge 1986 hit which came out in May during highly uncertain times for movie theatres and earned around $1.5 billion, received six — best picture, editing, song, sound, visual effects and adapted screenplay.

“That’s the one that feels like it could actually win best picture”, said Davis, before the announcement.

“What better story the day after the Oscars air, than that the movie that saved movies was named the best movie? That’s a good story to tell.”

WASHINGTON — Half of the Earth’s glaciers, notably smaller ones, are destined to disappear by the end of the century because of climate change, but limiting global warming could save others, according to a rececnt study.

The findings, published in the journal Science on Thursday, provide the most comprehensive look so far at the future of the world’s 215,000 glaciers.

The authors emphasised the importance of restricting greenhouse gas emissions to limit the consequences from glacier melt such as sea level rise and depletion of water resources.

To help orient policy makers, the study looked at the impact of four scenarios on glaciers, where global mean temperature change is 1.5ºC, 2.0ºC, 3.0ºC and 4.0ºC.

“Every degree increase produces more melt and loss,” said Regine Hock of the University of Oslo and University of Alaska Fairbanks, a co-author of the study.

“But that also means if you reduce the temperature increase, you can also reduce that mass loss,” Hock told AFP. “So in that sense, there is also a little bit of hope.”

Even if global temperature rise is limited to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels — the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement — the researchers estimated that 49 per cent of the world’s glaciers would vanish by the year 2100.

That would represent about 26 per cent of the world’s glacier mass because the smallest glaciers would be those first impacted.

Global mean temperature is currently estimated to be increasing by 2.7ºC which would result in a near-complete loss of glaciers in Central Europe, Western Canada and the continental United States and New Zealand.

“Regions with relatively little ice like the European Alps, the Caucasus, the Andes, or the western US, they lose almost all the ice by the end of the century almost no matter what the emission scenario is,” Hock said. “So those glaciers, they’re more or less doomed.”

Under the worst-case scenario — global temperature rise of 4ºC — giant glaciers such as those in Alaska would be more affected and 83 per cent of glaciers would disappear by the end of the century.

Glacier loss would also exacerbate sea level rise.

“The glaciers that we are studying are only one per cent of all ice on Earth,” said Hock, “much less than the Greenland ice sheet and the Antarctic ice sheet.

“But they have contributed to sea level rise almost just as much as the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet together in the last three decades,” she said.

Warming of 1.5ºC would lead to an increase in average sea levels of nine centimetres while temperatures 4ºC higher would cause 15 centimetres of sea level rise.

“It doesn’t sound very much, nine centimetres up to 15 centimetres,” Hock said, “but it’s not global sea level that is that much of a concern.

“It’s mostly associated storm surges,” she said, which have the potential to cause “a lot more damage”.

The disappearance of glaciers will also have an impact on water resources because they provide freshwater for some two billion people.

“The glaciers compensate for the loss of water in summer when it’s not raining much and it’s hot,” Hock said.

The study’s projections, which are more pessimistic than those of UN climate experts, were reached through observations of the mass of each glacier through the decades and computer simulations.

Despite the alarming findings, Hock said “it is possible to reduce the mass loss by human action.

“If it happens is of course a different question,” she said. “If that happens is of course up to the policy makers.”

The go-to car for plutocrats, politicians, potentates, the diplomatic corps and VIPs of various shades, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is uniquely positioned even among its large luxury car competitors. Since its 1959 introduction, the S-Class built an image of a stern, stately and “serious” luxury car underpinned by a reputation for “bullet-proof” reliability and longevity, but none of overt and ostentatious trappings and associations often associated with many rivals. A car that made a statement associating power with responsibility rather than foppish frivolity, the S-Class is a standout car that remains discrete, if not quite austere.

Stately and subtle

Less likely to inspire the ire of the masses, the S-Class’s ability to better blend in the background than gaudier alternatives, was another big selling point. Still trading on many of the same qualities, the latest generation S-Class was introduced in 2020, and arguably better captures such classy conservatism than its previous three incarnations. With an elegantly long bonnet, rearwards cabin and short front overhang juxtaposed with a long rear overhang, its smoother design puts less emphasis on aggressive surfacing, and features a rakishly descending and tapered-in rear, which helps generate exceptionally low CD0.22 aerodynamic efficiency.

Assertive yet restrained with its more upright and almost arrogant fascia, high-set slim headlights and broad grille, the latest S-Class is even more luxuriously upmarket than its immediate predecessor. A “space age” machine next to historic models, its significantly enhanced technology features include a raft of new and improved comfort, connectivity, infotainment, driver-assistance and semi-autonomous systems too numerous to list here. In short, when fully equipped and enabled where legal, the current S-Class is capable of claimed Level 3 driving and level 4 parking autonomy on a scale of 0-5.

Smooth system

Notable for readopting inherently balanced in-line six-cylinder engines in lieu of its predecessor’s V6 configuration, the driven S450 4Matic (LWB) version’s twin-turbocharged 3-litre “straight six” is smaller, smoother and more efficient, yet more powerful than its predecessor. Developing 362BHP at 5,500-6,100rpm and ample 369lb/ft torque over a wide and accessible 1,600-4,500rpm torque band, the S450’s combustion engine is complemented by a 48V starter/generator mild hybrid system. Subtle and near imperceptible in operation, the un-intrusive 21BHP, 184lb/ft mild hybrid system is primarily concerned with running electric and ancillary systems, and improving efficiency.

With responsive quick-spooling turbos, the S450 accelerates through 0-100km/h in 5.1-seconds, and onto an electronically-limited 250km/h. Digging deep to eke out maximum thrust on steep inclines, the S450’s purring revs rise with subdued urgency as it reaches for its redline in a clean, consistent manner. Briskly athletic but no super saloon, the S450’s performance is pitch-perfect for an entry-level petrol model, providing muscularly confident driving. It also allows more opportunity to get better acquainted with its rev limit and full engine characteristics in such conditions, than is experienced with more abundant engine versions.

Sublime steering

Driven through a smooth shifting 9-speed automatic gearbox, the S450 4Matic’s rear-biased all-wheel-drive delivers rear-drive like handling, with power sent frontward for additional traction when needed. Tidy into corners with accurate steering, it is balanced through winding switchbacks, but over-cautious electronic stability controls tend to curb power at a hint of grip loss, even in “Sport” mode, and limit one from intuitively exploring handling and grip limits, and tightening cornering lines. Tauter and more responsive with steering, gearbox and suspension in “Sport” mode, the S450’s core characteristics remain consistent, but more focused. 

Equipped with all-wheel-steering turning rear wheels opposite to the front to effectively shorten its wheelbase and make it more nimble and manoeuvrable at lower speeds, the new S-Class’s agility belies its substantial length. Pivoting by 4.5° in Jordanian specification (and optionally by 10° for certain markets), the rear wheels turn along with the front at speed for increased lane-changing stability. A natural continent-shrinking high-speed luxury express with composed stability and refinement, the S450’s dynamic forte is its sublime ride comfort, even when fitted with larger, firmer AMG wheels, as driven.

Supple stability

Supple over road imperfections, the S450’s air suspension takes the edge off bumps and cracks, and wafts along with a gently nuanced and rippled ride quality, without feeling aloof or disconnected. Dispatching unevenly lumpy roads without shunting passengers side to side, the S450 is best in “Comfort” mode, where a lighter touch and less aggressive inputs persuade it to hustle through snaking roads with impressive poise. Well controlling cornering lean, its ride is meanwhile settled in vertical movements and reactions, but with a long wheelbase, its otherwise wonderfully forgiving suspension can compress slightly more than ideal over sharp, sudden road dips.

A reassuring and refined ride for long journeys, the S450’s luxurious, well-insulated cabin is comfortable, cosseting and finished with quality materials and quilted leathers. Tastefully styled, ergonomic and spacious, with highly adjustable front and rear seats, the S450’s equipment includes comprehensive convenience, comfort and sophisticated safety features, including a slim digital instrument panel and superb sound system. Its large infotainment screen accesses most functions, but is not as initially intuitive as buttons and dials. Generous at 550-litre capacity, the S-Class’s boot volume is, however, reduced by the above floor-mounted regional specification spare tyre.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 3-litre, twin-turbo, in-line 6-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 83 x 92.4mm

Compression: 10.5:1

Valve-train: 24-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 9-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

0-100 km/h: 5.1-seconds

Maximum speed: 250km/h

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 362 (367) [270] @5,500-6,100rpm

Specific power: 122BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 179BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 369 (500) @1,600-4,500rpm

Specific torque: 167Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 247Nm/tonne

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.8-8.4 litres/100km

Hybrid system: 48V starter/alternator

Electric power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 21 (22) [16]

Electric torque, lb/ft (Nm): 184 (250)

Length: 5,289mm

Width: 1,921mm

Height: 1,503mm

Wheelbase: 3,216mm

Track, F/R: 1,660/1,688mm

Overhang, F/R: 877/1,196mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficiency: 0.22

Legroom, F/R: 1,051/1,115mm

Boot capacity: 550-litres

Kerb weight: 2,025kg

Steering: Electric-assisted, rack and pinion, four-wheel-steering

Maximum rear steering angle: 4.5°

Turning circle: 11.9-metres

Suspension: Multilink, adaptive air dampers

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres, F/R: 255/40R20/285/35R20