More than 43 million Americans owe a collective $1.6 trillion in federal student loans. WSJ’s Josh Mitchell explains how President-elect Joe Biden plans to help borrowers tackle that debt. Photo illustration: Carlos Waters
Yearly Archives: 2021
Electric Vehicle: ‘Mobilize EZ-1 Prototype By Renault’
Groupe Renault has revealed a new two-seat urban mobility vehicle designed called the EZ1-Prototype, which recalls the Twizy and will be the first machine offered under its new Mobilize mobility brand.
The Mobilize business venture is intended to help lead Groupe Renault’s efforts to break into new mobility, energy and data-related services, which it anticipates will become increasingly profitable in future years. It will focus on developing both hardware – with a range of purpose-built vehicles – software and services, such as car charging, subscription and finance schemes.
Mobilize is developing four purpose-built machines that will focus on ride-sharing and last-mile delivery services. The first is the EZ-1 Prototype, which “exemplifies the goals of the Mobilize brand” by putting “service at the heart of vehicle design”.
Designed as a shared-use urban mobility vehicle, it takes cues from mobility concepts previously shown by Groupe Renault but has been honed for real-world use. Users will be able to rent by time or distance on a pay-per-use basis.
Travel: ‘Spain – Cities & Landscapes’ (8K Video)
Spain, a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula, includes 17 autonomous regions with diverse geography and cultures. Capital city Madrid is home to the Royal Palace and Prado museum, housing works by European masters. Segovia has a medieval castle (the Alcázar) and an intact Roman aqueduct. Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona, is defined by Antoni Gaudí’s whimsical modernist landmarks like the Sagrada Família church.
2021 Tech: Digital Health, Household Automation & Transportation AI (Video)
Top technology at all-digital CES 2021.
Art: ‘Masterpieces From Buckingham Palace – A Curator’s Tour’ (Video)
Join exhibition curators Desmond Shawe-Taylor and Isabella Manning as they tour the highlights of the exhibition ‘Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace’. With an introduction from Director of the Royal Collection Tim Knox.
The exhibition brings together some of the most important paintings in the Royal Collection from the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace. Usually on public view during the annual Summer Opening of the Palace, the paintings will be shown in The Queen’s Gallery while Reservicing works are carried out to protect the historic building for future generations. The Picture Gallery was originally designed by the architect John Nash for George IV to display his collection of Dutch, Flemish and Italian Old Master paintings. Artists represented in the exhibition include Titian, Guercino, Guido Reni, Vermeer, Rembrandt, van Dyck, Rubens, Jan Steen, Claude and Canaletto.
Aerial Travel: ‘Riga – Capital Of Latvia’ (4K Video)
Riga, Latvia’s capital, is set on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the River Daugava. It’s considered a cultural center and is home to many museums and concert halls. The city is also known for its wooden buildings, art nouveau architecture and medieval Old Town. The pedestrian-only Old Town has many shops and restaurants and is home to busy Livu Square, with bars and nightclubs.
Smartphones: Samsung’s ‘2021 Galaxy S21 5G’ (Video)
During Samsung’s January 2021 Unpacked event, the company unveiled its line of S21 phones, including the S21, the S21 Plus and the S21 Ultra.
Politics: Tunisia – 10 Years After The Uprising (Video)
#Tunisia on Thursday commemorates the 10th #anniversary since the flight into exile of iron-fisted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, pushed from power in a popular revolt that foreshadowed strife and civil war in the region, known as the #ArabSpring. FRANCE 24’s Chris Moore tells us more.
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa, covering 163,610 square kilometres. Its northernmost point, Cape Angela, is also the northernmost point on the African continent.
Aerial Travel: ‘Norway – Land Of Vikings’ (Video)
Explore the land of Vikings ‘Norway’ in this 4K cinematic travel film by Oculus Films.
Vikings were the seafaring Norse people from southern Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden)[who from the late 8th to late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and settled throughout parts of Europe, and explored westward to Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland. In the countries they raided and settled, the period is known as the Viking Age, and the term ‘Viking’ also commonly includes the inhabitants of the Norse homelands. The Vikings had a profound impact on the early medieval history of Scandinavia, the British Isles, France, Estonia, Kievan Rus’ and Sicily.
Norway is a Scandinavian country encompassing mountains, glaciers and deep coastal fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Preserved 9th-century Viking ships are displayed at Oslo’s Viking Ship Museum. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing, notably at Lillehammer’s Olympic resort.

