States of Guernsey agrees new five-year deal for IT equipment
Gé Drossaert, States chief digital and information officer, said "Apogee is a supplier with extensive experience working alongside public sector organisations"."I am confident that we will see service continuity across the States of Guernsey with this agreement, but we will also see our hardware modernised with the replacement of about 3,000 laptops during the contract. "This longer, five-year contract, allows us cost and tech certainty over that full period and to explore possible cost reductions through the more structured approach we will have to hardware security and monitoring."Carl Day, chief sales officer at Apogee, said: "We are delighted and extremely proud to have been selected by the States of Guernsey to help modernise the user experience across government services."Following months of collaboration between our teams to learn what is important, we are developing a deep understanding of both the current landscape and the future needs of their workplace environment. "Our objective is to elevate productivity and maximise efficiency at every opportunity."In June, the States announced it had agreed a two-year contract with company JT to host its IT infrastructure.
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Reuters
a minute ago
- Reuters
Heineken cheers EU-US trade deal as tariff problems hit shares
LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - Dutch brewer Heineken ( opens new tab welcomed a trade deal between the European Union and the United States and said on Monday that it was weighing all options to deal with growing tariff challenges in the long term, including shifting manufacturing. The world's No.2 brewer exports beer, especially its namesake lager, to the U.S. from Europe and Mexico, and has also suffered from the indirect impact on consumer confidence in key markets like Brazil. Nevertheless, it reported a 7.4% increase in organic operating profit in the first half of the year, versus analyst expectations of 7%, crediting growth in once-difficult regions like Africa and Asia as well as cost savings. Heineken's shares fell 4.3% as the brewer cautioned on softer volumes for the remainder of the year as U.S. policies, especially on trade, disrupt markets in the Americas. CEO Dolf van den Brink welcomed the certainty brought by the trade deal clinched on Sunday, which reduced a threatened 30% U.S. tariff on EU goods to 15% - a rate that would still hit Heineken's U.S. profits. All options are being considered to mitigate tariffs long-term, including shifting manufacturing, he said, but added that such moves were capital intensive and would first need more consistency in policy. "We look at all options from ... continuing with our current setup, a more hybrid version, or otherwise," he told journalists on a call. "If and when we deem them financially to be more attractive in the mid- to long-term, we would for sure explore them." Heineken still faces U.S. tariffs of up to 30% on products it produces in Mexico unless the Mexican government can reach an agreement with Washington ahead of an August 1 deadline. Executives told journalists that since the first quarter, Heineken has also seen economic uncertainty hit spending and confidence in the U.S., Brazil and Mexico. In Mexico, remittances from the U.S. have fallen significantly, impacting beer industry sales. And U.S. Hispanic consumers were also spending less, van den Brink said. Heineken continues to expect annual profit growth of between 4% and 8%. The company also beat forecasts for second quarter revenue and volume, with growth in markets like Vietnam and India, and increased an annual cost-saving goal by a quarter to 500 million euros ($586 million). "They have slightly downgraded their volume everything going on in the to me doesn't feel like a terrible outcome," said Ryann Dean, global analyst at Heineken investor Aylett Fund Managers. Heineken's strong growth in markets like India and China, and consistent profitability, more than offset this, he continued, adding that emerging markets would drive Heineken's long-term volume growth. ($1 = 0.8535 euros)
Telegraph
4 minutes ago
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Stihl FSA 60 R Cordless Strimmer review: It's my go-to for blitzing light weeds and long grass
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We tested all strimmers by using them as intended: mowing grass, trimming weeds and edging lawns. This helped us assess both cutting power and ease of use. We also considered design, battery performance (for cordless models) and value-for-money. A top scoring model should be simple to use, run for long enough to finish a job and offer solid performance for the price. For this in-depth review, I put the FSA 60R through some additional tests, focused on its weed-trimming capabilities. I wanted to see whether this strimmer could cut fairly tough weeds as effectively as the best models I've tested in previous reviews, and whether any new pros or cons would emerge during weeks of hands-on assessment. Why you can trust Telegraph Recommended Our thorough, real-world tests will always help you find the best gardening product. No manufacturer ever sees Telegraph Recommended reviews before publication and we don't accept payment in exchange for favourable reviews, nor do we allow brands to pay for placement in our articles. All opinions are based on independent expert opinion and our hands-on testing. Visit our Who We Are page to learn more. Performance Score: 10/10 In testing, this strimmer was more powerful than most cordless models. It cut through long grass easily and dealt well with soft weeds. Dandelions and similar stems were shredded as the line hit them. The cutting swathe is wide at 350mm. This helps to mow a wide area efficiently, as it trims a lot of plant matter at once. You'll soon have plenty of fodder for your garden shredder. It does have limits. The supplied AutoCut C 6-2 mowing head struggled with woody stems over one inch thick, as the nylon line began to wear down fast. This isn't what it's built for. To cut thicker, harder weed stems, you could try fitting a DuroCut 5-2 mowing head (sold separately, £30.40), which is designed for heavier use. The thickest may require a mini chainsaw or good loppers. Design Score: 9/10 High-powered tools should be simple to operate, and the FSA 60 R is just that. It uses a clear three-stage start-up that feels both easy and safe. Assembly took around 20 minutes. You attach the loop handles and other parts using the included fixings. It's a quick and clear process. Changing the trimming line is usually fiddly, but here it's refreshingly simple. The spool is easy to open without tools, although you should remove the battery first. Even with its built-in safety features, this is a good habit. As this is a long strimmer with a fixed shaft, it occupies quite a lot of storage space, so check if your shed has a high enough ceiling to accommodate it. Handling Score: 9/10 This is an easy strimmer to handle, with a simple loop handle to guide the mowing head. Carefully positioning this handle during setup should ensure you can use the tool comfortably for years to come. As the shaft and mowing head are fixed, there's not much scope to adjust the strimmer to cut at different angles. This makes it less flexible. But its solid build adds stability, and the long shaft lets you cut wide areas of vegetation in one sweep. Some users will be put off by the FSA 60 R's three kilo weight. I'm accustomed to using heavy tools, and it made my forearms ache a little after around 20 minutes. You may well have finished your strimming by that point, but an optional shoulder strap accessory could have opened the FSA 60 R up to a broader audience. Energy performance Score: 9/10 One selling point of this strimmer (and some other Stihl garden tools) is a capability the brand calls 'Constant Power', which means the tool performs well regardless of its charge level, until the battery is completely depleted. I found the claim to be true throughout. The strimmer worked at the same outstanding level throughout its 30-minute runtime. Speaking of which, half an hour is a good running time for a cordless strimmer. Given this model's impressive power, it's more than enough to get a lot of work done around the garden. Recharging the battery takes around three hours, which is speedy considering its 4.0Ah rating. It provides a good user experience, slotting in and out of the strimmer or charger smoothly. There are LED indicator lights to show you its charge state. Price and quality Score: 9/10 If your previous strimmer was a budget model, you'll notice a significant step up in build quality with the Stihl FSA 60 R. It's well made and looks smart, with nice finishes to the loop handle, motor housing and metal shaft. The tool felt reassuringly weighty until I had been holding it for a long time, and it coped well with bumps and scrapes as I pulled it clumsily out of storage. The price of this strimmer will put off many buyers. For a domestic-use model, it's expensive, and you can find an effective alternative at a far lower price. However, the FSA 60 R (bundle with battery and charger) becomes good value when you start adding other cordless Stihl AK System tools to your collection. These include lawn mowers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers and more, and they can all be purchased as a 'bare tool' and used with the same lithium-ion battery. Technical specifications Here's how the FSA 60 R's spec sheet compares to the Gtech GT50, another strimmer made mostly for grass cutting that also impressed us during testing and which comes at a lower price: Should you buy the Stihl FSA 60 R Cordless Strimmer? 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Other types of string trimmer handles include 'bicycle', and 'J' handles. How long does the battery last on the Stihl FSA 60 R? If used with the AK 20 36V lithium-ion battery included in a bundle purchase, the FSA 60 R has a runtime of around 30 minutes on a single charge, according to Stihl. This was verified during our hands-on testing. Lithium-ion batteries gradually lose runtime as their components deteriorate over years of use. You can often restore a cordless tool's original runtime by replacing the battery, after an appropriate period. How do you refill a Stihl trimmer line? The method of replenishing the trimming line in a Stihl string trimmer will vary depending on the model. The FSA 60 R comes equipped with a AutoCut C 6-2 mowing head, which houses a spool of nylon trimming line. This can be removed without the use of tools, but you shouldn't attempt this until you've ensured the battery has been removed first. To replenish, you wind fresh nylon wire onto the spool and feed this out through the holes on either side of the mowing head. A blade feature on the underside of the guard cuts the string down to the appropriate length upon activation (if you fed too much line through the holes in the first place). What size string does a Stihl FSA 60 R use? The size of string compatible with the Stihl FSA 60 R is defined by its mowing head. The model supplied with the strimmer is Stihl's AutoCut C 6-2, which can accept replacement trimming line with a diameter of 2.0mm or 2.4mm.
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
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George Russell nears £30m-a-year Mercedes deal - with bosses accelerating talks amid Max Verstappen's Red Bull stance
George Russell is closing in on a £30million-a-year, multi-season deal to stay at Mercedes, Mail Sport can reveal. Negotiations have accelerated over the last few weeks and a source close to the talks confirmed: 'All the main points have been agreed.' Finer details, such as the number of sponsor appearances Russell will undertake, are still to be ironed out. Mercedes have pushed for a conclusion ahead of the summer break that follows this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. But there may be too many obstacles for that to be accomplished by then, with Russell's management, supported by legal advisers, poring over the new contract. Mercedes have accepted that defending world champion Max Verstappen is staying at Red Bull for 2026. He would have been mad to move before seeing how new regulations coming in next season play out. And now that the Dutchman is 28 points clear of Russell following Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, it is impossible for him to activate a release clause that relied on him being outside the top three in the championship by the time of the summer break. Verstappen, third in the standings to Russell's fourth, could still buy himself out of his Red Bull deal, which runs until 2028, but he is not even considering that. Nor are Mercedes. So Mercedes will stick with Russell and Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes are belatedly content that Russell is a suitable No1, having produced his most consistently impressive form this year. He notched a win, in Canada, and has outscored Antonelli 157 points to 63. Russell may have hoped for a salary closer to those of Verstappen and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton - each on about £60m a year. But their achievements, with 11 world championships between them, dwarf Russell's four race victories - for all his potential indicated by near-flawless displays in an often-tricky car. Nor does he have the mass global fan base of Hamilton, his predecessor as Mercedes' star driver (whom Russell beat in two of their three seasons together), and the relative limit of his commercial attractiveness to the brand and business is reflected in the terms he is being offered. Mercedes have told Russell, for example, that if he reduces his sponsor commitments it is fine but will be reflected in his pay. However, a salary of around £30m still puts him on a par with leading non-championship winning contemporaries such as Charles Leclerc at Ferrari and Lando Norris at McLaren. A multi-year deal is a vote of confidence in Russell from boss Toto Wolff, though it remains to be seen what freedom of he might have if he wanted to move from the Silver Arrow in the next couple of years.
