BERLIN, November 27 -- Mick Schumacher, the teenage son of ex-Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, will race in Formula Two next season, ending speculation he might skip F2 and step up to F1 in 2019.
"For me, this is a logical step, because I want to continue to improve my technical experience and driving skills" the 19-year-old said in a press release issued by his Italian team Prema Racing. The confirmation pours cold water on speculation he would leap up to F1 in 2019 after winning the European Formula Three title last month, but he has made no secret that he one day wants to race in the top tier. After dominating the second half of the F3 season by claiming five straight wins, Schumacher's title win meant he qualified for a FIA 'super licence' - a prerequisite for the jump to Formula One. Bearing one of the most famous names in motorsports is not always easy for the German, who started out racing as "Mick Betsch", using his mother Corinna's maiden name to avoid bringing attention to himself. World champion Lewis Hamilton has already said he is "100 percent certain that there will be another Schumacher in F1" and backs him to follow in the footsteps of his father, who won seven F1 titles. "I have no problem being compared to my dad, because my dad is the best - that's why he's my role model," Mick Schumacher said in an RTL documentary. "Even other world champions compare themselves with my dad." However, his father's condition remains a mystery as the fifth anniversary approaches of his skiing accident. Michael Schumacher, 49, has not been seen in public since suffering head injuries during a accident on December 29, 2013 while skiing with Mick and his condition is a secret closely guarded by his family.
0 Comments
SAN FRANCISCO, November 27 -- U.S. e-commerce leader Amazon's subsidiary Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) Monday launched the cloud-based service, AWS RoboMaker, that will facilitate developers to develop, deploy and test robotics applications.
The new service, which uses the widely deployed open source software Robot Operating System (ROS) , serves as a platform to help accelerate the time consuming robotics development process. "AWS RoboMaker provides an AWS Cloud9-based robotics integrated development environment for application development, robotics simulation to accelerate application testing, and fleet management for remote application deployment, update, and management," AWS said in a statement. The service offers Amazon' s machine learning technologies and analytics that help create a simulation for real world robotics development, such as letting robots perform tedious house chores, distribute inventory in warehouses or inspect pipelines and high-voltage wires in dangerous industrial environments. "AWS RoboMaker' s robotics simulation makes it easy to set up large-scale and parallel simulations with pre-built worlds, such as indoor rooms, retail stores, and racing tracks, so developers can test their applications on-demand and run multiple simulations in parallel," said the company. It added that the service is now available in Northern Virginia and Oregon in the U.S. and Ireland in Europe, before it is expanded to other regions in the coming year. KIEV, November 27 -- More than 30 lawyers from across Ukraine took part in an IWPR training on new techniques to support and monitor transparency and accountability.
The Kiev event was held within the framework of the IWPR’s three-year From the Borderland to the Steppes: Giving Voice, Driving Change project, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The November 9-11 workshop brought together 31 regional lawyers from regions including Kiev, Kharkiv, Lviv, Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk and Odesa. Sessions focused on reviewing current court practices and law enforcement opportunities in the areas of government transparency and accountability as well as civic oversight and local advocacy. Participants were particularly interested to learn more about how to approach the relatively newly-established anti-corruption authorities as well as how to use the appeals process to promote the results of investigative reporting and activist monitoring. The training was delivered by lawyers from bodies including the Regional Press Development Institute, the Anti-corruption Action Center, StateWatch, Prozorro.Sales team, and the Kharkiv Anticorruption Center. The workshop also covered how to monitor violations in public procurement deals and new tools to track the sales and leases of municipal property. Lawyers were also keen to learn how best to use the media to deliver their messages to the public. Lead trainer Lyudmyla Pankratova, an RPDI lawyer, said that such events were key to allow legal experts to network and find creative solutions to shared challenges. “First of all, the communication of lawyers from different regions not only widens the network of professional communication, but also shows common issues in different regions and encourages them to unite intellectual efforts to solve these problems,” she said. “Secondly, the approaches that proved their effectiveness in one region can be applied in others and this widens the range of alternative solutions for each particular case. It’s not a secret that some issues cannot be solved due to the lack of legislation or poor performance of law-enforcement bodies. Therefore, the lawyers have to be quite inventive and resourceful.” KIEV, November 27 -- Head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) Vasily Gritsak has confirmed information about the presence of two agents from the SBU military counter-intelligence service onboard the Ukrainian naval ships that were detained this past Sunday in the Kerch Strait for breaching Russia’s state border.
"The officers of the Ukrainian intelligence service were performing combat tasks of the counter-intelligence support department of the Ukrainian Navy, as stipulated in Article 12 of the Ukrainian law ‘On the Ukrainian Security Service,’" the SBU press service quoted Gritsak as saying. On November 25, three Ukrainian naval ships were reported to have violated the current rules of passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov and the Russian state border. Ukraine’s ships did not respond to the lawful demands of the vessels from the Border Service of the Russian Security Service (FSB) and the Black Sea Fleet that pursued them to stop immediately and thwart their dangerous maneuvers. Rather than comply, the intruding vessels chose to continue violating the law, whereupon gunfire was used to bring the Ukrainian ships to halt. In the end, three Ukrainian servicemen were lightly injured and later received medical treatment. In addition, the ships were detained. A criminal case was launched on the violation of the Russian state border. The Russian side labelled this incident a provocation, while Ukraine’s authorities chose to initiate the imposition of martial law. Meanwhile, the EU and NATO called for a de-escalation of the situation. HOUSTON.November 27 -- NASA’s InSight probe landed on Mars a few hours ago after a rigorous voyage through space of nearly seven months.
The space agency has revealed in its latest update that the probe has also successfully deployed its solar panels – needed to power the lander – on the Red Planet. After reaching Mars’ atmosphere a little before 3 PM EST, InSight made a nerve-racking descent to the planet’s surface. The probe made a complex multi-step routine to slow down from more than 19,000 kmph to just 8 kmph before it hit the ground. For this, InSight had to autonomously deploy a supersonic parachute, gather its radar measurements, and ignite its thrusters – all within seven minutes of reaching the Martian atmosphere. Once InSight successfully landed, NASA’s focus shifted to the probe’s solar panels. These charge the probe’s batteries each day to help it carry out its missions that include listening for seismic vibrations in Mars, shedding light on the planet’s interior structure, and estimating how many meteorites might batter/are on a collision course with the planet. KIEV, November 27 -- The Ukrainian Armed Forces units deployed to Donbass have been put on full combat alert, the press center of the so-called "combined forces operation" stated.
"In compliance with an order issued by Combined Forces Operation Commander Sergei Nayev, military servicemen have increased vigilance, armed units have been put on full combat alert," the statement reads. On Monday, Ukraine’s General Staff ordered to put the country’s Armed Forces on full combat alert. In addition, a 30-say martial law was declared in the Vinnitsa, Lugansk, Nikolayevsk, Odessa, Sumy, Kharkov, Chernigov, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, as well as in Ukraine’s territorial waters in the Sea of Azov, starting from November 28. A Sunday incident in the Kerch Strait was used as an excuse for these steps. On November 25, three Ukrainian navy ships - the Berdyansk, the Nikopol and the Yany Kapu - illegally crossed Russia’s border and tried to carry out some illegal actions in Russian territorial waters on Sunday night. They ignored legitimate demands to stop issued by vessels belonging to the FSB Border Service and the Black Sea Fleet and continued maneuvering dangerously. In order to stop the Ukrainian ships, weapons had to be used. The three vessels were detained in Russian territorial waters. Three Ukrainian military servicemen suffered light wounds and were provided with medical assistance. A criminal investigation has been opened into the border incident. Moscow slammed the incident as a provocation. The European Union and NATO called for a de-escalation, while Kiev declared martial law. MOSCOW, November 27, -- On November 25, Russian warships 'attacked' and seized three Ukrainian navy boats that tried to cross the Kerch Strait.
The Ukrainian navy reports that Russian vessels opened fire and wounded at least six Ukrainian naval officers. On the same day, Ukrainian President Poroshenko and his Military Cabinet passed a resolution to impose martial law in Ukraine. The Ukrainian parliament is scheduled to decide on the resolution on November 26. Russia’s aggressive actions in the Kerch straits and the unprecedented Ukrainian response highlights the increasing danger of military escalation between the two countries. The Kerch strait represents a major geostrategic asset. It is enclosed by Russian mainland to the east and by the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula to the west. The Kerch Strait is the only water connection between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Passage of the strait is crucial for the major port cities in the Sea of Azov, such as Russia’s Rostov-on-Don and Ukraine’s Mariupol, which Russian separatists had repeatedly tried to conquer. Not surprisingly, Ukraine and Russia have clashed over the strait well before 2014. With the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Kerch strait became an object of legal and political contention. Ukraine unilaterally claimed a boundary line in the strait in 1999 and made moves to declare parts of the Sea of Azov as internal waters. Russia countered in 2003 by building a dike from its mainland towards Tuzla island, a speck of land in the very part of the Kerch strait Ukraine claimed as its own. The incident, to this day, is cited by Ukrainian leaders and experts as an early proof of Moscow’s aggressiveness. Russia’s continuous attempts to control the Kerch Straits have long been connected to its designs on Crimea. Ukraine has always resisted these efforts, which got the two countries close to military conflict well before 2014. For instance, on May 23, 2005, a Russian amphibious marine unit attempted to land troops near Feodosiya in Crimea and was repelled by Ukrainian border troops. This served as a reminder for 1994 when Ukraine and Russia almost came to blows after Russia had seized a disputed Black Sea Fleet ship with expensive military equipment on it. After annexing Crimea in 2014, Russia started to build a bridge over the Kerch Strait to connect the Peninsula to the Russian mainland, as attempts to build a land connection by conquering Ukraine’s Sea of Azov coastline had previously failed. To try and stop the trans-Kerch bridge and grant access for its vessels through the straits, Ukraine sued Russia by invoking the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The danger of military escalation between Russia and Ukraine, with all of its unforeseeable consequences, is real and rising. PARIS, November 17 -- Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to leave nothing to chance and wrap up qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League with a game to spare in Lyon tonight. The Premier League champions were moments away from securing a place in the knockout stages as they thrashed Shakhtar Donetsk 6-0 earlier this month only for a late Hoffenheim goal against Lyon to delay them. They will now look to finish the job themselves as they take on the French side in their penultimate Group F fixture at the Groupama Stadium. A draw would suffice for City - who are bidding to reach the knockout stage for a sixth consecutive year - but a win would see them through as group winners. Guardiola said: "I want to qualify, that is the first target. That is the most important issue. "If you make one or two mistakes you can be out. It's not done until it's done. We have two chances but we would like to avoid the pressure against Hoffenheim." A clutch of midfield injuries could see Guardiola turn to youngster Phil Foden in France. Bernardo Silva has not recovered from the knock that kept him out of Saturday's victory at West Ham while Ilkay Gundogan has since joined a casualty list that also includes Kevin De Bruyne. Gabriel Jesus and Benjamin Mendy are also out, but it is in one of the midfield positions there could be an opening for 18-year-old Foden. "He played 20 minutes in the last game and was so aggressive with the ball and intense without it," said Guardiola at his pre-match press conference. "I have the feeling that, every time he has played, he has played good. In pre-season or during the season, a few minutes or 90 minutes, he always plays good. He's ready to play, he's part of the squad. He's definitely ready." Defender Aymeric Laporte is expecting another tough night against Lyon, who claimed a surprise 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in the opening round of fixtures. "After each loss there is a little bit of (desire for) revenge but we are coming up against one of the biggest sides in Europe here," said the Frenchman. "They have some great players. "We have to focus on ourselves and concentrate on the game." Laporte, speaking alongside Guardiola in Lyon, was also asked by a local journalist if he was frustrated by his continued lack of recognition at international level. The 24-year-old said: "Maybe for the French this has an impact but I'm at City. The objective is high performances for City today, tomorrow and in the future." MOSCOW, November 26 -- A Russian coast guard vessel rammed a Ukrainian tugboat in the Sea of Azov yesterday, setting off a series of increasingly dangerous escalations.
Russia blocked the Kerch Strait — the narrow passageway connecting the Sea of Azov to the much larger Black Sea — and detained three Ukrainian vessels and 23 sailors. Ukraine’s government is now considering an imposition of martial law. Why it matters: This weekend's attack opened a new front in Russia’s four-year aggression against Ukraine, which includes the ongoing land war in Ukraine's east and the occupation of Crimea. Background: Moscow has been harassing commercial ships bound for Ukraine’s ports in the Sea of Azov for months, even though Russia and Ukraine have dual control of the sea according to a 2003 agreement. At least 150 merchant vessels have been detained since May, creating significant losses for Ukrainian ports and shipping companies. Moscow has at least four possible motivations to escalate the conflict now:
The conflict in the Sea of Azov is unlikely to lead to a massive military engagement or World War III. But the Kremlin seems confident that it will not pay a high price for low-level military aggression similar to its activities in Ukraine’s east. If the international response is weak, Moscow may see an opening for yet more assertive military strikes in the future. ABU DHABI, November 26 -- Max Verstappen could not compete effectively in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix because a bad sensor affected him since the race start and then an oil spray affected his vision.
The Dutchman dropped from sixth to tenth before reaching Turn 1 due to a technical glitch in the car. “It was not an easy race,” he said. “I had a problem at the start. The launch was good, but my engine went into a safety program. “In second gear my engine went into protection mode for overheating which is a bit odd,” he added. “in Singapore or whatever it’s a bit more critical. It was just unlucky. “I had it again during the restart afterwards,” he added. “Then they found out there was a problem and I had to cancel a sensor, and then it was fine. “It was not easy, but we managed to come back to a good position and put some pressure on the guys ahead,” he said. “We got through it without damage, so I’m happy.” The Dutchman was the highest-placed car among those running on hypersofts and pitted in lap 18 to switch to supersofts. “I think that we stopped quite early, but we had to be because I had started on the hypersoft tyres,” he confirmed. “We managed to keep the supersoft alive, and I had a good pace. “In the end, of course, I am very happy with third place,” he added. Apart from the sensor issue, Verstappen also suffered from vision issue when Pierre Gasly’s Toro Rosso sprayed oil in the air when the Dutchman was lapping behind the backmarker. “The last few laps were not that easy, because there was a Toro Rosso leaking oil onto my helmet, so I could not really see where I was going! “I don’t know exactly what happened there,” he continued. “I’d already gone through all my tear-offs and then there was so much oil on my visor it was like driving through a fog.” “I was [wiping it with my glove] but it made it even worse so I just stayed off it. I was asking the team ‘Where’s Daniel?’ because I couldn’t see him in the mirrors or anything.” The Red Bull driver came fourth in the driver’s standing, missing the third place to Kimi Raikkonen by just two points. But that does not worry the Dutchman who is already focused on fighting for the title in the next season. Speaking about Red Bull’s switch to Honda, he said: “It looks very promising, but I want to be realistic so we’ll just have to wait and see,” ABU DHabi, November 26 -- New Zealand Formula One driver Brendon Hartley has been sacked by Toro Rosso despite having a year to run on his contract.
The Kiwi has been replaced by 22-year-old British/Thai drover Alexander Albon who will team with Russian Daniel Kvyat in the Red Bull junior team for the 2019 season. A hundred years after the armistice that ended the first world war heads of state and government gathered in France this month to commemorate the centenary and attend the opening of the Paris Peace Forum. The object of the forum – to spur international cooperation on global challenges to durable peace – is more essential than ever. But the meeting took place against a deteriorating multilateral landscape in which arguably the preeminent threat to international peace and security – nuclear weapons use – may be at its highest since the deep chill of the cold war.
Much attention in the aftermath of Armistice Day has focused on the concept of a “true European army” advanced by the leaders of France and Germany, a proposal linked to the evolving nuclear risk landscape. Indeed, French president Emmanuel Macron’s call for European defense came directly in response to the US announcement that it would withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty – European security was identified as the “main victim” should the Americans follow through. Yet even with a European army in place, and even if the US and Russia were to resolve their issues and abide by their INF obligations, the specter of nuclear use on the continent remains. Worsening relations between nuclear-armed states in recent years have had real consequences for the possibility of nuclear weapons use in Europe, whether intentionally or inadvertently. With Russia building up its military forces in Kaliningrad in response to frayed relations with the west, and the Obama-era New Start treaty set to expire in 2021 with no follow-up on the cards, European leaders have invoked images of an arms race on their continent. The continued presence of US and Russian nonstrategic weapons on the continent already poses serious risk of “accidental use, miscalculation and inadvertent escalation”. Recent activity in the Norwegian Sea raises the possibility of confrontation involving Russia’s Northern Fleet – a scenario that could mirror events during the Cuban missile crisis. The crisis in nuclear diplomacy has also been felt across non-proliferation and nuclear security efforts. This is significant as terrorist groups are said to remain intent on acquiring the materials necessary to construct a crude nuclear device. Russia’s 2014 expulsion from the G8 effectively halted activities in the global partnership against the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction. Vladimir Putin withdrew from the bilateral plutonium management and disposition agreement with the US in 2016. Such stalled campaigns to secure vulnerable nuclear materials should be of concern for a region that has proven susceptible to terrorist threat. US Coast Guard officials have reported the discovery of a giant sea turtle that had become enmeshed in a rope that was holding together 26 bales of cocaine. Officers freed the animal and seized the drugs – more than 800 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated $41 million.
Koi evacuated following otter rampage. An otter has been blamed for a “rampage” that has claimed the lives of at least 10 very expensive koi fish in the ponds of Vancouver’s Chinatown Park. Officials have begun the task of relocating the remaining fish, while the hunt for the hungry otter continues. ‘Perfect little soup boy’ asks for deliveries to stop. A resident has posted a request on a community message board demanding that whoever keeps having free soup delivered to his home should stop. According to the complaint, the soup, which has been paid for, is often delivered along with a note that says “soup for my perfect little soup boy”. MOSCOW, November 26 -- Russia reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping in the early hours of Monday morning after firing on and seizing three Ukrainian naval ships a day earlier, a move that triggered a dangerous new crisis between the two countries.
Russia's foreign ministry accused Ukraine of deliberately provoking the incident, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova telling state television that Moscow will summon a senior Ukrainian diplomat to complain. Russia's FSB security service said on Monday its border patrol boats had seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors. It is the most serious clash between Moscow and Kiev in years. Russia had previously blocked the Kerch Strait near Russia-annexed Crimea to stop the ships from passing from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov, saying the small flotilla had not notified it of its plans in advance and ignored warnings to stop while manoeuvring dangerously. With relations still raw after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the incident risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict and is likely to renew Western calls for more sanctions on Moscow. |
Thank you for choosing to make a difference through your donation. We appreciate your support.
This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesCategories
All
Archives
April 2024
|