Davos world economic forum 2019

Lewis Hamilton is set to receive a boost in his quest for the world championship, with Mercedes to unleash an upgraded engine for this week's Canadian Grand Prix . Hamilton's peerless Mercedes team have dominated the new campaign, finishing first and second at all but one of the opening six rounds. The Briton, with four victories under his belt, is 17 points clear of team-mate Valtteri Bottas and 55 ahead of Ferrari 's Sebastian Vettel in the championship standings. And world champions Mercedes are poised to strike another blow to their rivals with the planned introduction of their first fresh engine of the season at Montreal's high-powered Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mercedes will be the last of the front-running manufacturers to introduce its new-specification power unit this year, with Ferrari and the Honda-powered Red Bull team having already introduced their first updates in Spain and Azerbaijan respectively. Formula 1 2019 confirmed grid … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton set to receive World Championship boost with Mercedes to unleash upgraded engine

A US expert claims Russia is "withering" before our eyes, slamming the country's invasion of Ukraine as "pathetic" amid the assassination attempts against three pro-Russian officials in the last fortnight alone. The former US Defence Secretary, James Mattis, hit out at the "immoral" and "operationally stupid" war started by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine at the Seoul Forum 2022 on Friday (July 1). He said: “We have a saying in America, we say that nations with allies thrive, nations without allies wither and we’re watching Russia wither before our eyes right now. READ MORE: Anti-Putin campaigners 'using porn sites to show Russians the truth about Ukraine war' “The tragedy of our time is that Putin is a creature straight out of Dostoevsky. He goes to bed every night angry, he goes to bed every night fearful, he goes to bed every night thinking that Russia is surrounded by nightmares and this has guided him." Mr Mattis' comments were made after Russia made the … [Read more...] about Russia and Putin ‘withering’ amid three assassination plots, US expert claims

Published 16 March 2021 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A reported link between the Vatican and a film celebrating Sir Elton John has resurfaced after a controversial Church decision on same-sex unions. On Monday the Vatican's doctrine office said the Church could not bless same-sex unions as God "cannot bless sin". The declaration was approved by Pope Francis, who has expressed support for gay couples. Many members of the LGBT community were outraged, including British singer-songwriter Sir Elton. Catholic Church 'cannot bless same-sex unions' "How can the Vatican refuse to bless gay marriages because they 'are sin,' yet happily make a profit from investing millions in 'Rocketman' - a film which celebrates my finding happiness from my marriage to David??" Sir Elton tweeted . At the end of the tweet, he added the hashtag "hypocrisy". For those … [Read more...] about Rocketman: Did the Vatican fund a film about Elton John?

Ruth Davidson shuts down Nicola Sturgeon during fiery FMQs Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said her government will propose the timescale and question for a second referendum on Scottish independence by next spring. Ms Sturgeon claimed challenges of the coronavirus pandemic will act as an accelerant rather than as a brake on the Scottish National Party ( SNP )’s ambitions. She promised that by next spring she will publish a draft bill for an independence referendum, which will set out “clearly and unambiguously to the people of Scotland” both the question to be asked and the timing of the vote. Trending … [Read more...] about Nicola Sturgeon blunder: SNP to get ‘taste of their own medicine’ with Shetland Islands

Dilbar is one of the world’s largest superyachts. The 512-foot vessel weighs almost 16,000 tonnes and boasts a swimming pool, two helicopter pads, a sauna, a beauty salon, and a gym. According to the US Treasury, it is worth around £650 million. In April, after Russia’s illegal invasion of my country, the German authorities seized Dilbar as it was docked in Hamburg. They moved to act because the owner is Alisher Usmanov, a Russian oligarch once estimated to be the richest person in the UK . Following the invasion, Mr Usmanov, who used to co-own Arsenal Football Club, was placed on Western sanctions lists because of his close ties to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. The US Treasury said his links to the Kremlin “enrich him and enable his luxurious lifestyle”. It is not yet known what will happen to Dilbar. Legions of lawyers are now reportedly involved. But for Ukraine, it is very clear. The superyacht and all of its 1,000 sofa cushions should be confiscated from … [Read more...] about The West should confiscate Russian assets – and use them to rebuild Ukraine

A large amount of misinformation has long circulated about abortion, researchers found in a study published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2021. The debate has grown more intense since the Supreme Court officially overturned five decades of legal precedent on abortion in the United States on June 24: Both opponents and supporters of reproductive rights are discussing the issue passionately — and sometimes using false arguments to make their case. We reviewed four claims from both sides of the abortion debate. Do bans stop abortions? Claim: Many advocates of reproductive rights say bans do not prevent the procedure, but instead can lead to life-threatening abortions. "The abortion ban does not stop abortion," a TikTok user says ( archived claim here). "It just stops safe abortions." DW Fact Check: True. A British research team that analyzed data from 1990 to 2019 concluded that abortion rates in countries with abortion bans were about the same as in … [Read more...] about Fact check: Does criminalization prevent abortions?

Russia’s brutal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine is causing enormous human suffering and destruction and is the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades. When Nato meets this week, its approach to Russia should be focused on strengthening our deterrence and defence posture in the eastern flank towards a modern forward defence, taking into account geographical and national specificities . We need to scale up the multi-domain Allied presence, in particular land troops, which should be boosted to the size of a brigade. We must also ensure we have interoperable combat-ready forces in place, with timely reinforcements by Allied forces, plus enhanced command-and-control arrangements, strengthened air and missile defence, prepositioning of ammunition, equipment and fuel, and  improved infrastructure and military mobility. Transatlantic links and the US presence is crucial to strengthen our security. Russia’s criminal war in Ukraine, started on February 24, is just … [Read more...] about Nato must strengthen its presence in Eastern Europe in response to Russia’s criminal aggression

Joe Biden mistakenly said Switzerland would be joining Nato instead of Sweden in his latest gaffe during the transatlantic alliance’s summit in Madrid on Thursday. The US president praised the “historic” applications of Finland and Sweden , but went on to incorrectly refer to Switzerland. Mr Biden immediately caught his mistake, joking: “My goodness, I’m getting really anxious here about expanding Nato.” The blunder came in a rare solo press conference as he hailed the Nordic nations’ dramatic shift from decades-long foreign policy in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine . “We’ve invited two new members to join Nato. It was a historic act,” he told reporters, before relating an earlier phone call with the president of Finland. He said: “We got on the telephone, he suggested we call the leader of, Switzerland – Switzerland, my goodness – I’m getting really anxious here about expanding Nato, of Sweden.” Switzerland is not a Nato member and has a long-standing … [Read more...] about Joe Biden mixes up Sweden and Switzerland in Nato gaffe

Kim Jong-un: Professor Nadey Hakim unveils bronze bust Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Since the inception of North Korea in 1948, many have been fascinated by the lack of information about what life is like within the four walls of the notoriously secretive, hermit state. So far three generations of the Kim family have risen to power, all of which have been characterised by brutal executions, elaborate spending while civilians contend with famine and extreme isolation. North Korea has a longstanding history of hiding itself from the rest of the world – much of our knowledge today originates from defectors, satellite imagery and deciphering … [Read more...] about North Korea: Shocking reasons why Kim Jong-un’s sister may never rule secret state exposed

Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in jail Sign up for FREE royal alerts SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The fallen British socialite's cruel and callous view of her victims is revealed in the three-part Channel 4 documentary Ghislaine Maxwell: The Making Of A Monster, starting on Tuesday at 9pm. Maxwell (right) recruited underage girls for sex-trafficker Epstein (left) (Image: Getty) The response rang alarm bells for author Christina Oxenberg, daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and second cousin to Maxwell and Epstein's one-time friend Prince Andrew. Ms Oxenberg - sister of Hollywood actress Catherine Oxenberg - has called her royal relative a "hapless sap" and "low-hanging fruit for the … [Read more...] about ‘Disturbing’ documentary to expose Ghislaine Maxwell’s cruelty and bizarre behaviour