One sacrificial lamb

IF Mercedes are serious about catching Ferrari and Red Bull, they must ignore Lewis Hamilton’s plea to stop using him as their guinea pig. Until now, Hamilton’s position this season has been compromised as Mercedes play a balancing act of splitting their cars’ set-up between the seven-time world champion and his team-mate George Russell . Normally, there is a preferred direction of progress. In layman’s terms, start at a particular point with the design and make small changes to see if the car’s performance improves. There is a feeling — but not confirmed by Mercedes — that Russell has been getting the preferred set-up and  Hamilton has been sacrificed in the hope his experience helps the team unlock the potential of his car. Hamilton said in Canada : “We tried two different avenues and the avenue I was down was dreadful.” Having witnessed Hamilton’s feedback first-hand during a behind-the-scenes trip to Mercedes’ Brackley HQ last year, it is understandable the team … [Read more...] about If Mercedes serious about catching Ferrari & Red Bull they must ignore Hamilton’s pleas and keep experimenting with him

R&B singer R Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a US federal court in New York for masterminding an elaborate scheme to entice and sexually exploit young aspiring singers and underage children. The 55-year-old was found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering which involved women and underage children. Kelly’s sentence follows his conviction on multiple counts of racketeering, relating to bribery and forced labour, by a jury in September last year. The sentence comes nearly 30 years since the first allegation was made. READ MORE: R Kelly guilty of sex trafficking after 'exploiting stardom to recruit victims' His conviction will be seen as a triumph for survivors of sexual violence. Ahead of his sentencing, victims made statements and one who went by the alias Angela said that he "grew in wickedness" with "every addition of a new victim". She said that the victims will "reclaim their names" and are "no longer the preyed-upon individuals they … [Read more...] about R Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually exploiting underage children

The Day of Arafah, which is regarded as the holiest day in the Islamic calendar, It falls on the 9th day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and final month in the lunar Islamic calendar. The Day of Arafah coincides with the second day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and is on the the day before the beginning of Eid ul-Adha, a Muslim celebration commemorating Ibraham’s devotion to Allah. Just when is the Day of Arafah due to fall this year and what are the customs? Here’s what you need to know. When is the Day of Arafah? This year the Day of Arafah is set to begin in the evening of Friday July 8, and last until Saturday July 9. This will be followed by Eid-Al-Adha from the evening of Saturday July 9 until July 13. On the Day of Arafah, Muslims on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca gather at dawn on Mount Arafat, travelling from Mina. Mount Arafat is the place where the prophet Muhammad gave one of his last famous sermons on Islam and Allah, … [Read more...] about When is the Day of Arafah 2022 and how is it celebrated?