News Sports Trending

Charles Leclerc: Ferrari driver asks fans to stop gathering outside his home

By 327 0

Charles Leclerc has requested admirers to quit obtruding themselves outside of his flat in Monaco and to respect his privacy.

The 25-year-old claimed that after his address recently became known, supporters gathered outside to ring the doorbell. In public spaces or at the track, the Ferrari driver said he would still say hello to supporters, but gathering inside his home is “a barrier that should not be crossed.”

When Leclerc took a selfie with two individuals sporting scooter helmets in Italy last year, his watch was stolen. The theft that occurred in the beach resort of Viareggio last April was reported as a result of four persons being arrested, according to Italian police last week.

“For the past few months, my home address has somehow become public, leading to people gathering beneath my apartment, ringing my bell, and asking for pictures and autographs,” Leclerc wrote on his Instagram stories.

“While I’m always happy to be there for you and I truly appreciate your support, please respect my privacy and refrain from coming to my house.

“I’ll make sure to stop for everyone when you see me on the streets or at the track, but I won’t be coming downstairs if you visit my home.

“Your support, both in person and on social media, means the world to me, but there is a boundary that should not be crossed.”Leclerc has had a challenging start to the 2023 Formula 1 season, finishing 10th in the driver standings after being forced to retire from two of the first three races.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Ukraine to export electricity again after months of Russian attacks

By 290 0

After being repeatedly attacked by Russia for months, Ukraine is now able to export electricity for the first time in six months. Last October, Russia started its protracted and planned assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Power outages and planned blackouts resulted, putting villages and cities in the dark during the winter. Ukraine will be able to sell its excess electricity once more after being ordered to halt exports.

Although domestic clients are still given precedence, energy minister Herman Halushchenko issued an executive order authorising the shipments. Since almost two months, the system has been producing surplus capacity, according to him, and Ukrainians are not subject to any limits.

“The most difficult winter has passed,” Mr Halushchenko said on Friday.

“The next step is to start exporting electricity, which will allow us to attract additional financial resources for the necessary reconstruction of the destroyed and damaged energy infrastructure.”

He also praised the “titanic work” of engineers and international partners to restore the system.

Last month, residents across Ukraine that power supplies were becoming more reliable.

“The city has transformed,” said Inna Shtanko, a young mother in Dnipro. “Finally, street lights are back, and it’s no longer scary to walk the city streets.”

Ukrenergo, the company in charge of running the nation’s energy grid, has cautioned that Ukraine cannot rely on Russian attacks ceasing. On Saturday, Ukrenergo reported that Russia has so far throughout the war launched more than 1,200 missiles and drones at its energy installations.

The attack, according to the business, was the biggest attempt to bring down the electricity infrastructure of a European nation. During winter, with power outages and frigid temperatures, some residents were forced to use “resilience centres” in cities around Ukraine to stay warm. Power, heat, and essential supplies like food and medications were all delivered by the hubs.

Every one of Ukraine’s thermal and hydroelectric power plants has been damaged since Russia began targeting energy infrastructure.

Kyiv has also lost control of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia, which is in Russian hands.

In June 2022, Ukraine had said it was hoping to bring in €1.5bn (£1.33bn) from electricity exports to the EU – its main export market for energy since the war began – by the end of the year.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Sports Trending

Boris Becker: Six-time Grand Slam singles champion on prison, fame and the future

By 304 0

Upon his release from prison, tennis legend Boris Becker said he is writing the “third chapter” of his life. The 55-year-old German completed eight months of his 2.5-year sentence after concealing loans and assets worth £2.5 million in order to avoid paying obligations.

After his release in December, he was removed from the UK. He said on 5 Live Breakfast, “I’m typically good in the fifth set – I’ve won the first two sets, I’ve lost the next two, and I’m planning to win that.”

The six-time Grand Slam singles winner was convicted on four offences under the Bankruptcy Act in April of last year. He shot to fame in 1985 when he won Wimbledon at the age of just 17.

The case focused on Becker’s bankruptcy in June 2017 as a result of a more than £3 million loan that was outstanding on his opulent Mallorca estate.

Becker remarked, “I don’t think there was a handbook published for how to behave, what to do, and how to live your life when you win Wimbledon at 17,” before the premiere of a new TV series on his life and career.

“The fame and fortune after was very new.

“Obviously I never studied business, I never studied finance and after my tennis career I made a couple of decisions probably badly advised but again it was my decision.”

After sentencing, Becker spent the first weeks of his detention at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, before spending the majority of his sentence at Huntercombe Prison in Oxfordshire.

“Whoever says that prison life isn’t hard and isn’t difficult I think is lying,” the three-time Wimbledon champion said.

“I was surrounded by murderers, by drug dealers, by rapists, by people smugglers, by dangerous criminals.

“You fight every day for survival. Quickly you have to surround yourself with the tough boys, as I would call it, because you need protection.”

Becker said being a legendary tennis player counted for nothing while he was in prison.

“If you think you’re better than everybody else then you lose,” he said.

“Inside it doesn’t matter that I was a tennis player, the only currency we have inside is our character and our personality. That’s it, you have nothing else.

“You don’t have any friends at first, you’re literally on your own and that’s the hard part, you have to really dig inside yourself about your qualities and your strengths but also your weaknesses.”Becker was deported to Germany after being freed, and he won’t be permitted to come back to the UK until October 2024. Becker thinks his time in prison has taught him some important lessons.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

Entertainment News Trending

Jeremy Renner describes snowplough accident: ‘My mistake and I paid for it’

By 344 0

Jeremy Renner, star of the Avengers, claimed that his January accident in which he was crushed by a snowplough was “my mistake, and I paid for it.” On New Year’s Day, Renner attempted to stop the car from running over his nephew and broke more than 30 bones in the process.

On Thursday, the American network ABC aired his first in-depth interview since that time.

“You shouldn’t be outside the vehicle when you’re operating it, you know what I mean? It’s like driving a car with one foot out of the car,” he said.

“But it is what it was. And it’s my mistake, and I paid for it.” Renner, 52, is best known for playing Marvel’s Hawkeye and has been nominated for two Oscars.

He told ABC’s Diane Sawyer that he and his nephew Alex, 27, had been removing one of the family’s trucks from the snow with the help of the 6.5-tonne vehicle.

Renner claimed that without applying the parking brake, he stepped out of the cab to see if Alex was in the way of the snowplough when it began to slide on the ice. But, he slipped and fell out.

“I just happened to be the dummy standing on the dang track a little bit, seeing if my nephew was there.”

Renner attempted to re-enter the vehicle out of concern that it might “sandwich” Alex against the truck. But, he stepped across the moving wheel tracks of the plough, which propelled him ahead and caused the vehicle to run over him.

Asked if he remembered the pain, he replied: “Oh yeah, I was awake through every moment.

“It’s hard to imagine what that feels like… It felt like someone took the wind out of you.

“Pain is everything – it’s like if your soul could feel pain.”

Recalling his thoughts at the time, he continued: “I said, ‘Oh, that [leg], that one’s really messed up… that leg’s [going to] be a problem.

“[I’m thinking], what’s my body [going to] look like? Am I just gonna be like a spine and a brain like a science experiment?”

However, after three months of intensive treatment, Renner was seen in the ABC programme being able to walk with the aid of a frame.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

People were taking drugs in Spain 3,000 years ago, study finds

By 303 0

According to new research, people were using hallucinogenic drugs in Spain around 3,000 years ago.

Experts claim that hair from a Menorca burial site demonstrates the use of medications by prehistoric human civilizations that were produced from plants and bushes. It is thought to be the earliest direct indication of drug use by humans in Europe.

Researchers discovered that they would have caused delirium and hallucinations. The research, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports, revealed evidence of human activity at the Es Càrritx cave on Menorca’s southwest coast.

More than 200 human tombs can be found in the cave, which is thought to have been used for religious and funerary purposes for roughly 600 years, up until 800 BCE.

The drugs, which had the potential to be highly potent, may have been utilised in rituals performed at the cave, according to researchers. Shamans “who were capable of regulating the side-effects of the plant medications” may have been involved in these.

Three psychotropic compounds were found in the locks’ analysis, which had been reddened during the ancient rites and might have been applied by more than one person.

Researchers also discovered ephedrine, which increases energy and alertness, along with the hallucinogens atropine and scopolamine.

Moreover, jugs with spiral carvings on their lids were discovered in the cave, according to researchers. According to the report, some academics have connected these carvings to a person’s “altered states of consciousness” while using hallucinogens.

Indirect evidence, such as the portrayal of narcotic plants in works of art, had previously been used to support claims of prehistoric drug use in Europe.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Stormy Daniels Says Donald Trump Shouldn’t Go To Jail In Hush Money Case

By 339 0

The adult film star Stormy Daniels, who is at the centre of the legal case against Donald Trump, stated that she does not believe the former president should go to prison if found guilty of hiding the hush money payments he made to her.
“I don’t think that his crimes against me are worthy of incarceration. I feel like the other things that he has done, if he is found guilty, absolutely,” Daniels, 44, said in an interview with Fox Nation’s Piers Morgan to be broadcast on Thursday.

Regarding allegations that he organised hush-money payments to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal before the 2016 American election to censor publication of their alleged affairs, Trump was charged in New York on Tuesday with 34 felonies for falsifying business records.

Trump, 76, is also under criminal investigation in Washington for mishandling confidential materials and trying to rig the 2020 election; he is also the subject of a criminal investigation in Georgia for attempting to rig the state’s election.

Trump, the first U.S. president to be charged criminally while in office or afterward, was accused by prosecutors in Manhattan of attempting to hide a violation of election rules during his successful 2016 campaign.

Trump, who is currently in the lead for the GOP nomination in 2024, has admitted the payment but denies having an affair with Daniels.

The case’s subsequent hearing is scheduled for December 4. According to legal experts, a trial might not even begin for a year, and an indictment or even a conviction would not be legally binding.Daniels told Morgan that if the case goes to trial, she would like to testify.

“I have nothing to hide. I’m the only one that has been telling the truth,” she said.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Macron counting on Xi to ‘bring Russia to senses’

By 350 0

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has pleaded with Xi Jinping, the leader of China, to assist in ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

He told Mr. Xi in Beijing, “I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses, and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.” China and France, according to Mr. Xi, have the “capacity and obligation” to preserve world peace.

Moscow, meanwhile, declared that the onslaught will carry on since there were currently “no prospects for a peaceful conclusion.”

After years of deteriorating relations between the West and China, which has hesitated to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Macron is in China on a state visit that is being closely watched.

Also, Mr. Macron wants to improve business connections. He is joined by a sizable business group as well as Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, who he asked to participate in meetings with the Chinese leadership.

In the late afternoon on Thursday, Mr. Macron was treated to a lavish military display in Beijing before meeting Mr. Xi for private talks that were described as “frank” and “warm” by Chinese and French officials.

Following the meeting, Mr. Xi addressed the media and urged “reasonable restraint” from the international community, stating that China “advocates for peace talks and wants a political settlement.”

He also reaffirmed the prohibition against using nuclear weapons in the conflict. Earlier this week, Russia declared its intention to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, close to the ally’s western border with Nato countries.

Mr Macron said “we can’t have a safe and stable Europe” as long as Ukraine remained occupied, and that it was “unacceptable” that a member of the UN Security Council had violated the organisation’s charter.

The French president addressed Mr. Xi directly throughout the press conference, striking a friendly tone throughout his statement. It contrasted with Mr. Xi’s lethargic press conference delivery.

Later, in a different press conference, Ms. von der Leyen emphasised that it would be against international law and “seriously undermine” the relationship between the EU and China if Beijing sent weapons to Russia.

She said that she wanted Beijing to play a role that “promotes a just peace” and that she “firmly” supported Volodymyr Zelensky, the leader of Ukraine, in his peace proposal, which asks for the complete departure of Russian soldiers.

China has released its own peace plan which Western nations have been generally dismissive of, saying it sides too much with Russia. But Mr Zelensky has expressed interest in it and called for direct talks with Mr Xi – who has yet to publicly respond.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Climate change: Norwegian seafloor holds clue to Antarctic melting

By 358 0

According to new research, the melting ice sheet in Antarctica may recede far more quickly than previously anticipated.

The proof comes in the form of seafloor traces off the coast of Norway that show the retreat of a vanishing European ice sheet thousands of years ago. The glaciers in Antarctica that are receding the fastest are now seen to do so at a rate of up to 30 metres per day.

Yet, if they accelerated, the additional melt water would have significant effects on sea level rises all throughout the world. Since the 1990s, the surface of the world’s oceans has already risen by almost 1 centimetre due to ice loss from Antarctica brought on by climate change.

The maximum retreat with the Norwegian sheet, according to the researchers, was more than 600m per day.

“This is something we could see if we continue with the upper estimates for temperature rise,” explained Dr Christine Batchelor from Newcastle University, UK.

“Although, worryingly, when we did the equations to think about what would be needed to instigate such retreat in Antarctica, we actually found there are places where you could get similar pulses of withdrawal even under the basal melt rates we know are happening at the moment,” she told BBC News.

Significantly, the areas with the fastest rates were those with relatively flat seafloors. These are areas where the thickness of the ice above is more likely to be uniform and where less melting is needed to make the ice float to speed up its retreat.

On the seafloor near Antarctica, there have been reports of similar corrugations, but the examples are rather small. Because the Norwegian research region is so much larger, it provides a much clearer picture of how quickly ice can retreat in a warming climate.

Currently, scientists utilise satellites to keep an eye on the glaciers that terminate in the ocean in Antarctica. The spacecraft can determine where the tides are raising and lowering the ice.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Sports Trending

Lukaku Racially Abused by Juventus Fans

By 338 0

Romelu Lukaku was subjected to racial taunts from Juventus supporters after converting a last-second penalty for Inter Milan and receiving a red card in the Coppa Italia match.

After scoring a penalty in the 95th minute, Lukaku received a second yellow card for celebrating in front of the home crowd.

The abuse was “beyond horrible,” according to Michael Yormark, head of Lukaku’s agency Roc Nation Sports International. Juventus promised to collaborate with the police to find the culprits.

A statement read: “Juventus Football Club, as always, are collaborating with the police to identify those responsible for the racist gestures and chants which took place last night.”

Following Lukaku’s equaliser, fights broke out amongst players from both teams.

At the final whistle, Inter captain Samir Handanovic and midfielder Juan Cuadrado received red cards, and the brawl continued down the tunnel.

“Tonight’s racist remarks made towards Romelu Lukaku by Juventus fans in Turin were beyond despicable and cannot be accepted,” Yormark said in a statement..

“Romelu scored a penalty late in the game. Before, during and after the penalty, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse.

“Romelu celebrated in the same manner he has previously celebrated goals. The referee’s response was to award a yellow card to Romelu.

“Romelu deserves an apology from Juventus and I expect the league to condemn the behaviour of this group of Juventus supporters immediately.

“The Italian authorities must use this opportunity to tackle racism, rather than punish the victim of the abuse.”

During his first stint at Inter between 2019 and 2021, Lukaku, who returned to Inter on loan from Chelsea, experienced racism.

He claimed the sport “was moving backwards” in September 2019 after being subjected to racial taunts from Cagliari supporters.

As Cagliari were later exonerated of using racist chants, Piara Powar, the head of the anti-discrimination organisation Fare, claimed that the Italian football league’s disciplinary procedures were “not fit for purpose.”

Football racism, according to Lukaku, is at a “all-time high” and needs to be addressed further, players, football officials, and social media, in September 2021.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Russia cafe bomb suspect charged with terrorism

By 380 0

Russian officials have charged Darya Trepova with terrorism in connection to the killing of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. Trepova was arrested in St Petersburg and appeared in court in Moscow, where she was ordered to remain in custody until June 2.

Tatarsky was killed in a cafe in St Petersburg on Sunday in a blast that injured over 30 people. A video released by authorities showed Trepova admitting to bringing a statuette to the cafe that later exploded, but she did not admit to knowing about the explosion or any further involvement.

She was accused of “a terrorist attack carried out by an organised group inflicting purposeful death” and “illegal possession of explosive devices by an organised group,” according to Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes into significant crimes.

She should be kept in detention, according to the court’s recommendation. Judge Valentina Levasheva was quoted by Russian media as saying following the court session that the investigators’ request for Darya Trepova to be kept in confinement had been approved and that she would be held until June 2.

The group also stated that it had proof the attack had been planned by Ukrainian security forces with assistance from the Anti-Corruption Foundation of imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

But Kyiv presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak described the blast as part of a Russian “internal political fight”

Tatarsky, 40, was a guest speaker at a patriotic gathering with supporters in the cafe late on a Sunday afternoon. Tatarsky’s real name is Maxim Fomin.

A young woman with a brown coat was seen entering the cafe in a video that went viral on social media. She appeared to be carrying a cardboard box.

Before the woman sat down, the box was seen being placed on a table in the cafe in the images. A statue was presented to Tatarsky in another film. With more than 500,000 followers, Tatarsky was a well-known blogger with a troubled history.

He said that he joined the separatists supported by Russia after they freed him from prison, where he was serving time for armed robbery. He was born in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

He belonged to a pro-Kremlin military blogging group that has gained somewhat of a reputation since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine got underway in February 2022.

Tatarsky is one of many who has gone so far as to criticise the Russian government, blaming President Vladimir Putin, the military, and even the generals for defeats on the battlefield.

But, Mr. Putin presented him with the posthumous Order of Courage on Monday.

Picture Courtesy: google/images are subject to copyright