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☆ Verstappen fastest in first practice at Australian Grand Prix
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, March 31 (Reuters) - Formula One world champion Max Verstappen topped the timesheets for Red Bull before taking a late spin at Albert Park in an eventful first free practice at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday. The Dutchman lapped the lakeside circuit in one minute, 18.790 seconds, nearly half a second quicker than second fastest Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, as two red flags disrupted the session. A second red flag cut the session short by a few minutes as Williams rookie Logan Sargeant came to a halt on track-side grass with an apparent power failure. Verstappen finished his session with a bit of drama, taking a big spin at turn four to ruin his tyres. But he squeezed in a fast lap between the red flags to sandwich himself between Verstappen and Perez's times.

☆ Renewed protests in Kenya as authorities vow to 'halt the descent'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In Mathare, a low-income settlement in Nairobi, protesters used improvised catapults to launch stones at police in riot gear, footage on Kenyan television showed. Local television stations on Thursday showed tires ablaze in Kibera and in Kisumu, near Odinga's ancestral home. During the previous two protests, they have fired tear gas and water cannon. The government says two civilians have been killed and more than 130 people, including 51 police officers, injured in protests since last week. Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by Aaron Ross and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Shops and banks closed early on Wednesday as the West African nation braced for fresh protests over a court case that has fuelled tension and violence ahead of presidential elections next year. Violence broke out on the day of Sonko's last court appearance on March 16, as police fired tear gas at supporters accompanying his motorcade to the courthouse. Sonko has called for more nationwide protests on Wednesday, Thursday and April 3. Police fired several rounds of tear gas and stun grenades forcing mostly student protesters to retreat into the campus from where they hurled rocks. He is also on trial for allegedly raping a beauty salon employee in 2021 and making death threats against her.

[1/7] A view shows a forest parcel from which trees burned by the last summer's wildfires have been removed, in Landiras, in the Gironde region, France, March 20, 2023. Columns of white, acrid smoke rise from a forest floor outside the town of Hostens in the Gironde region, south of Bordeaux. The Gironde region was particularly badly hit with 20,000 hectares of forest destroyed, and the risk of renewed fires is a great concern. When it comes to wildfires risk, she said that prevention was crucial, as well as swift intervention when a fire first starts, which is easier to do from above. The interior ministry said measures for fighting forest fires across France will be presented in the coming weeks.

☆ Verstappen completes practice sweep in Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 18 (Reuters) - Formula One world champion Max Verstappen completed a dominant hat-trick of top times in practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday. Mexican team mate Sergio Perez was second fastest, but a considerable 0.613 seconds slower than Verstappen's best effort of one minute 28.485 on the soft tyres. Apart from Perez, Alonso was the only driver within a second of Verstappen. McLaren's Lando Norris was seventh, and Australian rookie team mate Oscar Piastri eighth, a mere 0.008 behind. Verstappen apologised after lifting off the throttle on track and forcing Norris, coming up fast behind, to swerve around him.

☆ Perez on pole in Saudi Arabia as Verstappen hits trouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"You really feel the Formula One cars coming alive in this place and maximising that lap was very important," said Perez of what was also his second career pole. "Every session was going really well, every time we were on the track the car was working really well. Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will share the second row with Canadian Lance Stroll fifth for Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon sixth for Renault-owned Alpine. Seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton, winner in Saudi Arabia in 2021, will start seventh for Mercedes. "It was really, really on the limit," he said.

[1/7] Security forces clash with supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko ahead of their leader's court appearance for a libel case against him in Dakar, Senegal March 16, 2023. Thursday's clashes began when supporters of presidential hopeful Ousmane Sonko were blocked from accompanying his motorcade to a courthouse where he faces trial for libel. Protests have taken place for three days ahead of Sonko's court appearance. Sonko supporters accuse Sall of seeking to eliminate him from the competition with a guilty verdict. The libel case was brought by Senegal's tourism minister who said Sonko had accused him of embezzlement.

☆ South African township boys spin bikes to stay out of trouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ngwenya usually practises stunts with his friends in Kahlehong township, east of Johannesburg, where he is part of a club that encourages young boys to fix up old bikes and get into spinning so they stay away from crime and gang violence. This weekend, they were invited for the first time to "Revved up Sunday", a monthly event which is usually reserved for car spinning but has added a stunt bike exhibition for its younger participants. We don't only spin in our township anymore but we can now be seen by other people," said Ngwenya, who started spinning in 2016 after a friend introduced him to it. "What I love about spinning bikes is that when we are bored and not doing anything, we don't get into trouble but we spin," said Ngwenya. ($1 = 18.1923 rand)Reporting by Siyabonga Sishi; Writing by Nellie Peyton, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ French refinery strikes renewed for sixth day
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, March 13 (Reuters) - Strikes blocking fuel deliveries from French refineries continued for a sixth day on Monday, after the Senate voted over the weekend to adopt President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension reform plan. TotalEnergies' refineries and depots remained blocked, with 41% of the operators on the morning shift joining the strike, a company spokesperson said. ExxonMobil's (XOM.N) subsidiary Esso's Fos refinery in France was also blocked, a CGT union spokesperson said. There was no strike at the Port Jerome site, but that could resume on Wednesday, the union spokesperson said. The Senate voted on Saturday to adopt Macron's pension reform plan, which among other measures raises the retirement age by two years to 64.

☆ Macron seeks French pension reform support as strikes run on
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, March 13 (Reuters) - Strikes blocking fuel deliveries from French refineries ran into a sixth day on Monday, piling further pressure on President Emmanuel Macron as he races to shore up support for unpopular pension reforms in a final parliamentary vote. The last and crucial moment would then be a final vote, Thursday, both in the Senate and in the National Assembly. [1/3] A view shows the French oil giant TotalEnergies refinery in Donges near Saint-Nazaire, France, March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe 1 2 3Macron's party needs the support of Les Republicains in the National Assembly to ensure the bill is approved. Veran also echoed Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who has said she preferred a vote rather than using the 49:3 procedure, which refers to the related article in the French constitution.

☆ West gains advantage as it vies with Russia for influence in Serbia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Aleksandar Vasovic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

T-shirts with the letter Z, a symbol of Russia's campaign, are sold as souvenirs while far-right groups openly tout support for Russia. Last month, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that while Serbia had made progress in EU accession negotiations, Brussels required more. A separate CRTA poll found 61% felt Belgrade should preserve good relations with Moscow even at the cost of EU ties. U.S. and EU sanctions mean Serbia can no longer send its fighter jets or helicopters, based on ex-Soviet technology, to Russia for overhauls, nor purchase new weapons from Russia. Cedomir Stojkovic, a Belgrade-based lawyer and activist whose October Group publishes lists of prominent Serbs who are outspoken supporters of Russia, said Serbia was under Russia's "hybrid occupation".

☆ Huge Ukrainian flag painted on road outside Russian Embassy in London
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - A group of activists poured hundreds of litres of yellow and blue paint onto the road outside the Russian Embassy in London on Thursday to create an enormous Ukrainian flag ahead of the one year anniversary of Moscow's invasion. The campaign group "Led By Donkeys" halted traffic before spreading more than 300 litres of paint across the road using wheelbarrows and brushes to make the 500 square metre (5382 square feet) flag. "The existence of a massive Ukrainian flag outside (Russian President Vladimir Putin's) embassy in London will serve to remind him of that." [1/10] A cyclist rides on a painted road, after Protest group 'Led by Donkeys' spread paint in the colours of the Ukrainian flag on the road, ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, outside the Russian Embassy in London, Britain February 23, 2023. The group said the non-toxic, solvent-free and fast-dry edible paint was washable and designed for road art.

☆ 'Extinction Beckons' at artist Mike Nelson's London exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - From an abandoned wooden structure in the desert to old tyres found on a motorway, an exhibition of installations made with scavenged materials by British artist Mike Nelson goes on show at London's Hayward Gallery this week. With its slightly ominous title “Extinction Beckons”, the exhibition takes visitors through immersive and sculptural works made with items Nelson has found or acquired in junk yards and shops, flea markets and auctions. "There are things here that hint at disaster, decay, violence perhaps sometimes," Ralph Rugoff, director of the Hayward Gallery, told Reuters at a press preview on Tuesday. “Every time you walk into one of those rooms you feel like the people who were there have just left," Rugoff said. Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Formula One rewrites the rule on shortened races
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Formula One has rewritten a rule to ensure reduced points are given for shortened races after Red Bull's Max Verstappen clinched his second title in confusing circumstances last October. A statement of key decisions -- to be rubber-stamped by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council -- included a change of wording "to ensure that shorter races have reduced points even if they don’t finish with a suspended race." It turned out to be full points, enough for Verstappen to clinch the title with four races to spare. The FIA explained at the time that the reduced points rule only applied to grands prix that were suspended and could not be resumed. The meeting was chaired by Formula One Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali and FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis.

[1/6] French energy workers on strike gather with dockers near tyres set on fire as they protest against French government's pension reform plan, in the port of Saint-Nazaire, France, January 26, 2023. An Elabe poll for BFM showed 72% of the French are against the pension reform. "Oil workers are against this (pension) reform but they don't want to be on the front line," said a CGT union representative for Exxonmobil. A spokesperson for Esso, whose two French refinery sites are run by ExxonMobil (XOM.N), said only truck loading operations were suspended at Fos, with everything else operating normally. A union representative added that production at the Port Jerome site was slightly impacted.

While Budapest and Warsaw are haggling with the bloc over rule-of-law strings attached to billions worth of pandemic recovery funds, Romania has already drawn down over 6 billion euros in grants and cheap loans. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca has said the government aims to tap more than 10 billion euros a year, equivalent to about 4% of GDP, of about 90 billion euros of EU funding available to Bucharest through to 2027. RESHORINGCompanies reshoring from Russia and Ukraine to nearby low-cost manufacturing hubs partially helped push foreign direct investment to 9.39 billion euros in January-October, the largest 10-month figure since Romania joined the EU. "We are optimistic that investment will rise in coming years, also encouraged by EU funds," said Alex Milcev, head of Tax and Legal at E&Y Romania. And relations with the EU are not always smooth: in December, Austrian opposition over unauthorised immigration kept Romania out of Europe's borderless Schengen area.

☆ Police officer killed during protests in Jordan over high fuel prices
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, Dec 16 (Reuters) - One senior police officer was killed on Thursday in clashes with demonstrators in the southern Jordanian city of Maan during protests over high fuel prices that spread to several cities across the kingdom, police and witnesses said. A police source had earlier said the officer was shot by unknown assailants during clashes in the Husseiniya area of Maan. Witnesses said a long convoy of armoured vehicles was seen entering Maan as reinforcements were sent to the neighbourhood where the police officer was killed. Tensions have been mounting in Maan and several cities in southern Jordan after days of sporadic strikes by lorry drivers protesting high fuel prices. Some activist strikers have threatened to stage street protests in provincial cities on Friday.

[1/3] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar attend a news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia, November 8, 2022. India is keen to boost trade in this way, said the source, as it tries to narrow a ballooning trade deficit with Russia. During the Moscow visit, Jaishankar said India needed to boost exports to Russia to balance bilateral trade that is now tilted towards Russia. The list of items from Russia, which runs to nearly 14 pages, includes car engine parts like pistons, oil pumps and ignition coils. India is hoping to boost its exports to nearly $10 billion over coming months with Russia's list of requests, according to the government source.

☆ Buses set on fire in South Africa's Cape Town as taxi strike starts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAPE TOWN, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Two buses were set on fire on Monday in South Africa's Cape Town as local taxi associations embarked on a two-day strike to protest against a termination of an incentive program. The Western Cape provincial government, home to legislative capital Cape Town, recently announced it would terminate an incentive scheme for taxi drivers which encouraged safe driving practises and curtailed illegal operations. But due to a lack of funding it had to cancel the programme after a little more than a year, triggering an uproar from the taxi associations who called for a two-day strike in the city from Monday. [1/6] People walk past a torched bus during a two-day strike by taxi operators over a number of grievances against traffic authorities in Cape Town, South Africa, November 21, 2022. "No passengers or drivers were injured," Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, a spokesperson of Golden Arrow Bus Services, which runs a fleet of 1,100 buses in Cape Town, told Reuters, confirming that a one of its buses was set alight.

☆ INDIA STOCKS Indian shares edge down as consumer, tech stocks drag
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Praveen Paramasivam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A broker reacts while trading at his computer terminal at a stock brokerage firm in Mumbai, India, December 11, 2018. REUTERS/Francis MascarenhasBENGALURU, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Indian shares gave up opening gains on Tuesday, dragged by consumer and IT stocks, as investors secured profits after a four-week rally, even as data showed annual retail inflation for October eased roughly in line with estimates. Slower rise in food prices helped India's annual retail inflation ease to 6.77% in October, from 7.41% in the previous month, data showed on Monday. More than 1,000 companies reported their quarterly results on Monday as the country's month-long earnings season drew to a close. Globally, investors will get another look at U.S. inflation when the producer price index data is released at 1330 GMT.

☆ INDIA STOCKS Indian shares may edge higher as inflation eases
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Indian shares are expected to open slightly higher on Tuesday, as data showing annual retail inflation eased to a three-month low in October strengthened bets of smaller interest rate hikes from the country's central bank. Globally, investors will get another look at U.S. inflation when the producer price index data is released later in the day. ** Tyremaker Apollo Tyres (APLO.NS) reported a rise in quarterly profit. ** Biocon (BION.NS) reported a decline in quarterly profit as the drugmaker booked a heavy tax expense. ** Indian viscose and chemicals manufacturer Grasim Industries (GRAS.NS) reported a fall in quarterly profit, with brokerage Jefferies saying global slowdown weighed on earnings.

☆ Ocon fastest in final Sao Paulo GP practice
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Alpine's Esteban Ocon lapped fastest in the second and final practice session ahead of a sprint race at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday. Qualifying for the 100km sprint race, which decides the starting grid for Sunday's main event, was on Friday with Haas' Kevin Magnussen taking a surprise first pole position in a weather-affected session. read moreMagnussen was ninth fastest in the practice hour, with German team mate Mick Schumacher eighth. Sargeant, 21, will race for Williams next year as replacement for Canadian Nicholas Latifi providing he secures his super-licence. Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Haas to announce Mick Schumacher's F1 fate next week
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAO PAULO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Haas will announce next week whether Mick Schumacher is staying or going, the Formula One team's boss Guenther Steiner said on Saturday. The German's predicament was not helped by qualifying for Saturday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint race when he ended up last while team mate Kevin Magnussen took a surprise pole position. "Expect the announcement some time next week," Steiner told reporters, amid increasing speculation the team's decision has been made. It will be coming next week," said Steiner. The first two runs were very good but then with the dry tyres he just couldn't get the feeling," he said.

☆ Magnussen takes stunning first F1 pole for Haas in Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Gabriel Araujo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NO KIDDING"You're kidding," Magnussen had said over the team radio when told he was fastest as the red flags were waved. Saturday will be the third such race of the season, with Verstappen winning the two previous ones at Imola and in Austria. Seven-times world champion Hamilton suffered as a result of his team mate's spin and will start the sprint from eighth place. "I will speak to the team and understand what we can do better in those conditions," he said. "I accepted the decision to go on the inters and then I waited for the rain that never came."

☆ Magnussen's stunning pole is soup for Steiner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Alan Baldwin | Rory Carroll | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - Haas team boss Guenther Steiner savoured a rare moment of success as his Formula One backmarkers pulled off an astonishing first pole position with Kevin Magnussen at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Friday. "When it rains soup, you need to have a spoon ready," the Italian told Sky Sports television. Last year, with Schumacher and Magnussen's now-departed Russian predecessor Nikita Mazepin, Haas failed to score a point all season and ended last. "You will always have nay-sayers but welcome to our pole position, nay-sayers," said Steiner in response to those who questioned what his men could achieve. It was starting to rain so that was the crucial part today, just getting that best track for me.

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