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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Hong Kong prodemocracy activists walk free after court upholds appeal Hong Kongʼs highest court has reversed a ruling to jail a trio of prodemocracy activists. The activists, known for their role in 2014 protests, had warned of a "critical juncture" in Hong Kongʼs fight for democracy.

The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal on Tuesday struck down controversial prison sentences for prodemocracy activists Joshua Wong (left), Nathan Law (center) and Alex Chow (right), effectively allowing them to walk free. In 2016, Wong and Law were convicted of unlawful assembly, while Chow was found guilty of inciting Hong Kong citizens to protest, during Hong Kongʼs 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations. Wong and Law were sentenced to community service while Chow was given a three-week suspended sentence. However, last year, a court overturned their sentences after prosecutors argued they were too light for the alleged gravity of the crimes committed by the activists.

Netherlands recalls ambassador from Turkey The spat between the Netherlands and Ankara stems from the Dutch refusal to allow Turkish ministers to campaign for a 2017 referendum.

The Dutch foreign ministry said repeated efforts to normalize relations have failed. The Netherlands has officially withdrawn its ambassador from Turkey, the Dutch foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. The ministry added that it will not allow a new Turkish ambassador in Amsterdam as long as there is no Dutch ambassador in Ankara. Despite recent talks between the two countries, Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra said "we could not reach anagreement on how to normalize relations." The Dutch foreign ministry has "paused" talks with Turkey on resolving the matter, it said.

33/2018 • 09, FEBRUARY 2018

Philippinesʼ Rodrigo Duterte rejects crimes against humanity probe into ʼdrug warʼ President Duterte

The Hague-based ICC has launched an initial probe to investigate claims of crimes against humanity as part of the Philippinesʼ deadly war on drugs.

Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque on Thursday said theInternational Criminal Court opened a preliminary examination into crimes against humanityallegedly committed at the behest of President Rodrigo Duterte. Roque, a former law professor, dismissed the initial probe by the court based in The Hague, saying it was "a waste of the courtʼs time and resources."

"Obviously, this is intended to embarrass the president. But the president is a lawyer; he knows what the procedures are. They will fail," said Roque. "The president has said that if need be, he will argue his case personally before the International Criminal Court." Philippine lawyer Jude Sabio filed the complaint last year. He accused Duterte of "repeatedly, unchangingly and continuously" inciting murder in the Philippines under a so-called "drug war" that has left more than 4,000 people dead since June 2016, according to police figures.Duterte and police have denied any wrongdoing. Hu-

man rights groups have, however, warned that the death toll of Duterteʼs campaign against suspected drug dealers as well as drug users is likely much higher. New York-based Human Rights Watch last month said "more than 12,000 suspected drug users and dealers, mostly from poor families in urban centers across the country" have been killed in the "drug war." It noted that"unidentified gunmen"were reportedly responsible for the 8,000 other deaths not claimed by police. "President Duterte has not only resisted calls to end his brutal ʼdrug war,ʼ but has used populist rhetoric to disparage the brave activists who have been investigating and denouncing his cruel campaign," said Phelim Kine, HRW deputy Asia director. "Since Duterte will never undertake a serious investigation into the ʼwar on drugs,ʼ itʼs up to the United Nations to support an international investigation and bring the mass killings to a stop."

Iranian women defiant against compulsory hijab A new wave of protests against the compulsory wearing of hijab has spread across Iran, resulting in the arrests of tens of women. The government has accused the protesters of being under the influence of drugs. For almost four decades since the start of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iranian women have tried to push the boundaries of the compulsory hijab rule imposed upon them. Their struggle gained momentum late last year after a 31-year-old woman nicknamed the "Girl of Enghelab Street," stood bareheaded on an utility box on Enghelab (or Revolution) Street in Tehran, waving her white headscarf on a stick. The woman, later identified as Vida Movahed, a mother of a 19month-old child, is being hailed as a hero among Iranian women fighting against the compulsory hijab.

Israeli security forces kill Palestinian suspect in rabbi murder Israel security forces say they have killed a Palestinian man who helped kill Rabbi Raziel Shevah in January. More than 19 Palestinians have been killed amid violence following US President Trumpʼs Jerusalem decision. Israeli security forces on Tuesday killed Ahmad Jarrar, a Palestinian man who they say was the head of a militant cell that killed a West Bank settler, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

Rabbi Raziel Shevah, 35, waskilled in a drive-by shootingnear his home in the unauthorized settlement outpost Havat Gilad near the West Bank city of Nablus in January.

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33/2018 • 09, February 2018

US Nuclear Posture Review: A bigger bang for the buck?

The United States has put countering China and Russia, dubbed "revisionist powers," at the center of a new national defense strategy. DW takes a look at what that entails.

At the height of the Cold War, the United States and the then-Soviet Union possessed around 70,000 nuclear warheads between them — enough to destroy or poison every square centimeter of inhabited land on Earth several times over. Americas US Nuclear Posture Review: A bigger bang for the buck? The United States has put countering China and Russia, dubbed "revisionist powers," at the center of a new national defense strategy. DW takes a look at what that entails. At the height of the Cold War, the United States and the then-Soviet Union possessed around 70,000 nuclear warheads between them — enough to destroy or poison every square centimeter of inhabited land on Earth several times over. Somewhat ironically, the concept of "mutually assured destruction" (MAD), whereby the full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender, was and is a guarantor of peace.

A record 28 French restaurants get Michelin three-star ratings

Twenty-eight French restaurants have been honored with the gastronomic sectorʼs most coveted rating.

Thatʼs a record number of threestar ratings for any single country in the Michelin Red Guide.

A comeback by La Maison des Bois mastermind Marc Veyrat (pictured) and the emergence of Christophe Bacquieʼs Hotel du Castellet as another culinary force in southern France have given the country a record for most restaurants to hold a vaunted foodie guideʼs coveted three-star maximum. Set for official release on Friday, Michelin France has become the most prestigious of the publicationʼs 31 national editions and the domestic culinary bible. Michelin has faced criticism that its stars reward pomp and presentation rather than the food itself and for the guideʼs putting restaurateurs under unbearable scrutiny. The guide has made many a chefʼs name; others say it has nearly broken their wills. Veyrat — a 67-yearold who quit cooking after a skiing accident nine years ago and faced hardship again when La Maison burned down in 2015 — told The Associated Press that he does not mind the stress. "We need the pressure and adrenaline because we are creatives," he said late Monday.

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EU warns Britain of ʼunavoidableʼ trade barriers if it leaves customs union Brexit:

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said Britain must decide whether to stay in the blocʼs customs union ahead of talks later this week. British PM Theresa May earlier ruled out remaining in the customs union.

Britain will face "unavoidable" trade barriers if it decides to leave the European Unionʼs customs union, the EUʼs chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Monday after meeting British Brexit Minister David Davis in London. Barnierʼs comments come after British Prime Minister Theresa May ruled out Britainʼs membership of the EU customs union after it leaves the bloc and ahead of the first formal negotiations on a final deal starting Tuesday. Barnier said: "Without a customs union ... barriers to trade and goods and services are unavoidable ... Time has come to make a choice." He told

Finding ancient cities and improving weather forecasts with LiDAR Researchers discovered an old Mayan city with the help of lightwave technology. Christoph Kiemle from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) explains how the method works and how it could be used in self-driving cars. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. Itʼs similar to radar, or radiowave detection and ranging, but it works with optical radiation rather than radio waves. It works with light, basically. You can use lasers to send out this light to discover properties of the atmosphere or the Earth surface. We typically send a laser beam down to Earth from an airborne platform. That beam travels through the atmosphere and can measure par-

British broadcaster Sky News ahead of his arrival in London: "My feeling is that we have not a minute to lose because we want to achieve a deal." Speaking alongside Barnier, Davis said Britain was clear on what it wanted, including a customs agreement with the EU that would make trade as "frictionless as possible," while allowing Britain to negotiate new trade deals with non-EU countries. - Mayʼs spokesman told reporters on Monday: "We will be leaving the EU and the customs union and it is not government policy to be members of ʼtheʼ customs union or ʼaʼ customs union." ticle matter, aerosol in the atmosphere for example. It can detect clouds, it could travel down to the surface when there are no clouds, and it gives us profiles of atmospheric properties. We can detect and derive a lot of information from these measurements that help advance science.

Maldives declares state of emergency, former president arrested The president of the Maldives has ordered his predecessor arrested and called a state of emergency. Soldiers charged into the Supreme Court and arrested two judges after they ordered imprisoned politicians released. Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen called a state of emergency on Monday and ordered soldiers to arrest his 80-year-old predecessor, Maumoon Abdul Gay-

Indonesia debates bill criminalizing gay sex and any sex outside of marriage Indonesiaʼs parliament speaker has called for reforms to the criminal code that would outlaw any sex outside of marriage, including gay sex.

Critics say the bill would also weaken checks and balances on democracy.

Indonesian lawmakers began debating controversial changes to the countryʼs criminal code on Tuesday, which critics warn would violate human rights and undermine the countryʼs democracy.

Indonesiaʼs parliament speaker Bambang Soesatyo opened proceedings by urging lawmakers to consider the legislation that would curb "homosexual excesses." Writing in the Indonesian daily Koran Sindo, Soesatyo also said Tuesday that gay lifestyles in the country had spawned "horrifying" excesses, such as murder, HIV/AIDS and pedophilia. "If these people actively promote their lifestyles, it will be very worrying," he said.

"We urge the state to take firm action."

While homosexuality is not illegal in the worldʼs largest Muslim majority country, it has long been viewed as a bugbear to both Indonesiaʼs Islamic and secular political parties. Gay marriage is not permitted. The countryʼs LGBT community has also faced an increasing amount of prosecutionin the past two years, with multiple reports of police raids on gay-friendly establishments. Scores of gay people have also been detained on suspicion of prostitution and pornographic acts.

oom, his estranged half brother, who supported the main political opposition. Yameen is in an escalating legal battle with the South Asian island nationʼs Supreme Court after judges ordered the release of all imprisoned opposition leaders in a surprise ruling last week. He ordered Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another of the Supreme Courtʼs four judges arrested early Tuesday. Yameen called a 15-day state of emergency, deepening a political crisis.The emergency decree grants wide powers for the security forces and police to make arrests, search and seize property and restricts freedom of assembly, officials said.Soldiers forced their way into the Supreme Court building and arrested two of the tribunalʼs four justices.Police used pepper spray to disperse hundreds of protesters who had gathered outside the court.Former President Gayoom was charged with bribery and attempting to overthrow the government, according to his lawyer.

33/2018 • 09, February 2018

Germanyʼs grand coalition talks enter second period of extra-time Negotiations between Angela Merkelʼs conservatives and the Social Democrats have entered whatʼs being billed, once again, as a decisive day. Labor market and healthcare policy points still divide the two parties.

German officials remained positive on Tuesday morning that Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs conservative bloc and the Social Democrats (SPD) would strike a deal toforge a new coalition governmentby the evening.

As she headed into the final round of talks, Merkel called on all sides to make the necessary concessions and strike a deal that would end months of political limbo. "Each of us will still have to make painful compromises,"

Germany to compensate Algerian Jewish Holocaust survivors Jews who lived in Algeria during the Vichy regime will receive compensation, said the Claims Conference. Algerian Jews were "one of the last" groups to be recognized by Germany, the organizationʼs vice president told DW. The Claims Conference Hardship Fund on Monday announced that a new group ofJewish Holocaust survivorswill be eligible forcompensation from the Germany government. The group consists of Jews who lived in Algeria between July 1940 and November 1942. Those eligible for compensation will receive a one-time payment of €2,556 ($3,180), which the German government will begin paying out in July. "Even at this late stage, itʼs very important both for the individuals, because it acknowledges what they went through, and in general, because it creates a historical record which will stand the test of time," Eric Schneider, who serves as executive vice president of the Claims Conference, told DW. "The further we get away from the events, I think thereʼs the greater possibility of Holocaust revisionism … When the German government takes responsibility and acknowledges the event, then it makes it a lot harder to refute it.

the chancellor said. "I am prepared to do that if we can be sure in the end that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages," she added. "We live in turbulent times. We need a government that offers dependability in the interests of the people." SPD leader Martin Schulz also said todayʼs decisive stalks were "about nothing less than building stable, lasting government in one of the largest industrialized countries in the world."

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange loses bid to have UK arrest warrant dropped

A British judge has upheld an arrest warrant for Julian Assange. The Wikileaks founder has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in the UK since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sexual assault charges.

A court in London on Tuesday rejected a legal bid by Julian Assangeto have a British warrant for his arrest revoked. "Iʼm not persuaded that the warrant should be withdrawn," judge

Emma Arbuthnot told a hearing at the Westminster Magistratesʼ Court. Arbuthnot added that she will issue a further judgement on February 13, determining whether a separate arrest warrant against Assange for breaching bail conditions should remain in place.

Lawyers representing Assange argued the warrant should be scrapped because he isno longer wanted for questioning in Sweden.

European markets plunge at opening bell as stock market dip deepens Global markets continue to wobble precariously. European markets took a big hit as Tuesdayʼs trading began, following major losses across Asia and particularly in Japan. Wall Street fared no better on Monday. European markets opened on Tuesday awash with red, with the main benchmark indices all down around 3 percent followingWall Streetʼs Monday rout. Minutes after the bell to signal the start of trading, Germanyʼs DAX index dropped 3 percent to 12,308 points. It was a similar story in France and the UK, whose indices opened 3 and 2.5 percent lower respectively.

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33/2018 • 09, February 2018

Chinese migration brings social change to Italyʼs Alps Home to the largest concentration of Chinese residents in Europe, two mountain villages have become the unlikely setting of an integration experiment. Giulia Saudelli and Matteo Civillini report from northern Italy.

At midday, the fog is so thick one can barely see the mountainside. From the vast space that opens out below, all one can hear are the Chinese workers busily hitting large slabs of stone with their chisels. The quarryʼs owner paces around them, making sure the precious material is handled with care. A few meters away a truck is ready to load the rough-cut stones, which, after a journey down a steep mountain road, will be delivered to the workshops in the tiny villages of Bagnolo Piemonte and Barge. This is the daily routine in the Infernotto Valley, in northern Italy, home to the largest Chinese community in terms of concentration in Europe. Since the early 1990s more than 1,300 of them have settled in this remote area, making up around 10 percent of the total population. The Chinese presence is so strong that Hu has now become the most common surname in Barge. Their arrival initiated what can be described as a 20-yearlong migration experiment, unintentionally providing a testing ground for integration policies in Italy and beyond. What brought them to this unlikely place is the Luserna stone. A pillar of the local economy, the ʼgrey goldʼ — as it is known locally — is a foliated rock featuring sheet-like layers of varying shades of color.

German metalworkers finally secure wage agreement Following weeks of bitter fighting, a wage agreement for the German metal and electrical industries has finally been struck. Employees were able to secure higher wages and more flexible working hours.

A wage agreement was reached in the early hours on Tuesday in Germanyʼs metal and electrical industries. The powerful IG Metall union announced the deal initially covering workers in the southern German state of BadenWürttemberg, but expected to be eventually implemented for a total of 3.9 million workers in the sector nationwide. According to the deal, employeesare to receive a pay hike of 4.3 percent from April this year. Additionally, monthly one-off payments of €100 ($124) were agreed for January through March. Employers and trade union representatives also agreed on the possibility of workers reducing their hours from 35 to 28 hours per week for two years, should they need to look after children or care for older relatives.

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Prominent ivory trade investigator killed in Nairobi home World-renowned ivory investigator Esmond Bradley-Martin has been found dead in his home with a stab wound to the neck. Martin had spent decades tracing the trade of ivory and rhino horns from Africa to Asian markets.

Kenyan police said on Monday that ivory trade investigator Esmond Bradley-Martin had been found dead in his home by a family member. The relative had gone to check on Martin at his home in the Nairobi suburb of Langat on Sunday afternoon after he did not respond to phone calls. "He was found dead in his house and had stab wounds," said a police officer.

"An investigation has been launched."

The head of the United Nationʼs En-

United Kingdom waits to see how the post-Brexit winds will blow The UK is the current world leader in offshore wind capacity. But with the country heading for the EU exit door, can the renewable energy boom last? Lying unpainted on its side, the greenish curve of a 75meter (246 feet) long wind turbine blade bears a passing resemblance to a whale. Itʼs twice the length of a blue whale but at 25 tons, is much lighter than the earthʼs largest creature. For employees at the state-ofthe-art Siemens Gamesa factory in the port city of Hull in northern England, another comparison is more apt. "Four bull elephants, thatʼs how we equate it," said Alison Maxwell, the head of communications at the facility. Siemensʼ £160 million ($223 million/182 million euros) plant has manufactured these great fiberglass beasts for wind farms in Britain since it opened at the end of 2016 in the economically deprived city. And itʼs a good time to be in business.

Hotel Parlament H-Budapest 1054, Kálmán Imre utca 19.

T.: +36 1 374 6000 reservation@parlament-hotel.hu www.parlament-hotel.hu

Nissan, Dongfeng to invest heavily in e-cars in China Together with its joint venture on the ground, Japanese automaker Nissan is to make a multi-billiondollar investment in the production of e-cars in China. Beijingʼs e-car quota system goes into effect next year. Japanese carmaker Nissan and its Chinese joint venture partner Dongfeng Motor Company announced Monday they would invest $9.5 billion (€7.6 billion) in China to increase annual sales by 1 million vehicles andboost the production of electric cars. The move came as China was rolling out new regulations to limit gas vehicles in a bid to reduce air pollution across the Asian nation. Authorities in Beijing will implement a complex quota system as of 2019, requiring carmakers to produce a minimum number of electric vehicles. They are also looking at plans to completely ban fossil fuel cars at a date that has yet to be decided.

Published by: Mega Media Kft. 1075 Budapest, Madách I. út 13-14. +36 1 398 0344 www.hotelujsag.hu

vironment Program, Erik Solheim, said he was shocked by Martinʼs murder and described the late investigator as a "global authority" on ivory and rhino horn trafficking. Martin, an American citizen who had lived in Kenya for decades, was a key figure in the global crackdown on illegal ivory supply chains. Much of his research quantified and analyzed the Asian ivory markets in China, Hong Kong,Vietnam and elsewhere.

Ryanair profit surges despite flight cancellations

Europeʼs largest budget airline has reported a surge in quarterly profits. The positive result came despite a flight cancellation crisis that had hit Ryanair after the airline had rostering problems with its pilots.

Irelandʼs Ryanair reported Monday its quarterly net profits rose by 12 percent. It said post-tax earnings increased to €106 million ($132 million) year on year in the groupʼs third quarter to December. The carrier added that passenger numbers grew by 6 percent to 30.4 million peopledespite the massive flight cancellations that had been sparked by pilot rostering problems. "We are pleased to report this 12-percent increase in profits during a very challenging third quarter," Chief Executive Officer Michael OʼLeary said in a statement, speaking of a "pilot rostering failure in September." yanair had to cancel some 20,000 flights through March this year, mainly because of botched holiday scheduling for pilots. The Irish airlineʼs earnings report came just one weekafter it signed an agreement to recognize the British Airline Pilotsʼ Association (BALPA), reversing its previous unwillingness to ink such accords with trade unions.

33/2018 • 09, February 2018

What is the future of animal testing?

Recent tests of car exhaust on monkeys have renewed the debate around animal testing

While researchers say eliminating animal testing is impossible, they agree there are alternatives that are less cruel.

For Jo Neill, her workday doesnʼt end without paying a visit to her lab rats. A professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, Neill finds her field of research to depend upon those rats. Neill injects her animals with a chemical andobserves their learning and memory behaviors. She will only get approval from regulators to test the chemical on humans if it benefits her rats, which are ailing from her experimental imitation of a form of human schizophrenia. "Itʼs impossible to think of find-

ing a replacement for rats to do these kinds of behavior experiments in psychiatry," Neill told DW. Science has a tradition of testing on nonhuman animals like chimpanzees, rats, guinea pigs, and fruit flies to understand how life functions, and how chemicals alter any function in a positive (drugs) or negative (toxins) way. But many scientists from the UK, European Union and the United States are greatly altering their scientific practice due to their own commitment to animal welfare — or to pressure from the public.

German university hospital defends auto firmsʼ nitrogen dioxide test ethics No experiments on animals or humans can take place in Germany without a go from an authorized ethics committee. Dr. Thomas Kraus from Aachen University Hospital says this was the case in the most recent NO2 scandal.

The European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) "did not impinge in any way on the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) research it commissioned Aachen University Hospital to do," Professor Thomas Kraus from the hospital told the German press agency DPA on Monday. The EUGT is a now defunct organization that was funded

by German carmakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW plus partsmaker Bosch, thus raising questions of possible conflicts of interest. In 2013, 25 healthy volunteers were exposed to NO2 pollution for three hours, Kraus said. "None of them had any negative health effects," he went on, adding that the tests were meant to measure the impact of pollutants in the workplace.

Classic Hungarian Sunday Lunch Anker Klub

Russian accused of running spam network extradited to US Suspected Russian hacker Pyotr Levashov pleaded not guilty before a US judge after being extradited from Spain. Prosecutors claim he ran a massive computer network that sent out spam and installed malicious software.

Spanish authorities have extradited to the US a Russian man suspected of carrying out cybercrimes using bulk spam emails and malicious software, US officials announced Friday. Pyotr Levashov, a 37-year-old from St. Petersburg, pleaded not guilty to the charges of wire and email fraud, hacking, identity theft and conspiracy after appearing before a federal judge in the US state of Connecticut. He re-

mains in detention. Levashov was arrested in Aprilwhile vacationing with his family in Barcelona. In October, Spainʼs National Court granted the US extradition request, rejecting a counter-extradition request from Russia. US prosecutors say Levashov ran the sprawling Kelihos botnet — a network involving up to 100,000 infected computers that sent spam emails, harvested usersʼ logins and installed malicious software that intercepted bank account passwords. According to the indictment, the network generated and distributed more than 2,500 spam emails a day and allegedly victimized thousands of people in the US.

Have classic family dinners at Anker Club every Sunday through February with chicken soup, fried meat with mashed potatoes, and a classic dessert.

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Culture

Finnish Film Days 2018

Within the framework of the Finnish Film Days, a selection of prominent Finnish productions screen through five days – between February 7th and 11th – at Budapest’s alluring arthouse cinema, the Művész.

The festival presents some of the major talents of the Nordic country’s film industry, and besides the scheduled screenings, workshops, music events and discussions on scriptwriting and on female roles in the contemporary film industry also feature in the festival. The opening film, Eutha‐ nizer, has won various prizes around the world, while Tom of Finland was the country’s official submission for the Academy Awards last year.

All of the films screen with original Finnish audio and English and Hungarian subtitles, unless indicated otherwise.

Within the framework of the Finnish Film Days, a selection of prominent Finnish productions screen through five days – between February 7th and 11th – at Budapest’s alluring arthouse cinema, the Művész. The festival presents some of the major talents of the Nordic country’s film industry, and besides the scheduled screenings, workshops, music events and discussions on scriptwriting and on female roles in the contemporary film industry also feature in the festival.

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33/2018 • 09, February 2018

IOC concerned over possible design flaws of doping test bottles

The International Olympic Committee says it is concerned about potential flaws in doping sample bottles.

The organization wants assurances that the bottles cannot be tampered with ahead of the Winter Olympics.

After potential issues with the security of the bottles were aired, the IOC has asked the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to ensure that antidoping tests at the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang "can be conducted credibly and reliably," an International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson said Tuesday.

Formula One to stop using grid girls amid #MeToo movement

Grid girls have long been a staple of Formula One but the sportʼs new owners have decided to end the practice, days after darts did the same with its walk-on girls. The concept has often been labeled as sexist. Formula One will no longer use walk-on grid girls before races this season, after deciding the practice is old-fashioned amid the current debate oversexual harassment. "Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport," Sean Bratches, Managing Director of Commercial Operations at Formula One, said in a statement.

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Athletics doping: IOC confident over Russia doping reform plans International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach believes Russia will resolve its doping issues and field athletes at next yearʼs Rio Games.

Russia was provisionally suspendedfrom world athletics after an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report alleged "state-sponsored doping". Bach met with his Russian Olympic Committee counterpart Alexander Zhukov to discuss the report. He said he was "confident" in the measures put forward by the ROC. Council members of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on Friday voted 22-1 in favour of Russia being banned. As it stands, Russian athletes may not enter international competitions, including the World Athletic Series and Rio Olympics, which begin on 5 August next year. Russia will also not be entitled to host the 2016 World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary and the 2016 World Junior Championships in Kazan. "We are confident that the initiatives being proposed by the ROC, with the responsible international organisations - Wada and the IAAF - will ensure compliance as soon as possible in order to provide participation of the clean Russian athletes at the Olympic Games," said IOC president Bach.

Lindsey Vonn completes Garmisch hattrick with 80th World Cup win Vonnʼs time was just good enough to claim victory by two thousandths of a second

With the winter Olympics just days away, US ski sensation Lindsey Vonn claimed the 80th World Cup win of her career on Saturday as she won the downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the third straight year.

Vonn clocked a time of 1 min 12.84sec, just 0.02 secs faster than overall World Cup downhill leader Sofia Goggia, while Austriaʼs Cornelia Hütter finished third. "Itʼs a big number," said Vonn of her 80th victory. "I remember when I got my 50th win here, I never thought I would get close to Annemarie Moser-Proellʼs record [of 62 wins].

Now I am getting closer to Sten-

markʼs. Itʼs incredible. I am so thankful that I have gotten myself in a position to get these wins coming into the Olympics." The 33-year-old is now just six World Cup wins short of matching Ingemar Stenmarkʼs all-time alpine record and will race again in Sundayʼs downhill race, the final tune-up before the Olympics open in Pyeongchang on Thursday.

IOC rejects request to invite 15 cleared Russians to Pyeongchang The IOC has rejected a request to invite 15 Russians, who have had their doping bans overturned, to compete at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The Kremlin has expressed regret at the decision.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday rejected a request to invite the 15 Russians to the Pyeongchang Winter Games just days after theCourt of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had overturned their lifetime doping bans. A statement posted on the IOCʼs website said that the decision came after a special panel had "unanimously recommended that theIOCnot

extend an invitation to the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 to the 15 individuals."

"The OAR IG (Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group) confirmed that no additional invitations will be extended to these 15 individuals," it added. The 13 active and two retired athletes were among 28 Russians whose bans were overturned by the Swiss-based CAS on Thursday. The IOC bans on 11 other Russian athletes was upheld. The two retired athletes, who had their requests denied, would have worked as coaches for the "Olympic Athlete from Russia" team at the Pyongchang Games.