DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
AeroData software outage delays hundreds of US regional flights
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Germany to prioritize women during UN Security Council presidency Germany will focus on the needs of women
The Federal Aviation Administration told passengers to contact their carriers to assess delays as nearly 3,000 flights were delayed because of the outage which lastest 40 minutes on Monday morning. Airlines affected included Delta, United, JetBlue, Southwest and Alaska. Southwest experienced most of the delays (18 percent of the total) although that could also have been caused by ongoing issues around the grounding of Boeing 737 Max jets. Southwest delayed 620 early flights. SkyWest, a commuter airline affiliated with United and Delta Airlines, delayed 200 flights and United Continental had about 150 regional flights delayed. By midday the airlines were working to get their flights back on schedule.
Could Berlin schools give the army its marching orders? Berlinʼs Social Democrats (SPD) were on the defensive on Monday over a proposal to ban the German military from using schools to recruit future members. The centerleft party is seeking a ban on Bundeswehr (unified armed forces) recruitment in the cityʼs schools, claiming that the risks of signing up might not be made clear to young people. A Berlin SPD party conference on Saturday voted to ask members of the state parliament to add a clause to a state education act. "It is forbidden for military organizations to promote service and work for the military sector in Berlin schools," the clause read. In its reasoning, the Berlin SPD said that the pupils — as the target group — were at an age at which their values still needed to be developed. "Accordingly, they are vulnerable to military propaganda and trivializing the real dangers of military deployment."
During its month at the helm of the UN Security Council, Germany will focus on the needs of women in conflicts and arms control. "We are aware of the responsibility this presidency entails," Germanyʼs Heiko Maas said. Germany plans on putting its own issues on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council during its month-long presidency, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday. Germany, currently a non-permanent Security Council member,is taking over the chair in Aprilas part of a "dual presidency" with permanent member France. Besides helping the UN body fulfil its role in crisis and conflict management, Germany wants to use its position to "strengthen long-term conflict prevention," Maas said before flying out to New York to officially assume the presidency. Monday nightʼs debate in the UN Security Council will focus on humanitarian workers who are being targeted or hindered in conflict zones. "We must stop this trend towards the complete blurring of military conflicts," the foreign minister said. "If not, there is a danger of slipping into a new barbarism. Germany also wants to focus on nuclear disarmament and arms control "We will work for better protections for women in armed conflicts and a strongler role for women in conflict resolution," Maas said. Maasʼ ar-
rival at the UN Security Council was delayed on Monday due to issues with the German government jet. A tire burst upon landing in New York and the plane had to be towed. Germany plans on putting its own issues on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council during its month-long presidency, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday. Germany, currently a non-permanent Security Council member,is taking over the chair in Aprilas part of a "dual presidency" with permanent member France. Besides helping the UN body fulfil its role in crisis and conflict management, Germany wants to use its position to "strengthen long-term conflict prevention," Maas said before flying out to New York to officially assume the presidency. Monday nightʼs debate in the UN Security Council will focus on humanitarian workers who are being targeted or hindered in conflict zones. "We must stop this trend towards the complete blurring of military conflicts," the foreign minister said. "If not, there is a danger of slipping into a new barbarism.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign by April 28 President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is to resign before his mandate expires on April 28, his office said Monday. The president will take "steps to ensure state institutions continue to function during the transition period," Bouteflikaʼs office said in a statement relayed on television. The "resignation would occur before April 28, 2019." The 82-year-old president has rarely been in public since he suffered a stroke in 2013. While he had declared his candidacy for a fifth term in February, he then withdrew andpostponed the election in response to massive protests. A new caretaker governmentheaded by recently appointed Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui had been announced on Sunday.
Germany presents law to make everyone an organ donor German Health Minister Jens Spahnpresented a draft law on Monday that seeks to boost much-needed organ transplants by overhauling Germanyʼs current organ donor system. The reform has sparked a heated debate in Germany,where people currently opt in to the registry voluntarily and where organ donation rates are low. What the draft law says: The "dual opt-out" donation system would automatically make everyone in Germany a registered organ donor.People could still opt out at any time by putting themselves on a register that says they object to being a donor.
weather today BUDAPEST
8 / 18 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
76/2019 • 2 April, 2019
Pakistan to release captured Indian pilot ʼas a peace gestureʼ
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday that his country would release a captured Indian pilot "as a peace gesture." Speaking to Pakistani lawmakers in parliament, Khan said the pilot, identified as Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, would be released on Friday. Khan also said that he tried to reach out to his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to de-escalate tensions between the two countries. "Pakistan wants peace, but it should not be treated as our weakness," Khan said. "The region will prosper if there is peace and stability. It is good for both sides." Khanʼs comments came after Modi said that "Indiaʼs enemies are conspiring to create instability in the country through terror attacks."
Geely the car industryʼs rising ʼprofitability starʼ
Ferdinand Dudenhöffer from the CAR Center Automotive Research at Germanyʼs Duisburg-Essen University called Chinese auto manufacturer Geely "the profitability star of the worldʼs car industry." A fresh study by the center points out that on average, a Geely car costs just €9,529 ($10,942), but the companysecures a 14.4 percent profit from revenues before tax and interest. Dudenhöffer says thatʼs a lot more than, say, the profit margins of foreign rivals BMW, Toyota or PSA-Opel. The worldʼs largest carmaker, Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen, logs a profit margin of only 8.2 percent, the survey says. Geely is part of the Zhejiang Geely Holding,which also owns Volvo Cars, London EV-Taxi and Lotus.The holding has also acquired a 10 percent stake in Daimler. According to the CAR researchers, Geelyʼs rapid rise is based on its successful compact car platform, which it developed together with Sweden-based Volvo. "What Ferdinand Piëch managed to implement at VW from 1993 with the help of his platform strategyis in a way being copied now by Geelyʼs main shareholder and founder, Li Shufu," said Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, adding that the Chinese were becoming major players in the global auto market. 2
Opposition claims victory in Ankara, pulls ahead in Istanbul Turkey elections:
Mexican journalist shot dead at restaurant Sergio Martinez Gonzalez, the editor of a local news outlet in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, was shot dead Wednesday morning, the latest victim in Mexicoʼs wave of journalist murders. Martinez, who owned and ran the publication Enfoque, had just dropped off his daughters at school and was breakfasting with his wife at a local restaurant when two people on a motorcycle stopped in front of the couple and opened fire, local media reported. Martinezʼs wife survived the attack, and was receiving medical attention, Mexican newspaper El Uni‐ versal said. The Chiapas attorney generalʼs office announced on Twitter that it was investigating the murder.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoganʼs party is challenging the result of local elections in Ankara and Istanbul after it appears to have lost. The vote had been seen as a verdict on Erdoganʼs rule and an economic downturn. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) said they secured most mayoral positions nationwide inSundayʼs municipal elections. But the AKP suffered major losses, as the main oppositionʼs candidates eked out a win in the capital, Ankara, and pulled ahead in Istanbul, according to results released Monday. In Istanbul, the election board said the oppositionʼs mayoral candidate was ahead. Erdoganʼs AKP later claimed victory in Turkeyʼs largest and most politically important city, after claiming
Confusion over missing Saudi journalist in Turkey who ʼvanishedʼ from consulate Turkish and Saudi officials have given conflicting reports on the whereabouts of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday. Khashoggi, a regular contributor to The Washington Post, has been a fierce critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and has criticized Saudi Arabiaʼs policies toward Qatar and Canada,the war in Yemen and a
there were voting irregularities. State media reported that Erdoganʼs Islamic-based party won over 44 percent of the votes across the country, while the main opposition party, the Republican Peopleʼs Party (CHP), bagged over 30 percent of the vote. More than 57 million voters were eligible to take part in electing the mayors for 30 major cities, 51 provincial capitals and 922 districts across Turkey. Turnout was a high 85 percent. The elections were seen as a crucial test for Erdoganʼs popularity. crackdown on dissent, the media and activists. Khashoggiʼs personal website bore a banner saying, "Jamal has been arrested at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul!" without elaborating. A Saudi official denied that Khashoggi had been detained inside the consulate. "Mr. Khashoggi visited the consulate to request paperwork related to his marital status and exited shortly thereafter," the official said. "He is neither in the consulate nor in Saudi custody."
Afghan leader rejects resignation of spy chief, top ministers President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday
urged Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak, Defense Minister Tareq Shah Bahrami, and intelligence chief Masoum Stanekzai to stay in their posts, the Afghan government said. The three officials submitted resignation letters on Saturday, citing policy differences and a spate of deadly attacks. "President Ghani did not approve their resignations... and gave them the necessary instructions to improve the security situation," a statement from the presidential palace said. The offers to step down followed the resignation of Ghaniʼs national security adviser and close ally, Hanif Atmar, on Friday. Atmar, one of the countryʼs most powerful politicians, has been replaced by former ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib.
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PM Jacinda Ardernʼs government to announce gun law reforms Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday that her Cabinet had agreed "in principle" upontighter gun lawsfor New Zealand. The proposed changes, to be announced at a future date, were spurred by Fridayʼs Christchurch terror attacks, in which a shooter used multiple weapons, including military-style semi-automatic ones, to open fire on worshippers at two mosques, killing 50. Details in 10 days Speaking at a press conference, Ardern said the attack "has exposed a range of weaknesses in New Zealandʼs gun laws." She said her Cabinet had agreed in
Worried about Brexit, Brits stockpile food, supplies
Nick Thomas, a 25-year-old hazardous waste operator from Cornwall, is insistent that Brexit will be fine. Probably. "If ʼno dealʼ goes badly, thereʼll be rioting on the streets and looting, national uproar. If people canʼt eat, theyʼll rise up and fight. But I canʼt see it happening — thatʼs a very worst case scenario," he said. Thomas, who voted to leave the EU because of the adverse effects of the common fisheries policy on his local area, is not ruling out the possibility of things going awry. He has stocked up with a substantial amount of dried goods – rice and pasta, primarily — as well as tinned beans and vegetables. "The main thing is the food supply chain," he said. "A couple of friends of mine have done the same as me and bought some big bags of rice and pasta, some long-life tins of food. But weʼre all of the same opinion that thereʼs nothing really to worry about."
principle on the gun law reforms to be made, highlighting that the review had come within 72 hours of the attack. "I will announce a more fulsome set of details once we have worked through the decisions the Cabinet made today," Ardern said, adding that concrete proposals will be announced within 10 days. In the meantime, she encouraged individuals to surrender weapons similar to the ones used in the attacks to the authorities.
UK Parliament holds more Brexit ʼindicative votesʼ to find way forward
British parliamentarians are holding another round of "indicative votes" on Monday, in the hope of finding one plan that can command a majority. The next deadline for setting out the way forward with the EU falls on April 12. If it does not a present a plan, the UK could fall out of the bloc without a deal. The head of the EUʼs executivestressed on Monday that according to EU rules, the UK would have to take part in European Parliament elections if it stays in the bloc beyond April 12. "Whether I want that is another ques-
tion," European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters in the western German city of Saarbrücken. An earlier round of"indicative votes" on eight options last weekfailed to secure a majority for any of them. Prime Minister Theresa May has previously ruled out two of the ideas — remaining in a customs union with the EU, or holding a second referendum. The current deal put forward by May hasfailed twice in parliament in its entirety, and again last week as a partial vote.
Emigration more worrying than immigration for many Europeans, says ECFR study Six countries in southern and eastern Europe are more concerned about emigration than they are about immigration, according to a new European Council for Foreign Relations (ECFR) survey published by The Guardian newspaper on Monday. Survey respondents in Romania, Hungary, Greece, Poland, Italy and Spain said they were more worried about migration out of their respective countries than migration into them. All six countries have seen their population figures either flatten out or decrease sharply — Romaniaʼs population has decreased by 10 percent over the past decade.
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Germany attempts ʼfacesavingʼ resolution to Saudi drugs boycott The human rightsrow between Saudi Arabia and Canada made international headlinesin recent weeks, when the Riyadh government suddenly suspended new trade and investment to the Great White North. The punitive measures were in response to a simple tweet by Canadaʼs foreign minster, calling for the release of two jailed Saudi activists. Receiving less attention has been the diplomatic spat between Europeʼs No. 1 economy and the oil-rich kingdom — also sparked by a ministerʼs comments; this time Sigmar Gabriel, Germanyʼs then-foreign minister. During the political crisis in Lebanon last November that saw Prime Minister Saad alHariri resign and later rescind his decision, Riyadh was widely accused of forcing his departure, which Gabriel alluded to as "adventurism." ʼShamefulʼ remarks hurt tiesRiyadh immediately recalled its ambassador to Berlin, telling the German government the comments were "shameful." In May, it went further and froze all new business with Germany. Over the subsequent months, several German pharmaceutical and medical technology firms, including Siemens Healthineers, Bayer and Boerhringer Ingelheim, have been excluded from public healthcare tenders in the kingdom. A pharmaceutical industry source told DW, on condition of anonymity, that Saudi authorities had not given any written explanation about the exclusion, and that there was no clear path for Germany to resolve the issue. Efforts by German diplomats to mediate with Saudi authorities were delayed, initially, by the Holy Month of Ramadan, and the summer break, as Gulf countries stop work in July and August due to the extreme heat.
Merger between T-Mobile and Sprint on the line The $26.5 billion (€23 billion) merger,announced last April, would combine the United Statesʼ third and fourth largest wireless companies, creating a new firm the size of sector rivals Verizon andAT&T. It would also reduce the number of major carriers in the US from four to three. T-Mobileʼs German parent,Deutsche Telekom would take 42 percent of the new entity and Japanʼs SoftBank, owner of Sprint, 27 percent, with the rest held by the public. The combined company, to be called T-Mobile, would have 127 million customers. But the deal must get the green light from US federal regulators. 4
Germany minimum wage remains one of lowest in region At €9.19, the minimum wage in Germany remains among the lowest in western Europe, according to a report. Despite an increase earlier this year, the wage floor continues to sit far below median income levels. Although minimum wages have grown across the EU, Germany ranks among the lowest for western European countries,a report on Thursday revealed. Produced by the HansBöckler Foundation’s Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), the report showed that Germany came in second last place at €9.19 ($10.36) per hour — even after a 35-cent increase earlier this year. It was defeated only by the UK, where the minimum wage of £7.83 now equates to €8.85, albeit partly as a result of the pound weakening since
No breakthrough in China-US trade talks Chinaʼs Ministry of Commerce said on Friday that it had held "constructive meetings" with US officialsafter talks resumed between the countries over their ongoing trade spat. Nonetheless, with no major breakthrough yet in sight, the resumption of talks did not prevent an additional $16 billion (€13.83 billion) of tariffs being levied by the US and China on each otherʼs goods, starting from Thursday. Read more: US-China trade spat: Clash of the titans, part 2 Talks took place on Wednesday and Thursday aimed at defusing the escalating conflict, which has now seen both countries slap $50 billion in tariffs on the otherʼs products, with more expected to follow. The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that the officials on both sides have vowed to "keep in contact" in the future. High-tech will suffer, says ChinaMeanwhile, a prominent Chinese state planner said on Friday that US tariffs onhigh-tech Chinese technology would have an impact on the tech sectors in both countries.
Hotel Palazzo Zichy H-1088 Budapest, Lőrinc pap tér 2. T.: +36 1 235 4000 reservation@hpz.hu www.hotel-palazzo-zichy.hu/
Kalashnikov unveils new electric car Kalashnikov,a company moreknown for its AK-47 machine gunsthan its electric vehicles, unveiled its new electric car on Thursday. The powder-blue prototype, dubbed the CV-1, was unveiled by the Russian arms maker at a defense expo outside of Moscow. Kalashnikov Concern told Russian media that the technology within its "electric supercar" will rival that of Elon Muskʼs Tesla. "This technology will allow us to stand in line with the worldʼs electric car manufacturers, like Tesla, and compete with them," a spokesperson told Sputnik. According to the company, the vehicle can travel 350 kilometers (217 miles) on a single charge. The carʼs retro look was inspired by a Soviet hatchback model developed in the 1970s, the "Izh-Kombi," Kalashnikov said in a statement on its website. The CV-1ʼs light blue color, large grill, retro door handles and boxy frame have received mixed reviews from Russians. On social media, some described the car as "cyberpunk" while others referred to it as the "Izh-Zombie."
Published by: Mega Media Kft. 1075 Budapest, Madách I. út 13-14. +36 1 398 0344 www.hotelujsag.hu
thereferendum vote to leave the EU. Although wages in Germany were higher than many southern and eastern European states, workers were still vulnerable to poverty. The minimum wage, which would equate to around €1,146 per month after taxes and social contributions,barely stood above the poverty line and only made up around 48 percent of the national median income. In comparison, countries like Turkey offered a minimum wage of almost 74 percent of median national income. In Portugal, the figure is 61 percent.
Greece scrambles to clean up banks and bad loans
Plagued by eight exhausting years of financial crisis, millions of Greeks are unable to pay off their loans. But there are also those who donʼt want to, as Anthee Carassava reports from Athens. Walk into any Greek bank and ask for a loan, and chances are youʼll walk out jilted and empty-handed. But not if you are Pavlos Polakis. The chain-smoking health minister won almost instant approval for a mammoth €100,000 ($114,000) consumer loan this month, claiming he was in desperate need of the cash to cover personal and political expenses. The revelation has sparked fierce political debateand an urgent inquiry by an Athens prosecutor after the countryʼs central bank governor accused Polakis of calling him to complain, but also making "a preposterous" attempt to block him from investigating the controversial loan. In an urgent judicial testimony this week, the banker, Yannis Stournaras, said the minister, also a leading apparatchik in Prime Minister Alexis Tsiprasʼ leftist Syriza party, recorded the heated telephone exchange and later leaked its content to local media.
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Russiaʼs forests threatened by illegal logging Almost half of Russia is covered with forests
Almost half of Russia is covered with forests. However, much of the vast countryʼs woodlands, which absorb millions of tons of CO2, are under threat from mismanagement, illegal deforestation and corruption. Forestry worker Oleg Shadrin is standing knee deep in snow. Stretching out behind him is an area as large as six football fields. Tree trunks peppered throughout tower up into the sky. "They should have been dug out, with young firs planted in their place," says Shadrin, 35, struggling to conceal his anger. He claims that a few months earlier Chinese workers "illegally" cleared the forest, which
which is located around seven hours drive north of Omsk, near the village of Yekaterinovka, of its firs and transported the wood away. The trees were felled with modern machinery. Such reports are painfully familiar to Nikolay Shmatkov from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). "Illegal deforestation is especially common in the far east and along the Russian-Chinese border," he says.
Nets ʼnʼ Lasers: some of our best hopes for mitigating the threat of space debris Space debris is a bit like space itself: We know itʼs up there, but beyond that thereʼs so much we know we donʼt know. The statistics are fun, though, if a little misleading. Itʼs a bit of a safari crunching the numbers, but here goes. Since 1957, the year the Soviet Union sent Sputnik into space, there have been 4,900 space launches. So far so good. In that time we have put 6,600 satellites in orbit and/or created "an on-orbit population of more than 18,000 tracked objects." Elsewhere, ESA cites "more than 17,000 orbital objects" being tracked and catalogued by the US Space Surveillance Network. And in a third document itʼs 22,000 objects. But you get the idea: Itʼs a lot. Of the 6,600 satellites, 3,600 remain in space, and less than a third (about 1,100) are operational.
Elegant Café Párisi breathes new life into Budapest’s splendid Lotz Hall
Arctic temperatures grip US Midwest Freezing temperatures have gripped the northern United States due to a split in the polar vortex, a mass of cold air that normally stays bottled up in the Arctic. The Wednesday morning temperature in Chicago was -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) which felt like -46 degrees with the wind chill. It was expected to get down to -33 degrees on Thursday. The weather wreaked havoc on airports and train services. More than 1,800 flights were cancelled at Chicagoʼs two major airports, while rail operator Amtrak
cancelled train services from its hub in the city. At Chicagoʼs OʼHare airport, ground crews were told to avoid spending more than 15 minutes at a time exposed to the freezing air, which delayed the lucky flights that managed to take off. Commuters heading to work in Chicago had to layer up to fend off the cold. "I have two shirts on... I have a hoodie, I have my big winter coat, I have a face mask and a skullcap and I am still cold," sandwich shop manager Daniel Gonzalez said.
Café Párisi is on the top floor of the building, with theAndrássy Entertainment Centreand, from tomorrow, an Avatar exhibition below. The café is open every day and the Lotz Hall can be rented for special events such as birthday parties, company gatherings or a fairy-tale wedding. Café Párisi Address: District VI. Andrássy út 39 Open: Daily 9am-9pm
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Culture
Renovated Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest to Open on 31 October AFTER MORE THAN THREE YEARS OF RENOVATION, THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BUDAPEST WILL OPEN ON 31 OCT NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC Thanks to the largest-scale and most comprehensive reconstruction project in the museum’s history, the museum building has been renewed, and, returning to the collection’s first concept, the museum’s permanent exhibitions will also be rearranged. Besides the new permanent exhibitions, the revamped museum will welcome visitors with a chamber exhibition titled Leonardo & the Budapest Horse and Rider. The museum reconstruction, implemented within the framework of the Liget Budapest Project, included the restoration of the Romanesque Hall, which sustained severe damage in World War II and since then had been only partially renovated and used as a storage area, along with the modernisation of the building’s obsolete heating system, the installation of air conditioning in some of the exhibition halls, the renewal of a large part of the roof structure, as well as the addition of new exhibition spaces, visitor areas and modern storage facilities.
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American challenger praises Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury "looks more like a heavyweight champion" than Anthony Joshua, says Joshuaʼs next opponent Jarrell Miller. Unified world heavyweight champion Joshua, 29, will meet New Yorkʼs Miller at Madison Square Garden on 1 June. The Briton is a 1-10 favourite with bookmakers towin on his US debutagainst an opponent who is undefeated. "In my eyes, [Fury] is somebody who has been doing good in and outside the ring," Miller told BBC Sport.
Paul Pogba: Man Utd midfielder happy at club - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Paul Pogba is happy at the club, amid rumours linking the midfielder with Real Madrid. Pogba described the Spanish giants as "a dream club for every player" while on international duty with France, and Real bossZinedine Zidane has said he likes the 26-year-old "a lot". But Solskjaer said on Monday: "He didnʼt talk about himself."He said anyone would like to play for Real Madrid." Pogba rejoined United from Juventus in 2016 for a then world record £89m but his future at Old Trafford appeared in doubt earlier this season. There were widespread reports of acrimony between the Frenchman and former manager Jose Mourinho, before the Portuguese was sacked in December and replaced by Solskjaer. 6
London Broncos have long-term ambition to win Super League title Promoted London Broncos must have the ambition to win Super League in the future, says head coach Danny Ward. The Broncos will be back in the top flight in 2019 afterbeating Toronto Wolfpack 4-2 in the Million Pound Gameon Sunday. "We need to make it work, have a five-year plan of where we want to be," Ward told BBC Radio London. "Next year is going to be tough but we want a long-term vision to make London the best club in the country." He added: "We donʼt just want to compete in Super League, but win it. We are not there just to survive." Ward, who took charge following the departure of Andrew Henderson at the end of last season, described their victory over the Wolfpack in Canada as "one of the proudest moments" of his career. "What a performance, what a day and what an achievement - I am still on a massive high," he said on their return to England. "To lead the club into the Million Pound Game and win promotion is one of my biggest ever achievements."
Roger Federer to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final Federer will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final
Roger Federer is one win away from a 100th ATP singles title after a semi-final victory over Borna Coric at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Federer, 37, showed his best form of the tournament in easing to a 6-2 6-2 win over the 22-year-old Croat. He now faces Greeceʼs Stefanos Tsitsipas, who beat Federer in the Australian Open last 16 in January. A win will make Federer the second male player to win 100 singles titles after American Jimmy Connors, who won 109. "Tsitsipas is tough to play, tough to beat," said Federer. "He showed me that at the Australian Open, how hard he is. Maybe the final is a little bit of a revenge
match. "Reaching 100 titles - weʼre still far from it. Iʼm just going to try to focus and play good tennis," Tsitsipas recovered from a set and 3-1 down to get past Frenchman Gael Monfils 4-6 7-6(4) 7-6(4), a win which will propel the 20-year-old into the worldʼs top 10 for the first time in his career. "The whole match changed out of nowhere," Tsitsipas said. "Iʼve improved since last year. Beating the big guys, big players, players that have been in the top 10, it means a lot."
Bahrain GP: Sebastian Vettel has ʼhomeworkʼ to do after error Ferrariʼs Sebastian Vettel says he must "digest" the spin that cost him at least second place at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The German four-time world champion lost control while battling with Mercedesʼ Lewis Hamilton, who inherited victory when Vettelʼs teammate Charles Leclerc suffered engine problems. "I donʼt think it has anything to do with pressure," said 31-year-old Vettel. "I was surprised when I lost the rear that sudden. It was certainly my
mistake." It was the fifth similar error in the past 13 races by Vettel, whose title hopes in 2018 were significantly dented by repeated errors from both the driver and his Ferrari team. Vettel admitted he was "not happy" about a "difficult race" on Sunday, when he was out-paced by Leclerc - in only his second race for Ferrari in his second season in F1. "Plenty of homework on my side after this weekend," Vettel said. "Not having the feel for the car, so we need to have a good look."