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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Carnival parades draw millions across Germany Millions of revelers have braved cold winter weather to attend traditional carnival parades in Germany. The processions often take on a highly satirical note. Germanyʼs carnival season reached its height on Monday, with colorful "Rose Monday" parades taking place in many cities, particularly the traditional strongholds of Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz in the west of the country. The parade in Cologne, which took the motto "We in Cologne march to a different tune" ("Mer Kölsche danze us der Reih" in the local dialect), featured some 11,000 participants, around 390 horses and 85 floats, many of which bore huge and often unflattering figures representing politicians. Among those singled out for satire this year were Chancellor Angela Merkel, US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Investigators hunt for clues to deadly Russian jet crash Authorities are analyzing one of the flight data recorders to try and figure out what caused a deadly crash that killed 71 people. The Russian-made plane went down on Sunday shortly after takeoff.

On Monday, more than 100 investigators combed through the wreckage ofa plane crash that killed all 71 people onboardshortly after takeoff from Moscowʼs Domodedovo airport.

Heavy snowfall forced workers to search the crash site, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Moscow, on foot and on snowmobiles as they looked for human remains and clues to what caused the incident. "We plan to carry out the main stage of the search operation in seven days because the plane debris is scattered over a very large area," Emergency Services Minister Vladimir Puchkov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

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Ukrainian opposition leader Saakashvili ʼkidnappedʼ at Kyiv restaurant The politician had been facing a deportation order after his appeal was rejected by a court last wee

Dutch minister admits to lying about ʼGreater Russiaʼ meeting with Vladimir Putin Halbe Ziljstra has landed in hot water over his own account of controversial remarks allegedly made by the Russian president. The controversy comes ahead of his trip to Moscow, where he will meet with Sergei Lavrov. The Netherlandsʼ foreign minister, Halbe Zijlstra, admitted on Monday ahead of a trip to Moscow that he had lied about attending a controversial meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before he entered politics. Zijlstra, who became foreign minister in October, claimed to have met Putin at the presidentʼs dacha in 2006 while working for the oil company Shell. Putin supposedly told Zijlstra and others he considered Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states a part of "Greater Russia," adding: "Kazakhstan was nice to have."

Austria: Deadly train crash rips windows from passenger car A spokeswoman for Mikheil Saakashvili claims he was "kidnapped" by "Ukrainian bandits."

A video uploaded to the official Facebook page of Ukrainian opposition leader Mikheil Saakashviliclaims that the politician was "kidnapped" while dining at a Kyiv restaurant on Monday. His spokeswoman later confirmed that Saakashvili had beendetained by unknown men wearing green camouflage. "According to some information, they were representatives of a special unit of the border service," she said. The Kyiv police denied involvement in the incident. An update on his Facebook page read: "There is no legal reason for this deportation. This is a kidnapping by Ukrainian bandits in order to get rid of a political opponent!" Earlier this week, Saakashviliʼs lawyer warned that the leader of the Movement of New Forces party was facing extradition to Georgia after losing an appeal for official protection.

Saakashvili, 49, was president of his

native Georgia for two terms from 2004 to 2013, before moving to Ukraine after a myriad of fraud charges were leveled against him.

Following his support for the popular uprising in that country, Saakashvili worked closely with President Petro Poroshenko and even became governor of Odessa.

Saakashvili was also granted Ukrainian citizenship, forcing him to give up his Georgian passport.

Aftera falling out with Poroshenko, Saakashvili lost his Ukrainian nationality as well, making him a stateless person. Saakashvili has repeatedly expressed a wish to stay in Ukraine to "get rid of the old corrupt elite." Ukraineʼs border patrol service did not confirm that they had made the arrest, but officials later told the press that Saakashvili had been deported to Poland, because it was the country from which he arrived.

At least one woman has died after a Germany-bound train collided with a regional train in the Austrian town of Niklasdorf. The side-swipe collision took out a row of windows on one of the trains, injuring 22 passengers.

Two passenger trains collided on Monday in the southern Austrian state of Steiermark, causing one of the passenger cars to derail while others sustained heavy damage. At least one woman was killed in the crash, Austrian police said. Another 22 people were injured, including three children.

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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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New York prosecutor sues Harvey Weinsteinʼs studio ahead of reported sale Prosecutors claim Weinstein also threatened to kill employees and their families

New Yorkʼs Attorney General has sued Harvey Weinsteinʼs excompany for failing to protect its staff from sexual harassment and abuse.

New Yorkʼs Attorney General has sued Harvey Weinsteinʼs excompany for failing to protect its staff from sexual harassment and abuse. Prosecutors claim Weinstein also threatened to kill employees and their families. New York state prosecutor Eric Schneiderman is seeking financial compensation for victims of sexual harassment and abuse who had worked under Harvey Weinstein.

The civil rights lawsuit targetsthe 65year-old producer,his younger brother Robert, and the movie studio founded by the pair where many of the incidents allegedly took place.

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-

Employees of Weinsteinʼs studio were working "under a persistent barrage of gender-based obscenities, vulgar name-calling" and "threats of violence," Schneiderman said in the lawsuit filed on Sunday. The studio was forced to fire Harvey Weinstein amidnumerous reports of sexual misconduct last October. According to Schneiderman, Weinstein also threatened his employees that he would "kill" them and their families, and boasted about his contacts among political figures and the US Secret Service that could "take care of problems." 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.

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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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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.

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 Palazzo Zichy H-1088 Budapest, Lőrinc pap tér 2.

T.: +36 1 235 4000 reservation@hpz.hu www.hotel-palazzo-zichy.hu/

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-

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.

Nissan, Dongfeng to invest heavily in e-cars in China

George Soros ʼwonʼt butt outʼ on

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

Brexit after UK press hounding

The Hungarian-born financier has defended donations to a pro-EU group after being accused of trying to undermine Brexit. The controversy saw two sister newspapers at odds and a top broadsheet accused of antiSemitism.

The billionaire George Soros hit back on Sunday after a week during which the UKʼs Brexit-supporting press called him a foreign interloper mixed up in a "secret plot to thwart Brexit" for his funding of the Best for Britain campaign to keep the country in the European Union. "I WONʼT BUTT OUT" — the Mailon Sundayʼs page lead read, with a strapline explaining that Sorosʼ "love for Britain" would see him fight on to oppose the UKʼs exit from the European Union. It was a direct rebuttal of a front-page editorial headline in the Mail on Sundayʼs weekday stablemate The Daily Mail on Friday: "Butt out, Mr Soros. You can keep your tainted money." In his piece, Soros declared himself a "confirmed Anglophile."

With the help of false papers, the 87year-old survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary in World War II before fleeing to Britain when his native country came under communist rule. "I am a proud supporter of Best For Britain, a group that wants Britain to remain a member of the European Union," Soros wrote. "I consider Brexit a tragic mistake."

36/2018 • 13, February 2018

Microplastics endanger whales and sharks Itʼs another wake-up call around the massive problem of plastic pollution

Microplastics represent a significant risk for large marine filter feeders like whales and sharks, a new study reveals.

Our demand for plastic has devastating consequences for oceans and marine wildlife, and scientists have been revealing the role microplastics play in this. A new study highlightsthe significant riskthat microplastics could be posing to iconic large marine animals like baleen whales, whale sharks and manta rays — all marine filter feeders.

Such whales and sharks feed on plankton and other tiny organisms by filtering thousands of cubic meters of seawater that is likely to contain microplastics, researchers

say.The tiny particles — plastic less than 5 millimeters long counts as microplastic — could have dramatic effects for these marine animals, leading to reduced fertility or even decreasing populations. Marine filter feeders, which range from small sponges to huge whales, do not have teeth as animals like dolphins do.

Instead, they have baleen — plates similar to bristles made out of keratin, the same material that our fingernails and hair is made of — that allows them to filter food from the water.

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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36/2018 • 13, 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.