Auto News

McLaren are running Oscar Piastri in their 2021 Formula 1 car at the Circuit de Catalunya this week as they prepare him for his world championship debut next year. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free It is the third time Piastri has driven for the team since joining them from Alpine, where he was a reserve driver. Alpine gave Piastri his first experience of contemporary F1 machinery in last year’s official post-season test day. As their junior driver Piastri drove two-year-old F1 cars in private tests from 2020 to halfway through this year, when he stunned the team by signing to race for McLaren next year. McLaren are now embarking on a similar programme to the one Piastri had as an Alpine junior. His first two-day test took place at Paul Ricard at the start of November in an unspecified older car, once an agreement had been reached to allow Piastri to depart Alpine early. He then drive the team’s current car in the only day of post-season testing at Yas … [Read more...] about Piastri tests 2021 McLaren F1 car in Spain · RaceFans

Virtuosi Racing has announced Amaury Cordeel and Alpine junior Jack Doohan as its two drivers for the 2023 Formula 2 season. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Doohan will embark on his second season in the series and with the team, having come sixth in the championship with three race wins in his rookie campaign. He made two appearances in Formula 1 free practice sessions with Alpine at the end of the season. “I’m thrilled to be continuing with Virtuosi Racing for my second year in F2,” said Doohan, who is also aiming to be Alpine’s reserve driver in Formula 1 for 2023. “After a strong first season together, I couldn’t be happier to be going into 2023 with the same great team around me. I can’t wait to get redemption from this season.” Cordeel will also be a F2 sophomore in 2023, having driven for Van Amersfoort Racing this season. He missed one round after he collected 12 penalty points on his licence, triggering an automatic ban. After returning he … [Read more...] about F2: Cordeel joins Alpine’s Doohan at Virtuosi for 2023 · RaceFans

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 30 BEIJING (AP) — Jiang Zemin, who led China out of isolation after the army crushed the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989 and supported economic reforms that led to a decade of explosive growth, died Wednesday. He was 96. Jiang, who was president for a decade until 2003 and led the ruling Communist Party for 13 years until 2002, died of leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai, state media reported. His death comes after the party faced its most widespread public show of opposition in decades when crowds called for leader Xi Jinping to resign during weekend protests of anti-virus controls that are confining millions of people to their homes. A surprise choice to lead a divided Communist Party after … [Read more...] about Jiang Zemin, who guided China’s economic rise, dies

BERLIN (AP) — A court in western Germany convicted a 39-year-old man of murder Wednesday in the shooting deaths of two police officers who had stopped him and an accomplice earlier this year on suspicion of poaching. Fatal attacks on police are rare in Germany and the killings of the two young officers prompted widespread outrage and condemnation. A regional court in the city of Kaiserslautern sentenced the defendant, who was identified only as Andreas S. due to privacy rules, to life imprisonment. Judges dismissed the defendant's claim that he had acted in self-defense and ruled that due to the severity of the crime he will not be automatically eligible for parole after 15 years. A second, 33-year-old defendant was found guilty of commercial poaching but the court refrained from sentencing him because his testimony had helped solve the case and he didn't shoot, German news agency dpa reported. The 29-year-old male officer and a 24-year-old female colleague who had nearly … [Read more...] about Life sentence for poacher who killed German police officers

After a pair of mass shootings roiled America’s long holiday weekend , U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D- Conn., this week suggested that lawmakers consider withholding federal funds from police agencies that refuse to enforce laws designed to keep firearms out of the hands of potential killers. Murphy, one of the Senate’s most vocal proponents for gun control efforts , spoke about the need to address sporadic enforcement of state and federal gun laws during an appearance on CNN’s Face the Nation , in which he said that the “majority” of counties are effectively sanctuaries for a right-wing interpretation of the Second Amendment . “They have decided that they are going to essentially refuse to implement laws that are on the books,” Murphy said. “That is a growing problem in this country and I think we’re going to have to have a conversation about that in the United States Senate. Do we want to continue to supply funding to law enforcement in counties that refuse to implement … [Read more...] about Sen. Murphy proposes linking federal funding for police to enforcement of existing gun laws

BERLIN (AP) — German police searched homes and questioned suspects as part of an annual nationwide crackdown against online hate speech, authorities said Wednesday. Police carried out 91 operations in 14 German states. In the central state of Hesse, officers investigated three women and six men, ages 17 to 72, prosecutors said. The allegations against them include incitement to hatred, defamation and libel. Germany has staged annual police raids against online hate speech since 2016. The country's top security official, Nancy Faeser, said in a statement that crimes committed on social media, messaging apps and Internet forums provide “fertile ground for extremist violence." “We need to draw clear lines here and get the culprits out of their supposed anonymity,” she said. Federal police say more than 2,000 politically motivated crimes committed online are recorded each year in Germany, but the actual figure is likely to be much higher because many illegal postings aren't … [Read more...] about German police raid, question online hate speech suspects

The first in a series of new committee assignments at the General Assembly will come Wednesday when House Speaker Matt Ritter names Rep. Maria Horn, D-Salisbury, as co-chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. At least seven legislative committees will get new co-chairs in the term that begins Jan. 4, including one of the more challenging assignments, co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee. Multiple sources say Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, is Ritter’s choice for co-chair of the energy committee, a venue for whatever policy changes will arise from the sharply increasing costs of electricity in Connecticut. Steinberg’s appointment will come later this week, while Horn’s will be announced Wednesday, sources said. Unlike Congress, all committees of the Connecticut General Assembly are joint committees with House and Senate co-chairs and rank-and-file members. Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, the choices of the House … [Read more...] about CT legislative committees to get shake up in leadership

BERLIN (AP) — The German government said Wednesday that it plans to ease entry rules for immigrants from outside the European Union to help meet Germany's demand for skilled workers. Experts say Europe's biggest economy needs about 400,000 skilled immigrants each year as the country's ageing workforce shrinks, particularly to fill vacancies in the health care, IT and construction sectors. Lack of workers endangers Germany's ambitious plans to boost the roll-out of renewable energy, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said. “We’ve known for years that we’re going to have a demographic problem but nothing was done about it,” he told reporters in Berlin. Cabinet agreed on a draft proposal that would help would-be immigrants from outside the EU get their skills and qualifications recognized and lower bureaucratic hurdles — such as language requirements — for some sectors such as IT. Labor Minister Hubertus Heil said that apart from providing more language training abroad, Germany … [Read more...] about Germany seeks to boost immigration of skilled workers

(BPT) - Does winter in the Northern Hemisphere have you dreaming of a tropical vacation? Honduras, coincidentally, is at its peak dry season from December to April. If you’re looking to escape the cold for a warm-weather destination offering unique, affordable, one-of-a-kind experiences for divers, history buffs, adventure seekers and wildlife lovers alike, a Honduran vacation may just be your ticket. Located in the heart of Central America, Honduras boasts an environment rich in biodiversity — with an array of ecosystems including dense rainforests, towering cloud forests, rushing rivers and the largest coral reef in the Americas. The Honduran Conservation Coalition has taken it upon themselves to protect Honduran biodiversity — and even encourages visitors to participate. All this adds up to outdoor adventures and communing with the natural world, where there is something for travelers of all types: 1. Scuba diving enthusiast You probably will have to look hard and long … [Read more...] about Hidden gems in Honduras offer something for every type of traveler