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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 MOSCOW (AP) — Moscow has postponed a round of nuclear arms control talks with the United States set for this week because of stark differences in approach and tensions over Ukraine, a senior Russian diplomat said Tuesday. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the decision to put off the talks that were scheduled to start Tuesday in Cairo was made at the political level. "We faced a situation when our U.S. colleagues not just demonstrated their reluctance to listen to our signals and reckon with our priorities, but also acted in the opposite way,” Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow. Ryabkov claimed the U.S. wanted to focus solely on resuming inspections under the New START treaty and stonewalled Moscow's request to also discuss specifics related to the weapons count under the strategic arms reduction pact. The U.S. State Department said Monday that Moscow had decided to … [Read more...] about Russia says nuclear talks with US delayed amid differences

PHM Racing by Charouz, the new tie-up between Formula 4 team PHM and current Formula 2 squad Charouz Racing System, has announced its first drivers for next year. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Fifth-year F2 driver Roy Nissany will join the team after two seasons at DAMS, while Brad Benavides steps up after racing for Carlin in FIA Formula 3. Nissany, a Williams junior, has been driving in the secondary tier of single-seater racing since 2015, with four wins from three years in Formula V8 3.5 followed by four seasons in F2 that have so far yielded one podium and one front row start, the latter achieved last time out in the 2022 season finale. “It is a very good news that I will race with PHM Racing by Charouz,” said Nissany. “The tests we have done together last week showed some good potential, and I also have good memories from our previous experience together a few years ago [in FV8 3.5]. “I can’t wait to get back in the car and start this new … [Read more...] about Nissany and rookie Benavides take seats at rebranded PHM by Charouz F2 team · RaceFans

Aston Martin pulled off the shock signing of the summer by luring Fernando Alonso from Alpine to join them. He will race alongside Lance Stroll, son of the team’s owner Lawrence. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The billionaire who bought the team four years ago is serious in his desire to transform the outfit into championship contenders. For further proof of that consider the brand new, state-of-the-art, “game-changing” factory and wind tunnel they began building last summer. RaceFans visited the site on Friday as the project nears completion. Based opposite Silverstone circuit the ambitious, 40-acre project will also provide space for a simulator as well as housing the team’s manufacturing, marketing and design teams. Built at an estimated cost of up to £200 million, the site will consist of three buildings. The area of the factory where the team’s future cars will be designed and built is due to come into operation next year. The main building is … [Read more...] about The home of F1’s next new champions? First look at Aston Martin’s £200m ‘game changer’ · RaceFans

Half of the Formula 1 drivers who contested the majority of last season have had their performance ratings cut in the final update to the ratings on the official F1 22 game. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Codemasters have left the scores for the top two drivers, world champion Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, unchanged at 95 and 93 respectively on the 100-point scale. The two drivers who fought over the runner-up spot, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, have seen their scores drop to 91 and 87 respectively. That pair are among 10 drivers whose scores have been adjusted downwards in the last update to this year’s game. They include three of the four drivers who do not have seats for the 2023 F1 season . Mick Schumacher , who began the season rated 77 and rose to 80, has fallen back to his original level. Daniel Ricciardo, who had a score of 90 when last year’s game came out, leaves the sport on 79. Nicholas Latifi drops out with a score of 66, one … [Read more...] about Lower scores for half of drivers in final F1 22 driver ratings · RaceFans

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to return to office, from where he could try to make his yearslong legal troubles disappear through new legislation advanced by his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies. Critics say such a legal crusade is an assault on Israel's democracy. Netanyahu, 73, who is on trial for corruption, will likely be buoyed by a loyal and comfortable governing majority that could grant him a lifeline from conviction. Defenders of the justice system say the proposed changes would allow legislators to abuse their authority and disrupt the tenuous balance of powers that keeps them in check. “It brings us to a situation where our entire democracy boils down to elections, but once you are elected you can do whatever you want,” said Amir Fuchs, senior researcher at Jerusalem’s Israel Democracy … [Read more...] about EXPLAINER: How could allies help Netanyahu beat charges?

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 Jaclyn Gartner was scrolling through photos of shelter pups when one caught her eye: A dog named Van Gogh with only one ear. His left ear had been ripped off in the cruel world of dog fighting, and he was found bloodied and cowering inside a drainage pipe, covered in cuts and scrapes. A shelter in North Carolina was trying to get him adopted. "He'd had an absolutely horrific life, and yet he looked happy, and I was told he got along well with people," said Gartner, founder of the Happily Furever After Rescue in Bethel, Conn., which takes in pets at risk of being put down in shelters because they are old or disabled. "His ear had to be surgically removed, but Van Gogh was resilient, even after all he'd been through." "I had to rescue him," she added. Gartner arranged for the nonprofit Pilots N Paws to fly Van Gogh to her in Connecticut in June. She … [Read more...] about Nobody wanted to adopt the dog with one ear – until he started painting

Will Smith said he has "had to humble down" in the months since he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars - an incident that rocked the entertainment industry and tarnished his image as an unflappable Golden Boy. "I understand how shocking that was for people," Smith told host Trevor Noah on the "Daily Show" on Monday night, in the actor's first late-night interview since the Oscars in March. "There's many nuances and complexities to it," Smith said, "but at the end of the day, I just - I lost it." "I was going through something that night," he admitted, though he did not specify what it was. "Not that that justifies my behavior at all." Smith has kept relatively quiet in the months since he climbed onstage during the 94th Academy Awards and slapped Rock after the comedian made a joke about actress Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith's wife, that hinged on her shaved head. The actress has spoken about her struggles with alopecia, or hair loss. Smith walked up to Rock and slapped him across … [Read more...] about Will Smith tells Trevor Noah ‘I’m a flawed human’ after Oscars slap

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 11 LOS ANGELES - The DM from Ava DuVernay came on a Thursday afternoon. DeMane Davis wasn't expecting it. It was just another day at the Boston advertising agency where she worked when the intriguing message landed. Davis had never met DuVernay, but she knew the director was just coming off her breakthrough film, "Selma." DuVernay also was developing a series for Oprah Winfrey's OWN network based on Natalie Baszile's 2014 novel "Queen Sugar." In the message, DuVernay told Davis she was a fan of "Lift," the 2001 independent film she co-directed starring a pre-"Scandal" Kerry Washington. "Wondering," she asked. "Have you written any episodic TV specs by chance?" Davis had written a pair of unfilmed scripts. But she had pretty much ruled out directing TV. "Because the adage was, you have to have experience to get this job and you … [Read more...] about How ‘Queen Sugar’ changed the lives of its female directors

Beto O’Rourke returned a $1 million donation from embattled cryptocurrency leader Sam Bankman-Fried four days before Election Day, his campaign told The Texas Tribune this week. Bankman-Fried founded FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange that was valued at $32 billion before collapsing abruptly in a matter of days earlier this month, setting off an industrywide panic. Many customers of the popular crypto platform may lose all or part of the money they invested. O’Rourke’s team said they returned the million-dollar donation a week before FTX filed for bankruptcy and Bankman-Fried stepped down as its chief executive, but that the decision was made prior to Nov. 4 and took time to execute. Chris Evans, a spokesperson for O’Rourke’s campaign, said the reimbursement of one of the largest checks to O’Rourke’s gubernatorial campaign was unrelated to the scandals linked to Bankman-Fried’s now flailing cryptocurrency exchange. He said the money, which was received on Oct. 11, was returned … [Read more...] about Beto O’Rourke returned $1 million check from FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried