R8 in red

SYDNEY: Queensland Reds hooker Alex Mafi scored his second try and James O'Connor converted two minutes from time to the give them a last-gasp 23-21 Super Rugby AU victory over the Melbourne Rebels in Brisbane on Friday. The visitors had led until that point on the back of seven penalty kicks and Matt To'omua still had a chance to steal the match at the death but the Wallabies playmaker steered his attempt wide of the Lang Park posts from 42 metres out. To'omua kicked five penalties to give his side a 15-6 lead just after halftime as the Rebels looked to gain a measure of revenge for their loss to the Reds in the playoff semi-final in last year's inaugural competition. They outsmarted the Reds for much of their season-opener, defusing the high-octane home attack with stifling defence while To'omua punished their mistakes from the kicking tee. The Reds, handsome winners over the New South Wales Waratahs in round one last week, looked to their forwards to try and break down … [Read more...] about Reds strike late to put down Rebels in Brisbane

MILAN: AC Milan progressed to the last 16 of the Europa League on away goals after struggling to a 1-1 draw at home to Red Star Belgrade on Thursday, with the visitors playing the final 20 minutes with 10 men as the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate. Milan took the lead in the San Siro in the ninth minute from the penalty spot, with Franck Kessie converting after Mark Gobeljic had handled in the penalty area. But for the third time in the tie, Red Star levelled the aggregate scoreline as El Fardou Ben Nabouhane equalised in the 24th minute, with the visitors more than matching their illustrious opponents for the rest of the first half. Even with Red Star going down to 10 men, as they did in the first leg, after Gobeljic was sent off for picking up his second yellow card, they continued to create the better chances. Milan were forced to withstand late pressure but they held on to book a spot in the next round. Their unconvincing form continues, however, as Stefano Pioli's side … [Read more...] about Football: Milan limp through on away goals after draw with Red Star

LONDON: Red Bull provided a glimpse on Tuesday (Feb 23) of the Formula One car that Max Verstappen hopes will take him to a first title and end seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton's reign with Mercedes. The team published studio images online of the matte liveried RB16B car, substantially similar to last year's model but with Honda branding in place of previous title sponsor Aston Martin. Aston Martin are now a team in their own right after the renaming of Racing Point under Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll. "Same same ... but different," Red Bull commented on Twitter. "On the surface the first images of the new car suggests that not too much has changed over the winter," the team added on their website. "Far from it, as under the skin the RB16B features plenty of changes that maintain F1’s status as a serial battle of the boffins." Red Bull won two races last year with Verstappen and finished distant runners-up to Mercedes, who have taken both titles for the … [Read more...] about Red Bull F1 team reveal their potential Mercedes-beater

BELGRADE: Red Star Belgrade issued an apology to AC Milan and their striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Friday for racist abuse the Swede suffered during Thursday's Europa League match between the two teams in the Serbian capital. Belgrade media reported that Ibrahimovic, who has Bosnian roots, was insulted by an individual seated in the Red Star stadium's VIP box and the B92 website published a clip with a soundbite of the comments. "Red Star vehemently condemns abusive chants to Zlatan Ibrahimovic during the Europa League match with AC Milan," the club said in a statement circulated to Serbian media. "The club did everything in its power to organise the event on a high level and we will not allow a primitive individual to stain Serbia's traditional hospitality. "We will work with the authorities to identify the offender and we will also insist that he is punished to the full extent of the law. "Red Star again sincerely apologises to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and we stress that the … [Read more...] about Football: Red Star apologise to Ibrahimovic for racist abuse

NASA 's Perseverance rover has captured a stunning high resolution 360-degree panorama of Mars, showing the dusty landscape in incredible detail. The panorama shows the rim of the Jezero Crater where the rover touched down last week and the cliff face of an ancient river delta in the distance. Captured in stunning HD, it was taken by the rover's Mastcam-Z, a dual-camera system equipped with a zoom function to help it focus on distant objects. The newly released panorama was stitched together by NASA from 142 individual images taken by the rover on February 20. Captured in stunning HD, it was taken by the rover's Mastcam-Z, a dual-camera system equipped with a zoom function to help it focus on distant objects NASA says the Mastcam-Z is equipped to take high-definition video, panoramic colour images and 3D images of the Martian surface in incredible detail. The Perseverance team tweeted along with the new image: 'I'm taking it all in. This is the first 360º view of … [Read more...] about NASA’s Perseverance rover snaps its first 360-degree PANORAMA of the Red Planet showing Mars’ dusty landscape in stunning detail

LONDON: Red Bull's decision to run their own-branded Formula One engines from 2022 using Honda technology puts the former champions on a par with the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari, team principal Christian Horner said on Monday. "We have taken control of our own destiny, in respect of integrating power unit with chassis, " he told reporters in a video call. Red Bull finished second to Mercedes last season, with Dutch driver Max Verstappen the best of the rest, but faced the departure of engine supplier Honda at the end of 2021. They have opted to form a powertrain company using the Japanese technology in a move made possible by F1 agreeing an engine development freeze until the next generation power unit comes in for 2025. Horner said Red Bull, who also have sister team AlphaTauri, were taking a long-term view because the investment in facilities was significant. "We've got the short-term scenario of the existing regulations and then of course whatever the new … [Read more...] about Motor racing: Red Bull have taken control of own destiny, says Horner

LONDON: Formula One teams and manufacturers voted unanimously on Thursday (Feb 11) to end development of the current engines after this season in a move that paves the way for Red Bull to continue using Honda-designed power units. Honda are leaving the sport at the end of 2021 and Red Bull had said their use of the Japanese manufacturer's engines beyond then depended on a 'freeze' because they could not afford to develop them. The next generation of Formula One engines is due to be introduced in 2025. The governing FIA hailed the vote at a virtual Formula One commission meeting as "a significant development for the sport" that reflected "the unity and collaborative spirit between the FIA, Formula One and the teams." Formula One is due to introduce major aerodynamic changes next year, shaking up the sport that has been dominated by Mercedes since the introduction of the V6 turbo hybrid engines in 2014. Red Bull would have been faced with a choice of switching to Renault … [Read more...] about F1 to freeze engines from 2022 in boost for Red Bull

GENEVA: The Red Cross launched a campaign on Thursday (Feb 4) to help get 500 million vaccines to people in poorer countries, as Iran received its first jabs from Russia. While mass vaccinations are ushering in hope that the pandemic will soon end, the World Health Organization is investigating the origins of the disease in China. But a member of the team told AFP they would not be chasing fanciful theories, including one that the disease was developed in a Chinese lab. Pressure is growing on richer countries to help in a global inoculation effort, with Red Cross chief Jagan Chapagain warning that the current unequal rollout "could backfire to deadly and devastating effect". "It could prolong or even worsen this terrible pandemic," he said, promising to pour more than US$100 million into an effort to distribute vaccines and encourage uptake. So far, more than 115 million doses have been distributed around the world, but the vast majority of those doses have gone to richer … [Read more...] about Red Cross boosts COVID-19 vaccine hopes for poor as jabs arrive in Iran

"Today's interim report from the UNFCCC is a red alert for our planet," said UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. The report released Friday looks at the national climate efforts of 75 states that have already submitted their updated "nationally determined contributions," or NDCs . The countries included in the report are responsible for about 30% of the world's global greenhouse gas emissions. While most have increased their individual climate efforts, only two of the worst emitters, including the UK and the EU, have stepped up their goals considerably. And their current plans to tackle the climate crisis "are very far from putting us on a pathway that will meet our Paris Agreement goals," said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change. The individual contributions submitted to date would only cut about 1 % of global greenhouse gas emissions — a far cry from the 45% cut needed by 2030 to meet the 1.5 degree goal , according to the Intergovernmental … [Read more...] about UN: ‘Red Alert’ for National Climate Goals

Perez has sampled Red Bull F1 machinery for the first time this week, completing a run in the 2019-spec RB15 on Tuesday before completing a filming day shakedown in the new RB16B on Wednesday. The Mexican has joined Red Bull on a one-year deal after leaving Racing Point at the end of last year, replacing Alexander Albon. It marks Perez's first time racing for a front-running team since his single-season stint with McLaren in 2013, handing him the chance to add to his shock maiden F1 victory in Sakhir last year. But Red Bull's cars have traditionally been tricky for drivers to adjust to, with the RB16 proving skittish for both Albon and teammate Max Verstappen in the early part of last year. Asked by Motorsport.com how he has found adjusting to a new car concept both during the filming day and in the simulator, Perez noted there were definite differences to what he has previously driven. "It is quite different, I can already spot the differences," Perez said. … [Read more...] about Perez can see why drivers struggled to adapt to Red Bull F1 car