Connect with us

Published

on

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has won the Formula One world title for a fourth straight year.

His victory was confirmed after finishing fifth at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Mercedes’ George Russell won the race.

Max Verstappen celebrates his win. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

The 27-year-old Dutchman becomes just the sixth driver in Formula One history to win four titles or more, after outscoring Lando Norris who took the chequered flag in only sixth.

Verstappen is now guaranteed the world crown with two races still remaining, with his domination cementing his name among Formula One’s greats.

“Oh my God man,” said an emotional Verstappen after securing the world title. “What a season. Four times. It was a little bit more difficult than last year.”

Lewis Hamilton raced back from 10th to second place to complete an impressive one-two finish for Mercedes. Carlos Sainz finished third for Ferrari, one place ahead of his team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Russell’s third victory was the most dominant of his career so far, crossing the line 7.3 seconds clear of Hamilton.

More on Formula 1

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have each won a record seven, with 1950s Argentine legend Juan-Manuel Fangio on five ahead of Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and now Verstappen on four.

Having won every Drivers’ Championship since claiming his first in the controversial end to the 2021 season when he beat Hamilton in deeply contentious circumstances, Verstappen now joins Hamilton, Fangio and Vettel in winning four titles consecutively.

Only Schumacher has achieved a run of five.

Red Bull's principal sponsor Christian Horner on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Red Bull’s principal sponsor Christian Horner on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Pic: Reuters

The team were hit by controversy earlier this season, with Red Bull’s principal sponsor, Christian Horner, facing allegations of controlling behaviour by a female staff member. Horner, who denied the accusations, was cleared, and a subsequent appeal was thrown out.

Horner congratulated Verstappen on the radio, telling him: “Max Verstappen you are a four-time world champion. That is a phenomenal, phenomenal achievement. You can be incredibly proud of yourself.”

Red Bull is on course to finish third in the constructors’ championship this year. This century only Hamilton in 2008 with McLaren, and Verstappen in 2021, have won the drivers’ title when their team did not win the constructors’ championship.

Continue Reading

UK

First victim of serial paedophile Richard Burrows regrets not reporting assault at the time

Published

on

By

First victim of serial paedophile Richard Burrows regrets not reporting assault at the time

The first known victim of serial paedophile Richard Burrows has told Sky News he regrets not reporting his assault at the time to save others from “falling into the same trap”.

Burrows, 81, will learn his sentence at Chester Crown Court today after being convicted last month of dozens of sexual offences against young boys.

The judge told him it is “inevitable” he might never be released.

The former scout master had spent 27 years on the run, living in what he called “paradise” in Thailand, after stealing the identity of a friend and fleeing the UK when he was due in court in 1997.

Richard Burrows asia feature -
Image:
A police photo of Burrows from the 1990s. Pic: Cheshire Police

He was arrested when he arrived at Heathrow in March last year.

The trial heard that Burrows had obtained positions of authority and systematically abused boys from the 1960s to the mid-1990s.

He had worked as a housemaster at a school for troubled boys and befriended other youngsters through amateur radio clubs.

One of those was his first victim, aged 14 at the time in the late 1960s, and now 71.

He told Sky News: “It’s been an awfully long time and after 57 years I’ve got to see the results at the end of it.

“It does actually feel like a weight’s been lifted. You hear that expression all through life, but it’s the first time ever really felt it.”

He described Burrows as a “devious, nasty creature”.

Read more:
Decades on the beach – sex offender’s life in hiding

The man, who cannot be identified as he is the victim of a sexual offence, attended Burrows’s trial and delivered a victim impact statement at his sentencing.

He said he wanted to do this because of the regret he carries to this day.

“I wish I’d said something when it happened because I feel that, in retrospect, if I would have said something, then maybe it would have stopped other people from falling into the same trap that I did,” he added.

“But at that time, at that age, I thought I probably wouldn’t have been believed, and I felt too ashamed and embarrassed and even guilty to even mention it to anybody else. So, I didn’t, and I regret not doing that.”

Photos of Burrows in Thailand. Pic: Cheshire Police
Image:
Photos of Burrows in Thailand. Pic: Cheshire Police

The man contacted police after seeing an appeal for help in finding the fugitive Burrows on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme in 2011. It would be another decade before he was arrested.

He said: “I really begrudge him those 27 years. It’s 27 years and he’s just left a trail of wreckage behind him while he’s enjoying himself.

“It’s a shame he’s not got another 27 years to look forward to in jail.”

Although he was the earliest victim on the indictment at Burrows’s trial, like detectives from Cheshire Police, he believes there could be other victims who have not come forward.

He said: “Personally, I don’t think I was the first victim. I think that he was probably fairly well practiced in the art of what he was doing prior to my meeting him.”

Richard Burrows, 80, is on trial for child sex offences.  Burrows worked at a school in Cheshire in the 1960s, where he allegedly preyed on vulnerable youngsters.
Image:
Burrows being met by police at Heathrow. Pic: Cheshire Police

Burrows was initially charged in May 1997 but failed to attend a hearing later that year.

He remained on the wanted list until police using facial recognition software matched him to a man using the name Peter Smith. He had stolen the identity of a terminally ill friend to obtain a passport.

After his conviction in March, judge Steven Everett told Burrows he had caused “untold distress and trauma to the victims and their families”.

Continue Reading

UK

UK joins US in strike on Houthi target in Yemen for first time since Donald Trump re-elected

Published

on

By

UK joins US in strike on Houthi target in Yemen for first time since Donald Trump re-elected

The UK has joined US forces in attacking a Houthi target in Yemen for the first time since Donald Trump was re-elected.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the strikes took place on Tuesday as part of the government’s response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The ministry said careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings used by the Houthis to manufacture the sort of drones used to attack ships, located 15 miles south of the capital Sanaa.

RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on several buildings using Paveway IV precision-guided bombs.

The planes had air refuelling support from Voyager tankers.

The ministry said the strike was conducted after dark to reduce the likelihood of civilians being in the area.

All the aircraft returned safely.

John Healey during the press conference.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
John Healey. Pic: Reuters

Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security.

“Royal Air Force Typhoons have successfully conducted strikes against a Houthi military target in Yemen and all UK aircraft and personnel have returned safely to base.

“We conducted these strikes, supported by the US, to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against UK and international shipping.”

Read more from Sky News:
Kneecap’s Eden Project gig cancelled amid ‘kill MPs’ row
Israel releases medic detained after IDF attack on aid workers
Crush fly-tippers’ vans, government tells councils

Houthis a ‘persistent threat’ to ‘freedom of navigation’

Mr Healey said Houthi activities in the Red Sea are a “persistent threat” to “freedom of navigation”.

“A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK,” he said.

“The government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people. I am proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by the service men and women involved in this operation.”

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

US intensifies strikes on Houthis

It was the first time UK forces have struck a target in Yemen since May last year, the ministry confirmed.

The US has intensified its strikes on the Iran-backed Houthis under Mr Trump’s presidency, after his re-election in November 2024.

The group began launching attacks on shipping routes in November 2023 saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Footage showing people being pulled from rubble has been released by Houthi rebels in Yemen

The strike came after a Houthi-controlled TV channel claimed a US strike killed 68 people at a detention centre for African migrants in Yemen on Monday.

Continue Reading

UK

Woman dies in skydiving incident in County Durham

Published

on

By

Woman dies in skydiving incident in County Durham

A woman has died in a skydiving incident in County Durham.

Emergency crews were called to Wreford’s Farm in Shotton Colliery, near Peterlee, on Sunday morning.

The woman, aged in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Durham Constabulary spokesperson said the woman’s death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.

North East Ambulance Service said it was called to the incident at 10.17am on Sunday.

“We dispatched one ambulance crew and one specialist paramedic to the incident,” a spokesperson added.

Read more from Sky News:
House destroyed after explosion
Canadian PM issues Trump warning

Wreford’s Farm is described on its website as a “small, family run farm” which produces pork and beef using “regenerative agriculture”.

Continue Reading

Trending