That was 2011...in news

STUDYING journalism at University, it is essential to keep updated on the latest news around the world, no matter if it has any influence on you.  2011 has been one of the most dramatic news years in recent times, but sadly – there were a lot of dark forces and the stories don’t lie.  Natural disasters, media revelations, economic crisis, uprisings in a new world and man-made riots made it a fairly depressing year for many.

         The heart of Japan was ripped out in March by a devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country.  An 8.9 earthquake on the Richter scale; the most powerful in Japan’s history was followed by a 30ft tsunami which swept away everything in its path.  Cars, people, buildings stood absolutely no chance against Mother Nature’s deadly power.  Many thousands were killed and it is unlikely that the total death toll will ever be recorded, due to the sheer destruction.  It was a year when natural disasters sadly came right to the forefront again.  Flash flooding recently has claimed the lives of 500 people in the Philippines; Brazil was hit by massive landslides which left 15,000 homeless in January.  Australia had to bring in the military following widespread flooding in Queensland and Brisbane, which left at least 25 people dead and nearby neighbours New Zealand were left reeling by the earthquake in Christchurch in February which left over 100 dead.   

         Back at home and the media had its own cross examinations, in the form of a gulfing scandal.  The phone hacking scandal not only stained the reputation of the British print industry, but it has left it with a lot of damage to attempt recovery from.  Andy Coulson, who was David Cameron’s former press aide, was arrested and the chief executive of News International, Rebekah Brooks, eventually resigned from her tainted position.  The Murdoch’s faced severe interrogation from MPs over the actions of rogue journalists, which spelt the end for the News of the World newspaper in July.  The voicemails of murdered teen Milly Dowler were hacked into and many celebrities, including Hugh Grant, Sienna Miller and Andy Gray reported cases of their conversations being taped.  The Leveson enquiry into this summer’s distasteful events is being held at the moment, but the implications are still far reaching for the press sector of media.

         In America, the former doctor of Michael Jackson, Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.  He has since been sentenced to four years in prison.  Meanwhile, student Amanda Knox was cleared on appeal on the murder of fellow British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia.  Knox had spent four years in jail, having been initially convicted in 2007.  

      America also said goodbye to the Space Shuttle, as Atlantis made its final mission in July.  Having been in service for 30 years, the reusable spacecraft has been retired after some success and devastating disasters in American space exploration history.  In Europe, an economic meltdown has seen the Euro on the brink of collapse.  Greece, Ireland and Portugal have asked for emergency bailouts and a recent EU treaty proposal was rejected by David Cameron, which has left Britain playing a dangerous game, but a correct game against Europe.  It has seen tensions rise in the coalition though.  The Liberal Democrats might be at war with the Conservatives with this, but they also lost the AV vote referendum and suffered severe losses in May’s local elections.  In 2010, Nick Clegg was on a crest on a wave, but now, he is among one of the most unpopular politicians ever to have walked in Downing Street!

        The springtime brought about a changing of the guard in the Arab world.  It started with the rebellion in Tunisia, which led to their president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fleeing to Saudi Arabia.  Bahrain’s government also faced upheaval, but survived.  Hosni Mubarak wasn’t so lucky and after weeks of tense fighting and standoff in Cairo, he fled from his position as Egyptian president.  However, there is still great uncertainly about Egypt’s future direction.  Syria, Algeria and Saudi Arabia have also seen scenes of demonstrations in 2011, but it was Libya where the biggest change happened.  Colonel Gadaffi’s cruel regime finally came under stiff attack as world leaders called for him to depart graciously.  Gadaffi held on and declared war; Cameron, Barack Obama and Nicholas Sarkozy reacted and air strikes began on the country, with NATO been called in to help out.  After months of struggle, Gadaffi was captured and killed in September and a new dawn of promise and hope for Libyans might well be on, after years of torture and doom.     

          At the beginning of May, international terrorism came back into the headlines and the world became just a little bit safer.  Barack Obama confirmed the news that Osama Bin Laden was dead.  The Al-Qaeda figurehead was captured and shot dead by US troops in Pakistan; a decade after the search for him began following the September 11^th terrorist attacks.  Ten years on, it will never bring back those who died in the appalling mass murder in America; nor those who suffered in Bali, Istanbul and London in years gone by, but a sense of justice could now be felt.  Despite Bin Laden’s death, terrorism still remains at the forefront of our lives.  In July, Anders Behring Breivik blew up government offices in Oslo, Norway and then, dressed as a policeman, committed a shooting rampage on Utoya Island, where many youngsters were spending a summer holiday at camp.  Around 70 people were thought to have been killed in the two attacks.  More recently, a man threw explosives in Liege, Belgium.  Four died and the gunman took his own life after the four explosions rocked the city centre.    

         In April, Britain had a wonderful day, as millions watched in London and on TV the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  It was a perfect day and put a lot of affection back into our hearts for the Royal Family.  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they are now officially known brought a tear to many people’s eyes to show that our country can really do something that we should be proud of.

     Four months later, the dark side really came to the force as the UK riots stunned us all.  The shooting of Mark Duggan in Tottenham began a chain of events within London and spread across many other areas of the UK on a miserable Monday evening in August.  Businesses were destroyed, damage estimated to be in the billions and the leadership seemed to be lacking from the coalition; all on holiday at the time the riots escalated.  Several people died and record arrests were made, as police struggled to control the loonies who were causing such destruction on our country.  The riots disgusted many and brought shame on a worldwide scale.  The cost is still being felt now. 

       One of the greatest geniuses died in October, as founder and visionary of Apple, Steve Jobs lost his battle against pancreatic cancer.  The world also said goodbye to singer Amy Winehouse, found dead in her London apartment in July.  Elizabeth Taylor, the renowned actress passed away from ill health in March, as did Coronation Street icon Betty Driver in October.  Sport also lost three heroes in Wales’s football manager Gary Speed, who took his own life, former heavyweight world champion Joe Frazier to cancer and double Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon, killed in a horrific 15 car pile-up at the IndyCar season finale in Las Vegas. 

           2011 has been a year full of revelations, rebellion and change.  It has brought some cheer, some justice but also, a lot of devastation and uncertainly.  That was 2011….in news.

2011 Japanese Grand Prix - Button wins the battle; Vettel retains his title

CHAMP: Third place for Vettel was enough for a second title

SEBASTIAN Vettel made history this morning in Japan by securing the one point he required to become the youngest ever back-to-back Formula One world champion.  The German, 24 finished in third place at Suzuka to finally extinguish the final hope from a potential championship challenge in the form of Jenson Button.  However, Button won this tremendous Japanese Grand Prix in style to not only cement his position in second place in the driver’s championship, but lay down a serious marker that things might be significantly different in 2012.

GRASSY: Vettel squeezes out Button on the rundown to turn one

    Vettel arrived in Japan looking very relaxed, with just one point required to finish the job and finally rubberstamp the seal on a dominant season, which has seen his Red Bull dismantle a top-quality field.  Even if he remarkably failed to get anymore points between this race and the season’s conclusion in Brazil on November 27, Button would have to win every single event left on the 2011 calendar.  This weekend, the McLaren looked the better package around this high-speed venue and only an immense lap from Vettel earnt him his customary pole position yesterday.  He didn’t waste his advantage at the start of the race either, which irked Button.  Sebastian moved across the road to defend his position into the first corner, leaving Jenson with the choice of having a silly accident or backing off onto the grass.  Sensibly, Jenson lifted and this forced hesitation allowed Lewis Hamilton into second place.  Button was livid and wanted his title rival to get a penalty for his questionable driving.  Rightfully, the race stewards looked into the incident, but correctly decided not to take further action.

      With high tyre degradation levels from the Pirelli tyres this weekend, managing the rubber was going to always be the decisive factor, with DRS not playing so much of a crucial role in Japan.  Hamilton picked up a slow puncture early on and had to let Button through into second, before being forced to pit.  His podium chances were finished and once again, Lewis would have a run-in with his best mate at the moment, Felipe Massa.  The pair made contact on lap 24 into the final chicane, with a piece of debris coming off the Ferrari in the process.  Again, the stewards took a closer look, but decided that Hamilton’s strong defensive driving was legal.  However, the Safety Car was curiously called out to remove the tiny, offending Ferrari piece of bodywork on the road. 

     Button seemed to have the measure of Vettel on the option tyre and with the champion-elect’s setup indicating higher tyre wear, the McLaren was able to take the lead at the second round of stops and control proceedings from there.  His pace on the Safety Car restart was blistering, whilst Vettel’s tyres kept …blistering.  After another stop, the German got bottled up behind Adrian Sutil for two laps and this enabled the canny Fernando Alonso to leapfrog Vettel into second place.  Slightly ahead of them and Michael Schumacher took the opportunity to lead some laps thanks to the bunching up behind the pace car.  It means Schumacher becomes the oldest driver to lead any racing laps since Sir Jack Brabham in 1961 and that’s a record Vettel will struggle to take.  In the closing stages, Alonso upped the ante and forced Button, who was in fuel saving mode, to respond.  As you would expect from the 2009 world champion, he did and crossed the line approximately two seconds infront of the Spaniard to record his third win of the season.  Vettel kept pushing, but knowing that the podium was safe, held back to take the 15 points on offer for third position and sealed the inevitable of becoming 2011 FIA Formula One World Champion.

     Behind them, Mark Webber drove to fourth in the second Red Bull, to strengthen the team’s constructor’s championship ambitions.  Hamilton described his race as ‘shocking’ afterwards, but still recorded fifth, ahead of Schumacher and Massa, who put in another poor performance in the sister Ferrari, considering he outqualified Alonso on Saturday.  Sergio Perez came eighth for Sauber, holding off the effects of a flu bug that made him look as white as a sheep all weekend.  Vitaly Petrov’s fighting ninth place keeps Lotus Renault well on course for fifth in the constructor’s championship and Nico Rosberg made use of his five sets of fresh tyres after a hydraulics failure eliminated him in Q1.  Rosberg’s point was a good performance, ahead of both Force India’s and the local hero, Kamur Kobayashi.  Although it earnt nothing, Adrian Sutil pulled off the move of the race and potentially the season, when he drilled Kobayashi on the inside of the daunting 130R, on worn tyres and the dirty racing line.  It was a brave and superb piece of driving from Sutil and it earnt him, 11^th place and no points.  The only retirement of the afternoon was Sebastian Buemi, who had to pull off when a tyre wasn’t fitted onto his Toro Rosso properly after his first pitstop.

SOAKING: Winner Button gets a nice champagne shower from Vettel

     The emotion on Button’s face was clear afterwards, as he lives in Japan for most of the year with his beautiful Japanese girlfriend, Jessica.  Having spent several years driving for Honda too, you can understand Jenson’s affection for the place.  This was his first dry race win for McLaren and on this evidence, he will win more before the end of the season.  It was a great performance and in his celebrations, he pointed to his special helmet, which is to be auctioned off for charity to help those still suffering from the after-effects of the devastating tsunami to hit the country in March.

     However, Sebastian Vettel steals the limelight today with his incredible feat, in what has been an almost faultless season.  This won’t be his last title either and many of Schumacher’s records look increasingly under threat now, from this latest German wunderkind.  He joins Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Brabham, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Alonso in the shortlist of back-to-back world champions and it is a list he fully deserves to be on.  Although the constructor’s championship still needs to be sorted, we can now go racing and enjoy the final four races of the season, starting with next weekend’s Korean Grand Prix.

Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing on their title success; the kings of Formula One in 2011.  

F1 classic races - Japan

1994

WINNER: Damon Hill (Williams Renault), 2^nd: Michael Schumacher (Benetton Ford), 3^rd: Jean Alesi (Ferrari)

SUZUKA 1994 began in truly awful conditions.  Michael Schumacher started on pole position, but nearly half the field fell off the road early on as aquaplaning took hold.  When Gianni Morbidelli and Martin Brundle went off heavily at the Degner complex; Brundle’s accident badly injuring a marshal, the race was eventually stopped.  Despite concern over a restart, the rain relented and the fans that stayed witnessed a battle of aggregate timing to decide the race between Schumacher and Damon Hill.  Hill’s one stop strategy gave him the time advantage, but on worn tyres, he was struggling against the fresher Benetton in fast diminishing light.  However, Damon held onto win by 3.3seconds and took the title showdown to that controversial finale in Adelaide.  Nigel Mansell had a similar exciting battle with Jean Alesi and passed the Frenchman into the chicane on the final lap.  However, on the timing rule, Alesi was the final driver on the podium.

1996

WINNER: Damon Hill (Williams Renault), 2^nd: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 3^rd: Mika Hakkinen (McLaren Mercedes)

WITH a nine point lead over rookie team-mate Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill could only throw away the 1996 championship.  He qualified second, behind Villeneuve and people thought it would be a cautious drive.  However, he stormed into the lead from the start and despite an early vicious attack from Gerhard Berger, which left the Austrian needing to pit for damage, Damon was largely untroubled.  Villeneuve had a horrible start and dropped to sixth, struggling to keep up with Mika Hakkinen and Eddie Irvine.  On lap 36, a rear wheel pitched off the Canadian’s car and sent him into the gravel trap.  Hill coasted home, ahead of outgoing champion Michael Schumacher and Hakkinen, leaving Murray Walker literally with a lump in his throat and the perfect way to end Grand Prix on the BBC chapter one!

1997

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Williams Renault), 3^rd: Eddie Irvine (Ferrari)

HE WAS under pressure to deliver after some suspect performances in Austria and at the Nurburgring, but Michael Schumacher once again produced a stirring drive at Suzuka to win and take the title lead with one race to go.  His rival for the championship, Jacques Villeneuve, had to race under appeal after he had been initially excluded from the meeting following his fourth yellow flag infringement of the season during Saturday morning practice.  On Sunday, Villeneuve’s only intention was to destroy Schumacher’s race, but his plan backfired.  Ferrari’s plan was to get Eddie Irvine into the lead and pull enough of a lead out, so Villeneuve could not slow everyone down.  Better pit work from Ferrari got Schumacher ahead of the desperate Canadian, before Irvine slowed down and let his team leader through.  Damon Hill’s Arrows badly held Schumacher up in the closing stages, which gave Heinz-Harald Frentzen the chance to attack.  However, Schumi held on and with Williams dropping their appeal after the event, Villeneuve lost his two points for Suzuka and went to Jerez a point behind.  At least Frentzen’s ability to overhaul Irvine for second place in the race did secure the constructor’s championship for Williams.

2000

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: Mika Hakkinen (McLaren Mercedes) 3^rd: David Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes)

THIS was a true battle between the modern greats of the sport; Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen.  Schumacher took pole position after a fierce scrap in qualifying, but like in 1999, Hakkinen made the better start.  They traded fastest laps throughout, as they left the rest standing.  David Coulthard, who came third, finished over a minute behind.  A sprinkling rain shower saw McLaren pit Hakkinen a bit earlier for his second stop.  He got held up badly behind Pedro de la Rosa’s Arrows and this allowed Schumacher to set the quick times required to get out ahead of his only title rival.  Mika kept pushing to the end, but Michael held his nerve to win the 2000 event and the world championship for the third time; Ferrari’s first driver’s title since 1979.  At last, the Schumacher/Ferrari combination had delivered and it started a new era of utter domination in F1.

2005

WINNER: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes), 2^nd: Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault), 3^rd: Fernando Alonso (Renault)

PASS: Raikkonen is about to complete his epic drive in 2005

KIMI Raikkonen produced the finest win of his Grand Prix career, in a titanic 2005 race, one of the best ever in the history of the championship.  After wet qualifying, the likes of Raikkonen, new world champion Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya started near the back of the grid.  Montoya was eliminated on the first lap, crashing heavily out of the final corner while attempting an ambitious move around the outside of Jacques Villeneuve.  Alonso showed his determination, as he drove flat out around the outside of Schumacher’s Ferrari at 130R on lap 16 in a stunning move.  Gradually, Raikkonen hauled himself upto second place, but Giancarlo Fisichella still had a healthy 20 second cushion infront.  Alonso used more bravery to pass Mark Webber’s Williams on the grass with five laps remaining to snatch third, but Fisichella switched off and was powerless against the relentless Raikkonen.  Kimi charged upto his gearbox and then drove past him into the first corner around the outside of the Renault as they started the last lap.  This was a day when man and class in driver tolled over the usual combination of driver/machinery and kept the constructors championship battle alive to the finale in China.

2007 (Fuji Speedway)

WINNER: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes), 2^nd: Heikki Kovalainen (Renault), 3^rd: Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

UNDER pressure from Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton delivered a masterful performance to win in terrible weather conditions at Fuji Speedway.  With Suzuka’s facilities needing an urgent update, Fuji staged the event for two seasons (2007 & 2008).  The race began behind the Safety Car, with Ferrari’s curious decision to start on intermediate tyres sending their drivers to the back of the field.  Hamilton pitted later than Alonso when racing got underway and cleared some important traffic, which Fernando couldn’t.  Despite a collision with Robert Kubica, Lewis continued to pull away at the front whilst Alonso ended up crashing out of the event.  After another Safety Car, which saw youngster Sebastian Vettel blot his copybook and crash into the back of a furious Mark Webber, Hamilton drove away again as he pleased to earn a vital win.  Kimi Raikkonen produced a similarly great drive against adversity to finish third behind Heikki Kovalainen.  Kubica ended up with a drive-through penalty for his clash with Hamilton, before losing a ferocious last lap dice over sixth with Felipe Massa’s Ferrari, which had echoes of Gilles Villeneuve/Rene Arnoux at Dijon in 1979.

March - A personal self-reflection

CLOCKS: British summertime has arrived and brings fresh hope

WHILST I spend time blogging on worldwide issues and hobbies that interest me, I felt like doing a personal blog to sum up recent weeks for myself.  The clocks have gone forward and hence, British Summertime has arrived.  I have hope, belief and conviction that things are turning the corner, when three weeks ago, things looked rather bleak.  March has tested me and I have learned some lessons which I feel have improved me for the future.

     The beginning of the month was the low point of 2011 so far.  I turned issues that were bad for me into situations which completely took me to the brink.  Having numerous problems with a laptop is pretty bad, but I should have dealt with them in a far more calm and considered manner than I did.  It affected me far too much.  I also returned to University after a production week with an attitude of ‘I don’t care,’ ‘I can’t be bothered,’ and ‘I wouldn’t compromise.’  It was the first time that I had shown any form of attitude like that in my 18 months at the University of Northampton and looking back on it, I couldn’t believe that I’d be so awful in my behaviour.  To compound matters, I had a serious argument with a very close friend which pushed me to breaking point.  I don’t want to share the details, because it’s a personal matter, but it just made things really bad.  When I left Uni on Friday 11 March at around 4pm, I left a broken individual.  I had enough and I thought that was it.  I went home to Milton Keynes to consider what to do next and more importantly, would I return?

     I returned the following Monday in a more calm, friendly and fresh approach.  If I had left, I would have taken the defeatist approach to life.  We all have bad weeks, desperate moments where we don’t quite know where to turn to next.  However, to become a better person, we need to overcome the hard moments and overcome it, because at the end of the day, what would be left if you walked away from what you really wanted to do?  Absolutely nothing!

     Although events in Libya haven’t really interested me, and that’s purely because I don’t see any point in Britain being involved, the earthquake and tsunami to hit Japan on March 11 really shook me up.  It made me think and realise that there is more important moments around the world rather than personal reasons.  To see so much devastation happen in such a well-developed country was heartbreaking.  For those who think the world has ended because ‘Oh dear, my boyfriend has dumped me’ or ‘I have no friends, find some for me;’ I’d say hard cheese!  At the end of the day, think yourself lucky that you have a roof over your head, food in your stomach, clothes to wear etc.  What about those affected by the Japanese tsunami?  Lack of supplies, homes that have simply been washed away, no sign of friends and family.  These are all more important and necessary situations than a simply panicky domestic issue.

FEELING STRESSED: What's the point?

     Now, I am taking the chilled and relaxed approach.  There is no point running around like a headless chicken, I tried that and it didn’t work.  There’s no point stressing out, I’ve tried that and it didn’t work.  Taking a step back, embracing what I have and taking it easy is the way to go.  I’m pleased that March has taught me some hard-earnt and tough lessons, because I now feel in a better place for the experience.

     Of course, my thoughts still go to those who lost everything in Japan in such devastating and tragic circumstances.  

Double disaster rocks Japan

JAPAN is reeling from the double disaster on Friday which has left tens of thousands still missing and hundreds more dead.     

     The most powerful earthquake in Japan’s history, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale was followed by a 30ft tsunami which was similar to the devastating Boxing Day Asian tsunami off the coast of Indonesia in 2004.  The tsunami swept away people, crushed cars and destroyed buildings at speeds akin to a passenger jet plane.  The human cost is yet to emerge.  The Japanese government has declared a state of emergency across the country and has already confirmed that at least 400 people have been killed.  Tragically, the death toll is this set to rise into the thousands, especially as many communities and villages have simply been obliterated by this excessive force of nature.

     It isn’t just this that has caused concern for the shocked people of Japan.  Fears have grown over a possible nuclear meltdown after a cooling tower failed at the Fukushima power station. Over 300,000 people have been evacuated in this area and yesterday, a controlled explosion took place at the plant, which has released some radioactive gases into the air.  Although there are still fears for the longevity of the nuclear plant, any reporting of a similar catastrophe following the Russian Chernobyl blast of April 1986 are wide of the mark.  After the Japanese devastation, tsunami warnings were given out all over the Pacific Ocean.  Luckily, areas on high alert such as Samoa, Hawaii and Mexico seemed to have escaped with very little damage.

     Japan is one of the best prepared countries for earthquakes.  After all, it experiences nearly 200 of them a year.  However, it wasn’t prepared for Friday’s utter carnage.  Japan lies on three plates, and Friday’s quake came because the Pacific Plate went underneath the Eurasian Plate.  This produced a jolt as deep as 15 metres, hence the strength of the earthquake and resulting tsunami.  The quake struck at 4pm Japanese local time, when many parents are picking up children from school, and workers are slowly shutting down for the relaxing weekend.  Consequently, it struck at its busiest time, unlike the morning earthquake which devastated Kobe in January 1995.  The epicentre was just off the main coast of Tokyo and had a power 8,000 times more than the earthquake that devastated Christchurch in New Zealand just two weeks ago.

     The island of Sendai was the worst hit, as the port and airport were practically wiped out by the tsunami.  At the airport, passengers ready for departure were forced onto the terminal rooftops to escape the worst.  Masonry fell from buildings in Yokohama, as workers ran for their lives, quickly realising that this wasn’t just a normal earthquake.  At Ibaraki airport, the ceiling collapsed in the departure lounge, again leaving passengers running away in sheer terror.  Two trains and one ship are missing, with hundreds aboard and unaccounted for.  An oil refinery burned in Tokyo, thanks to the burst gas and electric lines.  The ferocity of the fire meant there was little that could be done but let the refinery burn into the dark sky.  Even a meeting of the Japanese parliament was interrupted.  The floor shook and the chandelier lights went crazy, which left major politicians stunned.

     The rescue will face major challenges to deal with.  As road and rail networks have literally been paralysed, it will only make things harder.  An expert on earthquakes David Rothery insists it was the tsunami that did the damage; “This earthquake didn’t actually cause much damage.  However, it was the resulting tsunami that the quake will be remembered for.”  Since records began in 1900, this was the seventh most powerful earthquake ever, with only the 2004 Asian Tsunami greater at 9.1.  As Japan is a hi-tech and more advanced country, it is likely to get back onto its feet far quicker than lesser developed countries, such as Haiti after their earthquake which destroyed the country last January.

     David Cameron, Pope Benedict XVI and Barack Obama were among the first to send their condolences to the Japanese people who have been affected.  The USA, Britain and Russia have already pledged to send out rescue teams, should the Japanese need extensive help.  At a press briefing in the States, US secretary of state Hilary Clinton pledged her support to help Americans stuck in Japan; “Obviously, the US is offering immediate relief.  We will assist 24/7 to help those Americans stuck in Japan and the Japanese government with the aftermath.  Also, we are deeply involved with the Japanese to help control the nuclear reactor failure at Fukushima.”

     

Seeing the pictures and videos of the sheer devastation in Japan on Friday certainly shook me up, and reminds everyone of the force that Mother Nature can leave yet again on the world.  It puts all personal events into perspective, because at least the majority of us can count our blessings that we don’t suffer earthquakes in this country, unlike those citizens in Japan.  My thoughts go out to all those whose lives in Japan have simply been turned upside down.

The helpline for the Foreign Office should it be required is +44 0 20 7008 0000

Honda Recalls Cars Over Brake Faults

JAPANESE car company Honda has continued the worrying trend of worldwide recalls over bugging technical faults.

Their announcement last Friday of a braking fault on some of the models came just 24 hours after bitter rivals Toyota announced a similar problem and had to recall over one million vehicles worldwide.  Luckily, Honda’s issue seems to have only affected cars in the US, so UK owners shouldn’t have to worry too much.

472,000 cars have been recalled, with the inflicted cars being Honda Acura RL saloons and Honda Odyssey minivans that were built and designed between 2005 and 2007.  A Honda spokeswoman confirmed that Honda’s issue is exactly the same as Toyota’s, as the braking parts were built by the same company, an independent make, Advics.

Honda says that no injuries or accidents have been reported over this incident, and they will pray that it will stay that way too.  They have advised all customers with these models to double-check their braking capacity; otherwise it could lead to a far more serious issue.  Although that it is sound advice for the consumer, you can’t help but feel that Honda is already attempting to shift the blame onto the driver, should a terrifying incident occur.  Honda’s advice is that a leak is possible if the system is not checked, and if a spongy feel can be felt by the driver, there could be a dramatic decrease in braking performance.

So, that is Japan’s second highest-selling car manufacturer in trouble then, and the fourth this month who have had to recall models alone, following the trend of Toyota, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.  Lexus and Ferrari have also had to recall motors this year for fears over safety of mechanical parts.  I doubt whether this will be the last incident either this calendar year.

As the leaves get browner and the nights draw in, the short-term future of the car manufacturing industry continues to be called into question, especially if more of this occurs.

More Woe For Toyota

TOYOTA’S worldwide reputation, already having been completely battered in 2010, took another significant smashing on Wednesday.  The company announced the recall of over 1.5million cars worldwide to fix a brake fluid leak which was seriously harming the braking capabilities of some of its models.

Most of the cars affected are believed to have been in Japan and the US and the move is also said to be a precautionary one.  The Japanese company has confirmed that GS300 models built between September 2004 and February 2006 were the affected models.  It is thought that around 2,000 Lexus models, built underneath the Toyota name have also been recalled from the UK.  IS and RX models built between February 2003 and November 2005 could also have a smaller braking issue, caused by the brake master cylinder. 

Like BMW at the start of the month, Toyota has said that it is working closely with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to contact owners to tell them how to get their cars repaired.  No accidents have been reported by the glitches so far.  It is positive news that action is being taken instantly, but for how long Toyota can continue with these problems is another matter.

2010 Japanese Grand Prix - The Conclusions

IN THIS piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.  The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka provided the fans with a Super Sunday event, and it certainly was for Red Bull Racing, as they cemented their place at the top of both championship standings.  So, this is the round-up of race sixteen out of nineteen in 2010, as five drivers still remain in the fight, with three races to go.

Sebastian Vettel – The Suzuka Maestro

In 2009, his Suzuka victory kept his limping championship aspirations open and this year, Sebastian Vettel managed to repeat the trend.  He was utterly dominant in Japan, although Mark Webber kept him well and truly honest all weekend.  An eighth pole position of the season was converted into his third win of the season, his first since June’s European Grand Prix at Valencia.  In the last two races, Vettel has knuckled down and got the job done, and now can win the final three races and guarantee himself a fortunate championship.  The momentum in the Red Bull camp has swayed back and forth all season, and it is now in the German’s court.  After Belgium, anyone who put a bet on Sebastian winning the title would have looked like a complete fool.  Now, he might well be the narrow favourite into the final three events.

Red Bull Racing – Both Drivers in the Title Fight, A Difficult Situation

With the constructor’s championship looking more and more likely that it will be won by Red Bull Racing, attention will slowly drift to the driver’s battle.  With both drivers in the title fight, Christian Horner finds himself in a very difficult situation.  Plus, with the events of Silverstone bound to still be floating about in Mark Webber’s mind, no favouritism must be allowed.  I’ll give them that, they have given their drivers every chance to fight for the championship, but so did Williams in 1986 (Mansell & Piquet) and McLaren in 2007 (Hamilton & Alonso).  On both occasions, the outsider, Alain Prost and Kimi Raikkonen stole through to claim the glory.  Can Fernando Alonso provide a sting in the tail, and upset the Red Bull applecart.  Don’t count the Spaniard out just yet, especially as Vettel and Webber have already proven this season, to have a chequered history.

Lewis Hamilton – Another Weekend of Woe

It was another dark weekend in Lewis Hamilton’s fading world championship challenge.  A crash into the barriers at the formidable Degner curves left him with next to no track time in Friday practice.  Hamilton went into qualifying further on the backfoot, thanks to Saturday’s washout and a five-place grid penalty for changing a gearbox.  McLaren failed to spot that Hamilton’s box had collected terminal damage in his collision with Mark Webber in Singapore.  Had they spotted the problem straightaway, Hamilton would have been a serious threat from third on the grid.  Instead, their costly lack of judgement left Lewis languishing in eighth and needing a miracle in the race.  That never looked like happening, and in the race, he lost third gear with his new gearbox, meaning he could only use fourth to seventh gear for the last 15 laps.  Hamilton limped home in fifth, and put a brave face on the latest disappointment.  Don’t write McLaren off just yet, but Korea next weekend is a win or bust situation for both Hamilton and Jenson Button if they want to stay in the title battle.

Robert Kubica – High Expectations Gone in Minutes

After his heroics at Spa, Robert Kubica would have been confident of his chances at Suzuka, a circuit where he could make the most of Renault’s excellent f-duct device.  The Pole was stunning all weekend, qualifying an excellent third, following Hamilton’s demotion, over a second faster than team-mate Vitaly Petrov on Sunday morning.  At the green, Kubica jumped a slow-starting Webber and was harrying Vettel, when a wheel fell off his car behind the Safety Car.  Three laps in, and those high expectations of his had gone in minutes.  Kubica probably didn’t have the race distance pace to beat the Red Bull’s, but the final podium spot was up for grabs, so this was a missed opportunity for Renault.  With no score, the team can now forget catching Mercedes now for fourth in the constructor’s championship. 

Japanese Chaos – Amateur Acrobatics from Petrov, Massa & Alguesuari

Five seconds into the Japanese Grand Prix and Vitaly Petrov’s race is already over, after one of the most amateurish pieces of driving I’ve seen in recent years.  Starting 13^th, Petrov made a great start, but failed to check his mirrors and cut across an innocent Nico Hulkenberg, when he was nowhere near clear of the Williams.  Petrov then had the decency to blame Nick Heidfeld for the incident, but the television replays confirmed his fate.  A five-place grid penalty in Korea beckons and the Russian can surely now kiss goodbye to hanging onto that Renault seat for 2011.  If Petrov’s moment was crazy, Felipe Massa’s attempt to pass two cars on the grass was kamikaze!  Massa screwed up qualifying on Sunday morning and started a dismal 12^th.  Into turn one; he attempted to pass Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil on wet grass, a move which you might expect from a debutant, but not a seasoned pro like Massa.  His Ferrari slewed across the track and took out the luckless Vitantonio Liuzzi, destroying the Force India in the process.  How Massa didn’t earn a grid penalty boggles the mind, considering his manoeuvre was just as bad as Petrov’s!  To top off an amateurish day, Jaime Alguesuari takes the award for the daftest attempt at driving a rival off the road.  Angered by a clumsy move that Kamur Kobayashi pulled on him earlier in the race, the Spaniard was passed again in the closing stages, around the outside of the hairpin by the feisty Japanese driver.  Rather than accept defeat, he turned his Toro Rosso into a ramming rod!  Despite three bashes at the Sauber’s sidepod, Alguesuari got what he deserved, which was a damaged front wing, and consequently lost the final point to team-mate Sebastian Buemi.  It was a stupid moment of madness from a young driver who has shown flashes of talent this season, and rounded off a day of amateurish driving that would make Jedward look like music world beaters!

Forget Formula 1 at Suzuka – It’s more Like the Boat Race!

Saturday’s washout in Japan meant it was a repeat of the 2004 event, when a threatened typhoon in the region moved qualifying to a Sunday morning.  The fans on Saturday that came got a soaking, and Kamur Kobayashi criticised the FIA for taking a full 90 minutes to cancel qualifying, when in reality, it never was going to happen.  The conditions were more appropriate for the boat race, rather than an F1 qualifying session.  The two-day event worked well here again in Japan, and although it shouldn’t be a permanent switch to this format, maybe we need to look into this area for races that could be affected more by the weather, like Malaysia and China for instance.

Kamur Kobayashi – Showing His True Potential on Home Soil

As the season has developed, Kamur Kobayashi has turned into an excellent race driver.  Earlier in the campaign, Kobayashi looked like a nervous wreck, but as the Sauber has gradually improved over the season, so has the Japanese racecraft.  Although he was sixth at Silverstone, Suzuka was undoubtedly his best performance of the campaign.  He should have made Q3, but messed up the final chicane on his best lap and started back in 14^th.  Despite a poor start, and the wrong strategy, Kobayashi was the man of the race, pulling over brilliant passes into the hairpin on Adrian Sutil, Rubens Barrichello and team-mate Nick Heidfeld, as well as surviving an assault from Jaime Alguesuari.  Seventh place was a fitting result; he looks set to only improve on his massive potential.

130R Shows It Bites Again – Lucas di Grassi’s Warm-Up Smash

Lucas di Grassi had impressed in outqualifying Timo Glock in Japan, but he didn’t make the start, after making a mess off his Virgin Racing car on the way to the grid!  Di Grassi was warming up his tyres and brakes, when it appears he went offline in the daunting 130R corner, which despite recent modifications, still doesn’t take any prisoners.  The result was one very battered Virgin and one rather sheepish Brazilian driver.  Although it looked more like a car failure than driver error, this has done di Grassi no favours in his battle to hold onto his Virgin drive for next season. 

Mercedes GP – Another Mixed Weekend

It was another mixed weekend for Mercedes GP, though they showed more competitive pace, which means that they are now almost uncatchable in their fight with Renault for fourth in the constructors championship.  Michael Schumacher, having had one of the worst weekends of his career in Singapore, had one of his best weekends of his poor comeback season in Japan.  Istanbul aside, Schumacher showed a consistent pace all weekend, and had the measure of Nico Rosberg throughout.  However, Rosberg still outqualified the seven-time world champion, with a brilliant sixth on the grid, compared to tenth for Schumacher, although Michael had an f-duct issue in Q3.  At the start, Rosberg botched his getaway, and was lucky not to be taken out by the out of control Massa at Turn One.  He smartly pitted under the Safety Car, which allowed him to jump a faster Schumacher, despite Schumacher looking the faster, especially after he pulled off a great pass on Rubens Barrichello into the final chicane, shortly after the restart.  A fantastic team result went sour with six laps to go, when a wheel flew off Rosberg’s car, pitching the hapless Nico into the barriers at the Dunlop Curve.  Schumacher survived to finish a solid sixth, so despite the late DNF for Rosberg, slight progress was made.

 

BBC Gambles on Lee McKenzie Presenting – Did It Pay Off?

With Jake Humphrey away to cover the Commonwealth Games in Delhi for the BBC, Lee McKenzie moved up from pitlane duty to host the BBC’s coverage of the Japanese Grand Prix.  Lee’s performance was never going to be upto the typical high standard of Jake, but it was a decent effort at short notice, although Jake’s presence was missed throughout the weekend.  McKenzie did well to keep Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard on a tight leech, though her mathematical skills and calling Martin Whitmarsh, Martin Whittaker after the race left a lot to be desired!  However, Jonathan Legard’s boring commentary in Suzuka could have spelt the death knell in his F1 commentating career, especially when BBC TV lost sound in the closing stages and we heard David Croft going bananas at Rosberg’s crash, when Legard’s version (heard on the highlights programme) had as much excitement as a wet sponge!  Surely the BBC has got to consider promoting Crofty to its TV coverage.  As for Lee McKenzie, it was an okay performance, but we will be glad that Jake is back to resume duty in Korea next weekend.

Pedrosa's Practice Spill Hands Jorge Lorenzo The MotoGP Title

Dani Pedrosa broke his collarbone in a bad crash during practice for Sunday’s MotoGP event in Japan.  It all but hands the 2010 world championship to fellow compatriot Jorge Lorenzo.  Lorenzo, who rides for Fiat Yamaha in the series, has seen his once invincible lead being slowly whittled away by the consistent Pedrosa, who has beaten Lorenzo in the last three events. 

However, Pedrosa came off his Repsol Honda bike just five minutes into the first practice session for this weekend’s race, held at the Motegi circuit, a rescheduled event as it was cancelled in April due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud.  As soon as Pedrosa, who was standing 56 points behind Lorenzo in the title race, had ended up in the gravel, it could be seen to everyone in the paddock that he was in grave pain.  Although he scrambled to the edge of the gravel bed, marshals spotted his discomfort and he was carried away on a stretcher, realising that his brave, if vain title challenge for 2010 was well and truly over. 

The diagnosis was later confirmed as a broken collarbone for Pedrosa, and although reports also suggested that he has fractured his left ankle in the crash, this was denied by medics at the circuit and by his Honda team.  At Honda’s home circuit, this is bound to be a bitter pill to swallow.  Pedrosa is being flown home back to Spain for surgery on the injury and is definitely out of this race, and next weekend’s event in Malaysia.  With Australia being just one more week afterwards, it looks increasingly likely that he will have to miss three races, with a possible return in Portugal being lined up at the end of October.

Although it isn’t official yet, this confirms Lorenzo’s name as the 2010 champion, which has been almost been in clear writing ever since his team-mate and great rival, Valentino Rossi fractured his ankle at June’s Italian Grand Prix in Mugello.  Although Rossi has made a significant and remarkable recovery, he still doesn’t look 100% fit.  Neither does Randy de Pruniet, who fractured his leg in a multiple smash at the following month’s German Grand Prix.  With this in mind, it is best that Pedrosa rests up and recovers fully for next season.  With Rossi and Pedrosa’s injuries and Casey Stoner not getting on with the Ducati, it has meant that Lorenzo has had a fairly untroubled ride to this season’s championship, having only missed the podium once in thirteen occasions.  However, his championship glory will be tainted, largely because of these cruel injuries to two of his rivals.  Consequently, he will have to win another title next year before anyone can class him in the legends of bike racing. 

I wish Dani Pedrosa a speedy recovery and congratulate Jorge Lorenzo on a deserved championship, though no-one would want to win it this way.  The message to Jorge for next year:  Prove how good you really are against a rejuvenated Stoner, a charged-up Rossi and a fully recovered Pedrosa.

World Cup Report - Day 13-15

The group stages have now concluded and it is time to focus on knockout football, where no mistakes are now allowed.  It was a dramatic three days of football, which saw giants embarrassed, one Asian side finally get the grip of the dead ball and others play out dire football to qualify.  Here is a round-up of the final three days of the group stages. (See England v Slovenia match report in another post)

Wednesday 23^rd June: USA 1-0 Algeria

Landon Donovan, the pin-up boy of American football scored a dramatic stoppage time winner against plucky Algeria, to send the USA off to Rustenberg in round two as Group C winners.  Whilst the Algerians focused on defending and attempting to catch the opposition on the break, the Americans threw the kitchen sink at their rivals, and it finally broke for them in the 92^nd minute, when Donovan reacted quickest from a sharp save to fire in the rebound.  Algerian captain Anther Yabdia was sent off in the dying stages for two yellow cards.

Wednesday 23^rd June: Ghana 0-1 Germany

Mesut Ozil’s stunning second-half strike set up and intriguing second round match-up between Germany and England in Bloemfortein.  His wonderful volley on the hour mark, on the edge of the penalty area was the difference in this entertaining affair at Soccer City, which sees Germany come out on top in Group D.  Ghana remain as Africa’s only participant to progress past the knockout phase.

Wednesday 23^rd June: Australia 2-1 Serbia

Australia signed off their World Cup campaign in style, with a solid 2-1 success over Serbia in Nelspruit.  Tim Cahill’s diving header on his return from suspension set the Socceroos on their way and Brett Holman quickly doubled their advantage, giving them a faint hope of overtaking Ghana for the runners-up spot in Group D.  Those hopes ended when Marko Pantellic capitalised on a spill by Mark Schwarzer to pull one back on 84 minutes.  Both teams leave the tournament at this stage.

Thursday 24^th June: Slovakia 3-2 Italy

In the game of the tournament so far, Marcelo Lippi’s holders were undone by Slovakia at Ellis Park, which saw the defending champions dethroned in the group stages.  The star of the show was Robert Vittek, who scored twice, one in either half.  In between glaring Italian defensive errors, Howard Webb ruled out a debatable Italian effort for Fabio Quagilarella doe to the offside flag, and he saw another effort brilliantly cleared off the line by Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel.  Antonio di Natale gave the Azzuri hope, quickly vanishing by a shambolic piece of slack defending from the experienced Fabio Cannavaro, which allowed Kamil Kopunek in for a goal with his first World Cup touch.  Despite arguably the goal of the tournament from Quagilarella in stoppage time, the Slovak gods held on to record a last sixteen berth on their finals debut, and Lippi’s men bottom of Group F.

Thursday 24^th June: Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand

An uneventful match in Polokwane saw Paraguay secure the point they needed for qualification, though not in convincing fashion.  Roque Santa Cruz came closest, with a stunning free-kick which was well saved by All Whites goalkeeper Mark Paston.  Rikki Herbert’s side exit the competition with their heads held high, unbeaten in the tournament.

Thursday 24^th June: Denmark 1-3 Japan

A stunning man-of-the match performance from Keisuke Honda inspired Japan into a last 16 showdown with Paraguay.  In a match at Rustenberg, which would decide the outcome of the runners-up in Group E, the Asians physical prowess and silky skill proved too much for a determined Denmark side that lacked overall firepower.  Japan led 2-0 at the break, following two stunning free-kicks from Honda and Yashuito Endo.  A dubious penalty for Denmark was converted just, by veteran Jon Dahl Tomasson in the second half, before Honda’s brilliance set-up a third goal for Shinji Okazaki, as Japan played out of their skin to get past the group stages for the first time on foreign soil.

Thursday 24^th June: Cameroon 1-2 Holland

Arjen Robben returned to the world stage after hamstring worries, and made an instant impact as Cameroon became the only side to bow out of the competition without a single point to their name.  In a game that meant nothing to the outcome of Group E, with the Indomitable Lions out and the Dutch already through, Holland led before the interval, courtesy of a lovely link-up between Rafael van der Vaart and Robin Van Persie, finished off by the Arsenal ace.  Van der Vaart blotted his copybook with a dubious handball from a free-kick, which was converted by Samuel Eto’o.  It was Robben who set-up the winner, when his shot bounced off the post and into the grasp of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who couldn’t miss from six yards.  Despite the Dutch not playing at their best, they must be a force to be reckoned with.

Friday 25^th June: Portugal 0-0 Brazil

In what was billed as one of the best games of the group stages, Portugal and Brazil played out a dire 0-0 stalemate in Durban, which saw both teams advance into the last sixteen, with the South Americans as group winners.  Brazilian striker Nilmar went the closest, with his shot tipped onto the post by Portuguese goalkeeper Eduardo in the dying stages of the first half.

Friday 25^th June: North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast comfortably overcame a ragged North Korea, to sign off their disappointing tournament with a winning result in Nelspruit.  Yaya Toure and Cristian Romaric scored two early goals in the first half, with the win confirmed by Salomon Kalou’s late tap-in.  However, the 9-0 scoreline they required was never on the cards, and Sven Goran-Eriksson may look on his negative tactics as the downfall for his side failing to advance out of the group stages.

Friday 25^th June: Chile 1-2 Spain

In Pretoria, Spain’s clinical finishing was just enough to see off a talented, but ill-disciplined Chile side and advance into the last sixteen, as Group H winners.  An opportunist strike from David Villa opened the scoring, following an over-committed run by Chilean captain Claudio Bravo that allowed Villa to smash into an empty net.  Andreas Iniesta doubled the lead and in the build-up, a clumsy trip on the ineffective Fernando Torres led to the soft dismissal of Marco Estrada.  Although the South Americans pulled a goal back in the second half, courtesy of Rodrigo Millar, Marcelo Bielsa’s side seemed happy to play out the match, to secure their deserved passage through into the knockout stages.

Friday 25^th June: Switzerland 0-0 Honduras

A desperately disappointing Switzerland producing an error-strewn performance against Honduras in Bloemfontein, which led to both side’s elimination from the World Cup.  Needing two goals to advance, Otmar Hitzfeld’s side never looked likely to break down a strong Central American defence, and will be disappointed not to get out of the group stages, despite their shock opening success against European champions Spain.