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Lewis Hamilton wins wild Saudi GP to level with Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton won a crazy, twice-halted Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday to go level on points with Red Bull rival Max Verstappen and set up a winner-takes-all title showdown.

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On a chaotic night in Jeddah, the first race in the Gulf kingdom took almost as many twists and turns as an already astonishing and enthralling rollercoaster season — and also left a bitter aftertaste.

There were crashes and collisions, safety cars, red flags, and claims of dirty driving after seven-times world champion Hamilton hit the back of Verstappen’s suddenly slowing car on the super-fast Corniche street circuit.

Extraordinary, at times angry, radio exchanges between the race director Michael Masi and the top two teams filled the airwaves.

With a bonus point for fastest lap, Hamilton moved alongside Verstappen at the top of the standings with 369.5 points after 21 races.

Verstappen, who finished second with Valtteri Bottas third for Mercedes, leads 9-8 on wins, however — meaning that the Dutch 24-year-old will be champion if neither he nor Hamilton scores another point.

Mercedes extended their lead in the constructors’ championship to 28 points, with an eighth successive title looking more real.

The final round of the season is at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina next weekend.

Brake-test

Hamilton had started on pole position but twice lost out to Verstappen, who began the day eight points ahead and was determined to give no quarter, at the standing re-starts.

The Dutch driver was ordered to hand back the lead, after going wide as Hamilton tried to pass on lap 37, but when he slowed Hamilton ran into the back of him.

“He just brake-tested me. I’ve just hit him, man, my wing’s broken,” exclaimed the Briton. “That was dangerous driving dude.”

Both were summoned to the stewards after the race.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner defended his driver. “I don’t know why he ran into the back of you like that, it made no sense,” he told Verstappen over the radio.

The Dutchman did hand back the lead on lap 42 but took it back immediately.

Stewards then gave him a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage but Verstappen again let Hamilton through.

“We didn’t need to do that, Max,” said his race engineer.

Mercedes were already angry with Masi, saying they had not been given sufficient time to inform Hamilton that Verstappen had been told to give back the place, and the Red Bull driver was also furious.

“What happened today is unbelievable and this sport is more about penalties than racing. For me, this is not Formula One,” he fumed.

Verstappen was still named ‘Driver of the Day’ in a fan vote.

Red flags

The red flags first came out on lap 14 after a safety car period triggered by Mick Schumacher crashing his Haas into the barriers.

That stoppage played into the hands of Verstappen, who stayed out while Hamilton pitted from the lead for fresh tyres to take advantage of the safety car deployment.

The advantage disappeared, however, when the standing re-start triggered more chaos.

Hamilton made the better getaway but Verstappen went off track to keep the lead, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon forcing his way past Hamilton into second place.

“I had to avoid a collision there,” exclaimed Hamilton. “He cut across the whole kerb. He just overtook me outside the white line.”

The race was halted a lap later when Haas’s Russian rookie Nikita Mazepin and Williams’s George Russell collided while Verstappen’s team mate Sergio Perez spun and was hit by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Masi then offered Red Bull the “opportunity” to line up on the grid for the third standing start behind Hamilton, with Ocon in the lead.

“You’d be back behind Lewis,” said the Australian. “That is my offer.”

“We accept that,” came the reply from Red Bull’s team manager Jonathan Wheatley.

Verstappen seized the lead again, with Hamilton passing Ocon, and the battle was on — punctuated by more virtual safety car periods.

“Get in there Lewis!” Hamilton’s race engineer shouted at the chequered flag. “That has got to be the craziest race I can remember, the cool heads won that out.”

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Pakistan military raids suspected former Taliban stronghold, kills three militants


Pakistani troops raided a suspected militant hideout in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold near the border with Afghanistan, triggering a shootout that killed three militants, the military said Tuesday.
A militant commander was among those killed in the shootout late on Monday in Khyber, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a military statement.
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The military did not provide any additional details, saying only the targeted militants had attacked Pakistani troops in the past.
The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP , are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who two years ago seized Afghanistan as US and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war.
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks against police and troops.
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West’s failure to back Ukraine’s tactics risks handing Putin major advantage: Analyst


The West needs to fully support Ukraine’s battle strategies against Russia in the current counter-offensive and the ones to come next, because to do otherwise would hand Russia the gift of valuable time to regroup its forces, said an analyst at the Washington-based think tank Institute of Study of War (ISW).

“Ukrainian forces have adapted. Ukraine’s military decision-making is sound. Now is not the time for Western doubt but for the West to embrace Ukraine’s way of war and commit to sustaining Ukraine’s initiative on the battlefield,” wrote Nataliya Bugayova, non-resident Russia Fellow at ISW.

She highlighted that Ukraine recognized the realities of Russian defenses much faster than Western policymakers, who were expecting a rapid Ukrainian breakthrough.

Bugayova stressed that the US should wholeheartedly embrace its collaboration with a capable ally who takes the lead – Ukraine. In many instances, the US has been accustomed to working with partners who depend on it for leadership, whether it's the proxy forces it has trained or allies relying on its security assistance. Yet, in the case of Ukraine, the US finds itself in a partnership where Ukraine is leading on the frontlines. They possess an in-depth understanding of their operational environment, their adversaries, as well as their own strengths and weaknesses. Ukrainians have consistently demonstrated their grasp of the complexities of this conflict and their ability to adapt. Perhaps most crucially, Ukraine's unwavering determination to continue the fight remains undiminished.

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“Now is not the time for Western doubt. The West must reinforce its military and diplomatic commitments and lean in to help sustain Ukraine’s battlefield momentum. Ukraine is still facing an existential challenge from Russia, which requires Western aid to militarily defeat. Leaning in means embracing Ukraine’s campaign design. It means ensuring that the Western training of Ukrainian troops is done in conditions in which Ukraine fights at its best,” she wrote.

She added: “The West should also help shape strategic communications to set proper expectations around Ukraine’s progress. Ukraine can win this war militarily, but it will take more than one counteroffensive operation. It will take as many campaigns as it takes for Ukraine to liberate its territory and its people.”

“The West should be prepared to support them all because the fundamentals shaping this conflict have not changed: Ukraine can win this war, Russia can only be defeated on the battlefield, and what is at stake includes Ukraine’s existence and vital US interests.”

Bugayova wrote that the current objective of the Kremlin is obstruct and hinder Western and Ukrainian decision-making processes, as this stands as one of the few avenues through which Russian President Vladimir Putin can further his goals. Delays in Western decision-making, especially when it leads to sluggish deliveries of military aid, can offer Russia a respite from pressure. Granting Russia such respite, whether at the operational level or the strategic level, has proven to be disastrous.

She further elaborated that with additional time on their side, Russia has the opportunity to regroup and launch further attacks. However, Russia's Achilles' heel remains its incapacity to swiftly adapt when confronted with relentless pressure or a series of setbacks. Under sustained, unyielding pressure, the Russian forces are likely to begin to weaken. This is the desired outcome of Ukraine's present counteroffensive strategy, and it can only be realized if the West embraces Ukraine's approach to warfare for both the current phase and the future.

“Russia’s Achilles heel remains its inability to rapidly pivot when faced with relentless pressure or consecutive setbacks. Faced with constant pressure over time with no relief, the Russians will likely start to crack. This is the effect Ukraine’s current counteroffensive strategy is seeking to achieve, and it can only be realized if the West embraces Ukraine’s way of war for this phase of the counteroffensive and beyond,” she wrote.

Ukraine’s successes on the battlefronts

“Ukraine maintains the battlefield initiative and its forces are advancing in Zaporizhia Oblast and near Bakhmut. Ukraine continues to liberate its territory and people and is slowly but steadily breaking through an incredibly formidable Russian prepared defense — and the Russian forces are unable to stop the advance, which is now moving in two directions,” Bugayova wrote.

She added that Ukraine's military strategy has achieved notable victories against Russian forces. With backing from Western allies, Ukrainian troops have consistently thwarted Russian goals in various regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Kherson, and increasingly, in the southern part of the country. She stressed that Ukraine's efforts have prevented Russian forces from gaining complete control of the skies, while also challenging their naval dominance. This persistent resistance is gradually rendering the Russian military's presence in Crimea less sustainable, a development that was once considered improbable by many observers.

“Ukraine’s decision to keep pressure on Russian forces throughout the entire frontline instead of focusing all of Ukraine’s combat power on one line of attack in the direction of Melitopol, which some Western advisors preferred, was a good adaptation. Ukraine’s decision to hold and conduct counterattacks in Bakhmut allowed it to pin down a substantial portion of the combat power of Russia’s relatively elite airborne (VDV) forces and deny the creation of a strategic Russian reserve. The recent Ukrainian advances in Zaporizhia Oblast are likely forcing the Russians to laterally redeploy their units away from around Bakhmut, where Ukrainian forces are advancing too,” the Russia Fellow wrote.

Black Sea tactics

Bugayova highlighted Ukraine’s “asymmetrical tactics” in the Black Sea which she said are preventing the Black Sea Fleet from operating freely, “forcing Russia to reposition naval assets, and increasingly challenging Russian forces in Crimea — all operational developments of strategic significance.”

This is in light of Ukraine’s missile attack on the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea navy in the Crimean port of occupied Sevastopol on Saturday. The Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Monday that the strike killed 34 Russian officers, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

The Ukrainian Navy said on Tuesday that the Russians will face challenges in controlling their troops deployed in the Black Sea area after the Ukrainian strike on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet killed their commander.

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China says it has not been notified about North Korea’s border reopening


China has not been notified through diplomatic channels about any re-opening of North Korea’s borders, a spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

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On Monday, China’s national broadcaster CCTV reported that North Korea had allowed foreigners to enter, and that visitors would be subject to a two-day quarantine upon arrival.
North Korea has largely closed its international borders since early 2020 due to COVID-19.

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