Formula One: Vettel wins 2011 Australian Grand Prix with ease

23 year old German sensation Sebastian Vettel has kicked-off his title defence with a comfortable win in Melbourne. The Red Bull driver finished 22.2 seconds faster than 2^nd placed Lewis Hamilton.

Vettel started from pole position and sped away to win in a race where he was never challenged. Vettel’s Australian teammate Mark Webber was looking for his first win in ten attempts at his home Grand Prix.However, poor tyre management cost him as he finished 5^th.

The German was 2.4 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton at the end of the first lap but a problem with the floor of Hamilton’s car cost the McLaren Mercedes driver dearly on the first turn of lap 32 and allowed Vettel to increase his lead to 22.2 seconds.

Last year’s winner Jenson Button had a horror race. He struggled to pass a defensive Felipe Massa in the early stages of the race despite new technology in the rear wing designed to reduce drag (thus making it easier to overtake). On lap 11 Button was squeezed off the track in an attempt to overtake Massa and was forced to take a shortcut, coming out ahead of the Ferrari. Button received a drive-through penalty which destroyed any hopes of him going back-to-back in Melbourne.  Button managed to come back and overtake Massa, finishing 6^th.

Michael Schumacher collided with Jaime Alguersuari on turn 3 and was out early due to a torn tyre. However Alguersuari continued in after an early pit stop to fix his Toro Rosso’s front wing and finished 11^th behind rookie Paul di Resta.

On turn three Rubens Barrichello hit Nico Rosberg while trying to overtake on the inside which resulted in both Mercedes GP’s and both Williams-Cosworth car’s retiring.

Lewis Hamilton is eyeing revenge in Malaysia however he finished 6^th last year and it was a Red Bull 1-2 as Vettel got his first win. I went to qualifying on Saturday and Lewis Hamilton was fast. He definitely has the talent to win but he will have to out-do superstar Sebastian Vettel and make sure his car is up to scratch. Hamilton put together a great chase for 1^st on Sunday but his car let him down when it mattered.

Vettel now leads the world championship on 25 points, closely followed by Lewis Hamilton on 18 and Petrov on 12.  For more info on leader boards and race results visit http://www.formula1.com

News: Pakistan suicide car bombing kills five

A suicide car bomb near a police station near Hangu has killed at least five people, police say. About 25 people were injured by the blast, including a policeman and pedestrians. Reports said that the car exploded in Doaba, a town about 30km from Hangu district.

This is the latest of a series of attacks near the Afghan border. The driver rammed the car into the barricades outside the police station which caused a huge explosion. Part of the police station was demolished by the blast and the impact damaged at least ten houses nearby.  

Earlier this month, at least four people, including three policemen, were killed in an explosion in Hangu. More than 30 people, including women and children, were injured in the blast which took place near a police patrol van.

This is horrible to see. The suicide bombings have become a common occurrence in the Middle East and it is disappointing. The authorities have no control over it. 

News: Work resumes at troubled Japanese nuclear plant

Workers have returned to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to continue trying to prevent more radiation from seeping into the atmosphere, one day after black smoke caused an evacuation. The nuclear plant is in big trouble and is making life hard for workers.

The workers are pumping seawater in an effort to cool down nuclear fuel rods and prevent the further emission of radioactive material into the atmosphere.

Members of Japan's self-defence forces on Thursday doused the nuclear spent fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor.  The number 5 and 6 reactors appear safe for now. The temperatures at both units are relatively low, though that could change after their cooling system gave way on Wednesday.

I believe that the workers are doing a marvellous job and should be recognised for their efforts. They are risking their life to save people and the environment. Nuclear power has been criticised lately however if used effective it is one of the best energy sources in the world. 

News: Portuguese Prime Minister resigns

Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates has resigned after the government rejected his plans to avoid a bailout. All five opposition parties voted against his proposed austerity budget. The Prime Minister had earlier stated that he would not be able to run the country if the budget wasn't put in place. He also said that Portugal is the real loser in the decision to not have an austerity budget. Jose Socrates presented his resignation to President Anibal Cavaco only two hours after the vote in parliament.

People supporting the plan said that by rejecting the plan Portugal could be thrown into turmoil. However members of parliament who were against the budget were arguing that all of Socrates’ plans have failed and it is time for change. They also said that the government’s policies have increased poverty.

Taxes are already high enough and this austerity budget would have helped to steady the flow of government spending and general population spending but it would have caused chaos for low-income residents.

I think that Jose Socrates made the right decision in resigning his position. I believe that Portugal may be thrown even deeper into its current financial crisis. The austerity budget would not have helped low-income residents and Jose Socrates had run out of ideas to save the country from its financial crisis. Portugal’s borrowing costs have risen and investors are worried about its financial health. This will have a huge impact on Portugal’s finance and cost of lending. 

austerity budget: A national budget which aims to reduce the amount of money that people spend, for example by increasing taxes, or to reduce the amount that the government spends. 

News: Polar Bear Knut dies at Berlin Zoo

Germany is a nation in mourning after the sudden death of Knut, Berlin's world-famous polar bear. 

Knut was pulled from a pool in his enclosure dead after he fell in and drowned. His leg was apparently shaking and he fell in and couldn't swim. 

He was just 4 years old and suffered a very premature death, the average life expectancy for a polar bear is 35. Vets are due to conduct an autopsy today. 

This is a very tragic loss. Knut was abandoned by his mother and brought in to the Berlin Zoo where he was brought up by humans. His main care taker and true friend suffered a heart attack a few years ago. 

Feature: Japan nuclear crisis: how it has changed the world's perception of nuclear power

The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant's Unit 3 on Monday 
after a second hydrogen explosion. Photo: AP/NTV

Japan is facing a nuclear meltdown after an 8.9 magnitude (later revised up to 9.0) struck about 382 kilometres north-east of Tokyo on March 11, 2011. Japan is situated on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" and is a highly dangerous area.


The massive quake shook buildings and caused damage in the city of Tokyo, the world's largest urban area with 30 million people. The earthquake also unleashed a powerful Tsunami that wrecked through coastal towns. All this has resulted in a nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan.


Switzerland has halted it's plans to build new nuclear power plants, Germany has raised questions over it's nuclear future and Turkey and South Africa are opposing atomic reactor constructions. 


Fears about nuclear safety that took a generation to overcome after the accidents at Chernobyl in the Ukraine and Three-Mile Island in the US are resurfacing around the globe. They are casting new doubt on a controversial energy source that has seen a resurgence in recent years, amid worries over volatile oil prices and global warming.


The Japanese crisis may slow the push for more nuclear plants, but appear unlikely to stop it, given the world's fast-growing energy needs.

The governments of Russia, China and Poland said they were sticking to plans to build more reactors. Even earthquake-prone Chile says it would not discard a nuclear option. Spain warned against such decisions.


I believe that this nuclear crisis in Japan has had a massive impact on other countries converting to nuclear power. Australia will again be asking whether or not to go with nuclear power. I think that countries will still adopt nuclear power but will have ti acknowledge that there is a risk in doing so.