- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
Protest was safe, Grand Prix climate activist tells court
A climate activist who invaded the track at last year's British Grand Prix told a court on Wednesday that the protest was safe due to its meticulous planning.
Louis McKechnie, 22, and five other Just Stop Oil activists are on trial accused of posing a risk of serious harm to F1 drivers and marshals after they invaded the Silverstone track in central England last July.
But he told Northampton Crown Court that the group had carefully planned the stunt so that they would enter a section of track with clear sightlines, at a time when cars were moving slowly due to a crash.
McKechnie, 22, denies a charge of causing a public nuisance by sitting on Silverstone's Wellington Straight before he was dragged away by a marshal.
"It started off as Zoom calls and group texts and sometimes in-person meetings," he told the court of the planning phase.
He read the Formula 1 rulebook and watched "every single race that's been held at Silverstone over the last 20 years".
"I scoured the internet for every piece of information I could get about the track, the red flag system and also the drivers.
"We picked a part of the track which would give the cars plenty of time to pass where we were, before we went on."
McKechnie waited until there was an obstruction on the track, and until a red flag was subsequently waved to tell the drivers to stop racing.
"I knew I was safe and secure where I was on the track. I understood that where I was would be perfectly fine."
McKechnie said the group was demanding a "just transition to renewable energy".
Since the Just Stop Oil campaign began nearly a year ago, there have been more than 2,000 arrests and 138 activists have spent time in prison, according to the group.
On Tuesday, two Just Stop Oil protesters were ordered by a London court to pay compensation to the Madame Tussauds waxwork museum, after attacking an effigy of King Charles III with vegan chocolate cakes.
O.Salvador--PC