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☆ Opinion | The Flaws of Perfection
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Warren Zanes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Springsteen’s prior release, “The River,” was his first No. “Nebraska” was dirty, kind of mumbled in sections, its hushed tones punctuated by a few screams; it told scary stories. Warren Zanes is the author of “Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’” and “Petty: The Biography.” A former member of the Del Fuegos, he teaches at N.Y.U. and continues to write and record music, sometimes with the poet Paul Muldoon’s Rogue Oliphant band, sometimes on his own. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

☆ Mercedes car "a nasty piece of work" fumes Wolff
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MIAMI, May 6 (Reuters) - Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff slammed the Formula One outfit's car as "a nasty piece of work" on Saturday after a frustrating qualifying effort for the Miami Grand Prix left the Austrian scratching his head and at times speechless. But it has been all downhill from there with Russell qualifying sixth for Sunday's race and Hamilton 13th, his worst ever qualifying at any circuit in the United States. "It's the lack of comprehension of what it is, that makes this car such a nasty piece of work. "I think that the car is not a nice car, not a good car and I wouldn't even be able to point out fundamentally it's just...," paused Wolff searching for the right words. "That's worse than I thought because we have 20 months on since we were last time in Miami and the car is just marginally better," said Wolff.

☆ Miami Grand Prix: How to watch and everything you need to know as F1 returns to Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Charlie Webster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Despite more competitive sessions, fans were left disappointed with the lack of overtaking in last week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. What happened last yearIn last year’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix, Ferrari locked out the front row in qualifying with Charles Leclerc taking pole position and teammate Carlos Sainz starting P2. Max Verstappen is the only previous winner of the Miami Grand Prix. Only a chaotic Australian Grand Prix, in which Pérez began from the pit lane after crashing in qualifying, has prevented a perfect start for Red Bull. Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty ImagesFlorida-born rookie Logan Sargeant will be hoping to score his first F1 points at his home Grand Prix.

☆ North America’s best bar for 2023 serves pizza cocktails
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —This week in travel news: Crowns are handed out to pizza joints, bars and an English king. And we reveal why going on a hiking trip might be one of the best ways to find love. Award-winning bars and restaurantsDouble Chicken Please, a cocktail bar-slash-chicken joint on New York’s Lower East Side, took the No.1 spot in North America’s 50 Best Bars 2023. A newly published Italian list names the Best Pizza in Europe 2023, all outside the home country. King Charles gets his crownThis is what you can expect to see at King Charles III's coronation 04:04 - Source: CNNLondon airports were expected to greet more than 2 million arrivals this week, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, as the country prepares for the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with G42 CEO and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with G42 CEO and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team CEOAbu Dhabi royal backed artificial intelligence company G42 and the Mercedes F1 team are partnering to explore ways to deploy AI software and solutions into the team's operations to deliver critical insights. CNBC's Dan Murphy sits with G42 CEO Peng Xiao and Mercedes F1 Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff to speak about the partnership, incorporating AI technology in sports and AI regulation.

☆ Ferrari's Leclerc denies talks with Mercedes: 'Not yet'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 27 (Reuters) - Ferrari's Charles Leclerc denied on Thursday he was talking to rivals Mercedes after a nightmare start to the Formula One season, but his 'not yet' comment was unlikely to dampen speculation. Leclerc has scored only six points from three races so far, retiring twice. Not for the moment," the Monegasque told reporters in Baku when asked about media speculation in Italy that his discussions with former champions Mercedes were an open secret. "For now, I am fully focused on the project I am in today, which is Ferrari and I fully trust and am confident for the future. Asked if Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had called him, Leclerc replied: "No.

☆ Young Thais who questioned monarchy look to win seats in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Panu Wongcha-Um | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

They are bringing the issue of the role of monarchy in society into the open. Changing - though not abolishing - those laws is part of the platform of Lookkate's progressive Move Forward party, which is campaigning on reducing the severity of punishments for royal insult and how it is applied. Kanokrat said the protests had put issues such as LGBT rights and the ending of the military conscription on the agenda. They had energised the progressive left while at the same time triggering the rise of a right-wing royalist party, Thai Pakdee, which is campaigning on toughening up the lese majeste law, he said. "We have a real progressive left that connects with street politics and a far-right party that rises as a response."

☆ Formula One under scrutiny over balance between safety and entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Stewards had hoped racing would decide the winner but the carnage only served to trigger a third red flag and a processional win behind a safety car for Red Bull's Max Verstappen. DAMAGE BILLSStriking the right balance between safety and sport has long challenged Formula One, which moved to tighten its safety car rules after controversy hit the title-deciding 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Officials no longer have such discretion but the application of safety car rules continues to flummox drivers and team bosses alike. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he was not sure when to expect a standard safety car versus a virtual one or a red flag after incidents. "Standing starts are the most vulnerable part of any grand prix and we did three of them," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

☆ Masi's door open to Mercedes but Wolff won't be knocking
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The choice is theirs," Masi told News Corp media. "I've always had an open door policy and will always have an open door policy, since the moment that I arrived in this F1 paddock and that continues." Hamilton said on Thursday he had no plans to meet Masi and was only focussed on his future. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff echoed Hamilton, saying he wanted to leave the past behind. "No," he said when asked if he would meet Masi.

☆ F1 needs Perez to keep performing at his best
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Sergio Perez may have had his best race yet in Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but Formula One desperately needs the Mexican to keep it up in a season turning into a tale of two Red Bull team mates. Verstappen won 15 of the 22 races last year to Perez's two triumphs. "We've had those years where we were as strong, but it's a meritocracy," the Austrian told reporters when asked about the sport's popularity taking a hit if Red Bull kept winning everything. Perez agreed: "I think we did a great job," he said of the race in Jeddah. "I don't know if it's my best weekend so far with the team, but I'm sure Melbourne will be even better."

☆ Even from 15th, Verstappen remains a big threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 18 (Reuters) - Red Bull's Max Verstappen will start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 15th place but none of his rivals were ruling out the Formula One championship leader fighting for victory on Sunday. Mercedes driver George Russell, who qualified third on a circuit where overtaking is relatively easy, expected to see Verstappen in his mirrors. "We saw what Max did last year from 15th in Spa and he's got a faster race car this year." Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who will start 12th after qualifying second but with a 10 place grid drop, said Red Bull were on another planet. Red Bull boss Christian Horner preferred to praise Perez's pole lap.

☆ In homeland of Pope Francis, long absence prompts prayers for return
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Lucila Sigal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Catholic faithfuls pray during a mass at the Basilica San Jose de Flores, where Pope Francis used to attend in his childhood, in Buenos Aires, Argentina March 6, 2023. Some in Argentina claim Pope Francis as a Peronist, part of the powerful political movement forged by Juan Domingo Perón in the 1940s based on social justice values. She accused him of taking sides politically and once avoided him by shunning a traditional Mass in Buenos Aires. "We shouldn't rule out the possibility that (the pope) is concerned his presence will sharpen the political divide," De Vedia said. Bergoglio, he pointed out, had gained the nickname "Papa villero" - Pope of the villas - due to his closeness with the people.

☆ F1 team bosses have their own light-bulb moment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The late McLaren boss Teddy Mayer liked to compare Formula One drivers to interchangeable light-bulbs, declaring "you plug them in and they do the job", and nowadays the same might be said for team principals. The Frenchman is on his third different team, after stints at Sauber and Renault. "It shows also that the role of the team principal is maybe sometimes also a bit over-rated because if you can change it so quickly and there is no big impact, it tells also something. Sauber, with Swedish billionaire Finn Rausing as chairman of the board, will become the Audi works team from 2026. "But other than that we must not forget that F1 teams have developed into big organisations where the owners are not any more the team principals... some have engineers as team principals, some have more an old-fashioned rule."

The government is aiming to reach 2 million sales of electric motorbike in 2025 as the Indonesia attracts billion of dollars of investment in processing its rich nickel reserves into battery materials. Indonesia sold less than 40,000 electric motorbikes between 2019 and 2022, while its total motorbike sales in 2022 alone were 5.22 million units, industry data showed. Now their (annual) electric motorbike sales have reached more than 30 million," he said. Indonesia's government is targeting as much as 300,000 units of electric motorbike sales for 2023. The plant would have 10 Gigawatt hour capacity which would be enough to power 200,000 electric cars or up to 2.5 million electric scooters.

☆ Mercedes’s F1 Dynasty Ended With a Thud. Toto Wolff Has a Plan to Bring it Back.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Joshua Robinson | Jonathan Clegg | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Toto Wolff was at the Miami Grand Prix last spring, gazing out at the most sophisticated cars in the world racing around the sun-baked, palm-fringed circuit, when a jarring realization hit him like a bucket of cold water at 180 mph. His Mercedes team, Formula One’s eight-time defending constructors’ champion and arguably the greatest dynasty in modern sports history, wasn’t just off the pace. It was completely uncompetitive. The run of dominance that he had helped to build as Mercedes team principal was coming to a definitive conclusion. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton would finish the season without a single Grand Prix victory for the first time in his entire career.

☆ Nothing will stop me speaking out, says Hamilton
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton vowed on Wednesday to continue speaking out despite Formula One's governing body clamping down on drivers making 'political' statements. The governing FIA updated its International Sporting Code last December requiring prior written permission to make or display "political, religious and personal statements or comments" at races. "It doesn't surprise me, but nothing will stop me from speaking on the things that I'm passionate about and issues that there are. Asked whether he would be prepared to take a penalty, Hamilton added: "It would be silly to say that I would want to get penalty points for speaking out on things. "But I am still going to be speaking my mind as we still have this platform, there are still a lot of things we need to tackle."

☆ Nintendo cuts sales forecast for its ageing Switch console after disappointing holiday season
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Nintendo said its Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games for the Nintendo Switch hit an all-times sales record for the company. Nintendo on Tuesday cut the outlook for its Nintendo Switch console and games sales and slashed its profit outlook for its current fiscal year. The Japanese gaming giant said it now expects to sell 18 million Switch units for the fiscal year ending March 2023, down from a previous forecast of 19 million. Nintendo said it now also expects sales of 205 million software units, down from a previous projection of 210 million units. Nintendo sold around 8.23 million Switch consoles in the December holiday quarter, down around 22% year-on-year.

☆ Let Hamilton speak out, says Bahrain rights group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) urged Formula One's governing body on Tuesday to allow seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton and other drivers to speak freely on 'political' issues. read moreMercedes' Hamilton, the sport's all-time most successful driver, has used his profile and platform to address human rights abuses and racial injustice around the world. The Middle East has four races this year -- In Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The FIA has said the update is merely aligned with "the political neutrality of sport" but Alwadaei said it appeared to target Hamilton. "We are saying to Mohammed Ben Sulayem that this policy is wrong and it must be reversed immediately," he added.

☆ Mafia boss Messina Denaro held in top security Italian prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A general view shows the prison where Italy's most wanted mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro is detained, in L'Aquila, Italy, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Gabriele PileriL'AQUILA, Italy, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro was being held on Wednesday in a high-security jail in central Italy, subject to special restrictions applied to the country's most dangerous prisoners. "I've no criminal record," Messina Denaro, who was caught on Monday after 30 years on the run, told prison guards when he was admitted to the Costarelle prison close to the city of L'Aquila, Italian media reported. Police on Tuesday found the apartment where they believe Messina Denaro had been living for the past few months under the assumed name of Andrea Bonafede. Prosecutors say Messina Denaro was one of the leading figures in Cosa Nostra but preferred to remain in his own region and was not the "boss of bosses" like the late Salvatore "Toto" Riina.

☆ Factbox: How top Mafia boss Messina Denaro escaped justice for 30 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ROME, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Matteo Messina Denaro, a brutal Sicilian Mafia boss who was Italy's most wanted criminal before his capture on Monday, had been on the run for 30 years. Messina Denaro, 60, was the last runaway member of a generation of mobsters who masterminded a string of bombings and murders that terrorised Italy in the early 1990s. Nobody knows for sure, but there have long been suspicions that Messina Denaro had his back covered by politicians and other establishment connections. Crime writer Roberto Saviano has pointed out that a former junior justice minister, Antonio D'Ali, has been convicted for collusion with the Messina Denaro family. Messina Denaro was eventually caught outside a clinic in Palermo after police discovered he was sick with cancer.

☆ Italy arrests Sicilian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

1 fugitive, convicted Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, was arrested on Monday at a private clinic in Palermo, Sicily, after 30 years on the run, Italian paramilitary police said. Messina Denaro was captured at the clinic where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition, said Carabinieri Gen. Pasquale Angelosanto, who heads the police force's special operations squad. Messina Denaro was taken to a secret location by police immediately after the arrest, Italian state television reported. Messina Denaro, who had a power base in the port city of Trapani, in western Sicily, was considered Sicily's Cosa Nostra top boss even while a fugitive. Messina Denaro, who tried in absentia and convicted of dozens of murders, faces multiple life sentences.

☆ Arrest of 'last godfather' deals new blow to ailing Sicilian mafia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Messina Denaro, 60, was Italy's most wanted mafia boss and had been on the run for three decades. Experts describe Cosa Nostra, its fame amplified by movies such as "The Godfather", as an ailing crime group facing several difficulties, including competition in the highly lucrative drugs market. "Messina Denaro was the last godfather, he represented all the secrets of Cosa Nostra. Sergi said it was not clear who would step in to replace Messina Denaro in what is now a more factionalised mafia. Any revelation from Messina Denaro on the group's activities - including 1993 bomb attacks in Florence, Rome and Milan which killed 10 people - could be a further major development.

☆ Vowles says Williams will not become a 'mini-Mercedes'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Williams' new principal James Vowles said after his appointment on Friday that the struggling former champions would be no Mercedes 'B' team in Formula One. "There's no mini-Mercedes or B team or any of that," said Vowles. Vowles told reporters that Williams were entirely independent and he would act in their best interests. "There was always the speculation that Williams, because of the Mercedes engine, was a subordinate but none of that was obviously true." That’s why James is going to do what's good for the team, what's good for James in order to bring that forward.

☆ Vasseur starts a new era for Ferrari with big targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Schumacher won an unprecedented five crowns in a row from 2000-04 under Todt's leadership while Ferrari won seven constructors' championships between 1999 and the end of 2007, when Kimi Raikkonen took their last drivers' title. Vasseur, 54, is an old hand and on his third F1 team after joining Renault in 2016. The team have still not won a title since 2008 and have been making some glaring mistakes with their fans increasingly frustrated. Vasseur, who joins from Swiss-based Sauber where he ran the Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo team, has more than nationality in common with Todt. Nicolas Todt manages Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, last year's runner-up who also raced for Vasseur at Sauber in his debut season.

☆ Microsoft to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo, Sony on the spot
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) has entered into a 10-year commitment to bring the gaming title "Call of Duty" to Nintendo (7974.T) platforms, the chief executive officer of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, said in a post on Twitter on Wednesday. The agreement will bring the popular first-person shooter series from Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) to Nintendo game consoles for the first time. "I think this is an attempt by Microsoft to pressure Sony into signing a deal with Activision and to make it easier for Microsoft to finish and close the deal with Activision," said Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy. Microsoft competes with Sony and Nintendo in the global video game industry, which saw strong growth in recent years with people spending more time at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Shares in Nintendo closed up 0.3% after the Microsoft announcement, outperforming the Nikkei average's (.N225) 0.7% slide and Sony's 1.3% fall.

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