
AMLO Props Up Pemex Bulls as Bonds Soar After $4 Billion Bailout
Bonds from Mexican state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos jumped Friday, posting one of the best performances in emerging markets, after
1970-01-01 08:00

Max Verstappen argues with race engineer during qualifying before grid penalty
Max Verstappen vowed to kiss and make up with his race engineer following their X-rated row in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying. Verstappen finished fastest in a wet-dry session at Spa-Francorchamps, but he will start Sunday’s 44-lap race from sixth following a gearbox penalty. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is promoted to pole position, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez second. Lewis Hamilton, on pole a week ago in Hungary, will line up in third. Verstappen made it into Q3 – the final phase of qualifying – by the skin of his teeth and vented his anger at long-serving race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, known as GP, following the close-call. “I should have just f****** pushed two laps in a row like I said,” said Verstappen, who sneaked through in 10th place. “But you are through, Max,” replied Lambiase. “I don’t give a f*** that we are P10, mate. It is just s*** execution,” came Verstappen’s fiery response. Lambiase snapped back: “OK, and then when the track was two seconds quicker for your final lap and you didn’t have any energy left, how would that have gone down?” A surly Lambiase added: “But you tell me what you want to do in Q3 and we’ll do it. Tyre sets, fuel, run plan.” After returning to finish eighth tenths clear of Leclerc, Verstappen issued an apology. “Sorry to GP for being such on the rant,” he said over the radio. Lambiase replied: “Slowly getting used to it, Max.” Speaking afterwards, Verstappen added: “It happens sometimes. Most of it is blocked off. “We are mates. We can get quite emotional, quite vocal. We sort it out afterwards.” Verstappen’s grid drop for exceeding the allocated number of four gearboxes will provide his rivals with forlorn hope they can end his seven-race winning streak. However, the Dutchman, a winner of nine of the 11 rounds so far this season, started this race from 14th last year owing to engine penalties and still took the victory in his all-conquering Red Bull machine. For Hamilton, the seven-time world champion faced a post-qualifying investigation from the stewards after he ran off the circuit at Eau Rouge before re-joining in front of team-mate George Russell in Q2. Russell was forced to slow down to avoid making contact with the sister Mercedes. Race control noted the incident and confirmed they would investigate. Hamilton finished nine tenths slower than Verstappen, with Russell even further back in eighth, 0.8sec adrift of his team-mate. “It was definitely very hectic because it was consistently drying up,” said Hamilton after the running started on a wet track. “It was difficult to see with the spray. I was head down, just maximining as much as I could. “At the end, I was still a good chunk off Max. But I am really happy with the result I’ve got.” Carlos Sainz qualified fifth for Ferrari, one spot ahead of Oscar Piastri, with Lando Norris seventh in the other McLaren. Daniel Ricciardo finished a commendable 13th on his F1 comeback but the Australian will line up from the penultimate spot on the grid. Ricciardo temporarily hauled his AlphaTauri through to Q2 only to see his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits. “F***, I am sorry,” said Ricciardo when informed of the chalked-off lap. “I just lost it through Turn 3. I am sorry.” Spa-Francorchamps is hosting the sport’s third sprint event of the year with a shortened race on Saturday to come before Sunday’s main event – the concluding round ahead of the sport’s summer shutdown. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen fastest for Belgian GP despite X-rated row with race engineer How Max Verstappen and record-breaking Red Bull compare to Formula One greats I held my breath – Lewis Hamilton enjoys ‘extraordinary’ run to pole in Budapest
1970-01-01 08:00

Niger military coup: What you need to know
After the elected president is overthrown, here’s why it matters for the region, Russia and the West.
1970-01-01 08:00

Max Verstappen fastest for Belgian GP despite X-rated row with race engineer
Max Verstappen took pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix despite an X-rated radio row with his race engineer. Verstappen was embroiled in a squabble with Gianpiero Lambiase after he only just made it through to Q3 during a wet-dry session at Spa-Francorchamps. But the championship leader regained his composure at the business end of qualifying to demolish the opposition, finishing eight tenths clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with Sergio Perez third in the other Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth. However, Verstappen will only start Sunday’s race from sixth position as he serves a five-place grid drop for exceeding his gearbox allocation. Verstappen made it into the final phase by the skin of his teeth in 10th place and then vented his anger at his long-serving engineer. Verstappen accused his team of “s*** execution”, claiming he should have pushed harder on an earlier lap after the field switched from wet to dry rubber. “I don’t give a f*** that we are P10, mate”, he yelled over the radio. Lambiase snapped back: “OK, and then when the track was two seconds quicker for your final lap and you didn’t have any energy left, how would that have gone down?” A surly Lambiase added: “But you tell me what you want to do in Q3 and we’ll do it. Tyre sets, fuel, run plan.” But after taking pole, Verstappen, 110 points clear at the standings and on a run of seven-consecutive wins in his all-conquering Red Bull machine, said over the radio: “Sorry to GP for being such on the rant.” Lambiase replied: “Slowly getting used to it, Max.” Hamilton secured pole a week ago in Hungary, but he is facing an investigation from the stewards after he ran off the circuit at Eau Rouge before re-joining in front of team-mate George Russell in Q2. Russell was forced to slow down to avoid making contact with the sister Mercedes. Race control noted the incident before confirming they would investigate. It was an underwhelming afternoon for the Silver Arrows with Hamilton nine tenths slower than Verstappen, and Russell ever further back in eighth, 0.8sec adrift of his team-mate. Lando Norris finished seventh, a spot behind Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren. Daniel Ricciardo qualified a commendable 13th on his return a week ago, but the Australia will line up from the penultimate spot on the grid on Sunday. Ricciardo temporarily hauled his AlphaTauri through to Q2 only to see his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits. “F***, I am sorry,” said Ricciardo when informed of the bad news. “I just lost it through Turn 3. I am sorry.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How Max Verstappen and record-breaking Red Bull compare to Formula One greats I held my breath – Lewis Hamilton enjoys ‘extraordinary’ run to pole in Budapest Max Verstappen gives hope to rivals after coming 11th in Hungarian GP practice
1970-01-01 08:00

Petro Says Colombia to Comply With Fiscal Rule Despite Jump in Debt
Colombia will manage to comply with fiscal rule targets even as the government’s debt load is expected to
1970-01-01 08:00

European Banks Improve Results in Stress Test That’s Key for Payouts
Most European banks emerged stronger from a stress test on how they would weather a sharp economic downturn,
1970-01-01 08:00

Burundi media guide
An overview of the media in Burundi, including links to newspapers and broadcasters.
1970-01-01 08:00

Top Dell Executive to Resign as Company Grapples With Slow Computer Sales
Dell Technologies Inc. Co-Chief Operating Officer Chuck Whitten is resigning next month as the hardware giant grapples with
1970-01-01 08:00

Paul Finebaum: Pac-12 No Longer a Power 5 Conference, Has No Relevance on the National Stage
VIDEO: Paul Finebaum says read the Pac-12 its last rites.
1970-01-01 08:00

Crypto Trading Bots Are Taking Over Telegram
This year’s rebound in cryptocurrencies is turning messaging platform Telegram into an unlikely marketplace for small traders fearful
1970-01-01 08:00

Kenya cyber-attack: Why is eCitizen down?
A key government online platform has been down for several days and mobile money services are also affected.
1970-01-01 08:00

Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer in shock exit after Belgian Grand Prix
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer will leave the team after this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix in a shock announcement. Szafnauer joined the French team from Aston Martin at the start of last season but has seen his former team and McLaren leapfrog Alpine in the standings at the halfway stage of the 2023 campaign. Sporting director Alan Permane, who has been associated with Renault - the parent company of the Alpine brand - for 34 years, will also depart. An Alpine statement read: “The team would like to thank Otmar for his hard work over the past 18 months and for leading the team in achieving fourth place in the 2022 Constructors’ Championship. The team wishes him the best for the future. “After 34 distinguished years at Enstone, the team extends its thanks to Alan and wishes him the best in his future endeavours.” Bruno Famin, currently vice-president of Alpine Motorsports, will take up the role of interim team principal after the summer break from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards. Current academy director Julian Rouse will take the role of interim sporting director. Pat Fry has also left the team to join Williams as chief technical officer. The shake-up follows Laurent Rossi leaving his role as CEO of the F1 team last week, with Philippe Krief replacing him. Alpine finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship last season but lost Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin and test driver Oscar Piastri to McLaren. The French duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have endured a tricky first half of the season, though Ocon did claim a podium in Monaco. Read More F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and FP1 lap times at Spa-Francorchamps F1 grid: Starting positions for Belgian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz interview: ‘All of us at Ferrari expected more – we haven’t done the best job’ F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and times at Spa-Francorchamps Max Verstappen receives penalty for Belgian Grand Prix What time is qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday?
1970-01-01 08:00