
Michael Jordan to sell Charlotte Hornets NBA team
US media reports the team is worth an estimated $3bn (£2bn) but details of the deal are undisclosed.
1970-01-01 08:00

Lewis Hamilton fastest as practice for Canadian Grand Prix finally gets started
Lewis Hamilton finished fastest in second practice for the Canadian Grand Prix as the action finally started in Montreal on Friday. The opening running of the weekend was abandoned following an embarrassing CCTV failure at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. But the problem was fixed to allow an extended 90-minute second session later in the day and it was Hamilton who topped the time sheets with Mercedes team-mate George Russell second. Carlos Sainz finished third for Ferrari ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, while championship leader Max Verstappen ended the day in sixth position for Red Bull. Hamilton finished runner-up to Verstappen at the last round in Spain a fortnight ago in his revamped Mercedes machine, and the seven-time world champion spoke earlier this week about the grid’s once-dominant team having discovered its North Star as they bid to reel in Red Bull. And the early signs at the eighth round of the campaign were again encouraging at a venue where Hamilton has won on seven occasions – more than any other driver. The 38-year-old finished 0.027 seconds clear of Russell in the other Mercedes, with Sainz a tenth adrift. Verstappen, who heads the championship order with five victories from seven appearances this year, finished four tenths back. The second session was brought forward by 30 minutes – and extended to an hour-and-a-half – after the opening running was red-flagged with just four minutes on the board when Pierre Gasly broke down in his Alpine. Only a handful of drivers had posted a lap with Hamilton and Russell among those who had not taken to the track. The session had been expected to restart as usual following the removal of Gasly’s Alpine, but Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, blamed “issues with local CCTV infrastructure” for the initial delay. The suspension in play then became temporary with the FIA confirming at 14:20 local time (19:20 BST) that the session would not be resumed leaving an estimated 90,000 spectators short-changed and the sport with red faces. Two red flags then disrupted the second session after Nico Hulkenberg’s engine blew up, and Esteban Ocon broke down in his Alpine on a troubled day for the French team. Dark clouds lingered over the 14-corner track and heavy rain arrived with 10 minutes remaining to cement Mercedes’ position at the top of the order. Rain is forecast for Saturday’s qualifying session and could also play a part in Sunday’s 70-lap race. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen closes in on ‘amazing achievement’ of matching Ayrton Senna Lewis Hamilton plays down talk of imminent new Mercedes deal On this day in 2007: Lewis Hamilton claims first Formula One victory
1970-01-01 08:00

San Diego State tells Mountain West to take a hike amid Pac-12 rumors
San Diego State has informed the Mountain West that it intends to resign from the conference.As it turns out, conference realignment is not over, as San Diego State may leave the Mountain West after this season.ESPN's Pete Thamel broke this bombshell on Friday afternoon in somewhat of a...
1970-01-01 08:00

Six in critical condition, 15 dead after Canada highway crash
The deadly crash is "one of the worst tragedies" ever seen in the province of Manitoba, an official said.
1970-01-01 08:00

Italy Curbs China Influence Over Formula One Tiremaker Pirelli
Italy’s government stepped in to limit the influence of China’s Sinochem over Formula One supplier Pirelli SpA, citing
1970-01-01 08:00

First practice at Canadian Grand Prix cancelled due to CCTV failure
Formula One first practice at the Canadian Grand Prix was embarrassingly cancelled after a CCTV failure at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The opening one-hour running of the weekend was red-flagged after just four minutes when Pierre Gasly broke down in his Alpine. Only a handful of drivers had posted a lap with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell among those who had not taken to the track. The running had been expected to restart as usual following the removal of Gasly’s Alpine, but F1’s governing body, the FIA, blamed “issues with local CCTV infrastructure” for the initial delay. The suspension in play then became temporary with the FIA confirming at 14:20 local time (19:20 BST) that the session would not be resumed leaving an estimated 90,000 spectators short-changed. The FIA said that the concluding running of the day, which was due to start at 17:00 local time (22:00 BST), would be brought forward to 16:30 to allow for 30 minutes more running. An FIA spokesperson said: “The delay will be longer as the CCTV is not synced correctly and until the issue has been fixed we cannot run on track. “This system is a local installation and they are continuing to work to resolve the problem. “The clock will continue to run down on FP1 and the session will not be extended as there must be two hours between FP1 and FP2.” Former driver Karun Chandhok, who competed in 11 grands prix and now works as a pundit for Sky Sports, was critical of the FIA’s decision to abandon the running. “I feel we needed to get on track,” said Chandhok. “I would argue that there’s races around the world where they haven’t got CCTV cameras and they rely on marshal posts to radio incidents in – then you can use the TV cameras to look at it.”
1970-01-01 08:00

BlackRock Tries for Spot-Bitcoin ETF With Fresh Filing
BlackRock Inc. is trying its hand at potentially getting the first spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded fund launched in the US.
1970-01-01 08:00

Canadian Grand Prix practice descends into farce after bizarre CCTV blackout
Practice at the Canadian Grand Prix descended into an early farce on Friday after FP1 was halted due to CCTV issues. First practice got underway for just five minutes before Pierre Gasly’s Alpine car stopped at the side of the track with a driveshaft issue, triggering a red flag. FOLLOW LIVE: Canadian GP practice stopped due to CCTV issues in Montreal Yet while Gasly’s car was quickly wheeled to safety, the red flag remained due to issues with the local CCTV infrastructure around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. As opposed to qualifying and the race where the clock stops with a red flag, in practice sessions the clock keeps rolling in order to keep the daily schedule progressing. The session did not resume, but FP2 will now run for 90 minutes and will start half-an-hour earlier at 4:30pm local time, 9:30pm (BST), in order for the drivers to get valuable time on track. An F1 spokesperson stated: “The FIA have clarified a two-hour gap is required between FP1 and FP2. “FP2 will start at 1630 local time, 30 minutes earlier than previously scheduled, and run for 90 minutes. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas was quickest out of all the early runners, though some cars did not even get out on track. Read More F1 Canadian Grand Prix LIVE: Practice lap times and FP1 standings in Montreal F1 commentator sacked from BBC role after ‘inappropriate touching’
1970-01-01 08:00

Spain-France Hydrogen Link Poised to Receive EU Funding for Green Shift
A planned multibillion-euro hydrogen link between Spain and France is set to qualify for European Union aid as
1970-01-01 08:00

Elon Musk Says He Has Improved ‘Corrosive’ Twitter for Most Users
Elon Musk, speaking at a conference in Paris, said that he bought Twitter Inc. because the social network
1970-01-01 08:00

Kenya Considers Buying Back Part of a $2 Billion Bond
Kenya is considering options including a potential buyback of part of a $2 billion bond due next year,
1970-01-01 08:00

F1 Canadian Grand Prix LIVE: Practice lap times and FP1 standings in Montreal
The Formula 1 paddock heads to Montreal next for the Canadian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen won his third race in a row with a cruise of a victory in Spain last time out, with his lead in the F1 world championship now 53 points from Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez. COMMENT: Ferrari’s F1 flaws all the more baffling after shock success at Le Mans It was an improved weekend in Barcelona for Mercedes though, with their revamped car showing improvements as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell came home second and third respectively. There was disappointment for Fernando Alonso though, who only finished seventh, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished outside the points in 11th. Verstappen won last year’s race in Montreal, seeing off Carlos Sainz in second, while F1 have dismissed speculation that this year’s race could be called off due to the wildfires causing air pollution in nearby regions. Follow live coverage from the Canadian Grand Prix with The Independent - FP1 starts at 6:30pm (BST). Read More F1 commentator sacked from BBC role after ‘inappropriate touching’ Lewis Hamilton plays down talk of imminent new Mercedes deal Ferrari’s F1 flaws all the more baffling after shock success at Le Mans
1970-01-01 08:00