#russia #ukraine - US, UK pledge $1.5 billion in new Ukraine aid, but will they back strikes into Russia? • FRANCE 24

12 September 2024

The United States and Britain pledged nearly $1.5 billion in additional aid to Ukraine on Wednesday during a visit to Kyiv by their top diplomats as Ukrainian officials renewed their pleas to use Western-provided missiles against targets deeper inside Russia.

#Ukraine #Russia #missiles

#usa #trump #kamala - Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris: Will it sway voters? Today

11 September 2024 #taylorswift #kamalaharris #election

Music superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president minutes after she walked off the debate stage following her faceoff with Donald Trump — signing the post as “Childless Cat Lady.” The Grammy winner says the support was prompted in part by the former president’s use of AI-generated images falsely suggesting she endorsed him. NBC's Joe Fryer reports for TODAY on how this could sway young voters.

#F1 - 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Preview Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

 

Press Information 11 September 2024

 
F1: Race Preview
 
2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Preview

 
The first leg of the second double header after the summer break takes place in Baku.

• Toto Talks Azerbaijan
• Fact File: Azerbaijan Grand Prix
• Stat Sheet: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Sunday

Saturday

Friday

 
Toto Talks Azerbaijan
 
We head to Baku aiming for a better performance than we showed in Zandvoort and Monza. Both were difficult races for us. Our relative pace was not as strong as it was prior to the summer break and several of our competitors took a step forward. We showed good pace at moments across both weekends but were unable to unlock this consistently. We have spent the time since then analysing why this was. We have the opportunity to show we have done the necessary learning and made improvements both for this weekend in Azerbaijan and the following week in Singapore.
 
Both are challenging street circuits. They are bumpy, have many low-speed and 90 degree corners, but also feature plenty of high-speed sections. They pose a very different test to the ones we faced in the Netherlands and Italy. The traditional European portion of the season is now behind us. We have eight flyaway races before the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi. We are focused on ending the season as strongly as possible. There is plenty of racing left and we will be fighting for every point possible, starting this weekend in Baku.
 
 
Fact File: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

• The Baku City Circuit is the fourth longest on the F1 calendar this year - only Spa, Las Vegas and Jeddah are longer.
• A lap of the track sees drivers change gear 64 times, more than at any other circuit on the 2024 calendar.
• The Baku City Circuit also ranks highest in terms of braking energy. No track on the 2024 calendar has more braking zones of over 2G.
• Given the nature of a street circuit, it is perhaps no surprise that the Safety Car has been deployed five times across the last five races and is often required more than once across a Grand Prix.
• The section from the exit at Turn 16 to the braking zone for Turn 1 is the longest full-throttle passage of the year. It is around 200 metres longer than the segment from Turns 1 to 5 at Spa-Francorchamps.
• The 2.2 km start/finish straight therefore contributes to a very difficult restart for the leader, with a strong tow for the driver behind leaving them vulnerable into Turn 1.
• The name Baku derives from the shortened Persian name Bad-kuye, meaning "wind city", along with Bad-kube, which means "wind-hitting." Both terms refer to the famously consistently strong winds that blow through the city.
• Baku hosted an F1 Sprint weekend for the first time in 2023.
• The 2024 event is taking place in September for the first time, having previously taken place in the first half of the season (April or May).
• F1 first visited Baku in 2016, when the race was known as the European Grand Prix. It has been known as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix every year since.
• The team has recorded three wins in Baku with three different drivers - Nico Rosberg (2016), Lewis Hamilton (2018), and Valtteri Bottas (2019).
• George has also triumphed in Baku, winning the F2 Sprint race in 2018.

#AzerbaijanGP Preview: The Inside Line

Posted by John Nichols

Press Information 11 September 2024   F1: Race Preview   2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Preview   The first leg of the second double header after the summer break takes place in Baku. Toto Talks Azerbaijan Fact File: Azerbaijan Grand Prix Stat Sheet: Azerbaijan Grand Prix   Toto Talks Azerbaijan   We head to Baku aiming for a better performance than we showed in Zandvoort and Monza. Both were difficult races for us. Our relative pace was not as strong as it was prior to the summer break and several of our competitors took a step forward. We showed good pace at moments across both weekends but were unable to unlock this consistently. We have spent the time since then analysing why this was. We have the opportunity to show we have done the necessary learning and made improvements both for this weekend in Azerbaijan and the following week in Singapore.   Both are challenging street circuits. They are bumpy, have many low-speed and 90 degree corners, but also feature plenty of high-speed sections. They pose a very different test to the ones we faced in the Netherlands and Italy. The traditional European portion of the season is now behind us. We have eight flyaway races before the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi. We are focused on ending the season as strongly as possible. There is plenty of racing left and we will be fighting for every point possible, starting this weekend in Baku.     Fact File: Azerbaijan Grand Prix The Baku City Circuit is the fourth longest on the F1 calendar this year - only Spa, Las Vegas and Jeddah are longer. A lap of the track sees drivers change gear 64 times, more than at any other circuit on the 2024 calendar. The Baku City Circuit also ranks highest in terms of braking energy. No track on the 2024 calendar has more braking zones of over 2G. Given the nature of a street circuit, it is perhaps no surprise that the Safety Car has been deployed five times across the last five races and is often required more than once across a Grand Prix. The section from the exit at Turn 16 to the braking zone for Turn 1 is the longest full-throttle passage of the year. It is around 200 metres longer than the segment from Turns 1 to 5 at Spa-Francorchamps. The 2.2 km start/finish straight therefore contributes to a very difficult restart for the leader, with a strong tow for the driver behind leaving them vulnerable into Turn 1. The name Baku derives from the shortened Persian name Bad-kuye, meaning "wind city", along with Bad-kube, which means "wind-hitting." Both terms refer to the famously consistently strong winds that blow through the city. Baku hosted an F1 Sprint weekend for the first time in 2023. The 2024 event is taking place in September for the first time, having previously taken place in the first half of the season (April or May). F1 first visited Baku in 2016, when the race was known as the European Grand Prix. It has been known as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix every year since. The team has recorded three wins in Baku with three different drivers - Nico Rosberg (2016), Lewis Hamilton (2018), and Valtteri Bottas (2019). George has also triumphed in Baku, winning the F2 Sprint race in 2018.     Stat Sheet: Azerbaijan Grand Prix   2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix   Session   Local Time (AZT)   Brackley (BST)   Stuttgart (CEST) Practice 1 (Friday)   13:30 - 14:30   10:30 - 11:30   11:30 - 12:30 Practice 2 (Friday)   17:00 - 18:00   14:00 - 15:00   15:00 - 16:00 Practice 3 (Saturday)   12:30 - 13:30   09:30 - 10:30   10:30 - 11:30 Qualifying (Saturday)   16:00 - 17:00   13:00 - 14:00   14:00 - 15:00 Race (Sunday)   15:00   12:00   13:00     Race Records - Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix       Starts   Wins   Podium Places   Poles   Front Row   Fastest Laps   DNF Mercedes   6   2   5   2   6   2   1 Hamilton   6   1   2   1   4   0   0 Russell   4   0   1   0   0   0   1 MB Power   6   2   8   2   7   1   6     Technical Stats - Season to Date (Pre-season Testing to Present)       Laps Completed   Distance Covered (km)   Corners Taken   Gear Changes   PETRONAS Fuel Injections Mercedes   4,931   25,056.343   80,679   235,906   197,520,000 Hamilton   2,466   12,561.061   40,344   117,672   98,920,000 Russell   2,460   12,466.317   40,280   118,054   98,400,000 MB Power   18,758   95,222.290   305,234   895,729   749,360,000     Mercedes-Benz in Formula One       Starts   Wins   Podium Places   Poles   Front Row   Fastest Laps   1-2 Wins   Front Row Lockouts Mercedes (All Time)   309   128   295   139   262   109   59   82 Mercedes (Since 2010)   297   119   278   131   242   100   54   80 Hamilton   348   105   201   104   176   67   N/A   N/A Russell   120   2   13   3   11   8   N/A   N/A MB Power   579   219   607   228   464   218   94   121

#F1 - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: 2024 #AzerbaijanGP Preview: The Inside Line

Premieres 12 September 2024 at 0700

Azerbaijan may be basking in the afterglow of its performance in Paris at the 33rd Summer Olympic Games - where the nation scored 48 medals, including two gold in Judo. But, the eyes of the world now return to Azerbaijan, with Formula One set for its eighth visit to the Baku City Circuit. Watch the video, and tell us what you think in the comments…

Posted by John Nichols

F1 - Verstappen's title bid, Williams' Abu Dhabi plans, Ferrari's upgrades, and more: The Inside Line

11 September 2024

- Verstappen title not safe? - Williams wants Sainz early - Ferrari waiting for validation - Ferrari adjusts tech team - Flying Finn questions Checo - Merc pushing for upswing - Tsunoda wants top F1 drive - Sauber seat up for grabs - Las Vegas builds-up event

Posted by John Nichols

#Putinswar #Russia #Ukraine - Putin will move key weapons away from frontline if Biden lets Ukraine strike US weapons at Russia: Time Radio

11 September 2024

"Just the fact of the possibility that these weapons would be used will probably result in the Russians moving many of their weapons even further back from the frontline." This would render Russian weapons less effective in their targeting ability against Ukraine, says former US Colonel Cedric Leighton.

#usa #debate #trump #harris - Snap verdict on US Presidential debate • FRANCE 24 English

11 September 2024

PRESS REVIEW: Wednesday September 11 - US papers react to a debate where Republican candidate Trump was put on the back foot. And as the right wing press cries unfair moderators and media bias, Taylor Swift finally goes public on her voting intentions and they're blue. Also, when Donald Trump repeated a debunked viral rumour about immigrants eating neighbourhood dogs in Springfield, Ohio, it was catnip for satire. #Debate #Trump #Kamala

#Germany #ev #eu #autos - VW Scraps a 30 Year Old German Jobs Pledge to Cut Costs; Bloomberg Television

10 September 2024

German carmakers are sinking deeper into a crisis undermining the future of the country’s most important industry, with BMW  warning that profits will get hit by a costly brake problem and Volkswagen scrapping 30 years of job protections. Micheal Dean, Bloomberg Intelligence Head of Global Autos joins Bloomberg Intelligence to break down how this will change the car market.