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Worldnews

Australian GP: Hamiltons F1 Ferrari Debut In Melbourne, Verstappen-Norris

The 2025 F1 World Championship begins in Melbourne on Sunday with Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut and Lando Norris’s title challenge to Max Verstappen the key storylines. The 2025 Formula One season has all the makings of a highly competitive 24-race celebration to mark 75 years since the inaugural seven-race championship in 1950. Lewis Hamilton’s highly publicised move to Ferrari has been the key off-season storyline. The star British driver says his move from Mercedes to Ferrari has given him a new lease on life. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen appears to have his work cut out to seal a fifth straight drivers title with Lando Norris of McLaren poised to knock the Dutchman off his perch. Here are the key talking points before the 2025 F1 season gets under way in Australia on Sunday: Seventy-five years after Giuseppe Farina claimed the first F1 world championship at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo, Verstappen embarks on the 2025 season in pursuit of a fifth successive title, a feat achieved only once before, by Michael Schumacher, from 2000 until 2004. If he succeeds, it will cement the Dutchman’s place as a titan of the sport. He hoovered up seven of the first 10 races in his rampaging Red Bull season last year before enduring a 10-race winless run as McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari closed the championship points gap. But Verstappen had the last word, fighting back to win in Brazil and clinch title number four with two races to spare. McLaren prised the F1 constructors championship away from Red Bull – an award determined by the total points accumulated by the team’s two drivers over a season – for the first time since 1998. The tough task facing Verstappen is underlined by the betting, which has him as only the second favourite behind Norris (who ended last season 63 points behind) for the 2025 drivers crown. Hamilton is convinced he can help Ferrari win its first drivers championship since 2007 after the seven-time world champion made the move to Italy. At 40, the Briton seems full of youthful enthusiasm for the new challenge. “The passion here is like nothing you’ve ever seen. They’ve got absolutely every ingredient they need to win a world championship, and it’s just about putting all the pieces together,” he said. An Italian teenager who passed his driving test only in January is among the six-strong 2025 rookie intake. Kimi Antonelli is an exciting 18-year-old who takes Hamilton’s seat alongside George Russell at Mercedes. “I really want to make my own story,” last year’s multiple Formula 2 winner said, brushing off suggestions he is the seven-time world champion’s “replacement” at the Silver Arrows. New Zealand’s Liam Lawson, who replaced Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull in 2024 and has already raced in 11 Grand Prix, makes his full-fledged debut as Verstappen’s new wingman at Red Bull. Ferrari’s British academy driver Ollie Bearman joins the Haas team while Brazil has a presence on the grid for the first time in five years in F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto at Sauber. Australia’s Jack Doohan will be hoping to enjoy even a small slice of his legendary father Mick’s success on two wheels in MotoGP as he graduates from reserve driver to become Pierre Gasly’s teammate at Alpine. Last but not least is Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, the 20-year-old French-Algerian who narrowly missed out to Bortoleto for the F2 title. In the volatile, unpredictable, high-octane bubble that is F1, one thing seems assured in 2025: renewed tension between the governing body and the drivers, notably over the FIA’s crackdown on swearing. Top drivers Verstappen and Charles Leclerc fell foul of the rules in 2024 for using profanities at an F1 news conference. The guidelines were strengthened in January, triggering an indignant response from drivers, who took a swipe at FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. “We urge the FIA president to also consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise,” they wrote, adding: “Our members are adults. They do not need to be given instructions via the media, about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewellery or underpants.” Australia hosts the first of the 24 races next weekend, and the race in Bahrain has been moved to April as Ramadan runs throughout March. In addition, there will be six sprint races held at six of the 24 venues: Shanghai, Miami, Belgium, Austin, Sao Paulo and Qatar. The FIA is trying to liven up the jewel in the calendar – Monaco – where overtaking is nigh on impossible, imposing a mandatory two-pit-stop strategy. The traditional three-week summer break comes in August, and the F1 circus pitches up in the desert of Abu Dhabi for the season finale on December 7. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said “2025 will be a special year as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the FIA Formula One World Championship, and it’s that legacy and experience that allows us to deliver such a strong calendar.” The times from three days of preseason testing in Bahrain last month did not reveal much about the form of the top-ranked teams. With fuel loads unknown and team set-ups kept under wraps, it was hard if not impossible to pinpoint the winners and losers. Russell’s Mercedes was top of the pile on the last day. Carlos Sainz’s Williams topped the times on the middle day, and Norris’s McLaren took the first day honours. Ferrari were bang in the thick of it, and Verstappen will have been pleased with his showing on the final day. The main takeaway from testing is that the bulk of the teams look closely matched, prompting McLaren CEO Zak Brown to predict: “I can see it being super competitive. Last year, four teams won multiple races. This year, I could see that being even more. I’m more excited than nervous.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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News_Naija

Nigerias Dry Bones Will Live Corpers Knock FG Over Unpaid N77k Allowance

About two years ago, I set up a social media platform called ‘Think-Talk Naija” where Nigerians home and abroad often engage in intense and no-holds-barred discussions about Nigeria. The thrust behind the social media space is to engender disparate opinions on why progress is slow in Nigeria and why development seems to have stagnated. As you read this treatise, have you taken the time to figure out why the corruption carnival in Nigeria is not quieting down, and the magnitude of the evil seems to grow with every government? Do you agree with me that a free-for-all fiesta of stealing among men and women with access to power now appears like a norm? Have you ever sat down to ask our friends, and even our foes, why a prosperous geographical expression like Nigeria is in dire straits and struggling to survive and succeed?  I am certain that these questions will end up with a scattershot of differing responses and rejoinders. In any society where the people are not directly benefitting from even good and lofty moves of the government in power, the easiest and most emotionally appeasing way to respond is to dump every trouble at the doorstep of the sitting President and his team. That is yielding to the “Projection” theory in Psychology. Somebody must be blamed for something and everything to feel good. We often dump all troubles we face at the doorstep of whatever leader is reigning. I am sure Bola Tinubu is prepared for the dump truck and the heap of trash that comes with it. The dump truck will not leave the front of his house either in Bourdillon or Aso Rock until his time is up, whenever that is. When Tinubu was sworn in, Nigeria’s public debt stood at N46.25tn ($103.1b). External loans had increased from $25.7bn at the end of 2018 to $46bn. The revised expenditure for 2023 was estimated at an all-time high of N21.8tn, while revenue projection was at N10.5tn. Economists forecast that the budget deficit would come in above the government’s deficit target of N11.3tn. On top of all these messy figures, we had an inflation rate of 20 per cent. In that season, I spoke out loud in the public space that “I feel sorry for Tinubu”. I only wondered out loud and attempted to reason out how he could get Nigeria out of this mess. From the appearance of some developments, I will give it to Tinubu for not trying to do something different. Since May 2023, President Tinubu’s administration has achieved several notable milestones. His fuel Subsidy removal has saved Nigeria an estimated N4tn annually. The government said the funds were redirected to critical infrastructure and social programmes. The exchange rate unification has eliminated multiple exchange rates, leading to a more market-driven system and an increase in foreign exchange inflows by approximately $3bn. The nation’s foreign reserves have shown resilience. It hovers around $40bn today. Tinubu established a student loan scheme. N45.6bn has already been processed for payment to students and their institutions. He established the Consumer Credit Corporation with over N200bn to help Nigerians acquire essential products without immediate cash payments. His Agricultural Incentives have provided motivation for farmers to increase food production at affordable prices. Fertilizers have been distributed to farmers with a target to cultivate over 10 million hectares of land. Unfortunately, these efforts are like a drop in the ocean. Hunger is still raging and ravaging, and our healthcare system largely remains decrepit. The wildfire of corruption is unbridled, and insecurity is spreading, especially in the northern part of the country. Those who are lamenting that conditions are worsening for them and their families are not faking it. Many are hungry and do not know a way out of their predicaments. Nigerians are fatigued with theories and hypotheses that have not shown any positive results. Very few believe that government plans will have the breath of life because forces that destroy plans in the labour room of purpose are more than those that take plans to birth in the delivery room of breakthrough. The wave blowing on the nation may be calmer at this time than when Tinubu came on board, but it is still tangible. The conclusion is that the journey ahead of Nigeria is very long. When today looks bleak and tomorrow appears dreary when the systemic stench is deepening and societal decadence portends a protraction, then comes only one option available to the besieged and beleaguered people of a nation like Nigeria: hope! We can only keep hoping that the tide will turn. For those of us who still believe in Nigeria, we know that our country has the potential to be great. We settle for hope that one day, and very soon, the divine air traffic controller will put the flight back on track, and the human pilots in charge of the country’s ship will do what is necessary. There has never been a time that Nigerians sang a song of total deliverance and freedom from those who have used the government to garrote the destinies of men. Whatever is dire and grim is not rooted in what this current government has or has not done. For us as Nigerians, it has been one season of struggles and suffering after another. There is something wrong with the fundamentals of Nigeria’s economy that remains swathed up in putrefaction and putrescence. No one yet seems able to rectify and debug what ails it. The more the government strives, the worse it seems to be getting. All interventions have amounted to nothing but a measly drop in a deep, unsatisfied bucket. Every process of change in Nigeria must be sincere and must come out as a fierce attack against brutes and principalities that are determined to continue the status quo of depravity and thievery. I, however, urge this government to continue doing all within its power to get us out of the woods. For those in the woods, just keep hoping. I read about Prophet Ezekiel, who was once taken by God to a valley full of dry bones. He was then asked if the dry bones would live. He rolled it back to God, saying only He (God) knew. God then asked him to speak to the dry bones. He did. And the dry bones came back to life an exceeding great army. I believe that Nigeria’s dry bones will live. May God give us people who will always confess life into our nation, not death.

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Futbol

Newcastle's Cup Win And Saudi Arabia - How Do Fans Feel?

Seventy years. That is how long Newcastle United waited to win a domestic trophy. And their fans have made up for the seven-decade drought with the way they have celebrated their Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool. There have been tears, relief, pride - and, most of all, happiness. But for some - and it does not appear to be a view shared widely among Newcastle fans - there is regret. And that relates to the club's £305m takeover by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) three years and five months ago. The PIF is Saudi's sovereign wealth fund. BBC Sport explores these conflicting emotions. One of the voices raising concerns is the Newcastle United Fans Against Sportswashing (NUFCFAS) group. "Newcastle United's victory will also be seen as a victory for the human rights-abusing regime and their sportswashing project," the group said in a statement. "We know that it should be a great day for the city of Newcastle, and many will feel that way, but for us it is unfortunately tainted by the ownership of the club. "Silence on human rights is complicity in the crimes of the regime which owns our club. This is what sportswashing is all about." In addition to the financial backing from their owners, Newcastle won in a shirt sponsored by PIF-owned sports company Sela. Their sleeve sponsor was Noon - a PIF-backed retailer. Sela handed out 32,000 scarves to fans at Wembley, bearing the club's badge, the phrase 'Howay the lads' and the Sela logo. It was also behind the beaming of giant images of star players onto London's Millbank Tower on the eve of the final. Those sort of promotional campaigns are no different to what any sponsor might do to raise their profile. But critics point to Saudi Arabia facing years of criticism over subjects such as: human rights violations the repression of women the criminalisation of homosexuality the restriction of free speech the continued use of the death penalty the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi the imprisonment of activists for online dissent the country's involvement in the bloody conflict in Yemen While campaigners acknowledge there have been important reforms in recent years, for example over women's rights, they also point out there has been continued repression. The takeover of Newcastle was approved in October 2021 after the Premier League received "legally binding assurances" the Saudi state would not control the club. Newcastle have previously denied accusations of sportswashing, insisting the takeover was "not the Saudi state, it's PIF". They said the deal was about growing Newcastle. John Hird, one of the founders of NUFCFAS, said he could "feel little joy" about Newcastle's cup win. "I was born a Toon fan. I remember my dad crying his eyes out after he came back from the Fairs Cup win in 1969. I still have the scrapbook of the cup run he made me," said Hird. "I and many other Newcastle fans were fans long before the Saudi state took over the club and we'll still be fans long after they've been forced out, and we will have stayed true to our values and working-class traditions of solidarity." BBC Sport asked fans who follow our Newcastle United club page what they thought of the criticism from NUFCFAS. We received many replies from different viewpoints. Here is a selection: Paul: "We have no control over who owns our club. The Saudi regime is deplorable, as are many owners of clubs throughout the league, and the fact they own most of NUFC doesn't change my opinion on them. So sportwashing, for all the Saudis spend on it, has at best a minimal benefit to them as a PR exercise." Tom: "It does taint the victory and the club, but that's not the fault of the players or fans and they should be allowed to celebrate. I've never seen so much news content about Saudi Arabia's terrible human rights record, so they are sportwashing but, at the same time, they have brought more negative attention on themselves." Luke: "Sportswashing is real. As a lifelong Newcastle fan, who has lived in Saudi Arabia, it's clear to me why countries with questionable human rights invest in sports teams. Reflected joy, glory, and of course sometimes turning a profit. It's our club regardless of who owns it. I don't want my team owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, but I can still celebrate what it means for this city and the fans to have such a historic win. But yes, it does taint it a bit for me." David: "As a lifelong Newcastle fan, I'm celebrating the end of our wait for a trophy like a fan of any other team would. I wouldn't have chosen our current owners, but it is out of my control and I don't see why I should feel guilty or shamed by it. Saudi money has kept the flat horse racing industry afloat for over 40 years, but nobody seems bothered by that." Jess: "Football has got so expensive that only oil states, billionaires or massive corporations can afford to own or sponsor clubs - so expecting ethical brands to be involved is unrealistic. People are quick to slam Newcastle for being backed by oil money, but ignore that most clubs are plastered with betting sponsors that exploit vulnerable fans. If we're going to talk about ethics in football, we need to be consistent. Otherwise it just sounds like selective outrage." Sty: "What a load of rubbish. Newcastle have had the same investment as many other clubs and nobody asks where that money has come from, do they?" Katie: "This is being questioned just because someone else is winning. We aren't the only team with questionable ownership. There are other teams owned by Chinese consortiums and other countries with questionable human rights laws. Allow a team that has waited over half a century for success to enjoy it before you start this nonsense!" Newcastle were relegation contenders when Eddie Howe was appointed as Steve Bruce's successor as manager in November 2021, taking over a side in 19th, winless and five points from safety. That came 13 days after the completion of the takeover, which brought an end to Mike Ashley's tumultuous 14-year spell as owner. The team have been on an upward trajectory since, with Howe leading Newcastle to survival in his first campaign, before ending the club's 20-year absence from the Champions League in his first full season and now delivering a trophy in his third. Newcastle are one of the league's biggest spenders in this time. However their ability to spend heavily has been restricted by the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR) in the past three transfer windows, with Alexander Isak (£60m), Sandro Tonali (£55m) and Anthony Gordon (£40m, rising to £45m) among the club's biggest outlays. The Athletic correspondent and Newcastle supporter Chris Waugh told BBC Radio 5 Live the spending power of the owners was only a "contributing factor" in the club's success. "We can debate the morals [associated with the ownership], but actually for Newcastle supporters and how they follow the team, I think it has to be seen as one of the great stories," said Waugh. "Has money contributed to their success? Yes, Newcastle have spent money over the past few years but not in the same ballpark in a relative sense as the biggest clubs - they haven't been able to because of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules." Asked to respond to criticism offered by other supporters - which included the morality of the club's owners, accusations of buying success and even the stature of the League Cup - Felicity Throw of the Newcastle United Supporters' Trust said: "It's our job as rival football fans to downplay achievements. "Liverpool fans were disappointed to lose. They would have loved to win the League Cup. "We don't care, frankly. We are having a party. There are very strict spending laws in place. We are going to have a good day, regardless."