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Oscar Piastri future; showdown with Alpine, Daniel Ricciardo McLaren, Lewis Hamilton turned down role in Top Gun

Oscar Piastri future; showdown with Alpine, Daniel Ricciardo McLaren, Lewis Hamilton turned down role in Top Gun

Alpine is reportedly set for a legal showdown with Oscar Piastri amid reports the Australian driver will join McLaren next season.

The 21-year-old was announced last week as Fernando Alonso’s replacement at Alpine only for Piastri to take to social media to declare he would not be driving for the team.

It came amid reports that McLaren had told Daniel Ricciardo he would not have a seat in 2023.

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Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer said they could seek compensation, expected to be in the millions.

“Going to the High Court is over 90 per cent certain that’s what we’ll do,” he told Reuters.

“If the [board] says ‘your license is only valid at Alpine’ and then he [Piastri] says ‘that’s great but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year,’ then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation.”

Szafnauer said Alpine would assess how much money they have invested in Piastri’s development.

This figure would include the costs associated with independent tests as well as thousands of kilometers in the team’s 2021 car.

According to Reuters, one power unit costs as much as $2.55 million (AUD)

“We haven’t sat down with the accountants to figure out everything we’ve spent,” said Szafnauer.

“We will have to do that if we go to the High Court.”

According to TheRace.com, the fact Alpine believe the matter will head to the court implies that the team is resigned to losing Piastri to McLaren with their focus now on compensation rather than holding onto its rising star.

Oscar Piastri has said he will not drive for Alpine in 2023.
Oscar Piastri has said he will not drive for Alpine in 2023.Source: Getty Images

HAMILTON’S REVEALS BIG HOLLYWOOD BLOW

Lewis Hamilton has sensationally revealed he had to turn down a role as a fighter pilot in Top Gun: Maverick, describing it as “the most upsetting call” he’s ever made.

The seven-time world champion counts himself as a good friend of actor Tom Cruise, who played the lead role in the 1986 original and the recent Hollywood blockbuster that has grossed a whopping $AUD1.8 billion.

Hamilton recalls being invited to the set of one of Cruise’s movies as the starting point of their friendship.

“One of the nicest people you’ll ever meet,” Hamilton told Vanity Fair.

“He invited me to his set years ago when he was doing Edge of Tomorrow, and then we just built a friendship over time.”

Once Hamilton caught wind a Top Gun sequel was in the works, he was desperate to be involved given his love of the film as a child.

“So when I heard the second one was coming out, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I have to ask him,’” Hamilton said.

Tom Cruise bumps fists with Lewis Hamilton before the British GP at Silverstone. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

MORE COVERAGE

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Hamilton’s surprise retirement admission spells bad news for Ricciardo amid long game twist

Ricciardo posts for the first time since shock McLaren dumping

“I said, ‘I don’t care what role it is. I’ll even sweep something, be a cleaner in the back.’”

Cruise obliged, but he wasn’t going to give Hamilton a cameo appearance.

Instead, the megastar wanted the Mercedes driver to be one of the fighter pilots.

There was just one catch: filming was set to take place during the back-end of the 2021 F1 season when Hamilton was locked in a tense battle with Max Verstappen for the world championship.

Knowing he had to turn down the chance of a lifetime, Hamilton was devastated when he made the call.

“I’m a perfectionist,” Hamilton said.

“The most upsetting call that I think I’ve ever had.”

F1 TRACK SET TO MAKE APPEARANCE IN … CALL OF DUTY?

Christmas has come early for the cross section of F1 and Call of Duty fans.

Infinity Ward, the developers of the video game, released a trailer that confirmed the Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore will be a playable map in the latest edition of the famous franchise.

In an official statement, Infinity Ward confirmed the map would be playable in the Modern Warfare II Beta for fans to get a taste of what’s to come.

“The Modern Warfare II Beta is set to feature a robust multiplayer experience going beyond the Core 6v6 experience with a variety of meticulously designed maps of various sizes, and an equally impressive set of Modes, Progression experiences, and other aspects that will be more thoroughly revealed at Call of Duty: Next,” the statement read.

“In addition, we revealed a fly-through of Marina Bay Grand Prix, where combat occurs within the main infield of an urban race circuit, one of the 6v6 Multiplayer maps confirmed for the Beta.”

The pit lane in Singapore will look a little different in this year’s Call of Duty. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

There does not look to be any official F1 branding or names of the drivers, suggesting it is not an official partnership between them and Call of Duty.

Funnily enough, the worlds of F1 and Call of Duty have intertwined previously, as Lewis Hamilton was a non-playable character in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, released in 2016.

LONG LIVE VEGAS! F1’S FIRST DATE IN SIN CITY LEAKED

What happens in Vegas might very well have great implications in the title race as the date for the Las Vegas GP has been leaked.

A Letter of Intent for the race between Liberty Media and the Convention Bureau was posted on Twitter and eagle-eyed fans noted the date.

The Las Vegas GP is slated to take place on November 18 and it would remain on that date until 2027 when the contract expires.

Based on the current F1 calendar, it would mean the race in Sin City would be the penultimate race of the season as the Abu Dhabi GP will take place on November 20 this year.

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US

Shock, shame among some Muslims as Afghan accused of New Mexico murders

Afghan Muslim arrested for killings that shook New Mexico's Islamic community

Participants in an interfaith memorial ceremony enter the New Mexico Islamic Center mosque to commemorate four murdered Muslim men, hours after police said they had arrested a prime suspect in the killings, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, US August 9, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Hay

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ALBUQUERQUE, NM, Aug 10 (Reuters) – Muslims in New Mexico interviewed on Wednesday said they felt shock and shame at the arrest of a Muslim immigrant from Afghanistan in connection with the murders of four Muslim men.

Police on Tuesday said they detained 51-year-old Muhammad Syed. A motive for the killings remains unclear, but police said he may have acted on personal grudges, possibly with intra-Muslim sectarian overtones.

Syed denied being involved with any of the four killings when questioned by police, according to the New York Times.

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“We’re in complete total disbelief. Speechless. You know, kind of embarrassed to say he was one of our own,” said Mula Akbar, an Afghan-American businessman who said he had helped Syed settle in the city.

“His hatred of Shi’ites might have had something to do with it,” Akbar said.

Syed was from the Sunni branch of Islam and prayed together at Albuquerque’s Islamic Center of New Mexico (ICNM) mosque with most of the victims, three of whom were from the Shi’ite branch of Islam. All four victims were of Afghan or Pakistani descent. One was killed in November, the other three in the last two weeks.

Syed, who made his first appearance in court Wednesday, was formally charged with killing Aftab Hussein, 41, on July 26 and Muhammed Afzaal Hussain, 27, on Aug. 1.

Police said on Tuesday they were working with prosecutors on potential charges for the murders of Naeem Hussain, 25, a truck driver killed on Friday, and Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, shot dead on Nov. 7, 2021, outside the grocery store he ran with his brother in southeast Albuquerque.

It was not immediately clear if Syed had retained a lawyer.

Police declined to comment on rumors Syed was angry one of his daughters had eloped and married a Shi’ite man.

The daughter told CNN that her husband was friends with two of the men who were killed, Aftab Hussein and Naeem Hussain. The woman, who CNN did not name out of concern for her safety, said her father was not happy when she married in 2018 but had become accepting more recently.

“My father is not a person who can kill somebody. My father has always talked about peace. That’s why we are here in the United States. We came from Afghanistan, from fighting, from shooting,” she told CNN.

Palestinian-American Samia Assed said the Muslim community of around 4,000 in Albuquerque had worked to do to prevent violence they left behind in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“This took me back to 9/11 when I just wanted to hide under a rock,” said the human rights activist after she hosted an interfaith memorial at the ICNM, Albuquerque’s oldest and largest mosque.

“For this to happen it’s like setting us back 100 years,” she said.

The mosque is nonsectarian, serves mainly Sunnis from over 30 countries and has never before experienced violence of this kind, according to congregants interviewed by Reuters.

Syed is a truck driver, has six children, is from Pashtun ethnicity and arrived in the United States as a refugee about six years ago from Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, said Akbar, a former US diplomat who worked on Afghan issues and helped found the Afghan Society of New Mexico.

Syed developed a record of criminal misdemeanors over the last three or four years, including a case of domestic violence, police said.

Video from February 2020 showed him slashing the tires of a vehicle at the ICNM believed to be owned by the family of the first known victim, Ahmadi, according to the mosque’s president, attorney Ahmad Assed.

“We’re in a surreal time trying to make sense of these senseless killings we’ve suffered,” he said.

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Reporting by Andrew Hay in Albuquerque; Editing by Donna Bryson, Howard Goller and Rosalba O’Brien

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Sports

Cameron Smith smashed for ‘cowardly’ LIV Golf Series response, world view, reaction, video

Cameron Smith’s pending defection to LIV Golf has been met with a mixed reception. Photo: Getty Images

Cameron Smith’s imminent defection is being viewed as the biggest “coup” to date for LIV in their quest for legitimacy.

Until now, The PGA Tour and its supporters could argue that the rebel league is merely a competition where washed up pros go to fill their bank accounts. No longer.

While tour veterans Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia were the initial names linked to the financially lucrative competition, the domino effect can’t be denied.

Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson – three of the biggest names on the US PGA – have taken the money and left.

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Cameron Smith's pending defection to LIV Golf has been met with a mixed reception. Photo: Getty Images
Cameron Smith’s pending defection to LIV Golf has been met with a mixed reception. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP

Smith’s signing however is being seen as a game-changer.

At 28, he is only now coming into the peak of his powers, he is the most recent major winner and he overran Rory McIlroy, the biggest name in world golf since Tiger Woods, to claim the Open Championship.

Nonetheless, Smith’s pending defection, which the Australian remained coy about ahead of the FedEx Cup playoff opener, hasn’t been filled with overwhelming excitement and a popping of corks.

Indeed, there’s an overarching sense of disappointment, inevitability and sadness about Smith’s likely defection; financial security has won over legacy and moral compass.

McIlroy reveals tension with LIV golfers | 01:30

Writing for the UK Telegraph – the same publication that broke Smith’s defection on a deal worth more than $AU140 million – chiefs sports writer Oliver Brown emphasized that Smith’s defection “might” capture an audience that eventually garners a TV deal.

“His signing is arguably the Saudis’ most significant coup to date, and could represent a tipping point for the competition – a moment where a gilded freakshow turned into a sporting event which might demand the world’s attention,” Brown wrote.

At the heart of the appeal of LIV Golf, Brown hit the nail on his head when he revealed the ridiculous sums of money today’s stars were forgoing by resisting a move from the PGA Tour.

“Against this backdrop, you can see why the initial contact from Greg Norman, LIV’s ringmaster, became an offer Smith could not refuse,” he wrote.

“(Henrick) Stenson, a 46-year-old who has failed to reach the weekend in seven of his last nine majors, is the type of player he should be beating for breakfast. And yet the Swede, quickly forgetting his defenestration of him as Ryder Cup captain, earned more for a glorified three-day exhibition at Bedminster than Smith did for winning the 150th Open at the Home of Golf.

“From Smith’s perspective, this is an imbalance that urgently needs correcting. If he takes home the maximum loot of £3.93 million on his LIV debut in Boston next month, he would eclipse even the £2.98 million he earned at the Players Championship in May, in what was then the richest prize ever offered by a single golf tournament. Why should the leading man tolerate making less than some forgotten members of the chorus line?”

Cam Smith and others set to join LIV | 01:30

Brown continued by highlighting the ridiculous Saudi-funded money on offer but said the sheer financial sums couldn’t, at least at this point, match the theatre, drama and excitement on show at the PGA and DP World Tours.

“The numbers are so absurd, the golf itself has been rendered a sideshow. When Stenson holed the decisive putt at Bedminster, for the grandest payday of his career, the moment was greeted by the faintest rustle of polite applause. Even the winner himself did not look unduly bothered,” Brown wrote in The Telegraph.

“Here lies the sadness in Smith’s defection. With his talent in the fullest bloom, he deserves to be playing in front of the largest galleries, for the highest stakes. LIV ultimately offers him neither. It is a realm with all the money but none of the prestige. Smith, you sense, understands what true glory in golf means. As he gave his acceptance speech on the 18th green at St Andrews, the Claret Jug in his hand, the quaver in his voice suggested he was genuinely overwhelmed.

“For Smith to be swapping such moments for hollow, show-me-the-money exercises is a cause for lament. At one level, his departure from him in his prime from him demonstrates the scale of the Saudis’ ambitions. But at another, it is the grimmest possible reflection of the schism they have wrought.”

READ MORE

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NEXT TIME: Aussie Matt Jones rejected from $75m event, ‘icy’ standoff avoided as LIV court bid fails

Australia’s Cameron Smith’s decision not to answer whether he is joining LIV has been described as “cowardly” and “lame”. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP

At the USATodayAndy Nesbitt, was far more scathing.

In particular, the publication took aim at Smith’s decision to deflect questions around his future and offer no definitive answer on whether he intended to shift allegiances.

“In doing so, (Smith) tarnished a reputation that just a few weeks ago was one of the best in professional golf,” Nesbitt wrote.

“Smith didn’t deny it and he didn’t confirm it, he just said he had “no comment” on that, which is a really lame way of ducking the question while also pretty much confirming the report to be true.”

Nesbitt went as far as saying his responses were “cowardly.”

“But to not come out with a definitive answer when asked about it before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs is a pretty cowardly thing to do.

“Now it’s a little harder to cheer for a guy who just a few weeks ago was the coolest golfer in the world.”

Terse Cam refuses to address LIV rumors | 00:43

Thomas Kershaw from The Timestoo, wrote that Smith’s pending defection was the competition’s “biggest coup”.

“It has been very easy up until now to dismiss the gimmicks of LIV’s format — featuring shotgun starts, 54 holes and no cuts — as a watered-down exhibition lacking the essentials of elite competition. Critics could point to the players who shrugged off missed putts knowing their money was guaranteed beforehand and the rebel series was derived as a refuge for those who had cashed in on the twilight of their careers,” Kershaw wrote.

“The signing of Smith is a significant riposte to that narrative. LIV may already have a horde of relatively recent major champions but Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have battled injuries and indifferent form while Phil Mickelson still seems a ghost of his former self. Smith, 28, is the first to defect who is not just at the peak of the game but still entering the prime of his own.

He continued: “Smith remains LIV’s biggest coup to date and also symbolizes another aspect of their revolt that could bring considerable success. Smith had been vocal in urging the PGA Tour to bring a major golf event back to Australia but while those calls fell on deaf ears, LIV — and Norman — have been only too keen to hear them. When LIV expands into a 14-tournament league next year, it is reportedly scheduled to stop in Sydney in April, where Smith is expected to feature in an all-Australian team.”

Australian Cameron Smith is coming under renewed scrutiny ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 10, 2022 in Memphis. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP

Closer to home, James Erskine, the former manager of the late Shane Warne, who also managed Greg Norman in the past, told The Sydney Morning Herald the emergence of LIV was “destabilizing”, but didn’t accept the argument that players had blood on their hands given the competition is being backed by Saudi Arabia.

“It’s destabilizing the fabric of professional golf. I’m on the board of the PGA of Australia and we have to look after all professionals and professionals coming up. They all start as amateurs somewhere and are nurtured through the pathway so they could play golf, and then they get cards and qualify professionally,” he said. “So many people do business with Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, where they have very different rules and regulations and different respect for women.

“But you can name just about any company and they will probably have a link to Saudi Arabia, Rolex, Range Rover, Rolls Royce, Ferrari. Everyone’s doing business with them, so I think it’s very unfair to turn around and say because you’re a professional golfer, you shouldn’t deal with Saudi Arabia.”

Meanwhile, Erskine said Smith would be welcomed to play in Australia even if he joins LIV Golf.

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Business

Penfolds, Treasury Wine Estates wins copycat Chinese court case against Rush Rich

Penfolds, Treasury Wine Estates wins copycat Chinese court case against Rush Rich

An Australian wine company has won a “landmark” court case in China after more than six years of fighting a copycat brand.

Treasury Wine Estates owns and produces a number of well-known wine labels including Penfolds and Wolf Blass. However, the issue arose when company Rush Rich used part of the Penfolds branding on its own bottles.

After six years of fighting, on Wednesday, the Supreme People’s Court of China ruled in Treasury’s favor, finding that the other wine company had acted in “bad faith” against them.

The court found that Chinese-Australian company Rush Rich improperly used a Chinese character which was a copyright breach of the Penfolds brand.

This was “illicit conduct”, according to the court.

Treasury Wine Estates said the other company had tried to “exploit” its brand and was happy about the decision from the Chinese court, calling it a “landmark win”.

The court ruled that Rush Rich’s registration of the Chinese character mark for Penfolds Winery was invalid.

“We welcome the Judgment by the Supreme People’s Court of China and thank the Chinese authorities for their continued support in protecting the rights of luxury brand owners,” Penfolds managing director Tom King said.

Following its “longstanding battle” with Rush Rich, Treasury said it takes a “zero tolerance approach” to copyright breaches.

Anna Olsen, global director of intellectual property for Treasury Wine Estates, said in a statement: “Protecting the integrity of our historic brands against trademark piracy and misappropriation has always been a global priority.

“We’ll spare no effort to protect our brands and will pursue our rights to the highest courts where necessary.

“This case shows we won’t tolerate attempts to exploit and infringe the intellectual property rights and reputation of brands in the Treasury Wine Estates portfolio.”

Government regulator Wine Australia was also happy with the court case outcome as it has been working hard to maintain the international reputation of Australian wine.

The case is timely as Penfolds is looking to launch its wine in China.

In 2019, Rush Rich was also slammed with a massive fine in Australia’s Federal Court after being found to have infringed on several trademarks of Treasury Wine Estates.

The company had to pay $375,000 in compensation and was barred from using the images again.

Before the Australian Federal Court case, Treasury Wine Estates took Rush Rich to the Shanghai Pudong Court.

That court also ruled in favor of Treasury Wine Estates and ordered Rush Rich to pay back 2,000,000 Chinese yuan ($A426,000 at the time).

Read related topics:China

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Sports

Qatar makes late schedule change to FIFA Football World Cup

Qatar makes late schedule change to FIFA Football World Cup

The World Cup’s start will be brought forward by a day to allow hosts Qatar to play the opening game, sources told AFP on Wednesday, just over three months before the competition gets underway.

Qatar will now play Ecuador on November 20, 24 hours earlier than planned, in a move that FIFA’s ruling council was expected to confirm soon, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

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The change will see the tournament, which was switched to November-December to avoid the Gulf country’s searing summer heat, keep to its tradition of the hosts playing the opening match.

Senegal and the Netherlands had been scheduled to play the first game on November 21, followed by England against Iran and then the official opening match, Qatar’s World Cup debut, that evening.

“There were discussions and agreement between the two respective teams and there was a request from CONMEBOL — the South American confederation,” one World Cup source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as no official decision has been announced.

“We wanted to follow the tradition that either the reigning champions or the host country be involved in the opening match,” the source added.

FIFA and the Qatari organizing committee declined to comment on the change to the mega event that ends on December 18.

But another tournament source said action would be taken to help fans with tickets for the November 21 game.

“Any disruption will be dealt with so the impact is minimal,” the source told AFP.

Under the change, Netherlands v Senegal in Group A would be moved from 1pm local time on November 21 to a 7pm start. “It is a better slot for both teams for television and other areas,” said the World Cup source.

England’s Group B match against Iran is not changed.

Companies with major deals linked to the World Cup expressed confidence that the unusual schedule change could be handled smoothly.

“It is something we will deal with,” said Jaime Byrom, chairman of Match Hospitality, which has a deal with FIFA to organize hospitality packages for World Cup matches and has locked in 450,000 tickets for the tournament.

“It is really not — compared to the other challenges that we could have faced or have faced in the past — a particularly large problem,” Byrom told AFP.

“We have to focus on those customers who are most affected and I guess in this case we will be looking at our Ecuadorean customers who are traveling from overseas, and making sure that they are on time for the match.”

Some pundits ridiculed the schedule change, asking why the move hadn’t already been considered.

New York Times reporter Tariq Panja tweeted: “Qatar and FIFA has had 12 years to plan for the 2022 World Cup now with just over 100 days and — with tickets sold, travel booked — they now want to start the tournament a day earlier so Qatar could play the first game (which could always have been the case). But here we are.

“What I suspect has happened here is that because it’s ‘only’ Ecuador and not a big European country, it has probably been easier to switch the game. What has never been made clear is why Qatar had not been placed in the opening game as per the original schedule.”

Journalist Grant Wahl wrote: “This late change to accommodate Qatar (and cause problems for Ecuador, including its fans) is of a piece with what I saw during the bid process for World Cup ’26 cities: FIFA does so much by the seat of its pants these days.”

The opening match is scheduled to be held at the 60,000-capacity Al Bayt stadium, one of seven new venues purpose-built for the tournament since Qatar was controversially awarded the World Cup in 2010.

The wealthy Gulf state is preparing a spectacular opening ceremony in the stadium, whose structure was inspired by traditional Arab tents.

Moving forward the opening match will also mean changing the 100-day countdown that had been scheduled to start on Saturday, with special events across the tiny nation of 2.8 million people.

After a row over the bidding process, Qatar has faced criticism over labor rights and its treatment of the LGBTQ community. But FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said the tiny, gas-rich state will host the “best ever” World Cup.

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US

China withdraws promise not to send troops to Taiwan if it takes control of island

China withdraws promise not to send troops to Taiwan if it takes control of island

Troops in military vehicles take part in the military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, on its National Day in Beijing, China October 1, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

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BEIJING, Aug 10 (Reuters) – China has withdrawn a promise not to send troops or administrators to Taiwan if it takes control of the island, an official document showed on Wednesday, signaling a decision by President Xi Jinping to grant less autonomy than previously offered .

China’s white paper on its position on self-ruled Taiwan follows days of unprecedented Chinese military exercises near the island, which Beijing claims as its territory, in protest against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit last week. read more

China had said in two previous white papers on Taiwan, in 1993 and 2000, that it “will not send troops or administrative personnel to be based in Taiwan” after achieving what Beijing terms “reunification”.

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That line, meant to assure Taiwan it would enjoy autonomy after becoming a special administrative region of China, did not appear in the latest white paper.

China’s ruling Communist Party had proposed that Taiwan could return to its rule under a “one country, two systems” model, similar to the formula under which the former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

That would offer some autonomy to democratically ruled Taiwan to partially preserve its social and political systems.

All mainstream Taiwanese political parties have rejected the “one country, two systems” proposal and it enjoys almost no public support according to opinion polls. Taiwan’s government says only the island’s people can decide their future.

A line in the 2000 white paper that said “anything can be negotiated” as long as Taiwan accepts that there is only one China and does not seek independence, is also missing from the latest white paper.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council condemned the white paper, saying it was “full of lies of wishful thinking and disregarded the facts” and that the Republic of China – Taiwan’s official name – was a sovereign state.

“Only Taiwan’s 23 million people have the right to decide on the future of Taiwan, and they will never accept an outcome set by an autocratic regime.”

The updated white paper is called “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era.” The “new era” is a term commonly associated with Xi’s rule. Xi is expected to secure a third term at a Communist Party congress later this year.

Taiwan has lived under the threat of Chinese invasion since 1949, when the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island after Mao Zedong’s Communist Party won a civil war.

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Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Robert Birsel and Raju Gopalakrishnan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Business

Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric car first drive

Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric car first drive

Like a stone worn smooth by the sand and sea, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is shaped by its environment.

Promising to exceed the claimed range of any sub-$100,000 electric car, the Ioniq’s distinctive silhouette helps it slide through the air with minimal resistance – and onto shortlists for electric car customers.

The arching silhouette of its roofline helps the Ioniq claim aerodynamic efficiency that is not only the best in its class, but among the best of any car on sale. Only the lowest-drag version of Mercedes’ EQS electric car can claim to be slipperier.

Drag coefficient data is rarely the subject of bar-room bragging.

But people will boast about an electric car with more than 600 kilometers of range, particularly one that does not rely on an enormous battery to do so.

The Ioniq 6 offers the same 77.4kWh battery and choice of rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive electric propulsion as the hatchback-shaped Ioniq 5.

While the boxy Ioniq 5 offers 481 kilometers of range, Hyundai expects the aerodynamic Ioniq 6 to claim 610 kilometers of range using the same test format.

It also expects the new car to be a sell-out success in Australia when it arrives next year.

While we don’t know exactly how much the car will cost, it’s likely to be a similar proposition to the Ioniq 5. That car is offered locally in relatively limited numbers priced from $69,900 plus on-road costs, suggesting the Ioniq 6 should start from less than $80,000 on the road. Range-topping versions will be closer to $90,000 drive-away.

We sampled the Ioniq 6 in camouflaged pre-production form at Hyundai’s Namyang proving ground in Seoul.

The banana-shaped roof is no less arresting in the metal, particularly when surrounded by conventional-shaped hatchbacks and SUVs at the Korean giant’s proving ground.

It’s much more familiar on the inside, where Hyundai’s design team has stayed in safer territory.

Though crude prototype plastics make it impossible to assess the quality of its interior, time in the back seat reveals that its slightly shorter wheelbase and dramatically swept roof result in less rear passenger room than the Ioniq 5.

Twin 12-inch screens curve across the dashboard in front of you, a familiar and effective if less-than-revolutionary combination for Hyundai fans. The brand took a note from Tesla’s book by keeping physical buttons to a minimum but dedicated climate controls are a victory for common sense.

Powered by twin electric motors with 239kW and 605Nm of combined power, the all-wheel-drive Ioniq 6 feels like it can match a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds.

Effortlessly brisk and near-silent when accelerating, the Ioniq 6 has no problem getting its power to the ground.

Special Pirelli tires developed for the new model trade ultimate cornering grip for reduced rolling resistance necessary to maximize its long-range potential.

We didn’t have the opportunity to assess the car’s cornering characteristics but a short drive on public roads showed that the Ioniq 5 is a refined machine, with a quiet motor, smoothly managed energy harvesting and well-controlled road noise.

We can’t say whether that slippery body reduces wind roar – low-speed running in a canvas-clad prototype isn’t the right test environment – ​​but can confirm the digital mirrors work well, even if your eyes need an extra moment to re -focus.

Accurate steering and well-modulated brakes work in its favour, and we suspect slightly tauter suspension than the comfort-focused Ioniq 5 delivers improved cornering control.

A full verdict will have to wait until we’ve had a chance to assess the car on local roads but early indications are that the Ioniq 6 backs up its intriguing looks with clever technology, giving electric car customers an impressive new option.

HYUNDAI IONIQ 6

PRICE About $90,000 drive away

ENGINE Twin electric, 239kW and 605Nm

RANGE About 600 kilometers

0-100km/h 5.1 seconds

FAST CHARGERS

Hyundai has built a high-performance Ioniq 6 pitched at enthusiasts. Powered by the same 430kW/740Nm motors found in Kia’s EV6 GT, the machine promises three-second 0-100km/h sprints, along with sideways fun made possible by clever torque vectoring. The Ioniq 5 is first in line to receive Hyundai’s go-fast “N” treatment, but we wouldn’t’ be surprised to see the sedan get special attention, too.

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US

Afghan Muslim arrested for killings that shook New Mexico’s Islamic community

Afghan Muslim arrested for killings that shook New Mexico's Islamic community

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, Aug 9 (Reuters) – A Muslim immigrant from Afghanistan has been arrested as the prime suspect in the serial killings of four Muslim men that rattled the Islamic community of New Mexico’s largest city, police said on Tuesday.

After days bolstering security around Albuquerque-area mosques, seeking to allay fears of a shooter driven by anti-Muslim hate, police said on Tuesday they had arrested 51-year-old Muhammad Syed, one among the city’s Islamic immigrant community.

Authorities said the killings may have been rooted in a personal grudge, possibly with intra-Muslim sectarian overtones.

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All four victims were of Afghan or Pakistani descent. One was killed in November, and the other three in the last two weeks.

A search of the suspect’s Albuquerque home uncovered “evidence that shows the offender knew the victims to some extent, and an inter-personal conflict may have led to the shootings,” police said in a statement announcing the arrest.

Investigators are still piecing together motives for the killings of the four men, Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock of the Albuquerque Police Department said at a news conference.

In response to reporters’ questions, Hartsock said sectarian animus by the suspect toward his fellow Muslim victims may have played a role in the violence. “But we’re not really clear if that was the actual motive, or if it was part of a motive, or if there is just a bigger picture that we’re missing,” he said.

Syed has a record of criminal misdemeanors in the United States, including a case of domestic violence, over the last three or four years, Hartsock said.

Police credited scores of tips from the public in helping investigators locate a car that detectives believed was used in at least one of the killings and ultimately track down the man they called their “primary suspect” in all four slayings.

Syed was formally charged with two of the homicides: those of Aftab Hussein, 41, and Muhammed Afzaal Hussain, 27, killed on July 26 and Aug. 1, respectively, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina told the briefing.

Participants in an interfaith memorial ceremony enter the New Mexico Islamic Center mosque to commemorate four murdered Muslim men, hours after police said they had arrested a prime suspect in the killings, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, US August 9, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Hay

The latest victim, Nayeem Hussain, 25, a truck driver who became a US citizen on July 8, was killed on Friday, hours after attending the burial of the two men slain in July and August, both of them of Pakistani descent.

The three most recent victims all attended the Islamic Center of New Mexico, Albuquerque’s largest mosque. They were all shot near Central Avenue in southeastern Albuquerque.

The first known victim, Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, a native of Afghanistan, was killed on Nov. 7, 2021, while smoking a cigarette outside a grocery store and cafe that he ran with his brother in the southeastern part of the city.

BULLET CASINGS

Police said the two killings with which Syed was initially charged were tied together based on bullet casings found at the two murder scenes, and the gun used in those shootings was later found in his home.

According to police, detectives were preparing to search Syed’s residence in southeastern Albuquerque on Monday when he drove from the residence in the car that investigators had identified to the public a day earlier as a “vehicle of interest.”

Albuquerque and state authorities have been working to provide extra police presence at mosques during times of prayer as the investigation proceeded in the city, home to as many as 5,000 Muslims out of a total population of 565,000.

The ambush-style shootings of the men have terrified Albuquerque’s Muslim community. Families went into hiding in their homes, and some Pakistani students at the University of New Mexico left town out of fear.

Imtiaz Hussain, whose brother worked as a city planning director and was killed on Aug. 1, said news of the arrest reassured many in the Muslim community.

“My kids asked me, ‘Can we sit on our balcony now?’ and I said, ‘Yes,’ and they said, ‘Can we go out and play now?’ and I said, ‘Yes,'” he said.

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Reporting by Andrew Hay in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub in Washington; Tyler Clifford in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Cynthia Osterman, Daniel Wallis and Raju Gopalakrishnan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Meg Lanning takes indefinite leave due to personal reasons

Meg Lanning takes indefinite leave due to personal reasons

Australia captain Meg Lanning will take indefinite leave from cricket effective immediately, Cricket Australia announced on Wednesday.

The announcement comes just days after Australia won gold at the Commonwealth Games.

A Cricket Australia statement said Lanning will take leave due to “personal reasons”, and has withdrawn from the upcoming Hundred, where she was due to play with Trent Rockets.

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“After a busy couple of years, I’ve made the decision to take a step back to enable me to spend time focusing on myself,” Lanning said in the statement.

“I’m grateful for the support of CA and my teammates and ask that my privacy is respected during this time.”

CA Head of Performance, Women’s Cricket, Shawn Flegler said: “We’re proud of Meg for acknowledging that she needs a break and will continue to support her during this time.

“She’s been an incredible contributor to Australian cricket over the last decade, achieving remarkable feats both individually and as part of the team, and has been a brilliant role model for young kids.

“The welfare of our players is always our number one priority, and we’ll continue to work with Meg to ensure she gets the support and space she needs.”

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Horse racing news 2022: Japanese jockey Taiki Yanagida dies following tragic fall in New Zealand

Horse racing news 2022: Japanese jockey Taiki Yanagida dies following tragic fall in New Zealand

Japanese jockey Taiki Yanagida has died in Waikato Hospital from injuries suffered in a horse racing fall at Cambridge last week.

The 28-year-old had his mother Kayano and one of his two sisters Chiaki by his side when he died, the NZ Herald reports. They had rushed from Japan last Thursday to be with Taiki, who suffered brain and spinal cord damage in the accident.

He was placed in an induced coma straight after the accident and never regained consciousness.

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If he had, the damage to his spinal cord was so severe it was highly unlikely he would have walked again.

Yanagida was riding maiden horse Te Atatu Pash in the last race of the Cambridge synthetic track meeting last Wednesday when his mount was checked and fell.

Yanagida’s riding helmet came off in the fall and he was partially rolled on by his own mount but was also galloped on by a following horse, who in the split-second incident could not have avoided him and struck him heavily in the back.

The accident stunned racing industry participants, particularly the very close-knit ranks of professional jockeys, with Yanagida the first jockey to die in a race fall in New Zealand since Rebecca Black at Gore in December, 2016.

Yanagida, known to almost everyone in the racing industry as Tiger, was born and raised in Japan and didn’t start riding until he was 18, firstly in Australia before moving to New Zealand.

He recently told racing publication race form his mother had initially been against him becoming a jockey.

“I wanted to try and become a jockey but my Mum didn’t agree, she said I must go to university first,” Taiki said in June.

“I completed one year at university before I said I was going to Australia to train to be a jockey.”

Yanagida then spoke of his mother’s fears for him in his chosen career, fears that have so tragically become reality.

“Now my mother is happy for me, she knows I am doing what I always wanted to, but she still worries about me and is always going to the temple to pray for my luck and safety,” he said just two months ago.

Yanagida moved to New Zealand and developed his craft working for top Matamata trainers Andrew Scott and Lance O’Sullivan, the latter one of New Zealand’s all-time champion jockeys.

O’Sullivan said the news was heartbreaking for those who knew Yanagida but will be felt throughout the racing industry not only in New Zealand and Japan but beyond.

“He was a good young man, very dedicated to his career,” O’Sullivan said.

“He had to be because he was quite tall for a jockey so he had to work hard to keep his weight under control but that became his other passion, being a fitness fanatic so he could keep being a jockey.

“He wasn’t a natural jockey when he first came to us but worked so hard he got better and better.

“It is a very sad day for everybody who knew him and the racing industry.”

One of Yanagida’s closest friends was fellow Japanese apprentice jockey Yuto Kumagai, who Yanagida’s had helped mentor since Kumagai arrived in New Zealand.

“He was a very special friend and he told me a few weeks ago he wanted to help me become the leading apprentice this season,” said Kumagai.

“He loved riding and worked so hard to stay fit so he could be better at it. I always wanted to improve.

“It is very, very sad. I am very sad.”

Yanagida was a single man with no children who O’Sullivan says was unfailingly polite.

“These days it is rare for an apprentice to stay with the same trainers right through their apprenticeship because it is so easy once they start riding winners to go somewhere where they don’t have to do the stable work, just ride trackwork and in races .

“But Taiki stayed with us all the way through. He wanted to work hard and do the right thing. That is what sort of young man he was.”

Yanagida’s racing manager Ted McLachlan had been with him and his family at the hospital every day and was devastated by his death.

“He was such a wonderful young man it really is a tragedy and so hard to watch what his mother and sister here have had to go through,” said McLachlan.

“This will really hurt the other people in the industry because Taiki was so popular.”

Yanagida had his personal best season last racing term, riding 42 winners including three black type successes, which are at racing highest levels.

He sacrificed his goal of winning 50 races for the season to fly home to Japan for the first time in four years to see his family for a month in June, only returning to New Zealand mid-July.

Yanagida rode 162 winners in his New Zealand career and while those numbers are testament to his work ethic those who met and worked alongside Yanagida will not remember him for his racetrack victories.

They will remember a polite, happy, dedicated young man who was willing to leave his home country to chase his dream of becoming a jockey.

Taiki achieved his dream and that can never be taken away from him.

This article originally appeared on the NZ Herald and was reproduced with permission

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