Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel of Germany gestures 'number one' after setting the fastest time during the qualifying session for Formula One's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel of Germany gestures 'number one' after setting the fastest time during the qualifying session for Formula One's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Vettel claims pole in Australia



Red Bull-Renault's Sebastian Vettel has claimed pole position for the Australian Grand Prix. The German beat off his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber to take his seventh career F1 pole. Vettel clocked a fastest lap in the third and final qualifying stage of one minute 23.919 seconds, just 0.116sec ahead of Australian Webber. Ferrari's two-time world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain was third fastest and will start on the inside of the second row of the race grid with reigning world champion Jenson Button.

Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa was fifth quickest just ahead of German Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg. Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher in a Mercedes GP will start on the fourth row of the grid alongside Brazilian Rubens Barrichello. The shock failure in the qualifying session was former world champion Lewis Hamilton, who missed out on the final stage of qualifying. The British McLaren Mercedes driver was 11th fastest in the second qualifying stage in 1:25.184 and missed out on the top 10 cars into the third and final stage by 0.062secs. * AFP

1. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Red Bull-Renault) 1:23.919 2. Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull-Renault) 1:24.035 3. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Ferrari) 1:24.111 4. Jenson Button (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:24.675 5. Felipe Massa (BRA/Ferrari) 1:24.837 6. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes) 1:24.884 7. Michael Schumacher (GER/Mercedes) 1:24.927 8. Rubens Barrichello (BRA/Williams-Cosworth) 1:25.217 9. Robert Kubica (POL/Renault) 1:25.372 10. Adrian Sutil (GER/Force India-Mercedes) 1:26.036 Eliminated in Q2: 11. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 12. Sebastien Buemi (SUI/Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 13. Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA/Force India-Mercedes) 14. Pedro de la Rosa (ESP/Sauber-Ferrari) 15. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Williams-Cosworth) Eliminated in Q1: 16. Kamui Kobayashi (JPN/Sauber-Ferrari) 17. Jaime Alguersuari (ESP/Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 18. Vitaly Petrov (RUS/Renault) 19. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/Lotus-Cosworth) 20. Jarno Trulli (ITA/Lotus-Cosworth) 21. Timo Glock (GER/Virgin-Cosworth) 22. Lucas Di Grassi (BRA/Virgin-Cosworth) 23. Bruno Senna (BRA/Hispania-Cosworth) 24. Karun Chandhok

Formula One Australian Grand Prix, 5.5-kilometre (3.3-mile) Albert Park circuit, with drivers, nationality and team: 1. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Red Bull. 2. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull. 3. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Ferrari. 4. Jenson Button, Britain, McLaren. 5. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari. 6. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Mercedes. 7. Michael Schumacher, Germany, Mercedes. 8. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Williams. 9. Robert Kubica, Poland, Renault. 10. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India. 11. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren. 12. Sebastien Buemi, Switzerland, Toro Rosso. 13. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Italy, Force India. 14. Pedro de la Rosa, Spain, Sauber. 15. Nico Hulkenberg, Germany, Williams. 16. Kamui Kobayashi, Japan, Sauber. 17. Jaime Alguersuari, Spain, Toro Rosso. 18. Vitaly Petrov, Russia, Renault. 19. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Lotus. 20. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Lotus. 21. Timo Glock, Germany, Virgin. 22. Lucas di Grassi, Brazil, Virgin. 23. Bruno Senna, Brazil, Hispania. 24. Karun Chandhok, India, Hispania.

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Jawan
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

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SPECS
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If you go

The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.

The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.

It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times

If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.

A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.

The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.

In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.

The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.

Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.

Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.

“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.

The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.

“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.

“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”

Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Rating: 2/5
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The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

Price: Dh64,500

On sale: Now