CNN travel | They met on top of the Empire State Building and knew it was love

(CNN) — Dawn Dixon was looking over New York City from one of its best vantage points: the top of the Empire State Building.

As she surveyed the skyline from the 86th floor, snow flurries circling around her, Dawn tried to focus on the spectacular view. But her heart was beating quickly: what if something happened and he didn’t make it?

That’s when Paul White made his way from the elevator onto the viewing platform and spotted Dawn.  –read more–  

HGTV | Gorgeous Glass Walls: 15 Seamless Indoor/Outdoor Living Spaces

Make the most of spectacular views and open your interiors to the great outdoors by incorporating a wall — or walls — of glass in your plans. New technology makes today’s sliding and folding designs more beautiful, weather resistant and energy efficient than ever. Get inspiration and expert tips from these 15 fabulous projects.  –view gallery–  

 CNN BUSINESS | See Volkswagen’s iconic hippie microbus, but electric

CNN Sports | Lewis Hamilton to change name to honor mother

(CNN) – Lewis Hamilton — seven-time world champion in Formula One — said that he is going to change his name, incorporating his mother’s surname, Larbalestier, to honor her.

Ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton expressed his wish to race under his new name, though he hasn’t yet announced what form this name will take.

“It would mean the world to my family (to win an eighth title),” Hamilton said at Expo 2020 Dubai. “It would mean a lot to me knowing that, for example, I am really proud of my family’s name, Hamilton.  –read more–  

F1 | What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?

Pirelli have announced which tyre compounds they will bring to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The new 18-inch tyres faced a tough task with the high temperatures in Bahrain and abrasive nature of Bahrain International Circuit and should be in for a different test this week at Jeddah.

This weekend will see Pirelli stick with the range of compounds chosen in December at the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. That means this weekend will see the C2 (hard tyres, x2 sets), C3 (medium tyres, x3 sets) and the C4 (soft tyres, x8 sets), which is one step softer that the tyres nominated for last weekend’s race in Bahrain.  –read more–  

CNN BUSINESS | Why WhatsApp wants to convince Americans to stop sending text messages

(CNN Business) – Since the start of this year, a series of advertisements have appeared on television screens and billboards across the United States, with ominous warnings to texters.

“I think I left the car unlocked, can you check?” reads a text message displayed on one of the billboards. The consequence, outlined next to the text bubble: “If your personal texts aren’t end-to-end encrypted, it’s not private.”

In a TV commercial, a mailman hands already-opened letters and packages to outraged recipients, before telling them that “every text you send is just as open as your letters.”  –read more–  

F1 | Leclerc leads 1-2 for Ferrari in Bahrain GP as both Red Bulls suffer late retirements

Charles Leclerc won a blockbuster 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix as Carlos Sainz backed up a Ferrari one-two – as Red Bull suffered a double DNF to give Lewis Hamilton the final podium place in a stunning start to the season.

Verstappen, starting P2, attempted to undercut Ferrari’s pole-sitter Leclerc on Lap 15, cutting down what was a 3.5s deficit to just 0.35s when Leclerc emerged in the lead on Lap 16. That triggered a three-lap box-office bout for the lead, Leclerc hanging on when Verstappen locked up into Turn 1 on Lap 19.

The second round of pit stops, again catalysed by Verstappen, took place on Lap 31 but this time Leclerc had a far more comfortable lead. Everything was straightforward until Verstappen pitted on Lap 44.  –read more–  

F1 | Leclerc takes stunning Bahrain pole for Ferrari ahead of Verstappen and Sainz

Charles Leclerc took the first pole position of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship, ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, in a qualifying session that went down to the wire in Bahrain.

Ferarri’s Leclerc was fastest in Q1 but Red Bull’s Verstappen hit back in Q2, making it to the top-10 shootout in one take. The stage was thus set for a face-off between the champion and the Scuderia in Q3.

And it was then that Leclerc set a blistering benchmark of 1m 30.558s, taking his second Bahrain GP pole. Verstappen could only come within 0.123s while Sainz couldn’t improve on his first run, ending up third by 0.129s. In a distant P4 was Verstappen’s team mate Perez.  –read more–  

CNN travel | Turkey opens record-breaking bridge between Europe and Asia

Istanbul (Reuters) — President Tayyip Erdogan opened a massive suspension bridge across Turkey’s Dardanelles Strait on Friday, the latest in a series of major infrastructure projects which he has prioritized during his two decades in power.

Connecting Turkey’s European and Asian shores, the 1915 Canakkale Bridge was built by Turkish and South Korean firms with an investment of €2.5 billion ($2.8 billion). It has the longest main span — the distance between the two towers — of any suspension bridge in the world.  –read more–  

F1 | What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix?

Pirelli have announced which tyre compounds they will bring to the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on March 18-20.

The brand-new 18-inch Pirelli tyres have a tough test in Bahrain, with high temperatures, sand and an abrasive surface their main challenges. This weekend will see Pirelli supply C1 (hard, x2 sets), C2 (medium, x3 sets), and C3 (soft, x8 sets) compounds – one step harder than in 2021 – for practice, qualifying and the race.

Furthermore, teams will have to use the soft tyres in Q3 and will not be required to start the race on their qualifying tyres throughout 2022.

“We’ve opted for the hardest tyres in the range for this first Grand Prix, given the track layout, asphalt characteristics and temperatures: also because the compounds are different compared to previous years,” said Pirelli Motorsport Director Mario Isola.  –read more–