CNN politics | Colin Powell, first Black US secretary of state, dies of Covid-19 complications amid cancer battle

(CNN) – Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, has died from complications from Covid-19, his family said on Facebook. He was 84.  —read more— 

Related: Colin Powell’s life in pictures

F1 | WATCH: Hamilton and Mercedes’ pit stop dilemma at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix dissected

It’s rare to get such an insight into the decision-making process that goes in to pitting a driver for new tyres, but we got exactly that insight when Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was called in to pit with the laps ticking down in Turkey.

Hamilton was keen to complete the Turkish Grand Prix on the set of intermediate compounds that he had started the race on, hoping that staying out of the pits would help him keep track position and perhaps let him fight for the podium.

READ MORE: Hamilton was frustrated with Mercedes’ late pitstop call in Turkey – but what would have happened if he’d stayed out?

But the defending champion’s team had a different opinion, that difference becoming clear from Lap 40 of the race. What followed was a spirited debate over the radio that ultimately led to Hamilton being convinced to pit for new tyres on Lap 50 of the race. He eventually finished fifth – a solid return – from 11th on the grid.  —read more—  

CNN underscored | How to access some of the world’s best airport lounges

(CNN) – The feelings often associated with flying tend to be dreary. Between time spent waiting in line to check in and get through security, dodging other passengers in narrow corridors and waiting in a gate area that never seems to have enough seats, there’s plenty that makes the flying experience less than ideal.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.  —read more—  

CNN travel | Giant inflatable sails could make shipping greener

(CNN) — Sailing boats date back more than 5,000 years, when the ancient Egyptians floated up and down the Nile in wooden vessels powered by wind and oars. But when steam and diesel engines arrived and globalization increased the need for timely trade, the sails dropped.

Today, they are making a comeback as the shipping industry looks to decarbonize. But the new sails look nothing like those of the past. Tall, white and puffy, the giant inflatable sails designed by tire manufacturer Michelin more closely resemble the Michelin man — the company’s mascot — than a traditional cloth sail. Made from a flexible material that the company would not reveal, the sails can inflate or deflate at the push of a button. No crew is required to rig them, and they pivot automatically to catch the wind, equipped with sensors that measure the wind direction and speed.  —read more—  

CNN BUSINESS | The glitzy electric Mercedes EQS could be the most important Mercedes in decades

Half Moon Bay, California (CNN Business) – The all-electric Mercedes EQS may well be one of the most important cars in company’s history. And that’s saying a lot, because that’s a whole bunch of history.

Mercedes-Benz and its direct ancestor companies have been making internal combustion-powered automobiles longer than any company on Earth. Karl Benz applied for a patent on a gas-engined car in 1886, a decade before Henry Ford built his first car.

Throughout much of that history, Mercedes-Benz has remained a dominant maker of big luxury cars. Over the past few decades, if you wanted a nice, comfortable car for around a hundred thousand inflation-adjusted dollars, your handful of top choices would almost surely have included a Mercedes and maybe a few European competitors and maybe a Lexus.  —read more—

F1 | 23 Grands Prix, a new venue, and the return of some classics – 5 key takeaways from the 2022 calendar reveal

The 2022 Formula 1 calendar has finally been revealed, charting the championship’s course for the season as the brand-new breed of F1 cars prepare to make their debut. Here are five takeaways from the 2022 calendar announcement…

1. It’s set to be the biggest F1 season ever

The 2022 Formula 1 season is set to be the most bumper yet, with 23 races slated for the year – up from the 22 in 2021.

Provisional 2022 Formula 1 calendar

* subject to contract
** subject to FIA circuit homologation

—read more—

CNN BUSINESS | See how Tesla’s ‘full self-driving’ mode works

(CNN) – Despite concerns from regulators, Tesla is rolling out its autonomous driving feature to some owners who can prove they are safe drivers.  —watch— 

CNN World | NASA’s Lucy mission is ready to launch and explore never-before-seen asteroids

(CNN) – The first NASA mission to fly by a total of eight ancient asteroids is ready for launch.

Weather conditions will be 90% favorable on the morning of October 16, when the Lucy mission is set to leave Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:34 a.m. ET. If it doesn’t launch at that time, the window for liftoff remains open for 75 minutes.

Lucy will embark on a 12-year mission to explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroid swarms, which have never been observed. The Trojan asteroids, which borrow their name from Greek mythology, orbit the sun in two swarms — one that’s ahead of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and a second one that lags behind it.  —read more—  

CNN health | Your children need life skills — this dad explains how to teach them

(CNN) – I taught my 12-year-old daughter to change a car battery at 8 p.m. in a grocery store parking lot.

It’s one of the many skills that I want her to know in case she ever finds herself stranded in a parking lot — just like her father at that very moment. I also wanted to get her familiar with a car engine, even though to me it mostly looks like metal spaghetti.

Parents know there is a whole host of life skills that our children need to learn, but my reasons date back to my childhood.

My father taught me how to do laundry, but no one talked about mental health — we covered up our issues with bro talk and the firm belief that real men don’t cry.  —read more—  

CNN BUSINESS | ‘Ghost towns’: Evergrande crisis shines a light on China’s millions of empty homes

Evergrande‘s unraveling is still commanding global attention, but its troubles are part of a much bigger problem.

For weeks, the ailing Chinese real estate conglomerate has made headlines as investors wait to see what will happen to its enormous mountain of debt. As the slow-moving crisis unfolds, analysts are pointing to a deeper underlying issue: China’s property market is cooling off after years of oversupply.

Chinese authorities finally weighed in on the Evergrande crisis on Friday. The People’s Bank of China said the company had mismanaged its business but risks to the financial system were “controllable.”

“In recent years, the company has failed to manage its business well and to operate in accordance with market changes,” Zou Lan, director of the financial market department at the Chinese central bank, said at a press briefing. “Instead, it blindly diversified and expanded, resulting in serious deterioration of its operating and financial indicators, which eventually led to risks.”  —read more—