F1 | Verstappen triumphs over Hamilton after late pass in scintillating French Grand Prix

Red Bull took their third consecutive win of the season at a cracking French Grand Prix courtesy of Max Verstappen, who passed Lewis Hamilton with two laps to go to claim the thirteenth victory of his career, Hamilton finishing second as the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez completed the podium.

In a mirror of the Spanish Grand Prix – when Mercedes out-strategised Red Bull to claim the victory – Verstappen stopped twice to Hamilton’s one-stop, with the Dutchman then using his fresher tyres to close up to the Mercedes, passing on Lap 52 of 53 to check out for his third win of the year.

It more than made up for Verstappen losing out to Hamilton from pole at the race start, Verstappen taking the win as well as the extra point for fastest lap – with the result also marking the first time Red Bull have won three races on the bounce in the turbo-hybrid era.  —read more— 

watch: Race Highlights | 2021 French Grand Prix

F1 | Verstappen beats title rival Hamilton to pole in thrilling French GP qualifying

Paul Ricard hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull in the past, but Max Verstappen ripped up the formbook in French Grand Prix qualifying to fend off title rival Lewis Hamilton and take sensational pole position.

The French track, which returned to the calendar in 2018, has traditionally been a Mercedes stronghold, with Hamilton taking pole and victory in each edition, but this time it was Red Bull who looked like the ones to beat.  Verstappen set the early pace in Q3, four tenths of a second quicker than Hamilton, but things heated up in the second runs as Hamilton went quickest in the first sector. Verstappen responded with a purple second and final sector to better his time and take his second pole of the season.  —read more— 

CNN style Fashion | Victoria’s Secret is overhauling its image. Is it enough to regain relevance?

Less than two years after Victoria’s Secret pulled the plug on its star-studded annual fashion show, known for runway looks that combined strappy lingerie with enormous wings, the brand is retiring its supermodel “Angels” for good.

Taking their place is a new group of seven ambassadors, called the “VS Collective,” who are known for their advocacy work in gender equality and body positivity, and who represent a wider range of body types and sexual and gender identities.

The collective — which includes soccer player Megan Rapinoe, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and plus-size model Paloma Elsesser — will work on new product lines and multimedia content, as well as supporting women’s causes for the company, according to a press release.  –read more— 

CNN World | New Zealand houseplant sells for $19,200 in online bidding war

Auckland, New Zealand (CNN) – A houseplant with just nine leaves has sold for a record-breaking $19,297 on a New Zealand auction site.

Bids for the “very rare white variegated Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma” closed Sunday night, rising in the last four minutes as bidder “foliage_patch” battled the eventual winner, tagged “meridianlamb.”

Trade Me spokesperson Millie Silvester told CNN that the plant was “the most expensive houseplant ever sold” on the auction site.  —read more— 

CNN health | A 95-year-old man just became the oldest organ donor in US history

(CNN) – A woman who is recovering from a liver transplant not only has a new lifesaving organ, but one that made history.

That’s thanks to Cecil Lockhart from Welch, West Virginia, who died at age 95 on May 4, making him the oldest organ donor in United States history, according the Center for Organ Recovery & Education, which coordinated the recovery of the liver.

The previous record for the oldest donor was a 93-year-old, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.  —read more— 

CNN BUSINESS | Companies are celebrating Juneteenth in unique ways this week

New York (CNN Business) – Major corporations are celebrating Juneteenth in unique ways this week.

The annual June 19 tradition, which falls on Saturday this year, commemorates the day in 1865 when former American slaves in Galveston, Texas, were finally informed of President Abraham Lincoln’s January 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War.

It took Union troops more than two years to finish travel throughout the southern United States to inform all the former slaves of Lincoln’s executive order. The December 6, 1865, ratification of the 13th Amendment made slavery illegal throughout the US “except as a punishment for crime.”  —read more— 

CNN health | Here’s why you hate the sound of your own voice

(The Conversation) – As a surgeon who specializes in treating patients with voice problems, I routinely record my patients speaking. For me, these recordings are incredibly valuable. They allow me to track slight changes in their voices from visit to visit, and it helps confirm whether surgery or voice therapy led to improvements.

Yet I’m surprised by how difficult these sessions can be for my patients. Many become visibly uncomfortable upon hearing their voice played back to them.

“Do I really sound like that?” they wonder, wincing.  —read more— 

CNN politics | Senate unanimously passes a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday

(CNN) – The Senate unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a US holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

The legislation has gained momentum since the massive Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd last year and the Democrats’ takeover of the White House and Congress. But Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson blocked the bill in 2020, saying that the day off for federal employees would cost US taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Johnson dropped his objection this week despite his concerns, paving the way for the bill’s passage in the Senate.  —read more— 

CNN BUSINESS | JPMorgan is calling for reforms to stop racial bias in housing

New York (CNN Business) – JPMorgan Chase is throwing its considerable weight behind efforts to root out racial bias in the appraisal of homes in America.

As part of a new bank-wide commitment to fight housing inequality, JPMorgan (JPM) is for the first time outlining specific legislation that can fight appraisal bias, backing the study of innovative ways to value homes and promoting efforts to boost sorely needed diversity in the appraisal industry.

Beyond appraisals, America’s biggest bank is promising to ease obstacles that make it harder for Black and Latinx households to buy homes, build wealth and access affordable housing.  —read more—