Hamilton tops the time sheets as F1 season kicks off

LEWIS HAMILTON recovered from the misery of completing just half a lap on his opening run to move to the top of the timesheets on the first official day of the new Formula One season. Less than five minutes into the year's first practice session at Melbourne's Albert Park, and on his maiden installation lap, Hamilton's Mercedes ground to a halt due to a sensor calibration problem that cut out the power unit. That was it for Hamilton until the start of second free practice, when he more than made up for lost time and underlined his status as championship favourite in the wake of Mercedes' impressive form in pre-season testing.

Fiat Panda: Now with fluffy-bunny Euro 5 engines

Fiat Panda - now with cleaner Euro 5 engines The Fiat Panda has now gone on sale in the UK with a new range of Euro 5 compliant engines. Which it has to; Fiat can no longer sell cars that don’t comply with the new Euro 5 regulations. And although we have issues with legislating CO2 emissions, we positively support the ever-increasing restrictions on NOx and Particulate Matter. This is the stuff that actually matters, and Euro 5 toughens-up the limits.

Secret Service issues call for next presidential limousine

The Secret Service is mulling a replacement for Barack Obama's presidential limousine, the Cadillac-styled vehicle lovingly nicknamed "The Beast." News of the new limousine first reached the Internet via FedBizOpps.gov, the official site for Federal Business Opportunities, which provides listings and contracts for various government projects. (Some other listings included cleaning the kitchens at Okinawa, Coast Guard ship repair, and "Phacoemulsification Surgical Equipment.") It calls for a four-phase development program, which is seemingly straightforward. Phase 1 is armor development -- which is currently underway.