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Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix, explained
Lewis Hamilton’s second race weekend as a Ferrari driver began with pole position, and a win, in the F1 Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix. It ended with a disqualification in the Grand Prix itself, dropping Hamilton out of the points after he finished sixth. Following the race, technical delegates performed their customary post-race inspections of cars, which included a measurement of the thickness of the skid plate underneath Hamilton’s SF-25. According to a report from Jo Bauer, the FIA F1 Technical Delegate: The rearmost skid was measured according to the team’s legality documents submission in accordance with TD039 L, item 1.2 b) i). Measurements were taken along the stiffness-compliant area at three different points of the periphery (inner arc). The recorded measurement were 8.6 mm (LHS), 8.6 mm (car centerline) and 8.5 mm (RHS). As this is less than the 9 mm minimum thickness required by TR Article 3.5.9 e), I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration. Document 80, the Technical Delegate report, can be read in full here: The referral to the race stewards resulted in a hearing at the Chinese Grand Prix, which was conducted at 6:48 p.m. local time. During the hearing, which was attended by Hamilton himself according to the report, the driver ”confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.” According to race officials, the standard penalty for a breach of Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations is disqualification. Here is the decision in full: The disqualification mirrors what happened to Hamilton at the 2023 United States Grand Prix. That afternoon in Austin Hamilton finished second and Charles Leclerc — his current Ferrari teammate — finished sixth. But both were disqualified when post-race inspections uncovered that the plank was not in compliance with the Technical Regulations. F1 cars have these planks, or “skid blocks,” on the floors of the car in part as a safety element added in the wake of Ayrton Senna’s tragic death. They serve a two-fold purpose: First to protect the chassis from damage when the car’s floor touches the track surface at high speeds and second, to act as a safety gauge. They can help measure whether the cars are running too low, or too close, to the track surface. Article 3.5.9 of the F1 Technical Regulations governs the “Plank Assembly.” Specifically, the section that Hamilton was noted to have violated is Article 3.5.9(e), which reads as follows: The thickness of the plank assembly measured normal to the lower surface must be 10mm ± 0.2mm and must be uniform when new. A minimum thickness of 9mm will be accepted due to wear, and conformity to this provision will be checked at the peripheries of the designated holes. As you can see, the thickness of the plank is required to be 10 millimeters. F1’s regulations allow for one millimeter to be worn down throughout a race weekend due to wear and tear. Anything more than that, and the car will have been deemed to violate the Regulations. Having run afoul of this Regulation, Hamilton has now been disqualified.
How open borders fed cartel ‘extermination camp’ horrors
“Extermination sites” with human remains, crematoria and cast-off shoes and clothing evoke images of the Third Reich. But the latest one wasn’t discovered decades ago in Nazi-occupied Europe; it was found in rural Mexico, allegedly run by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) as a recruiting and training center for unwilling participants in a war fueled by illicit narcotics and abetted by open US borders. For the past four years, millions of illegal migrants poured into the United States and were released into US cities and towns under Biden administration policies, encouraging millions more to follow. Those who complained about the surge and the costs it imposed on Americans — higher taxes, strained medical resources and increasingly crowded classrooms — were castigated as “heartless” or worse, “xenophobic.” Most news coverage focused only on migrants’ hardships after they arrived in this country and struggled to find food, shelter and medical care in a new and unfamiliar land — the better to draw cash from the public fisc to fund such services and the “nonprofits” that provided them. Shamefully, few outlets ever discussed the horrors of the illicit trek those migrants made to this country, drawn by what they correctly saw as an “invitation” by a Biden White House that loosened or simply eliminated common-sense restrictions implemented during the first Trump administration. Explore More Which is strange, because those horrors, many deliberately inflicted on the migrants by the very smugglers they foolishly trusted to bring them here safely, have long been well-documented. In February 2024, Doctors Without Borders published a report detailing what it termed as a “shocking increase in sexual violence” in the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama, which had become a highway for transcontinental US-bound migrants. If you haven’t heard about it, don’t feel bad — the findings were functionally ignored here. Sexual predation is just one of the many underreported hells and harms inherent in the multibillion-dollar human-smuggling industry that mushroomed in the fertile soil of our open border. That brings us to the cartels. CJNG is just one of several operating in Mexico. Each reaps mind-boggling profits feeding Americans’ hunger for street narcotics. But drug trafficking is only a segment of the cartels’ many criminal enterprises. As migrants are brought north, they cross through areas cartels deem to be their “territories” — broad swaths and narrow strips of land, both at Mexico’s borders and in its interior, that they fight one another and the government to control. To pass through these fiefdoms, cartels charge smugglers a “tax” of anywhere between a few hundred to several thousand dollars per migrant. The cost is passed along to the migrants themselves. In December 2023, the House Homeland Security Committee estimated cartels made $13 billion off migrants in 2021 alone. The number of illegal entrants — and the cartels’ proceeds — only rose thereafter. The cartels use that money to enhance their operations, buying new and bigger weapons, expanding their drug labs — and running
Cuomo, Hochul sent energy bills soaring — here’s how they can climb down
New Yorkers are getting burned by Democrats’ green delusions. The average monthly ConEd bill today is $154 higher than five years ago, despite a near tripling of US wind and solar capacity since 2017, which advocates promised would bring prices down. Now, ConEd wants the state utilities regulator to allow another rate hike — 11% for power and 13% for gas — just so it can keep pace with the state’s green energy targets. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo dug this hole, but if the Democrats are going to climb out of it — and show that the party can still respond to voters’ needs — Gov. Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins must correct the failures of the past decade. According to the latest federal data, New Yorkers statewide pay 24.4 cents per kilowatt-hour for power — 50% above the national average. City households are hit even harder, paying over 31 cents per kilowatt-hour. Meanwhile, Pennsylvanians pay just 17.6 cents. Explore More The contrast lays bare the failures of the green policies Cuomo and the Democrats have championed since 2011. First came Cuomo’s statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for natural gas in 2014. The Empire State remained on the sidelines while Pennsylvania leveraged game-changing technology into lower energy costs and thousands of solid middle-class jobs. Worse, Cuomo then blocked New Yorkers’ access to Pennsylvanian gas via new pipelines. In 2020, builders ditched the Constitution Pipeline project after endless state delays. In 2019 Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, mandating zero-emissions electricity by 2040 — prompting exorbitant grid reconfigurations to accommodate unreliable wind and solar that have translated directly into rate hikes on New Yorkers’ bills. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! The worst decision of all was the 2021 Indian Point nuclear power plant closure, a personal objective of Cuomo’s. The loss of Indian Point, which generated one-eighth of the state’s power emissions-free, made the city’s electricity generation more dependent on fossil fuels. In his sitdown with The Post’s editorial board last week, Cuomo himself hinted at the impracticality of the Democratic Party energy agenda. It’s time for Dems to make a change. Spiking blue-state energy prices are wedging them between their climate-activist base and middle-income New Yorkers feeling the pinch. But as much as he wishes he did, Cuomo doesn’t hold the keys anymore. Hochul and the state Legislature do. If they want to avoid an even deeper political backlash than the party saw nationally in November, they need an immediate pivot to energy pragmatism. Step 1 is lifting the fracking ban. Greater gas supply would ease downstate utility bills while opening up desperately needed jobs upstate. Step 2 is approving the gas pipelines Democrats have made a rule of blocking. With President Donald Trump suggesting he’ll step in to revive the Constitution Pipeline, state Democrats risk letting him own the return to
Meghan Trainor shocks fans with dramatic weight loss transformation, sparking Ozempic rumors
All about that weight loss. Meghan Trainor showed off her dramatic thin figure in an Instagram photo shoot shared last week. The 31-year-old singer posed in a miniskirt and a white T-shirt in the snapshots. Meghan Trainor a new Instagram photo. Instagram / @meghantrainor Meghan Trainor shows off her weight loss. Instagram / @meghantrainor Trainor’s slimmed-down look led fans to accuse her of taking Ozempic. Explore More “‘All about that bass’??? Until Ozempic then you are all about that treble,” one fan wrote in the comments section. Meghan Trainor performing on “The Tonight Show” in 2020. NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images “LMFAO body positive until you can get your hands on Ozempic 😂,” another fan said. “Ozempic is crazy,” a third person wrote. A different comment read, “oh so we’re not all about that bass no more?” Meghan Trainor in a selfie. Instagram / @meghantrainor “Im sick of ozempic ffs,” someone else said. But other comments were more complimentary about Trainor’s weight loss. “Okay someone hire this girl as a model!!!!!” one fan wrote. Meghan Trainor in a TikTok video. TikTok / @meghantrainor Meghan Trainor in a selfie. Instagram / @meghantrainor “My pretty princess❤️,” another account said. “Meghan you are stunning!” said a different fan. Trainor’s husband, “Spy Kids” actor Daryl Sabara, commented on her post as well, writing, “Just the prettiest woman in the world ❤️.” Back in Nov. 2022, Trainor said she lost 60 pounds after being at her “heaviest” when she gave birth to her first son, Riley, via C-section. “I was in a really dark place, and I wanted to be in a great place for my son,” she told Entertainment Tonight Canada at the time. Meghan Trainor at The Voice UK Series 9 launch in London in 2019. PA Images via Getty Images Trainor continued, “I worked [out] every day and challenged myself. I was very dedicated and I started seeing the pounds come off one week at a time, one pound. I was like, ‘I’m fighting.'” “I learned that I do like healthy food, and I learned what portions mean,” Trainor added. “My brain is so happy when I exercise.” During an appearance on “Today” in December, Trainor said that lifting weights helped her get in better shape. Meghan Trainor, Daryl Sabara in NYC in December 2024. GC Images “I mean, look at those kids,” she said about her sons Riley, 4, and Barry, 1. “I’ve got to lift them up and chase them. I’m exhausted.” Trainor went on to say, “I try to go [to the gym] three times a week of lifting weights. I didn’t know lifting weights would change my life so much.” Meghan Trainor at iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2024. Getty Images The Grammy Award winner has also been open about getting too much plastic surgery on her face. “I got too much Botox and I need help!” she said on her “Workin’ on It” podcast last year. Meghan Trainor. Instagram
Defiant Chuck Schumer hits back at Nancy Pelosi, vows ‘I’m not stepping down’
A defiant Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed that he will not step down from his leadership role any time soon while strenuously defending his decision to vote against blocking a GOP bill to avert a partial government shutdown. Schumer (D-NY), 74, who has been facing a progressive revolt over his shutdown vote earlier this month, reiterated that he “did this out of conviction” and fired back at detractors such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “Look, I’m not stepping down,” Schumer told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in a pretaped interview that aired Sunday. “I did it out of pure conviction as to what a leader should do and what the right thing for America and my party was. People disagree.” Critics, from both the moderate and far-left wings of the party alike, contended that the government shutdown fight was a rare instance when Dems had leverage to extract concessions from Republicans. At noon on Sunday, New York City progressives are set to hold a rally organized by the Big Apple chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America demanding Schumer step down from his leadership post due to his actions in the shutdown fight. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was adamant that he’s not leaving his leadership role anytime soon. AP Explore More Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer had been close allies during the first Trump administration. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Similar protests against him have popped up across the country, particularly in New York and Washington, DC. The longtime senator was forced to postpone his book tour last week in response to security concerns over the demonstrations. One of the most prominent detractors against him was Pelosi, 84, who publicly threw shade at Schumer, noting how she doesn’t “give away anything for nothing.” “What we got, at the end of the day, is avoiding the horror of a shutdown,” Schumer countered. “There was no leverage point that we could’ve asked for things. They just would’ve said no.” Republicans had passed their bill to avert a partial government shutdown — known as a continuing resolution (CR) through the House of Representatives. That was the first time the GOP passed a CR through the House without needing Dem support. All but one House Dem voted against it. The GOP has a 53-seat majority in the Senate but lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a Dem filibuster. Therefore, they would’ve been unable to pass the stopgap measure without Dem defections. Schumer was joined by nine others. Schumer has lived through multiple government shutdown fights during his more than two-and-a-half decades in the Senate and felt that his party wasn’t in a position to win. The Empire State pol’s main argument against blocking the GOP bill to keep the government’s lights on is that a partial shutdown would’ve enabled the Trump administration to make even steeper cuts to spending. Schumer postponed key events in
After the Eaton Fire, Altadena residents fight to keep out luxury developers
ALTADENA, Calif. — Smoke from the ravenous Eaton Fire had barely cleared when signs began popping up on the charred remains of destroyed homes declaring Altadena was not for sale.But one month after the wildfire consumed more than 9,400 residences and 14,000 acres in the foothill community north of downtown Los Angeles, the first vacant lot sold for $550,000 cash, $100,000 above the asking price.Of the 14 properties that have sold to date in fire-ravaged Altadena, at least seven were purchased by developers or investors, including several from outside the U.S., according to a list provided by Jasmin Shupper, founder and president of the nonprofit Greenline Housing Foundation. They were all cash offers, she said.Housing experts and community members worry the fierce competition could push out longtime residents who want to bring back Altadena’s small-town flavor and diverse enclaves but see that vision slip away as buyers with deep pockets and little historical understanding of the area swoop in.“In our opinion, money isn’t everything and it never will be,” said Darrell Carr, whose Altadena home burned in the fire. “It’s the character of the people.”A family portrait of Darrell, Susan and Justin Carr.Courtesy Susan Toler Carr“We’re just afraid that we’ll see a bunch of cookie cutters go up and we’ll get a bunch of people coming and going and coming and going and we’ll lose the charm of Altadena.”To counter this possibility, Greenline began securing long-term, temporary housing for displaced Altadena residents and entering into talks to purchase their burned lots.Greenline closed on a property for $520,000 earlier this month and is in discussions with a handful of other sellers, Shupper said. The foundation has effectively become a “land bank,” which Pasadena-based lawyer Remy De La Peza describes as a space for immediate and urgent acquisition of land to prevent sales to private corporate interests.Land banks have been established in cities like Atlanta, St. Louis and Cleveland to develop vacant urban lots for use by local nonprofits, community organizations and affordable housing.“It’s holding on to land within the bank to buy us time to think about what we want Altadena to look like,” De La Peza said.Deciding whether to rebuild is a difficult next step for families grieving the loss of their soulful neighborhood. Many want Altadena to remain the same quirky enclave that attracted artists’ studios, small horse ranches and mom-and-pop stores.Before the January fire laid waste to much of Altadena, the neighborhood of some 42,000 people was a diverse haven for creatives and those who could not afford to buy homes in other parts of Los Angeles. It was one of the few areas in L.A. County exempt from redlining during the Civil Rights era, giving Black people a rare opportunity to own homes and build generational wealth.People of color comprised more than half of Altadena’s population, with Latinos making up 27% and Black Americans 18%. The Black homeownership rate in Altadena exceeded 80%, almost double the national rate.More than 60% of Black households were located within the burn area, compared to 50% of non-Black households, according to a UCLA study of the fire’s impact. Nearly half of Altadena’s Black households were destroyed or sustained major damage, compared to 37% for non-Black households.“Policymakers and relief organizations must act swiftly to protect the legacy and future of this historic community,” said Lorrie Frasure, a professor of political science and African American studies at UCLA and one of the study’s authors.The housing market, which was already out of reach for many residents, appears to be showing signs of topping pre-fire prices. From 2019 to 2023, the median home price in Altadena was more than $1 million, according to Realtor.com, and the median income was $129,123, according to the U.S. census.Brock Harris, a local realtor who sold the first Altadena property after the Eaton Fire, expects new home sales to near but not exceed $2 million. He received dozens of cash offers for the first listing and now has five more listings, three of which are in escrow. They all have been cash offers. Prices have settled between $500,000 and $600,000, which is about 50% to 60% of what they were before the fire, he said.“It’s purely financial,” Harris said of the people choosing to sell.Rebuilding, he added, is an enormously expensive enterprise: “People have jobs and kids in school and lives they need to go on with. Is that a doable project for most people?”When Carr and his wife, Susan Toler Carr, first visited the remains of their historic Spanish-style home, neither could imagine returning. Most of their neighborhood was reduced to rubble and the house they shared for 25 years was damaged beyond repair. Little of the structure remained, but what did reminded them of their late son, Justin, who died in 2013 at age 16 during swimming practice.The Carrs were moved that a gate dedicated to their son, Justin, remained intact after the fire.Courtesy Amber DenkerAs the days wore on, it was those memories that convinced the couple to rebuild. But not all of their neighbors were convinced. Some have small children and are worried about the toxic environment, Carr said.“It’s just a lot to think about,” Toler Carr added.Altadena resident and realtor Michael Farah, whose home survived but was badly damaged by smoke, has seen his neighbors grapple with the question of whether to rebuild or sell. A neighbor who purchased his home in 2023 recently sold his vacant lot for $400,000 over the asking price in cash. It was in escrow for just 10 days.Farah said his neighbor considered rebuilding, but the cost of using fireproof materials, like concrete and steel, was the deciding factor.“The estimates just kept going up and up,” Farah said. “It was the best thing for him and his family just to move on.”Ali Pearl, a University of Southern California writing professor who lost her home in the Eaton Fire, said she is committed to staying in Altadena. But her insurance payouts totaled $600,000 and builders are quoting her $1.2 million to rebuild.“We bought that house with the intention of living there for the rest of our lives and passing that house down to our children,” she said, adding that she and her husband are applying for disaster loans to bridge the gap.Through her work with the community group Altagether, Pearl coordinates resources and information for neighbors looking for alternatives to selling to developers. She sends them to Greenline in hopes of matching land to community members who have been priced out of Altadena.“I think about my neighbors’ kids who were born and raised on my street, and how they have not ever been able to afford to come back to the neighborhood, who talk about how great that would be to live in Altadena again,” Pearl said.
Chuck Schumer rejects calls to step down as Senate Democratic leader
WASHINGTON — A defiant Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed that he won’t step aside as the chamber’s top Democrat, rejecting calls from some House colleagues and liberal advocates critical of his move to help pass a Republican funding bill.“Look, I’m not stepping down,” Schumer said in a pretaped interview that aired Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”Schumer told moderator Kristen Welker he knew there “would be a lot of controversy” when he cast his vote to prevent a shutdown. But he maintains that while the GOP’s six-month bill was “certainly bad,” a shutdown “would be 15 or 20 times worse.”“Under a shutdown, the executive branch has sole power to determine what is ‘essential.’ And they can determine without any court supervision. The courts have ruled it’s solely up to the executive what to shut down,” he said, warning that the Trump administration “would eviscerate the federal government.”“On Day 2, they could say, ‘Oh, SNAP? Feeding hungry children? Not essential.’ On Day 4, ‘Mass transit? All transit? Aid to the states? Not essential. We’re cutting it.’ On Day 6, ‘Medicaid? We’ll cut that by 20%, 30%, 50%, 80%. We’ll go after Social Security. We’ll go after the veterans.’ Their goal is to just eviscerate the federal government so they can give more taxes, and their tax cuts ... to their billionaire class over there,” he said.“Sometimes when you’re a leader, you have to do things to avoid a real danger that might come down the curve. And I did it out of pure conviction as to what a leader should do and what the right thing for America and my party was. People disagree.”It’s up to Democratic senators to choose their leader, and none of them have called on Schumer to quit a post that he has held for more than eight years. But some have entertained questions about whether it’s time for a re-examination. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., told a constituent at a town hall last week that “we’re going to have future conversations about all the Democratic leadership.”Schumer also rejected comparisons to then-President Joe Biden’s refusal to step down as the 2024 nominee, in response to a question about whether he’s making the same mistake.“No, absolutely not. I did this out of conviction. And, look, in my caucus, we have a disagreement as to, you know, some people voted one way, some people voted the other. But we’ve all agreed to respect each other because each side saw why the other side felt so strongly about it. And our caucus is united in fighting Donald Trump every step of the way,” Schumer said.He responded to a suggestion from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., that the Senate Democrats who voted to break a filibuster gave their votes without getting anything. “What we got, at the end of the day, is avoiding the horror of a shutdown,” Schumer said.Schumer said President Donald Trump has put the U.S. in a constitutional crisis as he escalates attacks on the judiciary and faces allegations from judges that he defied court orders.“Look, this is an extraordinary moment. It does require extraordinary action. If he defies the Supreme Court, then we are in uncharted territory that we haven’t been in for a very long time, and our entire democracy, this whole beautiful enterprise of democracy that we’ve had for over 240 years, is at risk. And look, I believe that if Donald Trump should defy the courts, the public will rise up,” he said. “Democrats will fight it in every single way.”Schumer also discussed his new book “Antisemitism in America: A Warning” during the interview, saying he wrote it because he’s concerned that antisemitism is on the rise again.“I aimed it at both the hard right, and we’ve seen how viciously antisemitic they could be, but also at the hard left. I felt, as a progressive, I could talk to them about how some of their anti-Israel activity — I might disagree with it, but they’re certainly entitled to do it, and it is not antisemitic — has been sliding over into direct antisemitism,” Schumer said. “I would like all of America to read this. So I hope it will be reading in colleges and in high schools to learn, teach people the history. ... I believe the best antidote to antisemitism is education.”Schumer, who is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, said it’s “possible” there will be a Jewish president in his lifetime, because “glass ceilings are broken every day.”
Bronson Pinchot reveals Shonda Rhimes’ 2 golden rules while filming new Netfix show ‘The Residence’
Shonda Rhimes has two rules for all of her actors. Bronson Pinchot — who stars in Netflix’s new show “The Residence” — talked to Page Six’s Unforgettably Famous series about what it was like to work with the prolific producer responsible for shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Bridgerton,” Scandal” and many more. The 65-year-old detailed that on the first day of working on “The Residence,” Rhimes told them her “two rules.” “Say the words exactly as written and don’t be a–holes!” she told the cast, per Pinchot, before laughing it off. Bronson Pinchot shared the two rules Shonda Rhimes gave “The Residence” cast before filming. FilmMagic The prolific producer told the cast not to change the script and not to be “a–holes.” WireImage Explore More The “Perfect Strangers” alum, 65, agreed that they were “great rules” because the writing was “absolutely unbelievable.” However, they did set the tone for filming despite him knowing that the assembled group would never “have been a–holes or fudged with the words.” “To have somebody that experienced and respected and powerful say those two things so clearly and so succinctly … it was wonderful to hear it said. It’s a wonderful thing,” he commented. Uzo Aduba plays a detective investigating a murder at the White House in the series. JESSICA BROOKS/NETFLIX Pinchot told Page Six he was impressed by the level of detail on the set. JESSICA BROOKS/NETFLIX “The Residence” — which also stars Uzo Aduba, Randall Park, the late Andre Braugher, Giancarlo Esposito and Susan Kelechi Watson — is a screwball comedy set in the White House where “the world’s best detective” (Aduba) investigates a murder. Pinchot describes filming the series as “like being in a big Hollywood movie from that period when there was no such thing as cutting corners.” However, he stressed that the show is “complicated (so) you’re going to need to binge the whole thing!” Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! The show also features Susan Kelechi Watson and Randall Park. Getty Images Pinchot said being on set was “like being in a big Hollywood movie.” Getty Images While speaking with Page Six, Pinchot said he was amazed by the level of detail involved in the show, which he called as intricately designed as a “Swiss bell tower clock.” “They recreated the White House on seven soundstages, each one as big as a high school and the depth of it,” he marveled. “The windows were hand-blown glass, wavy glass, which is exactly what the White House must have because it was built in the early 19th century, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, the camera will never even see this.'” The “Beverly Hills Cop” star knows what he’s talking about as he’s “something of an expert in Federal and Greek revival
How an Astronaut Captured Italy’s Vibrant Landscape
The Italian region of Puglia displays a network of lines, and one nearly perfect circle, that connect inland settlements and agricultural areas with the bustling Adriatic coast. From space, the southeastern Italian region of Puglia bursts with contrast: bright city clusters, dark angular farms, and winding roads all converge around Bitonto, a town nestled between Bari and the Adriatic. This astronaut-snapped image reveals a region where ancient agriculture and modern infrastructure coexist, from grapevines and olive groves to rail lines and airports. Orbiting Over Puglia An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured this photograph while passing over Puglia, the southeastern region of Italy that forms the “heel” of the country’s boot-shaped peninsula. In the image, towns and cities appear as lighter, irregularly shaped areas, standing out against the dark-green, angular plots of surrounding farmland. At the center of the image is the township of Bitonto. To the north, dense urban development lines the Adriatic coast, supporting a thriving tourism industry in towns like Giovinazzo, Santo Spirito, and Palese. Just east of the frame lies Bari, the regional capital and a major port city. Highways and Railways from Space A network of roads and railways connects communities throughout the region. One of the most visible features is a straight transportation corridor linking Bitonto to Palese and Bari. This light-toned line includes highway SP91 and a parallel railway line, running side by side across the landscape. A ring-shaped road circles the northern half of Bitonto. The southern half of this ring road runs through agricultural areas and is less visible in the image. This detailed photo—taken with a long (1,200 millimeter) focal length lens—shows a major highway interchange connecting SP231 to the ring road on the west side of Bitonto. The Palese Airport, just east of the SP91 transportation corridor, serves the entire region. The Autostrada Adriatica is a regional highway that passes near Bitonto’s ring road. Farming the Heel of Italy Local agriculture primarily comprises permanent crops, such as grape vines and olive trees. A waterway winds along the southern margin of Bitonto and is visible as a dark meandering line. The associated floodplain runs northeastward to the coast and into the Adriatic Sea. The waterway and its banks are part of the Lama Balice Regional Natural Park. This photograph, designated ISS070-E-105442, was taken on December 19, 2023, by a member of the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station. It was captured using a Nikon D5 digital camera with a 1,200-millimeter telephoto lens. The image is provided by NASA’s Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit and the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility at Johnson Space Center. To enhance clarity, the photo has been cropped, contrast-adjusted, and cleaned of lens artifacts. The ISS National Lab, supported by the International Space Station Program, helps astronauts capture images of Earth that are valuable to scientists and the public. These photos are made freely available online.
Pope Francis makes first public appearance before hospital release
IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.March 23, 202501:44Eva Longoria talks turning 50, new movie — and tequila!08:13JFK files declassified: Does it change what we already know?04:58Now PlayingPope Francis makes first public appearance before hospital release01:44UP NEXTIsrael strikes southern Gaza, claims death of senior Hamas official00:23Schumer defends leadership amid pressure to step aside01:52Venezuela reaches agreement with US to resume deportations01:42Two people arrested after shooting in New Mexico kills 300:23Don Cheadle talks ‘Fight Night,’ the ‘Ocean’s’ franchise, more08:11MLB tests automated ball-strike zones at spring training03:11Melody Beattie, self-help genre pioneer, dies at 7601:48Gorilla finds lit cigarette and smokes like he’s done it before03:57Fan celebrates 70th with girl’s trip to Nashville in Sunday Mug Shot01:38Why does Trump want to close the Department of Education?04:29Chicago River goes green for St. Patrick’s Day in 60-year tradition00:19Official says one of three Big Bear eaglets died in snowstorm00:22Nightclub fire kills at least 50 in North Macedonia00:21Poll: 54% of Americans disapprove Trump’s handling of economy01:43US launches new airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen01:41SpaceX crew arrives at ISS to relieve stuck astronauts01:41Tornadoes rip across South as storm system nears East Coast02:04Pope Francis is back home at the Vatican after spending five weeks in the hospital for a severe case of pneumonia. Before his release, he spoke to a crowd from a hospital window. NBC’s Raf Sanchez reports for Sunday TODAY.March 23, 2025Read
