Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY
Published 12:04 p.m. ET Aug. 26, 2018 | Updated 12:55 p.m. ET Aug. 26, 2018
Neil Simon, the legendary comedic playwright whose beloved populist hits include “The Odd Couple,” “Barefoot in the Park” and “Sweet Charity,” has died at 91.
The writer died early Sunday of complications from pneumonia at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, where he was surrounded by family, his longtime friend Bill Evans, director of media relations for the Shubert Organization, told The Associated Press.
Neil Simon’s place in the dramatic canon never rivaled that of Arthur Miller, Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams or August Wilson, to name a few 20th century icons who passed before him. But Simon proved more consistently popular with mass audiences – by channeling the neuroses of everyday people into one clever, accessible comedy after the next.
He was, for a long stretch, the American people’s playwright.
Simon’s Broadway productions included cherished plays such as “The Sunshine Boys,” and the musicals “They’re Playing Our Song” and “Promises, Promises.”
In the 1980s, Simon enjoyed a career revival, and increased critical acclaim, with his semi-autobiographical “Eugene trilogy,” consisting of three plays focusing on a young man who grew up in New York City: “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Biloxi Blues” and “Broadway Bound.” “Lost in Yonkers,” another coming-of-age tale, earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1991.
As word spread of his death, the theater world collectively mourned. Josh Gad called Simon “one of the primary influences on my life and career.” Harvey Fierstein hailed him as a wordsmith who “could write a joke that would make you laugh, define the character, the situation, and even the world’s problems.”
Many of Simon’s works were adapted for the screen, as feature films (he was a four-time Oscar nominee) and TV movies. He also wrote original screenplays, including the smash hit “The Goodbye Girl,” which earned him a Golden Globe Award in 1978. He collected the first of four Tony Awards (including a special one for contributions to the theater, in 1975) in 1965, for “Odd Couple,” which also became a massively successful TV series in the 1970s.
Television had actually been Simon’s launching pad. In the 1950s, he worked for “The Phil Silvers Show” and for Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows,” where his colleagues included Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Woody Allen, three other Jewish, New York-bred writers who would weave their sensibilities indelibly into the wider fabric of American humor.
His success in theater and film found Simon collaborating with, and nurturing, some of the greatest comedic actors of the past century. “Odd Couple” alone was a vehicle for performers ranging from Art Carney and Walter Matthau, who respectively introduced the fussy Felix Ungar and slovenly Oscar Madison on Broadway, to Jack Lemmon, who joined Matthau for the 1968 film version, to Matthew Broderick (who got a huge boost early in his career with Simon’s plays “Brighton” and “Biloxi”) and Nathan Lane, stars of the most recent Broadway revival, in 2005.
As for the notion that Simon was a relative lightweight creatively, the writer had an estimable defender in the venerated theater critic and playwright Walter Kerr, who observed that “Americans have always tended to underrate writers who make them laugh,” and that Simon’s “best comedies contain not only a host of funny lines, but numerous memorable characters and an incisively dramatized set of beliefs that are not without merit. Simon is, in fact, one of the finest writers of comedy in American literary history.”
Awarding Simon the Kennedy Center Honors in 1995, then-president Bill Clinton added that, more simply, Simon “challenges us and himself never to take ourselves too seriously.”
That was a philosophy Simon endorsed in life as well. “I love living,” he once said. “I have some problems with my life, but living is the best thing they’ve come up with so far.”
During Saturday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, a funny thing happened to Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso.
On his way off the field after a third-down tackle of Ravens tight end Maxx Williams, Alonso accidentally went to the Ravens sideline and was standing next to head coach John Harbaugh. Ravens special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg was seen talking to Alonso as he was pointing in the Dolphins sideline.
“I don’t know. I just kind of – like I said, I did a flip after I tackled the guy, and kind of just ran over there and it was the wrong sideline,” Alonso said after the game.
After Alonso made the tackle on Williams, he landed on his head, which he said caused him to lose his sense of direction. But Alonso also said he was fine physically as he quickly realized he had ended up in enemy territory.
Harbaugh ended up telling Alonso he was on the wrong sideline before the linebacker realized he made a mistake. Then Alonso placed his helmet back on and ran to the Dolphins sideline, but Miami was flagged for delay of game.
Eden Hazard (centre) scored his first goal of the season on his first start of the campaign
Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea maintained their winning start to the Premier League season with victory over Newcastle United in a match featuring three goals in 11 second-half minutes.
Eden Hazard, on his first start this season for the Blues, netted from the penalty spot in the 76th minute before substitute Joselu levelled with a brilliant header at St James’ Park.
But, having been resolute in defence for the majority of the game, Newcastle failed to clear their lines and Marcos Alonso’s shot took a deflection off DeAndre Yedlin.
Chelsea dominated the game with 82% possession and Pedro, Cesar Azpilicueta and Alvaro Morata missed chances.
Antonio Rudiger rattled the crossbar in the 70th minute but Newcastle contained the pressure until Fabian Schar tripped Alonso in the box.
Chelsea’s third win in as many matches moves them level on points with Liverpool and Watford at the top of the table, while Rafael Benitez’s side have only one point on the board.
The leader of ISIL in Afghanistan was killed in air strikes in eastern Nangarhar province, the fourth head of the armed group to die since it emerged in the country in recent years.
Abu Saad Erhabi and 10 other Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) members died in a joint operation with coalition forces on Saturday night, the National Directorate of Security said in a statement on Sunday.
“The emir of Daesh in Afghanistan – along with 10 others – was killed,” it said, using the armed group’s Arabic acronym.
The air attacks on a village in Khugyani district, near the border with Pakistan, also destroyed a large number of weapons, explosives, and ammunition, the agency said.
The provincial governor’s spokesman Attaullah Khogyani confirmed Erhabi’s death.
US forces in Afghanistan said they conducted an air raid in the location described by Afghan officials, which “targeted a senior leader of a designated terrorist organisation”.
WATCH ISIL in Afghanistan: Leader killed in air strike in July (2:00)
Fourth leader killed
Erhabi was the fourth ISIL leader killed in Afghanistan since the group emerged there in early 2015. Erhabi succeeded Abu Sayed who was killed in a US drone attack in early July.
ISIL has a relatively small but potent presence in Afghanistan, mainly in Nangarhar – the birthplace of the group’s Afghan branch – but more recently in the northern province of Jowzjan where it is fighting for control of smuggling routes into neighbouring Turkmenistan.
Hours before Saturday’s air raids, the group claimed a deadly suicide attack that appeared to target a sit-in protest outside an election commission office in the city of Jalalabad. Two people were killed.
The bombings followed a number of attacks claimed by ISIL in recent weeks, including assaults on several government installations in Kabul and a bombing at a school in a Shia area of the capital that killed at least 37 people.
The group, however, has suffered repeated setbacks amid a bloody turf war with the much larger Taliban. Estimates of ISIL’s numbers in the country run as high as 2,000.
More than 150 ISIL fighters surrendered to Afghan forces in Jowzjan on August 1, a move troops and the Taliban hailed as the end of the group’s foothold in the north of the country.
ISIL in Afghanistan is also known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) after an old name for the region that includes Afghanistan.
Gather your coins, folks. Another opportunity to own a piece of Apple history is coming soon.
This September, an Apple-1 computer is going on sale to the highest bidder. While you might not want to rely on it for your day-to-day needs, the Apple-1 — designed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the 1970s — is fully operable.
Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen restored the machine earlier this summer, and has officially given this particular computer an above average 8.5/10 rating. Auctioneers at Invaluable are expecting this computer to go for anywhere from $300,000-$400,000, but before you reach for your wallet it’s worth noting that previous sales of different versions of the Apple-1 have fetched everywhere from $130,000 to over $800,000, per MacRumors.
According to auction details, the set includes the original Apple-1 board along with manuals, keyboard, video monitor and more.
Over the years, manyofthesecomputers have been auctioned off — but of the 200 made, there are reportedly only around 60-70 units left. So if you’re itching to get your hands on any of the remaining computers, time is ticking.
The actual sale will occur at a WeWorks in Boston on Sept. 25th, at 1:00 p.m ET, but until then you can watch a video of the computer here.
How quickly did The Conjuring director James Wan realize that his 2013 ghost story could birth a fully fledged big-screen universe? Very quickly, according to a new featurette promoting the latest Conjuring spin-off, The Nun (out Sept. 7).
“One of the things that occurred to all of us is, they have a superhero universe, why can’t we do that in the horror world?” Wan says in the clip. “When we were making the first Conjuring, it became very apparent to us that there could be a bigger universe, so many other great stories that would be awesome to look into.”
Set in early-’50s Romania and directed by Corin Hardy, The Nun is the origin story of the inhuman spirit known as Valak that tormented ghost-hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) in the 1977-setThe Conjuring 2.
The new film stars Demián Bichir as a priest named Father Burke and Taissa Farmiga as a novitiate, Sister Irene. “She had a difficult and isolating childhood,” Farmiga says of her character. “She experienced these visions that set her apart from her peers and eventually led her to a life in the church.” The pair are tasked by the Vatican to investigate a mysterious death at an abbey in Romania where, Farmiga reveals, “there’s some sort of presence that shouldn’t be there.”
9:05: Motorcade arrives at mortuary to shouts of ‘I love you John’
The hearse carrying Sen. John McCain’s body has arrived at the A.L. Moore Grimshaw Mortuary in uptown Phoenix.
A crowd of about 200 people gathered outside as the late senator’s body arrived.
“I love you, John,” many of them shouted as the hearse turned into the driveway.
Steve Dickman held a large American flag.
“He voted his conscience and his heart, not necessarily his party,” Dickman said.
He once met McCain at Changing Hands Bookstore when the senator held a book signing. He was surprised that he took the time to have personal conversations.
“He wanted to get to know you and your views,” Dickman said. “I like that.”
8:45 p.m. Crowd gathers at mortuary
About four dozen people are gathered outside the A.L. Moore Grimshaw Mortuary in uptown Phoenix, awaiting the arrival of the motorcade carrying Sen. John McCain’s body.
Many are holding flags and wearing flag-covered clothing.
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People of all political persuasions wait along a Phoenix freeway exit for the motorcade carrying the body of Sen. John McCain on Aug. 25, 2018. Thomas Hawthorne, The Republic | azcentral.com
8:36 p.m. Motorcade enters Valley
The motorcade carrying Sen. John McCain’s body has entered the Valley, accompanied by Arizona Department of Public Safety vehicles.
Earlier this evening, the hearse left the senator’s ranch near Cornville.
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A hearse and a motorcade leave the Cornville home of Sen. John McCain after the national figure died on Aug. 25, 2018. Arizona Republic
8:30 p.m. Giffords: ‘No equal to his service and integrity’
Gabrielle Giffords, formerDemocratic U.S. representative from Arizona, Tweeted that, “Arizona will not be the same without Senator John McCain. There is no equal to his service and integrity. @ShuttleCDRKelly and I are holding his family in our hearts tonight. We’ll miss you, John.”
8 p.m. People gather to watch motorcade
About two dozen people gathered near Dove Valley Road along Interstate 17 in Phoenix to watch as the motorcade carrying Sen. John McCain’s body heads to a Phoenix mortuary. The group, made up of men, women and children, were carrying American flags.
The hearse carrying McCain’s body was accompanied by Arizona Department of Public Safety vehicles and began the procession from the senator’s ranch near Cornville.
7:50 p.m. White House flags lowered to half staff
President Donald Trump lowered flags at the White House to half-staff to honor Sen. John McCain Saturday night, a posthumous mark of respect for the former Republican standard-bearer whom Trump had feuded with as president.
Flags are lowered by presidential proclamation, and the president decides who gets the honor. But by executive order and tradition, sitting senators who die in office have flags lowered in their honor from their date of death until their burial.
7:05 p.m. Sarah Palin calls McCain ‘An American original’
Sarah Palin tweeted that “Today we lost an American original.”
She described her 2008 presidential campaign running mate as a maverick and a fighter who was never afraid to stand for his beliefs.
“John never took the easy path in life – and through sacrifice and suffering he inspired others to serve something greater than self.”
The post was accompanied with a photo of the pair laughing and smiling during a campaign event.
Today we lost an American original. Sen. John McCain was a maverick and a fighter, never afraid to stand for his beliefs. John never took the easy path in life – and through sacrifice and suffering he inspired others to serve something greater than self.
7 p.m.: President Clinton: ‘He lived by his creed’
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton released this statement about John McCain:
“John McCain believed that every citizen has a responsibility to make something of the freedoms given by our Constitution, and from his heroic service in the Navy to his 35 years in Congress, he lived by his creed every day,” the Clintons said in a statement.
6:50 p.m.: Procession accompanying Sen. McCain’s body leaves house
Sen. John McCain’s body is on the way to Phoenix accompanied by a motorcade of Arizona Department of Public Safety vehicles.
At 6:08 p.m. a motorcade was seen entering the property.
About 6:50 p.m., a DPS trooper’s vehicle, lights illuminated, began leading the motorcade down the dirt road, starting the approximately 100-mile journey to Phoenix.
A handmade sign on the fence leading to the residence read simply: “Sen. McCain thank you for your service.” A small, American flag, affixed to a wire fence waved in the evening breeze.
6:30 p.m.: President George W. Bush describes McCain as friend he’ll deeply miss’
“Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended. Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled. John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order.” […] Full statement by President George W. Bush https://t.co/FQVYWIUyGLpic.twitter.com/W8LCxJXRLi
— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) August 26, 2018
President George W. Bush posted an undated photo of himself and McCain chatting privately amidst a mass of reporters in the Oval Office.
“Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended,” he said in a statement. “Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled. John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order. He was a public servant in the finest traditions of our country. And to me, he was a friend whom I’ll deeply miss. Laura and I send our heartfelt sympathies to Cindy and the entire McCain family, and our thanks to God for the life of John McCain.”
Words cannot express the sorrow I feel at John McCain’s passing. The world has lost a hero and a statesman. Cindy and the McCain family have lost a loving husband and father. I have lost a wonderful friend.
“John McCain and I were members of different generations, came from completely different backgrounds, and competed at the highest level of politics,” he wrote. “But we shared, for all our differences, a fidelity to something higher — the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched and sacrificed. We saw our political barriers, even, as a privilege, something noble, an opportunity to serve as stewards of those high ideals at home, and to advance them around the world. We saw this country as a place where anything is possible — and citizenship as our patriotic obligations to ensure it forever remains that way.”
Obama also referenced the five years McCain endured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
“Few of us have been tested the way John once was, or required to show the kind of courage that he did. But all of us can aspire to the courage to put together the greater good above our own,” he continued. “At John’s best, he showed us what that means. And, for that, we are all in his debt.”
He finished off the message by saying he and his wife, Michelle Obama, send their condolences to the McCain family.
Arizona Department of Public Safety vehicles were gathered at the end of the road leading to the family’s private ranch Saturday evening shortly after news of his 4:28 p.m. death.
6 p.m.: Cindy McCain: McCain passed ‘on his own terms’
My heart is broken. I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years. He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the the place he loved best.
5:45 p.m.: Meghan McCain remembers father as ‘hero of the republic and to his little girl’
McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain mourned the death of her father in a sentimental Twitter post.
“I was with my father at his end, as he was with me at my beginning,” she wrote. “In the thirty-three years we shared together, he raised me, taught me, corrected me, comforted me, encouraged me and supported me in all things. He loved me, and I loved him. His love and his care, ever present, always unfailing, took me from a girl to a woman – and he showed me what it is to be a man.
All that I am is thanks to him. Now that he is gone, the task of my lifetime is to live up to his example, his expectations, and his love.
My father’s passing comes with sorrow and grief for me, for my mother, for my brothers, and for my sisters. He was a great fire who burned bright, and we lived in his light and warmth for so very long. We know that his flame lives on, in each of us. The days and years to come will not be the same without my dad – but they will be good days, filled with life and love, because of the example he lived for us.
Your prayers, for his soul and for our family, are sincerely appreciated.
My father is gone, and I miss him as only as an adoring daughter can. But in this loss, and in this sorry, I take comfort in this: John McCain, hero of the republic and to his little girl, wakes today to something more glorious than anything on earth. Today the warrior enters his true and eternal life, greeted by those who have gone before him, rising to meet the Author of All Things:
One of Sen. John McCain’s closest friends, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, Tweeted that “America and Freedom have lost one of her greatest champions. … And I’ve lost one of my dearest friends and mentor.”
Graham said he will need some time to absorb the news, “but I want Cindy — and the entire McCain family — to know they are in my prayers.”
Gov. Doug Ducey released the following statement after McCain’s passing was announced:
“John McCain is one American who will never be forgotten.
He was a giant. An icon. An American hero. But here at home, we were most proud to call him a fellow Arizonan. Like so many of us, he was not born here, but his spirit, service and fierce independence shaped the state with which he became synonymous.
Angela and I join all Arizonans in praying for Cindy and the entire McCain family during this difficult time and offering our full support.
As we mourn his passing and celebrate his truly phenomenal life, we’re also faced with the void John McCain’s absence leaves in the heart and soul of our nation.
John McCain fought for America every day — from the Navy through Vietnam to the U.S. Senate. He fought for what he thought was right, even when it wasn’t popular. His dogged patriotism and passion for country made him an inspiration, and a model, for all of us.
John McCain was about more than politics. He brought us above partisanship and challenged us to be great.
He once told us, ‘We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.’
May his life and legacy continue to inspire us to build a future for this country, and a history for this country, that would make John McCain proud.”
I have ordered all flags be lowered to half-staff in honor and remembrance of the incredible life of @SenJohnMcCain. May God rest his soul and look over his entire family. Our state and our nation mourn together. #JohnMcCain#CountryFirsthttps://t.co/Bj9pgsLIon
In a tweet, Ducey said he ordered all flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of McCain.
“May God rest his soul and look over his entire family,” he said in a tweet. “Our state and nation mourn together.”
5 p.m.: Sen. John McCain dies at 81
McCain’s office confirmed his death in a statement:
“Senator John Sidney McCain III died at 4:28 p.m. on August 25, 2018. With the senator when he passed were his wife Cindy and their family. At his death, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 60 years.”
Noon: Cornville reflects on John McCain and his legacy
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Mario Aguilar-Aello, owner of Up The Creek Bistro-Wine Bar in Cornville, Arizona, talks about times Sen. John McCain visited the restaurant
and his impressions of the man. Tom Tingle/azcentral.com, Arizona Republic
Lema Nowicki, owner of Casey’s Corner Farm Market and Provisions in Cornville, first met McCain seven years ago. She was working as a waitress at the Asylum restaurant in Jerome when the high-profile politician stopped in with his family.
“John McCain was very pleasant and easy to talk to and made eye contact,” Nowicki told The Arizona Republic. “He took breaks from his family to speak to me and the other servers just to ask how our day was and make comments like (asking) if Miguel was in the back still working.”
Over the years, McCain and his family often dined at the Page Springs Cellar Winery after they purchased the Hidden Valley Ranch in nearby Cornville. McCain would often step into the kitchen to shake hands with the chef and Nowicki’s husband, Brian, and compliment him on the fine meal he prepared.
Nowicki hopes McCain’s family will still consider Cornville “home” after his death.
“He’s a part of our community and his family is part of the community, so when he moves on, I very much hope that that ranch stays in the family and stays here and the McCains are still neighbors in Cornville.”
8:30 a.m. Saturday: Cindy McCain tweets thank you
Cindy McCain posted a message of thanks to Twitter Saturday morning.
The entire McCain family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from around the world. Thank you.
Lawton said it’s generally not worth continuing treatment if the patient has limited time left and the effect is minimal. Glioblastoma usually isn’t painful when left untreated.
“Doctors encourage patients to make their own choices when confronted with this disease because it’s such a difficult disease to control,” Lawton said.
Treatment typically involves surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible followed by a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in an attempt to kill off any cells that weren’t removed.
McCain underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from behind his eye in 2017, which turned out to be related to a malignant brain tumor, followed by a combination of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Since then, McCain has been recovering quietly at his family’s Cornville estate. Sparse social media posts from his daughter, Meghan McCain, and wife Cindy McCain have provided brief glimpses into his life there.
“The tumor keeps growing and patients often have increasing levels of neurological deficits,” Lawton said. “In some ways when people reach a point of entering hospice it’s a recognition that they’ve come to peace with this horrible disease. And they can focus on their family and goodbyes.”
The decision to stop treatment means the tumor will grow unchecked. At this point, Lawton said most patients will either remain at home with nursing care or move into a hospice.
Gov. Doug Ducey will appoint McCain’s replacement
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When a U.S. senator leaves office before the end of his or her term, what happens? William Flannigan, azcentral
There’s few requirements when it comes to naming a successor. The appointed replacement must also be a Republican and would serve at least until the 2020 general election.
Other than that, Ducey would have broad discretion.
It was not clear whether Friday’s announcement put additional pressure on the governor to identify a successor publicly or privately.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel beat title rival Lewis Hamilton in the Belgian Grand Prix to cut his lead to 17 points.
Vettel passed Hamilton on the first lap just in time before a safety car was deployed following a multi-car crash at the first corner, and dominated thereafter.
Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Charles Leclerc were uninjured after the German rammed Alonso’s McLaren and launched it over Leclerc’s Sauber.
Alonso appeared to say he felt Hulkenberg should receive a penalty for the incident.
He related it to the first-lap crash at this race in 2012, in which Lotus driver Romain Grosjean was given a race ban for causing a similar incident, which also took out the Spaniard.
Alonso was catapulted over Sauber’s Charles Leclerc, just missing the Frenchman’s head
“Again a very big-time missing braking point,” Alonso said. “That time Romain had a race ban. This time, we’ll see.
“It is tough to understand how you can miss (the braking) so much. It is not a couple of metres. You arrive at a speed that it is impossible to negotiate the corner. So, sad for that but happy that we are all fine.”
The big difference between the 2012 and 2018 crashes was that Grosjean was a repeat offender in terms of first-lap crashes that year, while Hulkenberg is one of the sport’s most consistent performers. The stewards are to investigate the incident after the race.
‘Don’t mind me’: Alonso flies through the air. He was involved in a similarly dramatic crash at the same corner in 2012
The crash also may have been the first time a grand prix driver was saved from injury by the new halo head-protection device, introduced this year. Television replays showed Alonso’s car bounced off the halo on Leclerc’s car and Alonso said: “I flew over his car and the halo was a good thing to have today. I think for him it helped, looking at the replay. We don’t need to prove it is a good thing to have.”
That was not the only incident at the first corner. Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull hit Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari, forcing both into eventual retirement despite initially rejoining.
And Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas, starting from the back because of engine penalties, damaged his front wing and needed to pit for a new one.
Hulkenberg said: “I misjudged my braking point a little bit and there was no real time to recover it.
“We are due to see the stewards at 17:30 (CET). Of course I can understand that he is upset and frustrated. So am I, and he has every right to be, but it is racing and these things unfortunately do happen.”
No wonder he is retiring: Water sprays from the car as the Spaniard lands back on the ground
The battle at the front
It seemed inevitable that a safety car would be deployed with so many damaged cars and debris on the track but race director Charlie Whiting delayed his call to deploy it for a crucial amount of time.
Hamilton and Vettel were well clear of the chaos behind and the German tracked the Mercedes off the start, settled into its slipstream up the long Kemmel straight and swapped into the lead.
Vettel briefly had to fight off an attack from Force India’s Esteban Ocon, who started third and tried a look down the inside into the Les Combes chicane.
Vettel, Hamilton, Ocon and the second Force India of Sergio Perez were briefly all side by side down the back straight but the Frenchman had to back out of his attempt and that allowed Perez to slip ahead of him into third.
Four cars going into the same corner battling for the lead: who says F1’s boring?
Vettel’s controlled response
Once into the lead, it was clear Vettel had a small but decisive pace advantage over Hamilton and he edged clear, building a 3.9-second lead by lap 14, before the Mercedes began to close in slightly as the pit stops approached.
Hamilton got his deficit down to 3.2secs on lap 20 and pitted on the next lap, but Vettel followed him in the next time around and was able to rejoin in front.
Hamilton was not far behind but not close enough and his hopes were also marginally affected by catching Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, which was running second, just as he wanted to be attacking Vettel.
Hamilton passed Verstappen with ease up the Kemmel straight and was in any case too far back to have made an attempt on Vettel’s lead.
He ended the critical lap 1.5secs behind, after which the race settled into a familiar pattern, with Vettel building a comfortable lead of about five seconds or so and holding it there, and Verstappen equally safe in third nearly 30 seconds behind.
Mick Schumacher – My dad is my idol
Bottas battles through field
After the initial drama at the start, the race was unexciting, the only significant action provided by Bottas’ fight back through the field.
The Finn got up to fourth before his stop on lap 32, which dropped him to sixth.
He soon passed Ocon, and then Perez on lap 40 to take fourth.
Fifth and sixth was a dream start for the sort-of new Force India team, which was reduced from administration over the summer break and is now owned by a consortium of businessmen led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, father of Williams driver Lance.
Classified as a new team, with the old Force India disqualified from the championship, they started with no points but have already leapt ahead of Williams into ninth, just a point behind Sauber.
There was huge support for Dutch driver Verstappen all around Spa
Driver of the day
Sergio Perez gets it for a super drive in the Force India, opportunistically passing team-mate Esteban Ocon on the first lap and out-pacing him throughout, as well as doing a good job to hold off Bottas for as long as he did.
What’s next?
The Italian Grand Prix at high-speed Monza next weekend, where judging from Hamilton’s downbeat demeanour after the race on Sunday he believes Ferrari’s straight-line speed will make them very difficult to beat again.
Sebastian Vettel has now won three times at Spa, equal with Damon Hill (winning here 20 years ago), Lewis Hamilton and the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. Source: Forix
What they said
Sebastian Vettel: “I had a great start. I’m not sure Lewis saw me as he pushed me to the left in the first lap, but after last year I ended up short, and this year it was the other way around. This year was better.
“As soon as I was ahead I relaxed. I had a good restart after the safety car, and after that it was a very smooth race. We turned everything around and then controlled the race.”
Lewis Hamilton: “Congrats to Seb. I did everything I could and we ultimately did well, but he drove past me like I was not there. We have to keep pushing to see what we can do.
“They have got a few trick things going on in the car. I did what I could – we did what we could – so we have to keep working.”
Max Verstappen: “It was good. After Turn One I just had to be focused on how to get past those guys.
“Compared to a Force India, how difficult it is to get past those guys on the straight is disappointing and we tried to make the best of it.
“It’s great to see how many people come to the grand prix. It gave me goosebumps.”
On team-mate Daniel Ricciardo leaving: “We always had equal material and still have, and we try to have the best result as a team. Everyone knows Daniel is leaving but we want two cars in the points.”
Colombians are heading to the polls to vote in a landmark referendum on tougher anti-corruption laws, two months after choosing Ivan Duque as their new president.
Polls opened across the country on Sunday for voters to respond with a Yes or No to seven proposals that seek to punish public and private corruption and guarantee accountability.
If passed, the changes could see Congress members’ salaries lowered by 40 percent, force politicians to declare their income, affect term limits, enforce mandatory jail sentences for corruption and change the way public contracts are awarded in the country.
Voters can return an answer of yes or no on each separate measure. Each question requires a Yes vote from at least 50 percent plus one of valid ballots to pass, and no less than a third of the 36 million registered voters must have voted.
Results are expected to be announced at 23:00 GMT.
Most parties in Congress voted in favour of holding the referendum before the presidential elections in June, but have since avoided any promotion of the initiative.
“We’ve been waiting 25 years for Congress to act on these measures,” said Claudia Lopez, a former senator and a leading advocate of the initiative.
“Instead they voted them down every single time.”
Activists collected four million signatures to get officials to fund Sunday’s referendum.
‘Symbolic effect’
Corruption costs the country $17 billion a year, equivalent to 5.3 percent of GDP, the country’s comptroller has said. Colombia ranks 96 out of 180 countries, according to Transparency International’s corruption index.
Colombian law currently sets senators’ salaries at about $124,000 per year, more than what parliamentarians make in countries like Holland, Sweden and France.
Many members of Congress have been accused of diverting public funds to local governments, led by mayors from their own political camps.
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“Congress is widely considered the most corrupt institution in the country and it is despised by many Colombians,” said Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti, reporting from the capital, Bogota.
“Supporters of this initiative are trying to bring the issue of corruption at the forefront in Colombian politics and to achieve some real change,” he added.
Duque announced he will vote, but many in his party said they would not.
“Laws don’t solve corruption,” said Samuel Hoyos, a member of the Democratic Center party.
“Colombia is full of codes, prohibitions and regulations, but nothing changes.
“We need to change the culture in the country and we need citizens to keep a close eye on politicians,” Hoyos added. “Otherwise, we are just throwing away public money in initiatives that will have little effect.”
Thirty-six million people are registered to vote in Sunday’s referendum [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]
Meanwhile, Andres Hernandez, senior programme coordinator at Transparency International, believes the vote could have a major impact.
“If millions of citizens vote in favour of it, it will have a strong symbolic effect on the political class,” he told Al Jazeera.
“It will say this is not an issue that will fade into the background, that Colombians are expecting results and concrete measures.”
If the proposed measures are voted in, the Congress will be obligated to introduce the changes within a year.
John McCain died on Saturday after a year-long struggle with brain cancer.
He was an undisputed war hero and a Republican Senator with a complicated history as a legislator. McCain stood for a more principled brand of conservatism than many of his modern G.O.P. peers, and often expressed his distaste for the street-fighting and mud-slinging that defines Trumpism.
Over the years, McCain earned a reputation for breaking ranks from his fellow Republicans. He didn’t always cast his votes in ways that more left-leaning thinkers would have preferred, but in his words at least he took care to show respect and consideration for the views of his colleagues across the aisle.
Those qualities in particular became an increasingly refreshing presence in a post-2016 political atmosphere that’s largely been defined by partisan bickering and below-the-belt scheming. McCain served with honor, even at a time when fewer and fewer of his colleagues can say the same.
Prior to entering politics — a career that included more than 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, as well as a competitive presidential campaign in 2008 against Barack Obama — McCain was a military man. He joined the U.S. Navy in the late ’50s and became a pilot.
Over the years, McCain earned a reputation for breaking ranks from fellow Republicans.
McCain didn’t see his first combat assignment until 1967, when the Vietnam War was in full swing. Less than a year into his service — during his 23rd bombing run — McCain’s plane was shot down and he was captured by North Vietnamese forces. He then spent the next five and a half years as a prisoner of war, until his release in 1973.
He continued to serve in the years after his release, eventually taking on the role of the U.S. Navy’s liaison to the Senate. McCain retired in 1981 as a highly decorated captain. During his time in the Navy, he earned two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Star Medals, two Purple Hearts, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and a Prisoner of War Medal.
This handful of paragraphs doesn’t fully capture McCain’s long and illustrious career. It should, however, give you the sense of a man who devoted his life to serving his country — which McCain certainly did.
He’s better remembered by the words of those who knew him. There are plenty of those to go around today as the McCain’s family, friends, colleagues, and even political rivals have taken to social media to share their touching remembrances of the departed Senator.
My heart is broken. I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years. He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the the place he loved best.
George H. W. Bush: “John McCain was a patriot of the highest order, a public servant of rarest courage. Few sacrificed more for, or contributed more to, the welfare of his fellow citizens” pic.twitter.com/unGdPH0eyT
.@SenJohnMcCain lived a life of service to his country, from his heroism in the Navy to 35 years in Congress. He was a tough politician, a trusted colleague, and there will simply never be another like him. My thoughts and prayers are with Cindy and his entire family.
It’s also worth reading this thoughtful remembrance of McCain penned by his fellow Arizona Senator, Jeff Flake. Here’s an excerpt:
Life’s last mile took John to his beloved ranch in northern Arizona. It was there a few months ago where we sat for an hour or so, just the two of us, watching Oak Creek gently ripple under the shade of giant cottonwood trees. He named the birds singing above us in the branches. He quoted lines from the novels he loved. We reminisced about the past, of personalities come and gone. He spoke wistfully of those he admired and expressed optimism that such leaders would rise up in the future.
And now, in a way that would probably have him making wisecracks, we are wistful for John McCain. We may never see his like again, but it is his reflection of America that we need now more than ever. He was far too self-deprecating to ever have thought of himself as just such a towering figure, so I will go ahead and say it. He showed us who we are and who we can be when we are at our best. And he devoted his life to service and to the exalted idea of America that was bigger and better than him. Bigger than us all. His fidelity to that idea, and his idealism in balancing fierce political battles with a determination to always see the good and find the humanity in his opponents is an example that transcended politics and made him the man that he was.
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