AP - Friday, April 3KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Kimi Raikkonen set the scene for a Ferrari comeback by setting the fastest time in practice Friday ahead of Sunday's Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix.
Raikonnen's time of 1 minute, 35.707 seconds in the afternoon session was faster than last year's pole-winning time set by teammate Felipe Massa, who was second quickest Friday, an eighth of a second behind.
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, Williams' Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber of Red Bull followed the Ferrari pair.
Brawn drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, who finished 1-2 in last weekend's season-opening Australian GP, were sixth and seventh on the time sheets, ahead of Williams' Kazuki Nakajima.
Raikkonen's strong showing shook off doubts about the reliability of the Ferrari after a mishap in morning practice, when smoke began billowing into the cockpit and streaming from the rear of the car. Ferrari did not disclose the problem, amid reports of an overheating KERS energy storage device.
Ferrari qualified first and second for the Malaysian GP last year after a pointless season opener in Australia, and Friday's practice raised hopes of a repeat recovery after once again leaving Melbourne empty handed.
Rain threatened the Sepang circuit in the afternoon, but both morning and afternoon sessions were dry, preventing teams trying out their wet weather settings. This heightened the chances that they will go into Sunday's race _ with rain forecast _ without the benefit of acquainting themselves with a wet track.
Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella was the main casualty of the second practice, spearing off the track on the dual right-handers of turns 10 and 11, sideswiping the tire wall. It ended his session, but he walked away unhurt.
Rosberg set the fastest time in the morning practice, making it four straight practice sessions in which the German had topped the time sheets after the three at Melbourne last week.
Rosberg's time of 1 minute, 36.260 seconds was just four hundredths of a second quicker than teammate Nakajima.
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton's horror week _ after being stripped of his third place in Australia for misleading stewards in an inquiry _ continued when the McLaren driver was fined �1,200 ($1,600) for breaching the pit lane speed limit during morning practice.
Showing posts with label Malaysia's news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malaysia's news. Show all posts
Friday, April 3, 2009
Malaysia's Najib sworn in as new prime minister
AFP - Friday, April 3KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - - Najib Razak was sworn in as Malaysia's sixth prime minister Friday, assuming charge of reuniting the fractured ruling party and steering the nation through the global economic downturn.
He took the oath of office in front of the Malaysian king at a ceremony at the palace broadcast live on national television.
The planned transfer of power follows the resignation Thursday of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who analysts say failed to live up to his promises during six unremarkable years in office.
"I, Najib Razak, who has been chosen to hold the post of prime minister, swear that I will carry out the responsibilities which I have been entrusted with to the best of my ability" the 55-year-old said.
"I will be true to Malaysia and will defend and uphold the constitution."
A religious official then read several verses from the Koran to pray for a successful leadership.
Najib's accession to the premiership completes a transition triggered by elections last year when the ruling United Malays National Organisation party (UMNO) slumped to its worst ever performance.
Abdullah, who was widely criticised as weak and ineffective, agreed several months ago to step down amid the fallout from those elections, which reshaped Malaysia's political landscape.
When he first came into office Abdullah pledged sweeping reforms including tackling corruption -- seen as endemic both in the ruling party and society at large.
In the end, he was punished at the ballot box last year for not making good on those promises, when the opposition won an unprecedented one third of seats in parliament and seized control of five states.
Najib, who wsa Abdullah's deputy and finance minister, became president of UMNO last week at its annual assembly, which was dominated by debate on how to overhaul the party and reclaim popular support.
According to Malaysian political tradition, the party leader takes on the country's premiership at the head of the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional coalition.
Najib, the 55-year-old son and nephew of two former prime ministers, has said he will focus on uniting the multi-racial nation after ethnic minorities shifted to the opposition in the 2008 polls.
Malaysia's population is dominated by Muslim Malays, and among the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities there is some sense that their rights are being eroded as the nation becomes increasingly "Islamised."
Najib also faces the challenge of cushioning the country's economy from the impact of the global economic crisis, which has sparked the loss of more than 26,000 jobs here since the beginning of the year.
Last month he unveiled a stimulus package worth 16.2 billion dollars, but has warned that Malaysia's export-driven economy could shrink by 1.0 percent this year despite the massive spending.
However, analysts say that before he can begin to tackle these issues, he must first clear the air over opposition allegations linking him to the murder in 2006 of the mistress of his close aide -- a Mongolian woman whose body was blown up with military-grade explosives.
He has also been forced to reject corruption allegations as well as charges that his administration would adopt hardline tactics, including the detention of its opponents, under tough internal security laws.
He took the oath of office in front of the Malaysian king at a ceremony at the palace broadcast live on national television.
The planned transfer of power follows the resignation Thursday of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who analysts say failed to live up to his promises during six unremarkable years in office.
"I, Najib Razak, who has been chosen to hold the post of prime minister, swear that I will carry out the responsibilities which I have been entrusted with to the best of my ability" the 55-year-old said.
"I will be true to Malaysia and will defend and uphold the constitution."
A religious official then read several verses from the Koran to pray for a successful leadership.
Najib's accession to the premiership completes a transition triggered by elections last year when the ruling United Malays National Organisation party (UMNO) slumped to its worst ever performance.
Abdullah, who was widely criticised as weak and ineffective, agreed several months ago to step down amid the fallout from those elections, which reshaped Malaysia's political landscape.
When he first came into office Abdullah pledged sweeping reforms including tackling corruption -- seen as endemic both in the ruling party and society at large.
In the end, he was punished at the ballot box last year for not making good on those promises, when the opposition won an unprecedented one third of seats in parliament and seized control of five states.
Najib, who wsa Abdullah's deputy and finance minister, became president of UMNO last week at its annual assembly, which was dominated by debate on how to overhaul the party and reclaim popular support.
According to Malaysian political tradition, the party leader takes on the country's premiership at the head of the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional coalition.
Najib, the 55-year-old son and nephew of two former prime ministers, has said he will focus on uniting the multi-racial nation after ethnic minorities shifted to the opposition in the 2008 polls.
Malaysia's population is dominated by Muslim Malays, and among the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities there is some sense that their rights are being eroded as the nation becomes increasingly "Islamised."
Najib also faces the challenge of cushioning the country's economy from the impact of the global economic crisis, which has sparked the loss of more than 26,000 jobs here since the beginning of the year.
Last month he unveiled a stimulus package worth 16.2 billion dollars, but has warned that Malaysia's export-driven economy could shrink by 1.0 percent this year despite the massive spending.
However, analysts say that before he can begin to tackle these issues, he must first clear the air over opposition allegations linking him to the murder in 2006 of the mistress of his close aide -- a Mongolian woman whose body was blown up with military-grade explosives.
He has also been forced to reject corruption allegations as well as charges that his administration would adopt hardline tactics, including the detention of its opponents, under tough internal security laws.
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