Morocco Sets Roadmap for Media during Coronavirus Crisishttps://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2229851/morocco-sets-roadmap-media-during-coronavirus-crisis
Morocco Sets Roadmap for Media during Coronavirus Crisis
Morocco Sets Roadmap for Media during Coronavirus Crisis
A general view of Cadablanca, Morocco. (AFP)
Morocco’s High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) has urged audio-visual operators to avoid naming people who have been infected with coronavirus. It said disrespecting their personal space and information and degrading them shall be avoided.
It also recommended that radio and television be keen to continue hosting cultural and entertainment programs, in addition to the exceptional programs assigned for the coronavirus crisis.
The HACA issued a statement indicating that it approved on Friday a report on the aspects and characteristics of the media efforts in line with the national mobilization to face the coronavirus pandemic.
It said Moroccan TV and radio services have changed their programs' schedule and altered their shows’ content to accommodate the requirements of the health emergency.
The report, which was circulated at all audio-visual operators in the country, provided also a number of proposals, aimed at enhancing vigilance efforts at the level of media support for various aspects and repercussions of this crisis.
Among the major proposals presented by the HACA are “to avoid disclosing the identity of persons suspected of being infected with the new COVID-19 and ensure that their dignity is preserved and their private life is protected.”
It also urged audio-visual operators to “avoid linking specific cities and neighborhoods to the increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus.”
‘Unlike Anything We Have Studied’: Gaza’s Destruction in Numbershttps://english.aawsat.com/features/5005351-%E2%80%98unlike-anything-we-have-studied%E2%80%99-gaza%E2%80%99s-destruction-numbers
Internally displaced Palestinians, carrying their belongings, set up tents on the ruins of their homes after the Israeli army asked them to evacuate from the city of Rafah, in Khan Younis camp, southern Gaza Strip, 07 May 2024. (EPA)
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‘Unlike Anything We Have Studied’: Gaza’s Destruction in Numbers
Internally displaced Palestinians, carrying their belongings, set up tents on the ruins of their homes after the Israeli army asked them to evacuate from the city of Rafah, in Khan Younis camp, southern Gaza Strip, 07 May 2024. (EPA)
As well as killing more than 34,000 people and causing catastrophic levels of hunger and injury, the seven-month war between Israel and Hamas has also caused massive material destruction in Gaza.
"The rate of damage being registered is unlike anything we have studied before. It is much faster and more extensive than anything we have mapped," said Corey Scher, a PhD candidate at the City University of New York, who has been researching satellite imagery of Gaza.
As Israel launches an offensive on Rafah, the last population center in Gaza yet to be entered by its ground troops, AFP looks at the territory's shattered landscape seven months into the war sparked by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack.
Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 07 May 2024. (EPA)
- Three-quarters of Gaza City destroyed -
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on the planet, where before the war 2.3 million people had been living on a 365-square-kilometer (140-square-mile) strip of land.
According to satellite analyses by Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek, an associate professor of geography at Oregon State University, 56.9 percent of Gaza buildings were damaged or destroyed as of April 21, making a total of 160,000.
"The fastest rates of destruction were in the first two to three months of the bombardment", Scher told AFP.
In Gaza City, home to some 600,000 people before the war, the situation is dire: almost three-quarters (74.3 percent) of its buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
- Five hospitals now rubble -
During the war, Gaza's hospitals have been repeatedly attacked by Israel, which accuses Hamas of using them for military purposes, a charge the group denies.
In the first six weeks of the war sparked by the Hamas attack, which killed more than 1,170 people according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures, "60 percent of healthcare facilities... were indicated as damaged or destroyed", Scher said.
The territory's largest hospital, Al-Shifa in Gaza City, was targeted in two offensives by the Israeli army, the first in November, the second in March.
The World Health Organization said the second operation reduced the hospital to an "empty shell" strewn with human remains.
Five hospitals have been completely destroyed, according to figures compiled by AFP from the OpenStreetMap project, the Hamas health ministry and the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT). Fewer than one in three hospitals -- 28 percent -- are partially functioning, according to the UN.
- Over 70% of schools damaged -
The territory's largely UN-run schools, where many civilians have sought refuge from the fighting, have also paid a heavy price.
As of April 25, UNICEF counted 408 schools damaged, representing at least 72.5 percent of its count of 563 facilities.
Of those, 53 school buildings have been completely destroyed and 274 others have been damaged by direct fire.
The UN estimates that two-thirds of the schools will need total or major reconstruction to be functional again.
Regarding places of worship, combined data from UNOSAT and OpenStreetMap show 61.5 percent of mosques have been damaged or destroyed.
Israeli artillery fire at an undisclosed location near the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, 07 May 2024. (EPA)
- More bombed-out than Dresden -
The level of destruction in northern Gaza has surpassed that of the German city of Dresden, which was firebombed by Allied forces in 1945 in one of the most controversial Allied acts of World War II.
According to a US military study from 1954, quoted by the Financial Times, the bombing campaign at the end of World War II damaged 59 percent of Dresden's buildings.
In late April, the head of the UN mine clearance program in the Palestinian territories, Mungo Birch, said there was more rubble to clear in Gaza than in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia more than two years ago.
The UN estimated that as of the start of May, the post-war reconstruction of Gaza would cost between 30 billion and 40 billion dollars.
Macklemore Supports Palestinians, Campus Protests with New Trackhttps://english.aawsat.com/entertainment/5005316-macklemore-supports-palestinians-campus-protests-new-track
US rapper Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, aka Macklemore, performs during the Colors of Ostrava music festival in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on July 20, 2023. (AFP)
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Macklemore Supports Palestinians, Campus Protests with New Track
US rapper Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, aka Macklemore, performs during the Colors of Ostrava music festival in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on July 20, 2023. (AFP)
Macklemore has released a new song in support of Palestinians that also praises students across the United States protesting against Israel's war in Gaza.
University students have been mobilizing for weeks on campuses over Israel's deadly offensive and its US backing, with police forcibly clearing protest camps -- sometimes violently -- and arresting more than 2,000 people nationwide.
"If students in tents posted on the lawn / Occupying the quad is really against the law / And a reason to call in the police and their squad / Where does genocide land in your definition, huh?" Macklemore raps in "Hind's Hall."
The song is named after the building at Columbia University that students recently occupied and renamed after Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza.
Macklemore admonishes the US government, telling President Joe Biden "blood is on your hands" and that he won't vote for him in the November election.
Israel is "a state that's gotta rely on an apartheid system to uphold an occupying violent history, been repeating for the last 75" years, Macklemore says in the song.
"We see the lies in them, claiming it's anti-Semitic to be anti-Zionist / I've seen Jewish brothers and sisters out there and riding in solidarity and screaming 'Free Palestine' with them."
The rapper best known for cult hits like 2012's "Thrift Shop" has released socially aware music in the past, criticizing ills including poverty and consumerism.
In his latest track -- which is currently only out on social media -- Macklemore also criticizes the music industry for being "complicit in their platform of silence" while casting Drake and Kendrick Lamar's ongoing rap beef as trivial in light of actual war.
"I want a ceasefire, f*** a response from Drake" he raps.
The song samples "Ana La Habibi" from Lebanese icon Fairuz.
Macklemore said that once it's available to stream, all proceeds will go to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Eurovision Song Contest Is Kicking Off with Pop and Protests as War in Gaza Casts Shadowhttps://english.aawsat.com/entertainment/5005281-eurovision-song-contest-kicking-pop-and-protests-war-gaza-casts-shadow
Fans queue for a dress rehearsal for the Eurovision Song Contest outside the Malmo Arena, the venue for the contest, in Malmo, Sweden, May 7, 2024. (Reuters)
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Eurovision Song Contest Is Kicking Off with Pop and Protests as War in Gaza Casts Shadow
Fans queue for a dress rehearsal for the Eurovision Song Contest outside the Malmo Arena, the venue for the contest, in Malmo, Sweden, May 7, 2024. (Reuters)
Competition in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicks off Tuesday in Sweden, with the war in Gaza casting a shadow over the sequin-spangled pop extravaganza.
Performers representing countries across Europe and beyond will take the stage in the first of two semifinals in the Swedish city of Malmo. It and a second semifinal on Thursday will winnow a field of 37 nations to 26 who will compete in Saturday’s final against a backdrop of both parties and protests.
Among the 15 acts performing Tuesday are Croatian singer-songwriter Baby Lasagna, whose infectious electro number “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is the current favorite to win, and Ukrainian duo alyona alyona and Jerry Heil, flying the flag for their war-battered nation with the anthemic “Teresa & Maria.”
Other bookmakers’ favorites include Swiss singer Nemo, goth-style Irish singer Bambi Thug, Italian TikTok star Angelina Mango and the Netherlands’ Joost Klein with the playful pop-rap song “Europapa.”
Security is tight in the Swedish city, which expects an influx of some 100,000 Eurovision fans, along with tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters. Israel is a Eurovision participant, and demonstrations are planned on Thursday and Saturday against the Israel-Hamas war, which has left almost 35,000 Palestinians dead.
Israel’s government warned its citizens of a “tangible concern” Israelis could be targeted for attack in Malmo during the contest.
Organizers told Israel to change the lyrics of its entry, originally titled “October Rain” in apparent reference to Hamas’ cross-border Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis and triggered the war. The song was renamed “Hurricane” and Israeli singer Eden Golan was allowed to remain in the contest.
Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director-general of Eurovision organizer the European Broadcasting Union, told Sky News that banning Israel “would have been a political decision, and as such (one) which we cannot take.”
Police from across Sweden have been drafted in for Eurovision week, along with reinforcements from neighboring Denmark and Norway.
Sweden’s official terrorism threat level remains “high,” the second-highest rung on a five-point scale.
Eurovision’s motto is “United by Music,” but national rifts and political divisions often cloud the contest despite organizers’ efforts to keep politics out.
Flags and signs are banned, apart from participants’ national flags. That means Palestinian flags will be barred inside the Malmo Arena contest venue.
Performers are feeling political pressure, with some saying they have been inundated with messages on social media urging them to boycott the event.
“I am being accused, if I don’t boycott Eurovision, of being an accomplice to genocide in Gaza,” Germany’s contestant, Isaak, said in an interview published by broadcaster ZDF. He said he did not agree.
“We are meeting up to make music, and when we start shutting people out categorically, there will be fewer and fewer of us,” he said. “At some point there won’t be an event anymore.”
One person who knows how Eurovision unity can collide with bitter reality is singer Manizha Sangin, who represented Russia at the contest in 2021. The country was expelled the following year over its invasion of Ukraine.
Manizha, who performs under her first name, spoke out against the war. As a result, her performances were canceled in Russia and her music banned from public spaces. The singer remains in Russia but has found it all but impossible to work.
“People are afraid to work with me here because they’re afraid to have consequences after, problems after that,” she said.
Despite the difficulties, Manizha has recorded a single, “Candlelight,” which she is releasing on Wednesday as “a message of hope.”
“Music cannot stop war,” she said. But “what music can do is inspire people.”
Manizha thinks Russia will one day return to the Eurovision fold – but not soon.
“Maybe next generation,” she said. “But for now, relationships are too complicated. And then that makes me sad, you know, because that’s why people are not hearing each other. Because we are separated from each other. And the thing, is music should unite.”
Thiago Silva to Return to Brazilian Club Fluminense after Leaving Chelsea at End of the Seasonhttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5005261-thiago-silva-return-brazilian-club-fluminense-after-leaving-chelsea-end-season
Football - Premier League - Chelsea v West Ham United - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - May 5, 2024 Chelsea's Thiago Silva after the match. (Reuters)
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Thiago Silva to Return to Brazilian Club Fluminense after Leaving Chelsea at End of the Season
Football - Premier League - Chelsea v West Ham United - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - May 5, 2024 Chelsea's Thiago Silva after the match. (Reuters)
Veteran defender Thiago Silva will return to Brazilian club Fluminense after leaving Chelsea at the end of the season.
The 39-year-old Silva said last week he was not extending his contract with Chelsea and Fluminense announced Tuesday that the center back is joining on a free transfer.
The defending Copa Libertadores champion posted a picture of Silva wearing a Fluminense shirt on social media with the text: “The monster is back.”
Silva played for Fluminense between 2006 and 2008. He left for AC Milan in 2009, and three years later joined Paris Saint-German. The Brazilian joined Chelsea in 2020 and won the Champions League the following year.
The defender was in Brazil’s squad for the last four World Cups. He also won the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2019 Copa América with the national team.
Silva is expected to join Fluminense once Brazil’s transfer window reopens in July.
With Lamb and Cheese, Macron Tries to Charm China’s Xi in the Pyreneeshttps://english.aawsat.com/world/5005221-lamb-and-cheese-macron-tries-charm-china%E2%80%99s-xi-pyrenees
French President Emmanuel Macron (C-R) and his wife Brigitte Macron (4thR), Chinese President Xi Jinping (C-L) and his wife Peng Liyuan (4thL) pose with folklore dancers at the Tourmalet pass, in the Pyrenees mountains, as part of his two-day state visit to France, on May 7, 2024. (AFP)
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With Lamb and Cheese, Macron Tries to Charm China’s Xi in the Pyrenees
French President Emmanuel Macron (C-R) and his wife Brigitte Macron (4thR), Chinese President Xi Jinping (C-L) and his wife Peng Liyuan (4thL) pose with folklore dancers at the Tourmalet pass, in the Pyrenees mountains, as part of his two-day state visit to France, on May 7, 2024. (AFP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping showed little sign of being ready to offer big concessions on trade or foreign policy as he wrapped up a two-day visit to France, during which President Emmanuel Macron pressed him on market access and Ukraine.
Macron and his wife Brigitte greeted Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at the airport in France's southwestern Pyrenees region on Tuesday, and took them to lunch in the mountains after a day of talks and state pomp in Paris on Monday.
Advisers to the French president described the Pyrenees trip as breaking with protocol to provide a chance for one-on-one chats with Xi in mountains dear to Macron as the birthplace of his maternal grandmother.
Macron hoped to convince Xi to reduce the trade imbalance between Europe and China, with better access for European firms in China and fewer subsidies for Chinese exporters.
The two couples travelled on separate flights from Paris and took separate cars to the mountains, where thick fog meant they missed out on the view.
After watching traditional dancers perform under the snowy peaks, they ate locally grown ham, lamb, cheese and blueberry pie.
Macron gave Xi a woolen blanket made in the Pyrenees, a Tour de France cycling jersey.
Macron has a history of trying to establish personal relationships outside of protocol in not always successful attempts to obtain more from other leaders.
Xi has said he would welcome more high-level talks on trade frictions but denied there was a Chinese "overcapacity problem", casting doubts on what progress can be achieved.
French and Chinese companies concluded some agreements on Monday ranging from energy, finance and transport, but most were agreements to cooperate or renewed commitments to work together.
"Xi was consistent in signaling goodwill to (his) French interlocutors but did not come with tangible concessions on the issues that matter the most," said Mathieu Duchatel of the Institut Montaigne think-tank.
In a sign of some progress on agriculture, China will allow imports of pig origin protein feed as well as pork offal from France with immediate effect. French pork producers said the offal deal should boost pork exports by 10%.
European hopes of an Airbus plane order to coincide with Xi's visit appear to have been dashed, with the two sides agreeing only to expand cooperation.
A European diplomat said Xi was the "winner" of the visit, having "cemented his image as the 'ruler of the world' where Westerners are begging him to solve European problems in Ukraine".
Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the Brussels-based ECIPE think tank, said the visit was possibly less about making concrete progress on trade than creating some policy space they might need if Donald Trump returns to the White House after November's US election.
MACRON STYLE
Macron has embraced, hugged, winked at or slapped counterparts on the back. He did not chance this with Xi.
Xi's Pyrenees invite has echoes of Trump joining Macron in 2017 to watch the Bastille Day parade, and Russian President Vladimir Putin's 2019 trip to the French president's Bregancon fortress summer retreat in southeast France.
"Emmanuel Macron attempted this narcissistic diplomacy of 'I flatter the tyrant' with Vladimir Putin for five years, with the Bregancon fort ... the camaraderie," Raphael Glucksmann, who leads the French Socialists' European Parliament ticket, told RTL radio.
"And all that ended with what, the invasion of Ukraine and the threats to our democracies."
The EU's 27 members ran a goods trade deficit of 292 billion euros ($314.72 billion) with China in 2023, according to Eurostat data, down from a 397 billion euro deficit a year earlier but still the second highest ever level.
French cognac makers rallied on Tuesday as Xi presented what Macron described as an "open attitude" towards a trade dispute between the two countries.
Xi travels later on Tuesday to Serbia.
German Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Camp at Berlin Universityhttps://english.aawsat.com/world/5005191-german-police-clear-pro-palestinian-camp-berlin-university
Pro-Palestinian activists demonstrate against Israel's conflict in the Gaza Strip at the university campus of the Free University of Berlin, Germany, 07 May 2024. (EPA)
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German Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Camp at Berlin University
Pro-Palestinian activists demonstrate against Israel's conflict in the Gaza Strip at the university campus of the Free University of Berlin, Germany, 07 May 2024. (EPA)
German police cleared a pro-Palestinian protest camp on Tuesday at a courtyard of the Freie Universitaet Berlin, which had called for a stop to Israel's military operation in Gaza.
Some 100 people set up two dozen tents on the campus on Tuesday, joining a call by the so-called "Student Coalition Berlin" to occupy German universities.
Students from various Berlin universities joined the protest, carrying Palestinian flags and shouting slogans supporting Palestinians and denouncing Israel and Germany.
The student group demanded that criminal charges be dropped against students and others who had shown solidarity with Palestinians on campuses, and for the universities to publicly oppose planned reforms to Berlin's senate that would enable the expulsion of students on political grounds.
They also urged banning police from the campus and reinstating academics and staff members of German universities and research institutes, who were expelled or defunded because of their political stance.
Freie Universität Berlin said the protesters tried to enter university rooms and lecture halls aiming to occupy them, and that the university filed criminal complaints and suspended lectures in several buildings.
"This kind of protest is not dialogue oriented. An occupation of university property is not acceptable. We welcome academic debate and dialogue – but not in this form," said Guenter Ziegler, president of Freie Universität Berlin.
Student protests over the war and academic ties with Israel have begun to spread across Europe but have remained much smaller in scale than those seen in the United States.
The students are protesting Israel's offensive in Gaza, launched after a Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people. Israel's reprisals have killed over 34,000 in the enclave, according to Gaza health authorities.
More than 25 police vehicles surrounded the camp at Freie Universitaet Berlin and police said they cleared the area due to a university management request as the protest was not registered.
"There were isolated cases of deprivation of liberty for incitement to hatred and trespassing Freie Universitaet Berlin," Berlin police wrote in a post on social media platform X, adding that those who would not comply with the orders would be taken by police and later reported.
Police Clear Protest from Swiss University as Gaza Demonstrations Spreadhttps://english.aawsat.com/world/5005166-police-clear-protest-swiss-university-gaza-demonstrations-spread
Pro-Palestinian students occupy part of the SG building of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, 07 May 2024. (EPA)
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Police Clear Protest from Swiss University as Gaza Demonstrations Spread
Pro-Palestinian students occupy part of the SG building of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, 07 May 2024. (EPA)
Police began dispersing pro-Palestinian protesters at the Swiss university of ETH Zurich on Tuesday, management said, after student demonstrations spread to campuses in several cities.
Students set up camp at Lausanne University (UNIL) last week and protests have since spread to at least three more sites in Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne.
"ETH Zurich sees itself as a place where different opinions and perspectives can and should be expressed openly. However, unauthorized actions are not accepted at ETH Zurich," ETH university said, adding that protesters had been repeatedly asked to leave the building before police arrived.
Video footage of the protest on social media earlier showed seated protesters with keffiyehs and Palestinian flags chanting "free, free Palestine" and "viva, viva Palestina".
Protests also began in University of Geneva and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne on Tuesday, according to students' social media posts.
At UNIL, hundreds of students chanted "we are all the children of Gaza" on Monday as a single security agent looked on. Management asked them to move, a UNIL statement showed, but they remained in the building on Tuesday.
Some academics have sided with students.
"We consider the steps they've taken to be peaceful and good natured aimed at bringing to the public's attention a dramatic situation," UNIL political science professor Bernard Voutat said on Monday. "We teachers cannot remain silent."
Police have dispersed protesters at other universities across the world including Columbia University in New York, and the Sorbonne in Paris.
Saudi FM Receives Telephone Call from Russian Counterparthttps://english.aawsat.com/gulf/5004706-saudi-fm-receives-telephone-call-russian-counterpart
(FILES) This photo taken on October 30, 2023 shows people visiting an Apple store in Shenyang, in China's northeastern Liaoning province. (Photo by AFP) / China OUT
(FILES) This photo taken on October 30, 2023 shows people visiting an Apple store in Shenyang, in China's northeastern Liaoning province. (Photo by AFP) / China OUT
Apple is developing its own chip to run artificial intelligence software in data centers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The project, internally codenamed as Project ACDC (Apple Chips in Data Center), aims to leverage Apple's chip design expertise for its server infrastructure, the report said.
Apple, whose shares were 1% higher before the bell on Tuesday, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The company has emerged as a major chip designer in recent years, thanks to the success of its semiconductors that are used in the iPhone, iPads and Mac laptops.
Apple's server chip will likely be focused on running AI models, also known as inference, rather than in training AI models, where Nvidia is dominant, the WSJ report said.
Amid growing pressure due to a slow roll out of AI services, CEO Tim Cook had last week signaled that Apple plans to unveil a raft of features powered by the technology in the coming months.
"We continue to feel very bullish about our opportunity in generative AI and we're making significant investments," Cook told Reuters last week.
The company plans to hold a virtual event on Tuesday where it is expected to showcase new iPad models, some of which could come with a new chip aimed at speeding up AI tasks carried out on the devices.
Project ACDC has been in the works for several years and it is uncertain when the new chip will be unveiled, if ever, the WSJ report said.
Apple has been closely working with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to design and initiate production of such chips and that it remains uncertain whether both companies have yielded a definitive result, the report said.
Lando Norris Win Shows McLaren Is Ready to Return to Global Motorsports Prominence https://english.aawsat.com/sports/5004661-lando-norris-win-shows-mclaren-ready-return-global-motorsports-prominence%C2%A0
McLaren's British driver Lando Norris celebrates with his trophy on the podium after winning the 2024 Miami Formula One Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, on May 5, 2024. (AFP)
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Lando Norris Win Shows McLaren Is Ready to Return to Global Motorsports Prominence
McLaren's British driver Lando Norris celebrates with his trophy on the podium after winning the 2024 Miami Formula One Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, on May 5, 2024. (AFP)
Lando Norris says the online trolling never really bothered him as he went winless through his first five Formula 1 seasons, even when it got worse as one of the breakout stars for fans introduced to the sport through Netflix.
It was a long wait as Team McLaren got its program together and prepared cars capable of competing with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. Norris passed the time doom scrolling social media, searching for motivation from his haters.
His moment came Sunday in his 110th career start when he earned his first victory by beating three-time reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen at the Miami Grand Prix. Verstappen had won the first two races at Miami and Saturday's sprint race before he hit a cone early Sunday to give Norris his opportunity.
"I never didn't believe in what I could go out and do, so I am happy to put that to bed and prove a lot of these people wrong," Norris said. "I go on Instagram and I like all the comments of people abusing me. I freaking love it. It makes me smile more than anything, especially 'Lando No-Wins'." That's become the thing.
"For me to finally prove those people wrong and prove to people that didn't think I could go out and do it, it's put an even bigger smile on my face. So I thank all of them."
He turned up at the post-race news conference in a champagne-drenched firesuit. Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton led the congratulatory hugs for Norris, and Verstappen and along with third-place finisher Charles Leclerc.
He had closed his eyes and turned his smiling face to the sky as "God Save the King" was played, and he cradled the winning trophy as if it was an infant. He crowd-surfed with his McLaren crew and when he saw boss Zak Brown headed his way, warned "Don't break my ribs," in anticipation of the bearhug.
McLaren needed this win, its first since 2022 (Daniel Ricciardo, and it came on a weekend in which the team introduced massive upgrades it was certain would make its cars more competitive. The 24-year-old Norris said he arrived Sunday believing he'd win.
Norris had promised his ailing grandmother last week that a victory was on the horizon but allowed "I didn't think it would be coming this soon."
McLaren this year now has scored wins in F1, Formula E and IndyCar, where Pato O'Ward last week was declared the winner of the season-opening race because Josef Newgarden was disqualified.
The next three IndyCar weekends are spent at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the buildup to the May 26 Indianapolis 500. McLaren has to be feeling some pressure after a winless 2023 season and somewhat disastrous Indy 500.
The McLaren organization is intertwined — the IndyCar drivers were on social media celebrating Norris as soon as he crossed the finish line — and the F1 victory is a boost at the perfect time of the season. McLaren is also going to Indy with NASCAR superstar Kyle Larson, who will become the fifth driver in history to attempt to complete 1,100 miles of racing in one day in the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600.
The hype surrounding Larson's attempt at "The Double" has helped McLaren return to its status as one of the most recognizable brands in motorsports.
It is all vindication for Brown, an American who started his motorsports career in a marketing role in Indianapolis and now runs one of the largest racing brands on the planet.
Brown likes to stir the pot and ensure drama remains at the front of almost every race weekend, and he was at it again in Miami when he took a shot at Red Bull by implying famed car designer Adrian Newey was leaving the team because of the fallout from an investigation into improper conduct by team principal Christian Horner.
Brown went so far as to say Newey was probably just the first to head for the exit door, an assumption he was making based on "all the resumes" flying around the paddock.
He doesn't let up in IndyCar, either, and rival team owner Chip Ganassi and Brown are not friendly. Brown signed Ganassi driver Alex Palou for 2023 and the two teams used a mediator to battle over the two-time IndyCar champion. It was decided Palou would join McLaren in 2024, but Palou balked last August and is now being sued by McLaren for more than $30 million.
McLaren last week fired David Malukas before he even made an IndyCar start for the team over injuries he suffered in a mountain bike crash ahead of the season, angering Malukas' millennial fanbase. That followed the unpopular team dismissals of James Hinchcliffe and Oliver Askew, both done after McLaren entered the series with controlling interest of an existing team.
Brown unapologetically chases free agents with little regard to how many seats he actually has open. That's partly how this Palou mess began — when Palou looked at the F1 landscape, he realized Norris wasn't going anywhere and McLaren would likely never have a seat for him in the series.
If he was going to stay in IndyCar, then Palou figured he'd stay with the team that helped him to two championships rather than move to winless, revolving-door McLaren. While the decision might ultimately have been the right one for Palou, Brown is digging McLaren out of a decade-long slump and the Norris win has the entire organization feeling unbeatable.
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