Indy 500: Fernando Alonso retires after            brilliant debut race as Takuma Sato wins

Fernando Alonso's bid to win the Indy 500 at his first attempt came to a disappointing end as engine failure robbed him of a strong finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The McLaren F1 driver skipped the Monaco Grand Prix to contest the iconic oval race and led for a total of 27 laps before his Andretti Autosport Honda retired on lap 179 of 200.

Ex-F1 driver Takuma Sato came through to win the 101st staging of the race, edging out three-time victor Helio Castroneves in a breathless conclusion."I felt the noise and the engine friction so I backed off," said Alonso. "It's a shame because I felt we deserved to finish and experience the last lap - who knows where we could have finished."

Sato, who raced in F1 between 2002 and 2008 before switching to the American series, took the lead on lap 195 before successfully fending off the challenge of veteran Brazilian Castroneves.

Fellow former F1 driver Max Chilton of Britain also had a superb race, leading for several laps before coming home in an eventual fourth place. Dubai-born British driver Ed Jones took an impressive third place on his Indy 500 debut.

The race was earlier overshadowed by an incident involving 2008 winner Scott Dixon, who emerged largely unscathed after crashing heavily on lap 53.

Alonso experiences more Honda engine woes

Alonso's Andretti Autosport team-mate Ryan Hunter-Reay was among the favourites for the win and a huge threat to his ambitions, but the American's hopes literally went up in smoke on lap 138 when his Honda engine let go.

That left Alonso in the lead and, given his tribulations in F1 over the last couple of years, the irony of a Honda engine helping him into that position would not have been lost on the Spaniard.

A delayed pit stop for last year's winner Alexander Rossi - another from the Andretti Autosport stable - also played into Alonso's hands as the race entered the closing stages.

But things started to go awry for two-time F1 world champion Alonso when he lost a few places on the restart that followed the Hunter-Reay caution period.

As he tried to battle his way through the pack from ninth place in the closing stages it was his turn to experience the all-too-familiar sensation of a Honda engine failing at his back.

Another caution period followed - after a five-car smash - before the run to the flag finally saw Andretti Autosport driver Sato emerge in front to become the first Japanese winner of the race.

Dixon survives monster smash

The race was littered with caution periods, although the first one took 53 laps to arrive. However, when it came it was a significant one and caused the red flag to come out, stopping the race.

Dixon's Chip Ganassi Racing car was flipped high into the air and came down on its side on the infield wall after colliding with British driver Jay Howard, who was out of control and fighting a damaged car after running wide.

New Zealander Dixon escaped serious injury in the ferocious impact, which saw his Dallara chassis cleaved in two but mercifully remain intact around the driver's survival cell.

The accident capped a tumultuous few days for four-time IndyCar champion Dixon, who secured pole for the race earlier in the week but was robbed at gunpoint at a fast-food restaurant just hours later.

"I am fine - just a little beaten up there. I am just bummed for the team," Dixon said after being released with a clean bill of health from the medical centre, although he was later seen with a protective boot on his left foot.

"It was definitely a wild ride. We owe a big thanks to the safety standards we have now."

Analysis: Will the rookie return to win?

By Andrew Benson, Chief F1 writer:

Fernando Alonso's Indianapolis 500 adventure ended as have so many of his recent Formula 1 outings - with a Honda engine failure. But his trip to America was a resounding triumph for both the Spaniard and his McLaren F1 team.

Alonso was contending for victory throughout the Indy 500, had the highest average lap speed in the race, and had just pulled a beautiful outside pass around Turn One on Brazilian veteran Tony Kanaan to take sixth place as the race entered its closing laps.

He was a 'rookie', as the Americans call it, but he drove like he had been racing on ovals all his life.In one way, it was to be expected - he is, after all, one of the greatest racing drivers in history. But the difficulty of adapting to the unique challenges of oval racing at the daunting 230mph Indianapolis Motor Speedway should not be underestimated.

The regulars were deeply impressed, and Alonso's US foray excited millions of fans around the world and unquestionably enriched his legend.

Indy is a hard race to win, but Alonso proved he was more than capable of doing it.

Now, it's back to the day job in Canada in two weeks' time. He will go there with his reputation enhanced and, one imagines, a deepened determination to return and get the job done another time.

'One of the best experiences of my career'

Fernando Alonso: "The whole thing has been a nice experience. The racing was fun and I am glad to been here with the best racers in the business.

"It's early [to decide if he comes back] but I feel competitive and if I come back I will feel like I know what to expect so will use that next time.

"Thanks to IndyCar because this has been one of the best experiences of my career."

Race winner Takuma Sato: "Unbelievable! It's the best feeling. It's beautiful. I can't thank enough this team. Hopefully the crowd enjoyed it!

"With three laps to go I really didn't know but I just knew I had to go for it!"

BBC NEWS

Kabul bomb: Diplomatic zone attack kills dozens

A powerful vehicle bomb has hit the diplomatic area of the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least 80 people and injuring 350.

It struck near Zanbaq Square in the heavily fortified zone, with civilians said to be the main casualties.

The morning rush-hour blast created a massive crater and blew out windows and doors hundreds of metres away.

The Taliban have denied carrying out the attack. There has been no word so far from so-called Islamic State.

Both groups have been behind recent attacks in the country.

The BBC has said that Mohammed Nazir, a driver for the corporation's Afghan service, died in the explosion.

• In pictures: Kabul explosion

When and where did the attack take place?

The bomb went off at about 08:25 local time (03:55 GMT) during rush hour at the diplomatic quarter.

Makeshift ambulances carried wounded away from the scene, as frantic relatives gathered both at the cordoned-off perimeter of the blast site and later at hospitals to Images showed dozens of blackened and burned out cars. More than 50 vehicles were destroyed.

Basir Mujahid a spokesman for Kabul police, told Reuters news agency the explosion had taken place close to the German embassy but added it was "hard to say what the exact target is".

There are many other key buildings in the area, including the presidential palace and a number of embassies, including the British.

Some reports say the bomb was in a lorry or water tanker. One Western diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse it was packed with more than 1,500kg of explosives

The BBC's Harun Najafizada in Kabul says questions are already being asked about how the vehicle could have penetrated such a heavily fortified area, with its 3m (10ft) high blast walls, to carry out the deadliest attack in the capital in years.

• Afghanistan's new 'Great Game'
• Can the Afghan military turn the tide?

Who were the casualties?

Initial reports suggest civilians bore the brunt of the casualties.

The interior ministry has called on residents to donate blood, saying there was a "dire need".

One local shop owner, Sayed Rahman, told Reuters his store was badly damaged, adding: "I have never seen such a terrible explosion in my life."

Another resident, Abdul Wahid, told the BBC the blast "was like a heavy earthquake".

Several international and local sources have been reporting on casualties:

• Mohammed Nazir, who worked as a driver for BBC Afghan for more than four years, died in the blast, the BBC confirmed, adding that four of his colleagues were injured. Their injuries are not thought to be life threatening
• German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said employees at the German embassy had been injured and one Afghan security guard had died
• French officials said the country's embassy had been damaged but no French casualties reported
• The British embassy said all its staff were accounted for
• Two Japanese embassy staff members were slightly wounded
• Turkey said its embassy was damaged but no-one was hurt
• Afghanistan's Tolo news agency tweeted that one of its staff members, Aziz Navin, had died
• A Tolo journalist also said some of the victims were from the Roshan mobile phone company, but this has not been confirmed

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Analysis: Waheed Massoud, BBC Afghan service

I have taken this route many times. This is one of the most heavily fortified areas of Kabul - the so-called Green Zone. There is a boom gate. Every vehicle is stopped and IDs are checked. But the stricter the security, the more insurgents find loopholes and adapt. It is very difficult to say that such attacks will be prevented. They happen in the most secure places on Earth.

We have been told this was a truck, perhaps a tanker that travels to bring water and empty septic tanks. The attackers may have posed as one of the logistics companies that work in this area.

The Taliban have denied the attack. When civilian casualties are high, no-one claims responsibility but this has the hallmarks of others claimed by Taliban insurgents.

When announcing the start of their major spring offensive last month, the Taliban said their main focus would be foreign forces, targeting them with a mix of conventional, guerrilla, insider and suicide attacks.

The US has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, with another 5,000 from Nato allies.

The Pentagon has reportedly pressed President Donald Trump to send thousands more troops back to the country to try to counter gains by the Taliban. More than a third of the country is now said to be outside Afghan government control.

A Taliban attack on an Afghan army training compound in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif last month killed at least 135 soldiers, and led to the resignation of the defence minister and army chief of staff.

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Major recent Kabul attacks

• 8 March 2017 - About 50 people killed after attackers dressed as doctors stormed Sardar Daud Khan military hospital
• 21 Nov 2016 - At least 27 dead in a suicide bomb attack on Baqir ul Olum mosque during a Shia ceremony
• 23 July 2016 - At least 80 people killed in twin bomb blasts targeting a rally by the Shia Hazara minority in Deh Mazang square
• 19 Apr 2016 - At least 28 dead in a huge explosion close to the Afghan defence ministry building
• 1 Feb 2016 - 20 killed in a suicide bomb attack at police headquarters
• 7 Aug 2015 - At least 35 people dead in separate bomb attacks across the capital
• BBC NEWS

  Trump 'poised to quit Paris climate deal

US President Donald Trump is poised to pull the country out of the Paris climate accord, US media report, quoting senior officials.

The American leader refused to reaffirm his country's commitment to the accord at a G7 summit in Italy on Saturday.

He said he would make up his mind after returning to the US.

Mr Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax" on occasion, has reportedly indicated this is still his position to key members of his inner circle.

News that Mr Trump was moving towards quitting the agreement was reported by the Axios news website and ABC News.

In response, German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying: "Like you I've seen the reports but I don't have any information beyond that.

"So I can only reiterate the well-known position that the German government unequivocally supports the Paris climate agreement and is campaigning for it to be quickly implemented and hopes the USA remains committed to this agreement."

BBC