In 2014, Top Gear filmed an episode for its 21st season on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The motoring show's co-host Richard Hammond showcased the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6 across a range of locations, including Liwa Desert and the Emirates National Auto Museum. But the highlight was when he drove the brand-new car through the lazy river at Yas Waterworld.
Hammond returned just a month later to take a Porsche 918 Spyder for a spin on Yas Marina Circuit, for another episode of Top Gear.
These marked some of Yas Island's earliest moments in showbiz, and the spotlight has been shining on the entertainment location ever since.
Case in point: parts of F1: The Movie, the highly anticipated racing film starring Brad Pitt, were shot at Yas Marina Circuit, which hosts the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The capital is also set to host the regional premiere of the film.
In it, Pitt plays a former Formula One driver whose once-promising career was cut short by a devastating crash in the 1990s. In his 50s, he's lured back to the track by a former teammate who owns a struggling team on the brink of collapse.
Doubling as the set of F1: The Movie marks Yas Island's latest high-profile turn in the entertainment industry. Over the years, it has served as a filming location for both international and regional movies and TV shows.
In 2019, The Ellen Show featured the destination when host Ellen DeGeneres gifted her entire audience a six-day trip to Abu Dhabi. MasterChef India brought a 2024 episode to the capital, with contestants competing in challenges around Saadiyat and Yas islands to secure a spot in the grand finale.
The island has also made its mark on reality TV. On Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa – the Indian version of Strictly Come Dancing – judges Farah Khan and Malaika Arora, along with hosts Rithvik Dhanjani and Gauahar Khan, were shown enjoying various attractions around Yas Island, which also served as the grand prize destination for the show’s winners.
As for film, Yas Marina Circuit featured in Furious 7 in 2015, while the broader Yas Island area has been showcased in Bollywood action thriller Race 3 (2018); Hollywood flick 6 Underground (2019) starring Ryan Reynolds; and the penultimate film in the Mission: Impossible series, Dead Reckoning (2023), with Tom Cruise.
The destination even had a starring role in Al Eid Eiden, a Saudi-Emirati comedy in which a family go to Yas Island for their Eid holiday.
Upcoming releases that were filmed at the location include Bollywood action film War 2 and Hollywood thriller Now You See Me 3.
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
De De Pyaar De
Produced: Luv Films, YRF Films
Directed: Akiv Ali
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jaaved Jaffrey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
