KINGSCLIFF // The directors of the two leading constructors expect the battle for the World Rally Championship (WRC) drivers' title to go down to the wire after a dramatic finish to Rally Australia.
Mikko Hirvonen now leads Sebastien Loeb, the French champion, by five points after the Citroen driver was stripped of his win last night. Anti-roll bar links on the three Citroen cars were too long, with the drivers all incurring one-minute penalties.
It meant Hirvonen, who finished 25 seconds behind Loeb, won the rally. It could have had a major impact on the title: Loeb would have closed the gap to one point had the result stood.
Citroen have said they will not appeal against the penalties.
With only the Spanish and British legs of the series to come, the championship is poised to throw up a thrilling finish in Wales on October 25. Loeb's prowess on asphalt, a trait shared by teammate Dani Sordo, makes Citroen the favourites on the sealed tarmac tests of Rally Spain.
The only way the BP Ford Abu Dhabi driver Hirvonen can avoid a Welsh valleys showdown is if he triumphs in Catalonia and Loeb fails to finish.
Olivier Quesnel, in only his second campaign as Citroen's WRC team boss, is confident that will not happen.
"Spain will be tarmac and it should be easier for us," he said.
"Only a big problem for Sebastien would end the drivers' race and I hope it won't happen. It's still complicated."
In the manufacturers' tussle, Citroen hold a 13 point lead over Ford and remain favourites to retain the title.
"We're confident for the manufacturers'. The objective in Spain is a one-two. I do not know what will happen but that is the objective," said Quesnel.
Malcolm Wilson, the Ford boss, also expects the championship to be decided in the final race.
"Whatever happens, even if Mikko doesn't finish in Spain, it will still go to the final rally," he said.
"It's great to leave still leading the drivers' championships, but the manufacturers' is a big task
"We have a lot of work to do and we have a big test planned - we need to make improvements."
emegson@thenational.ae
Race report, s6
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdited%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Idries%20Trevathan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hirmer%20Publishers%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.