Yas Marina Circuit is almost guaranteed to provide a dramatic finish to the 2010 Formula One season with the Red Bull-Renault pair of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel along with Lewis Hamilton, of McLaren-Mercedes, all seeking to overhaul Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the battle for the drivers' title.
It will be difficult, however, to eclipse what happened on the last day of the season two years ago.
The championship appeared to be won by Felipe Massa, only to be snatched from him by an overtaking manoeuvre by Hamilton just seconds from the finishing line.
The incredible denouement on Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit that day was the 24th time in 60 years that the destiny of the title had been clinched in the final race. Abu Dhabi will make that 25 in 61.
Here are some of the most thrilling of those last-day deciders:
2008 Brazilian Grand Prix
Hamilton arrived in Sao Paulo boosted by victory in the penultimate race of the season, the Chinese Grand Prix. That win gave him a seven-point cushion over Massa and the realisation that fifth place or better would guarantee him the title, irrespective of what Massa could achieve in front of a passionate home crowd.
Massa did all he could in his Ferrari to convert a pole position into a victory and as he took the chequered flag, his team began their celebration in the knowledge that Hamilton was lying sixth.
The Ferrari pit-lane crew did not know, however, that Timo Glock, the Toyota driver, had suffered a loss of performance in the closing stages due to the risky strategy of retaining dry-weather tyres in wet conditions, and a grateful Hamilton chased down his prey and swooped past on the final corner of the 71st and final lap.
2007 Brazilian Grand Prix:
Hamilton landed in Brazil with one hand on the title but the young Briton was denied at the end of a campaign which was tarnished by his McLaren team's "Spygate" scandal. Starting the race with a four-point advantage over Fernando Alonso and seven points ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton was undermined by running wide at the start and then gear-box trouble and could manage only seventh position.
Agonisingly, that left him one point behind Raikkonen, who rose to the occasion with a tremendous victory, and level on points with Alonso, who had in the course of a season turned from an amicable teammate into an arch-enemy.
1994 Australian Grand Prix:
A season that was scarred by the deaths Ayrton Senna, the three-time world champion, and the Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger ended with more drama as the two title contenders, Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, collided on the 36th lap of the Adelaide race. The consequent failure to finish by both drivers preserved Schumacher's one-point advantage over his British rival and launched a dominant era for the German, who went on to win seven titles in 11 seasons.
1984 Portuguese Grand Prix:
While a single point had in successive years made the difference between despair and delight for Hamilton, Niki Lauda squeezed to his third and final world title by half that margin. A weather-hit Monaco Grand Prix midway through that 16-race season meant that Alain Prost, Lauda's McLaren teammate, was awarded only 4.5 points rather than the customary nine for winning the shortened event, leaving the Frenchman 3.5 points behind the Austrian ace rather than a point ahead going into the deciding race. Lauda knew that second place behind Prost would suffice and duly held on to make Prost wait a year to claim the first of his four titles.
1964 Mexican Grand Prix:
Three British world champions - John Surtees, Graham Hill and Jim Clark - fought desperately for the title that year. Surtees edged out Hill by a single point, courtesy of being allowed, on team orders, to take the lead from his Ferrari colleague Lorenzo Bandini.
Hill accrued one more point than Surtees that season but the rules then decreed that a driver's best six finishes from the 10 races should count, and Surtees had the edge in that tally.
wjohnson@thenational.ae
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
if you go
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km
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New Zealand
Penalties: Barrett (7)
British & Irish Lions
Tries: Faletau, Murray
Penalties: Farrell (4)
Conversions: Farrell
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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