Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi knows he faces another stern tarmac test on his least favourite surface at the latest round of the World Rally Championship in Spain this weekend.
With BP-Ford Abu Dhabi and Citroen embroiled in season-long championship battles, Rally de Espana will see lead driver, Mikko Hirvonen and four-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, resume their title duel.
Hirvonen, who will be joined by new teammate Francois Duval, currently trails his German rival by eight points in the standings with four rallies still to be held this year.
But the third BP-Ford Abu Dhabi driver knows he will be up against it in Cataluyna.
"I was 14th in my Spain debut last year, but this time around there will be more entries and more quality drivers. I'm intending to lift my pace, but with a better field that may not show in the results," Qassimi said.
"This will be my sixth tarmac event in just over a year and I'm still learning. However, before I was just happy to be driving and competing, now I'm trying to get more pace out the car.
"In Catalunya, I'll focus on setting-up the car and then review my first day performance. If I feel I'm heading in the right direction, then I'll lift my pace.
"I'd like to finish Spain with no problems and go to Corsica with another asphalt event under my belt, more confidence and ready to really give it my all.
"These are the last two tarmac events of the season so it's important that I continue to make progress."
sports@thenational.ae
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Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.