Security at F1 track reviewed

ABU DHABI // The organising committee for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been finalising security arrangements this week for the first race at the new Yas Island Formula One circuit on Nov 1, 2009. At a meeting at Abu Dhabi Police headquarters, the committee reviewed security and safety arrangements in the light of its findings upon visiting Singapore earlier this year to study security arrangements at the 2008 Formula One championship held on a new track there.

The committee also met members of Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, which will provide facilities for the Yas Marine Circuit, and visited Yas Island to meet staff of Aldar, the firm in charge of building the race track and the roads and hotels around it. Luca di Montezemolo, the president of Ferrari, praised the progress of the circuit, saying he expected it to be "absolutely extraordinary" and "very different" after visiting Abu Dhabi and Yas Island last week to review work on the construction.

Mr di Montezemolo, who is also the new chairman of the Formula One Teams Association, said Abu Dhabi should be the best of the new wave of Formula One circuits. He had previously criticised the Singapore and Valencia tracks that made their debuts this year. hhassan@thenational.ae rhughes@thenational.ae

The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

The biog:

Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian

Favourite food: Pizza

Best food on the road: rice

Favourite colour: silver

Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda

Favourite biking destination: Canada

ENGLAND SQUAD

For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.

Cherry

Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo

Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo

1/5

MATCH INFO

Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')

Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Richard Jewell

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley

Two-and-a-half out of five stars

At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17

At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253

Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away

It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.

The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.

But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.

At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.

The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.

After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.

Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.

And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.

At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.

And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.

* Agence France Presse

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