PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia // Birthday boy Casey Stoner breathed a sigh of relief Sunday after surviving a drama-filled day to seal his second MotoGP championship with his fifth successive Australian Grand Prix victory.
Stoner started the day feeling queasy at the news of rival Jorge Lorenzo's severely injured finger and finished it under immense pressure as driving wind and rain sent riders scattering like nine-pins in the latter stages of the race.
With Lorenzo ruled out of the race and in hospital for plastic surgery, the Australian was a shoo-in to seal the title with two races to spare but had to survive the odd hair-raising wobble in the final laps.
"Phillip Island doesn't let you go home without a wet session, and we got it during the race, unfortunately," the 26 year old said, after late rain showers turned the negotiating corners into something of a lottery.
"I've gone into that last turn, and as soon as I've cracked that throttle again, the rear came around and my heart was up in my throat."
Stoner, an intensely-driven rider not given to major displays of emotion, beamed on the podium in front of a cheering crowd and rated the title-sealing race as one of the best of his career.
But he would be happy to never celebrate another birthday at Phillip Island, he said, despite passing them with success on the race weekend.
"It'd be nice to have a birthday at home one day," said Stoner, who talked of a post-retirement future taking over his father's farm and is looking forward to the birth of his first child in a few months.
Stoner notched his ninth win from 16 starts in a supremely dominant season, and extended his MotoGP record total to 11 poles at Phillip Island.
The title was much sweeter this time around in his first year with Honda's stable of stars, he said, than with Ducati in 2007, where he was the main show but battled illness and mechanical frustration in his last seasons.
"This championship definitely felt the best," he said.
"In 2007, we were criticised for all kinds of things ... This year no-one's got excuses. There's three other riders on the same bike."
Stoner, relishing the re-introduction of 1000cc engines next year, said: "I've always preferred 1000s when I've got on them... With a lot of circuits it's going to be a lot more fun."
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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The Abu Dhabi Awards explained:
What are the awards? They honour anyone who has made a contribution to life in Abu Dhabi.
Are they open to only Emiratis? The awards are open to anyone, regardless of age or nationality, living anywhere in the world.
When do nominations close? The process concludes on December 31.
How do I nominate someone? Through the website.
When is the ceremony? The awards event will take place early next year.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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