The last round of group games in qualifying for Euro 2020 saw Wales join England in booking a place at the finals.
The European powerhouses Germany, Italy, France and Spain will all have big chances of lifting the trophy, while the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland will contest the play-offs in March before knowing if they will be at the big event.
England are among the six top seeds for the draw on November 30, but defending champions Portugal and world champions France have missed out. Here are the seeds, the qualifiers, and those heading for the nail-biting play-offs.
TOP SEEDS
ENGLAND
Gareth Southgate's side may have suffered their first qualifying defeat in 10 years at the hands of the Czech Republic, but they won their other seven games and finished with a goal difference of 31 to win Group A and a seeded place in the draw on November 30.
BELGIUM
Belgium and Russia qualified comfortably from Group I, with Roberto Martinez's Belgium side sealing top spot with an impressive 4-1 win in St Petersburg and making it 10 wins out of 10 with a 6-1 thrashing of Cyprus.
SPAIN
Robert Moreno oversaw the latter stages of an unbeaten qualifying campaign which ended with a 5-0 win over Romania, but Luis Enrique was immediately re-appointed as manager five months after stepping down for personal reasons.
ITALY
Italy rounded off their qualifying campaign in some style with a 9-1 thrashing of Armenia. Former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini took charge of the national team following their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and led them to 10 wins from 10 in qualifying.
GERMANY
Germany and the Netherlands both sealed qualification from Group C on Saturday with a 4-0 win over Belarus and 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland respectively. Germany ended up being seeded thanks to Holland dropping points and Joachim Low's side ended their campaign by beating Northern Ireland 6-1.
UKRAINE
The surprise among the top seeds, Ukraine finished top of Group B ahead of Portugal and beat the reigning European champions in a key fixture in Kiev in October following a 0-0 draw in the opening group game in Lisbon.
Other qualifiers: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Wales.
THE PLAY-OFFS
The draw for the play-offs will take place on Friday, November 22, with the 16 teams in the draw split into four paths.
Each path contains four teams, with their rankings determined by their performance in the Uefa Nations League.
Each path will be divided into two single-leg semi-finals. There the best-ranked team will host the worst-ranked team and the team ranked second will host the team ranked third. The winner of each semi-final will contest a final.
At the draw it will also be determined which semi-final winner plays the final at home. The winners of each of the four play-off finals will join the 20 teams who have qualified automatically.
Based on each team's ranking, this is how the paths are looking:
Path A: Iceland, Bulgaria/Israel/Hungary/Romania*
Path B: Bosnia and Herzegovina v Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland
Path C: Scotland v Bulgaria, Norway v Serbia
Path D: Georgia v Belarus, North Macedonia v Kosovo
*A draw will decide which of Bulgaria, Israel, Hungary or Romania would fill the empty slot in Path C, and which three would go into Path A.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (rated 72-87) Dh 165,000 1,600m.
Winner: Syncopation, George Buckell, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Big Brown Bear, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,200m.
Winner: Stunned, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap (85-105) Dh 210,000 2,000m.
Winner: New Trails, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
9.25pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,600m.
Winner: Pillar Of Society, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Company%20profile
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
