Iraqi cleric Ahmed Al Safi has tested positive for coronavirus. Reuters

Iraq: senior cleric tests positive for coronavirus

 US soldier stands guard at the K1 Air Base near Kirkuk in northern Iraq, during a handover ceremony. Getty

General argues US forces need to stay in Iraq to stop ISIS regaining strength

Asia
Iraqi Finance Minister Ali Allawi during his visit to Riyadh. SPA

Iraq's finance minister hails ‘sea change’ in relations with Saudi Arabia

Iraq
A member of the Kurdish Peshmerga militia faces ISIS positions in Diyala in June 2014. AFP

Iraqi president Barham Salih warns Biden administration of ISIS revival

Iraq
IN DEPTH
A woman walks past a mural of Pope Francis on the wall of a Baghdad church before his visit to Iraq. Reuters

Pulling out all the stops: Pope Francis's itinerary in Iraq

Iraq
Iraqi Bishop Basel Yaldo with Pope Francis. Courtesy Iraqi Bishop Basel Yaldo

Pope’s Iraq visit will inspire unity and peace, says leading bishop

MENA
Pope Francis, flanked by Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti (R) anwers journalists questions in the plane following the take off from Panama City on January 27, 2019 after participating in World Youth Day. AFP

How the pope flies on his international travels

World
A woman walks past a mural of Pope Francis on the wall of a Baghdad church before his visit to Iraq. Reuters

Pope Francis visiting Iraq is the story we all need

Comment
Abu Dhabi's Idex 2021
Faisal Al Bannai, CEO of EDGE at Idex 2021. Saher Mousa / EDGE

Idex 2021: UAE's Edge eyes 15% revenue growth in 2021 and new export markets, CEO says

Aviation
An F-35 at the Lockheed Martin stand at Idex 2021 in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Top three trends at Idex 2021: local, autonomous and electric

UAE
Daniel Lam (left), head of ST Engineering in Middle East, while signing the deal with Abri du Plessis, chief executive of Nimr. Courtesy Nimr

Idex 2021: UAE defence company Nimr to partner with Singapore's ST Engineering to build hybrid EVs

Technology
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, visits Idex on the penultimate day of the event. Wam

Sheikh Hamdan tours Idex 2021 as organisers declare event a success

UAE

Coronavirus latest: Bahrain authorises Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use
A Johnson & Johnson worker prepares a syringe during the Phase 3 ENSEMBLE trial of its Janssen coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine candidate in an undated photograph. Johnson & Johnson/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
At least 70 per cent of government employees, plus those working in semi-government companies, will work remotely from Sunday, February 7. Alamy

Abu Dhabi government to cut workplace attendance to 30 per cent

UAE Government
A view of Bahrain’s financial district in the capital city of Manama. Reuters

Bahrain foils terror plot to blow up ATMs

Gulf
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech in front of commanders of the air force on February 7. AFP

Iran's supreme leader doubles down: US must lift sanctions for Tehran to return to nuclear deal

MENA

Sheikh Abdullah and US Iran envoy Malley discuss lowering regional tension in first call

Gulf

Streets run red as floods hit Indonesian batik-manufacturing hub

Asia

Former heavyweight boxing champion Leon Spinks dies from cancer at age 67

Sport

Bloomberg

Health staff attends to a Covid-19 patient at the Saint Georges Hospital of Hezbollah in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA

Lebanon's embassies appeal to diaspora for Covid donations

Lebanon
A Johnson & Johnson worker prepares a syringe during the Phase 3 ENSEMBLE trial of its Janssen coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine candidate in an undated photograph. Johnson & Johnson/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Bahrain authorises Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use

World
Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance will help to transport vital drugs to countries with fewer resources to tackle Covid-19

Coronavirus: Dubai launches Vaccine Logistics Alliance

Health
Israelis receive Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at a movie theatre turned into a coronavirus vaccination center in Beersheba, southern Israel, Sunday. AP Photo

Ambitious Israeli Covid-19 vaccination drive stumbles amid new strains

MENA
Year in Review
teaser

The best of the Big Picture: Images of 2020
A collage of The National front pages in 2020.

How 'The National' told the story of 2020 - in 27 front pages
Emirati artist Farah Al Qasimi will exhibit work at Rencontres d’Arles after a recent award win. Antonie Robertson / The National

The 20 Arab artists, musicians and designers who triumphed in 2020
Which celebrity engagement scored a spot in the top 10? Instagram 

Selfies and sombre moments: The 10 most-liked Instagram posts of 2020
Sydney Opera House on May 1, 2020. Australian authorities locked down the country to curb Covid-19. Getty 

Climate change in 2021: lockdowns showed us what could be achieved in weeks
Dhes Handumon. Amidst the pandemic, a morning run at the Beach in JBR with this view of the Ain Dubai and the birds makes one feel relaxed and at peace. -- "it's better to have a good name than great riches."

Goodbye 2020: 'The National' readers' photos of the year
Children play on top of a wooden fishing boat on display as the sun sets on Abu Dhabi Corniche. Victor Besa / The National

The National’s best staff photographer photos of 2020 - chosen by our readers
Feb 17, 2020; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Newman (6) wrecks during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Messi, Nadal and Hamilton: 52 of the year's best sports images
Exclusives
Lt Gen Sir John Lorimer has warned that US President Joe Biden faces his first significant foreign policy test on negotiating the nuclear deal with Iran. PA 

Iran’s 'increasing menace' to test Biden's review of Middle East options

Europe
Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo is the founder of Admaf and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival. Courtesy Abu Dhabi Festival

Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo on how the arts will prevail in spite of the pandemic

Art
Some of the West's most striking architecture is in Central Europe. EPA

Central Europe aspires to being a centre of civilisation

Comment
The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, right, watched a launch of missiles during a military drill in central Iran. AFP

Iran on its way to ‘solving nuclear missile puzzle’

MENA
Previous Episodes
Former British prime minister Tony Blair with The National's Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi. The team wore masks during set-up and recording of the podcast but Mr Blair and Ms Al-Oraibi, who had both received negative Covid-19 tests, chose not to during the interview for the reason of maintaining sound quality. Image: The National

Tony Blair: UK must reconstruct its place in the world

Podcasts
Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive of Etihad Airways. Image: The National

My 2020 Podcast: Etihad's Tony Douglas

Podcasts
Sultan Al Qassemi. Image: The National

My 2020 Podcast: Sultan Al Qassemi

Podcasts
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 29: Thomas Friedman speaks onstage at the Fireside with the New York Times talk on the Times Center Stage during 2016 Advertising Week New York on September 29, 2016 in New York City. John Lamparski/Getty Images for Advertising Week New York/AFP

My 2020 Podcast: Thomas Friedman

Podcasts
Melissa Fleming

My 2020 Podcast: UN's Melissa Fleming on the 'silent war' that emptied the General Assembly

Podcasts
Dan Shapiro, founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Programme.

Harvard's Dan Shapiro on tough choices during Covid-19 pandemic

Podcasts
Arab showcase
The lockdown both defines Gabriel Makhlouf's job as Governor of the Irish central bank and provides a perspective on the decades of movement and upheaval that have brought him where he is today. Courtesy Central Bank of Ireland

Irish bank governor confronts pandemic crisis with perspective

Europe
If Ameen Khayer’s decision to live in Germany was unforeseen, that was nothing compared with the previously unimagined musical career that resulted. Courtesy Ameen Khayer

Syrian refugee Ameen Khayer makes splash in Germany's music scene

Europe
Mohamed Mansour.  Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Mohamed Mansour, the billionaire who doesn't measure success in zeroes

World
Of her deep connection with Sudan, Asma Elbadawi, above in Khartoum, says: 'It's very difficult to explain, to visit a part of the world where people look like you, speak the same dialect and laugh at the same jokes because at their core they have similar experiences to you.' Courtesy Asma Elbadawi

Leap of faith: Asma Elbadawi shows that Muslim women can jump

World
US NEWS
William Burns, director of the Central Intelligence Agency nominee for US President Joe Biden, speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. Bloomberg

Biden’s CIA nominee: Important US does 'everything' to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapon

The Americas
James Risch, a senator from Idaho and top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Capitol Hill, February 13, 2021. Pool via AP

James Risch urges Biden to counter Iran in Middle East

The Americas
US Vice President Kamala Harris seen in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on February, 24 2021. EPA

US Vice President Kamala Harris urges black Americans: 'Let's not let Covid get us'

The Americas
Ariane Tabatabai . Courtesy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Biden appointees of Arab and Muslim heritage face bigoted comments and attacks

The Americas

When it comes to NZ and the coronavirus, I can’t help but ask, what next?
Jacinda Adern, New Zealand's prime minister, at a news conference in Wellington, New Zealand, on June 8. Mark Coote/Bloomberg
Since early March, it has sent more than 716 tonnes of critical medical supplies to at least 63 countries WAM

Lessons from the UAE's response to the pandemic

Comment
EU and Vietnamese flags are seen during the signing ceremony of a trade agreement in Hanoi last year. On Monday, the deal was ratified by the Vietnam National Assembly. Reuters

Asia's bumpy trade routes are by no means dead-end streets

Comment
A girl sells a facemask to costumers at Pindi Food Street in Rawalpindi, June 2. Farooq Naeem/ AFP

Zohra Shah: The harsh lives of girls in servitude

Comment

Middle Eastern markets will need a post-pandemic 'great reset'

Comment

Data is a driver, not a liability, for a proper Covid-19 response

Editorial

The US and Israel are scaring the ICC away from helping Palestine

Comment

Jonathan Cook

IPL
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - SEPTEMBER 06: In this handout image provided by CPL T20, Shah Rukh Khan owner of Trinbago Knight Riders greets the crowd during the Hero Caribbean Premier League match between Trinbago Knight Riders and Jamaica Tallawahs at Queen's Park Oval on September 06, 2019 in Port of Spain, Trinidad And Tobago. (Photo by Ashley Allen/CPL T20 via Getty Images)

Knight Riders take T20 brand to USA after investing in Major League Cricket

Cricket
Trent Boult of Mumbai Indians celebrates the wicket of Marcus Stoinis of Delhi Capitals during the final of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 10th November 2020. Photo by: Ron Gaunt / Sportzpics for BCCI

How Mumbai Indians became one of the greatest T20 teams of all time

Cricket
Robin Singh, right, watches the IPL 2020 final unfold in his role as Mumbai Indians' batting coach. Sportzpics for BCCI

Robin Singh returns to UAE duties after role in Mumbai's IPL title triumph

Cricket
Mumbai Indians owners Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani with Rohith Sharma during the final of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 10th November 2020. Photo by: Samuel Rajkumar / Sportzpics for BCCI

Calls grow for Rohit to replace Kohli as India's T20 captain

Cricket