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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
Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa wants countries in the Middle East to be involved in Iran nuclear talks. AP

Bahrain's crown prince calls Israeli prime minister to discuss Iran nuclear talks

MENA
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 10 FEBRUARY 2021. Press conference held after UAE Hope Probe reached Mars on Wednesday. Photo: Reem Mohammed / The National Reporter:

Mars mission and Covid-19 response sees UAE climb to 17th in global power list

UAE Government
This July 2020 photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows a vial of the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine. AP

Oman orders third batch of vaccine doses as Covid cases climb

Gulf
EDITOR'S PICKS
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg uses outsourcing firms to employ content moderators. Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images

Inside the lucrative but troubled world of Facebook moderation

World
A visitor tries out a semi-automatic 9mm. ZEV Technologies custom GLOCK at Idex 2021 that wraps on February 25. Victor Besa / The National. 

Idex: UAE Armed Forces take total value of contracts to $5.7bn

Aviation
Deepa Kumar, an accountant, was among 17 passengers who died in a bus accident in June 2019 in Dubai. He is pictured with his wife Athira and their daughter Amulya, both survived the crash but are struggling to cope. Courtesy Kumar famliy

Survivors of Dubai bus crash tell of strain 2 years after fatal accident

Transport

Zarif's leaked recording showed who's boss in Tehran

Kareem Shaheen
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman underwent a successful surgical procedure in Riyadh. Image: EPA

Watch: Saudi Crown Prince leaves hospital after successful surgery
The village of Kan in the Wilayat of Nakhl in the Governorate of South Al-Batinah these days witnesses the apricot blossoms in a beautiful and picturesque season that attracts attention, as the apricot trees are covered in white, and the season continues until the beginning of March of each year. courtesy: Oman News Agency

Oman's apricot trees bloom in the mountains – in pictures

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
Shorthand teaser. Getty Images

Lessons in lockdown: Resilience, routines and self-recognition
A Saudi money exchanger counts Saudi riyal currency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Saudi Arabia salary guide 2021: How much can you earn in the kingdom?
Professional photographer Zohaib Anjum, who waited seven years to get the perfect shot of lightning striking the Buj Khalifa, said he hit another career aim in cataloguing the arrival of the gloomy early morning weather. Courtesy Zohaib Anjum

Photographer shares stunning time-lapse video of fog in Abu Dhabi
Nasa released the first panoramic image captured by the rover’s Mastcam-Z. AP

Nasa's Perseverance beams back its first 360° image of Mars
epa09034183 Tunisian actors perform during the Shayatin show by dramaturg and director Amel El Farji at the City of Culture venue in Tunis, Tunisia, 24 February 2021. Shayatin tells the story of the fall of a bloodthirsty dictator who, through his policies of repression, provoked a gigantic popular revolt of violence. This unpredictable and massive uprising affected the entire population. It erupted without any prior organization or leadership and therefore without leadership and spread like wildfire. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA

Tunisian actors depict the fall of evil ruler in 'Shayatin' - in pictures
Davos 2021
People wearing face masks walk by Olympics-themed signs in Tokyo on January 29. AP

Japanese Prime Minister promises to hold Olympics this summer

Sport

Governments globally must create a safe digital space, UAE's AI minister says

Technology

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga outlines a green and digital future for Japan

World

Jordan’s King Abdullah tells Davos that protecting refugees is a global responsibility

Jordan
Coronavirus
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates’ chairman and CEO, and  Awadh Al Ketbi, director general of Dubai Health Authority sign an agreement  to implement digital verification of traveller medical records related to Covid-19 testing and vaccination. Courtesy Emirates.   

Emirates and Dubai Health Authority to digitally verify travellers' Covid-19 medical records

Aviation
Donors can give blood within two weeks of having the first or second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Pawan Singh / The National

Blood donation possible within two weeks of Covid-19 vaccine

UAE
This July 2020 photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows a vial of the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine. AP

Oman orders third batch of vaccine doses as Covid cases climb

Gulf
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.

Coronavirus live blog: Bahrain authorises Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use

World
UAE
A salesman waits for customers in a jewelry shop in the Gold Souk in the Deira district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. While the metal’s jump to an eight-year high on Monday benefited many long-standing bulls on Wall Street, shop owners thousands of miles away in Dubai’s Gold Souk were far less euphoric. Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg

UAE reports 3,025 new Covid-19 cases and 18 deaths

Health
The Oman-registered bus was travelling along Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road, carrying 31 passengers, when it crashed into a signboard at Al Rashidiya exit.

Dubai bus crash: Omani driver’s jail sentence reduced to one year

Courts
Carrefour is encouraging customers to bring their own recyclable bags by providing dedicated checkout counters and bonus Share points as incentives. Courtesy Majid Al Futtaim

Carrefour will no longer be offering plastic bags at these Dubai stores

Lifestyle
Students of FS 1 and FS 2 playing in the indoor play area at the Aquila school in Dubailand in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National 

Children must be 3 years old to start school across the UAE, says ministry

Education
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has closed its borders to travellers coming from several countries, including the UAE. 

Coronavirus: Saudis married to non-Saudis can now travel abroad

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's PIF launches $3bn tourism and infrastructure venture

Travel and Tourism

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

Iraq

Saudi and Omani foreign ministers discuss increasing co-operation

Gulf
MENA
Satellite photo from Planet Labs Inc. shows construction near the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona, Israel. A long-secretive Israeli nuclear facility that gave birth to its undeclared atomic weapons program is undergoing what appears to be its biggest construction project in decades, according to satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press. (Planet Labs Inc. via AP)

Israel's secretive nuclear facility gets a revamp

MENA

Iran arrested French tourist nine months ago, says lawyer

MENA

Egypt supports Sudan's international arbitration proposal in dam dispute

MENA

Carlos Ghosn escape: four-year jail terms for Turkish pilots and airline official

MENA
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
Opinion
Memorial during a candlelight vigil at Mel Lastman Square in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 09, 2020 for the victims of the Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 plane crash. Getty

Zarif's leaked recording showed who's boss in Tehran

Iran's brinksmanship before nuclear talks risks alienating Europe

The fragile future of jobs in the Middle East

Don't leave Syrian refugees behind in the vaccination drive

One day, we won't need Facebook to read the news
Lifestyle
Lf25 feb globes dresses googled

These are the most-searched stars on the Golden Globes red carpet

Carrefour will no longer be offering plastic bags at these Dubai stores

End of an era: US postal service unveils new design for delivery vehicles

Make-up brand Becca announces 'heartbreaking' decision to close in September

Property of the week: Dh49 million Dubai mansion built for entertaining
Arts & Culture
Palestinian singer Lina Makoul goes back to her roots with her new album, '#YOM'. Courtesy Maana Music

How Lina Makoul's debut album tells the stories of Palestinian youth

US non-profit to build 'world's first 3D-printed school' in Madagascar

Here's when 'Spider-Man 3', 'Loki' and 'No Time to Die' will be released

Hend Sabry to reprise her role as Ola in new Egyptian Netflix series

Paul McCartney to release 900-page memoir, woven with 154 songs
Podcasts
A pupil raises his hand at the Manar Al Iman Charity Private School. Victor Besa for The National ID

UAE anti-money laundering, missing Dubai resident, 3,102 new cases - The Daily Update

Abu Dhabi travel list, Idex 2021 deals, 3,005 UAE cases - The Daily Update

Expo 2020 Dubai, Trump tax returns, 2,105 new cases - The Daily Update

Everything you need to know about moving from the UAE to Britain

UAE-US ties in focus at Abu Dhabi's Idex 2021
Sport
Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fifth stage of the UAE tour cycling race, from Fujairah Intl Marine Club to Jebel Jais, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Vingegaard tastes success as UAE Team Emirates' Pogacar extends lead

Sport

Patel and Ashwin wrap up two-day win for India in Ahmedabad Test

Cricket

Liverpool 'deeply saddened' by death of Alisson's father

Football

Messi is La Liga's top scorer as Barcelona find form - in pictures

Football

Bayern's Jamal Musiala picks German national team instead of England

Football
Travel
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates’ chairman and CEO, and  Awadh Al Ketbi, director general of Dubai Health Authority sign an agreement  to implement digital verification of traveller medical records related to Covid-19 testing and vaccination. Courtesy Emirates.   

Emirates and Dubai Health Authority to digitally verify travellers' Covid-19 medical records

You can now stay overnight at Ras Al Khaimah's Bear Grylls Explorers Camp

Qantas to restart international flights to 22 destinations in October

Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown: a review of Dubai's first certified-boutique hotel

How Covid-19 is reshaping global air travel in 2021
Technology
A power-generating wind turbine is reflected in solar panels. Masdar and Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna will explore renewable energy opportunities in the Central Asian country. Reuters

Masdar and Uzbekistan's sovereign wealth fund to explore joint investments

Inside the lucrative but troubled world of Facebook moderation

Facebook moderators across Europe sue for damages over viewing of extreme content

Adnoc wins award for innovative use of technology

Idex 2021: UAE defence company Nimr to partner with Singapore's ST Engineering to build hybrid EVs
Motoring
The new design of the United States Postal Service mail vehicles, which are expected to come into use in 2022. 

End of an era: US postal service unveils new design for delivery vehicles

Mercedes reveals new 4-cylinder C-Class range

Cherokee chief urges Jeep to stop using tribe's name: 'It does not honour us'

Get into the Groove: Chevrolet announces new mini SUV in the UAE

Dubai's first solar-powered motor rally kicks off
LONG READS
A scientist loads Cas9 protein and PCSK9 sgRNA molecules into a fine glass pipette at a laboratory in Shenzhen, China. Researchers in the US are studying how Crispr molecular scissors could be used to fight cancer. AP

From crude surgery to gene editing: how cancer treatments evolved over the years

What happened to the Middle East’s space programmes?

Is Dubai on the cusp of an electric car revolution?

The remarkable story of Messi: how Arabian horse found his feet amid pandemic

How social media is being used to fight sexual predators in Egypt
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman underwent a successful surgical procedure in Riyadh. Image: EPA

Watch: Saudi Crown Prince leaves hospital after successful surgery
The village of Kan in the Wilayat of Nakhl in the Governorate of South Al-Batinah these days witnesses the apricot blossoms in a beautiful and picturesque season that attracts attention, as the apricot trees are covered in white, and the season continues until the beginning of March of each year. courtesy: Oman News Agency

Oman's apricot trees bloom in the mountains – in pictures

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
Shorthand teaser. Getty Images

Lessons in lockdown: Resilience, routines and self-recognition
A Saudi money exchanger counts Saudi riyal currency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Saudi Arabia salary guide 2021: How much can you earn in the kingdom?
Professional photographer Zohaib Anjum, who waited seven years to get the perfect shot of lightning striking the Buj Khalifa, said he hit another career aim in cataloguing the arrival of the gloomy early morning weather. Courtesy Zohaib Anjum

Photographer shares stunning time-lapse video of fog in Abu Dhabi
Nasa released the first panoramic image captured by the rover’s Mastcam-Z. AP

Nasa's Perseverance beams back its first 360° image of Mars
epa09034183 Tunisian actors perform during the Shayatin show by dramaturg and director Amel El Farji at the City of Culture venue in Tunis, Tunisia, 24 February 2021. Shayatin tells the story of the fall of a bloodthirsty dictator who, through his policies of repression, provoked a gigantic popular revolt of violence. This unpredictable and massive uprising affected the entire population. It erupted without any prior organization or leadership and therefore without leadership and spread like wildfire. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA

Tunisian actors depict the fall of evil ruler in 'Shayatin' - in pictures