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Abu Dhabi, UAESunday 24 January 2021

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrives with a government delegation during a visit in Herat province on January 21, 2021. AFP

Biden administration to review US peace deal with Taliban
Tunisian anti-government protesters shout slogans during a demonstration in Tunis on Saturday. EPA

Tunisia protests dispersed as coronavirus bans extended

MENA
Larry King poses for portrait as the Friars Club and Crescent Hotel honour him for his 86th birthday at Crescent Hotel on November 25, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images / AFP

Veteran US broadcaster Larry King dies aged 87

The Americas
More than 370 people were rescued in two days. Courtesy SOS Mediterranee

Pregnant woman emergency evacuated off migrant ship

Europe
EDITOR'S PICKS
London police broke up a string of illegal parties in Kensington and Chelsea, one of Britain’s wealthiest districts. Getty

London police clamp down on illegal parties in Kensington and Chelsea

Europe
Commercial flying accounts for about two per cent of global carbon emissions.. Courtesy: Boeing

All Boeing planes set to fly on 100% sustainable fuels by 2030

Aviation
Among 28 countries surveyed, deteriorating mental or physical health is most widely viewed as a personal threat in Turkey, according to an Ipsos survey. Photo: EPA

Health, jobs and environment rank as top personal worries, WEF survey finds

Technology

How the Mena region can shape the post-Covid-19 sustainability agenda

Mirek Dusek
Cemal Senturk, owner of Boncuk, outside of a medical care facility in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, Turkey, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Boncuk has spent five days waiting in front of the hospital where her sick owner was receiving treatment. Senturk was discharged from the hospital later on Wednesday and returned home with Boncuk.(DHA via AP)

Devoted dog wins hearts after spending days outside hospital waiting for owner
Dubai's Sustainability pavilion which features large “energy trees” in the shape of sunflowers also distribute power. These rotate throughout the day to track and store sunlight. Pawan Singh / The National

Dubai Expo 2020 site opens: Everything you need to know
Najibullah and his wife Khatima, who remains covered, sit with their children in the tent that is now their home in a camp for displaced families near Kandahar city in Afghanistan. Charlie Faulkner for The National

Afghans abandon homes and farms as they flee violence in Kandahar
The new Mercedes S-Class is offered in S450 4MATIC (Dh477,726) and S500 4MATIC (Dh498,542) models  

Road test: why the Mercedes S-Class is a tech-loaded glider

TOPSHOT - A picture taken on January 13, 2021 shows a view of Jumeirah Beach Residence, with Jumeirah Gate on the right, in Dubai. AFP

Dubai's Jumeirah Gate honoured in tall buildings awards
York Terrace West exterior. Courtesy Savills

Fancy living in Regent's Park? You can for $20.4m - in three adjacent apartments
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for a photo with family members at the Celebrating America concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, after his inauguration.. (Joshua Roberts/Pool photo via AP)

Who are America's First and Second families? Meet the Bidens and the Harrises
US President Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. AFP

Beyond the headlines: an unprecedented presidential handover

US NEWS

Donald Trump faces a Senate impeachment trial in February after being charged with inciting an insurrection. AFP

Trump Senate impeachment trial delayed until February

The Americas
US President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, January 22, 2021. CNP/Bloomberg

Biden restores order with call to Canada’s Trudeau

The Americas
Retired general Lloyd Austin says Iran has been a destabilising force in the Middle East. Reuters

Gen Lloyd Austin confirmed as first African-American US defence chief

The Americas
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday January 22, 2021. Bloomberg

Biden orders review of domestic extremism threat in US

The Americas

Coronavirus

Flights to Kuwait may be limited to carrying no more than 35 passengers from January 24 to February 6. Photo courtesy: Kuwait Airways

Kuwait restricts number of travellers to 1,000 per day

Travel
Emirates has released an update on the status of flights from Dubai to Denmark. AFP

UAE seeks clarity from Denmark over Dubai flights suspension

Transport
Studies show pregnant women are far more likely to be hospitalised with coronavirus than their peers. Getty.

At-risk pregnant women urged to consider vaccine because of increased Covid threat

Europe
FFP2 face masks come off the production line at Moldex-Metric in Germany. These are more effective than many cloth masks. AFP

Is it time to upgrade your cloth face mask?

World

World

People attend a rally in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow. Reuters

Alexei Navalny protests expand across Russia

Europe
More than 370 people were rescued in two days. Courtesy SOS Mediterranee

Pregnant woman emergency evacuated off migrant ship

Europe
Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh has been targeted in the past by missiles and armed drones launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Shuttershock

Saudi Arabia intercepts airborne attack at Riyadh

MENA
Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, pictured in 2013, has returned to prison after being released briefly for medical treatment. AFP

Nasrin Sotoudeh: prize-winning Iranian lawyer returned to jail

MENA

UAE

Union Bus Station, one of three new facilities opened by Dubai. Courtesy: Roads and Transport Authority

Dubai gets another three new bus stations

Transport

Coronavirus: UAE records new high of 3,566 cases

Health

UAE-funded project brings solar light to more than 20,000 people in Indonesia

Environment

Covid-19 rules in Dubai and Abu Dhabi this weekend: what you need to know

UAE

Business

Women walk on Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis. Tunisia's fiscal deficit is estimated to have widened to 11.5 per cent of GDP in 2020. Photo: EPA

IMF calls for reforms in Tunisia to reduce fiscal deficit

Economy

Telecom and retail businesses drive Reliance Industries’ profit higher

Markets

'Can my employer sack me for taking sick leave?'

Money

Improved oil prices and devaluation could help Iraq's financial stability, IIF says

Economy

My 2020 PODCAST

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
Sultan Al Qassemi. Image: The National

My 2020 Podcast: Sultan Al Qassemi

Podcasts
Melissa Fleming

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

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

My 2020 Podcast: Etihad's Tony Douglas

Podcasts

Exclusives

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor of Ireland at the UFC 257 press conference event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 21, 2021 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Courtesy DCT

Exclusive: McGregor promises performance 'like a Picasso painting' against Poirier

Sport
Islamic Relief Worldwide founder Hany El Banna called Yazidis devil-worshippers. Twitter

IRW forced to report after Muslim Brotherhood ties exposed

World
Kurdish-German psychologist Dr Jan Ilhan Kizilhan speaks to Yazidi refugees on the outskirts of the northern town of Khanke, Iraq. DPA

Yazidi campaigners call for suicide prevention plan after 11 found dead in 10 days

World
epa08931963 Robert Williams, 84, receives an injection of a Covid-19 vaccine at Robertson House in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Britain 11 January 2021. The UK government has announced that mass vaccination centres will start operating from 11 January in London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Surrey and Stevenage. EPA/JOE GIDDENS / POOL

Britain's virulent new Covid strain adds a third to vaccine herd immunity challenge

Europe

Opinion

The web has long been a source of radical material for isolated and impressionable people. Philip Cheung for The National

Another dangerous Covid-19 variant is spreading

How the Mena region can shape the post-Covid-19 sustainability agenda

Is Biden's environmental vision for America sustainable?

The thorn in the side of Biden's foreign policy team

‘Hope in hard times’ was central message of Biden inauguration

Lifestyle

The Maserati MC20 is fitted with an all-new 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, which cranks out 630hp and 730Nm. Photo: Gautam Sharma

Maserati unleashes million-dirham MC20 supercar in Dubai

Skating, wall-climbing, ping-pong: Abu Dhabi residents make the most of Al Fay Park

Organic fruit, veg, eggs and honey at Dubai's latest Saturday farmers' market

Who are America's First and Second families? Meet the Bidens and the Harrises

Road test: why the Mercedes S-Class is a tech-loaded glider

Arts & Culture

Christopher Nolan, one of the most important filmmakers in the Warner Bros stable, has come out strongly against the company’s decision to stream all of its films via HBO Max in 2021. AP

‘Tenet’ filmmaker Christopher Nolan not likely to work with Warner Bros again

‘Wuhan Days and Nights’: China premieres film a year after first Covid-19 lockdown

How the healing art of sudoku became a YouTube sensation

Tashkeel's Tanween programme tasks UAE designers with tackling world issues

UAE artist Farah Al Qasimi to exhibit at Rencontres d’Arles festival after award win

Podcasts

US President Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. AFP

Beyond the headlines: an unprecedented presidential handover

Dubai cancels surgery, Etihad resumes Doha flights - The Daily Update

Neom’s head of technology describes his vision for the future city: Business Extra

Etihad and Emirates sales, UAE to shut private maid agencies, 3,491 new cases - The Daily Update

Can Artificial Intelligence make us better investors? – Pocketful of Dirhams

Sport

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 23: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off on the 3rd hole during Day Three of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 23, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

McIlroy holds slender lead in Abu Dhabi as final round promises to be a classic

Golf

UFC 257: Conor McGregor promises: 'You're in for a treat'

Sport

UFC cuts Ottman Azaitar for violating Fight Island safety protocols

Sport

UFC 257: 'I’m the main event,' says Iraqi fighter Amir Albazi

Sport

Arteta disappointed by Arsenal after FA Cup defeat at Southampton

Football

LONG READS

Ahmed Malek in 'The Furnace', an Australian film directed by Roderick MacKay. Courtesy MAD solutions

Tracing the cameleers who brought Islam to Australia

Travel
Refugees walking into Hamdiyet. Credit : Hussein Saleh Ary

In the age of social distancing, Sudanese open their homes to Ethiopian refugees

MENA
©2021 Tom Nicholson. 12/01/2021. Beirut, Lebanon. Dr Ousaima Dbouni, an infectious disease specialist at the Rafic Hariri University Hospital in southern Beirut, Lebanon, poses for a portrait. The country will go into a more severe lockdown on Thursday to curb a widespread increase in cases of COVID-19 Coronavirus. Tom Nicholson for The National

Inside Lebanon's ICUs where just 20 per cent survive Covid-19

MiddleEastNorthAfrica
A minaret of the mosque in Agdam. Azerbaijan reclaimed the town from ethnic Armenians after almost 30 years during fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict last year, but it had been destroyed. Finbar Anderson / The National

From the ruins of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan begins the battle for peace

Europe

MONEY

Gautam Adani added $22.5bn to his net worth last year to become India’s second-richest man, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Photo: Getty Images

Billionaires: Gautam Adani will raise $2.5bn from a renewables deal with Total

'Can my employer sack me for taking sick leave?'

Business in England's Lockdown 3: 'I was always lucky but now my savings are gone'

Why delaying gratification is key to achieving your money goals

Money & Me: ‘There are more important things in life than money’

Travel

Flights to Kuwait may be limited to carrying no more than 35 passengers from January 24 to February 6. Photo courtesy: Kuwait Airways

Kuwait restricts number of travellers to 1,000 per day

Maldives is the most popular travel hotspot for Emiratis

British Airways sells luggage made with parts of retired Boeing 747s

Travellers with Covid-19 vaccine won't have to quarantine in the Seychelles

How the cost of Covid-19 testing varies around the world

Technology

Among 28 countries surveyed, deteriorating mental or physical health is most widely viewed as a personal threat in Turkey, according to an Ipsos survey. Photo: EPA

Health, jobs and environment rank as top personal worries, WEF survey finds

SpaceX looks to explore below ground as it plans to dig for gas in Texas

Samsung plans $10bn chip plant in US

Elon Musk plans to offer $100m prize for best carbon capture technology

Google parent Alphabet shutting down its internet balloon business

Motoring

The Maserati MC20 is fitted with an all-new 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, which cranks out 630hp and 730Nm. Photo: Gautam Sharma

Maserati unleashes million-dirham MC20 supercar in Dubai

Road test: why the Mercedes S-Class is a tech-loaded glider

Inside the new Mercedes S-Class: 'luxo-barge' unveiled in Abu Dhabi

All revved up: Classic cars congregate at Hatta Wadi Hub after parade

Midas touch: Lexus launches limited-edition golden LX570 in the UAE
Cemal Senturk, owner of Boncuk, outside of a medical care facility in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, Turkey, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Boncuk has spent five days waiting in front of the hospital where her sick owner was receiving treatment. Senturk was discharged from the hospital later on Wednesday and returned home with Boncuk.(DHA via AP)

Devoted dog wins hearts after spending days outside hospital waiting for owner
Dubai's Sustainability pavilion which features large “energy trees” in the shape of sunflowers also distribute power. These rotate throughout the day to track and store sunlight. Pawan Singh / The National

Dubai Expo 2020 site opens: Everything you need to know
Najibullah and his wife Khatima, who remains covered, sit with their children in the tent that is now their home in a camp for displaced families near Kandahar city in Afghanistan. Charlie Faulkner for The National

Afghans abandon homes and farms as they flee violence in Kandahar
The new Mercedes S-Class is offered in S450 4MATIC (Dh477,726) and S500 4MATIC (Dh498,542) models  

Road test: why the Mercedes S-Class is a tech-loaded glider

TOPSHOT - A picture taken on January 13, 2021 shows a view of Jumeirah Beach Residence, with Jumeirah Gate on the right, in Dubai. AFP

Dubai's Jumeirah Gate honoured in tall buildings awards
York Terrace West exterior. Courtesy Savills

Fancy living in Regent's Park? You can for $20.4m - in three adjacent apartments
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for a photo with family members at the Celebrating America concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, after his inauguration.. (Joshua Roberts/Pool photo via AP)

Who are America's First and Second families? Meet the Bidens and the Harrises
US President Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. AFP

Beyond the headlines: an unprecedented presidential handover