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Abu Dhabi, UAETuesday 18 May 2021

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Biden expresses support for ceasefire in Gaza as offensive enters second week
A health worker checks a man's temperature before he receives a dose of vaccine. AFP

UAE reports 1,270 new cases from 202,184 tests

World
Charbel Wehbe, Lebanon's caretaker foreign minister. Reuters

Lebanon wants good ties with Gulf after FM's controversial remarks, says Aoun

Lebanon
An anti-Olympics group member gestures as he holds a sign during a protest march, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan May 17, 2021. Reuters

Tokyo doctors call for cancellation of Olympics due to Covid-19

Sport
EDITOR'S PICKS
The UAE ranked 18th out of 59 destinations in the world for expatriates to work and live abroad, according to a survey from global network InterNations. Getty Images

UAE ranks as the 18th best expat destination to live and work

Money
Doug Beattie at Stormont, Belfast, after becoming the new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. Getty Images

Decorated Iraq soldier's formidable challenge as new leader of Northern Ireland's UUP

Europe
There are a number of risks for retail investors to consider before adding Bitcoin to their portfolios. Bloomberg

Here's the top 9 risks you need to know before investing in Bitcoin

Money
Saudi travellers line up to cross into Bahrain at a border checkpoint on the King Fahd Causeway. AFP

Hotel reservations in Bahrain fall 30% after Saudi Arabia changes travel guidelines

Gulf

'Managing' the crisis in Palestine-Israel is making it impossible to solve

Mina Al-Oraibi
Winds and heavy rain knock down a metal wall due to Cyclone Tauktae in Wadala East, Mumbai, India May 17, 2021 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Courtesy PRANJITA BARMAN/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

Indian navy scrambles to save vessels cast adrift by Cyclone Tauktae
Saudi passengers enter King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Vaccinated Saudis will be allowed to leave the kingdom for the first time in more than a year as the country eases a ban on international travel. Amr Nabil / AP Photo

Saudis fly abroad as travel restrictions ease - in pictures
Soccer Football - Premier League - Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur - Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - May 8, 2021 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane Pool via REUTERS/Oli Scarff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Five potential destinations for Tottenham striker Harry Kane
Experts say there are a few red flags to help you recognise that your partner might be keeping money secrets from you. Getty Images

Are you guilty of committing financial infidelity? – Pocketful of Dirhams
People enjoy the mild weather along Dubai Creek. Reem Mohammed / The National

Dubai Covid rules overhaul, Sharjah drugs bust, lowest UAE cases this year - The Daily Update
Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey's 'The Me You Can’t See', a series about mental health issues, will feature celebrities including Lady Gaga and Glenn Close. AP

'The Me You Can't See': trailer drops for Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey's new show
Scientists have discovered that plutonium may have also been produced from the collision of neutron stars. Courtesy: Nasa 

Plutonium discovered deep in the Pacific Ocean 'fell from space'
From left to right, Miss Singapore Bernadette Belle Ong, Miss Philippines Rabiya Mateo and former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Tebow from South Africa, who was the analyst and commentator at the 2020 pageant. Instagram 

Miss Universe 2020: the stories behind some of the gowns at this year's pageant
PALESTINE-ISRAEL CRISIS
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, reaffirmed the strength of relations between the UAE and US in his discussions with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Wam    

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and US Secretary of State Blinken discuss developments in Israel and Palestine

UAE Government
A patrol unit of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is stationed in the southernmost Lebanese town of Naqura by the border with Israel, on May 4, 2021. AFP Photo

Calm restored to southern Lebanon after firing of rockets towards Israel

MENA
Tens of thousands of Gazans have been displaced by the war. AFP

Aid agencies push for Gaza humanitarian corridor amid shortages

MENA
Ambulances evacuating injured Palestinians to Egypt for treatment arrive at the Rafah border crossing with the neighbouring country, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP 

Gaza gets food and medical aid lifeline from Egypt through Rafah crossing

MENA
Coronavirus
Bars and nightclubs will be allowed to open for vaccinated patrons in Dubai for a one month trial. Nina Westervelt / Bloomberg

Dubai to allow nightclubs to open for vaccinated revellers - but no dancing yet

Health

Coronavirus: UAE schools prepare to vaccinate pupils aged 12 to 15

Education

Italy drops quarantine requirement for some UAE travellers

Transport

Tokyo doctors call for cancellation of Olympics due to Covid-19

Sport
Arabian Travel Market
Haitham Assem, head of marketing at Millennium Hotels, at Arabian Travel Market. Antonie Robertson / The National. Reporter: Sarmad Khan for National.

Millennium Hotels plans to double its Middle East portfolio to 100 properties by 2025

Travel and Tourism

Saudi Arabia's Red Sea project to award contracts worth 20bn riyals over 2 years, CEO says

Travel and Tourism

Emirates airline hopeful of a travel revival as more markets reopen, chairman says

Aviation

Dubai hotels must meet sustainable goals by July 1, says authority

Travel
World
A mourner holds up a poster showing assassinated Iraqi anti-government activist Ihab Al Wazni during his funeral at the Imam Hussein Shrine in the central holy shrine city of Karbala on May 9, 2021. AFP

Little hope of Iraq bringing activists' killers to justice, human rights group says

Iraq
Mehran Raoof has been held at Evin Prison in Tehran since October 2020. Supplied/Alamy

British-Iranian labour activist faces minimum 10-year jail term after arrest in Iran

Europe
A Border Force boat carrying migrants arrives at Dover harbour in England. Reuters 

UN urges UK to help migrants trace loved ones who have died crossing the channel

World
British Forces in 2003 near Basra, Iraq where more than 3,500 were falsely accused of war crimes, with a handful now suing the Ministry of Defence. Getty Images.  

British troops suing MoD over false claims of killing and torture in Iraq

Europe
UAE
Imad Hammad, founder of CarSwitch.com. A company experiment showed that whiter cars were cooler than darker ones. Pawan Singh / The National 

Can the colour of your motor make the UAE summer feel even hotter?

Transport

Emirates airline cancels Mumbai flights after Tauktae cyclone makes landfall

Transport

Dubai Culture marks International Museum Day with free entry to museums

Art

Dubai hotels and restaurants predict summer boom as safety rules ease

UAE
Business
The UAE ranked 18th out of 59 destinations in the world for expatriates to work and live abroad, according to a survey from global network InterNations. Getty Images

UAE ranks as the 18th best expat destination to live and work

Money

Abu Dhabi Ship Building secures Dh3.5bn contract to build patrol vessels for UAE Navy

Economy

British pound soars to three-month high after unemployment rate dips to 4.8%

Economy

Millennium Hotels plans to double its Middle East portfolio to 100 properties by 2025

Travel and Tourism
Exclusives
Maj Gen Dr Obaid Al Ketbi and one of his many favorite collections, A hand crafted and painted chess set given to him by a Russian businessman. The museum is located at his residence at Al Seef Village, Abu Dhabi. The National staff got an exclusive tour on May 3, 2021. Victor Besa / The National. 

Inside an Emirati general's fascinating private museum

Heritage
Dezful and Zolfagar missiles are pictured during a rally in Tehran. Getty Images

Iran's seven mountainside missile silos discovered in new satellite imagery

Asia
Prof Hassan Arafat is a renowned expert in water technology and desalinisation, with a focus on food security. Victor Besa / The National

Abu Dhabi professor tells of pride at receiving UAE citizenship under new scheme

UAE Government
Many visitors to Bahrain come in via the King Fahd Causeway. Reuters

Bahrain prepares for tourism return with Saudi Arabia to open causeway and flights

Gulf
Opinion
Charbel Wehbe, Lebanon's caretaker foreign minister, has made rather undiplomatic remarks in a TV interview. Reuters

Lebanon's caretaker foreign minister ought to take a little more care

'Managing' the crisis in Palestine-Israel is making it impossible to solve

How Louvre Abu Dhabi is looking at the future

Gulf states are all set to fasten their seatbelts

Erdogan's unprincipled stand for Palestine
Lifestyle
The liquid is then carefully placed at the inverted side of the concave plate ensuring it doesn’t flow away.

How the art of hand-making organic kohl is dying out in India

Who is Dalton Gomez? Meet Ariana Grande's new husband

Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard, says UN

Disneyland Paris to reopen in June as Covid-19 curbs ease

Miss Universe 2020: the stories behind some of the gowns at this year's pageant
Arts & Culture
L-R: Director Len Prasad on set with actor and pop-star Mohamed Ramadan on set of new music video 'Versace Baby' Len Prasad.

Why Mohamed Ramadan's ‘Versace Baby’ video was a triumph

Kuwaiti and Korean stars collaborate on new K-pop tune for Spotify

Dubai Culture marks International Museum Day with free entry to museums

Gigi Hadid, Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon speak out in solidarity with Palestine

MTV Movie & TV Awards: Unscripted – RuPaul and 'Jersey Shore' win at inaugural ceremony
Podcasts
People enjoy the mild weather along Dubai Creek. Reem Mohammed / The National

Dubai Covid rules overhaul, Sharjah drugs bust, lowest UAE cases this year - The Daily Update

Are you guilty of committing financial infidelity? – Pocketful of Dirhams

Abu Dhabi quarantine free, UAE vaccination drive in Iraq and Jordan, 1,251 new cases - The Daily Update

Greece opens, Philippines flights from UAE, 1,321 new cases - The Daily Update

Beyond the Headlines: What Mars missions mean for humanity
Sport
Multan Sultans' Mohammad Rizwan (L) plays a shot during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20 cricket match between Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans at the National Stadium in Karachi on March 3, 2021. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP)

PCB wait on final approval to hold PSL 2021 matches in UAE

Cricket

Season finale holds no fears for Chelsea manager Tuchel

Football

Fury v Joshua: Unification bout in doubt after judge orders Wilder trilogy

Sport

European football set for shakedown as big clubs face season away from spotlight

Football

Eric Cantona inducted into Premier League Hall of Fame

Football
LONG READS
Sudanese women march in Khartoum to mark International Day for Eliminating Violence against Women, in 2019.  AFP

Sudan's women flogged in public by young men 'inspired by’ violent social media campaign

MENA
Lebanese trap shooter Ray Bassil is pictured during a training session for this summer's Olympics in her underground parking in Sahel Alma near the coastal city of Jounieh, north of the capital Beirut, on February 5, 2021. - Determined to stay fit despite the coronavirus pandemic, the 32-year-old turned the parking spaces under her apartment block into a virtual firing range, all without shooting a single round. Bassil herself had fallen ill from Covid-19, but sprang back into training despite the round-the-clock curfew. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP)

Olympic Dreams: Lebanese shooter targets medal success and lifting a nation

Sport
Members of the Mesopotamia Commission, set up to discuss the future of Mesopotamia at the Cairo Conference, in 1921. Pictured are Gertrude Bell (second from left, second row), T E Lawrence (fourth from the right, second row), Winston Churchill (centre, front row), and Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel (left of Churchill). Getty

How Churchill’s ‘40 thieves’ carved out the modern Middle East

Egypt
Scholemoor Cemetery in Bradford, northern England, has struggled to cope with an increase in burials during the pandemic. Getty

UK city blighted by Covid fights back

World
MONEY
The UAE ranked 18th out of 59 destinations in the world for expatriates to work and live abroad, according to a survey from global network InterNations. Getty Images

UAE ranks as the 18th best expat destination to live and work

Here's the top 9 risks you need to know before investing in Bitcoin

Are you guilty of committing financial infidelity? – Pocketful of Dirhams

Is now the time to buy gold?

How can you pick the right credit card?
Travel
Hong Kong, pictured, and Singapore have delayed plans to launch a long-awaited travel bubble between the two cities. AFP

Hong Kong and Singapore travel bubble postponed for second time

Disneyland Paris to reopen in June as Covid-19 curbs ease

Dubai hotels must meet sustainable goals by July 1, says authority

Erth: Abu Dhabi Armed Forces Officers Club is rebranding as an Emirati resort

Emirates airline hopeful of a travel revival as more markets reopen, chairman says
Technology
Homzmart’s co-founders Ibrahim Mohamed, left, and Mahmoud Ibrahim. The company's sales grew by more than 30 times in the past one year. Courtesy Homzmart

Egypt-based Homzmart raises $15m amid expansion push

Saudi Arabia's sovereign fund US stocks holdings increased 21% in the first quarter

Ireland condemns 'criminal act' against the sick after second cyber attack

Bitcoin recovers from three-month low as Musk says Tesla won't sell

Dubai’s Seed Group to roll out the GCC’s first digital vehicle licence plates
Motoring
Battery power aside, the all-wheel drive Volvo Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) XC90 T8 SUV has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo and supercharged engine, which takes it from 0-100 in 5.8 seconds

Volvo's new XC90 T8 Hybrid is quick, comfortable and gets the job done

Road test: the Kia Sorento EX is safe, comfy and sporty for city driving

'SNL' host Elon Musk takes a Saturday off from Tesla's troubles

Road test: why the Hyundai Veloster N needs an open road to prove its worth

Lotus rebirth: British-born sports car brand is about to reinvent itself
Winds and heavy rain knock down a metal wall due to Cyclone Tauktae in Wadala East, Mumbai, India May 17, 2021 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Courtesy PRANJITA BARMAN/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

Indian navy scrambles to save vessels cast adrift by Cyclone Tauktae
Saudi passengers enter King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Vaccinated Saudis will be allowed to leave the kingdom for the first time in more than a year as the country eases a ban on international travel. Amr Nabil / AP Photo

Saudis fly abroad as travel restrictions ease - in pictures
Soccer Football - Premier League - Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur - Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - May 8, 2021 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane Pool via REUTERS/Oli Scarff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Five potential destinations for Tottenham striker Harry Kane
Experts say there are a few red flags to help you recognise that your partner might be keeping money secrets from you. Getty Images

Are you guilty of committing financial infidelity? – Pocketful of Dirhams
People enjoy the mild weather along Dubai Creek. Reem Mohammed / The National

Dubai Covid rules overhaul, Sharjah drugs bust, lowest UAE cases this year - The Daily Update
Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey's 'The Me You Can’t See', a series about mental health issues, will feature celebrities including Lady Gaga and Glenn Close. AP

'The Me You Can't See': trailer drops for Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey's new show
Scientists have discovered that plutonium may have also been produced from the collision of neutron stars. Courtesy: Nasa 

Plutonium discovered deep in the Pacific Ocean 'fell from space'
From left to right, Miss Singapore Bernadette Belle Ong, Miss Philippines Rabiya Mateo and former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Tebow from South Africa, who was the analyst and commentator at the 2020 pageant. Instagram 

Miss Universe 2020: the stories behind some of the gowns at this year's pageant