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Abu Dhabi, UAEMonday 25 January 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke of the need for closer global ties during his World Economic Forum virtual address. EPA.

Xi denounces ‘Cold War mentality’ and urges closer global ties in Covid fight
Iraqi Shiite fighters from the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah Brigades march during a military parade in Baghdad. AFP

Iraqi group claiming to be new militia says it was behind attack on Riyadh

World
Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her bid for Arkansas governor on January 25. EPA

Trumpism tested as Sarah Huckabee Sanders runs for Arkansas governor

The Americas
A person wearing a protective face covering walks their dog in Battersea Park in London. Scientists have suggested pets may need to be vaccinated against Covid. AFP

Pets may need Covid vaccine to prevent further spread

World
EDITOR'S PICKS
Khaled Al Zaabi, chief commercial officer of Nimr, with one of the armoured military vehicles produced in-house. Victor Besa / The National 

Inside Nimr, the armoured vehicle company on a mission to bring soldiers home safe

UAE Government
epa08963884 (FILE) - Chelsea's manager Frank Lampard greets fans during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea FC and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge in London, Britain, 09 November 2019 (reissued on 25 January 2021). On 25 January 2021 Chelsea announced the decision to sack Frank Lampard, who was appointed as manager on 04 July 2019. EPA/NEIL HALL EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications *** Local Caption *** 55613484

Lampard's undignified departure from Chelsea comes as no surprise

Football
Nigerian MI-35 helicopters. Courtesy Nigerian Air Force

Nigerian army makes fragile gains against Boko Haram

Africa

Is the UK really about to become a 'failed state'?

Gavin Esler
Chelsea's Timo Werner with team-mate Olivier Giroud. PA

How much do the Chelsea stars earn? Weekly salaries, in pictures
The advanced genetics lab aims to capture the genetic makeup of the entire Emirati population in only a few short months. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohamed Al Hamed, chairman of the Department Health, was the first to participate in the Emirati Genome Programme. Courtesy: Department of Health

Abu Dhabi launches region's largest genetics lab
The E3 said the proliferation and the use of missiles and drones undermine the security and stability of the region. Shuttershock

Saudi Arabia's sovereign fund to boost assets under five-year strategy to $1.07tn
KhalifaSat captures Jebel Jais from space. Courtesy MBR Space Centre

KhalifaSat captures UAE's highest mountain from space
In some of Dubai's quieter streets. All photos courtesy Volkswagen Middle East

Enter the Volkswagen T-Roc: New baby SUV set for Middle East launch
The skate area at Al Fay Park on Abu Dhabi's Reem Island, with Gate Towers visible in the background. Victor Besa / The National

Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah among world’s 10 safest cities for 2021
A medic holds up a vaccine vial at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Sinopharm vaccine, Abu Dhabi the safest city, 3,579 new cases - The Daily Update
People go sledging in the snow on Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath in London. Getty Images

Met Office issues ice warning after UK snowfall

Davos 2021

The Congress Centre, the venue for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, normally held in January in Davos, Switzerland. This year, because of the pandemic, the meeting has been pushed to a later date and an online gathering is taking place this week. Image: Bloomberg

Watch: Davos 2021 on the future of work for women

Business

Dubai Cares chief says global community must act to safeguard children’s education

Education

Oxfam at Davos: Pandemic wealth uplift for 10 richest men could 'vaccinate everyone'

Europe

Upskilling of workforce may add $6.5tn to global GDP by 2030, WEF says

Economy

US NEWS

President Joe Biden waves after attending Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown, Washington. Patrick Semansky / AP

Joe Biden pushes ahead with new Covid-19 plan

World

The 35-minute phone call that revitalised the UK-US alliance

Europe

Report: Israel approves use of Iron Dome at US bases in region

GCC

Joe Biden to make climate change a national security priority

World

Coronavirus

An employee handles vials of Covishield, the local name for the Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, on the production of line at the Serum Institute of India plant in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Bloomberg

Bahrain approves Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

GCC
Crank cycling studio has removed some of the bikes to comply with tougher rules on social distancing. Antonie Robertson / The National

Dubai gyms reduce class sizes and insist on masks in bid to stay open

Health
A person wearing a protective face covering walks their dog in Battersea Park in London. Scientists have suggested pets may need to be vaccinated against Covid. AFP

Pets may need Covid vaccine to prevent further spread

Europe
Israeli police officers stand guard next to burning rubbish during clashes with ultra-Orthodox Jews in Bnei Brak on January 24, 2021. AP Photo

Israel: clashes and arrests as ultra-Orthodox defy lockdown

MENA

World

Turkey angered Greece when it sent the Oruc Reiss research vessel to conduct exploratory activities off the coast of the Greek Island of Kastellorizo. Reuters

Greece and Turkey resume talks over eastern Mediterranean after five years

Europe
Rescue workers race to free miners trapped inside a gold mine in Shandong province, China. AFP 

Nine trapped Chinese miners confirmed dead, one still missing

World
Kylie Moore-Gilbert at Hamad International Airport, Qatar, before flying to Australia after her release after more than two years in an Iranian jail. Twitter/ @FreeKylieMG

Freed Australian-British academic highlights plight of western prisoners in Iran

Europe
Women gather at Tahrir Square, Cairo, on February 18, 2011 during celebrations to mark one week since Egypt’s long-time president Hosni Mubarak was forced from office by mass protests. AFP

How social media is being used to fight sexual predators in Egypt

MENA

UAE

Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, says water security is important for the UAE. Courtesy: MoCCAE

Cloud seeding could help stave off looming water crisis, says UAE minister

UAE

Dubai Police use 'brain fingerprint' technology to help snare criminals

Courts

Stranded tanker caught up in financial row runs aground on UAE coast

Transport

UAE helps Jordan set up Covid-19 field hospital with more than 200 beds

UAE Government

Business

The Congress Centre, the venue for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, normally held in January in Davos, Switzerland. This year, because of the pandemic, the meeting has been pushed to a later date and an online gathering is taking place this week. Image: Bloomberg

Watch: Davos 2021 on the future of work for women

Business

Recovery in global labour market to be slow and uneven in 2021, ILO says

Economy

DP World signs 20-year concession deal to operate Port of Luanda in Angola

Economy

Digital wallet spending to grow to more than $10tn in 2025

Technology

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

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
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, January 5, 2021. Interview with Dr Nawal Ahmed Mohamed Al Kaabi, right, Principle Investigator of phase III clinical trial Sheikh Khalifa Medical City CMO and Chairperson of the National COVID-19 Clinical Management Committee and Dr Walid Zaher, Chief Research Officer and Vaccine Project Leader, G42 Healthcare. Victor Besa/The National Section: NA Journalist: Shireena Al Nowais

UAE secures deal to manufacture Sinopharm vaccine ahead of major inoculation push

Health

Opinion

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to US President Joe Biden from London on January 23. Downing Street handout via Reuters

Is the UK really about to become a 'failed state'?

Larry King Live – a show everyone wanted to watch and be on

Biden's uphill battle for Palestine starts in East Jerusalem

Tunisia's youth see their prospects wither away

Turkey is fighting its own war on Big Tech

Lifestyle

Uber is offering up to Dh20 off journeys to vaccine centres in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Uber 

Uber to offer discounted journeys to Covid-19 vaccine centres across the UAE

'Lifelong love became official': Bollywood star Varun Dhawan shares wedding photos

Postponed until 'happier times': Georges Hobeika withdraws from Couture Week

Dubai restaurants offering discounts to customers who have had Covid-19 vaccine

'Going back to India healed me': Priyanka Chopra opens up about being bullied

Arts & Culture

Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi has penned many odes to countries in the region. Courtesy Pepsi

Iraq to Kuwait: 5 of Hussain Al Jassmi's best odes to countries in the region

Bhanu Kapil wins prestigious TS Eliot Prize for 'radical' poetry

Meme power: Why Bernie Sanders and his mittens have brought us all together

A live-streamed Glastonbury Festival could take place this summer

Mohamed Mounir's new track is an ode to Egypt's police officers

Podcasts

A medic holds up a vaccine vial at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Sinopharm vaccine, Abu Dhabi the safest city, 3,579 new cases - The Daily Update

Pfizer vaccine rescheduled, vaccinated people can still spread virus, 3,566 cases - The Daily Update

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

Sport

Frank Lampard oversaw Sunday's FA Cup win over Championship side Luton Town. Reuters

Lampard sacked with Tuchel favourite to be new Chelsea manager

Football

Exclusive: Morikawa on adjusting to the life, and jet lag, of an elite golfer

Golf

India next for Root after England complete Sri Lanka Test series sweep

Cricket

Hit or miss - assessing Frank Lampard's Chelsea signings

Football

Tyrrell Hatton wins Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in style

Golf

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

The Federal Reserve building in Washington, D.C. The Fed is not likely to act preemptively to rein in price pressures, instead allowing inflation to overshoot as it continues with quantitative easing and to monetise the Treasury’s debt. Photo: Bloomberg

Market focus moves on from Biden handover to challenge of passing stimulus bill

Is it time to go big on smaller companies?

UAE-Israel consortium appoints Moelis & Company to advise on Finablr restructuring

Cryptocurrencies could replace gold as a store of value, Bank of Singapore says

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

Travel

Uber is offering up to Dh20 off journeys to vaccine centres in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Uber 

Uber to offer discounted journeys to Covid-19 vaccine centres across the UAE

Flydubai launches affordable flights to Italy, Malta and Austria

Burns Night: How to celebrate Scotland’s most famous bard in 2021

Emirates resumes flights to Australia with fewer passengers

Kuwait restricts number of travellers to 1,000 per day

Technology

The pandemic has accelerated existing trends in the payments industry, including shifts towards touchless payments, instant payments and cash displacement. Getty

Digital wallet spending to grow to more than $10tn in 2025

Saudi Arabia's start-ups receive record $152m funding in 2020

Android phones lose value twice as fast as iPhones, report finds

UAE cyber security start-up spiderSilk raises $2.25m

Iata’s Travel Pass to rely on blockchain to secure users’ data

Motoring

In some of Dubai's quieter streets. All photos courtesy Volkswagen Middle East

Enter the Volkswagen T-Roc: New baby SUV set for Middle East launch

Women's World Car of the Year awards: the cars women want to drive

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
Chelsea's Timo Werner with team-mate Olivier Giroud. PA

How much do the Chelsea stars earn? Weekly salaries, in pictures
The advanced genetics lab aims to capture the genetic makeup of the entire Emirati population in only a few short months. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohamed Al Hamed, chairman of the Department Health, was the first to participate in the Emirati Genome Programme. Courtesy: Department of Health

Abu Dhabi launches region's largest genetics lab
The E3 said the proliferation and the use of missiles and drones undermine the security and stability of the region. Shuttershock

Saudi Arabia's sovereign fund to boost assets under five-year strategy to $1.07tn
KhalifaSat captures Jebel Jais from space. Courtesy MBR Space Centre

KhalifaSat captures UAE's highest mountain from space
In some of Dubai's quieter streets. All photos courtesy Volkswagen Middle East

Enter the Volkswagen T-Roc: New baby SUV set for Middle East launch
The skate area at Al Fay Park on Abu Dhabi's Reem Island, with Gate Towers visible in the background. Victor Besa / The National

Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah among world’s 10 safest cities for 2021
A medic holds up a vaccine vial at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Sinopharm vaccine, Abu Dhabi the safest city, 3,579 new cases - The Daily Update
People go sledging in the snow on Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath in London. Getty Images

Met Office issues ice warning after UK snowfall