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Abu Dhabi, UAEThursday 25 February 2021

The UAE's diplomatic adviser to the president, Anwar Gargash, is seen during meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 29, 2019. REUTERS

Anwar Gargash: Biden administration is right in prioritising diplomacy with Iran
epa09035514 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (C) greets people while walking with his supporters on the streets in downtown of Yerevan, Armenia, 25 February 2021. Pashinyan called on his followers to rally in central Yerevan to support him after he denounced a military coup against him following the army's demanding of his resignation. Pashinyan faced protests with calls to resign after the handling of a six-week conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenian forces over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. EPA/HAYK BAGHDASARYAN/PHOTOLURE MANDATORY CREDIT

Armenian military staging ‘coup’, says prime minister

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

Iraq: senior cleric tests positive for coronavirus

Iraq

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

Transport

Egypt supports Sudan's international arbitration proposal in dam dispute

MENA

Boris Johnson’s challenge: turn Global Britain slogan into economic reality

Economy
IN DEPTH
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass and radiology professor Sahar Saleem have used CT scans on dozens of mummies as part of the Egyptian Mummy Project. Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/Reuters

Mummy CT scan reveals details of Egyptian king’s violent death

Egypt
The successful landing of the Perseverance could answer the age-old question of whether life ever existed on the red planet. AFP

How to watch Nasa’s Perseverance rover touch down on Mars

World
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir will meet with both leaders. Reuters 

Collective call for South Sudan's politicians to prioritise peace as tensions mount

World
North Korea is suspected of trying to hack the creator of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine despite its boast that it has no cases. AFP

North Korea attempts Pfizer hack to steal vaccine technology

Asia
The late Nelson Mandela with Christo Brand at his home in Bishopscourt in Cape Town. Courtesy Christo Brand

Mandela: Robben Island prison guard reflects on a lifelong friendship

Africa
Large streams of red hot lava shoot into the night sky as Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, continues to erupt, as seen from the village of Fornazzo, Italy February 23, 2021. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY REFILE - CORRECTING ACTION

Eight of the best photos from around the world today
The surface of Mars directly below NASA's Mars Perseverance rover is seen using the Rover Down-Look Camera in an image acquired February 22, 2021. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout via REUTERS MANDATORY CREDIT. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

10 of the best photos from around the world today
Visitors view water flowing around ice at the American Falls due to cold temperatures in Niagara Falls, New York, U.S., February 21, 2021. REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario

Nine of the best photos from around the world today
Protesters march with a giant banner with images of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi during an anti-coup protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021. Police in Myanmar shot dead a few anti-coup protesters and injured several others on Saturday, as security forces increased pressure on popular revolt against the military takeover. (AP Photo)

Nine of the best photos from around the world today
A dog with blue fur is pictured inside a cage at a veterinary hospital where it was taken for examination, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia February 16, 2021. A pack of stray dogs with blue fur was found earlier this month near an abandoned chemical plant in the city of Dzerzhinsk. REUTERS/Anastasia Makarycheva TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Best pictures from around the world today
TOPSHOT - A woman reacts at the Maidan activists memorial also called the "Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred", referring to the people killed during the anti-government demonstration of 2014, in Kiev on February 18, 2021. Ukraine marks the seventh anniversary of the bloody end of the revolution that ousted Russian-backed president Viktor Yanukovych and in which nearly 100 people were killed, most of them between February 18 and February 20, 2014. / AFP / GENYA SAVILOV

10 of the best pictures from around the world today
epa09020413 Fire during riots to condemn the imprisonment of Spanish rapper Pau Rivadulla Duro A.K.A 'Pablo Hasel', in Barcelona, Spain, 17 February 2021. Hasel was given a nine-month-prison sentence late January after the Supreme Court found him guilty of incitement to terrorism and offense against the dignity of the Spanish Crown and State institutions on his lyrics. EPA/Enric Fontcuberta

9 of the best pictures from around the world today
A view from the roof of the cathedral. ABC News

New pictures reveal Notre Dame cathedral rebuild after major fire
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
Coronavirus Explained
A woman is vaccinated at a London mosque. AP

Covid-19 vaccine will not break Ramadan fast

Europe
A Saudi physician prepares to inject thePfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a coronavirus vaccination centre at Jeddah's old airport. AP

Doctors answer your questions about Covid-19 vaccine in UAE

Health
Dr Hind Al Awadhi, head of health promotion and education at Dubai Health Authority, has outlined isolation rules for people who have either tested positive for Covid-19 or are awaiting a result. Pawan Singh / The National

How to protect yourself and others after contracting Covid-19

Health
A woman wearing two face masks for extra protection against Covid-19 waits at a traffic light in Hanoi, a day after Vietnam recorded its first coronavirus outbreak in almost two months. AFP

Covid-19: are two masks better than one? And what about three?

Health
Gulf
Bahrain is planning a 109km rail network, similar to the high-speed driverless Metro system that launched in Dubai in 2009. Chris Whiteoak / The National 

Bahrain seeks bidders for multi-billion dollar rail network

Former UK prime minister Sir John Major congratulates Kuwait on National Day

Watch: Saudi Crown Prince leaves hospital after successful surgery

Houthis anger world by ‘shifting goalposts’ on tanker salvage mission, says UN

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

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

Iran arrested French tourist nine months ago, says lawyer

Egypt supports Sudan's international arbitration proposal in dam dispute

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

Bahrain seeks bidders for multi-billion dollar rail network
ASIA
Two-thirds of the world’s poorest countries reduced their first post-Covid education budget. EPA

Unicef launches learning passport as Covid threatens education of 20 million girls

Global military spending grows as US dominance is ‘being challenged’ by China

Diamond tycoon Nirav Modi loses extradition fight

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

Apple partner Foxconn teams up with Fisker to make electric cars
AFRICA
Two-thirds of the world’s poorest countries reduced their first post-Covid education budget. EPA

Unicef launches learning passport as Covid threatens education of 20 million girls

Egypt supports Sudan's international arbitration proposal in dam dispute

US Navy ship docks in Sudan to strengthen military ties

Ghana receives world's first doses of free Covax vaccines

Body of Italian ambassador killed in Congo returned to Rome
EUROPE
Two-thirds of the world’s poorest countries reduced their first post-Covid education budget. EPA

Unicef launches learning passport as Covid threatens education of 20 million girls

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

UK's Bluewater bomb plot terrorist allegedly behind prison radicalisations

Global military spending grows as US dominance is ‘being challenged’ by China

Power struggle at top of Scottish politics as former leader turns on his former protege
THE AMERICAS
Two-thirds of the world’s poorest countries reduced their first post-Covid education budget. EPA

Unicef launches learning passport as Covid threatens education of 20 million girls

Anwar Gargash: Biden administration is right in prioritising diplomacy with Iran

UK Budget 2021: Rishi Sunak set to raise corporation tax in line with US plan

Watch: Hundreds of dolphins race a boat in California

US patience with Iran on nuclear talks 'not unlimited'

OCEANIA
This recent undated handout photo received from Edgar's Mission on February 25, 2021 shows "Baarack", a wild sheep who was found wandering the wilderness of the Australian bush with a huge 35-kilogram (77 lbs.) coat after an estimated five years of unchecked growth, at Edgar's Mission Farm Sanctuary in Lancefield, Victoria state. -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Edgar’s Mission" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / AFP / Edgar’s Mission / Handout / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Edgar’s Mission" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Watch: sheep as new fleece of life after 35kg coat is sheared

Australia passes law forcing Facebook and Google to pay for news

Facebook lifts blackout on Australian news after reaching government deal

Kangaroo painting identified as oldest known rock art in Australia

New Zealand remembers 185 who died in Christchurch earthquake on 10th anniversary of disaster
COMMENT
US President Joe Biden’s early efforts to resurrect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are getting a chilly early response from Tehran. Sepahnews via AP

Iran's brinksmanship before nuclear talks risks alienating Europe

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

How the UAE became a centre for international business

Don't leave Syrian refugees behind in the vaccination drive

Successes of Abu Dhabi's Idex are a boost for global security ties
BREXIT
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Reuters

Boris Johnson’s challenge: turn Global Britain slogan into economic reality

Designer Erdem Moralioglu says Brexit has cost UK industry dear

UK accepts EU request for more time to scrutinise Brexit deal

UK’s shellfish fishermen fear losing their homes over post-Brexit export ban

Heathrow appeals tax-free shopping ban in UK
Beyond the Headlines
Thousands of Indian farmers on Tuesday escalated protests to revoke controversial new agricultural laws, clashing with police and storming key landmarks in the capital to pressure Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bloomberg

Beyond The Headlines: Why are Indian farmers protesting?
The Ras Ghanada coral reef off the coast of Abu Dhabi. NYU Abu Dhabi

Beyond the Headlines: How the UAE moved an entire coral reef to save it
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed , Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, witness Hope's orbit insertion at Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. Rashid Al Mansoori / Ministry of Presidential Affairs 

Beyond the Headlines: How UAE's Hope probe made history
A rally against Donald Trump's executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority nations in New York's Times Square, February 19, 2017. AP Photo

Beyond the Headlines: How repealing the 'Muslim Ban' will affect refugees
Healthcare workers attend to a Covid-19 patient in the new emergency-care tent at Saint Georges Hospital in Beirut. EPA

Beyond the Headlines: can Lebanon survive the coronavirus pandemic?
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US president on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington. AFP

An unprecedented presidential handover
Sexual harassment in Egypt was the inspiration for photographer Eman Helal’s essay ‘Just Stop’. Courtesy Eman Helal

Beyond the Headlines: how Egypt's #MeToo movement is changing the country
A syringe and a vial containing the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. AFP

Beyond the Headlines: will vaccines help us return to normal in 2021?
An Iraqi demonstrator walks among smoke from burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Kerbala. Reuters

Beyond the Headlines: Stories from 2020 of Covid-19 and beyond
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attend a military parade in Baku on December 10, 2020 to mark Azerbaijan's victory in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP

Beyond the Headlines: will Azerbaijan's victory in Nagorno-Karabakh lead to lasting peace?
Damaged buildings in Mosul are surrounded by mounds of rubble three years after Iraqi forces liberated the city from ISIS. AP Photo

Beyond The Headlines: Memories of Mosul three years after ISIS
Hydroponic farming, which is more water and land efficient than conventional farming, may be the future of the industry in the UAE. Victor Besa / The National

Beyond The Headlines: The UAE's tactic against food crisis