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Abu Dhabi, UAEThursday 4 March 2021

US President Joe Biden speaks during a bipartisan meeting at the White House in Washington on March 3, 2021. Reuters

Biden says lifting state mask mandates a 'big mistake'

The National Guard is scheduled to leave Washington next week. Police in the US Capitol say there may be a security threat on Thursday from right-wing fringe groups. AFP

Police and FBI issue warnings of possible US Capitol attack

The Americas
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks about priorities for Biden administration at the State Department in Washington, March 3, 2021. Pool via REUTERS

US says 'compliance for compliance' needed for Iran nuclear deal

The Americas
One person suffered a fatal cardiac arrest following a rocket attack on Al Asad military base in northern Iraq on Wednesday. AP Photo

US civilian contractor dead after rocket attack in Iraq

Iraq
EDITOR'S PICKS
SpaceX Starship SN10 explodes after liftoff at South Padre Island, Texas, U.S. March 3, 2021 in this still image taken from a social media video. Spadre/Pearl South Padre Resort via Youtube/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. MUST CREDT "SPADRE/PEARL SOUTH PADRE RESORT VIA YOUTUBE" TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

SpaceX Starship rocket explodes after completing successful landing

The Americas
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda seen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the Netherlands. EPA

US 'disappointed' with ICC probe in Palestinian Territories

World
Raed Masri wants more Arabs to pursue opportunity in Silicon Valley, which he believes remains tech's centre of gravity. Getty

This Silicon Valley fund wants pitches from the Middle East

Business

Lebanon wrongly singles out specific protesters as 'terrorists'

Luna Safwan
Microsoft Mesh. Courtesy Microsoft

From Zoom to Star Trek: how Microsoft‘s Mesh could transport us into the same meeting room
Daan Roosegaarde's Urban Sun installation debuted in Rotterdam on Tuesday, March 2. Photo: Studio Roosegaarde

Can an artificial sun deactivate coronavirus?
An aerial view of The Beverly House, which is located a few blocks from Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles 

The most expensive house in the US is on sale
Space tourists will be able to check-in at the Voyager Station hotel without any prior astronaut training thanks to the structure's rotating design, which provides near linear gravity. Courtesy Orbital Assembly Corp / Twitter

First space hotel set to welcome guests by 2027
Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden (13) goes in for a shot in front of San Antonio Spurs in the second half at the AT&T Center. USA Today

James Harden lifts Nets to OT win over Spurs
Lf28 feb Britney style main

Gimme more: Charting Britney Spears's style evolution in 38 photos
The original 16th century statue of David by Italian artist Michelangelo Buonarroti stands in the Galleria dell'Accademia in central Florence. A 3D reproduction of the famous sculpture is being readied for showing at the Italian pavilion in Dubai. AFP 

Expo 2020 Dubai: life-size model of Michelangelo’s David to wow visitors at Italian pavilion
Auction house Christie’s has launched its first-ever sale of digital art – a collage of 5,000 pictures, created by digital artist Beeple. Reuters 

How an art collector sold a 10-second video clip for $6.6m
Pope Francis in Iraq
The Lamborghini Huracan was a gift from the Italian car company. AFP

Vatican sells Lamborghini Huracan to raise funds for Iraqi Christians persecuted by ISIS

Europe
A worker rolls a poster of Pope Francis and Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, ahead of the Pope's planned visit to Iraq, at a shop in Najaf, Iraq, February 28, 2021. Reuters/Alaa Al-Marjani

Why is Pope Francis visiting Najaf?

Iraq
A giant billboard bears portraits of Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Baghdad on March 3, 2021. AFP

Who is Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani and what will happen when he meets the Pope in Iraq?

Iraq
Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako speaks during a news conference ahead of the planned visit of Pope Francis to Iraq, in Baghdad, Iraq March 3, 2021. Reuters

Pope Francis 'determined' to visit Iraq despite envoy catching Covid-19

Iraq
Coronavirus
Frying Pan Adventures has launched an online spice guide, The Ultimate Guide to the Spice Souk. Courtesy: Frying Pan Adventures

Food tour company in Dubai calls on local community for help

Heritage
Doctors say the pandemic cause more people to develop an unhealthy lifestyle. Getty

Pandemic binge-eating to trigger spike in weight loss surgery

Health
Daan Roosegaarde's Urban Sun installation debuted in Rotterdam on Tuesday, March 2. Photo: Studio Roosegaarde

Can an artificial sun deactivate coronavirus?

Wellbeing
Prof Lothar Wieler, President of the Robert Koch Institute. Getty Images

Half of German Covid ICU patients are Muslim

Europe
World
Protesters take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on March 2, 2021. AFP

UK requests UN Security Council meeting on Myanmar

World

US sanctions two senior Houthi military leaders in Yemen

The Americas

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupts, spewing ash into the sky

Asia

Saudi Arabia: Hajj attendees must have Covid-19 vaccine

Saudi Arabia
Business
The coal-fired Moorburg power plant that was shut in Germany in order to be converted to a hub to store hydrogen. Getty Images

How Gulf countries can fully tap into the growing market for hydrogen

Business

QuickTake: Why the rising popularity of SPACs bodes well for venture-backed businesses

Markets

Homefront: ‘Does buying a property in the UAE entitle me to a residence visa?’

Money

Emerging market securities attract $31.2bn in capital flows in February

Economy
Opinion
Ramifications from Ethiopia's political troubles are stretching into the Horn of Africa. AFP

An Egypt-Sudan defence pact protects the Nile

Editorial

Pope's Iraq visit should give some Middle East powers pause

Comment

We are living in a golden age of sports documentaries

Comment

The UN's losing battle to fight famine in Yemen

Editorial

Vaccines should be a global public good, not a luxury

Comment
Exclusives
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
Lt Gen Sir John Lorimer has warned that US President Joe Biden faces his first significant foreign policy test on negotiating the nuclear deal with Iran. PA 

Iran’s 'increasing menace' to test Biden's review of Middle East options

Europe
Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo is the founder of Admaf and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival. Courtesy Abu Dhabi Festival

Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo on how the arts will prevail in spite of the pandemic

Art
Some of the West's most striking architecture is in Central Europe. EPA

Central Europe aspires to being a centre of civilisation

Comment
UAE
The Big Ticket has been running for 29 years and started out as a Dh1 million cash prize. Big Ticket

Sharjah resident wins Dh12m lottery prize

Couple charged in Sharjah acquitted after legal reform

How the UAE-Philippines labour agreement will protect domestic workers

Thirteen arrested in Sharjah for breaking Covid-19 rules by holding cricket match

Dubai Police adds new supercar to dazzling fleet - in pictures
Arts & Culture
The BTS UAE Army hope to get the band's attention with a new art project. EPA 

BTS UAE fan group: 'We intend to bring BTS to perform in the Middle East'

What to stream in March: From ‘Coming to America 2’ to ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

Bafta Rising Star Award: Kingsley Ben-Adir among this year's nominees

How a box of keepsakes inspired Lebanese film that explores old war wounds

'Next big leap': Netflix to offer 41 new original Indian shows this year
Lifestyle
Jumeirah Islands 1

Property of the week: Island living in central Dubai for less than Dh10m

World Obesity Day: What happens when diet and exercise isn’t enough?

Hair necessities: essential oils for brittle locks and itchy scalps

Can an artificial sun deactivate coronavirus? One Dutch artist thinks so

Louis Vuitton brings world's second largest diamond to Dubai
Travel
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is looking for eight people to join him on the first civilian lunar flight on SpaceX in 2023. Reuters

Eight people wanted to fly to the Moon on Elon Musk's SpaceX

What it's like to live in a tiny village at the foot of the Atlas Mountains

The world's first space hotel to open in 2027: spacewalks, luxury suites and more

Review of the world's first Bear Grylls-branded lodgings in Ras Al Khaimah

Covid-19 and flying: why airlines are not required to impose social distancing
Technology
Dubai was ranked 43rd among 109 cities in the 2020 Smart City Index by IMD. Reem Mohammed / The National

54% of UAE residents expect Covid-19 to accelerate smart cities' development

Technology

Facebook's ‘factory’ conditions for moderators suffering trauma

World

Middle East music streaming service Anghami set to list on Nasdaq

Markets

Saudi Arabia’s AlHokair and Arabian Centres to buy 51% stake in Vogacloset for $72m

Markets

From Zoom to Star Trek: how Microsoft‘s Mesh could transport us into the same meeting room

Technology
Motoring
The all-new Honda City ekes out 21.1 kilometres per litre. Courtesy Honda

Honda reveals all-new City and refreshed Accord

Dubai Police adds new supercar to dazzling fleet - in pictures

How to win your own Dh6 million Fenyr SuperSport

What to expect from Land Rover Defenders' heavy-duty V8 upgrades

Spacious Ford Taurus Titanium Plus holds its own against rivals
Sport
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Imago/Shutterstock (8473574a) Barcelona Coach Johan Cruyff (l) in Conversation with Pep Guardiola (r) File Photo Dated 20/7/1993 File Photo of Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola - 16 Jul 2008

Guardiola on brink of emulating hero Cruyff if City maintain winning momentum

Khalid Shah and Fayyaz Ahmed smash centuries as Bukhatir XI dismantle Atlas Foundation

Klopp admits failure to finish in top four could cost Liverpool top transfer targets

Vettel leads Aston Martin's return to Formula One after 60-year gap

Pioli rues Ibrahimovic absence as Milan pinch a point against Atalanta
Podcasts
A man and a woman have been fined £10,000 each after failing to go to hotel quarantine after returning from Dubai. AFP

Dubai vaccine expansion, Emirates travel restrictions, 2,721 new cases - The Daily Update

Adnoc's CTO on how a tech push will define the energy industry's future

Emirates' new Covid cleaning solution, UAE petrol price increase, 2,526 new cases - The Daily Update

How to survive a no-spend challenge and save more money

Saliva tests for schools, Adnoc appoints new board, 2,930 new cases - The Daily Update
#STAYHOME
'The Falcon and The Winter Soldier' and 'Coming to America 2' are two of the original TV shows and films available to stream this month. Courtesy Disney / Marvel, Amazon Studios

What to stream in March: From ‘Coming to America 2’ to ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

UAE home delivery: 12 unusual services from aquarium cleaning to singing telegrams

5 best music albums of February: from Foo Fighters to Ghetts

12 wildlife documentaries to watch in the UAE: from 'My Octopus Teacher' to 'Surviving Joe Exotic'

How the pandemic brought my long-distance family closer
LONG READS
Shorthand teaser. Getty Images

Lessons in Covid lockdown: Resilience, routines and self-recognition

World
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg uses outsourcing firms to employ content moderators. Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images

Backlash at Facebook’s outsourcing firms policing social media

World
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, with the now retired Maj Gen Helal Al Shehhi at the time of the war. Courtesy: Helal Al Shehhi

Liberation of Kuwait: Emirati commander recalls blazing oil wells and looted shops

UAE
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

Health
Microsoft Mesh. Courtesy Microsoft

From Zoom to Star Trek: how Microsoft‘s Mesh could transport us into the same meeting room
Daan Roosegaarde's Urban Sun installation debuted in Rotterdam on Tuesday, March 2. Photo: Studio Roosegaarde

Can an artificial sun deactivate coronavirus?
An aerial view of The Beverly House, which is located a few blocks from Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles 

The most expensive house in the US is on sale
Space tourists will be able to check-in at the Voyager Station hotel without any prior astronaut training thanks to the structure's rotating design, which provides near linear gravity. Courtesy Orbital Assembly Corp / Twitter

First space hotel set to welcome guests by 2027
Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden (13) goes in for a shot in front of San Antonio Spurs in the second half at the AT&T Center. USA Today

James Harden lifts Nets to OT win over Spurs
Lf28 feb Britney style main

Gimme more: Charting Britney Spears's style evolution in 38 photos
The original 16th century statue of David by Italian artist Michelangelo Buonarroti stands in the Galleria dell'Accademia in central Florence. A 3D reproduction of the famous sculpture is being readied for showing at the Italian pavilion in Dubai. AFP 

Expo 2020 Dubai: life-size model of Michelangelo’s David to wow visitors at Italian pavilion
Auction house Christie’s has launched its first-ever sale of digital art – a collage of 5,000 pictures, created by digital artist Beeple. Reuters 

How an art collector sold a 10-second video clip for $6.6m