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Abu Dhabi, UAESunday 7 March 2021

Senator Patrick Leahy, the president pro tempore of the Senate, announces passage of Senate version of the Covid-19 relief bill by a vote of 50-49 in the Senate at the US Capitol in Washington. Senate Television via AP

US senate passes record $1.9 trillion stimulus bill
Pope Francis is greeted by people as he arrives at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), in Nineveh province, some 30 kilometres from Iraq's northern Mosul on March 7, 2021. AFP

Pope Francis returns to Erbil for Mass in stadium

Iraq
Microsoft said the recent wave of Exchange breaches are not connected to the last year’s SolarWinds attacks. AP

Over 30,000 entities compromised through Microsoft’s Exchange flaws

Technology
Brig Gen Turki Al Malki, spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, said the coalition continued to thwart airborne attacks. AFP

Saudi-led Coalition hits Houthis in Yemen after massive drone attack

Saudi Arabia
EDITOR'S PICKS
Investors poured money into AI-focused drug discovery businesses in 2020. While critical during the pandemic, breakthroughs may be replicated in other areas of medicine in the years ahead. AFP

5 takeaways from Stanford’s new AI index

Business
A screenshot of 'Love the Way You Lie' by Eminem (feat. Rihanna).

Eminem responds to TikTok campaign to cancel him

Music
FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2021, file photo, pharmacist Colleen Naughtin, right, administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-thru vaccination clinic in Portland, Ore. Questions about how a limited supply of vaccine should be distributed have found a new focus in rural America and from Oregon to Tennessee to upstate New York, complaints are surfacing in rural areas of a real — or perceived — inequity in vaccine allocation. (Kristyna Wentz-Graff/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Oregon strain: what we know about new Covid-19 variant

Science

Can Pope Francis save Iraq's Christian heritage?

Janine di Giovanni
Wheel marks are left in the soil of Jezero Crater on Mars as Nasa's Perseverance rover drives on the Martian surface for the first time. Reuters

Nasa's Perseverance rover goes for first drive on Mars
TOPSHOT - Kurdish Syrian women take part in Women's Day celebration in the Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli on March 6, 2021. / AFP / Delil SOULEIMAN

International Women's Day celebrations in Syria - in pictures
Music producer and songwriter Dawn Elder at Sunset Sound studio in Hollywood, US. Courtesy: Dawn Elder

Producer Dawn Elder on bringing the Middle East sound to the US: 'I want that Grammy'
Have people got bored of working from home? Courtesy, Zoom

LinkedIn finds women's careers are being held back by a 'lack of entitlement'
Saudi cyclist Maya Jambi, reacts as she rides her bicycle past the Corniche Mosque in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, March 6, 2021. The brave cyclist team, which was formed in 2019 aiming to normalize the sport for women, organize a tour cycling ahead of International Women's Day. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Saudi women's cycling team take to the streets of Jeddah - in pictures
Palestinian schoolgirl Maram and her mother Izdihar Al Amawi at a clinic run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in Gaza City on February 22, 2021. AFP

Gaza schoolgirl's 3D-printed mask helps heal her burnt face

.

The wedding industry’s Covid catastrophe unveiled
OXFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08: A cyclist travels past the Radcliffe Camera building in Oxford city centre as Oxford University commences its academic year on October 8, 2009 in Oxford, England. Oxford University has a student population in excess of 20,000 taken from over 140 countries around the world. The University is made up of 38 independent, self-governing colleges, three of which: University College, Balliol College, and Merton College, were established by the 13th century. According to the QS/Times Higher Education rankings, Oxford has slipped down the international league table from fourth to a joint fifth place with Imperial College London. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Revealed: World's best universities for arts, engineering and sciences
International Women's Day
Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, managed by Najla Al Midfa, has launched S3, a start-up studio to follow a revenue-sharing model. Reem Mohammed for The National

International Women’s Day: Celebrating a different but a significant year

Economy
Lise Grande, former UN Resident Coordinator in Yemen at the 2018 UAE Security Forum 2018 in NYU Abu Dhabi. The National 

Lise Grande: I was the only woman in 98% of all official meetings in Yemen

MENA
Crimes against women in Lebanon increased by 107 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019. Getty Images

'I can’t be with this human any more': Lebanon’s domestic abuse survivors speak out

Family
Courtesy Net A Porter

International Women's Day: shop high fashion for a good cause

Fashion
Pope Francis in Iraq
Noura Al Kaabi, centre, UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, speaks during a tour at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. WAM

Unesco head and UAE minister say Pope’s Mosul visit ‘a clear message to the world'

Iraq
Pope Francis is welcomed by the Qaraqosh community during his visit at the Church of 'immaculate Conception' Qaraqosh, Iraq, 07 March 2021. EPA

Pope Francis calls for forgiveness during visit to Qaraqosh

Iraq
Omar Carona, an Iraqi architect, stands in front of the cross he made that is on the platform where Pope Francis will make a prayer on Sunday, March, 7, 2021, in Mosul. Courtesy Ali Al Baroodi.

Mosul’s Church Square decorated with two symbolic crosses to welcome Pope

Iraq
Organisers prepare and lay out seats at the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the old city of Iraq's northern city of Mosul (formerly ravaged by Islamic State group militants) on March 6, 2021, amidst preparations ahead of the pope's visit. / AFP / Zaid AL-OBEIDI

Pope Francis in Mosul urges Christians to return home after ISIS

Iraq
Coronavirus
Celebrated Egyptian actress Sawsan Rabie has died aged 59. ma_81 / Twitter

Egyptian actress Sawsan Rabie dies after battling Covid-19

Film
Brighton College Abu Dhabi is one of three schools to switch to distance learning after Covid-19 cases were confirmed. Victor Besa / The National

Two Abu Dhabi schools move to distance learning

Education
Scams advertising fake Covid-19 vaccines are increasing around the world.Reuters

Covid-19 vaccines sold on darknet from $250 to $1,200 and paid for with Bitcoin

Technology
The EU's export control system was recently used to block a shipment of 250,000 AstraZeneca doses to Australia. EPA

EU wants millions of US AstraZeneca vaccine doses

Europe
World
Pope Francis is greeted by people as he arrives at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), in Nineveh province, some 30 kilometres from Iraq's northern Mosul on March 7, 2021. AFP

Pope Francis returns to Erbil for Mass in stadium

Iraq

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe released from detention in Iran but faces new court date

Europe

Libya's prime minister-designate names Cabinet

MENA

UK plans major aid cuts to world’s most vulnerable people

Europe
Business
Saudi Aramco is one of the very few oil companies globally with the ability to surge production substantially without committing additional capex, according to BofA. Bloomberg

Aramco 'well placed' to meet its $75bn dividend payout, BofA says

Energy

Covid-19 vaccines sold on darknet from $250 to $1,200 and paid for with Bitcoin

Technology

Abu Dhabi's IHC reports six-fold rise in 2020 net profit on acquisitions

Markets

Over 30,000 entities compromised through Microsoft’s Exchange flaws

Technology
Opinion
Pope Francis has spoken of his determination that the Iraqi Christian tradition lives on. AP

Can Pope Francis save Iraq's Christian heritage?

Comment

There is a lesson for all in Pope Francis's visit to Iraq

Editorial

The message behind the Pope's trip to Iraq

Comment

Biden's emphasis on democracy and diplomacy isn't new or practical

Comment

Washington is broken. Here's one way to fix it

Comment
Exclusives
Tony Douglas, group CEO of Etihad airways. The airline reported full-year results for 2020 on March 4. 

Etihad CEO predicts more travel corridors this summer

Aviation
Facebook's European headquarters in Dublin. (Photo by Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images)

Facebook's ‘factory’ conditions for moderators suffering trauma

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
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg uses outsourcing firms to employ content moderators. PA

Inside the lucrative but troubled world of Facebook moderation

World
UAE
Ali Al Khoori is one of the students who has taken the Ghaya financial literacy course. Victor Besa / The National 

Emiratis keen to turn around finances after taking bad debt course

Sharjah officials evict 13,000 single men from family neighbourhoods

Dubai Police use 3D facial reconstruction to identify dead man found off coast

World's largest date factory planned for Dubai Industrial City

UAE families told to avoid unlicensed agencies when hiring domestic workers
Arts & Culture
A screenshot of 'Love the Way You Lie' by Eminem (feat. Rihanna).

TikTok users try to 'cancel' Eminem but rapper hits back

What is crypto art? Digital piece set to sell for millions at Christie’s auction

Producer Dawn Elder on bringing the Middle East sound to the US: 'I want that Grammy'

Free streaming service for Arab independent films launched

5 British musicians who should have their own biopic
Lifestyle
Priyanka Chopra Jonas has teased the opening of her new restaurant Sona in New York City. Instagram / @priyankachopra

Priyanka Chopra teams up with Masti Dubai's chef Hari Nayak to open NYC restaurant

How one man continued to fly around the world during the pandemic

China will no longer require animal testing on imported cosmetics

Elie Saab offers a vision of hope with new ready-to-wear collection

Blackpink's Jisoo is named a Dior ambassador for fashion and beauty
Travel
Al Jazirah Al Hamra will be the site of a three-month heritage festival, dubbed Turath District. Courtesy RAKTDA

Ras Al Khaimah's Al Jazirah Al Hamra to host new heritage festival

UAE to build tourism resort in Indonesia's Aceh province

Mauritius suspends all incoming flights for one week

How one man continued to fly around the world during the pandemic

New rules for international travellers from UK introduced
Technology
Investors poured money into AI-focused drug discovery businesses in 2020. While critical during the pandemic, breakthroughs may be replicated in other areas of medicine in the years ahead. AFP

5 takeaways from Stanford’s new AI index

Business

Covid-19 vaccines sold on darknet from $250 to $1,200 and paid for with Bitcoin

Technology

Over 30,000 entities compromised through Microsoft’s Exchange flaws

Technology

Low-cost carrier AirAsia eyes air taxi business by 2022, CEO says

Aviation

Elon Musk’s personal fortune tumbles $27bn after tech sell-off

Money
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
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates after defeating Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in the final of Adelaide International tennis tournament in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (James Elsby/Tennis Australia via AP)

Iga Swiatek: French Open champion stays grounded amid rapid rise to stardom

Messi votes as Barcelona members go to the polls for new president

Dubai Tennis Championships updates: Jabeur cruises into second round

Rangers fans celebrate first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years

IPL returns to India hoping to match success of UAE
Podcasts
Have people got bored of working from home? Courtesy, Zoom

LinkedIn finds women's careers are being held back by a 'lack of entitlement'

Pope in Iraq, flash sale shut down, 2,959 new cases - The Daily Update

Beyond the Headlines: Tunisians numb to the horror of self-immolation

Dubai Police new supercar, UAE-Philippines labour agreement, 2,692 cases - The Daily Podcast

Dubai vaccine expansion, Emirates travel restrictions, 2,721 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. PA

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
Wheel marks are left in the soil of Jezero Crater on Mars as Nasa's Perseverance rover drives on the Martian surface for the first time. Reuters

Nasa's Perseverance rover goes for first drive on Mars
TOPSHOT - Kurdish Syrian women take part in Women's Day celebration in the Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli on March 6, 2021. / AFP / Delil SOULEIMAN

International Women's Day celebrations in Syria - in pictures
Music producer and songwriter Dawn Elder at Sunset Sound studio in Hollywood, US. Courtesy: Dawn Elder

Producer Dawn Elder on bringing the Middle East sound to the US: 'I want that Grammy'
Have people got bored of working from home? Courtesy, Zoom

LinkedIn finds women's careers are being held back by a 'lack of entitlement'
Saudi cyclist Maya Jambi, reacts as she rides her bicycle past the Corniche Mosque in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, March 6, 2021. The brave cyclist team, which was formed in 2019 aiming to normalize the sport for women, organize a tour cycling ahead of International Women's Day. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Saudi women's cycling team take to the streets of Jeddah - in pictures
Palestinian schoolgirl Maram and her mother Izdihar Al Amawi at a clinic run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in Gaza City on February 22, 2021. AFP

Gaza schoolgirl's 3D-printed mask helps heal her burnt face

.

The wedding industry’s Covid catastrophe unveiled
OXFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08: A cyclist travels past the Radcliffe Camera building in Oxford city centre as Oxford University commences its academic year on October 8, 2009 in Oxford, England. Oxford University has a student population in excess of 20,000 taken from over 140 countries around the world. The University is made up of 38 independent, self-governing colleges, three of which: University College, Balliol College, and Merton College, were established by the 13th century. According to the QS/Times Higher Education rankings, Oxford has slipped down the international league table from fourth to a joint fifth place with Imperial College London. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Revealed: World's best universities for arts, engineering and sciences