US Edition  
TheNational hamburger logo

Abu Dhabi, UAESunday 24 January 2021

Larry King poses for portrait as the Friars Club and Crescent Hotel honour him for his 86th birthday at Crescent Hotel on November 25, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images / AFP

Veteran US broadcaster Larry King dies aged 87
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan is optimistic about the future of relations between Riyadh and Washington. EPA

Faisal bin Farhan: Saudi Arabia sees 'excellent' ties ahead with Biden administration

GCC
Donald Trump faces a Senate impeachment trial in February after being charged with inciting an insurrection. AFP

Trump Senate impeachment trial delayed until February

The Americas
Among 28 countries surveyed, deteriorating mental or physical health is most widely viewed as a personal threat in Turkey, according to an Ipsos survey. Photo: EPA

Health, jobs and environment rank as top personal worries, WEF survey finds

Technology
EDITOR'S PICKS
Retired general Lloyd Austin says Iran has been a destabilising force in the Middle East. Reuters

Gen Lloyd Austin confirmed as first African-American US defence chief

The Americas
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine requires two injections for people to get the full benefit.. AP

Coronavirus: Single shot of vaccine offers high resistance

UAE
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrives with a government delegation during a visit in Herat province on January 21, 2021. AFP

Biden administration to review US peace deal with Taliban

Asia

The thorn in the side of Biden's foreign policy team

Con Coughlin
Elizabeth Kerr, 31, and Simon O'Brien, 36, embrace each other in a Covid-19 ward, days after they married in an ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in Milton Keynes University Hospital, Britain. Reuters

British couple with Covid-19 rush to marry in intensive care
Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor face off during the UFC 257 weigh-in at Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC 257: Conor McGregor promises: 'You're in for a treat'
Biden family photos encircle a bust of activist Cesar Chavez behind the Resolute Desk, inside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Reuters

New president brings a new look to Oval Office
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for a photo with family members at the Celebrating America concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, after his inauguration.. (Joshua Roberts/Pool photo via AP)

A brief breakdown of the Biden and Harris families
The women standing on the train track. Network Rail

Women risk death for 'unthinkably stupid' railway photoshoot
Major news organisations around the world celebrated the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20. 

Headlines from Inauguration Day from around the world
US President Joe Biden swears in presidential appointees during a virtual ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. AFP

Joe Biden to new staff: be respectful to colleagues or you're fired
Senator Bernie Sanders, in his now-viral mittens, sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20. AFP

The story behind Bernie Sanders's inauguration mittens

Coronavirus

Flights to Kuwait may be limited to carrying no more than 35 passengers from January 24 to February 6. Photo courtesy: Kuwait Airways

Kuwait restricts number of travellers to 1,000 per day

Travel
Emirates has released an update on the status of flights from Dubai to Denmark. AFP

UAE seeks clarity from Denmark over Dubai flights suspension

Transport
Studies show pregnant women are far more likely to be hospitalised with coronavirus than their peers. Getty.

At-risk pregnant women urged to consider vaccine because of increased Covid threat

Europe
FFP2 face masks come off the production line at Moldex-Metric in Germany. These are more effective than many cloth masks. AFP

Is it time to upgrade your cloth face mask?

World

World

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks at the White House after the inauguration of President Joe Biden, January 20, 2021. REUTERS

Biden to focus on Iran deal re-entry in calls with US allies

The Americas

Boris Johnson: UK ready to hand out tweaked vaccine to combat new variants

Europe

Madrid explosion: three dead after huge blast in Spanish capital

Europe

Mahmoud Abbas to stand for Palestinian Authority presidency, PM says

MENA

Business

Women walk on Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis. Tunisia's fiscal deficit is estimated to have widened to 11.5 per cent of GDP in 2020. Photo: EPA

IMF calls for reforms in Tunisia to reduce fiscal deficit

Economy

Telecom and retail businesses drive Reliance Industries’ profit higher

Markets

'Can my employer sack me for taking sick leave?'

Money

Improved oil prices and devaluation could help Iraq's financial stability, IIF says

Economy

Opinion

The web has long been a source of radical material for isolated and impressionable people. Philip Cheung for The National

Another dangerous Covid-19 variant is spreading

Comment

How the Mena region can shape the post-Covid-19 sustainability agenda

Comment

Is Biden's environmental vision for America sustainable?

Editorial

The thorn in the side of Biden's foreign policy team

Comment

‘Hope in hard times’ was central message of Biden inauguration

Comment

Exclusives

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor of Ireland at the UFC 257 press conference event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 21, 2021 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Courtesy DCT

Exclusive: McGregor promises performance 'like a Picasso painting' against Poirier

Sport
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

UAE

Union Bus Station, one of three new facilities opened by Dubai. Courtesy: Roads and Transport Authority

Dubai gets another three new bus stations

Coronavirus: UAE records new high of 3,566 cases

UAE-funded project brings solar light to more than 20,000 people in Indonesia

Covid-19 rules in Dubai and Abu Dhabi this weekend: what you need to know

UAE orders arrest of four men for video harassing Asian worker

Arts & Culture

Christopher Nolan, one of the most important filmmakers in the Warner Bros stable, has come out strongly against the company’s decision to stream all of its films via HBO Max in 2021. AP

‘Tenet’ filmmaker Christopher Nolan not likely to work with Warner Bros again

‘Wuhan Days and Nights’: China premieres film a year after first Covid-19 lockdown

How the healing art of sudoku became a YouTube sensation

Tashkeel's Tanween programme tasks UAE designers with tackling world issues

UAE artist Farah Al Qasimi to exhibit at Rencontres d’Arles festival after award win

Lifestyle

The Maserati MC20 is fitted with an all-new 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, which cranks out 630hp and 730Nm. Photo: Gautam Sharma

Maserati unleashes million-dirham MC20 supercar in Dubai

Skating, wall-climbing, ping-pong: Abu Dhabi residents make the most of Al Fay Park

Organic fruit, veg, eggs and honey at Dubai's latest Saturday farmers' market

Who are America's First and Second families? Meet the Bidens and the Harrises

Road test: why the Mercedes S-Class is a tech-loaded glider

Travel

Flights to Kuwait may be limited to carrying no more than 35 passengers from January 24 to February 6. Photo courtesy: Kuwait Airways

Kuwait restricts number of travellers to 1,000 per day

Maldives is the most popular travel hotspot for Emiratis

British Airways sells luggage made with parts of retired Boeing 747s

Travellers with Covid-19 vaccine won't have to quarantine in the Seychelles

How the cost of Covid-19 testing varies around the world

Technology

Among 28 countries surveyed, deteriorating mental or physical health is most widely viewed as a personal threat in Turkey, according to an Ipsos survey. Photo: EPA

Health, jobs and environment rank as top personal worries, WEF survey finds

Technology

SpaceX looks to explore below ground as it plans to dig for gas in Texas

Energy

Samsung plans $10bn chip plant in US

Technology

Elon Musk plans to offer $100m prize for best carbon capture technology

Technology

Google parent Alphabet shutting down its internet balloon business

Technology

Motoring

The Maserati MC20 is fitted with an all-new 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, which cranks out 630hp and 730Nm. Photo: Gautam Sharma

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

All revved up: Classic cars congregate at Hatta Wadi Hub after parade

Midas touch: Lexus launches limited-edition golden LX570 in the UAE

Sport

Conor McGregor hit the scales at 155lbs exactly. Getty Images

UFC 257 live blog: Dustin Poirier v Conor McGregor 2 in Abu Dhabi

McIlroy holds slender lead in Abu Dhabi as final round promises to be a classic

UFC 257: Amir Albazi dedicates win to Baghdad bomb victims

UFC 257: Conor McGregor promises: 'You're in for a treat'

UFC cuts Ottman Azaitar for violating Fight Island safety protocols

Podcasts

US President Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. AFP

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

Etihad and Emirates sales, UAE to shut private maid agencies, 3,491 new cases - The Daily Update

Can Artificial Intelligence make us better investors? – Pocketful of Dirhams

#STAYHOME

The Big Bad Wolf book sale last took place in Dubai in 2019. Reem Mohammed / The National

Online Big Bad Wolf Book Sale offers up to 90 per cent off on books

Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation to stream free online concerts on YouTube

NYUAD Arts Centre expands line-up of online concerts and film screenings

Arab world’s biggest stars film TV dramas for Ramadan 2021

Miranda Kerr, Barbara Sturm, Tata Harper and some of beauty's biggest names share their secrets

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 an overwhelmed Lebanese ICU where just 20 per cent survive battle with 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
Elizabeth Kerr, 31, and Simon O'Brien, 36, embrace each other in a Covid-19 ward, days after they married in an ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in Milton Keynes University Hospital, Britain. Reuters

British couple with Covid-19 rush to marry in intensive care
Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor face off during the UFC 257 weigh-in at Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC 257: Conor McGregor promises: 'You're in for a treat'
Biden family photos encircle a bust of activist Cesar Chavez behind the Resolute Desk, inside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Reuters

New president brings a new look to Oval Office
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for a photo with family members at the Celebrating America concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, after his inauguration.. (Joshua Roberts/Pool photo via AP)

A brief breakdown of the Biden and Harris families
The women standing on the train track. Network Rail

Women risk death for 'unthinkably stupid' railway photoshoot
Major news organisations around the world celebrated the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20. 

Headlines from Inauguration Day from around the world
US President Joe Biden swears in presidential appointees during a virtual ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. AFP

Joe Biden to new staff: be respectful to colleagues or you're fired
Senator Bernie Sanders, in his now-viral mittens, sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20. AFP

The story behind Bernie Sanders's inauguration mittens