Abu Dhabi, UAESunday 29 November 2020

Prayer Times
Weather
Ethiopian refugees who fled conflict in Tigray, shelter at Um Raquba camp in Sudan’s eastern Gedaref province. AFP

Ethiopia says it has taken full control of Tigray capital Mekelle
Iraqi students take part in an anti-government march calling for an overhaul of the political system and a non-controversial prime minister, in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah on February 16, 2020. AFP

At least five dead as rival protesters clash in southern Iraq

MENA
Despite the mass destruction that took place in the city of Sinjar when ISIS invaded the city in 2014, this Yazidi bride and groom have decided to celebrate their wedding in Sinjar. Photo by Sherwan Melhem

Yazidi couple marry in Sinjar's ruins to highlight ISIS destruction of Iraq

MENA
EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier (L) leaves Brexit talks in London, Britain, 28 November 2020. British and EU negotiators are holding talks this weekend in London to try and thrash out a Brexit deal. EPA

Barnier proposes four more days of ‘make-or-break’ Brexit talks

Europe

US withdrawal leaves Afghan soldiers feeling abandoned

Asia

In Syria, Yarmouk residents plan return to war-torn Palestinian camp

MENA

German attempt to search Turkish ship followed signs of arms smuggling to Libya

Europe
IN DEPTH
Sadiq Al Mahdi has died in the United Arab Emirates from a coronavirus infection. EPA

Sadiq Al Mahdi: a stalwart of democracy who found new purpose in Sudan’s uprising

Africa
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, right, was killed in a targeted attack that reportedly saw gunmen use explosives and machine gun fire. AP

How Iran might retaliate for the assassination of its top nuclear scientist

MENA
The guard at the historical Saqqara site south of Cairo, the Egyptian capital. Hamza Hendawi / The National.  

Uncovering Saqqara's secrets: Egypt's ancient treasure trove

MENA
From turnips to mushrooms, US produce workers are work fast and hard to bring food to Thanksgiving dinner tables. UFW

Americans given a taste of farming reality in viral Thanksgiving Twitter thread

The Americas
A protester waves a Nigerian flag during a protest against police brutality on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway at Magboro, Ogun State in October. AFP

#EndSARs: online trauma lingers after viral Nigeria police brutality

Africa
Workers push carts through a MercadoLibre Inc. distribution and fulfillment center in Cajamar, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. MercadoLibre is having another year of strong top-line growth, likely reaching 65% in 2020, after a slow start when the Covid-19 pandemic led to government lockdowns. Photographer: Jonne Roriz/Bloomberg

World in focus: today's best photos
TOPSHOT - A man waves a flag at the effigy of late Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona, as people gather on November 26, 2020 outside the San Paolo stadium in Naples to mourn the death of Maradona. Maradona, widely remembered for his "Hand of God" goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals, died on November 25, 2020 of a heart attack at his home near Buenos Aires in Argentina, while recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain. / AFP / Filippo MONTEFORTE

World in focus: best photos of the day
A shopper wearing a face mask due to the pandemic walks through the Christmas-decorated Royal Exchange shopping arcade in the centre of Manchester, northwest England. AFP

Don't hug your relatives at Christmas, Britons told
TOPSHOT - Lightning strikes off the coast of the mediterranean city of Batroun in northern Lebanon, on November 25, 2020. / AFP / Ibrahim CHALHOUB

The Middle East Framed: regional photos of the day
UAE space minister Sarah Al Amiri and British-Iraqi health expert Dr Nisreen Alwan were both named on the BBC's most influential list. Emirates Mars Mission/University of Southampton

Middle Eastern women appear on the BBC’s most influential list
An Ethiopian child who fled war in Tigray region, carries his plate as he queues for wet food ration at the Um-Rakoba camp, on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Al-Qadarif state, Sudan November 19, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed – from Nobel Peace Prize to the brink of war
TOPSHOT - Maryam Al Balushi feeds her pets in her home Oman's capital Muscat on November 20, 2020. Despite complaints from neighbours and mounting expense, she has accumulated 480 cats and 12 dogs, describing her pets as a mood-lifter and better companions than her fellow humans. / AFP / MOHAMMED MAHJOUB

The Middle East Framed: best regional photos
"Rockefeller",  was found in a Christmas tree transported from Oneonta to Rockefeller Centre in New York. AFP

New Yorkers get two celebrity owls for Christmas

Coronavirus

Antonio Alfonso Bencomo, laboratory head at Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National 

Abu Dhabi stem cell spray helps thousands of Covid-19 patients

Health
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, presides over the second meeting of the Covid-19 Crisis Recovery Management and Governance Committee. Wam

UAE's Covid-19 recovery committee forms plan of action

UAE Government
Police officers detain an anti-lockdown protester during a demonstration in London, UK, on November 28, 2020. Reuters

More than 150 arrested at London anti-lockdown protests

Europe
Lab technician carries samples for Covid-19 test at MenaLabs Medical Laboratory in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari for The National

UAE reports 1,252 new Covid-19 cases

Health

Coronavirus Explained

Covid-19 and vaccination concept.

The dilemma we face: who should get the Covid-19 vaccine first?

Health
A pedestrian wearing a protective mask walks past a mural in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. California moved 28 counties into the purple category in its four-tier system, indicating widespread transmission and requiring many indoor businesses to close. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Coronavirus: When could we stop wearing face masks?

Health
Medical staff testing patients for Covid-19 at Advanced Centre for Daycare Surgery. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

False negatives and positives: how accurate are PCR tests for Covid-19?

Science
Research suggests mouthwash products could play a key role in fighting Covid-19. Courtesy: Getty Images    

How does mouthwash kill Covid-19?

Health

GCC

A Saudi woman drives a forklift to transport dates at a factory in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Saudi women on production lines see empowerment, career and equality

Saudi Arabia takes further measures to protect women from violence

Stormy weather hits Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast

Israeli Prime Minister welcomes first flydubai service to Tel Aviv

Sudan's last elected prime minister dies from coronavirus in UAE

MENA

Iran's Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi pays respects to the body of slain scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh among his family, in the capital Tehran on November 28, 2020.  AFP 

UN calls for restraint after Iranian scientist assassinated

Libya's divided MPs agree to in-country parliament session

In Syria, Yarmouk residents plan return to war-torn Palestinian camp

German attempt to search Turkish ship followed signs of arms smuggling to Libya

Yazidi couple marry in Sinjar's ruins to highlight ISIS destruction of Iraq

ASIA

Members of the Taliban's peace negotiation team taking part in talks with the Afghan government in Doha, Qatar. via Reuters

Afghan Taliban say agreement reached on framework for peace talks

US withdrawal leaves Afghan soldiers feeling abandoned

US announces new Iran sanctions on Chinese and Russian firms

Ties with UAE yet to reach full potential says Indian foreign minister

Strategic raiding role lined up for British Navy’s new warships

AFRICA

Ethiopian refugees who fled conflict in Tigray, shelter at Um Raquba camp in Sudan’s eastern Gedaref province. AFP

Ethiopia says it has taken full control of Tigray capital Mekelle

Ethiopian forces close in on Tigrayan capital amid fears for civilians

Sadiq Al Mahdi: thousands at funeral of former Sudan PM

Suicide bomber kills eight in Somali capital

Sadiq Al Mahdi: a stalwart of democracy who found new purpose in Sudan’s uprising

EUROPE

Priti Patel has pledged to crack down on illegal migration across the English Channel. AP

UK and France sign deal to stop illegal migration across English Channel

Barnier proposes four more days of ‘make-or-break’ Brexit talks

More than 150 arrested at London anti-lockdown protests

Boris Johnson picks British-Iraqi MP to oversee Covid vaccine deployment

Four Azerbaijanis killed in mine blast in Nagorno-Karabakh

THE AMERICAS

Christmas decorations in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This year’s sales have broken the record, with e-commerce hitting highs of 120 per cent growth on some days compared with last year, according to Adobe Digital Insights found. AFP 

Online holiday spending in the US to reach $189bn this year

Los Angeles imposes new lockdown as US cases surge

Appeals court rejects Trump challenge of Pennsylvania race

US announces new Iran sanctions on Chinese and Russian firms

Suicide bomber kills eight in Somali capital

OCEANIA

Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company Masdar will partner with Tribe to develop waste-to-energy projects in Australia. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Masdar and Tribe team up to develop waste-to-energy projects in Australia

Kylie Moore-Gilbert returns to Australia after release by Iran

Nearly 100 whales die in mass stranding on remote New Zealand islands

Freed Australian-British academic speaks of Iran prison ordeal

Qatar police officers charged over invasive airport strip searches

COMMENT

A handout photo made available by the IRGC shows military equipment on an Iranian warship bound for the Iranian Ocean. EPA

Iran will wait patiently for Trump's term to end

Abraham Accord recognises new paradigm, as should the Nobel Prize

Islam is not at odds with secular government - it celebrates it

Iran can't keep using foreign nationals as bargaining chips

Two years after his murder, Raed Fares' legacy lives on

BREXIT

EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier (L) leaves Brexit talks in London, Britain, 28 November 2020. British and EU negotiators are holding talks this weekend in London to try and thrash out a Brexit deal. EPA

Barnier proposes four more days of ‘make-or-break’ Brexit talks

Boris Johnson tells Scotland to focus on Covid not independence

British pound could plunge 10% against the dollar in ‘no-deal’ Brexit scenario

Once believers, British sheep farmers lose faith in Brexit

How Britain's communities can qualify for freeport status in post-Brexit era
Before his assassination, Abu Muhammed Al Masri was hiding in plain sight in Tehran. EPA

Beyond the Headlines: Iran's secret affair with Al Qaeda
US President-elect Joe Biden will bring considerable experience of foreign policy, including on the Middle East, when he enters the Oval Office in January 2021. Reuters

Beyond the Headlines: How will Joe Biden change US policy in the Middle East?
A woman tries to clear mud from her house in Honduras after the passage of Hurricane Eta. AFP

Beyond The Headlines: why superstorms are the new normal
A man walks past a large replica 'I Voted' sticker at an early voting station in Inglewood, California, for the 2020 presidential election. Bloomberg

Beyond the Headlines: how will the US election play out?
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 24: A poll worker helps voters at the Queens Public Library during early voting for the U.S. Presidential election on October 24, 2020 in the Jackson Heights neighborhood in the Queens borough in New York City. Due to the coronavirus and social distancing concerns New York State is allowing early voting for the first time. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images/AFP

Beyond The Headlines: How will Arab Americans vote in US presidential election?
(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 13, 2019, a Lebanese protester stands in front of burning tyres and debris in the area of Jal el-Dib, on the northern outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Lebanon is now suffering though one of the darkest periods in its chaotic history, and soaring poverty combined with a seemingly inexorable brain drain make for a bleaker future yet. / AFP / JOSEPH EID

Beyond The Headlines: Lebanon's year of turmoil and disasters
There are more than 150 potential Covid-19 vaccines in development around the world. Reuters

Beyond the Headlines: The challenges of finding a Covid-19 vaccine
In October 2019, unprecedented demonstrations across Iraq demanded the downfall of the ruling class. But after a year, a new government and nearly 600 protesters killed, virtually nothing has changed. AFP

Beyond the Headlines: Iraq's year of protests, assassinations and foreign interference
Saudi and exapt riders of the Hawks Riyadh MC club wave a national flag as they ride their motorcycles around the capital Ryad on September 23, 2020, during a parade to mark the Saudi national day. / AFP / FAYEZ NURELDINE

Beyond the Headlines: Saudi Arabia from Bedouin life to leading power
TOPSHOT - (L-R)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan wave from the Truman Balcony at the White House after they participated in the signing of the Abraham Accords where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, in Washington, DC, September 15, 2020. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates arrived September 15, 2020 at the White House to sign historic accords normalizing ties between the Jewish and Arab states. / AFP / SAUL LOEB

Beyond the Headlines: Abraham Accord between the UAE and Israel
Employees walk past a lighted Twitter logo as they leave the company's headquarters in San Francisco. AFP

Beyond the Headlines: Social media and freedom of speech
Warships from Greece, Italy, Cyprus and France participate in a joint military exercise held from August 26-28 in an area south of Turkey in eastern Mediterranean sea. Greek Defence Ministry via AP

Beyond the Headlines: How Mediterranean gas exploration is pitting Turkey against Europe