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Abu Dhabi, UAEWednesday 14 April 2021

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Floral tributes to the UK's Prince Philip, who died aged 99, outside Buckingham Palace, London. Getty.

The Queen returns to official duties after Philip's death
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US is taking Iran's 'provocative' announcement 'seriously'. UPI/Bloomberg

White House criticises Iran’s ‘provocative’ enrichment announcement

World
Narges's mother Soraya was killed in the maternity ward attack in Kabul on May 12, 2020. Stefanie Glinski for The National

'Why have you abandoned us?': the Afghan families left to grieve alone after horror attacks

Asia
US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry attends a joint news conference at the Bercy Finance Ministry in Paris, France, March 10, 2021. Reuters

Climate emergency: John Kerry heads to China to discuss global emissions

World

Human rights court condemns Turkey for journalist's detention

Europe

Fukushima: Japan to start releasing 1.25 million tonnes of treated radioactive water into sea

Asia

Taiwanese defence ministry claims airspace violation by Chinese air force

Asia
IN DEPTH
A Malian soldier stands guard by the river bank in Konna, central Mali. AFP

Revealed: ISIS central command’s links to Mozambique and terror across Africa

Africa
Politicians need to be aware of the risk of extremist groups inflaming violence, report warns. EPA

Resurgent UK far right ‘copying religious extremists’ tactics’

World
Mahmoud Al Zein, head of the Kurdish-Lebanese Al Zein clan, left Germany in January in a major scalp for Berlin authorities. Getty

Berlin's Arab gang scene braces for crackdown in 2021 election year

Europe
Vaccine passports pose an ethical dilemma in a world of vaccine inequity. AFP

Covid vaccine passports: safeguard or ethical nightmare?

World
Reza Pahlavi, former Crown Prince of Iran, speaks about current events in his home nation at the Hudson Institute in Washington, US. AFP

Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi joins new social media campaign targeting regime

World
A Palestinian youth swings a homemade fireworks sparkler, as people celebrate on the night ahead of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Gaza City on April 11, 2021. / AFP / MAHMUD HAMS

13 of the best photos from around the world today
epa09126527 Workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant in al-Fateh mosque as it is being prepared for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Cairo, Egypt, 10 April 2021. Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan by praying during the night time and abstaining from eating, drinking, and sexual acts during the period between sunrise and sunset. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and it is believed that the revelation of the first verse in Koran was during its last 10 nights. EPA/Mohamed Hossam

13 of the best photos from around the world today
The Christ the Protector statue under construction in Encantado will be larger than Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer and the third-largest in the world. AFP 

7 of the best photos from around the world today
French street dancer Bboy Mounir performs in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on April 2, 2021. / AFP / Joël SAGET

13 of the best photos from around the world today
TOPSHOT - A Basil Twist's puppeteer sits with a sheep puppet prior to a New York Philharmonic performance at Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center as part of Lincoln Center as part of Lincoln Center's Restart Stages on April 7, 2021 in New York City. The musicians performed for an audience of 150 healthcare workers on World Health Day, after being shut down due to the pandemic last March. / AFP / Angela Weiss

From a puppeteer in New York to Boris Johnson eating ice cream - today's best photos
This photo taken on April 6, 2021 shows people taking photos of cherry blossoms in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province. China OUT / AFP / STR

From cherry blossoms in China to musicians in Nkamba - today's best pictures
A drone picture shows Janio Morais Braga, 47, at his damaged banana plantation at a flooded area on the banks of Solimoes River in Anama, Amazonas state Brazil March 31, 2021. Picture taken March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Eight of the best photos from around the world today
New Dancing Days owner Raffaella Serafini gives directions to dancers during a practice session in Rome. AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino.

Italian ballroom dancers waltz through pandemic – in pictures
Coronavirus
Dubai returnee Emma Kelly has been released from hotel quarantine after bringing a case in Ireland's High Court. Alamy

Dubai returnee released from Irish hotel quarantine

Europe
The UAE has conducted one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the world. AFP

UAE authorities urge young people to have Covid-19 vaccine

UAE Government
Israel is reopening to vaccinated travellers from May 23, according to the country's Ministry of Tourism.. Unsplash

Israel to reopen for vaccinated travellers in May

Travel
New data suggests a quarter of Covid deaths in the UK were not caused by the disease. Getty Images

One in four UK Covid-19 deaths not caused by disease

Europe
Coronavirus Explained
The AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine was approved by EU regulators in January. Reuters

Vaccine cocktail: what does mixing doses mean for the fight against Covid-19?

Health
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque after Ramadan in 2018. There will be no iftar tents this year under precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Victor Besa / The National 

UAE explained: How Ramadan will be different this year

UAE Government
epa09075590 A man receives a Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Tbilisi, Georgia, 15 March 2020. A shipment of 43,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Georgia on 13 March as some countries temporarily halted the use of the jab in recent days following reports of blood clots and one death. EPA/ZURAB KURTSIKIDZE

AstraZeneca vaccine: experts cast doubt on blood clot claims and predict restart soon

Science
A healthcare worker gives an injection of Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine to a man at the Guru Nanak Darbar gurudwara, a Sikh temple in Dubai. AFP / Karim SAHIB

Sinopharm in the UAE: How effective is the Covid-19 vaccine?

Health
Gulf
A fighter loyal to Yemen’s government holds a position against Houthi rebels in Marib. AFP

Calls for ceasefire in Yemen’s Marib as fighting escalates

Only 14 intensive care beds remain free in Oman as Covid-19 surges

Saudi Arabia bans selling tobacco to children and smoking around them

Royal Navy captain smashes hole in warship in Bahrain while docking in the dark

Oman reports record daily Covid-19 deaths
MENA
After a 30-year hiatus, the Ramadan cannon at Cairo's Citadel will be fired again on Tuesday. Egypt Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Egypt Ramadan cannon fires for first time in 30 years

'Why have you abandoned us?': the Afghan families left to grieve alone after horror attacks

Iran a 'regional menace', US intelligence report says

Sudan’s Hamdok invites Egyptian and Ethiopian leaders to meet over disputed dam

White House criticises Iran’s ‘provocative’ enrichment announcement
ASIA
Roughly 2,500 US soldiers are in Afghanistan as part of a 9,600-strong Nato mission. EPA

Antony Blinken calls for Nato troops to withdraw from Afghanistan together

Rusi analysis warns Iran nuclear talks made harder by alleged attack on Natanz plant

'Why have you abandoned us?': the Afghan families left to grieve alone after horror attacks

Iran a 'regional menace', US intelligence report says

US forces to leave Afghanistan by September 11
AFRICA
Samia Suluhu Hassan is Tanzania's first female president. Reuters

Tanzania’s first female leader has steel in her veins

UN and EU issue warning over Somalia’s deepening political crisis

Revealed: ISIS central command’s links to Mozambique and terror across Africa

World Peace Foundation: Ethiopia and Eritrea using starvation as weapon in Tigray

Mountain gorillas send messages to rivals with chest beating ritual
EUROPE
A woman walks past a closed sportswear shop in Munich, Germany. The global economy is expected to grow 6 per cent this year, compared with a previous forecast of 5.5 per cent, according to the IMF. Associated Press

Global policymakers must reset to deliver a stronger and more resilient post-Covid recovery

Evian slips up on Ramadan with tweet

Greece and Libya agree to talks on disputed eastern Mediterranean sea borders

Norway charges alleged ISIS extremist with terror plot targeting London landmark

MPs to hear that victims of Libya-backed terrorism were let down by UK government

THE AMERICAS
A woman walks past a closed sportswear shop in Munich, Germany. The global economy is expected to grow 6 per cent this year, compared with a previous forecast of 5.5 per cent, according to the IMF. Associated Press

Global policymakers must reset to deliver a stronger and more resilient post-Covid recovery

Rusi analysis warns Iran nuclear talks made harder by alleged attack on Natanz plant

Climate emergency: John Kerry heads to China to discuss global emissions

Trump think tank keeps America First agenda alive

With vaccine comes a slightly more ‘normal’ Ramadan for American Muslims
OCEANIA
A man flies a kite in Shanghai. The Chinese city was ranked as one the most expensive cities in the world for the rich, according to Julius Baer. Bloomberg

Asia Pacific remains the most expensive region for the ultra-wealthy

New Zealand bans all arrivals from India over Covid-19 cases

Horsing about: Australian man’s quarantine project goes viral

Global warming puts 99% of Great Barrier Reef coral at risk, study finds

Video: Angry octopus lashes out at man in Australia
COMMENT
Getty Images

The pandemic will affect executive education and business schools too

The claim 'diplomacy is back' falls flat if world leaders keep up the name calling

With Singapore’s succession line in flux, an unusual drama is playing out

Tanzania’s first female leader has steel in her veins

#Sofagate: even powerful women face sexism
BREXIT
Petrol bombs are hurled at police at Springfield Road, Belfast, near the peace wall interface that divides the nationalist and loyalist communities. Getty.

Irish PM warns of 'spiral', as unrest simmers in Northern Ireland

UK and EU risk becoming strategic competitors in science and tech after Brexit

Half of UK firms expect long-term post-Brexit disruption

Arch remainer John le Carre became Irish citizen before death

EU launches legal action against UK over Irish border row
Beyond the Headlines
FILE PHOTO: A vial of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is seen at a vaccination center, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Ronquieres, Belgium April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Beyond the Headlines: Is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine safe?
TOPSHOT - This satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies shows a close up overview of the MV Ever Given container ship and tugboats in the Suez Canal on March 29, 2021. The MV Ever Given was refloated and the Suez Canal reopened on March 29, 2021, sparking relief almost a week after the huge container ship got stuck during a sandstorm and blocked a major artery for global trade. AFP correspondents observed tugboat crews sounding their foghorns in celebration after the Ever Given, a cargo megaship the length of four football fields, was dislodged from the banks of the Suez. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / AFP / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies / - / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Beyond the Headlines: how to stop ships getting stuck in the Suez
epa08673114 Jobless graduates wear hard hats and fluro vests during a protest near the green zone in central Baghdad, Iraq, 16 September 2020. Thousands of university graduates and jobless continue their protests against the lack of job opportunities and basic services, near the heavily fortified Green Zone which houses the Iraqi government offices in Baghdad. EPA-EFE/AHMED JALIL *** Local Caption *** 56346531

Beyond the Headlines: Cash for jobs in Iraq's government
A civilian prays after she was rescued by the Syrian Democratic Forces who liberated the city of Raqqa from ISIS in 2017. Reuters

Beyond the Headlines: Raqqa after 10 years of war in Syria
Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives to hold a Mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq. Getty

Beyond the Headlines: the legacy of the Pope's Iraq visit
Hosni Qelieh has sustained third-degree burns that scarred his face and most of his body when he decided to commit suicide by fire in protest at police abuse. 

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