Abu Dhabi, UAESaturday 24 October 2020

Prayer Times
Weather
Israeli Air Force F-35 flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel. Reuters, file

Israel won't block UAE buying F-35 stealth fighters
President Donald Trump listens while on a phone call with the leaders of Sudan and Israel, in the Oval Office of the White House. AP Photo

Why the Sudan-Israel normalisation deal will be delayed

MENA
A volunteer fighter sits on a car in a village south-east of Stepanakert on October 23, 2020, during the ongoing fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Russian president said on October 22 that the death toll was nearing 5,000 since full-scale fighting reputed last month, in the worst flare-up in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in more than two decades. / AFP / ARIS MESSINIS

Clashes rage in Nagorno-Karabakh despite 'very good' US talks

Europe
A Hezbollah flag and a poster depicting Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah are pictured along a street, near Sidon, Lebanon July 7, 2020. REUTERS

US declares $10m reward for information on a Hezbollah financial network

MENA

President Buhari says 69 people killed in Nigeria protests

Africa

France coronavirus cases top 1 million

Europe

Washington steps up efforts to end Nagorno-Karabakh fighting

Asia
IN DEPTH
President Donald Trump reacts during the second and final US presidential debate with Democratic candidate Joe Biden, in Nashville on October 22, 2020. via AP

Trump-Biden debate: what a difference a mute button makes

The Americas
Hanadi Saad, a human rights advocate who was nominated for the position of oil minister in Iraq. Hanadi Saad

'They view us as slaves': black Iraqi women say discrimination denies them hope

MENA
Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra in the 1963 epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Gadot’s Cleopatra sparks Egyptian debate on race and history

MENA
An archaeology worker opens a sarcophagus at the Saqqara archaeological site, 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in the presence of journalists and officials. Egypt’s ministry of antiquities and tourism says at least 59 sealed sarcophagi with mummies inside were found that had been buried in three wells more than 2,600 years ago. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Khaled)

Why curse of the pharaohs or Covid won’t slow Egypt’s archaeologists

MENA
An elderly man stands in front of a destroyed house after shelling in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's main city of Stepanakert. AFP

Turkey's Syrian militias in Nagorno-Karabakh ask: 'Why are we here?'

Europe
People cast their ballots for the upcoming US presidential elections as early voting begins in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Reuters

Beyond The Headlines: How will Arab Americans vote in US presidential election?
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Theo Jackson, the photographer's son, picks pumpkins for Halloween at Garson Farm PYO on October 22, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

World in focus: best photos of the day
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, October 20, 2020. Qasr Al Watan reopens to public tours on Tuesday with strict measures in place to limit the spread of Covid-19. The exterior of the main dome of the palace. Victor Besa/The National Section: NA Reporter:

The Middle East Framed - regional photos of the day
(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
TOPSHOT - Colombian indigenous people demonstrate against the government in the framework of a "Minga" (indigenous meeting) in Bogota, on October 19, 2020. Thousands of indigenous Colombians arrived in the country's capital on Sunday, demanding a meeting with President Ivan Duque and an end to growing violence in their territories. / AFP / Raul ARBOLEDA

World in focus: best photos of the day
Kuwait's new Emir Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah gestures as speaker of parliament Marzouq al-Ghanim claps during a parliament session, in Kuwait City, Kuwait October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee

The Middle East Framed: regional photos of the day
A demonstrator wearing a witch mask commemorates the first anniversary of the social uprising in Chile, in Santiago, October 18, 2020, as the country prepares for a landmark referendum. Changing the constitution enacted under former dictator Augusto Pinochet, who ruled from 1973-90, was a key demand of protesters during the two months of violent civil unrest against the government and inequality. Chileans will be asked two questions on October 25: do they want a new constitution and who should draft it. / AFP / Martin BERNETTI

World in focus - best photos of the day
Brexit supporters wave Union flags ans a mask of Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the time reaches 11 O'Clock, in Parliament Square, venue for the Leave Means Leave Brexit Celebration in central London on January 31, 2020, the moment that the UK formally leaft the European Union. - Brexit supporters gathered outside parliament on Friday to cheer Britain's departure from the European Union following three years of epic political drama -- but for others there were only tears. After 47 years in the European fold, the country leaves the EU at 11:00pm (2300 GMT) on Friday, with a handful of the most enthusiastic supporters gathering opposite the Houses of Parliament 12 hours before the final countdown. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)

Boris Johnson’s tumultuous 2020 - a year in pictures

Coronavirus

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a face mask that uses a heated copper mesh to inactivate viruses and neoprene to prevent the mask from getting too hot. Photo: Courtesy MIT researchers

MIT researchers design heated face mask to deactivate coronavirus

Technology
Medics are on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic. Pawan Singh / The National

UAE detects 1,491 cases from more than 120,000 tests

Health
Tourists at Trafalgar Square, London. Renewed lockdown measures in some countries, travel restrictions, reduction in consumers’ disposable income and low confidence levels could significantly slow down the global tourism sector’s recovery. Peter Dench / Getty Images

Covid-19 could cost global tourism industry up to $8.1tn

Travel and Tourism
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the press after chairing a meeting with the medical staff of the Rene Dubos hospital center, in Pontoise, in the Val d'Oise, on October 23, 2020, as the country faces a new wave of infections to the Covid-19. AFP

France coronavirus cases top 1 million

Europe

Coronavirus Explained

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Reporter: N/A. News. Coronavirus/Covid-19. A lady walks round Citywalk with a mask on to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Wednesday, October 22nd, 2020. Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

UAE reports 1,491 new cases after 124,404 further tests

World
The border controls between Abu Dhabi and Dubai aim to curb the spread of coronavirus and safeguard public health. Francois Nel / Getty Images

Everything you need to know about Abu Dhabi's new border rules

Transport
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Reporter: Kelly Clarke. Coronavirus/Covid-19. Twins Ghazal and Yara (R) Ghnimat. Parents rush to buy PPE for children in time for back-to-school. Sunday, August 23rd, 2020. Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

How to get your child ready to head back to school

Family
A child arrives at Dubai International Airport. Courtesy: Dubai Customs

Entering the UAE: What do the immigration changes mean?

Transport

GCC

Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has approved changes designed to stimulate Oman's economy. Reuters

Oman: Sultan approves plans to reduce debts to offset lower oil prices

Omanis relieved as night lockdowns to end on Saturday

Kuwait Emir calls for 'national unity' before parliamentary elections

Kuwait sets National Assembly elections for December 5

ISIS calls for attacks on West and Saudi Arabia in rare message

MENA

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, speaks on a conference call with leaders of Israel and Sudan during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Trump said Friday that Israel and Sudan have agreed to a peace deal, following on accords his administration helped negotiate between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Photographer:Leigh Vogel/UPI/Bloomberg

Trump urges Sudan to help solve ‘very dangerous’ Nile dam situation

Israel won't block UAE buying F-35 stealth fighters

Why the Sudan-Israel normalisation deal will be delayed

US declares $10m reward for information on a Hezbollah financial network

Israel and Sudan leaders agree to normalise relations

ASIA

Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan (L) meets with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, at the State Department in Washington, DC, on October 23, 2020. AFP 

Washington steps up efforts to end Nagorno-Karabakh fighting

Britain urges world to consider Rohingya’s suffering in fresh appeal for $1bn in refugee aid

Thailand cancels emergency decree in bid to calm protests

12 killed following an air strike in Takhar, Afghanistan

Jobseekers urged not to misuse Dubai’s visit and tourism visa

AFRICA

Men gesture as they stand near police officers along a street in Ikeja, as Nigeria's Lagos state remains under curfew, Nigeria October 23, 2020. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Armed gangs and roadblocks as Lagos anger rages post president’s plea

Trump urges Sudan to help solve ‘very dangerous’ Nile dam situation

Why the Sudan-Israel normalisation deal will be delayed

President Buhari says 69 people killed in Nigeria protests

Nigeria shooting fans long-simmering anger at the state

EUROPE

A volunteer fighter sits on a car in a village south-east of Stepanakert on October 23, 2020, during the ongoing fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Russian president said on October 22 that the death toll was nearing 5,000 since full-scale fighting reputed last month, in the worst flare-up in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in more than two decades. / AFP / ARIS MESSINIS

Clashes rage in Nagorno-Karabakh despite 'very good' US talks

France coronavirus cases top 1 million

Washington steps up efforts to end Nagorno-Karabakh fighting

US suspends visa and citizens services in Turkey

Britain to return 5,000 ancient Iraqi artefacts

THE AMERICAS

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, speaks on a conference call with leaders of Israel and Sudan during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Trump said Friday that Israel and Sudan have agreed to a peace deal, following on accords his administration helped negotiate between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Photographer:Leigh Vogel/UPI/Bloomberg

Trump urges Sudan to help solve ‘very dangerous’ Nile dam situation

Clashes rage in Nagorno-Karabakh despite 'very good' US talks

Israel won't block UAE buying F-35 stealth fighters

US suspends visa and citizens services in Turkey

Israel and Sudan leaders agree to normalise relations

OCEANIA

A rescued short-beaked echidna puggle was brought to Taronga Wildlife Hospital. Reuters

Lucky baby anteater escapes birds, falls from tree into care of Australian zoo

Millennials more disillusioned with democracy than any generation in a century, study finds

US sanctions Australian jeweller as an al-Qaeda financier

New Zealand election: Jacinda Ardern wins landslide

After Covid-19 shutdown, Lahore’s fightback against polio begins

COMMENT

Covid-19 is changing everything we know about watching films. EPA

Is the cinema a thing of the past?

Turkish meddling in the Caucasus may set fire to the whole region

The terror threat in Europe remains as potent as ever

Can we enjoy the UAE outdoors this winter amid a pandemic?

Is Syria now safe enough for refugees to return?

BREXIT

Clouds gather above skyscrapers on the skyline in the City of London. The City of London Corporation unveiled a five-year mission to reinvent the capital by 2025 with new start-up hubs, affordable work spaces, digital funds and stock exchange reforms. Bloomberg

Tough challenges facing the City of London's five-year rebrand plan

UK signs first big post-Brexit trade deal with Japan as talks with EU rumble on

UK foreign policy ‘lacks clarity’ as MPs distracted by Brexit

Boris Johnson: We will use historic ties to strike Gulf trade deals

Sterling traders opt to ignore Brexit noise until the 'real deadline'