• A fire rages in the Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike on May 12. AFP
    A fire rages in the Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike on May 12. AFP
  • Supporters of Donald Trump gather in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington on January 6. Reuters
    Supporters of Donald Trump gather in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington on January 6. Reuters
  • Al Suyoh residential housing complex in Sharjah, which is part of President Sheikh Khalifa's UAE Housing Initiative, on January 24. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Al Suyoh residential housing complex in Sharjah, which is part of President Sheikh Khalifa's UAE Housing Initiative, on January 24. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Ultra-Orthodox Jews take part in the funeral of a religious leader amid Covid-19 restrictions in Jerusalem on January 31. Reuters
    Ultra-Orthodox Jews take part in the funeral of a religious leader amid Covid-19 restrictions in Jerusalem on January 31. Reuters
  • Omysha the elephant dives under water at Zoo Zurich, Switzerland, on February 3. EPA
    Omysha the elephant dives under water at Zoo Zurich, Switzerland, on February 3. EPA
  • Cardboard spectators 'watch' Finnish ski jumper Jarkko Maatta at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, on February 24. Reuters
    Cardboard spectators 'watch' Finnish ski jumper Jarkko Maatta at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, on February 24. Reuters
  • Political consultant Roger Stone dances with rapper Forgiato Blow outside the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida on February 27. Reuters
    Political consultant Roger Stone dances with rapper Forgiato Blow outside the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida on February 27. Reuters
  • Protesters take cover as they clash with riot police during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar on February 28. Reuters
    Protesters take cover as they clash with riot police during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar on February 28. Reuters
  • An aerial view taken on March 27 shows stranded ships waiting to cross the Suez Canal. The waterway was blocked by the 'MV Ever Given', forcing companies to re-route services from the vital shipping lane. AFP
    An aerial view taken on March 27 shows stranded ships waiting to cross the Suez Canal. The waterway was blocked by the 'MV Ever Given', forcing companies to re-route services from the vital shipping lane. AFP
  • A worker in the Saudi city of Taif is photographed on April 11 sitting among freshly picked Damascena roses, which are used to produce rose water and oil. Every spring, roses bloom in Taif, transforming pockets of the kingdom's vast desert landscape into fragrant pink patches. AFP
    A worker in the Saudi city of Taif is photographed on April 11 sitting among freshly picked Damascena roses, which are used to produce rose water and oil. Every spring, roses bloom in Taif, transforming pockets of the kingdom's vast desert landscape into fragrant pink patches. AFP
  • US police officers pictured during a clash with protesters after an officer shot and killed a black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 11. AFP
    US police officers pictured during a clash with protesters after an officer shot and killed a black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 11. AFP
  • The Grand Mosque complex in Makkah, pictured during the first day of Ramadan, which fell on April 13 this year. AFP
    The Grand Mosque complex in Makkah, pictured during the first day of Ramadan, which fell on April 13 this year. AFP
  • The burning pyres of people who lost their lives to Covid-19 at a cremation ground in New Delhi on April 26. AFP
    The burning pyres of people who lost their lives to Covid-19 at a cremation ground in New Delhi on April 26. AFP
  • Israeli police detain a Palestinian protester on May 5 amid tensions about a land-ownership dispute in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. Reuters
    Israeli police detain a Palestinian protester on May 5 amid tensions about a land-ownership dispute in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. Reuters
  • Afghan men carry the coffin of a bombing victim in Kabul on May 9. Reuters
    Afghan men carry the coffin of a bombing victim in Kabul on May 9. Reuters
  • Baby Arabian carpet sharks inside their eggs, pictured at Atlantis, The Palm's aquarium in Dubai on May 23. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Baby Arabian carpet sharks inside their eggs, pictured at Atlantis, The Palm's aquarium in Dubai on May 23. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • A young Palestinian girl in what was once her family home in Beit Hanun, northern Gaza, on May 24. Getty
    A young Palestinian girl in what was once her family home in Beit Hanun, northern Gaza, on May 24. Getty
  • A gibbon walks amid models of vehicles at a zoo in Crimea on May 24. Reuters
    A gibbon walks amid models of vehicles at a zoo in Crimea on May 24. Reuters
  • A US Marine holds the door as Gianna Floyd, the daughter of George Floyd, walks into the White House on May 25. Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin the year before. AP
    A US Marine holds the door as Gianna Floyd, the daughter of George Floyd, walks into the White House on May 25. Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin the year before. AP
  • Egyptians swim in the Suez Canal as a container ship moves through it, in Ismaila, on May 27. EPA
    Egyptians swim in the Suez Canal as a container ship moves through it, in Ismaila, on May 27. EPA
  • A migrating herd of elephants rest in south-western China's Yunnan province on June 7. AP
    A migrating herd of elephants rest in south-western China's Yunnan province on June 7. AP
  • A ranger climbs the slopes of the Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 11, three weeks after it erupted. AFP
    A ranger climbs the slopes of the Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 11, three weeks after it erupted. AFP
  • Drivers queue at a petrol station in northern Lebanon on July 1 amid severe fuel shortages. AFP
    Drivers queue at a petrol station in northern Lebanon on July 1 amid severe fuel shortages. AFP
  • Britain's 'HMS Queen Elizabeth' aircraft carrier sails through Egypt's Suez Canal on July 6. AFP
    Britain's 'HMS Queen Elizabeth' aircraft carrier sails through Egypt's Suez Canal on July 6. AFP
  • The Dixie Fire consumes a home in the Indian Falls community of Plumas County, California, on July 24. AP
    The Dixie Fire consumes a home in the Indian Falls community of Plumas County, California, on July 24. AP
  • Lionel Messi salutes supporters outside the Parc des Princes stadium after his first official press conference as Paris Saint-Germain player on August 11. AFP
    Lionel Messi salutes supporters outside the Parc des Princes stadium after his first official press conference as Paris Saint-Germain player on August 11. AFP
  • View from the cabin of Ain Dubai on August 24. Pawan Singh / The National
    View from the cabin of Ain Dubai on August 24. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Medics treat patients infected with Covid-19 at a chapel converted into an intensive care unit on August 25 in Manila, the Philippines. Getty
    Medics treat patients infected with Covid-19 at a chapel converted into an intensive care unit on August 25 in Manila, the Philippines. Getty
  • An image taken from the International Space Station shows Hurricane Ida in the Gulf of Mexico on August 29. EPA
    An image taken from the International Space Station shows Hurricane Ida in the Gulf of Mexico on August 29. EPA
  • Migrants take shelter along the Del Rio International Bridge at sunset on September 19 as they wait to be processed after crossing the Rio Grande into the US from Mexico. Reuters
    Migrants take shelter along the Del Rio International Bridge at sunset on September 19 as they wait to be processed after crossing the Rio Grande into the US from Mexico. Reuters
  • Lava flows from a volcano near El Paso on La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, on September 21. AP
    Lava flows from a volcano near El Paso on La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, on September 21. AP
  • Afghan girls in Kandahar on September 26. AFP
    Afghan girls in Kandahar on September 26. AFP
  • The Expo 2020 Dubai opening ceremony, held on September 30. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
    The Expo 2020 Dubai opening ceremony, held on September 30. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • Afghans gather outside a passport office on October 6 after the Taliban said they would start issuing travel documents again. Reuters
    Afghans gather outside a passport office on October 6 after the Taliban said they would start issuing travel documents again. Reuters
  • Migrants sit on the deck of the 'Sea Watch-3' rescue ship in the Mediterranean on October 19. AP
    Migrants sit on the deck of the 'Sea Watch-3' rescue ship in the Mediterranean on October 19. AP
  • An installation by Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn faces the Giza Pyramids on October 23. The artwork was part of the first international exhibition to take place at the site. AFP
    An installation by Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn faces the Giza Pyramids on October 23. The artwork was part of the first international exhibition to take place at the site. AFP
  • A member of the Minga Indigena indigenous delegation attends the Cop26 UN climate summit on November 3 in Glasgow, Scotland. Getty
    A member of the Minga Indigena indigenous delegation attends the Cop26 UN climate summit on November 3 in Glasgow, Scotland. Getty
  • Hikers visit an ice cave formed at the end section of the Zinal glacier, above the alpine village of Zinal, Switzerland, on November 13. Over the past 60 years the overall glacier volume in Switzerland has shrunk by almost 50 percent. EPA
    Hikers visit an ice cave formed at the end section of the Zinal glacier, above the alpine village of Zinal, Switzerland, on November 13. Over the past 60 years the overall glacier volume in Switzerland has shrunk by almost 50 percent. EPA
  • Migrants make their way to a checkpoint on the Belarus-Poland border on November 15. AP
    Migrants make their way to a checkpoint on the Belarus-Poland border on November 15. AP
  • A man returns to Haiti after buying chickens at a market in the border town of Dajabon, Dominican Republic, on November 19. AP
    A man returns to Haiti after buying chickens at a market in the border town of Dajabon, Dominican Republic, on November 19. AP
  • A group of girls reacts after Brazil's Corinthians defeated Colombia's Santa Fe in the Women's Copa Libertadores football final on November 21. AFP
    A group of girls reacts after Brazil's Corinthians defeated Colombia's Santa Fe in the Women's Copa Libertadores football final on November 21. AFP
  • An Iraqi youth stands on the bank of Basra's Shatt Al Arab waterway as flare stacks burn in a nearby oilfield on December 5. AFP
    An Iraqi youth stands on the bank of Basra's Shatt Al Arab waterway as flare stacks burn in a nearby oilfield on December 5. AFP
  • A drone picture shows a road running through snow-covered fields in the village of Izdebki, south-eastern Poland, on December 8. EPA
    A drone picture shows a road running through snow-covered fields in the village of Izdebki, south-eastern Poland, on December 8. EPA
  • Etihad Airways jets perform a flyover before the final race of the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 12. Victor Besa / The National
    Etihad Airways jets perform a flyover before the final race of the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 12. Victor Besa / The National

World

The best of Big Picture 2021

The National's daily Big Picture choices provided current affairs and a more off-beat look at the year

The National

December 29, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Throughout the week, and throughout the year, The National’s editors select the day’s “Big Picture”.

The photos can be newsworthy or a stunning moment of nature caught by a photographer, a sporting highlight or simply a beautiful picture. Some are taken by our staff photographers in the UAE, others sourced from around the world. Above all, they must be striking and memorable.

The gallery above includes some of the best images featured in Big Picture series over the last year.

More: The National's best staff photographs of 2021

2021 in pictures: striking images from around the world

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

MATCH INFO

What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)

Engine 5.2-litre V10

Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch

Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm

Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est) 

DUNGEONS%20%26%20DRAGONS%3A%20HONOR%20AMONG%20THIEVES
%3Cp%3EDirectors%3A%20John%20Francis%20Daley%20and%20Jonathan%20Goldstein%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Chris%20Pine%2C%20Michelle%20Rodriguez%2C%20Rege-Jean%20Page%2C%20Justice%20Smith%2C%20Sophia%20Lillis%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Have you been targeted?

Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:

1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.

2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.

3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.

4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.

5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
On Women's Day
The five pillars of Islam
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE

UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.

Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.

Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.

For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.

Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.

At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.

In The Heights

Directed by: Jon M. Chu

Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda

Rating: ****

Mobile phone packages comparison
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S

Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900

Engine: 937cc

Transmission: Six-speed gearbox

Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm

Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km

Full Party in the Park line-up

2pm – Andreah

3pm – Supernovas

4.30pm – The Boxtones

5.30pm – Lighthouse Family

7pm – Step On DJs

8pm – Richard Ashcroft

9.30pm – Chris Wright

10pm – Fatboy Slim

11pm – Hollaphonic

 

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Updated: December 29, 2021, 11:47 AM
Photography