Dubai Crown Prince meets hero driver, hostage drama in Beirut, Iraq protests — Trending

Trending Middle East brings you the latest social media and search trends from the region and around the world.

On today's episode, Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed meets the delivery driver he singled out for praise after he was filmed clearing two building blocks from a busy road in the emirate. A hostage drama at a Federal Bank of Lebanon branch in Beirut, which began when an armed man demanded his savings, ends without injury.

Followers of powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr dig in their heels as they wrap up their second week of protests outside Iraq's parliament and Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake dies, leading to a sharp rise in internet searches for the phrase “Issey Miyake turtleneck”, which was frequently worn by Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs.

School uniforms report

UAE parents angry at rising cost of 'poor quality' school uniforms

Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay

Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.

Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.

Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.

Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.

Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings

1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points

2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188

3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169

4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117

5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116

6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67

7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56

8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45

9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35

10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

E-cigarettes report

Tobacco giants, under attack from governments and forced to print gruesome warnings on their products, pour millions into 'healthier' e-cigarette products

How to avoid crypto fraud

Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.