A Closer Look: Who are the new Emirati astronauts?

In A Closer Look, The National provides an in-depth take on one of the main stories of the week

After 24 months of rigorous training, Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla, along with 10 American astronauts, graduated from training at a Nasa ceremony held in Houston, Texas.

They are now eligible for future missions to the ISS, the under-construction Lunar Gateway and, one day, the Moon.

Here, host Sarah Forster hears from The National's Space Editor Sarwat Nasir who spoke to the two graduates after the ceremony about their hopes for the next small step in their careers.

UAE’s Nora Al Matrooshi hopes for Moon mission after completing astronaut training

Space X astronauts blast off – in pictures

The Nasa SpaceX Crew-8, from left: Michael Barratt, pilot; Matthew Dominick, commander; and mission specialists Alexander Grebenkin and Jeanette Epps in Titusville, Florida, shortly before the space flight. EPA

Barratt waves goodbye to family members before heading to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida. AFP

Grebenkin, a cosmonaut, walks towards the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Cape Canaveral, which then carried the crew to the ISS. AFP

The countdown in Cape Canaveral is almost complete. AFP

The rocket lifts off from launch pad. AFP

Carrying the crew's capsule, the Falcon 9 rocket lights up the sky over Cape Canaveral. AFP

The four astronauts embark on their journey to the ISS. AFP

Kareem Shaheen on Canada

Canada should look past the US election outcome

There would be no Alphonso Davies without open borders

Hard-hit Canada is springing back to life – or to the already cliched 'new normal'

Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)

While you're here

Ed Husain: The far left is trying to hijack Muslim minds in the West

Sulaiman Hakemy: Why it is very important to lose elections

Rashmee Roshan Lall: US race relations in three words

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri

Rating: 1/5

The%20specs

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.4-litre%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E470bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E637Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh375%2C900%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

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

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Mobile phone packages comparison

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?

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

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

While you're here

Kareem Shaheen: In Syria and elsewhere, women often bear the brunt of war

Janine di Giovanni: What we don't get about women in politics and war

Taliban's female assassins who lured men to their deaths released

Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

MATCH DETAILS

Liverpool 2

Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)

Genk 1

Samatta (40)

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

COMPANY%20PROFILE

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed

Rating: 1/5

CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES

%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Main report

Ten years on, the UAE's stateless people reflect on how life has improved and on the challenges ahead

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Kareem Shaheen on Canada

A second lockdown will be especially tough in cold countries

Hard-hit Canada is springing back to the cliched 'new normal'

Justin Trudeau 2.0 will need to take all of Canada with him

'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5

What went into the film

25 visual effects (VFX) studios

2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots

1,000 VFX artists

3,000 technicians

10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers

New sound technology, named 4D SRL

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

Overview

Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu

Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal

Q&A: Quarantine rules limit travellers landing in the UK

Minister quits over Cummings scandal as Boris Johnson’s approval rating plummets

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

'Gehraiyaan'

Director:Shakun Batra

Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa

Rating: 4/5

If coronavirus overwhelms Gaza, there will be few others to blame but Israel

Profiting from loss: how business in illegal Israeli settlements continues unchecked

Bedouin mass eviction is part of Israel's concerted efforts to drive Palestinians from their historic lands

A Closer Look: Who are the new Emirati astronauts?

We hear from Space Editor Sarwat Nasir

Space X astronauts blast off – in pictures

Kareem Shaheen on Canada

While you're here

Dhadak 2

The%20specs

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

On Women's Day

Mobile phone packages comparison

On Women's Day

While you're here

MATCH DETAILS

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

COMPANY%20PROFILE

Dubai Bling season three

CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES

Main report

MATCH INFO

Kareem Shaheen on Canada

'Munich: The Edge of War'

What went into the film

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Overview

Specs

'Gehraiyaan'

You might also like

While you're here ...

While you're here

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

A Closer Look: Who are the new Emirati astronauts?

We hear from Space Editor Sarwat Nasir

Space X astronauts blast off – in pictures

Kareem Shaheen on Canada

While you're here

Dhadak 2

The%20specs

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

On Women's Day

Mobile phone packages comparison

On Women's Day

While you're here

MATCH DETAILS

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

COMPANY%20PROFILE

Dubai Bling season three

CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES

Main report

MATCH INFO

Kareem Shaheen on Canada

'Munich:&nbsp;The&nbsp;Edge&nbsp;of&nbsp;War'

What went into the film

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Overview

Specs

'Gehraiyaan'

You might also like

While you're here ...

While you're here

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

'Munich: The Edge of War'