Two journalists have won the Nobel Peace Prize for championing free expression under increasingly repressive conditions in the Philippines and Russia.
Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov were described by Nobel jurors as representing all journalists who stand up for press freedom around the world.
Ressa, this year's first female Nobel laureate, is the co-founder of investigative journalism site Rappler and has faced the threat of prison for reporting on the deadly drug war in the Philippines.
"I am in shock," she said in a Rappler broadcast after the Nobel award was announced.
Named a Time magazine person of the year in 2018, she is appealing against a libel conviction that could send her to prison for six years and was seen as a blow to media freedom in the country.
In addition to repeated legal battles, she has described receiving up to 90 hate messages an hour on Facebook because of her public profile.
Ressa, 58, uses her work to "expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country", said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The International Criminal Court approved a full investigation into possible crimes against humanity during the drugs crackdown led by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 17 media workers were killed in the Philippines in the past decade and 23 in Russia.
"Ressa has shown herself to be a fearless defender of freedom of expression," Ms Reiss-Andersen said.
Muratov is the editor of Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta, described by the Nobel committee as the "most independent newspaper in Russia today".
The newspaper was set up with the help of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, but has faced what activists describe as an increasingly repressive climate in Russia.
"This award raises the importance of the press in the modern world to great heights," Mr Gorbachev said in a statement. "This is good, very good news."
Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, hailed the award at a time of growing violence against journalists. "I congratulate Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov on being awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize," he said. "Throughout the world, a free press is essential for peace, justice, sustainable development and human rights — and the cornerstone for building fair and impartial institutions."
The newspaper has published articles criticising Russian authorities for alleged corruption, electoral fraud, police violence and secretive interventions abroad.
Six of the newspaper's journalists have been killed since 1993, Ms Reiss-Andersen said, and others have faced harassment, threats and violence.
"Despite the killings and threats, editor-in-chief Muratov has refused to abandon the newspaper’s independent policy," she said. "He has consistently defended the right of journalists to write anything they want about whatever they want."
Despite the criticism of Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered praise for Muratov after the Nobel award. "He has consistently worked in accordance with his ideals," Mr Peskov said.
The peace prize is awarded to the person who has "done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations" or reduce the size of military forces, under the instructions left by Alfred Nobel.
Jurors said the Swedish benefactor's wishes for a peaceful world would not be possible without free expression and freedom of the press.
"This year’s award of the Nobel Peace Prize is therefore firmly anchored in the provisions of Alfred Nobel’s will," they said.
Christophe Deloire, the head of advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, said the Nobel award was a tribute to journalism himself.
"Journalism is in danger. Democracies are weakened by disinformation, by rumours, by hate speech," he said. "This is a time for mobilisation, for journalism, for democracy."
There were 329 nominations for this year's prize. Their names are kept secret for 50 years, meaning there was no official word on who else was in the running, although Russian activist Alexei Navalny and climate campaigner Greta Thunberg had been mentioned as contenders.
Previous winners of the prize include Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, late South African leader Nelson Mandela and former US president Barack Obama.
The peace prize is the fifth in this year's Nobel awards season and the only one to be handed out in Norway rather than Sweden.
The medicine prize went to two biologists who shone a light on human senses. Climate change was a theme of the physics award, which was shared by three scientists.
The chemistry winners were two scientists who discovered a new way of creating molecules. Abdulrazak Gurnah, who wrote novels about the fate of refugees, won the literature prize on Thursday.
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Price: Dh980,000
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SCE%20Studio%20Cambridge%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%2C%20PlayStation%204%20and%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Killer
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EDavid%20Fincher%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Fassbender%2C%20Tilda%20Swinton%2C%20Charles%20Parnell%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
Read more about the coronavirus
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
McIlroy's recent struggles
Last six stroke-play events (First round score in brackets)
Arnold Palmer Invitational Tied for 4th (74)
The US Masters Tied for 7th (72)
The Players Championship Tied for 35th (73)
US Open Missed the cut (78)
Travellers Championship Tied for 17th (67)
Irish Open Missed the cut (72)
Ant-Man%20and%20the%20Wasp%3A%20Quantumania
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPeyton%20Reed%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Rudd%2C%20Evangeline%20Lilly%2C%20Jonathan%20Majors%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
