Good morning from The National on May 10, 2024.
Here is your digest of what is making the headlines in the Emirates.
Funeral prayers were held in Abu Dhabi on Thursday for Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan bin Zayed.
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, were among the mourners at Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan the First Mosque.
Other sheikhs and senior officials were also present. They prayed for the bereaved family to be granted solace, state news agency Wam reported.
Sheikh Hazza was later laid to rest at Al Bateen Cemetery. The Presidential Court announced his death on Thursday.
It offered its condolences in a message carried by Wam.
“The Presidential Court extended heartfelt condolences and sympathies on the death of Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, praying to Allah Almighty to shower the deceased with His vast mercy, grant him eternal paradise and provide his family and relatives with patience and solace,” the message said.
Read the full story here
Emirati pilot looking forward to ‘walking on Mars’ during Nasa mission
Emirati pilot Shareef Al Romaithi is set to begin a 45-day Mars simulation mission inside a Nasa habitat on Friday, where he and three crewmates will live and work in near-isolation.
Mr Romaithi, 39, a captain with Etihad Airways, will spend his time on virtual walks on the surface of Mars and using artificial intelligence to solve maintenance problems that may arise on his “spaceship” during the "journey" to the Red Planet.
He and his three US colleagues are part of the second phase of Nasa's Human Exploration Research Analogue (Hera) mission, which takes place in a three-storey habitat in Houston, Texas.
The programme is meant to uncover insights into the psychological and physiological effects of prolonged confinement and isolation, similar to those experienced during extended space travel.
Mr Romaithi, a father of three girls, said during an online media briefing on Thursday that he was looking forward to “walking on Mars”.
Read the full story from Sarwat Nasir here
Etihad Airways posts nine-fold increase in first-quarter profit as travel demand soars
Etihad Airways recorded an almost nine-fold increase in first-quarter profit, as the airline continues to expand its route network and carry more passengers amid soaring demand for air travel.
The Abu Dhabi airline posted after-tax profit of Dh526 million ($143 million) for the first three months of the year, up from Dh59 million in the same period a year ago.
It cited higher passenger revenue and lower financing costs for the increase.
Total revenue rose about 21 per cent year on year to Dh5.7 billion in the first quarter, driven mainly by a 25 per cent increase in passenger revenue.
Passenger traffic grew 41 per cent year on year to 4.2 million as Etihad Airways expanded its network to destinations including Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Boston.
Read more about it from Deena Kamel here
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COMING UP
- Imperial Orchestra – Cinema Medley: Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai – (Tonight) May 10
- Live Nation presents Scorpions: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi – May 17
FACT OF THE DAY
Trinity College's student union in Dublin was fined €214,000 ($230,000) by the Irish university for loss of tourist revenue, which the institute said was caused by protests over student fees, rent and the war in Gaza. Read more here
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