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Norsk Folkehjelp, a Norwegian aid group specialising in de-mining, said this month it would let go of 1,700 workers in 12 countries after the US foreign aid decision. AFP

Is US missing 'Berlin Wall' moment in Syria with foreign aid cuts?

How the Bradford Ramadan Pavilion will look. Photo: S&S

UK's largest iftar - and the Gulf architect behind the venue that will host it

Quiz of the week

Find out how well you’ve kept up with the news of the past seven days

Getty

Weekend EssayHariri's vision for Lebanon shaped its destiny

Mohamed Ramadan and Dina El Sherbiny in the 2022 drama Al Mishwar. Instagram / Mohamed Ramadan

Drama, tears and lessons: Why Ramadan TV is a tradition that still matters

A Hebrew Bible written in Arabic script, part of the Cairo Genizah collection. Photo: Dr Melonie Schmierer-Lee/ the University of Cambridge

Postcard from CairoA glimpse of daily life in medieval Egypt

HUDAYRIYAT ISLAND, ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - FEBRUARY 12: Two-time WSL champion Filipe Toledo of Brazil is just one of the elite surfers competing at the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro at Hudayriyat Island. Photo: World Surf League

New sporting wave breaks in Abu Dhabi as world’s best surfers are put to the test

Reflect Orbital aims to sell sunlight at night to enable continuous solar power production. Image: Reflect Orbital

Catching rays from space: The company holding up a mirror to the Earth

Hamas frees three Israeli hostages in exchange for 369 Palestinian detainees

Palestinian detainee Hassan Owes from Jenin refugee camp is greeted by relatives after his release from Israel, in Ramallah, West Bank on February 15. EPA

Hamas frees three Israeli hostages in exchange for 369 Palestinian detainees

In five earlier swaps, 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian detainees were released

Egyptian MP Sahar Albazar says there must be a response to US President Donald Trump's proposal for Gaza from Arab nations. Photo: Sahar Albazar / Facebook

Trump's Gaza plan fails reality test for Egyptian leaders

Politician Sahar Albazar says Cairo should not entertain unrealistic proposals for Gaza

Lebanon president condemns attack on Unifil convoy

Germany’s Scholz angered by Vance’s ‘interference’ in election

People gathered in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square watch the release of Israeli hostages on a screen on Saturday. AFP

Brief joy in Tel Aviv after latest hostages released by Hamas

Protests at Tehran University after student murdered

US wants to slash Iran oil exports by more than 90%

Craig and Lindsay Foreman are reported to have been on a motorbike trip around the world when they were detained. AFP

UK names British couple detained in Iran

In focus

Hayden Wilde on the podium after winning the World Triathlon Championship Series opener at Hudayriyat Island. Photo: World Triathlon

Wilde strikes gold in World Triathlon Championship Series

Dr. Ernest Moniz, CEO and President of EFI Foundation speaks about an increasingly fragmented world. Victor Besa / The National

Former US energy secretary Moniz warns on dangers of AI in nuclear weapons loop

Sorana Cirstea,WTA Player. Victor Besa / The National and Anna Kalinskaya, WTA Player. Victor Besa / The National

Anna Kalinskaya ‘positive and excited’ about Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder Marlon Gomes celebrates after scoring against Borussia Dortmund in the Uefa Champions League group phase at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund on January 29, 2025. AFP

‘Everyone knows somebody who has died’: Shakhtar Donetsk down but not beaten

Scientists have developed a way to identify the scents of ancient Egyptian mummified bodies. Photo: Abdelrazek Elnaggar

Ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smell 'woody, spicy and sweet’

Palestine's ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour speaks to members of the Security Council in New York. EPA

Exclusive‘Trump must listen to Palestinians if he wants peace in Middle East’

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajjy in Paris at a conference in support of Syria on February 13, 2025. Sunniva Rose / The National

ExclusiveLebanon wants ‘full withdrawal’ of Israeli forces, says Foreign Minister

The EU flag flies at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Europe's economic stagnation is rooted in its inability to keep pace with global productivity growth. AP

Business InsightsWhy the EU is falling behind economically and geopolitically

Video

After 20 years, is Lebanon finally nearing closure on Hariri’s assassination?

Politicians and experts discuss enduring legacy of the killing of former Lebanese leader.

Israel releasing 369 Palestinians after Hamas handed over three hostages

Israel releasing 369 Palestinians after Hamas handed over three hostages

'We should not entertain unrealistic proposals,' Egyptian MP says of Trump's Gaza plan

'We should not entertain unrealistic proposals,' Egyptian MP says of Trump's Gaza plan

Three Israeli hostages released by Hamas in sixth hostages-prisoners exchange

Three Israeli hostages released by Hamas in sixth hostages-prisoners exchange

UN Arab Group calls for 'Palestinian Riviera' in Gaza

UN Arab Group calls for 'Palestinian Riviera' in Gaza

Hariri’s killing, 20 years on

A portrait of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is seen as demonstrators wave Lebanese flags in Martyr Square. Getty Images

CommentFew in post-war Lebanon had an impact like Rafic Hariri’s

A billboard of Lebanon's slain former premier Rafic Hariri and his son Saad Hariri in Beirut on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Rafi Hariri's assassination. AFP.

Beyond the HeadlinesHow an assassination shaped the next 20 years in Lebanon

Saad Hariri gave a speech at the commemoration in Beirut. Reuters

Thousands gather in Beirut to mark 20th anniversary of Rafic Hariri’s killing

Clockwise from top left: Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Assad Hassan Sabra, Salim Jamil Ayyash and Hussein Hassan Oneissi, the Hezbollah suspects indicted in the Rafic Hariri assassination case. AFP

The lingering mysteries around Hariri's killing and Al Assad's role

Rafic Hariri delivers a rousing a speech as Lebanon's prime minister, in Beirut in May 1998. He would be dead within seven years. Reuters

JS/SB

Aftershocks of Hariri’s killing still felt in Lebanon 20 years on

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. AFP

DocumentaryIs Lebanon finally nearing closure on Hariri’s assassination?

Campaigners demonstrate in support of the arrest of former Lebanese central bank chief Riad Salameh in September 2024, in Beirut. Reuters

Riad Salameh's son and lawyer under formal investigation in France

'We can reasonably hope for a trial at the end of 2026,' plaintiff tells The National

JD Vance uses Munich speech to scold Europe over mass migration

Manchester City had challenged Premier League's APT rules last year. Reuters

Premier League rules on sponsorship declared ‘void’ after City challenge

Washington DC air crash: officials investigating possible altitude data discrepancy from helicopter

Reuters

OpenAI board rejects Musk’s $97.4bn offer

Thousands fired as Trump and Musk take axe to US government offices

UAE extends its visa on arrival programme for Indians

Jannik Sinner accepts three-month ban in doping case

Saudi Arabia to host Ukraine peace talks, Trump says ahead of Putin meeting

Gaza ceasefire

Palestinian prisoners are greeted after being released from Israeli prison following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo / Mahmoud Illean)

Almost 400 Palestinians freed by Israel after three more hostages released

People gathered in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square watch the release of Israeli hostages on a screen on Saturday. AFP

Brief joy in Tel Aviv after latest hostages released by Hamas

Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, says the Gaza war has torn the enclave's human and social fabric. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

Palestinian interests must come before Hamas, Dr Anwar Gargash says

Palestinian women carry food near a donation point provided by a charity group in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in 2023. AFP

UN official recounts harrowing tales of Gaza’s women

Widespread destruction in Gaza city's Al Zeitoun neighbourhood, in northern Gaza. EPA

Hamas says it will continue hostage release under ceasefire agreement

Husam Zomlot, Palestinian ambassador to the UK, says 'every day we're hearing new ideas' that could cause the ceasefire in Gaza to collapse. Getty Images

ExclusivePalestine's UK envoy fears that wrangling could undermine truce

President Sheikh Mohamed spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the quest for regional peace. Photo: UAE Presidential Court / Reuters

Sheikh Mohamed calls for Middle East peace in Rubio talks

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid is welcomed by President Sheikh Mohamed in Abu Dhabi. Abdulla Al Bedwawi / UAE Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed and President of Iraq discuss two-state solution

Business

Culture

Shipping containers at the Port of Seattle in Washington state, US. Last week, President Donald Trump ordered his administration to consider imposing reciprocal tariffs on numerous trading partners. Bloomberg

US tariffs to hit growth in China and Europe, Goldman Sachs says

Oil prices settle lower on Ukraine peace deal hopes and delay in US tariffs

Emerging economies to meet in Saudi Arabia as US tariffs fuel trade uncertainty

Culture

How indie band Ghostly Kisses became a Middle East sensation

Music & On-stage

Chhaava review: More noise than depth in historical action film

Cosplay is a big part of Comic Con. Vidhyaa Chandramohan for The National

What to know about Middle East Film and Comic Con 2025

Beyond the Headlines

Beyond the Headlines

Delve deeper into the biggest stories from the Middle East and around the world

Culture Bites

Culture Bites

Your guide to the arts and culture scene in the UAE

Business Extra

Business Extra

The stories, companies, trends, tech, Innovation and leaders shaping your world

Trending Middle East

Trending Middle East

The top news stories, field reports and insights from the Middle East and beyond

Pictures of the Day

A woman in Art Deco costume poses for a photograph on February 15, 2025 in the city of Napier on New Zealand's north island. The Napier Art Deco Festival 2025 runs from February 13 to 16. Getty Images

A car in the Tahoe-Donner neighbourhood after an overnight winter storm in Truckee, eastern California, on Friday, February 14, 2025. AP Photo

Traditional instruments are played during the annual boat regatta in Yauri, Kebbi State, Nigeria, on February 14, 2025. The festival began about 200 years ago to celebrate the naval strength of the Gungu people, where warriors annually attacked dangerous hippopotamus that were destroying farmlands. AFP

Red-crowned cranes spread their wings in a courtship dance at the feeding area of the Tsurui Ito Red-crowned Crane Sanctuary in the village of Tsurui, on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on February 15, 2025. AFP

A mother and son stand on a balcony in Al Remal neighbourhood of Gaza city on February 14, 2025. EPA

Guau Tap Brewery in collaboration with welfare organisations Brigada Murci and El Refugio stage a Valentine's Day blind date event for dog adoptions in Mexico City. Reuters

A flyboarder salutes during a rehearsal for the opening ceremony for the Komodo 2025 multilateral naval exercise at Benoa port in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on February 14. AFP

The Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where Pope Francis was taken on Friday after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened and is receiving drug therapy for a respiratory tract infection. AP Photo

Israelis watch a live Gaza broadcast of the release of three Israeli hostages during a gathering at the so-called Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on February 15, 2025. AP Photo

People cast their ballot during early presidential elections in Sukhumi, the capital of the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia in the South Caucasus, on 15 February, 2025. EPA

A woman in Art Deco costume poses for a photograph on February 15, 2025 in the city of Napier on New Zealand's north island. The Napier Art Deco Festival 2025 runs from February 13 to 16. Getty Images

A car in the Tahoe-Donner neighbourhood after an overnight winter storm in Truckee, eastern California, on Friday, February 14, 2025. AP Photo

Traditional instruments are played during the annual boat regatta in Yauri, Kebbi State, Nigeria, on February 14, 2025. The festival began about 200 years ago to celebrate the naval strength of the Gungu people, where warriors annually attacked dangerous hippopotamus that were destroying farmlands. AFP

Red-crowned cranes spread their wings in a courtship dance at the feeding area of the Tsurui Ito Red-crowned Crane Sanctuary in the village of Tsurui, on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on February 15, 2025. AFP

A mother and son stand on a balcony in Al Remal neighbourhood of Gaza city on February 14, 2025. EPA

Guau Tap Brewery in collaboration with welfare organisations Brigada Murci and El Refugio stage a Valentine's Day blind date event for dog adoptions in Mexico City. Reuters

A flyboarder salutes during a rehearsal for the opening ceremony for the Komodo 2025 multilateral naval exercise at Benoa port in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on February 14. AFP

The Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where Pope Francis was taken on Friday after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened and is receiving drug therapy for a respiratory tract infection. AP Photo

Israelis watch a live Gaza broadcast of the release of three Israeli hostages during a gathering at the so-called Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on February 15, 2025. AP Photo

People cast their ballot during early presidential elections in Sukhumi, the capital of the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia in the South Caucasus, on 15 February, 2025. EPA

A woman in Art Deco costume poses for a photograph on February 15, 2025 in the city of Napier on New Zealand's north island. The Napier Art Deco Festival 2025 runs from February 13 to 16. Getty Images

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After 20 years, is Lebanon finally nearing closure on Hariri’s assassination?

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