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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?

Quiz of the week

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

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

Getty

Weekend EssayHariri's vision for Lebanon shaped its destiny

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

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

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

Surfin' UAE: New sporting wave breaks in Abu Dhabi as world’s best 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

Live updates

Hamas fighters stand guard ahead of the release of three Israeli hostages under a ceasefire deal, in the southern Gaza Strip, on February 15, 2025. Reuters

Three more Israeli hostages and 369 Palestinian detainees to be released

Israeli hostages Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Iair Horn to be freed in sixth ceasefire exchange

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

A Syrian Democratic Forces fighter walks past women and children queuing at the Al Hol camp, where families linked to ISIS are detained, in Syria's north-eastern Hasakah province. AFP

Talks on Syria's new constitution 'will exclude armed groups'

UN Arab Group calls for a 'Palestinian Riviera' in Gaza

US Vice President JD Vance told the Munich Munich Security he 'believes we can come to a reasonable settlement' between Kyiv and Moscow. Reuters

JD Vance uses Munich speech to scold Europe over mass migration

UAE pledges another $200 million in humanitarian funding for Sudan

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

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

Weekend EssayFew 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?

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.

Famed ice cream shop reopens, bringing smiles to war-weary Gaza

Famed ice cream shop reopens, bringing smiles to war-weary Gaza

US and Europe clash on first day of Munich Security Conference

US and Europe clash on first day of Munich Security Conference

Twenty years on from Rafic Hariri killing a 'golden opportunity' exists

Twenty years on from Rafic Hariri killing a 'golden opportunity' exists

Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour says Trump could bring peace to the Middle East

Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour says Trump could bring peace to the Middle East

In focus

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’

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

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’

60 Curzon in Mayfair, London, comprises 32 homes. Photo: Ben Dale

Mayfair apartment by famed Art Deco architect on market for £24.75m

Me at the Zoo, left, was the first video uploaded to YouTube while MrBeast became the first account to reach 300 million subscribers. Photos: Jawed Karim; MrBeast

YouTube's milestones as video-sharing platform turns 20

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

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

A Palestinian child walks down the steps of a damaged sports sports stadium in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on February 7. AFP

CommentNo child should suffer from unequal access to quality education

A salvage worker guides a wing of American Airlines flight 5342 as a crane lowers it onto a barge in the Potomac River during recovery work in Arlington, Virginia. Getty Images

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

Black Hawk crew members were likely wearing night-vision goggles, National Transportation Safety Board says

OpenAI board rejects Musk’s $97.4bn offer

Elon Musk defended his cost-cutting plans at the White House on Tuesday, appearing alongside his son, X Æ A-12, and President Trump. Reuters

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

UAE extends its visa on arrival programme for Indians

Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara, second left, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, second right, and Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, left, in Damascus in January. The meeting was also attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani. AFP

ExclusiveMunich Security Conference: Germany’s ‘opening’ to repair Arab ties in Syria

Trump and Starmer to meet in Washington, US President says

US intelligence leak sheds light on Israel’s plans to strike Iran

Elon Musk looks to build Las Vegas-style Dubai Loop

At least 30 injured as car drives into crowd in Munich

Gaza ceasefire

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

Muhyedin Al Saadi, father of a Palestinian paramedic killed in an Israeli air strike in the eastern neighbourhood of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank. Patricia Martinez for The National

Palestinian parents horrified by deadly start to 2025 for West Bank children

US President Donald Trump and King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House. AFP

'We're going to take it', Trump says of Gaza as he meets King Abdullah

Business

Culture

US President Donald Trump's bid to end the Russia-Ukraine war could ease crude supply concerns. EPA

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

TikTok returns to Apple and Google app stores in US

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

Kirra Dibb of the Indigenous Women's All Stars practises a Unity Dance along with her teammates during a National Rugby League Indigenous All Stars Captains Run, in Sydney. Getty Images

Italy's Federica Brignone bows after competing in the second run of the Women's Giant Slalom event, during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, in Austria. AFP

Scottish actress Tilda Swinton after receiving the Golden Bear lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival. AP

US President Donald Trump, left, speaks during the swearing-in of Robert F Kennedy Jr, centre, as Secretary of Health and Human Services, as Mr Kennedy's wife Cheryl Hines looks on. Bloomberg

Judea Watkins of the USC Trojans, centre, celebrates with teammate Kennedy Smith, left, after scoring as UCLA's Lauren Betts looks on, during their NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles. AP

Ultra-Orthodox Jews pray during a ceremony called the 'redemption of the first-born donkey' or in Hebrew 'pidyon petter chamor', in the Mea Shearim district of Jerusalem. EPA

Police use water cannon to disperse protesters during a sit-in demonstration over teaching jobs in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA

Servicemen of the Alkatraz special rifle battalion, former prisoners who volunteered to defend Ukraine, take part in military drills in the Donetsk region, amid the war with Russia. AFP

South African military personnel stand for the national anthem, during a memorial service for soldiers killed in the DR Congo, at an airforce base in Centurion. AFP

A woman holds flowers she received on Valentine's Day in Goma, the DR Congo city occupied by M23 rebels and Rwandan troops. AFP

A Palestinian girl looks out from the ruins of her family's destroyed house, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, at Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Police collect evidence from a car that drove into a crowd in Munich, Germany, injuring several people. Reuters

Journalists attend a joint press conference by US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the White House. Reuters

Kirra Dibb of the Indigenous Women's All Stars practises a Unity Dance along with her teammates during a National Rugby League Indigenous All Stars Captains Run, in Sydney. Getty Images

Italy's Federica Brignone bows after competing in the second run of the Women's Giant Slalom event, during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, in Austria. AFP

Scottish actress Tilda Swinton after receiving the Golden Bear lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival. AP

US President Donald Trump, left, speaks during the swearing-in of Robert F Kennedy Jr, centre, as Secretary of Health and Human Services, as Mr Kennedy's wife Cheryl Hines looks on. Bloomberg

Judea Watkins of the USC Trojans, centre, celebrates with teammate Kennedy Smith, left, after scoring as UCLA's Lauren Betts looks on, during their NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles. AP

Ultra-Orthodox Jews pray during a ceremony called the 'redemption of the first-born donkey' or in Hebrew 'pidyon petter chamor', in the Mea Shearim district of Jerusalem. EPA

Police use water cannon to disperse protesters during a sit-in demonstration over teaching jobs in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA

Servicemen of the Alkatraz special rifle battalion, former prisoners who volunteered to defend Ukraine, take part in military drills in the Donetsk region, amid the war with Russia. AFP

South African military personnel stand for the national anthem, during a memorial service for soldiers killed in the DR Congo, at an airforce base in Centurion. AFP

A woman holds flowers she received on Valentine's Day in Goma, the DR Congo city occupied by M23 rebels and Rwandan troops. AFP

A Palestinian girl looks out from the ruins of her family's destroyed house, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, at Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Police collect evidence from a car that drove into a crowd in Munich, Germany, injuring several people. Reuters

Journalists attend a joint press conference by US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the White House. Reuters

Kirra Dibb of the Indigenous Women's All Stars practises a Unity Dance along with her teammates during a National Rugby League Indigenous All Stars Captains Run, in Sydney. Getty Images

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