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Protesters in New York call for the release of Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil. Reuters

Special reportHow Columbia University became 'ground zero' in the battle for free speech in the US

Quiz of the week

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

The planned 100,000-seat stadium, which Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has promised would be the 'world's greatest' football ground

Out with the Old Trafford - but will Manchester United's new stadium be a game-changing substitute?

EPA/Nick Donaldson

Weekend EssaySyria's challenges on its path towards unity

Demonstrators hold placards and wave Algerian national flags during a rally in Paris in support of an opposition movement in Algeria. AFP

‘I’m a teacher, my friend here is a company CEO’: French Algerians want respect

Abed Fahed and Yasser Al Azma in an episode of Maraya (Mirrors) from 1982. Photo: Alreef Production

The new appetite for musalsalat miniseries in post-Assad Syria

The National's Zoya Thomas kayaking in Abu Dhabi's Eastern Mangroves. Zoya Thomas / The National

ColumnA love letter to the UAE, my new home

The project reimagines the city’s lost heritage, transforming the functional architecture of doors into sculptural monuments engraved on both sides. Photo: Louis-Cyprien Rials

Postcard from MosulThe conceptual art project unlocking the past to heal present wounds

The site of an air strike in Iraq's Anbar province that the US military said killed ISIS leader Abdullah Al Rifai. Photo: Iraqi National Intelligence Service

ISIS leader killed in Iraq was head of terror group’s global operations

US military says Abdullah Al Rifai, known as Abu Khadija, was killed in an air strike on Thursday

Nick Donaldson / The National

Hunting the big boss inside Kurdistan’s trafficking hotspot

Starmer: Ukraine peacekeeping force moving to ‘operational phase’

UN calls for peace as Syria commemorates 14 years since uprising

The mainly Alawite village of Arza lies abandoned after being attacked during deadly sectarian violence in eastern Syria that began on March 6. Nada Atallah / The National

Special report'Are you Alawite?': Killings in Syrian village raise fears of sectarian violence without end

South African ambassador 'no longer welcome' in US, says Marco Rubio

Indonesia set to lift ban on sending workers to Saudi Arabia

Etihad-Sat lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrier rocket from California, US. Photo: SpaceX

Etihad-Sat lifts off: Launch of latest UAE radar satellite

In focus

England manager Thomas Tuchel will take charge of his first matches in World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. PA

Tuchel picks ‘serial winner’ Henderson and ‘inspirational’ Burn for England

Nour Nassar helping students learn through her Schools Without Borders initiative in Gaza . Photo: Nour Nassar / Instagram

One woman's mission to bring education to children of war-torn Gaza

Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton celebrate after Newcastle United's Premier League win against West Ham United at the London Stadium on March 10, 2025. Reuters

Newcastle aim to end 70-year Wembley curse against Liverpool in League Cup final

Zaid Farouki prefers being out with friends than sitting at home on the sofa – just as long as there's not rave or electronic music playing. Photo: Zaid Farouki

One Last Thing: Zaid Farouki on his hidden talent and favourite Arabic word

Mahmoud Khalil appears in The Encampments documentary, which is set to be released later this year by Watermelon Pictures.

Filmmakers behind Palestine documentary share interview with Mahmoud Khalil

President Nazem Al Kudsi is welcomed in Latakia during a tour of the country in 1962. Photo: Presidential Library of Dr Nazem Al Kudsi

Syrian campaign pushes a revived version of 1950 constitution for new era

Formula One: Drive to Survive season seven is out now on Netflix. Photo: Netflix

How Netflix’s F1 Drive to Survive changed sport, film and television

gif for shorthand luxury magazine fashion shoot march 2025 miu miu

Fashion shootLuxury’s March cover: Miu Miu’s nostalgic cool

Video

Young Palestinian woman's project teaches Gaza's children to read and write

Nour Hassan, 24, says she started Schools Without Borders to ensure that war and displacement do not deprive Palestinian children of education

Australian Grand Prix kicks off F1's 2025 season

Australian Grand Prix kicks off F1's 2025 season

Footage shows moment Mahmoud Khalil was arrested

Footage shows moment Mahmoud Khalil was arrested

Kirsty Coventry aims to become first woman to lead IOC

Kirsty Coventry aims to become first woman to lead IOC

Israeli settlers torch homes in occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers torch homes in occupied West Bank

The International Charity Organisation, established in Ajman in 1984, has launched a series of initiatives over Ramadan this year. Photo: ICO

International Charity Organisation supporting 60,000 orphans over Ramadan

Vimto, a cordial drink that is high in sugar, is a traditional drink at iftar. Photo: Asmaa Al Hameli / The National

Why we want sugar and fried food during Ramadan

The event brought together more than 100 volunteers to pack boxes as part of Ne’ma’s Valuing Our Roots campaign. Photo: Ne'ma

Volunteers gather in Abu Dhabi to pack iftar boxes for low-income residents

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court. Photo: Dubai Media Office

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid meets Sheikh Mansour for Ramadan prayer

The UAE Food Bank hopes to distribute seven million meals by the end of Ramadan. Photo: Dubai Media Office

UAE Food Bank distributes two million meals in first 10 days of Ramadan

President Sheikh Mohamed met with teachers, students and school administrators to celebrate Ramadan. Hamad Al Kaabi / UAE Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed receives teachers and pupils to celebrate Ramadan

Abra captains prepare to break their fast during Ramadan while their boats are moored on Dubai Creek. Antonie Robertson / The National

How abra captains on Dubai Creek break their fast with a quiet iftar

Alserkal Rhythm of Peace will be performed by Kuwaiti composer and vocalist Ghazi Faisal Al-Mulaifi on March 15. Photo: Alserkal Avenue

Late night things to do during Ramadan in the UAE

The US Capitol in Washington. The Senate passed a spending bill on March 14. Bloomberg

US avoids government shutdown after Senate passes funding bill

A handful of Democrats and one independent allied with the party helped push the Republican legislation over the line

LatestUS conducts dozens of strikes on Houthi targets

The UAE is seeking to boost economic partnerships with the US during a visit to the White House. Photo: Newsmakers

UAE to discuss economic and technology links in White House visit

Duterte appears by video link at ICC in landmark case

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 15: Second placed qualifier Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren Pole position qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and 3Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 15, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Getty Images / Getty Images)

Australian GP: Norris seals pole position in season opener with Verstappen third

US officials arrest another person involved in Columbia University pro-Palestine protests

Syrian Druze clerics head to Israel for first pilgrimage

Gold price hits $3,000 for first time

Iran, China and Russia call for end to US sanctions on Tehran

Business

Culture

Saudi Arabia is focused on diversifying its economy away from oil as part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 overarching transformation agenda, which also seeks to boost employment and foreign direct investment into the country. EPA

S&P upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating after two years on economic diversification efforts

Dubai's DAE to bolster fleet with 17 next-generation aircraft worth $1bn

Apple M4 MacBook Air review: More for a little less

Culture

All Love is Blind versions ranked, from Habibi to UK and Sweden

Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide: The Prism in Abu Dhabi

The Bride with White Hair will screen at Cinema Akil as part of the Hong Kong Film Festival. Photo: Mandarin Film

Eight films screening at Cinema Akil’s 2025 Hong Kong Film Festival

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 Nihang - Sikh warrior - performs Gatka, an ancient form of Sikh martial arts, during a procession to mark the Hola Mohalla festival, celebrated a day after Holi, the spring festival of colours, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on March 15. AFP

Morning fog wreathes electricity pylons in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National

Monkeys in an enclosure outside the temple at Mihintale village, in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, on March 14, 2025. Sri Lanka undertook out a census of 'nuisance wildlife', including monkeys and peacocks, on March 15 in an effort to create crop protect measures, officials said. AFP

Mark Carney makes his first address as Canada's 24th Prime Minister after a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on March 14, 2025. Bloomberg

Men sit in Eyup Sultan Mosque's yard in Istanbul as they wait for sunset to break the Ramadan fast on Friday March 14. AFP

Israeli Druze led by spiritual leader Mowaffaq Tarif, centre, at a welcome ceremony for Syrian Druze religious delegations as they arrive at the holy site of Nabi Shu'ayb, near the sea of Galilee, on March 14, the first such visit in five decades. EPA

A boy helps his family to collect pumpkin flowers and leaves at a vegetable farm in Pon Sang village at the outskirts of Phnom Penh Cambodia, on March 15. AP

The Giving Family and Vietnamese Foodies distribute 1,500 Iftar meals to the needy in Al Quoz industrial area in Dubai.
Antonie Robertson/The National — The Giving Family and Vietnamese Foodies distribute 1,500 Iftar meals to the needy in Al Quoz industrial area in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National

Havana residents rely on their cell phones for news during a power cut in Cuba on March 14. AP

Expressway Authority of Thailand officers at the scene of an accident at an under-construction expressway, in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 15. EPA

A Nihang - Sikh warrior - performs Gatka, an ancient form of Sikh martial arts, during a procession to mark the Hola Mohalla festival, celebrated a day after Holi, the spring festival of colours, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on March 15. AFP

Morning fog wreathes electricity pylons in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National

Monkeys in an enclosure outside the temple at Mihintale village, in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, on March 14, 2025. Sri Lanka undertook out a census of 'nuisance wildlife', including monkeys and peacocks, on March 15 in an effort to create crop protect measures, officials said. AFP

Mark Carney makes his first address as Canada's 24th Prime Minister after a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on March 14, 2025. Bloomberg

Men sit in Eyup Sultan Mosque's yard in Istanbul as they wait for sunset to break the Ramadan fast on Friday March 14. AFP

Israeli Druze led by spiritual leader Mowaffaq Tarif, centre, at a welcome ceremony for Syrian Druze religious delegations as they arrive at the holy site of Nabi Shu'ayb, near the sea of Galilee, on March 14, the first such visit in five decades. EPA

A boy helps his family to collect pumpkin flowers and leaves at a vegetable farm in Pon Sang village at the outskirts of Phnom Penh Cambodia, on March 15. AP

The Giving Family and Vietnamese Foodies distribute 1,500 Iftar meals to the needy in Al Quoz industrial area in Dubai.
Antonie Robertson/The National — The Giving Family and Vietnamese Foodies distribute 1,500 Iftar meals to the needy in Al Quoz industrial area in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National

Havana residents rely on their cell phones for news during a power cut in Cuba on March 14. AP

Expressway Authority of Thailand officers at the scene of an accident at an under-construction expressway, in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 15. EPA

A Nihang - Sikh warrior - performs Gatka, an ancient form of Sikh martial arts, during a procession to mark the Hola Mohalla festival, celebrated a day after Holi, the spring festival of colours, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on March 15. AFP

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