Ramadan promises to be another blockbuster season for Arabic television with the region's biggest broadcasters and streaming platforms releasing shows nightly.
In addition to offerings from the likes of MBC, Abu Dhabi TV and Dubai TV, this year streaming platforms TOD and Yango Play enter the fray with their own exclusive content for Ramadan.
Air times are not available yet as most channels prefer to reveal them hours before the holy month begins (which is likely to be Monday or Tuesday).
Here are 20 shows, in alphabetical order, to tune into this month.
1. 2024 (Shahid)
The sequel to the hit 2021 Ramadan drama 2020, the new Lebanese series finds police captain Sama (Nadine Njeim) rebuilding her life with her daughter.
But with the re-emergence of criminals intent on revenge, Sama finds herself back on the beat again.
2. Al Boom (Abu Dhabi TV)
Omar Al Mula and Faten Ahmed star in this historical drama that follows an Emirati sailor who helped establish one of the Gulf's most important maritime trade routes during the height of the Second World War.
3. Al Atwala (Shahid)
Egyptian action star Ahmed El Sakka stars as Nassar, a professional thief who vows to leave his past behind after falling in love.
Of course, it is not as easy as it seems and Nassar finds himself on the run from a criminal syndicate who won’t take no for an answer.
4. Al Hashashin (Yango Play)
Set in the 11th century and inspired by a true story, the series explores the secret world of the Order of Assassins, a shadowy group renowned for spectacular and grizzly work. The cast includes Karim Abdel Aziz and Myrna Noureldin.
5. Al Khen (Dubai TV)
The Kuwaiti maritime drama is set in the 1940s and centres on the exploits of a large ship ferrying between Kuwait and Zanzibar.
6. Al Raheel (Abu Dhabi TV)
Yasmine Sabri and Ahmed Beder star in this Egyptian series, which follows the travails of a woman recently released from prison for murder.
With the crime committed to save her brother's life, she is surprised by the ingratitude of her family and is soon on the run once again with her victim's brothers plotting revenge.
7. Ba’ad Ghiyabek A’ni (Al Emarat and Baynounah TV)
The Gulf drama features an ensemble cast led by Kuwaiti actress Elham Al Fadalah and Saudi Arabia's Turki Al Yousef.
The intertwining plotlines laced with frayed marital and family relationships aim to provoke a wider discussion surrounding the kind of sacrifice needed to sustain a family and community.
8. Beit El Rifaey (Yango Play)
Egypt's Amir Karara stars as a doctor who gets more than he bargains for when entering the cut-throat antiquities trade.
9. Haq Oroub (Abu Dhabi TV)
Deception and retribution power this Egyptian drama.
Set in Cairo's historical neighbourhoods of El Gamaleya, local strongman Abd Rabeh is on the lookout for a man who betrayed him.
The series stars Ahmad Al Awadi and Dina Fouad.
10. Kaser Adem (Abu Dhabi TV)
After the success of its debut season last Ramadan, the taut Syrian drama returns with a new cast led by Rashid Assaf and Abdel Moneim Amiry.
Once again, the plot is expansive and multi-stranded as it relates to discovering a financial scandal so corrupt, it threatens to overthrow traditional norms of Syrian society.
11. Khattaf (Abu Dhabi TV)
Mohamed Mostafa stars as Emirati athlete Majed in the sports drama about his quest to become a mixed martial arts champion. Some of the barriers he has to overcome include family and friends who don’t share the same self-belief.
12. Nazret Hob (Yango Play)
Syria's Basel Khayat and Lebanon's Carmen Bsaibes star in the romantic drama about a couple whose love is tested by adversity and tragedy.
13. Ne'mat El Avvocato (Shahid)
Egyptian lawyer and wife Ne’ma (Mai Omar) does all she can to keep her unscrupulous husband out of jail.
After finding out he has been unfaithful, Ne’ma plans her revenge.
14. Qadayah Min Al Bidayah (Al Emarat and Baynounah TV)
Set in a traditional rural community in Jordan, the series follows the life of Abdul Hay, a lead dancer in a popular folk group.
Facing criticism from family and friends due to his profession, Abdul Hay’s life is thrown into further turmoil with the seizure of his inheritance by his brother-in-law.
The series features Mohamed Al Abady and Juliet Awwad.
15. Ramez Gab Min El Akher (Shahid)
The Arab world's most notorious television prankster returns.
As always details of this year’s set-up are tightly under wraps, but what one can safely assume is it will be another series of elaborate stunts to scare regional and international celebrities out of their wits.
16. Sakf El Waled (Yango Play)
Khairiah Abulaban and Khaled Abdel Aziz lead an ensemble cast in this Saudi comedy about a domineering father who forces his married children to all live under one roof.
Hilarity ensues once they decide to join forces and flee the family nest.
17. Selat Rahem (Shahid)
When his wife suffers a tragic accident, an anaesthetist (played by Eyad Nassar) desperately resorts to illegally hiring a surrogate to carry their baby.
He soon finds himself tangled in the dark underbelly of this illegal practice.
18. Taj (Shahid)
Set in Damascus in the 1950s during the French mandate of Syria, ex-boxer Taj (Taim Hassan) is accused of collaborating with the French authorities. Disgraced and ostracised, he goes on the offensive to clear his name.
19. Warathat Bin Aqool (Dubai TV)
The ensemble Kuwaiti series, led by Hasan Al Ballam and Abdel Rahman El Aqel, follows the lives of the traders at a traditional souq.
20. Zaman Al Ajaj (TOD)
Zaman Al Ajaj is the first original Ramadan drama produced by TOD, a subscription streaming platform owned by Qatar broadcaster BeIn.
The show is set in the vague past in a nondescript village in the Gulf. It follows the arrival of the mysterious Widjan (Mona Hussain) who, through a mix of cunning and self-preservation, manages to ingratiate herself within the community to the dismay of village leaders Geith (Jassim Al Nabhan) and brother Hamza (Hussain Almahdi).
How to help or find other cats to adopt
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
Contracted list
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Super Bowl LIII schedule
What Super Bowl LIII
Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams
Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
As it stands in Pool A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
