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).
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Scorebox
Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries Gormley, Penalty
Cons Flaherty
Pens Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons Caldwell 2
Pens Caldwell, Cross
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
RESULTS
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The five pillars of Islam
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
1 Man City 26 20 3 3 63 17 63
2 Liverpool 25 17 6 2 64 20 57
3 Chelsea 25 14 8 3 49 18 50
4 Man Utd 26 13 7 6 44 34 46
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5 West Ham 26 12 6 8 45 34 42
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6 Arsenal 23 13 3 7 36 26 42
7 Wolves 24 12 4 8 23 18 40
8 Tottenham 23 12 4 8 31 31 39
Company%20profile
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Easter%20Sunday
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Tomb%20Raider%20I%E2%80%93III%20Remastered
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The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
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
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
List of alleged parties
- May 15 2020: Boris Johnson is said to have attended a Downing Street pizza party
- 27 Nov 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
- Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
- Dec 13 2020: Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds throw a flat party
- Dec 14 2020: Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative Party headquarters
- Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
- Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
