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PlayStation 2 celebrates 25 years since its launch and is still the best-selling console of all time. Reuters

PlayStation 2: The undisputed champion of games consoles

The record-breaking gaming system had more than 4,000 game titles, some of which remain the most memorable in Sony’s history

From Algerian Rai music to Soviet sci-fi, this month's best physical media picks

How esports investment in the Middle East is bearing fruit

ColumnPeople will not silence their calls for a free Palestine

Nakba video game raises more than $200,000

What to know about Middle East Film and Comic Con 2025

YouTube's milestones as video-sharing platform turns 20

Culture Bites

Quoz Arts Fest and Dave Chappelle’s plea for Palestine

Culture BitesQuoz Arts Fest and Dave Chappelle’s plea for Palestine

Reality check: from The Real World to Dubai Bling

Culture BitesReality check: from The Real World to Dubai Bling

Why can't we watch Palestine's first Oscar-winning film?

Culture BitesWhy can't we watch Palestine's first Oscar winning film?

Why it’s time for Ramy Youssef’s satire based on the Muslim-American experience in post-9/11 America

Culture BitesRamy Yousef and Muslim-America post-9/11

Can video games change how we understand history?

Culture BitesCan video games change how we understand history?

Can MrBeast’s Giza Pyramids video promote regional tourism?

Culture BitesCan MrBeast’s pyramids video promote regional tourism?

How Mo depicts Palestinians as more than the suffering seen on the news

Culture BitesHow Mo portrays Palestinians as more than human suffering

The voice of unity: Remembering Umm Kulthum 50 years after her death

Culture BitesThe voice of unity: Remembering Umm Kulthum 50 years after her death

Quoz Arts Fest and Dave Chappelle’s plea for Palestine

Culture BitesQuoz Arts Fest and Dave Chappelle’s plea for Palestine

Reality check: from The Real World to Dubai Bling

Culture BitesReality check: from The Real World to Dubai Bling

Why can't we watch Palestine's first Oscar-winning film?

Culture BitesWhy can't we watch Palestine's first Oscar winning film?

Why it’s time for Ramy Youssef’s satire based on the Muslim-American experience in post-9/11 America

Culture BitesRamy Yousef and Muslim-America post-9/11

Can video games change how we understand history?

Culture BitesCan video games change how we understand history?

Can MrBeast’s Giza Pyramids video promote regional tourism?

Culture BitesCan MrBeast’s pyramids video promote regional tourism?

How Mo depicts Palestinians as more than the suffering seen on the news

Culture BitesHow Mo portrays Palestinians as more than human suffering

The voice of unity: Remembering Umm Kulthum 50 years after her death

Culture BitesThe voice of unity: Remembering Umm Kulthum 50 years after her death

Quoz Arts Fest and Dave Chappelle’s plea for Palestine

Culture BitesQuoz Arts Fest and Dave Chappelle’s plea for Palestine

Reality check: from The Real World to Dubai Bling

Culture BitesReality check: from The Real World to Dubai Bling

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American models Gigi and Bella Hadid have Palestinian heritage through their father. AP

What Bella and Gigi Hadid have said about the Israel-Gaza war

Supermodel sisters frequently address their millions of online followers to condemn suffering, support those affected and plea for peace

GTA 6 to Ghost of Yotei – the biggest games coming in 2025

Sharif Al Homsi is the founder of Styria Comedy Club in Damascus, where stand-up comedians are now thriving. Danny Makki for The National

Censored under Assad: Stand-up comedians are now having the last laugh

Four takeaways from MrBeast’s Pyramids of Giza video

Kaitlyn Dever as Belle in Apple Cider Vinegar. Photo: Netflix

From a show about scamster Belle Gibson to The Weeknd’s final album, new movies, shows and music to stream

ChatGPT vs DeepSeek: How they compare on Middle Eastern questions

If Grand Theft Auto 6 costs $100, it could kill the AAA gaming industry

Naruto exhibition celebrating 20-year legacy of anime coming to Dubai

From Ammar El Sherei on vinyl to Amadeus in 4K, physical media picks for February

A message received by TikTok users in the US hours after the app 'went dark'. Bloomberg

TikTok faces criticism for flagging ‘Free Palestine’ as hate speech

American TikTok users share screenshots on X of comments being removed

Best film and TV-inspired Lego sets, from Twilight to Harry Potter

Why some Meta users are auto-following Trump and Vance

From Pataal Lok to Cameron Diaz's comeback, new shows, movies and music to stream this week

US TikTok creators brace for uncertain future amid potential ban

Nintendo announces Switch 2 gaming console to release this year

With a ban looming, here are four TikTok alternatives, from RedNote to Clapper

The UAE's gaming industry is growing as more professionals arrive to join the workforce. Antonie Robertson / The National

The recruitment drive taking UAE gaming industry to next level

Chief executive says more and more professionals are being lured to the Middle East

AboFlah reflects on pressure to speak about conflict

How Yoruba culture became focus of Nigerian studio’s first game

From Dubai Bling to Ringo Starr’s country album, new shows, movies and music to stream

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Blake Lively visited Dubai Mall in 2014 to promote her new Gucci Premiere fragrance. Sarah Dea / The National

TimeframeWhen Blake Lively came to Dubai in 2014

The actress visited the city as part of a global tour to promote a fragrance

Which celebrities have lost homes in LA fires?

Big names who will mark milestone birthdays in 2025

The UAE's viral moments of 2024, from Fix chocolate to Love is Blind Habibi

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Trending Middle East

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Culture Bites

Your guide to the arts and culture scene in the UAE

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Beyond the Headlines

Beyond the Headlines

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

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