• A picture taken with a drone shows sinkholes in Godstone, Surrey, Britain, 20 February 2025. The first sinkhole appeared in Godstone High Street on 17 February 2025 after a water main burst, which grew to a length of 20m (65ft). A second sinkhole appeared the following day, causing Surrey County Council to declare a major incident with an evacuation order for around 30 homes as a precaution. Testing inside the holes will take place and the repairs are expected to take months, according to the local council. EPA / TOLGA AKMEN
    A picture taken with a drone shows sinkholes in Godstone, Surrey, Britain, 20 February 2025. The first sinkhole appeared in Godstone High Street on 17 February 2025 after a water main burst, which grew to a length of 20m (65ft). A second sinkhole appeared the following day, causing Surrey County Council to declare a major incident with an evacuation order for around 30 homes as a precaution. Testing inside the holes will take place and the repairs are expected to take months, according to the local council. EPA / TOLGA AKMEN
  • A man in traditional Mongolian costume dances inside a tent, known as a ger, during the Mongols Nomadic Winter Festival, in Ulaanbaatar. AFP
    A man in traditional Mongolian costume dances inside a tent, known as a ger, during the Mongols Nomadic Winter Festival, in Ulaanbaatar. AFP
  • Buildings destroyed during fighting in the southern Lebanese village of Odaisseh, near the border with Israel. AFP
    Buildings destroyed during fighting in the southern Lebanese village of Odaisseh, near the border with Israel. AFP
  • Elon Musk holds a chainsaw on the stage during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland. Reuters
    Elon Musk holds a chainsaw on the stage during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland. Reuters
  • A man touches a robotic hand made by OY Motion, during the Global Developer Conference in Shanghai. AFP
    A man touches a robotic hand made by OY Motion, during the Global Developer Conference in Shanghai. AFP
  • An Afghan tailor sews burqas at a shop in Herat. AFP
    An Afghan tailor sews burqas at a shop in Herat. AFP
  • Riot police and retirees clash during a protest for better pensions in Buenos Aires, Argentina. AP
    Riot police and retirees clash during a protest for better pensions in Buenos Aires, Argentina. AP
  • Viking re-enactor Terry Harvey-Chadwick during the Jorvik Viking Festival in York. PA
    Viking re-enactor Terry Harvey-Chadwick during the Jorvik Viking Festival in York. PA
  • India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waits for the arrival of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the day of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India. Reuters
    India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waits for the arrival of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the day of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India. Reuters
  • A sidewinder log tug moves rafts of logs near the Western Forest Products Inc. Ladysmith Log Sort and Ladysmith Saw Mill in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada. Bloomberg
    A sidewinder log tug moves rafts of logs near the Western Forest Products Inc. Ladysmith Log Sort and Ladysmith Saw Mill in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada. Bloomberg
  • The wreckage of a Delta Air Lines-operated CRJ-900 aircraft lies crashed on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Reuters
    The wreckage of a Delta Air Lines-operated CRJ-900 aircraft lies crashed on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Reuters
  • Workers gently rub their hands on onion flowers for pollination at a farm in Faridpur, Bangladesh. Reuters
    Workers gently rub their hands on onion flowers for pollination at a farm in Faridpur, Bangladesh. Reuters
  • A Scottish piper attached to British troops plays the bagpipe at the end of the Steadfast Dart 2025 exercise, Nato's military training operation, in Smardan, eastern Romania. AP
    A Scottish piper attached to British troops plays the bagpipe at the end of the Steadfast Dart 2025 exercise, Nato's military training operation, in Smardan, eastern Romania. AP
  • Street vendors take shelter under plastic sheets during heavy rain in Kolkata, India. AFP
    Street vendors take shelter under plastic sheets during heavy rain in Kolkata, India. AFP
  • Members of the Red Cross receive a coffin as Hamas militants hand over deceased hostages Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas and her two children Kfir and Ariel in Khan Younis as part of a ceasefire and hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel. Reuters
    Members of the Red Cross receive a coffin as Hamas militants hand over deceased hostages Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas and her two children Kfir and Ariel in Khan Younis as part of a ceasefire and hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel. Reuters
  • Ol Pejeta ranger and head care giver Zacharia Mutai caresses one of the last two northern white rhinos in the world in Laikipia County, Kenya. AFP
    Ol Pejeta ranger and head care giver Zacharia Mutai caresses one of the last two northern white rhinos in the world in Laikipia County, Kenya. AFP
  • Afghan horse riders compete in 'Buzkashi' (goat grabbing), a traditional Central Asian sport, in Mazar-i-Sharif. AFP
    Afghan horse riders compete in 'Buzkashi' (goat grabbing), a traditional Central Asian sport, in Mazar-i-Sharif. AFP
  • Last-minute training at Riyadh's King Abdulaziz Racecourse ahead of the Saudi Cup 2025. Getty Images
    Last-minute training at Riyadh's King Abdulaziz Racecourse ahead of the Saudi Cup 2025. Getty Images
  • People walk past a work of art entitled The Thinker by Pierre Abboud in Internet City, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    People walk past a work of art entitled The Thinker by Pierre Abboud in Internet City, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A plane flies past the Waning Gibbous Moon as seen from Manila. AFP
    A plane flies past the Waning Gibbous Moon as seen from Manila. AFP
  • The Northern Lights appear over homes in Nuuk, Greenland. AP
    The Northern Lights appear over homes in Nuuk, Greenland. AP
  • Participants ride their camels during a race organised in Nouakchott, Mauritania. AFP
    Participants ride their camels during a race organised in Nouakchott, Mauritania. AFP
  • An Afghan vendor carries plastic cans on a rickshaw in Maidan Wardak province. AFP
    An Afghan vendor carries plastic cans on a rickshaw in Maidan Wardak province. AFP
  • A ship and cranes shrouded in fog at Yangshan port in Shanghai. AFP
    A ship and cranes shrouded in fog at Yangshan port in Shanghai. AFP
  • The Abu Dhabi Police Band plays for Idex 2025 visitors and exhibitors at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The Abu Dhabi Police Band plays for Idex 2025 visitors and exhibitors at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A Hindustan Ambassador yellow taxi transporting fish at a wholesale market in Kolkata. AFP
    A Hindustan Ambassador yellow taxi transporting fish at a wholesale market in Kolkata. AFP
  • A man crosses between pirogues during Yauri's annual boat regatta, celebrating the Gungu people's naval strength, in Nigeria. AFP
    A man crosses between pirogues during Yauri's annual boat regatta, celebrating the Gungu people's naval strength, in Nigeria. AFP
  • Mac McClung of the Orlando Magic dunks the ball during the 2025 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest in San Francisco, California. AFP
    Mac McClung of the Orlando Magic dunks the ball during the 2025 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest in San Francisco, California. AFP
  • People demonstrate at the main boulevard in Kragujevac, Serbia, amid months calls for government accountability and reforms. AFP
    People demonstrate at the main boulevard in Kragujevac, Serbia, amid months calls for government accountability and reforms. AFP
  • Fans arrive for a cricket match between India and Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Stadium. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Fans arrive for a cricket match between India and Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Stadium. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Pictures of the week: From sinkhole in the UK to cricket in Dubai


  • English
  • Arabic

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What is the definition of an SME?

SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.

A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors. 

Venom

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed

Rating: 1.5/5

Evacuations to France hit by controversy
  • Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
  • Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
  • The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
  • Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
  • It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
  • Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
  • Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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Updated: February 21, 2025, 6:02 PM