Welcome to The National's weekly newsletter Beshara, where we share the most positive stories of the week.
Snow in Central Park in Manhattan, New York City. AFP
As we fast approach the end of the year, many of us across the newsroom are looking back on the defining moments of 2025 and also ahead for what to expect in 2026. We at The National enjoy working as your eyes and ears on the world. Journalists are also your memory – your chroniclers of history as it happens, and your analysts, studying signals from the past and the present to anticipate what could come next.
Throughout these last weeks, before we ring in the New Year, you will see and hear from many of our dedicated reporters and editors sharing stories and insights on the past 12 months – both good and bad – but all with lessons we can learn.
This week’s Beshara looks back on the brightest moments, and I’ll see you next week for the excitement ahead.
Syrians celebrate the US announcing it will lift sanctions on the country in May. Anadolu
But first, to the regional shifts in the right direction. This past week, some positive developments reminded us of the progress we’ve seen across Syria, Lebanon and Gaza this past year. While tentative and fragile, key turning points have renewed hope for their populations, millions of people who for so long have borne the brunt of conflict or corruption.
While the situation is still so far from the real, tangible resolution the world awaits and hunger levels remain critical, famine has been reversed in Gaza.
The permanent lifting by the US of its so-called Caesar sanctions on Syria will pave the way for the return of investment in the country.
Lebanon’s announcement that it is close to disarming Hezbollah indicates a chance for the country to strengthen its governance.
As Paul Salem asks in his op-ed: after the changes over the past year, might the Levant – in particular Syria and Lebanon – be on course to re-establishing sovereignty, functioning statehood and economic revival?
Quoted
'Will Syria’s leaders be able to restore Aleppo to what it once was? Can they help rebuild the shattered lives of the countless many? I hope so. Aleppo isn’t just a Syrian treasure; it is a world treasure'
One of the best photos taken by our staff photographers in the UAE this year, at the Dubai Airshow. Chris Whiteoak / The National
From the picture desk to our feature writers, we have a raft of round-ups to remind you of the highlights of 2025.
These incredible images from The National’s photographers are unsurpassed in their summing up of the diversity and joy of life in the UAE this past year.
And if you were lucky enough, though none as lucky as Saeed Saeed, you may have been at one of these top 20 live shows that graced the Emirates this year.
But if you’re reading from afar, or just prefer a show from your sofa, this collaborative effort is a reminder of the best of the small screen, and William Mullally, our resident award-winning film critic, shares his list of the best Arab films that hit the big screen.
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.
The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side 8 There are eight players per team 9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one. 5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls 4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
