Good morning from The National on September 23, 2026. Here are the latest developments in the Emirates:
The UAE is bringing a message of optimism about the future to the UN General Assembly while stressing the need for diplomacy, said Lana Nusseibeh, Minister of State.
Speaking to The National from New York, Ms Nusseibeh laid out her country's key messages and reaffirmed its commitment to multilateralism.
“Although it seems that this is a really uncertain time … a challenging time, it is not a time to give up hope. It is not a time to give up optimism about the future. It is not a time to give up diplomacy and a recommitment to multilateralism,” said Ms Nusseibeh.
“I hope to see … breakthroughs not only this week but in the months ahead, because of the meetings that happen here, because of the convenings that happen here, because of the private spaces outside of the media eye as much as possible, where that hard diplomacy can be done, and the peace can be won.”
Read the full story by Mina Al-Oraibi here
Sheikh Mohammed performs funeral prayer for Sheikh Ahmed in Dubai
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, performed funeral prayers for his brother Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid on Tuesday.
The Ruler of Dubai was accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, at Zabeel Grand Mosque, Dubai Media Office said on X.
Condolences for Sheikh Ahmed, who died on Monday, will be received at the Zabeel Majlis for three days.
The period of condolences continues on Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 10am until dhuhr prayer, and in the evening between asr and maghrib prayer.
President Sheikh Mohamed was later joined by the Rulers of the Emirates in extending his condolences to the Dubai Ruler.
Read the full report here and more on the condolences led by President Sheikh Mohamed here
UAE companies urged to remain vigilant on cyber attacks
UAE cyber-security officials have urged organisations to stay vigilant as the number of cyber attacks remains high during the US-Iran conflict.
The UAE was forced to thwart thousands of missile and drone attacks from Tehran at the height of the conflict, and remains on high alert after the news that the country faced 640,000 cyber attacks in a single day last week.
Jan D’Herdt, a cyber-security expert and Sans-certified instructor at the Sans Institute, said organisations must continue to prioritise cyber security and avoid repeating basic mistakes from a decade ago. He urged them to use past incidents to strengthen systems, rather than merely recovering and moving on.
“Being compliant doesn't mean that you're secure,” he told The National. “The attacks have increased.” Mr D'Herdt linked the rise to broader regional activity and noted that such attacks often accompany those against physical infrastructure.
Nicole Abigael has more here
Fact of the day
Women with Type 2 diabetes are almost twice as likely as men who have the same condition to develop cancer in their lifetime, extensive new research has found. Read more from Health Editor Nick Webster here
Front page
See more of The National’s award-winning journalism in your Google search results – click here to add us to your preferred sources.
Did you enjoy this newsletter? The National produces newsletters covering an array of subjects. You can sign up to them here
