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  • A festive Christmas scene in Al Qaniya, Idlib. AFP

    Christmas joy returns to Syria's Idlib after years of civil war

  • A man stands in an olive tree as an Israeli soldier observes nearby in the village of Baita, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, last month. AFP

    Comment'Treedom for Palestine' is fighting the good fight, one olive tree at a time

  • The UAE celebrates the humanitarian values of Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan at home and abroad. Wam

    How UAE has carried Sheikh Zayed's legacy around the world - from Antarctica to China

  • Narin Guran was eight years old when she was murdered in her home village of Tavsantepe in south-eastern Turkey's Diyarbakir province last year. Lizzie Porter/ The National

    Special investigationA village traumatised, a nation stunned: Who killed Narin?

  • Cem Yoldas is far-left candidate at next year's municipal elections in Strasbourg. Sunniva Rose / The National

    French city caught between dreams of Mamdani and the taint of Muslim Brotherhood

  • People enjoy their time at the beach outside the port city of Bandar Anzali in Iran on Tuesday. AP

    CommentFor Iran, 2026 is going to be the year of the unknown

  • A band plays during the lighting ceremony of a Christmas tree at the Mar Elias Church in Damascus, months after it was the site of a deadly attack. AP

    EditorialResilience is at the heart of the Christmas message

  • Left: A teenage criminal who was part of the Foxtrot network. Right: Rawa Majid. The National / Swedish Police

    How I survived Europe's deadliest Kurdish gangs


Pope Leo condemns conditions facing Gazans in Christmas message

Pope Leo XIV leads Christmas Mass at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. AFP

Pope Leo condemns conditions facing Gazans in Christmas message

Pontiff spreads message of hope for Palestinians displaced by war, living in tents in miserable weather

MENA
Syria's internal security forces and military have stepped up anti-smuggling efforts but illegal traders continue to try to find ways to operate. Lizzie Porter / The National

Dispatch‘Huge returns’ draw smugglers to rugged Syria-Lebanon border

Forces in former Hezbollah stronghold put up tough front but admit criminals still active

MENA

More than 100 ISIS suspects arrested in Turkey over Christmas terror attack plot

MENA

Lebanon investigates ‘fake prince’ accused of selling bogus political access

MENA
The Doraleh Multi-purpose Port in Djibouti. AFP

ExclusiveEgypt increases pressure on Ethiopia through Eritrea and Djibouti port deals

MENA

Why Lebanon's banks customers will struggle to be fully repaid

Economy

Iran sanctuary for Foxtrot crime boss angers critics of 'silent Sweden'

Europe
Vatican’s Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads a Christmas midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity. EPA

Bethlehem’s midnight mass places Gaza at centre of Christmas prayers

MENA


2025: Year in review

  • Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah with the Premier League trophy at the end of the 2024/25 season. AFP

    Premier League 2025: Salah hits headlines at Liverpool, Arsenal dream of title

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was one of the best and most popular video game releases of 2025. Photo: Kepler Interactive

    Top 10 games of 2025, from Clair Obscure: Expedition to Doom: The Dark Ages

  • The year in culture: top reads, movies and moments of 2025

    Culture BitesThe year in culture: top reads, movies and moments of 2025

  • Delegates fly flags as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his keynote address on the third day of the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool in September. AFP

    CommentChallenges for Keir Starmer grew in 2025 – much like for the rest of Europe

  • Chris Martin of Coldplay in Abu Dhabi in January. Photo: Live Nation

    From Coldplay and Metallica to Tyla and JLo, the UAE’s best live shows of 2025

  • Labubus were a popular search trend in the UAE. AFP

    Googling googlies: Cricket beats Labubu and Dubai Chocolate in UAE top searches

  • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth expands the world of the game series significantly. Photo: Square Enix

    The 10 best PC games of 2025 include new titles and stylish sequels

  • Models present creations from Matthieu Blazy's spring-summer 2026 collection for Chanel during Paris Fashion Week in October. EPA

    Biggest fashion moments of 2025: from Lamar's jeans to Blazy's Chanel debut


Video


In focus

  • David Harbour, left, as Jim Hopper and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things. Photo: Netflix

    What time is season five, volume two of Stranger Things coming out worldwide?

  • Sairee beach in Koh Tao boasts white sands and excellent nearby hotels and restaurants. Getty Images

    My son enjoyed 'best day of his life' on family trip to Thailand

  • Australia's Jhye Richardson bowls during a nets session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. PA

    Ashes 2025: Australia opt for all-pace attack with Richardson recalled

  • People take part in a Christmas solidarity dinner called 'No Families Without Christmas', organized to support those affected by poverty, in front of the National Congress, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 24, 2025. REUTERS / Mariana Nedelcu

    Best photos of the dayA charitable haircut in Buenos Aires to "Ice Floating" in Mongolia

  • SpongeBob SquarePants, right, voiced by Tom Kenny, and Patrick Star, voiced by Bill Fagerbakke. Photo: Paramount

    Tom Kenny reveals surprising origins of SpongeBob’s voice

  • The Walled-Off Hotel in the West Bank is hemmed in by an eight-metre-high concrete wall built by Israel. Heidi Levine for The National

    Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel reopens in Bethlehem after two years

  • Guy Norman's house in Al Barari, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

    My Own HomeBritish lawyer transforms Dh13.8 million Dubai villa

  • Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife's Ya Maryam pays tribute to the Virgin Mary. Leslie Pableo for The National

    Arabic version of Jingle Bells and other regional Christmas songs


Headlines

The Algerian flag flies outside the National Assembly as members passed a bill seeking to criminalise France's colonisation. AP

Algeria demands an apology and reparations from France for its 'crime' of colonisation

The country's Parliament passed legislation condemning French control, which lasted 132 years

MENA

Lebanese leader rules out war as two killed in Israeli drone strike

MENA
A mass rally organised by Yemen's Southern Transitional Council in Aden. Reuters

Saudi Arabia says military actions by STC harm stability of Yemen

Gulf

Germany, UK and 12 other countries denounce Israel’s approval of more settlements

MENA
Sudanese human rights activist Munib Abdelaziz has been arrested by the government. Photo: handout

Sudan's civilian anti-war activists detained in crackdown

MENA

ISIS leader for Damascus arrested in operation supported by US-led coalition

MENA

Iraq must do more to protect Christians, says country's top Catholic official

MENA

Dubai hospital aims to be 'global hub' for new spinal muscular atrophy treatment

UAE

'This won't be decided militarily': UAE says civilian rule can end Sudan’s war

MENA


TN Magazine

  • Single-breasted cotton canvas coat; leather belt; Galleria leather bag; Robot Saffiano leather key ring charm; and leather pumps, all from Prada. All photos: Ben Cope for TN Magazine

    Cover storySarah Taibah is trying to live in the moment

  • Kasseem Daoud Dean, aka Swizz Beatz, pictured in Saudi Arabia. Photo: Saudi Brox

    Why the Gulf has become central to Swizz Beatz’s creative vision

  • One of the students at the Prada Academy in Scandicci. Photo: Prada

    Why Prada is betting on craftsmanship: Inside the Scandicci leather atelier

  • Conway Stewart is one of a growing crop of brands revitalising the fountain pen. Photo: Conway Stewart

    How the fountain pen is rewriting its fate

  • With its slim case, leather strap and silvered dial, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is an apt dress watch for the season. Photo: Jaeger-LeCoultre

    Winter watches: Four designs that settle naturally into the season’s palette

  • 3Fils serves Japanese-inspired dishes, including gyu grab, a beef dish meant to be eaten by hand. Photo: 3Fils

    Japanese restaurant grows from tiny Dubai gem to sprawling Abu Dhabi hotspot

  • New 4K Blu-ray of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure arrives in packaging as considered as the film itself. Photo: Criterion Collection

    December physical media gift guide: Blu-ray, vinyl, art books and more

  • The first generation of the modern GranTurismo was launched in 2007. Photo: Maserati

    Why the new Maserati GranTurismo is the best it's been in years


Special investigation

Kurdish Foxtrot gang recruits Swedish teenagers to kill

The National meets a teenage gang member who describes how Foxtrot lures young people into the world of crime


Business

Culture

The Utrenneye field, the resource base for the Arctic LNG 2 project, about 2,500km from Moscow. AFP

Russia blames sanctions for delaying annual LNG output target of 100m tons

Energy

Next phase of AI race being decided in boardrooms, not research labs

Business

Abu Dhabi’s ADQ closes $5bn financing deal with Asian investors

Economy

Culture

Culture BitesThe year in culture: top reads, movies and moments of 2025

Culture Bites

Timothee Chalamet climbs Sphere Vegas for Marty Supreme

Film & TV

Metallica frontman James Hetfield salutes the crowd at Etihad Park during the 2025 Grand Prix weekend in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Ethara

Metallica in the Middle East: Band documents regional tours on YouTube

Music & On-stage


Podcasts
Beyond the Headlines

Beyond the Headlines

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


Culture Bites

Culture Bites

Your guide to the arts and culture scene in the UAE


Business Extra

Business Extra

The stories, companies, trends, tech, Innovation and leaders shaping your world


Tarab

Tarab

Explore the creative worlds of the Middle East’s most compelling musicians


More podcasts

Data Explained

How silver outshone gold and Bitcoin over the past 12 months

Bitcoin had an 8% drop, gold rose over the year and silver outstripped both


How silver outshone gold and Bitcoin over the past 12 months

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1

What time is season five, volume 2 of Stranger Things coming out around the world?

2

Egypt increases pressure on Ethiopia through port deals with Eritrea and Djibouti

3

Cartoon for December 25, 2025

4

Bondi Beach hero Ahmed Al Ahmed presented with $1.65m collected from fundraising

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UAE will need to add 1 million workers by 2030 for tech and AI push, report says


Opinion

'Treedom for Palestine' is fighting the good fight, one olive tree at a time

Sholto
Byrnes

For Iran, 2026 is going to be the year of the unknown

Arash Azizi

Middle East airlines are booming. Their next steps will be critical

Linus Benjamin Bauer

ISIS attacks in the West could signal a dangerous new phase

Damien McElroy

The US won the Cold War decades ago. It is paying the price for it today

Hussein Ibish

Challenges for Keir Starmer grew in 2025 – much like for the rest of Europe

Gavin Esler
The National

Today's cartoonShadi's take on hope for world peace


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