• Trump says recognition of Palestine is 'a reward for Hamas'
  • Israel’s war in Gaza is one of the darkest moments in the UN’s history, says Jordan's King Abdullah II
  • Erdogan says situation in Gaza represents 'lowest point of humanity'
  • France and 10 other countries recognise Palestine at landmark meeting

Tuesday, September 23

Morning: Brazil, US, Indonesia, Turkey, Peru, Jordan, South Korea, Qatar, Suriname, Lithuania, Portugal, Uruguay, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Uzbekistan.

Afternoon: Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Chile, Tajikistan, Lebanon, France, Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, Poland, Mozambique, Vietnam, Angola, Liberia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nauru.

Wednesday, September 24

Morning: Spain, Ukraine, Monaco, Iran, Panama, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Latvia, Kenya, Paraguay, Estonia, Argentina, Serbia, Syria, Croatia, Sierra Leone, Cyprus, Finland.

Afternoon: Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Guatemala, Comoros, Namibia, Guyana, Kiribati, Senegal, Slovakia, Marshall Islands, Central African Republic, Albania, Republic of Congo, Madagascar.

Thursday, September 25

Morning: Tunisia, Somalia, Montenegro, Palestine, Yemen, North Macedonia, Haiti, Cameroon, Chad, Burundi, Bolivia, Gabon, Ghana, Laos, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Eswatini.

Afternoon: Philippines, Libya, Botswana, Dominica, Republic of the Congo, Timor-Leste, Mauritania, Micronesia, Uganda, Sudan, Tonga, EU, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait.

Friday, September 26

Morning: Israel, Netherlands, China, Thailand, UK, India, Mauritius, Luxembourg, Armenia, Ireland, Georgia, Japan, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, Malta, Bhutan, Spain, Bangladesh.

Afternoon: Lesotho, Greece, Cabo Verde, Bulgaria, Saint Lucia, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Niger, Andorra, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Belgium, Barbados, Belize, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Fiji.

Saturday, September 27

Morning: Bahamas, Mali, Jamaica, Togo, Grenada, Burkina Faso, Canada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Liechtenstein, Cambodia, the UAE, Russia, Norway, Cuba, Brunei, Germany.

Afternoon: San Marino, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Nicaragua, Singapore, Seychelles, Oman, Sweden, Malaysia, Bahrain, Djibouti, Iceland, Belarus, Venezuela.

Monday, September 29

Morning: Hungary, Malawi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Benin, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Holy See, Moldova, Afghanistan, South Sudan.

The order of nations can change on a daily basis.

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France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra

 

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Tomorrow 2021
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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

On Women's Day
Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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1987

1954

1921

1888

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
The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

Transgender report
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Profile

Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

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E-cigarettes report
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

More on this story
Gifts exchanged
  • King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
  • Queen Camilla -  Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
  • Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
  • Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
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The biog

Name: Abeer Al Bah

Born: 1972

Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992

Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old

Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school

 

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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh122,745

On sale: now

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Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Our commentary on Brexit
Updated: September 24, 2025, 4:10 AM`