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Culture

Neymar

After Ronaldo, Neymar scores $54 million penthouse in Dubai

The Brazilian soccer player is the latest athlete to acquire property in the UAE’s largest city.

United Arab Emirates

Head coach Robert Saleh of the New York Jets looks on against the Denver Broncos during the first half at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

What’s behind firing of Robert Saleh, NFL’s first Muslim, Lebanese head coach?

The New York Jets were performing poorly under the Lebanese American Saleh amid rumors of tensions with outspoken quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur drops out of 2024 tennis circuit

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, currently ranked 22nd in the Women's Tennis Association, will step away from tennis until 2025 as she recovers from a shoulder injury.

Bassem Youssef attends the 2020 Sundance Film Festival Cinema Cafe on January 31, 2020, in Park City, Utah.

Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef no longer on X: What we know

The exiled comic has been a vocal critic of Israel, highlighting the plight of the Palestinians during the Gaza war but has recently been accused of antisemitism.

Latest News

CT scans reveal mysteries of ancient Egypt's 'Screaming Woman' mummy

Visitors tour the site in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, where archaeologists unearthed two human and animal embalming workshops, as well as two tombs, on May 27, 2023. The head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters the embalming workshops, where humans and animals were mummified, "date back to the 30th dynasty" which reigned around 2,400 years ago. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Middle East athletes rack up 44 medals at Paris Olympics

Imane Khelif

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From Egypt to Saudi: Meet Middle East's athletes at Paris Olympics

This photograph shows Paris 2024 Olympics Games banner in front of the National Assembly, in Paris, on July 18, 2024.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's soccer dreams tested as Vision 2030 goal posts move

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - MAY 4: Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr celebrates after scoring the 2nd goal during the Saudi Pro League match between Al-Nassr and Al Wehda at Al Awwal Park on May 4, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.(Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Nazlan Ertan

In Izmir, reporting on culture

Danny Makki

In London, reporting on Syrian politics and culture

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Rebecca Anne Proctor

In Dubai, reporting on culture

Francois Nel/Getty Images

NBA debuts in UAE

Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island continues to develop into an international sports hub, hosting two games in North America’s National Basketball Association.

Palestinian students congratulate each other after receiving their test results of those accepted into the Bashir El Rayes women's secondary school, Gaza City, Gaza Strip, July 19, 2003.

Gaza schools impose hijab to students' dismay

A decision to impose the veil on secondary school students in Gaza schools was rejected by both students and their parents who view this measure as an encroachment on personal freedom.

Reports: Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf will not receive world ranking points

The controversial tour, which is backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, recently made an alliance with Dubai’s MENA Tour in an effort to enable its players to qualify for Official World Golf Ranking points.

A view of the of Sardis Synagogue's interior, Manisa, Turkey.

Monumental synagogue emerges from ancient ruins in Turkey

Relics from the largest known synagogue of antiquity will go on display next year in a museum in western Turkey.

Ambulances carrying the bodies of victims of the A321 Russian airliner that crashed in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area in the Sinai Peninsula, leave the Zeinhom morgue to Cairo airport, Egypt, Nov. 1, 2015.

Egypt softens toward organ donation

After years of initiatives and calls for post-mortem organ donation, the Egyptian government is considering establishing an organ registry and expanding organ transplant surgeries.

A man watches a video posted by Egyptian Tiktok influencer Haneen Hossam.

Another TikTok star arrested in Egypt

A famous TikToker’s arrest sparked widespread reactions in Egypt amid renewed calls to ban the app over content that is deemed contrary to Egyptian values.

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews attend the funeral of Rabbi Shalom Cohen, influential spiritual leader of Israel's largest ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Jerusalem, Aug. 22, 2022.

Ultra-Orthodox address mental illness in Israel

Bayit Cham battles against the attitude still prevalent among many ultra-Orthodox families that mental illness is something that needs hiding.

Aerial view of the historic old Cairo district, showing the Mosque of Amr ibn al-Aas and the complex of religious built atop the fortress that includes the Church of St George, the Coptic Orthodox Church of St Mary and Ben Ezra Jewish Synagogue, May 14, 2021.

Egypt set to open Ben Ezra Synagogue

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced its intention to open the ancient Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo soon, after completing about 95% of restoration works, in a move aimed at revitalizing religious tourism.

Luxor

Egyptian archaeologists uncover ancient inscriptions in Temple of Esna

The Egyptian-German archaeological mission in Luxor has finished restoring the ceiling of the ancient Esna Temple, as part of a project to restore the shrine and reveal its original colors.

Rabbi Eli, from CTeen International, an orthodox Jewish teen network, checks his phone during the first Sukkot Hop ever to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 23, 2021.

Jews thrive in UAE following Abraham Accords

The number of Jewish community members of Israeli and other nationalities in the United Arab Emirates has been increasing annually since the signing of the 2020 Abraham Accords, establishing commercial and medical institutions and synagogues.

Women buy bread from a local bread stand in al-Fustat neighborhood, Cairo, Egypt, May 2, 2022.

Medusa trend prompts Egyptian women to speak out on sexual assault

Egyptian women who have been victims of sexual assault and rape are using the Medusa tattoo trend on social media to tell their stories and make their voices heard.

Tunisians arrive to attend the opening of the second edition of the Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival, Tunis, Tunisia, March 22, 2019.

Tunisia’s LGBTQ scene celebrates Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival

A major LGBTQ community event has shown diversity and inclusion are still alive in spite of Tunisia’s authoritarian drift and regression of freedoms.