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  • world chess champion

Hard-line religious jurists wanted chess banned, but they lost the argument, not least because it was played and enjoyed by caliphs, ministers and sultans Shutterstock

A thousand years ago, Muslims gave Europe the game of chess

Caliph Harun al-Rashid sent Emperor Charlemagne a beautifully crafted chessboard showing how shared pastimes can be a bridge between peoples

Abdullah Al-Rashid 07 August 2024
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A wounded girl lies on a hospital bed after an Israeli strike in the Syrian village of Beit Jin on 28 November 2025 killed 10 people, the deadliest Israeli attack since al-Assad's ouster in December 2024. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP
Politics

Israeli actions in southern Syria give Iran an opening

04 December 2025

Israeli raids and bombs have served as a powerful recruiting tool for those wishing to resist Israel

Subhi Franjieh
Al Majalla
Business & Economy

Saudi Arabia's 2026 budget carefully boosts spending

04 December 2025

Balanced fiscal management, targeted deficit reduction, and strategic growth initiatives underpin this year's budget, with a strong emphasis on citizen partnership

Omar Harkous
Jay Torres
Politics

The evolution of Latin America’s drug cartels

04 December 2025

What began as a locally rooted trade in coca leaves and opium evolved into a transnational system of cartels that challenged governments, corrupted institutions, and destabilised countries

Stefanie Butendieck Hijerra
Opinion

Ukraine peace talks: one step forward, two steps back

04 December 2025

The prospects of a breakthrough remain bleak as Putin blames Europe for sabotaging a 28-point peace plan agreed on with the US

Con Coughlin
A visitor stands next to a photograph of German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt at the German Historical Museum in Berlin on 6 May 2020. John MACDOUGALL / AFP
Culture & Social Affairs

50 years on, Hannah Arendt's works resonate more than ever

01 December 2025

The renowned German-American philosopher's analyses showed how governments deploy deceit for political gain and blur the lines between truth and lies

Abdel Salam Ben Abdelali

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OPINIONS

The evolution of Latin America’s drug cartels

Stefanie Butendieck Hijerra
Stefanie Butendieck Hijerra

Israeli actions in southern Syria give Iran an opening

Subhi Franjieh
Subhi Franjieh

Saudi Arabia's 2026 budget carefully boosts spending

Omar Harkous
Omar Harkous

Ukraine peace talks: one step forward, two steps back

Con Coughlin
Con Coughlin
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