Turkey opens Spotify probe after ‘provocative playlist’ complaint
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey's competition authority has launched an investigation into Spotify for anti-competitive practices as a deputy minister demanded...Arts & Culture
Saudi Arabia to host Italian Super Cup in December
Rome, Italy -- Next season's Italian Super Cup will be played for the fourth time in Saudi Arabia but in...Arts & Culture Sports
‘In our blood’: Egyptian women reclaim belly dance from stigma
As belly dancing gains popularity internationally, young Egyptian performers are working to restore its reputation at home, pushing back against...Once iconic figures of Egypt's cinematic golden age, belly dancers have watched their prestige wane, their art increasingly confined to nightclubs and wedding halls
"No woman can be a belly dancer today and feel she's truly respected," said Safy Akef, an instructor and great-niece of dance legend Naima Akef
Star-studded Al-Hilal defense highlights Saudi club’s rise
Miami, United States -- The main appeal of the Club World Cup so far has been the chance to see...Saudi club Al-Hilal, coached by Simone Inzaghi, went unbeaten in the group stage, drawing with Real Madrid impressively.
Al-Hilal’s defense includes former City full-back Joao Cancelo and ex-Napoli center-half Kalidou Koulibaly, both experienced internationals.
Cristiano Ronaldo extends contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr until 2027
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Cristiano Ronaldo inked a two-year extension with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, the club announced Thursday, following...Minutes before the official confirmation, the team posted a teaser video, with the 40-year-old Ronaldo walking along a beachfront and saying: "Al Nassr forever".
The Portuguese superstar arrived in 2023 in the kingdom to play with the club, heralding a rush of players in the latter stages of their careers to the oil-rich country.
2,000-year-old Roman wall paintings unearthed
The plaster, which was discovered on a construction site in 2021, once decorated around 20 internal walls of a high-status...The plaster was found dumped in a large pit, having been smashed into thousands of pieces during Roman demolition works that took place before AD 2000.
MOLA Senior Building Material Specialist Han Li has spent the last three months laying out the fragments and reconstructing the designs.
Egypt again delays opening of massive new museum, citing regional tensions
Cairo, Egypt - Egyptian authorities announced on Saturday that the long-awaited inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) would once...The museum spans 50 hectares, the GEM is twice the size of both Paris's Louvre and New York's Metropolitan, and two-and-a-half times that of the British Museum
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said during a press conference on Saturday that the grand opening would be delayed until the last quarter of this year
Picasso on a plate: unseen ceramics up for auction in Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland -- A clutch of one-off and hitherto unseen ceramic plates and dishes by Pablo Picasso are going under...Emblematic motifs from Picasso's artistic universe -- pigeons, fish, a goat, a bull, and a bird adorn the colorful plates and dishes.
Picasso was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. The prolific Spanish painter died in 1973, aged 91.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar to host Asian playoffs for World Cup: AFC
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- Saudi Arabia and Qatar will host the Asian qualifying playoffs for the 2026 World Cup, the...Six teams, the third and fourth-placed sides from the recent Asian qualifiers, namely Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE will be divided into two groups of 3 teams.
They will battle each other in a centralized format from October 8 to 14, 2025, the AFC said in a statement.
Warner Brothers Discovery will split company to build streaming
The move, which reallocates assets such as HBO Max and CNN, is the latest reflection of how streaming is remaking...The entertainment giant will break itself into two publicly traded companies: one covering "Streaming & Studios" and the other "Global Networks."
The shift, designed to enable each venture to "maximize its potential," is expected to be completed by mid-2026, the company said
Chinese man defies demolition orders to build madcap rural home
Xingyi, China -- Surrounded by the rubble of demolished homes, Chen Tianming's ramshackle tower of faded plyboards and contorted beams...Authorities razed most of Chen's village in Guizhou province in 2018 to build a lucrative tourist resort in a region known for its spectacular rice paddies.
Chen, 42, refused to leave, and after the project faltered, defied a flurry of demolition notices to build his family's humble stone bungalow higher and higher.
Muslim pilgrims ‘stone the devil’ as Hajj concludes under extreme heat in Saudi Arabia
Starting at dawn, the more than 1.6 million Muslims took part in the pilgrimage will throw seven stones at each...The more than 1.6 million Muslims taking part in the pilgrimage will throw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley,
The ritual commemorates Abraham's stoning of the devil at the three spots where it is said Satan tried to dissuade him from obeying God's order to sacrifice his son
