Iraqi women table tennis players chase Paralympic dreams
Diwaniyah, Iraq -- Iraqi table tennis player Nur al-Huda Sarmad adjusts her wheelchair before striking the ball into play, braving...Arts & Culture Culture & Society Sports
Egypt grand museum delay puts tourism hopes on hold
Cairo, Egypt - In the shadow of the Grand Egyptian Museum, souvenir shop owner Mona has been readying for the...Arts & Culture
Omani novelist’s book on water wins top Arabic fiction prize
Alqasmi, who has published four novels and 10 poetry collections, is the first Omani winner of the prize, now in...Alqasmi, 49, will receive $50,000, and the prize committee will provide funding to translate "The Water Diviner" into English, organisers of the awards said
In an interview for the prize's website, Alqasmi said the book had an additional focus: "on how women also caused changes in the life of the main protagonist"
NEOM’s first international exhibition held in Venice
Venice, Italy - More than 20 of the world’s leading architects, designers, and future thinkers led a major opening event...Sir Peter Cook, Massimiliano Fuksas, Jean Nouvel and Ben van Berkel were among the world-renowned architects who joined CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr on stage
Set in the historic Abbazia di San Gregorio, one of Venice's oldest buildings, the exhibition's focal point is a large-scale 9x13m relief plan of NEOM set in the central courtyard
Art Dubai 2023 generates US$39m in economic impact, says new study
DUBAI, UAE - Art Dubai, the leading international art fair for the Middle East and Global South, on Sunday announced...The study showed that Art Dubai 2023 attracted a staggering 23,500 hotel nights bookings to Dubai.
The event had the strongest-ever participation of regional and international institutional representatives.
9000-year-old stone structures used as animal traps unearthed in Saudi
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- A team of Saudi and international archeologists has discovered ancient hand-made stone structures at Al-Dhulayat Mountain...The discovery was part of an archeological survey conducted by the Heritage Commission in cooperation with the International Scientific Center.
Plus One Magazine on Wednesday published a scientific paper indicating that these stone structures were used as huge stone traps for animals that date back to the prehistoric era.
Moroccan nomads keep alive ancient sport of sand hockey
M'hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco -- In a Moroccan oasis town on the edge of the Sahara, nomads in turbans and tunics...Similar in many ways to field and ice hockey, but played barefoot and with palm wood sticks, the ancient game is called "mokhacha" in the local Hassani Arabic dialect.
Forms of sand hockey are also enjoyed in Ethiopia, where it is called Genna, and in Tunisia under the name of Oggaf, according to the UK-based Hockey Museum.
Sheikh Khalifa: A legacy of progress and empowerment
He continued his predecessor's remarkable legacy until his own passing on May 13, 2022. Under his leadership, the UAE flourished,...Under Sheikh Khalifa's leadership, the UAE fortified its prominent stature and assumed a leading regional and global role by fostering deep-rooted relations with numerous countries
To secure prosperous future, Sheikh Khalifa initiated an era of empowerment by implementing long-term national strategies, initiatives, and plans including the Principles of the 50
Iraqi museum damaged by IS works toward reopening
IS militants used sledgehammers and power tools to deface ancient statues and pre-Islamic treasures housed in the museum.A gaping hole remains in the floor of the museum's famed Assyrian gallery, caused by a bomb explosion.
The artefacts are being revived with financing from the International Alliance for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH).
Rare Hebrew Bible, Rousseau up for sale in New York
At Christie's, the star lot is Henri Rousseau's "Les Flamants," which is set to smash the record price at auction...Codex Sassoon, the most expensive historical document to ever go under the hammer and is tipped to fetch up to $50 million at Sotheby's on May 17
Other Sotheby's highlights include Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1985 ode to jazz "Now's the Time," which is predicted to achieve more than $30 million
Word power: Gender-neutral language need of the hour
"Despite all of the lovely words spoken by every company and organization during events such as International Women’s Day to...Many airlines and airports continue to use gender-specific language despite efforts towards gender equality in the Gulf region
Gender-specific language is a reminder of historical bias that hinders efforts towards gender equality and this needs to change
Cleopatra had white skin, Hellenistic features, Egypt to Netflix
Cairo, Egypt - Egypt's antiquities ministry insisted on Thursday that Cleopatra had "white skin and Hellenistic characteristics" in an ongoing row..."Queen Cleopatra", produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and starring Adele James, is due for release on the streaming platform on May 10
Legend hails the queen born in around 69 BC as a great beauty, but the colour of her skin is largely open to interpretation
