After delays, Egypt set for lavish opening of grand museum
Cairo, Egypt - With much pomp and circumstance, Cairo is due to inaugurate on Saturday the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum,...
Arts & Culture
Ancient tablet disappears from Egypt’s Saqqara necropolis
Cairo, Egypt - A limestone tablet dating back more than 4,000 years has disappeared from Egypt's Saqqara necropolis, authorities said...
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
Godzilla fans fete the monster as it turns 70
San Diego, United States - Godzilla has morphed over the years, but one constant is the devotion of its fans,...
- The Japanese studio Toho, which created Godzilla, maintains a calendar of events to celebrate the beast often called the king of monsters, and Comic-Con is on the agenda
- As the story of Godzilla goes, a prehistoric amphibious beast is awakened and mutated by nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific
Arts & Culture
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...
- With no dedicated training facility, the team often has to share the three second-hand tables at the public community center with visitors.
- In the scorching Iraqi summer they cannot turn on the fans, which would disrupt the movement of the balls.
Arts & Culture
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...
- Originally scheduled to fully open this month, the museum was expected to attract up to five million visitors annually, fuelling optimism across Cairo's battered tourism sector
- Though parts of the museum have been open for months, the main draw - the treasures of Tutankhamun - will remain under wraps until the official launch
Geostrategy
Japan’s World Barber Classic tries to bring back business
Tokyo, Japan -- Hundreds of rowdy spectators, many heavily tattooed, roared Monday at a Tokyo arena usually reserved for boxing...
- A dozen Japanese and foreign contestants were taking part in the World Barber Classic, showing off their hairdressing skills surrounded by national flags.
- The event is part of a bid by Japan's struggling barber industry to attract young male clients lost in recent years to hair salons, which are popular for their high-quality service
Arts & Culture
Tourist coins pose giant problem at N. Ireland’s famous causeway site
Bushmills, United Kingdom -- Northern Ireland's Giant Causeway draws close to one million visitors a year but their habit of...
- Tourists' habit of wedging tiny coins in cracks between the rocks -- to bring love or luck -- is damaging the world-famous wonder.
- Some 40,000 columns mark the causeway, Northern Ireland's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Arts & Culture
Syrian designer Rami Al Ali to make history at Paris Couture Week
Paris, France -- As well as being optimistic about the future of his war-ravaged country, Rami Al Ali has other...
- After studying in Damascus, Al Ali left for Dubai as a young man in search of opportunities in the fashion industry, working initially for two regional brands.
- He branched out on his own in 2001, building a regional fanbase for his eponymous brand from the United Arab Emirates before creating a following in Europe.
Arts & Culture
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...
- The Turkey's competition authority said the probe would seek to establish whether Spotify gave more visibility to some artists and engaged in unfair practices
- In a statement, Spotify, which launched in Turkey in 2013, said its operations complied with "all applicable laws" but it would cooperate with the investigation
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...
- "The dates for the Super Cup are December 18 and 19 for the semi-finals, and the 22 for the final," said Lega Serie A boss Ezio Simonelli.
- "We don't yet know where these matches will be played, either in Riyadh or Jeddah. The choice will be made by the Saudis. I would be more in favor of Jeddah," he added.
Arts & Culture
‘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
Arts & Culture
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.
After delays, Egypt set for lavish opening of grand museum
Cairo, Egypt - With much pomp and circumstance, Cairo is due to inaugurate on Saturday the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum,...
Arts & Culture
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Arts & Culture
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Arts & Culture
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Arts & Culture
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Big dreams but no protein shake: Yemeni bodybuilder fighting to make it
Al Mukalla, Yemen -- In a dimly lit, suffocatingly hot gym in Yemen, bodybuilder Saleh Hussein al-Raidi wraps his hands...
Arts & Culture
Tunisian brutalist landmark faces wrecking ball, sparking outcry
Tunis, Tunisia -- Tunisia's brutalist landmark the Hotel du Lac -- a 1970s postcard icon said to have inspired a...
Arts & Culture
Bird call contest boosts conservation awareness in Hong Kong’s concrete jungle
The competition brought nearly 100 people together, including a contestant who mimicked the critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoo.
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Arts & Culture
‘Curly is beautiful’: Tunisian women embrace natural hair
Tunis, Tunisia -- Tunisian mother Mouna Jebali had long used a flat iron to straighten her thick hair, but with...
- For generations, people around the world were told to straighten, braid, cut or otherwise conceal their curls, or else get sent home from school or work.
- A global drive buoyed by the Black Lives Matter movement gave rise to a major pandemic-era trend of beauty videos celebrating natural hair.
Arts & Culture
After DJs and raves, Saudi Arabia pushes home-grown culture
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- First, deeply religious Saudi Arabia opened its doors to Western raves and music festivals. Now it's...
- The move towards more wholesome, Saudi-inspired entertainment comes after raucous scenes at past music festivals in the capital.
- Reports of alcohol and drug use -- both banned in the kingdom -- at the MDL Beast electronic music festival have been denied by Riyadh authorities.
Business
Gulf tourists say Polish mountain town is a cool place
Zakopane, Poland -- Saudi photographer Fahad Alayyash gazed over the Alpine-like panorama of the Tatras, Poland's highest mountain range --...
- Up to seven flights fly daily from the Gulf region at nearby Krakow Airport.
- Arab customers constitute up to 30 percent of all summer guests at his five-star hotel in Zakopane.