Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla launches platform for women in cinema, fashion

• The launch of AlUla Creates is part of a year-round program that will allow women filmmakers to collaborate with leading industry professionals.
• AlUla Creates is part of a wider strategy to develop a film-friendly ecosystem which will include a world-class purpose-built studio.

Gulf women empowerment bid inspires global change

Women play key role in nurturing families, society

• The International Women's Day celebrates the crucial role of women in society and their extraordinary contributions, says Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
• Women are making significant strides in advancing comprehensive development across all fields and leaving an indelible mark on their communities and countries, she adds

UAE shares view at first G20 Culture Working Group meeting

• G20 members, invited countries and international organizations attended the meetings of the Culture Working Group.
• The meeting discussed the challenges and opportunities in the cultural ecosystem on a global scale.

Dimpled sphinx statue unearthed in Egypt

• Next to the "beautifully and accurately carved" sphinx, researchers had found "a Roman stele written in demotic and hieroglyphic" scripts.
• The country has unveiled major archaeological discoveries in recent months, primarily in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo but also in Giza.

Sharjah Consultative Council approves  heritage policy

• The Sharjah Consultative Council said that a database of craftsmen should be prepared.
• The SCC said craftsmen should be granted licenses to practice their crafts.

Bolder action, more effective partnerships to protect endangered animals and plants across the world

• Leaders across the United Nations system call for bolder action and more effective partnerships to protect endangered animals and plants
• This year’s commemoration of the World Wildlife Day marks 50th anniversary of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

Iraqi cemetery echoes 1400 years of life and death

• Some historians estimate that over six million souls rest at the cemetery, mostly Iraqi but also Iranian and Pakistani Shiites
• Iraq in a submission to UNESCO estimated its area at 2,265 acres and called it "the oldest and biggest cemetery"

Regulate digital platforms to curb disinformation

• There is an urgent need for common global guidelines to improve the reliability of information while protecting human rights, say experts
• UNESCO urges the world to join its efforts to transform the internet into a tool which is truly at the service of the public

Lebanese hatmaker keeps ancient skill alive

• Those buying the caps are mainly tourists -- or Lebanese nostalgic for their childhood -- and they often buy them not to wear them but to display them at home.
• Akiki believes the labbadeh design is rooted in the caps worn by the ancient Phoenicians, although their style was "more elongated".