Picasso portrait of Dora Maar sells for $37 mn
The Spanish master painted it on July 11, 1943 and it was acquired in August 1944 by a private French...
Arts & Culture
Let the ‘Showgirl’ era begin: Taylor Swift’s new album is almost here
New York, United States - Swifties, the wait is nearly over. Taylor Swift's hotly anticipated "The Life of a Showgirl"...
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
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.
Arts & Culture
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.
Arts & Culture
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
Arts & Culture
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.
Arts & Culture
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.
Arts & Culture
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
Arts & Culture
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.
Arts & Culture
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
Arts & Culture
‘Italian genius’ Inzaghi to coach Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Former Inter boss Simone Inzaghi was revealed as the new coach of Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal...
- The Italian, who led Inter to a heavy defeat in Saturday's Champions League final, had earlier played down rumors of a two-year deal worth 50 million euros.
- Inzaghi, 49, becomes just the latest high-profile footballing acquisition for oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which will host the World Cup in 2034.
Arts & Culture
Trump bans visas for new foreign students at Harvard
Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a ban on visas for foreign students who are...
- The Trump administration has been in an ongoing showdown with academia, and Harvard in particular
- The Ivy League institution has rejected his administration's demands to give up control of recruitment, curricula and research choices
Picasso portrait of Dora Maar sells for $37 mn
The Spanish master painted it on July 11, 1943 and it was acquired in August 1944 by a private French...
Arts & Culture
Company News
Latest News
Indonesian child’s viral fame draws tourists to boat race
Pekanbaru, Indonesia -- Armed with colourful oars, rowers pack into long boats in western Indonesia, paddling furiously in front of...
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...
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...
Arts & Culture
Most Read
Arts & Culture
Lebanese craftsman keeps up tradition of tarboosh hat-making
Tripoli, Lebanon -- Nestled among shops in a bustling market in north Lebanon's Tripoli, Mohammed al-Shaar is at his workshop...
- The brimless hats are made with maroon, black or green felt, some bearing floral motifs or embroidered with Lebanon's national emblem, the cedar.
- While the tarboosh has been around in Lebanon for several centuries, it became particularly common during the late Ottoman period.
Arts & Culture
Saudi Falcons Club launches interactive pavilion for young enthusiasts
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The Saudi Falcons Club has dedicated an interactive pavilion titled "Falconer of the Future" as part...
- The move is part of the International Falcon Breeders Auction 2025, taking place at the club's headquarters in Malham, north of Riyadh, until August 25.
- This pavilion aims to introduce the younger generation to the world of falconry by showcasing tools used for training and caring for falcons.
Arts & Culture
Walking sharks, bombing crocodiles: Italian Brainrot memes only kids know
Shouty, crude and often nonsensical Italian voiceovers feature in many of the clips made by people in various countries that...
- The dozen-plus cartoonish AI creatures have fast become memes, inspiring a stream of new content such as "Brainrot Rap", viewed 116 million times on YouTube.
- A YouTube Short titled "Learn to Draw 5 Crazy Italian Brainrot Animals" -- including a cactus-elephant crossover named "Lirili Larila" -- has also been watched 320 million times.