France’s screen siren Brigitte Bardot dies at 91
Saint-Tropez, France -Â French film sensation Brigitte Bardot, a symbol of sexual liberation in the 1950s and 1960s who reinvented herself...
Arts & Culture
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
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.
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:Â "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.
France’s screen siren Brigitte Bardot dies at 91
Saint-Tropez, France -Â French film sensation Brigitte Bardot, a symbol of sexual liberation in the 1950s and 1960s who reinvented herself...
Arts & Culture
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‘I don’t recognise my country,’ says Angelina Jolie
Arts & Culture
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Catholic teen set to become first millennial saint
Arts & Culture
AI-powered meet-up apps fight ‘epidemic of’ loneliness
Arts & Culture
AI-powered meet-up apps fight ‘epidemic of’ loneliness
San Francisco, United States -- On a summer evening in San Francisco, JT Mason went to dinner with five complete...
Arts & Culture
Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani dead at 91
Rome, Italy -- Italian fashion legend Giorgio Armani, king of a high-end lifestyle empire, has died at the age of...
Geostrategy
Turkey bans concert by French singer over support for Israel
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish authorities Wednesday said they have banned a planned concert Friday in Istanbul by Enrico Macias after...
Arts & Culture
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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...
- Built by Italian architect Raffaele Contigiani in central Tunis, the concrete-and-steel inverted pyramid opened in 1973.
- Its daring silhouette has since enraptured brutalism and modernist architecture admirers from across the globe.
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.
- Despite its relatively small size, more than 580 types of birds -- about a third of China's total species -- have been recorded in Hong Kong.
- That diversity is attributed to Hong Kong's status as a vital stopover on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory birds.
Arts & Culture
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...
- Sports stars including Formula One's Alex Albon and MotoGP's Marc Marquez imitated his moves in their own videos.
- The viral dance craze has drawn visitors from across the country and world to the Kuantan river in Sumatra's Riau Province.