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...
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...
Arts & Culture
Hajj pilgrimage to begin on June 4: Saudi state media
Arts & Culture
AI talking trees feature at Chelsea Flower Show
Arts & Culture
‘Gentle giants’: World’s strongest men defy stereotypes
Arts & Culture
World Economic Forum
Maori-led AI initiative can revolutionize language preservation, says Peter-Lucas Jones
Davos, Switzerland -- Peter-Lucas Jones, a Kaitaia native, who has been listed in the prestigious Time100 AI 2024 List, was...
- Peter-Lucas Jones, a Time100 AI 2024 List honoree, discussed AI's role in preserving the Te Reo Maori language at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
- His team at Te Hiku Media developed Te Reo Maori natural language processing tools and an automatic speech recognition model.
Arts & Culture
Palestinian pottery sees revival in war-ravaged Gaza
Deir el-Balah, Palestinian Territories - Traditional clay pottery is seeing a resurgence in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians are forced to...
- Traditional clay pottery sees a resurgence in Gaza as war-ravaged residents turn to old ways amid shortages of crockery and basic goods
- Potter Jafar Atallah works tirelessly to meet soaring demand, crafting 100 clay pieces daily in a makeshift workshop under Gaza's harsh conditions
Arts & Culture
Portraits of pain: smuggled Palestinian art shows trauma of Gaza
Smuggled art pieces from Gaza are on display in an exhibition in Amman showcasing pain, suffering and a strong resolve...
- The paintings document the brutality of war and massacres… carrying pain and sorrow and also a strong resolve and determination
- The exhibition in Jordan features 79 artworks crafted from improvised materials including medicine wrappers
Arts & Culture
‘Amazing’ AI de-ages Tom Hanks in new film ‘Here’
Los Angeles, United States - Tom Hanks has praised the "amazing" use of artificial intelligence to de-age him "in real time"...
- Hanks portrays his character from an idealistic teen, through various stages of youth and middle age, to a frail, elderly man
- But rather than just relying on makeup, filmmakers teamed up with AI studio Metaphysic on a tool called Metaphysic Live, to rejuvenate and "age up" the actors
Arts & Culture
Five charged over ketamine death of ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry
Los Angeles, United States - Five people who allegedly supplied ketamine to "Friends" star Matthew Perry in a bid to exploit...
- The actor died at his luxury Los Angeles home last year, sparking an outpouring of grief from fans around the world
- An autopsy found the cause of his death was "the acute effects of ketamine," a controlled drug the recovering addict was taking as part of supervised therapy
Shah Rukh Khan to be honoured at Locarno Film Festival
Held on the shores of Lake Maggiore, in the Italian-speaking Ticino region of southern Switzerland, films are screened in Locarno's...
- Bollywood superstar Khan, 58, will on Saturday be given the Pardo alla Carriera award for people whose artistic contributions have redefined cinema
- Founded in 1946, Locarno is one of the world's longest-running annual film festivals and focuses on auteur cinema.
Economy
Saudi Arabia submits official bid to host FIFA World Cup 2034 after successful Qatar event in 2022
The next steps include official visits by FIFA and a comprehensive evaluation of the bid.
- This bid highlights Saudi Arabia’s commitment to Vision 2030
- Saudi Arabia is currently the sole nation bidding for the 2034 World Cup
Arts & Culture
Unveiling Tunis: mural celebrates ‘invisible’ talents
Tunis, Tunisia - In the old medina of Tunis, a wall installation titled "1001 Bricks" showcases the talents of "invisible" creators,...
- Led by Swiss artist Anne Francey, the project took shape over a year through workshops that culminated in a large bas-relief made of carved and painted clay bricks
- The initiative follows Francey's 2019 project "1001 Hands", inspired by the "One Thousand and One Nights" fairytale, emphasising stories that intersect endlessly
Arts & Culture
Canon Middle East, Dubai Business Women Council launch ‘Women Who Empower’ campaign
Canon Middle East and DBWC launch the 'Women Who Empower' campaign, offering training and opportunities for women in imaging and...
- Aligned with this year's International Women's Day theme, "Inspire Inclusion," the campaign focuses on empowering women through a variety of platforms
- These include webinars, mentorship opportunities, and networking events, aimed at showcasing their work and fostering their professional growth
Arts & Culture
Exhibition of art and poetry in Dubai celebrates women
Featuring the work of international women artists, "La Belleza" celebrates the deep connection between art and poetry.
- “La Belleza,” which translates to "The Beauty," reflects the central theme of the exhibition
- At the core of "La Belleza" is a commitment to supporting and promoting women artists
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...
Arts & Culture
Company News
Trump bans visas for new foreign students at Harvard
Arts & Culture
In Cairo, the little indie cinema that could
Arts & Culture
Latest News
Hajj pilgrimage to begin on June 4: Saudi state media
Arts & Culture
AI talking trees feature at Chelsea Flower Show
Arts & Culture
Saudi Arabia unveils ‘Colour Your Summer’ program, targeting 41 million visitors
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's tourism sector is poised for an unprecedented summer season, with the official launch of...
Business
Hajj pilgrimage to begin on June 4: Saudi state media
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage to Mecca would begin on...
Arts & Culture
Filmmaker Panahi cheered on return to Iran after Cannes triumph
Paris, France - Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was given a hero's welcome by supporters on his return to Tehran on...
Arts & Culture
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Arts & Culture
‘Gentle giants’: World’s strongest men defy stereotypes
Sacramento, United States -- Eddie Williams is a schoolteacher from Monday to Friday and a wedding singer on weekends. In...
- The World's Strongest Man competition was first held in 1977 at Universal Studios in California.
- The names of the individual events -- the "Titan's Toss," "Atlas Stones," "Flintstone Barbell" and "Hercules Hold" -- convey the magnitude of the challenges.
Arts & Culture
Hollywood stars condemn Gaza ‘genocide’ on eve of Cannes Festival
Cannes, France - More than 350 figures from the cinema world including Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon condemned...
- A documentary on slain Gazan journalist Fatima Hassouna is set to premiere at Cannes, spotlighting the toll of Israel's strikes
- Hollywood star Tom Cruise and French icon Gerard Depardieu are set to make headlines at this year’s festival, on and off the red carpet
Arts & Culture
Cardinals elect a new pope to lead Catholic Church
Cardinals chose a new pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics on Thursday, sending up white smoke from the...
- Crowds of people rushed towards the square to watch the balcony of the basilica, which has been fitted out with red curtains for the first address to the world by the 267th pope.
- The new pontiff, who succeeds Argentine reformer Pope Francis, will be introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name and address the world for the first time.