Qatar revealed as owner of famed Courbet self-portrait
Paris, France -- Qatar has revealed itself as the owner of a famous self-portrait by French realist master Gustave Courbet...
Arts & Culture
‘I don’t recognise my country,’ says Angelina Jolie
San Sebastian, Spain - American actress Angelina Jolie said Sunday she no longer recognises her country, voicing concern over threats...
Arts & Culture
Business
$20 million rare blue diamond goes on show in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates -- A rare blue diamond valued at $20 million went on pre-auction display on Tuesday...
- The 10-carat Mediterranean Blue, which will go on sale in Geneva next month, is the showpiece of a collection estimated at $100 million, organizers said.
- "Included in the group are the largest flawless diamond in the world... the second largest red diamond known to exist and several diamonds over 100 carats," Sotheby's said.
Arts & Culture
Qatar’s ‘Hit Show’ wins $12 million Dubai World Cup
Dubai, UAE -- Qatar's 'Hit Show' triumphed in the 2025 Dubai World Cup's main event at Meydan, the pinnacle of...
- Hit Show, owned by Wathnan Racing, ridden by Florent Geroux, prevailed over eight top competitors in 2:03:50 minutes, earning $6.96m with a 0.64-length victory.
- The American horse Mixto, owned by Calumet Farm, came in second place, ridden by jockey Frankie Dettori and trained by Doug O'Neill, and received a cash prize of $2.4m.
Arts & Culture
First footage of James Cameron directed ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ revealed
Las Vegas, United States - Evil Na'vi. Giant volcanoes. Airborne boats. The first-ever footage from "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the...
- The film "expands the beautiful world of Pandora and introduces two new clans," explained star Zoe Saldana
- More respected than loved by critics, the previous two "Avatar" films were unprecedented commercial hits
Arts & Culture
Digging for box office gold, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ hits cinemas
Paris, France -- With an A-list cast and a big budget, "A Minecraft Movie" releasing this week is hoping to...
- Made by "Napoleon Dynamite" director Jared Hess, the film stars Jack Black -- who also appeared in Super Mario -- alongside Jason Momoa, Emma Myers and Jennifer Coolidge.
- Minecraft was first released 16 years ago, developed by Swedish designer Markus Persson, who sold it for $2.5 billion to Microsoft several years later.
Arts & Culture
Japan’s Masaki Kashiwara wins Abel Prize for mathematics
Oslo, Norway -- The prestigious Abel Prize for mathematics was on Wednesday awarded to Japanese mathematician Masaki Kashiwara a specialist...
- The 78-year-old mathematician was honored for "his fundamental contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory.
- D-modules provided a "new basis for studying systems of linear differential equations", according to the jury.
Arts & Culture
Saudi Arabia draw with Japan to keep World Cup hopes alive
Saitama, Japan -- Saudi Arabia battled to a 0-0 away draw with already qualified Japan on Tuesday to keep their...
- The Saudis went into the game in Saitama in third place in Asian qualifying third round Group C, one point behind Australia.
- The top two teams qualify directly for next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with those placing third and fourth going into another qualifying round.
Arts & Culture
Italian paper prints fully-AI edition, but not to ‘kill’ journalism
Rome, Italy -- In a world first, an Italian newspaper is printing a fully AI-generated edition for a month in...
- Il Foglio, a daily broadsheet with an irreverent touch and a circulation of about 29,000, says it is the first newspaper in the world to print entire editions created through AI.
- The newspaper's 20-odd journalists ask a version of ChatGPT to write a story on a specific subject in a specific tone, and it produces a text using information scraped off internet
Arts & Culture
Jet skis in the desert: winter lake creates Saudi watersports oasis
Az Zulfī, Saudi Arabia -- The ear-splitting roar of his jet ski fills the air as Hamza al-Hamm thunders past,...
- Zulfi's lake, more than 200 kilometers northwest of Riyadh, appears every winter, giving desert-dwellers the chance to take part in a sport usually associated with seaside resorts.
- When it forms, the lake offers a welcome respite in a country where intense heat limits outdoor activities for much of the year.
Arts & Culture
Wild AI, a royal letter and big hugs – a week in Trumpworld
Washington, United States - President Donald Trump closed out a packed week at the White House after hosting a string...
- Last week, Trump branded elected Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" -- but things change fast in this administration
- "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that," Trump responded with a slight grin when asked if his opinion had evolved
Arts & Culture
Second edition of Saudi art biennale seeks to modernize Islamic tradition
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Under a vast canopy of tents in the Saudi city of Jeddah, religious artefacts are on display...
- Arts Biennale features as its centrepiece segments of the "kiswa", the black cloth embroidered with gold and silver that covers the Kaaba
- Under his "Vision 2030", Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sought to transform the kingdom's image
Qatar revealed as owner of famed Courbet self-portrait
Paris, France -- Qatar has revealed itself as the owner of a famous self-portrait by French realist master Gustave Courbet...
Arts & Culture
Company News
Portugal’s Felix joins Ronaldo at Al Nassr in Saudi
Arts & Culture
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Godzilla fans fete the monster as it turns 70
Arts & Culture
Iraqi women table tennis players chase Paralympic dreams
Arts & Culture
Egypt grand museum delay puts tourism hopes on hold
Arts & Culture
Tunisia’s Jaouadi pushes through pain for second world gold
Singapore, Singapore -- Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi added the 1,500m freestyle world title to his 800m crown on Sunday for a...
Arts & Culture
Portugal’s Felix joins Ronaldo at Al Nassr in Saudi
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Portuguese forward Joao Felix has signed a two-year deal with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, where he...
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,...
Arts & Culture

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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.

