Anti-hero Star Wars series “Andor” heads towards its finale

• For Disney, the success of "Andor" stands out as a new hope for a franchise that has become hit-or-miss with audiences in recent years.
• That is why it has banked heavily on the 12-episode story, which cost a staggering $645 million to make, according to Forbes magazine.

‘Diriyah Tan’ unveiled to celebrate Saudi tourism hub’s rich heritage

$20 million rare blue diamond goes on show in Abu Dhabi

• 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.

Qatar’s ‘Hit Show’ wins $12 million Dubai World Cup

• 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.

First footage of James Cameron directed ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ revealed

• 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

Digging for box office gold, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ hits cinemas

• 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.

Japan’s Masaki Kashiwara wins Abel Prize for mathematics

• 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.

Saudi Arabia draw with Japan to keep World Cup hopes alive

• 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.

Italian paper prints fully-AI edition, but not to ‘kill’ journalism

• 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

Jet skis in the desert: winter lake creates Saudi watersports oasis

• 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.