Jane Birkin’s Hermes handbag up for auction in Abu Dhabi
Paris, France -- A Hermes handbag once belonging to Jane Birkin will be auctioned in Abu Dhabi on December 5,...
Business
Japan political party to install AI leader
Geostrategy
Catholic teen set to become first millennial saint
Arts & Culture
AI-powered meet-up apps fight ‘epidemic of’ loneliness
Arts & Culture
From hotels to high fashion, Armani’s luxury empire
Milan, Italy - Giorgio Armani's death leaves a vacuum at the top of his billion-dollar luxury business, an independent empire...
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
Zawiya 97: New cultural hub for handicrafts in historic Jeddah
Jeddah - Zawiya 97, a new cultural hub for handicrafts in Historic Jeddah, located next to Nassif House, combines heritage...
- Throughout July and August, Zawiya 97 hosted more than 60 workshops introducing over 30 traditional crafts to more than 400 participants
- In addition to the workshops, Zawiya 97 provides a space for exhibitors to display their products, supporting local brands and contributing to the creative economy
Business
Labubu fans flock to stores after launch of mini dolls
Beijing, China -- A dozen furry dolls strung together on a metal chain dangled from Labubu fan Maki Li's neck...
- Made by Chinese toymaker Pop Mart, the fanged creatures have taken the world by storm, adorning the handbags of celebrities such as Rihanna and Dua Lipa.
- Last month, commerce minister Wang Wentao used the toothy-grinned dolls as an example of "new forms of consumption.
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
With poetry and chants, Omanis strive to preserve ancient language
Against the backdrop of southern Oman's lush mountains, men in traditional attire chant ancient poems in an ancient language, fighting...
- The overwhelming majority of Omanis speak Arabic, but in the mountainous coastal region of Dhofar bordering Yemen, people speak Jibbali, also known as Shehri
- Sitting under a tent, poet Khalid Ahmed al-Kathiri recites the verses, while men clad in robes and headdresses echo back his words in the vast expanse
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.
Arts & Culture
Iraqi women table tennis players chase Paralympic dreams
Diwaniyah, Iraq -- Iraqi table tennis player Nur al-Huda Sarmad adjusts her wheelchair before striking the ball into play, braving...
- With no dedicated training facility, the team often has to share the three second-hand tables at the public community center with visitors.
- In the scorching Iraqi summer they cannot turn on the fans, which would disrupt the movement of the balls.
Arts & Culture
Israel: Ultra-Orthodox conscription threatens Netanyahu’s coalition
Jerusalem, Undefined - The Israeli army announced Sunday that it would begin sending draft notices to 54,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men...
- Formed in December 2022, the coalition hinges on an alliance between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, far-right parties and those representing the ultra-Orthodox
- Under an arrangement dating back to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi in Hebrew, have been effectively exempted from military service
Arts & Culture
Trump administration threatens new Harvard cuts over Jewish rights
New York, United States - The Trump administration on Monday accused Harvard of violating the civil rights of its Jewish...
- Harvard has been at the forefront of Donald Trump's campaign against top universities after it defied his calls to submit to oversight of its curriculum
- Trump and his allies claim that Harvard and other prestigious US universities are unaccountable bastions of liberal, anti-conservative bias and anti-Semitism
Business
Roblox’s Grow a Garden explodes online video game numbers
Paris, France -- A gardening game created by a teenager on online platform Roblox has attracted a record 21 million...
- More than 21 million players connected to Grow a Garden at the same time on June 21, buying seeds to cultivate a little patch of virtual land, harvesting crops.
- That shattered the record held by the adrenalin-packed Fortnite, which attracted 15 million concurrent users (CCUs) during an event in late 2020.
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.
Jane Birkin’s Hermes handbag up for auction in Abu Dhabi
Paris, France -- A Hermes handbag once belonging to Jane Birkin will be auctioned in Abu Dhabi on December 5,...
Business
Japan political party to install AI leader
Geostrategy
Catholic teen set to become first millennial saint
Arts & Culture
AI-powered meet-up apps fight ‘epidemic of’ loneliness
Arts & Culture
Latest News
Sudanese journalists form union to safeguard press freedom
The journalists' syndicate held elections on Saturday, the first since ousted president Omar al-Bashir dissolved independent unions after rising to...
Tunisia train accident leaves nearly 100 passengers injured
A head-on collision between two passenger trains injured 95 people on Monday morning in the south of the Tunisian capital,...
Beyonce, Jay-Z, Grande, and Billie Eilish shortlisted for Oscar
Iran's Asghar Farhad is among a select group of auteurs to have won multiple foreign film Oscars previously again makes...
Tunisia’s president announces constitutional referendum
Kais Saied presented a roadmap for restoring democratic institutions, and announced a nationwide public consultation from January 1 until March...
UAE ranks first in Arab world, 11th globally in Global Knowledge Index
Qatar was at the 38th place, Saudi Arabia at 40, Kuwait (48), Oman (52), and Bahrain (55) in the Global...
From hotels to high fashion, Armani’s luxury empire
Arts & Culture
‘God’s Influencer’ to become first millennial saint
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.
Arts & Culture
With poetry and chants, Omanis strive to preserve ancient language
Against the backdrop of southern Oman's lush mountains, men in traditional attire chant ancient poems in an ancient language, fighting...
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...
Arts & Culture
Most Read
Arts & Culture
Israel: Ultra-Orthodox conscription threatens Netanyahu’s coalition
Jerusalem, Undefined - The Israeli army announced Sunday that it would begin sending draft notices to 54,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men...
- Formed in December 2022, the coalition hinges on an alliance between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, far-right parties and those representing the ultra-Orthodox
- Under an arrangement dating back to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi in Hebrew, have been effectively exempted from military service
Arts & Culture
Trump administration threatens new Harvard cuts over Jewish rights
New York, United States - The Trump administration on Monday accused Harvard of violating the civil rights of its Jewish...
- Harvard has been at the forefront of Donald Trump's campaign against top universities after it defied his calls to submit to oversight of its curriculum
- Trump and his allies claim that Harvard and other prestigious US universities are unaccountable bastions of liberal, anti-conservative bias and anti-Semitism
Business
Roblox’s Grow a Garden explodes online video game numbers
Paris, France -- A gardening game created by a teenager on online platform Roblox has attracted a record 21 million...
- More than 21 million players connected to Grow a Garden at the same time on June 21, buying seeds to cultivate a little patch of virtual land, harvesting crops.
- That shattered the record held by the adrenalin-packed Fortnite, which attracted 15 million concurrent users (CCUs) during an event in late 2020.