$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...
Business
Israel releases Palestinian Oscar winner after West Bank detention
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israeli police on Tuesday released Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, detained a day earlier for "hurling rocks"...
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
25 teams attending Afro-Arab Esports League 2023 in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The Afro-Arab Esports League, which opened Saturday in Saudi Arabia, will see participation from over 25...
- These teams will compete for three days in a variety of tournaments tailored for both men and women, covering popular games such as eFootball and Valorant.
- Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan said the arrangement of the Afro-Arab Esports League demonstrated of the sector's importance in both the Arab and African realms.
Arts & Culture
Football fever hits rebel-held northwest Syria
Idlib, Syria - Thousands of fans in Syria's last opposition bastion have packed into a stadium for the frenzied final of...
- Friday night's match pitted the Omaya team from the heart of the opposition-held city against Homs Al-Adiya.
- The tournament brought together 36 teams made up of players from the Idlib region or displaced from other parts of Syria.
Arts & Culture
Cat cafe brings pawsitivity to war-scarred Gaza
A cat cafe in the Gaza Strip aims to "cheer up" Palestinian residents and offer them a respite from the...
- At the Meow Cat Cafe which opened this week in Gaza City, owner Nehma Maabad set out food for a clowder of kittens
- Customers pay nearly 10 shekels ($2.65) per hour to play with the cats, which Maabad said covers their food as well as costly vet bills
Jordan, Iraq explore ways to enhance cooperation in drug addiction treatment
Amman -- Jordan's Minister of Health, Firas Hawari, met with the head and members of the Committee on Combating Drugs...
- Amman emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in combating drug addiction, especially among countries with shared borders
- Iraqi delegation also expresses a strong desire for close cooperation with Jordan, citing the social, economic, and psychological damage caused by drugs
Arts & Culture
Rise of the machines: AI spells danger for Hollywood stunt workers
The lack of guarantees over the future use of AI is one of the major factors at stake in the...
- The rise of AI means cheaper and more powerful techniques are being explored to create highly elaborate action sequences such as car chases and shootouts
- Stunt work, a time-honored Hollywood tradition that has spanned from silent epics through to Tom Cruise's latest "Mission Impossible," is at risk of rapidly shrinking
Sheikha Bodour to chair revamped board at American University of Sharjah
SHARJAH -- Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has outlines the restructuring...
- The Board of Trustees of the American University of Sharjah has been restructured
- New board members to begin their term in October. Membership term set for three years
Arts & Culture
Kuwait bars Barbie movie from theatres citing ‘public ethics’
Kuwait City, Kuwait - Kuwait has barred hit film Barbie from cinemas over concerns about "public ethics", officials have said, also...
- "Barbie" and "Talk to Me" both "promulgate ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order", said an official
- If a film contains alien concepts, message or unacceptable behavior, the Kuwaiti cinema committee bans the movie, he said further
Arts & Culture
Lebanon to ban Barbie film for allegedly promoting homosexuality
BEIRUT, LEBANON - Lebanon's culture minister said on Wednesday he had asked authorities to ban hit movie "Barbie" for purportedly "promoting...
- The film, which has topped $1 billion in global revenues, was due to be screened in Lebanese cinemas from August 31.
- Though it was widely anticipated by LGBTQ communities worldwide, the film does not contain any overt references to same-sex relationships.
Science
UAE focuses on developing a national astronaut team
"Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi is currently on the longest space mission in Arab history ... This mission has elevated the...
- As Emirati Sultan Al Neyadi completes Arab's longest space mission and first ISS spacewalk, UAE's Astronaut Program now boasts four qualified astronauts
- MBRSC plans a mid-2024 launch for the advanced MBZ-SAT as UAE strengthens space ties with Bahrain, Kuwait, and seeks collaborations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia
Arab, Islamic universities urged to collaborate on East-West bridge building effort
Makkah, Saudi Arabia - A scientific forum organized by Arab and Islamic universities’ associations has recommended the formation of a...
- The forum has urged Arab and Islamic universities to form working groups of scholars in different universities and media and cultural institutions
- The forum also called for adopting new ideas to enrich dialogue and enhance inter-civilizational dialogue and humanitarian communication
$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...
Business
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Butter chicken battle hits Indian court
Arts & Culture
Djokovic and Nadal to play 6 Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia
Arts & Culture
Iraq economy likely to grow this year, says IMF
BAGHDAD, IRAQ – Economic growth of the country is projected to continue amid fiscal expansion, an International Monetary Fund (IMF)...
Business
Young Iraqis seek desert retreats for a change from the hustle of big cities
SAMAWAH, IRAQ – Far from the hustle and bustle of major cities, young Iraqis are increasingly taking advantage of a renewed...
Arts & Culture
US designer, ‘geriatric starlet’ Iris Apfel dies age 102
New York, United States - Iris Apfel, centenarian style icon from the New York borough of Queens immediately recognizable by her...
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Business
Oil spills disrupt farming activities in drought-hit Iraq
Oil spills in Iraq -- a country ravaged by decades of conflict, corruption and decaying infrastructure -- have contaminated farmland...
- Amid the hills of Salaheddin province, puddles of the viscous black liquid pollute the otherwise fertile and green fields, rendering vast swathes of farmland barren
- "The oil has damaged all that the land can give," said one farmer, Abdel Majid Said, 62, who owns six hectares (15 acres) in the village of Al-Meaibdi
Arts & Culture
Museum in West Bank displays Gaza’s ‘artistic demonstration’ against war
BIRZEIT, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES – At a museum in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Gazan works on display are proclaimed to be an...
- Alongside contemporary pieces, the works include old, traditional paintings and costumes, as well as archeological artifacts.
- Gaza's bloodiest war has devastated the small Hamas-ruled coastal territory, with its cultural heritage just one of the many casualties of war.
Geostrategy
British lawmaker suspended over ‘Islamophobic’ comments
London, UK - Britain's ruling Conservatives on Saturday suspended their former deputy chairman from the parliamentary party, after he refused to...
- Pressure had been growing on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Tories to act following lawmaker Lee Anderson's contentious remarks.
- On the right-wing GB News channel, Anderson claimed Islamists had "got control" of Khan, who was the first Muslim mayor of London.