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...
Arts & Culture
Inside Saudi’s hajj-only barbershop, shaving thousands of heads in a day
Mina, Saudi Arabia -- Near the holy city of Makkah, men in white robes stand quietly in a long queue,...
Arts & Culture
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia’s football rise ‘long-term project’, says top official
The Saudi Pro League has a years-long commitment from the kingdom's rulers in its goal to become one of the...
- The Saudi league's rapid expansion has drawn comparisons with the Chinese Super League, which sucked in players for exorbitant sums until clubs hit financial problems.
- The no-expense-spared revamp is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious Vision 2030 project, which aims to reshape the economy of the world's top oil exporter.
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
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...
Arts & Culture
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Born to help: Syria bikers deliver Ramadan meals
The volunteers don their club's signature blue vest, the front and back embroidered with their emblem: a flaming motorbike and...
Arts & Culture
From polar bears to groundwater, nature is riddled with ‘forever chemicals’
Paris, France - They didn't exist a century ago but today PFAS "forever chemicals" contaminate the environment from groundwater to Antarctic...
Geostrategy
Taiwan suffers from biggest earthquake in 25 years
NEW TAIPEI CITY, TAIWAN - Liu watched intently as rescuers carefully picked their way through the remains of a warehouse that...
Geostrategy
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Arts & Culture
Restoration project for Jeddah district’s old buildings completed
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – The Ministry of Culture, represented by the Jeddah Historic District Program, has announced the completion of...
- The project comes within the context of the Crown Prince's keenness to preserve and rehabilitate historical sites.
- The project aimed to highlight the heritage landmarks that Jeddah District is abundant in as a site containing over 600 heritage buildings.
Arts & Culture
Saudi RCU begins rock excavation for Sharaan Resort in AlUla
ALULA, SAUDI ARABIA – The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has marked a significant milestone in the development of the...
- The initial excavation symbolizes the start of a mission that combines Jean Nouvel’s architectural innovation with Bouygues' engineering expertise.
- This milestone is an important step forward in AlUla's evolution into a premier destination for sustainable luxury tourism.
Arts & Culture
Hotel Dar Tantora is inspired by Saudi’s AlUla ancient mudbrick buildings
ALULA, SAUDI ARABIA – Situated in the heart of Old Town here, Dar Tantora Hotel offers guests a chance to...
- AlUla’s Old Town, with its origins going back over 700 years, prospered along the renowned incense trade route.
- With over 900 traditional mudbrick homes, the Old Town stands as a testament to the Kingdom’s enduring cultural heritage.