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
Qatar table tennis says ‘prepared to escalate’ after chaotic vote
Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's table tennis association has warned of possible legal action as it disputes the result of a...
Arts & Culture
Huge crowds flock to Vatican for Pope Francis’s funeral
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
Saudi marks Eid al-Fitr today, other Mideast states on Monday
Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf Arab states are to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday from Sunday but other Middle...
- The United Arab Emirates and Qatar also announced Sunday would be the first day of the holiday
- But neighbouring Oman and Jordan, as well as Shiite-majority Iran, said that Eid al-Fitr would not begin until Monday
Arts & Culture
Film stars blast Academy for ‘failing to defend’ Palestinian filmmaker
Los Angeles, United States - Movie stars including Joaquin Phoenix, Penelope Cruz and Richard Gere have blasted the Academy of...
- Hamdan Ballal co-directed "No Other Land," which won best documentary at this year's Academy Awards
- Unlike multiple other prominent filmmaker groups, the US-based Academy initially did not issue a statement
Arts & Culture
‘My entire life’: Saudi tailor keeps robe-making craft alive
Hofuf, Saudi Arabia - Saudi tailor Habib Mohammed's shop once made ornate, hand-woven cloaks for royals, a time-honoured craft he...
- He makes "bisht", a long gown which for centuries has been a status symbol, worn by kings and princes -- and ordinary men -- and could take a week of meticulous work to create
- Now, with cheap Chinese-made robes taking a bite out of his business, 60-year-old tailor is struggling to make a profit, and his only son wouldn't take over the beleaguered shop
Arts & Culture
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"...
- Basel Adra, who worked with Ballal on the Oscar-winning documentary film "No Other Land", posted on X a photo of him from a hospital after his release
- The best documentary at this year's Academy Awards follows Adra and Abraham, telling the story of forced displacement of Palestinians by Israeli troops
Arts & Culture
Palestinian behind Oscar-winning documentary arrested by Israeli army
Jerusalem, Undefined - The Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land" was attacked by settlers and arrested by...
- The incident took place in the southern West Bank village of Susiya, according to the anti-occupation NGO Center for Jewish Nonviolence
- "No Other Land", which was directed by Israeli-Palestinian activists, won best documentary at this year's Academy Awards
Arts & Culture
‘Love is in the air’: Woods confirms romance with Trump’s ex daughter-in-law
Los Angeles, United States - Tiger Woods took the unusual step of confirming his romance with Donald Trump's former daughter-in-law...
- "Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side," Woods wrote in a caption above two photos of himself relaxing with Vanessa Trump
- Vanessa Trump, who divorced Donald Trump Jr. in 2018 after a 13-year marriage, also posted a picture of her and Woods together on her Instagram account
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
Once a crumbling relic of old Iran, brewery reborn as arts hub
Tehran, Iran - Hidden behind imposing brick walls in the heart of Tehran, a brewery that used to make Iranian...
- The ambitious restoration of the derelict Argo factory has made it "one of the most beautiful buildings of Tehran."
- Established more than a century ago, the Argo factory produced one of Iran's oldest and biggest beer brands
Arts & Culture
Saudi Arabia, Gulf neighbours say Ramadan to start on Saturday
Observing fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, requiring believers to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking...
- Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's two holiest sites, was joined by the UAE and Qatar in declaring the sighting of the crescent moon that heralds Ramadan
- "The Supreme Court has decided that tomorrow, Saturday, is the first day of the month of (Ramadan)," the official Saudi Press Agency posted on X
Arts & Culture
81 percent of Saudi population attends cultural events, activities in 2024: GASTAT
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Nearly 81.6 percent of Saudi individuals visited at least one cultural event or activity in 2024, according...
- The survey said that 85.3 percent attended at least one entertainment event or activity.
- The data showed that 65.8 percent of individuals visited parks and gardens, 40.5 percent attended national celebrations.
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
Company News
Million-plus pilgrims to begin hajj under blazing sun
Arts & Culture
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New metro cuts through Saudi social divisions
Arts & Culture
Huge crowds flock to Vatican for Pope Francis’s funeral
Arts & Culture
As world mourns, cardinals meeting to decide the date for Pope Francis’s funeral
Vatican City, Holy See - Cardinals will meet Tuesday to decide the date for Pope Francis's funeral, starting a process...
Arts & Culture
War against elite universities: Trump ramps up conflict against defiant Harvard
Cambridge, United States - President Donald Trump escalated his war against elite US universities Tuesday with a threat to strip...
Science
After Instagram restrictions, Meta to introduce teen accounts for Facebook
Paris, France -- Meta on Tuesday announced that it was extending its teen accounts to its social network Facebook, after...
Geostrategy
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Arts & Culture
Hard-hitting drama ‘Adolescence’ to be shown in UK schools
London, United Kingdom - The Netflix drama "Adolescence", which has sparked widespread debate about the toxic and misogynistic influences young...
- Starmer said he had watched the drama -- in which a 13-year-old boy stabs a girl to death after being radicalised on the internet -
- The internet and social media meant "ideology" can now be "pumped directly into the minds of our children", he added
Arts & Culture
Saudi marks Eid al-Fitr today, other Mideast states on Monday
Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf Arab states are to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday from Sunday but other Middle...
- The United Arab Emirates and Qatar also announced Sunday would be the first day of the holiday
- But neighbouring Oman and Jordan, as well as Shiite-majority Iran, said that Eid al-Fitr would not begin until Monday
Arts & Culture
Film stars blast Academy for ‘failing to defend’ Palestinian filmmaker
Los Angeles, United States - Movie stars including Joaquin Phoenix, Penelope Cruz and Richard Gere have blasted the Academy of...
- Hamdan Ballal co-directed "No Other Land," which won best documentary at this year's Academy Awards
- Unlike multiple other prominent filmmaker groups, the US-based Academy initially did not issue a statement