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...
Business
Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in hajj apex
To make this year's pilgrimage safer, authorities have expanded infrastructure, deployed thousands of extra personnel and relied on an arsenal...
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
In the heart of Beirut, one family upholds a unique dessert tradition
Beirut, Lebanon - At a shop nestled in a busy, crowded Beirut district, Hasan El-Makary is weighing out containers of warm,...
- Makary, 73, said he used to sell other sweets but as demand grew for mufataka, he abandoned the rest and now just makes the yellow pudding
- The rice must be soaked overnight, and Makary said he comes to the shop at 5:00 am to make the dish, which takes around four hours
Don’t give smartphones to kids under 11, UK mobile phone firm says
London, United Kingdom - One of Britain's biggest mobile network operators said on Sunday it will warn parents they should not...
- The new guidance comes after growing concern from parents about the potential pitfalls of smartphone access for young people
- A recent study by the UK communications regulator found around a quarter of British children aged between five and seven-years-old now had a smartphone
Economy
Saudi Arabia submits official bid to host FIFA World Cup 2034 after successful Qatar event in 2022
The next steps include official visits by FIFA and a comprehensive evaluation of the bid.
- This bid highlights Saudi Arabia’s commitment to Vision 2030
- Saudi Arabia is currently the sole nation bidding for the 2034 World Cup
Saudi Arabia constitutes center for promoting moderate Islam: North Macedonia Mufti
Skopje – Islamic Union President and Republic of North Macedonia Mufti Sheikh Hafiz Şakir Fetahu stressed that Saudi Arabia has...
- He expressed gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
- The president praised the Kingdom's government for its significant and extensive services to the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors, including pilgrims and Umrah performers
Israel top court rules ultra-Orthodox men must serve in army
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel's top court ruled unanimously on Tuesday that the state must draft ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into military service,...
- The High Court of Justice's decision on the politically charged issue comes as calls grow for ultra-Orthodox men to enlist
- Ultra-Orthodox Jews adhere to a strict interpretation of Jewish custom and largely live in insular communities in Israel and elsewhere
Egypt to prosecute travel agents over hajj ‘fraud’: government
Cairo, Egypt - Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly ordered 16 tourism companies stripped of their licences and referred their managers to...
- The order came after countries whose citizens performed this year's hajj reported more than 1,100 deaths, many attributed to the oven-like summer heat in Saudi Arabia
- An AFP tally on Friday, compiling official statements and reports from diplomats involved in the response, put the toll at 1,126, more than half of them from Egypt
Arts & Culture
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...
- "We hit the most disadvantaged areas," said Tarek Obaid, head of Hope Bikers Syria, whose 50 volunteers make and distribute the food for various charities in the Syrian capital
- Syria has been ravaged by 13 years of war that has killed more than half a million people and battered the country's economy and infrastructure.
Geostrategy
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...
- On Thursday, a French legislator will introduce a bill to address what he calls the health "emergency" posed by exposure to PFAS in the environment
- Widely used in everyday items, highly durable, and very slow to break down, PFAS have been detected in water, air, fish and soil in the remotest corners of the globe
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...
- The quake was felt across Taiwan, with more than 100 aftershocks unnerving the island of around 23 million.
- Its epicentre was in eastern Hualien county, a mountainous region known for its picturesque trails and seascape views.
Geostrategy
US census to include Middle Eastern or North African category
The next US census and federal government forms will include new options for race and ethnicity including a category for...
- "These updated standards will help create more useful, accurate and up-to-date federal data on race and ethnicity," US Chief Statistician Karin Orvis said.
- These revisions will enhance the ability to compare data across federal agencies, and to understand how federal programs serve a diverse America.
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...
Business
Company News
New metro cuts through Saudi social divisions
Arts & Culture
Huge crowds flock to Vatican for Pope Francis’s funeral
Arts & Culture
Latest News
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
$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
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...
Arts & Culture
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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