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
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...
Geostrategy
Economy
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...
- Other GCC countries -- including Qatar , Saudi Arabia, Kuwait , Oman and Bahrain -- also figured prominently in the index
- Switzerland ranks first globally, followed by Sweden, the US, Finland and the Netherlands
Arts & Culture
Curtain falls on Saudi’s first major film festival
The event, where 138 films were screened from 67 countries, was organized four years after the kingdom lifted a decades-old...
- The festival opened a day after Jeddah hosted its first Formula One Grand Prix, also an attempt to portray Saudi Arabia in a different light
- The rise of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in 2017 has ushered in a number of reforms
Arts & Culture
Abu Hamdan sets sights on Jordanian underworld
'Boomah (Owl)' is based on research that has been carried out by Abu Hamdan into three female ‘thugs’ who shook...
- Abu Hamdan has been awarded a $100,000 production grant by the Red Sea Lodge.
- In total, 12 projects were selected to take part in the Red Sea Lodge, including six from Saudi Arabia and six from Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon.
Sheikha Fatima gets most influential figure in women’s rights award
The conference was organized by the ACSR, under the patronage of the Arab League.
- Sheikha Fatima was named as the most influential figure in women’s rights in 2021 during last month’s Humanitarian and Volunteer Work Conference
- The award was received on behalf of Sheikha Fatima by Noura Al Suwaidi, Secretary-General of the General Women's Union at the Egyptian pavilion in Dubai Expo
Videos
Reasons behind shortening UAE’s workweek
This week's TRENDS Explainer video tries to find the rationale behind curtailing the number of days in the UAE's workweek...
- The Gulf country is transitioning to a 4.5-day workweek. Now, weekends will consist of Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday
- The move makes the UAE the first nation to formalize a workweek shorter than five days. It also brings the country more in line with Western schedules
Arts & Culture
Proposed bill in Iran looks to ban pets including cats, dogs
The animals that may be banned under the proposed law include 'crocodiles, turtles, snakes, lizards, cats, mice, rabbits, dogs and...
- A total of 75 MPs of the Irani parliament have signed a proposed legislation that prohibits pet animals
- Offenders of this new law would be fined by $98, which is equal to 10 to 30 times of minimum monthly working wage
Research
Qatar, UNESCO launch Arabic version of freedom of expression report
While launching the report, Acting Director of the Information Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim bin Sultan Al...
- The launch of the Arabic version of the report is the first fully translated into a language other than English
- Qatar hopes that the report will be an entry point for discussion for academics, journalists, and the public about misleading information
Arts & Culture
Morocco state schools fail students, deepen inequality
The High Council for Education has said that government schools "are not giving the majority of pupils basic skills or...
- The situation has pushed many, including middle-class families, to tighten their belts so they can scrape together fees for private schools.
- Just nine percent of students in state secondary schools pass exams in French, Arabic and mathematics
In Iraq, little people football team dreams big
Twice a week, a small football pitch in Iraq offers the 25-member national squad of little people a chance to...
- Omar Abdel Rahman's team has set its sights on an ambitious goal: to travel to Argentina for their first international tournament
- Despite modest means, the players come from across the country to train, leaving behind their daily troubles, discrimination and jibes
Science
Jordanian flies the world from homemade basement cockpit
"It was then the desire and love of flying began to obsess me," he added, sitting in the flight simulator,...
- Sat in front of three large screens, equipped with switches and indicators, in his homemade cockpit, Malhas has the world at his fingertips
- The work took three years, with the help of friends who are electronic engineers. And it cost around six thousand dinars ($8,400)
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
Company News
Sheikh Khalifa: A legacy of progress and empowerment
Arts & Culture
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Dutch museum exhibit on Egypt causes anger in North African country
LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS - In a Dutch museum the sound of hip-hop blares out next to sarcophagi and statues, in what curators...
Geostrategy
Iran’s ancient ‘wind catchers’ beat the heat naturally
The wind catchers, called badgirs in Persian, are just one of the engineering marvels inhabitants have developed in this ancient...
Lebanese activists struggle against rampant beachside development
Amchît, Lebanon--In a pristine patch of Lebanon's north coast, a rare marine visitor has fueled opposition to a seafront development, in...
Economy
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Economy
Egypt building collapse kills eight residents in capital
According to state media and the public prosecution, eight people including seven members of one family were killed in Cairo...
- Many buildings in central Cairo dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries are in dilipidated condition
- There have been many building collapses in recent years in Egypt due to non-compliance with regulations
Arts & Culture
Sweltering heat leaves Gulf residents at risk during noon
DUBAI, UAE- As much of the world swelters in record temperatures, spare a thought for Issam Genedi, who ekes out a...
- Apart from last week being identified as the hottest ever recorded worldwide, a wave of humidity has been suffocating the Gulf
- Two weeks ago, more than 1.8 million Muslims battled through a days-long hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia in temperatures up to 48C (118F)
Arts & Culture
Ancient Egypt artists altered their work, new study reveals
Paris, France--From subtly shifting the position of Ramses II's sceptre, to touch-ups on a necklace or headdress, ancient Egyptian artists were...
- A team of international scientists looked afresh at paintings in the Valley of the Kings, a royal burial ground for pharaohs and other ancient Egyptian elites
- Scientists found alterations on the tomob of the nobleman Menna, depicted with his arms stretched out toward the god of the dead, Osiris