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
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...
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
UAE well-being indicator has achieved progress, says minister
Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development and Chairwoman of Digital Wellbeing Council, said that the UAE well-being indicator...
- The announcement was made when Buhumaid chaired the virtual Second Wellbeing Council Meeting with the participation of members of the well-being council
- The Wellbeing Council is a platform to promote coordination and government integration
Arts & Culture
Dubai Collection’s first physical exhibition inaugurated at Etihad Museum
"When Images Speak: Highlights from the Dubai Collection", the first physical exhibition of the Dubai Collection, was inaugurated by Sheikha...
- Sheikha Latifa thanks the Dubai Ruler for his contribution of the largest share of works for the exhibition.
- On display are 70 modern and contemporary artworks from across the region.
Arts & Culture
UAE’s top golfer stays in contention for tourney
Ahmad Skaik, who is the sole representative of the host UAE and the Gulf region, said he was happy to...
- UAE captain Khalid Yousuf and fellow players Khalifa Al Masaood and Rashed Al Emadi missed the cut.
- Clubhouse leader Bo Jin of China carded a bogey-free seven-under par round of 64 to go eight under par for the tournament, six strokes ahead of Skaik.
Arts & Culture
For Israelis, Palestinian radio broadcasts in Hebrew
"The Israeli public listens to the media that speaks to them, but they don't listen to the other side," said...
- Jerusalem 24 transmits on 106.1 FM and has an English-only website for now but is not the first Palestinian radio to broadcast in Hebrew
- With just six full-time journalists and hours of air time to fill, the radio station relies on long stretches of musical programming
Arts & Culture
Lebanon’s best-known newspaper closes down
Lebanon's oldest English-language daily newspaper laid off its entire staff and became the latest casualty in the collapse of the...
- The Daily Star's employees were notified a few days earlier that they were all being made redundant from October 31, according to an email which was sent to the staff
- The newspaper, which is co-owned by the family of former prime minister Saad Hariri, had halted its print edition early last year
Arts & Culture
Iraq’s Babylon arts festival back after almost 20 years
The last edition of the festival was held in 2002, the year before the US-led invasion that toppled the veteran...
- The arts showcase, staged in what was the capital of the ancient Mesopotamian state of Babylonia, this year drew artists from dozens of countries.
- The festival, first launched in 1987, was staged at the majestic UNESCO World Heritage site of Babylon, south of Baghdad.
Arts & Culture
Tunisia film festival opens with ‘taboo’ abortion movie
The festival showcases 57 diverse films from 45 Arab and African countries, with screenings not only in cinemas, but in...
- The opening film Lingui, by Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, tells the story of a 15-year-old seeking an abortion in a country where it is condemned.
- Entries from Arab nations include films from Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen.
Arts & Culture
Iran body proposes bill to allow women into stadia
Women were able to watch a game at the 80,000-seat Azadi stadium in October 2019, when Iran thrashed Cambodia 14-0.
- Women were refused access to stadia after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, but exceptions have been made in recent times for international games.
- World football's governing body FIFA has exerted pressure to allow women into international qualifiers.
Geostrategy
Riyadh ranks third smartest G20 capital, outperforms Paris and Hong Kong
Saudi capital Riyadh has been ranked as the third smartest capital among the G20 member states and the 30th smartest...
- Riyadh made qualitative progress on the IMD Smart Cities Index for 2021, as it jumped 23 ranks from last year.
- The Holy city of Madinah has been also included on the index as the second Saudi city after Riyadh, ranking 73rd in the world and fourth in the Arab world.
Arts & Culture
US, Bahrain vow to fight illicit cultural property trade
Bahrain enjoys a prominent role in the art world, serving as the host of the Arab Regional Centre for World...
- The two countries issue joint statement after a key forum on antiquities, art crime.
- Information sharing, strengthening legal frameworks among key areas of future cooperation.
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
Company News
Sheikh Khalifa: A legacy of progress and empowerment
Arts & Culture
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Cash rich Saudi football league ‘changed market’, says English club
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Saturday that the Saudi Pro League had "completely changed the...
Arts & Culture
French footballer Maximin quits Newcastle, may join Saudi club
LONDON, UK - Allan Saint-Maximin has confirmed he is to leave Newcastle before an expected move to the cash-rich Saudi Pro...
Business
Library battles on to restore Palestinian history
The library has continued to preserve cultural heritage in Jerusalem through their restoration and digitisation, with support from local and...
Arts & Culture
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Iran’s Zoroastrians keep ancient, sacred flame burning
They venerate fire as a supreme form of purity. Alongside water, air and earth, the elements must not be contaminated...
- The fragrant holy fire, kept in a large bronze goblet, "has been burning for more than 1,500 years", said Simin, a tour guide welcoming visitors to the Zoroastrian fire temple
- Zoroastrianism dates back some 3,500 years, but centuries of persecution have dwindled its numbers and a fast-changing modern world has left it struggling to adjust
Geostrategy
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...
- Egypt's antiquities service said the museum is "falsifying history" with its "Afrocentric" approach, which seeks to appropriate Egyptian culture.
- The museum said there had been a "commotion about this exhibition, because it shows Egyptian culture through the eyes of artists with African roots."
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...
- Oldest of the city's 700 wind catchers dates back to the 14th century, but the architectural feature is believed to date back as far as 2,500 years when the Persian Empire ruled
- UNESCO listed Yazd as a World Heritage Site in 2017, describing the city as a "living testimony to intelligent use of limited available resources in the desert for survival"