السبت، 31 مارس 2018

Spring break offers first lady refuge from affair headlines

Author: 
AP
Sat, 2018-03-31 03:00
ID: 
1522498918465024700

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: Spring break couldn’t have come at a better time for Melania Trump.
With fresh details spilling into the headlines daily about how Donald Trump allegedly cheated on her early in their marriage, the former model escaped the intense glare by spending the past week at the family’s estate in Palm Beach, Florida, with their 12-year-old son, Barron.
But even then, there was no perfect refuge from the swirl of attention surrounding recent legal activity related to the president’s past conduct with women.
On Mrs. Trump’s first full day away, when the president also was at their Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump had dinner not with her but with attorney Michael Cohen — who paid porn actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 in 2016 to keep her from going public with her story of a 2006 tryst with Trump. The Trumps did eat dinner together on Thursday night after the president returned to Florida, with boxing promoter Don King stopping by to chat.
The first lady is facing mounting pressure to exit her 13-year union with Trump, much like Hillary Clinton came under pressure to end her marriage after President Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky became public in the late 1990s.
“Melania should do for this generation of girls what Hillary Clinton did not do for mine and leave her jerk of a husband,” conservative commentator S.E. Cupp wrote in an opinion piece that recently was splashed across the front page of the New York Daily News — one of Trump’s hometown newspapers — with the headline “Dump Trump!“
Trump himself recently joked about the possibility of his wife leaving him. She was seated at the head table at a Washington dinner last month where the president, in a speech that traditionally pokes at friends and adversaries, addressed the heavy staff churn at the White House.
“Now the question everyone keeps asking is, ‘Who’s going to be the next to leave? Steve Miller or Melania?’” he said, referring to policy adviser Stephen Miller. “That is terrible honey, but you love me, right?“
A Marist-McClatchy Poll in February found the public divided on the issue. Forty-three percent said the first lady should stay married, 34 percent said she should leave her husband and 23 percent weren’t sure what she should do.
Through it all, Mrs. Trump has kept a steely silence on claims by Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal that they had sexual relationships with Trump that began in 2006 just after the future first lady gave birth.
Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Trump, responded to questions about Daniels and McDougal by saying the first lady is “focused on being a mom” and spent the break working on future projects, including Monday’s annual White House Easter Egg Roll and the coming state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron on April 24.
Mrs. Trump kept up an everything’s-normal Twitter feed during the week, posting about her recent participation in the State Department’s courage awards, a White House discussion she had convened on cyberbullying, an upcoming opioids exhibit near the White House, White House garden tours and her surprise visit to a Florida hospital Thursday to deliver Easter baskets to young patients.
She is silent now on her husband’s dealings with other women, but has traversed this awkward terrain before.
“People think and talk about me like, ‘Oh Melania, Oh poor Melania,’” she told CNN in a 2016 interview. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I can handle everything.”
She gave that interview after Trump was heard on a decade-old audiotape describing how he had grabbed women by their genitals and kissed them without permission. Trump at the time also faced accusations of sexual misconduct from more than a dozen women. He has called the women’s charges false, and said he was engaging in “locker-room talk” on the tape.
Some fault Mrs. Trump for making the “politically freighted choice” of going ahead with what the White House said is her traditional spring break getaway.
Iowa State University history professor Stacy Cordery said most people will forgive an erring man when his wife stands by him. But “we don’t see any evidence of her standing by him in that way. Even though she’s an extremely private person, she could still appear at his side, but she’s choosing not to,” added Cordery, a first lady scholar.
The allegations don’t appear to have hurt Trump politically. The White House often notes that Trump was elected even though voters knew about sexual misconduct allegations against him. Trump’s approval rating, meanwhile, is up 7 points since last month to 42 percent, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Friends say the first lady, who married Trump while his divorce from his second wife was being finalized, can handle what’s coming at her.
“The first lady is very strong. She’s, unfortunately, used to attacks of fake news,” said Paolo Zampolli, her friend and former modeling agent.

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https://ift.tt/2pTKjhN March 31, 2018 at 01:24PM

Filmfare honors Fawad Khan with an icon award

Denver Zoo celebrates birth of Sumatran orangutan

Author: 
AP
Sat, 2018-03-31 03:00
ID: 
1522494702004514100

DENVER: The Denver Zoo is welcoming a baby Sumatran orangutan who is named after an Indonesian word that means “bright” and is often used to refer to sunshine.
The female primate named Cerah (Che-rah) was born Sunday to parents Nias and Berani, and the family is bonding away from public view.
Cerah should make her debut within the next two weeks in the Great Apes exhibit in Primate Panorama.
She was conceived within a month of 29-year-old Nias and 25-year-old Berani getting set up in July.
Zoo officials say Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered with a worldwide population of only about 14,600. Habitat loss is a major reason their population is declining.

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https://ift.tt/2pSWCe3 March 31, 2018 at 12:15PM

Nour Arida opens Hussein Bazaza fashion show in Beirut

Author: 
ARAB NEWS
Sat, 2018-03-31 15:50
ID: 
1522489900504140200

DUBAI: American-Lebanese style icon Nour Arida opened the Hussein Bazaza FW18 runway show this week, showing off the up-and-coming designer’s creations to a packed out crowd in Beirut.
Arida, who is the hugely successful fashion blogger behind the brand N For Nour, took to the catwalk in a monochrome, sporty ensemble, complete with white ankle-length boots.
The social media star, who has a following of more than 270,000 on her Instagram account, closed the show in a surreal, almost Dali-like gown, which she paired with slicked-back hair and minimalistic make-up.
Lebanese designer Hussien Bazaza is a favorite among the Middle East’s fashion insiders and is known for his whimsical, ethereal gowns.
Bazaza, who has dressed members of the Emirati and Qatari royal families and Arab superstars, was mentored by Elie Saab before he launched his own line in 2012 and shot to fame for his off-the-wall creations.
In March, Bazaza was selected as one of the region’s most influential personalities in the “Arab 30 under 30” list compiled by Forbes Middle East.
He also won the Best Emerging Designer award at The Middle East Fashion Awards in 2015 and has dressed celebrities and public figures such as Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Queen Rania of Jordan and British supermodel Naomi Campbell.
His latest collection features flowing gowns with a sharp, almost punk edge. Pixelated heart icons and anime-style faces are imprinted on tops and oversized bags while plunging necklines, glitter coats and thigh-high red boots also make an appearance.

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https://ift.tt/2GY7HSj March 31, 2018 at 10:53AM

Low-caste Indian Dalit killed for owning horse

Author: 
AFP
Sat, 2018-03-31 11:22
ID: 
1522486074633954600

AHMEDABAD, India: A young farmer from India’s lowest Dalit community has been beaten to death for owning a horse, which is seen as a symbol of power and wealth, police said Saturday.
Police have detained three upper caste men for questioning after the body of 21-year-old Pradeep Rathod was found in a pool of blood near Timbi village in Gujarat state late Thursday night.
Dalits, formerly known as “untouchables,” are among the most marginalized groups in India, where caste discrimination is outlawed but remains widespread.
Rathod’s father, who found the body, “has alleged that his son was killed by people of upper caste community of his village because he owned a horse despite being a Dalit,” deputy police superintendent A.M. Saiyed told AFP.
“We have detained three persons named in the complaint filed by Pradeep Rathod’s father for questioning.”
In his complaint, seen by AFP, Rathod’s father stated his son loved horses and he had bought him one eight months ago.
“My son’s love for horses led to his murder,” the father said.
“About a week ago, when I was riding the horse with my son, one of the persons from the upper caste Kshatriya (warrior) community warned us not to ride the horse in the village.
“He said that people of Dalit community cannot ride horses, only Kshatriyas can ride horses. He also threatened to kill us if we did not sell the horse,” the complaint read.
Rathod, a high school drop-out, worked on land owned by his father.
Dalits, who lie at the bottom of India’s deeply entrenched social hierarchy system, have long faced attacks.
Last October, a Dalit man was killed by a group of men for attending a traditional Hindu dance performance also in Gujarat, the western home state of Hindu nationalist premier Narendra Modi.
Protests erupted among the community in 2016 after vigilantes wrongly accused four Dalit villagers of killing a cow — considered sacred by Hindus. They were stripped and publicly thrashed.
Modi has urged a halt to attacks on Dalits, who make up about 200 million of the population of 1.25 billion, and an end to caste discrimination.

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https://ift.tt/2E8uAjf March 31, 2018 at 10:11AM

6 quick getaways from the Gulf

Author: 
ARAB NEWS
Sat, 2018-03-31 14:58
ID: 
1522486719213984500

We’ve all relished a quick getaway that’s both affordable and close. For those living in the Gulf, the options are limitless, so to make things easier here are the six top places to go that are a mere stone’s throw away.

India

India has so much to offer in terms of culinary experiences, culture, history and traditions. From a delightfully-diverse range of food from New Delhi to Kerala, to historic forts, mausoleums and towers, the country is brimming with exciting experiences just waiting to be explored.

Jordan

Jordan’s capital Amman hosts an incredible amount of history and culture, from its old city to its ancient Roman ruins. A major tourist attraction is the Dead Sea, while Petra’s hanging gardens were one of the seven wonders of the world.

Azerbaijan

A colorful city filled with night-life options, old and medieval city ruins and an iconic stone tower, Azerbaijan’s capital Baku is a hidden treasure in Europe that’s well worth a visit. Be sure to check out the Fountains Square and the famous carpet museum.

Georgia

For those missing out on snowy ski season in the Gulf, Georgia’s Tbilisi is a great quick and affordable option. Things you shouldn’t miss out on seeing are the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Bridge of Peace and Jvari, a sixth century mountaintop monastery.

Armenia

The peak season to visit Armenia is the summer, which is warm and dry and features events such as the Yerevan International Film Festival and the Extreme Sports Festival, which takes place on Lake Sevan. Other must-do activities include visiting the first century Temple of Garni and hiking to the Khor Virap mountain monastery.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is one of the must-see countries for anyone looking for nature and greenery. The island’s diversity and towns make it a very worth-while visit. The colonial town of Galle is known for its Dutch and Portuguese churches while the southern coast of Yala is home to a breathtaking nature reserve.

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https://ift.tt/2GYEd6U March 31, 2018 at 10:00AM

Preview: 9th Arab Film Festival Berlin

Author: 
Rob Garratt London
Sat, 2018-03-31 14:50
ID: 
1522486303683963700

The Arab Film Festival Berlin (ALFILM) strides into its ninth edition this month with a line-up that leans heavily on hard-hitting documentaries, alongside gritty social dramas and short films.
The festival opens on April 11 with drama “Beauty and the Dogs,” from Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania — one of two Arab auteurs represented in the 2017 Cannes Film Festival’s official selection. Other highlights include the comedic “Wajib,” a UAE co-production about a Palestinian expat who makes the journey home from Rome to Nazareth to hand out invites to his sister’s wedding.
Nine of the 14 features in ALFILM’s official selection are documentaries, and politics is rarely far from the frame. “Happily Ever After” portrays the insecurity of a generation of young Egyptians coming of age amid the era’s political turmoil, while celebrated Syrian Civil War documentaries “My Paradise” and “Memory in Khaki” also feature. Elsewhere, “17” follows teenagers from the Jordanian football team preparing for the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, hosted in Jordan, while the UAE co-production “Taste of Cement” documents the conditions of Syrian construction workers in Lebanon.
“As a large part of audiences' interest is focused on political turmoil in the region, or issues like living conditions in different areas, the documentaries of our program offer insight through a cinematic language that caters to both the mind and the heart,” said head of program Claudia Jubeh. “So the question of social justice and labor is quite present in this year's selection — which I think is the Arab contribution to global questions.”
As well as contemporary fare, classic and overlooked pictures will be dusted off for the Spotlight selection, which tackles the theme “Reflections on Arab Masculinities” and is framed by two films from Algerian director Merzak Allouache: his 1977 classic “Omar Gatlato” and chilling companion piece “Madame Courage” (2015), while the section opens with the boundary probing 2017 Lebanese documentary “Room for a Man.”
With more than 20 screenings over eight days and four cinemas, ALFILM offers prescient portraits of both the Arab world and its global diaspora. However, GCC-based observers may be disappointed with a lack of local voices, despite the rapid progress of the Gulf’s filmmakers.
“The GCC is underrepresented in terms of quantity if you compare it to Lebanon or Egypt,” Jubeh said. “Other than that, there is surely a question of quality, as cinema and cinematic infrastructure in the region is still underdeveloped. There are also rarely films that tackle difficult or provocative social, economic and personal subjects.”

Visit www.alfilm.de/en for more details
 

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https://ift.tt/2E8uwA1 March 31, 2018 at 09:57AM

Palestinian-origin stars Simi and Haze backtrack over political post

Author: 
ARAB NEWS
Sat, 2018-03-31 14:32
ID: 
1522485314443929600

DUBAI: Born in Saudi Arabia and raised partly in Dubai, the Khadra sisters, known around the world by their moniker “SimiHaze,” are famous for their high-flying lifestyle and superstar friends.
The Palestinian-origin sisters, who count Kylie and Kendall Jenner among their friends and regularly DJ at luxury events around the world, are not afraid to get political, however.
This week, the pair shared an image of a book relating to the issue of Palestinian statehood. A section of the text relating to the apparent limits of free thinking and debate on the Israel-Palestine issue had been highlighted.
“You’re allowed to discuss whether the Mideast ‘peace process’ should be implemented immediately… but you’re not allowed to discuss the fact … that this so-called ‘peace process’ wiped out a … diplomatic effort recognizing the national rights of both contenting parties…” and excerpt from the photographed passage read.
Come Saturday morning, however, the post had been removed despite garnering more than 1,900 likes on Friday night. The post had attracted thousands of comments, both positive and negative.
It is not clear why the sisters chose to remove the post, but it is not the first time they have used their social media presence to make a political statement.
In December, they shared a photograph of the Dome of the Rock, with a caption slamming US President Donald Trump’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

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https://ift.tt/2H12MA0 March 31, 2018 at 09:38AM

He’ll be back: Action hero Arnie resting after heart surgery

Author: 
AFP
Fri, 2018-03-30 22:46
ID: 
1522480406133808900

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood tough guy Arnold Schwarzenegger has conquered terrorists, mercenaries, aliens and futuristic robots on the silver screen but finds himself in a real-life fight for health after emergency heart surgery.
The former bodybuilder turned action star, politician and climate activist was in a stable condition Friday, according to his spokesman, following the operation — a relief to fans of his 50-plus movies.
Living proof of the American dream, Schwarzenegger has transformed himself over the last half century from a poor Austrian country boy into a global celebrity and one-time leader of the world’s sixth-biggest economy.
“I came here with absolutely nothing... And California has given me absolutely everything,” Schwarzenegger once said of his time as Republican governor of the famously liberal state.
The son of a one-time Nazi police chief, Schwarzenegger was born in the Austrian town of Graz on July 30, 1947 in an ancient house that had no plumbing, no phone, no carpets and just a few lights.
While beefing up in a bid to get on his local soccer team, Schwarzenegger became infatuated by body-building, set up a gym in his parent’s basement and his sights on the Mr.Universe prize.
After a stint as a tank driver in the Austrian Army, the six foot, two inch youth won the Mr.Junior Europe contest before becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Mr.Universe competition.
In 1968, after winning a string of contests, the penniless 21-year-old came to the United States to pursue his passion.
He earned a business and economics degree from the University of Wisconsin, and made a fortune in mail order and real estate while winning the Mr.Universe title four more times.

Shrugging off barbs about his thick Austrian accent and brawn, he then turned to Hollywood, where producers changed his name to Arnold Strong and dubbed over his accent for the 1970 spoof “Hercules in New York.”
His big break came in 1982’s “Conan the Barbarian” and two years later he won the role of a killer cyborg in “The Terminator,” melding humor, pathos and robotics into a new kind of cinema hero.
It was a role that would shape the remainder of his acting career and spawn four sequels, with another to come next year.
Joining Hollywood’s royalty, his ominous “Terminator” catchphrases “I’ll be back,” and “Hasta la vista, baby” entered the English lexicon.
He was on a reported $30 million dollars a movie at his height — and his extensive business activities over the years have contributed to his estimated $400 million net worth.
A staunch but moderate Republican, he married Maria Shriver — the niece of former president John F. Kennedy — in 1986, ironically becoming part of America’s Democratic royal family.
She was by his side during a six-day stay in a Los Angeles hospital in 1997 to correct a congenital heart valve condition from which he made a full recovery.
The couple had four children and she also came to his defense as allegations that he sexually harassed and “groped” 16 women surfaced during his bid for governor in 2003.
But the pair announced they were splitting up a few days before the Los Angeles Times revealed in 2011 that Schwarzenegger had fathered a son more than 14 years earlier with his housekeeper, Patty Baena.

“I’m least proud of the mistakes I made that caused my family pain and split us up,” Schwarzenegger, who also had an affair with his “Red Sonja” co-star Brigitte Nielsen, said in an interview in 2014.
Schwarzenegger’s life in the bruising world of politics has been just as tumultuous since he first announced himself on the world stage as the “Governator.”
Elected to lead the richest and most populous US state in a historic 2003 recall vote, he quickly lurched to the right, attempting to force through a raft of unpopular initiatives that turned off voters.
He engineered a remarkable turnaround, however, deftly spiking Democratic guns by shifting back to the center and distancing himself from the GOP on a range of social issues, such as abortion, gay marriage and gun control.
The course correction worked and Schwarzenegger was reinstalled as governor three years later, demonstrating the shrewd instincts that had served him so well during his movie career.
California law barred him from holding the governor’s office for more than two terms and rumors have swirled since he stepped down in 2011 that he would seek another public office.
But Hollywood beckoned once more and he has since appeared in a raft of action movies including the “The Expendables” franchise, “Sabotage,” “Terminator Genisys” and “Aftermath.”
Off-screen, Schwarzenegger has been on a crusade to save the environment, meeting world leaders for climate change discussions and urging the public not to see the issue as party political.
He has been an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, whom he replaced briefly as host in an unsuccessful NBC reboot “The New Celebrity Apprentice,” berating his adversary for pulling America out of the Paris Climate accord.
He has been dating physical therapist Heather Milligan, 27 years his junior, since 2015.

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https://ift.tt/2E98IUE March 31, 2018 at 08:16AM

الجمعة، 30 مارس 2018

Long-maligned Mary Magdalene now seen as stalwart disciple

Author: 
AP
Fri, 2018-03-30 03:00
ID: 
1522415319796884400

MAGDALA, Israel: If there’s a feminist figure from the Bible for the #MeToo era, it could very well be Mary Magdalene.
The major character in the life of Jesus was long maligned in the West and portrayed as a reformed former prostitute. But scholars have adopted a different approach more recently, viewing her as a strong, independent woman who supported Jesus financially and spiritually.
The New Testament tells how Jesus cast demons out of her. She then accompanied Jesus in his ministry around the Galilee, before witnessing his crucifixion, burial and resurrection in Jerusalem, which is being commemorated by Christians this week and next. The Roman Catholic Church and Western Christian churches observe Easter on Sunday, Eastern Orthodox Christians a week later.
Pope Francis took the biggest step yet to rehabilitate Mary Magdalene’s image by declaring a major feast day in her honor, June 22. His 2016 decree put the woman who first proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection on par with the liturgical celebrations of the male apostles.
“By doing this, he established the absolute equality of Mary Magdalene to the apostles, something that has never been done before and is also a point of no return” for women in the church, said Lucetta Scarrafia, editor of the Vatican-published Women Church World monthly magazine.
For centuries, Western Christianity depicted Mary Magdalene as a former prostitute, a narrative that began in the sixth century. Pope Gregory the Great conflated Magdalene with an anonymous sinful woman mentioned in the chapter before she’s introduced in the Gospel of Luke.
Only in 1969 did the Catholic Church roll back centuries of labeling Mary Magdalene as such, stating she was distinct from the sinful woman mentioned in Luke. Eastern Orthodox Christians never depicted her as a prostitute.
Mary Magdalene was from a thriving fishing village on the Sea of Galilee named Magdala, which has been excavated extensively by archaeologists in recent decades.
The site is home to the oldest known synagogue in the Galilee, where a stone bearing the likeness of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was found, as well as a marketplace, ritual baths and fishing harbor. Marcela Zapata-Meza, the lead archaeologist at the site, has called it “the Israeli Pompeii.”
Modern scholars have adopted a different understanding of Mary Magdalene, and regard her as one of Jesus’ most prominent disciples, who stood by him to the end while his most devoted apostles did not.

It is important to find the real face of Mary Magdalene, who is a woman who represents the importance of the female aspect on the side of Christ.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi

“Historical tradition says she was a prostitute from Magdala,” said Jennifer Ristine, director of the Magdalena Institute at Magdala. “Reanalyzing that reputation that she had we can see she was probably a woman of greater social status, higher social status, a woman of wealth who accompanied Jesus as we see in Luke 8:2, helping Jesus and his disciples with her own resources.”
Nonetheless, the image of Mary Magdalene as a licentious, sexualized woman has persisted in Western culture, including in “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “The Da Vinci Code.”
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican’s culture minister, said Mary Magdalene’s reputation was sullied by her depiction in art over the centuries.
“Art history made her become a prostitute, which is something that is not present in the Gospels,” he said, adding that she also has been portrayed as Jesus’ wife.
“It is important to find the real face of Mary Magdalene, who is a woman who represents the importance of the female aspect on the side of Christ,” he told The Associated Press at the Vatican.
The Gospel of Mary, an early Christian text, depicted her as a visionary who received secret revelations and knowledge from Jesus.
Claire Pfann, academic dean at the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, said Mary Magdalene must be seen for what she was: “An independent woman who has discretionary time and wealth from the city of Magdala, not identified by a father or a husband, whose life was dramatically restored, healed, changed by her encounter with this Jewish itinerant teacher and healer, Jesus of Nazareth.”
“It takes a long time for serious scholarship to trickle down to the popular level,” she added.
A new film on the life of Mary Magdalene, starring Rooney Mara in the title role, Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peter the Apostle, recasts her in that mold.
The film has been released in Europe and Australia. A release date for the United States has not been set, following the collapse of its original distributor, the Weinstein Co., after a series of sexual harassment and assault claims against founder Harvey Weinstein. The rash of allegations made against Weinstein spawned the global #MeToo movement.
Ristine said Mary Magdalene plays a critical role in the New Testament and carries an “essential pivotal message of Christianity.”
“Why is a woman there, giving testimony to that in a culture where woman are just not paid attention to, or not placed as witnesses?” Ristine asked. “Well, this speaks very strongly to women today, that the power of their witness, the power of their testimony to speak up for a truth, can have effects that ripple down through the centuries.”

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https://ift.tt/2GoO212 March 30, 2018 at 02:29PM

Rare Picasso self-portrait expected to fetch $70 million

Author: 
AFP
Fri, 2018-03-30 16:02
ID: 
1522415489796895600

HONG KONG: A rare Picasso believed to be a self-portrait created when he was under threat of deportation to a Nazi concentration camp is expected to fetch $70 million at auction, Christie’s said Friday as the work went on view in Hong Kong.
The oil painting “Le Marin” depicts a sad-looking man dressed in a blue and white striped sailor’s shirt sitting on a chair.
“You have ... a slightly dark sense around the picture. It’s nervous, it’s on edge and slightly gloomy,” said Conor Jordan, deputy chairman of impressionist and modern art at Christie’s.
The 130 by 81 centimeter (52 by 31 inch) vertical painting shows the man resting his head against his right hand, while his legs are crossed with his left hand on his knee.
“That’s a traditional symbol of melancholy,” Jordan added.
Created in 1943, during the Nazi occupation of France, the painting reflects the distress and anxiety of the Spanish painter who was under threat of being sent to a concentration camp in Germany.
Le Marin’s last appearance was 21 years ago at an auction of works from the collection of New York art collectors Victor and Sally Ganz.
The painting will be on view in Hong Kong until April 3 before traveling to London and then New York, where it will go under the hammer on May 15 as part of Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art sale.
Le Marin is one of the five most important pieces by Picasso, according to Christie’s.
Last November, a series of 100 Picasso etchings which deal with his erotic obsessions and marital strife, as well as political turmoil in the 1930s, sold for 1.9 million euros ($2.2 million) in Paris to an unnamed American collector.
Picasso’s “The Women of Algiers (Version 0)” set a world record as the most expensive piece of art sold at auction when it fetched $179.4 million at Christie’s in New York in 2015.

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https://ift.tt/2uyir7r March 30, 2018 at 02:11PM

الخميس، 29 مارس 2018

Lebanon’s Maritta Hallani promises ‘a year full of surprises’

Author: 
ARAB NEWS
Fri, 2018-03-30 03:00
ID: 
1522353047350044400

JEDDAH: Rising Lebanese pop singer Maritta Hallani has thanked her fans after bagging the Favorite Arab Music Artist Award at this year’s Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards (KCA).
“Thank you so much for voting for me,” she said in a video on Instagram. “This would not have been possible without your love and support... I have a year full of surprises for you.”
The results were revealed during a gala dinner in Los Angeles this month.
Hallani, 21, on Wednesday posted a photo of herself jumping with joy holding the award.
The KCA is an American children’s awards show produced by Nickelodeon. It honors the year’s biggest TV, movie and music acts, as voted by viewers of Nickelodeon networks worldwide.
Hallani has won legions of fans with songs such as “Go”, “Shtaatellak” and “Chou Baddak.” She is considered a style icon by many, and has an Instagram account with more than a million followers.
Hallani has been singing since she was six years old. Last year, the Huffington Post named her as one of the “3 Rising Young Musicians.”
The KCA featured two categories specific to the Middle East. Nominated for Favorite Internet Star were Noha Nabil, Saudi Reporters, Sherif Fayed, Taim Al-Falasi and The Real Fouz. Saudi Reporters won the award.
Nominees for Favorite Music Artist were Abd El-Fattah Grini, Douzi, Saad Ramadan and Hallani.

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https://ift.tt/2pVgtJ1 March 29, 2018 at 08:51PM

Ribbit, ribbit go the Panama frogs after years of silence

Author: 
AP
Fri, 2018-03-30 03:00
ID: 
1522347570059439800

WASHINGTON: After years of silence, the rhythmic “dee, dee, deep” of frogs and toads are returning in parts of Panama.
A deadly fungal disease devastated amphibians in Central America more than a decade ago, quieting some mountain streams. But new research shows evolution may have saved the day — and the frogs.
In El Cope, Panama, at least four species disappeared including the red-striped Rio San Juan robber frog. Four other species lost at least 88 percent of their population from a disease-causing fungus that hit Panama hard from 2004 to 2007. The fungus has also been blamed for wiping out amphibian populations in California’s Sierra Nevada and parts of Australia.
In the last few years, croaks have been heard in once quiet Panama streams. The critters are by no means recovered since they are still infected with the fungus, but they are alive and growing in numbers, according to a new study in Thursday’s journal Science .
“It’s so easy to lose hope when you’ve walked the same stretch of stream year after year, hoping to see a hint of the amazing diversity you once saw there,” study co-author Corinne Richards-Zawacki, a University of Pittsburgh biologist, said in an email. “So you can imagine how good it feels to be able to report some good news from the field.”
The recovery is not everywhere and it’s at best modest, cautioned lead author Jamie Voyles, a disease ecologist at the University of Nevada, Reno. One of the frogs making the most noticeable comeback is the hard-to-catch rocket frog, named because it is so quick, she said.
Voyles and Richards-Zawacki wanted to find out why the amphibians survived. They initially figured the disease weakened. But after testing old and new disease samples on frogs, they found the disease was as dangerous as ever.
To their surprise, the frogs and toads were fighting back better. The fungal disease attacks their skin secretions and recently the frogs showed a two- to five-fold improvement in the amphibians’ ability to limit the fungus’ growth. The disease is still there, but it does less damage, Voyles said.
While this research is important, the findings aren’t too surprising because past studies have shown that as bad as disease outbreaks get, they play a tiny role in species extinction, said Andrew Blaustein at Oregon State University, who wasn’t part of the study.
Evolution allows species to resist completely succumbing to the nastiest diseases. “So, yes there is hope,” Blaustein said in an email.

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https://ift.tt/2J5WgsL March 29, 2018 at 07:27PM

Textile Asia expo generates $245m in business deals

Author: 
KHURSHID AHMED
Thu, 2018-03-29 23:41
ID: 
1522345400249172000

KARACHI: A total of $245 million worth of business deals with Pakistani textile and apparel companies was sealed at the 19th international Textile Asia exhibition that ended on Thursday, organizers told Arab News.
Most of the business deals were done by Chinese companies. “Chinese companies participated in large numbers and they made deals worth $200 million,” Dr. Khursheed Nizam, president of the organizing company Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan, told Arab News.
More than 450 companies showcased 650 products at the exhibition. Exhibitors from Korea, France, Germany, Italy, Vietnam, Turkmenistan and Portugal exhibited their products. “We witnessed 75,000 trade visits during the course of the exhibition,” Dr. Nizam said.
Many Chinese companies had expressed their willingness to relocate textile factories to Pakistan, Dr. Nizam said. “The Chinese are planning to move with the latest technology and skills by making joint ventures with local companies.”
The presence of Chinese companies in Pakistan is increasing following the initiation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This year Zhejiang province was the most prominent exhibitor with 150 companies displaying their products.
Li Yang, vice division director, Department of Commerce, Zhejiang province, said that the economy of the province was about $1 trillion. “CPEC is the true reflection of the friendship between the China and Pakistan,” she said.
Another Chinese exhibitor, Cara Chai, said that she was happy with the response her company had from participants and visitors and expressed her desire to return to Pakistan.
European companies also displayed high-tech textile machinery at the exhibition. “We are displaying high-quality threads for denim. We have successfully achieved business deals with local manufacturers,” Vitor Teixeira, a Portuguese representative of Crafil Private, told Arab News.
Teixeira, who is in Pakistan for the second time, said that he was optimistic about the economy of Pakistan. “I expect that within the next years Pakistan will be a strong economy,” he said. “In future we will look into setting up a manufacturing unit in Pakistan.”
While negative perceptions about Pakistan existed on social media, it was a peaceful country and “I found the people very friendly” he said.
Indian textile machines were also displayed at the exhibition through Pakistani representatives.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Pakistan's Federal Commerce Secretary Younus Dagha, who said that exports would reach $23 billion during the current fiscal year. “The high cost of business is a major hurdle in improving exports and local textile products are unable to match the quality of regional economies,” he said.
Dagha said that the government was considering reducing gas and water tariffs to lower production costs and make local companies competitive in the international market.

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https://ift.tt/2pPX77Q March 29, 2018 at 06:49PM

NASA astronauts go spacewalking days after reaching orbit

Author: 
AP
Thu, 2018-03-29 03:00
ID: 
1522336601298295900

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: Two new arrivals at the International Space Station went spacewalking Thursday less than a week after moving in.
NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold quickly set about installing new wireless antennas, replacing a failed camera and removing jumper hoses from a leaky radiator.
Mission Control said the spacewalkers would complete the chores despite a late start due to spacesuit trouble. Feustel’s suit failed three leak checks after he put it on, but passed on the fourth try. That put the astronauts more than an hour late in getting outside.
“You guys are working harder up there today than in the gym,” Mission Control said even before the spacewalk had begun.
Feustel and Arnold rocketed away from Kazakhstan last Wednesday and arrived at the 250-mile-high outpost two days later. They will remain on board until August. Shuttle astronauts often went spacewalking a few days after reaching orbit, given their short flights, but it’s less common for station residents who spend five to six months aloft.
A space station manager, NASA’s Kenny Todd, said earlier this week that both Feustel and Arnold were experienced spacewalkers from the old space shuttle days and were used to a quick transition in orbit. But Todd cautioned there’s nothing routine about spacewalking and is probably the most dangerous undertaking by orbiting astronauts.
This was Feustel’s seventh spacewalk and Arnold’s third.
“Welcome to the vacuum of space ... welcome back,” said Mission Control.
The intense pace continues next week. SpaceX plans to launch a load of supplies to the station crew Monday from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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https://ift.tt/2GGZvZc March 29, 2018 at 04:16PM

Labor of love: Vintage Vespa fans cling to the past in Pakistan

Author: 
REUTERS
Thu, 2018-03-29 17:48
ID: 
1522324155256851900

ISLAMABAD: As cheap Chinese-made motorbikes flood Pakistan's roads, fans of vintage Vespa scooters are scrambling to find spare parts and preserve models that hark back to a bygone era.
Piaggio's Italian two-wheeler was the ultimate status symbol for Pakistani bike aficionados in the 1960s and 70s, when bicycles outstripped motorbikes on the roads and only a handful of people could afford to import luxury items from
Europe.
Over the past two decades, motorbike ownership rates have skyrocketed in Pakistan, with locally assembled Chinese and Japanese bikes clogging up the roads in a country where much of the population is below the age of 30.
But for the likes of Zubair Ahmad Nagra, who runs the Vespa club in the eastern city of Lahore, new and more fuel-efficient bikes hold little allure.
He drives a Vespa, Italian for "wasp," imported into Pakistan by his father in 1974.
"It was the first motorized vehicle owned by my father," said Nagra. "I've been fond of it ever since."
Many long-term owners find that possessing a Vespa in Pakistan is a labor of love, with original spare parts scant and only a handful of mechanics skilled enough to restore the originals.
In Lahore, close to the Indian border, Vespa owners often have to settle for low quality Indian-made parts or ask for mechanics to fashion new pieces of bodywork from scratch.
Farrukh Shahbaz, who 14 years ago inherited his father's blue 1961 Vespa, has had to have the scooter repaired three times, but he cherishes the love his father had for the machine.
"My father told me it came packed in a wooden box," said Shahbaz, 50.
In the leafy capital Islamabad, once the oppressive summer heat wanes, a handful of Western diplomats can be seen buzzing around on their pastel-colored Vespas.
But they also are thin on the ground. Few expect the tide to turn, with cheap motorbike ownership transforming the lives of many poor and lower working class people in the rapidly urbanizing nation of 208 million people.
Nagra said Vespas were the second best gift Italy gave to the world - "the first being pizza" - as he recalled driving from Lahore to the Chinese border crossing at the Khunjerab Pass, some 15,397 feet (4,693 meters) above sea level in the Karakoram mountains.
"They have not let us down a single time," he said.

Main category: 
https://ift.tt/2E4JIOn March 29, 2018 at 12:58PM

Modest fashion revolution in Dubai is set to change the clothes game

Author: 
SUDESHNA GHOSH

Disruptive is a loosely used and oft-misused term these days. Everyone likes the label as it is almost a badge of honor in this digital age, but not all those who use it necessarily qualify for it.
But the very first Pret-A-Cover Buyers Lane event isn’t one of the pretenders. The six-day celebration of modest fashion taking place at City Walk Dubai from March 28 to April 2 is turning the traditional format of fashion weeks on its head, by leveraging digital technology.
“We’re trying to be revolutionary,” says Alia Khan, chairwoman of the Islamic Fashion Design Council, which is organizing the event. “We felt that the fashion-week model presented a lot of issues for the industry which weren’t being addressed. Designers weren’t getting proper exposure, orders weren’t getting placed, and people weren’t able to connect with their work in a meaningful way. We wanted to create a base for engagement.”
And they are doing just that with a high-definition projection system that will showcase 90-second videos by each of the participating designers, to make for an immersive 360-degree experience. The multi-platform hi-tech projections include water curtains for holographic effect and LED screens to ensure a striking effect, which in turn gives designers a much more creative, powerful platform to bring their brand to life, rather than a standard one-time catwalk show.
According to Hatem Alakeel, one of the leading regional designers participating in the event, it will enable a stronger, closer connection between designers and their clients.
“It’s a large investment for a designer to do a show, so at the end of the day you want to ensure there’s a return on investment,” he says. “The cool thing about this event is that we have full control over the creative execution. For me it’s ideal, as I get to control my social media, my video, my merchandise … We can have our work live-streamed in an area that has traffic and visibility, and then people can actually come and see and feel the clothes at the pop-ups.”
Not just limited to digital versions of catwalk shows — which are taking place at 7-9pm each night — the bustling event includes a range of activities aimed at consumers as well as to facilitate business-to-business networking. Luxurious pop-up shops by the designers will allow customers to instantly buy what they see — a direction in which the global fashion industry seems to be moving — and there will also be placements in partner stores, as well as VIP shopping sessions and special sales.
The placements and pop-ups in partner retail stores — which includes big names such as Bloomingdale’s and Le-BHV/Marais and Galeries Lafayette — also benefit the mainstream outlets by driving traffic, and creating awareness among consumers about their modest fashion offerings.
“We’re cognizant that retailers also need to be supported,” said Khan. “So, we hope our new strategies will do away with the old way of doing things, and provide opportunities for meaningful engagement.”
This sort of disruptive approach to conducting business will manifest in other ways too. Panel discussions and seminars will be replaced by short, on-the-spot interviews between designers and influencers, which will be live-streamed; and facilitations of one-to-one meetings between retail outlets and more than 30 participating designers.
The repertoire includes a truly global mix, from regional labels such as Toby by Hatem Alakeel, to brands from the UK, Italy, Russia, Turkey, Malaysia, the US and Australia. The diverse range of offerings includes couture, sportswear, kidswear, and accessories; even beauty brands such as halal luxury skincare is on offer. Modest fashion retailers such as The Modist and Fashion Valet are also involved, bringing their selection of international designers into the mix.
From a designer’s perspective, the event, which is supported by the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Center, provides a platform unlike any other. “I think it will create a new standard and raise the bar for designers,” Alakeel said.
And it is about time that the bar was raised, as the modest fashion industry prepares to come into its own. The estimated $250 billion industry is projected to grow exponentially to be worth almost $370 billion by 2020, according to a Global Islamic Economy report.
Commenting on the evolution of the industry, Khan said: “There’s always been a huge demand for modest fashion, but it’s only in the past four or five years that it has really started taking off. Now the mainstream fashion industry is realizing the potential, and asking themselves, why aren’t we a part of it? And to be frank, it all started thanks to social media, when bloggers and influencers started talking about it.”
It seems quite appropriate, then, that an industry that has had life breathed into it by something as new-age as social media is leading the charge in digitally revolutionizing — indeed, disrupting — how fashion is experienced and consumed.

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https://ift.tt/2GDFcLW March 29, 2018 at 12:19PM

Indian film ‘Baahubali’ to be screened at Pakistan International Film Festival

Author: 
SABAH BANO MALIK
Thu, 2018-03-29 16:18
ID: 
1522318772566416500

ISLAMABAD: The four-day Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF), featuring prominent filmmakers from across the globe — including India — opens in Karachi on Thursday.
At a time when Pakistani artists are banned from working in India, most recently affecting singers Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistan has extended an olive branch with PIFF.
S.S. Rajamouli, the Indian filmmaker behind the epic “Baahubali,” tweeted his excitement over his film playing at the festival.
“‘Baahubali’ has given me opportunities to travel to a number of countries... The most exciting of them all is now, Pakistan. Thank you Pakistan International Film Festival, Karachi for the invite.”
The festival will screen 210 films from different categories, including documentaries, short films and feature films, which were selected from submissions from 93 countries.
“Baahubali” is a two-part action epic, “Baahubali: The Beginning” and “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,” about the battle for the claim to an ancient kingdom between two brothers. The Telugu and Tamil language films, which were also distributed in Hindi, star Prabhas and Rana Daggubati as the warring brothers, with Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan, Tamannaah Bhatia and Sathyaraj in supporting roles.
Rajamouli will be joined at the event by Shobu Yarlagadda, who produced “Baahubali,” along with a number of other visitors from India. They include: Nandita Das (actor, director and producer of upcoming movie “Manto”), musician Harsh Narayan, actor Vinay Pathak, Zeenat Lakhani (writer of “Hindi Medium”), Saket Chaudhary (director of “Hindi Medium”), Nishtha Jain (maker of documentary film “Gulabi Gang”), Subhash Kapoor (prominent producer, screenplay writer and director), and filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj.
Other films from India that will be screened at PIFF include the Shah Rukh Khan hit “Dear Zindagi,” “Hindi Medium,” which stars Pakistan’s Saba Qamar Zaman, and Marathi film “Sairat.”

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https://ift.tt/2Gn9krK March 29, 2018 at 12:17PM

Thai beach from DiCaprio movie gets breather from tourists

Author: 
AP
Thu, 2018-03-29 03:00
ID: 
1522299593105631600

BANGKOK: The daily hordes of tourists have exhausted the Thai beach made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie.
Authorities have announced Maya Bay, on Phi Phi Leh island in the Andaman Sea, will be closed to all visitors for four months annually starting this June to allow for the recovery of the battered coral reefs and sea life. The decision to keep visitors away was made Wednesday by Thailand’s National Parks and Wildlife Department.
“It’s like someone who has been working for decades and has never stopped,” said Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a prominent marine scientist and member of Thailand’s national strategy committee on environment development. “Overworked and tired, all the beauty of the beach is gone. We need a timeout for the beach.”
Many Thai marine national parks are closed from mid-May to mid-October, but because of tourist demand, Maya Bay has remained open year-round since a Hollywood crew set foot there in 1999 to film “The Beach,” the dark backpacker tale based on a novel by Alex Garland.
The beach receives an average of 200 boats and 4,000 visitors each day.
Recent surveys by a team led by marine biologists found a large part of the coral reefs around the area is gone and sea life has virtually disappeared.
Thon said the temporary closing will kick-start the rehabilitation process.
“If you ask me if it is too late to save our islands, the answer is no. But if we don’t do something today, it will be too late,” said Thanya Netithammakum, head of the National Parks and Wildlife Department.
When Maya Bay reopens, the department will set a daily limit of 2,000 tourists, while boats will no longer be allowed to anchor there and will have to dock on the opposite side of the island at floating piers.
The number of visitors the beach has been seeing is unsustainable, and a temporary closure is better than nothing, Thon said.
“The locals know that and we all know that,” he said. “This would be a good way to start managing our tourist destinations. And we can improve on what we learn after the first year. We know that it’s important we manage our resources well. It’s not about more numbers of tourists but about sustainable tourism that benefit locals as well.”
More than 35 million tourists visited Thailand last year, compared to around 10 million when “The Beach” premiered in 2000.
Thai authorities have in the past closed off islands ruined by mass tourism. Koh Yoong, part of the Phi Phi island chain, and Koh Tachai, in the Similan Islands National Park, have been off limits to tourists permanently since mid-2016.
Thon, who surveyed both islands recently, said the results have been amazing. Areas with a bleak sea life environment and coral bleaching are now teeming with robust and colorful sea life and coral, he said. He’s certain that the annual closure will also help restore Maya Bay.
“I have always dreamt that one day we could work to bring her back to life. I have been following and working on Maya Bay for more than 30 years. I had seen it when it was a heaven and I see it when it has nothing left. Anything that we can do to bring this paradise back to Thailand is the dream of a marine biologist,” he said.

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https://ift.tt/2pPvhbO March 29, 2018 at 08:14AM

الأربعاء، 28 مارس 2018

First Van Gogh in 20 years to go under hammer in Paris auction

Author: 
AFP
Wed, 2018-03-28 17:31
ID: 
1522248095249523700

PARIS: The first Van Gogh painting to go under the hammer in France in more than two decades was unveiled Wednesday.
“Women Mending Nets in the Dunes,” which the Dutch artist painted early in his career at Scheveningen near The Hague, is expected to go for around five million euros ($6 million) when it is auctioned in June.
But with the art market booming, and prices for artists like Van Gogh rocketing, experts said it was hard to predict exactly when the bidding would stop.
The scene dates from the same period in 1882 when Van Gogh painted “View of the Sea at Scheveningen,” which was stolen by the Italian Camorra organized crime syndicate from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2002 and discovered in Naples in 2016 thanks to a tip-off from a suspected drug trafficker.
The oil on paper, which belongs to a European collector, also graced the walls of the Van Gogh Museum for eight years after being previously on show in Montreal.
Bruno Jaubert, of auction house Artcurial, said the work comes from very early in Van Gogh’s career, when he was painting working class people in his homeland.
“He had only started painting two years before,” he told AFP.
Jaubert described the sale as an art market event, “with fewer and fewer Van Goghs coming to the market.”
The world record for a Van Gogh was for his “Portrait of Dr. Gachet,” which sold for $82.5 million in 1990.
“Women Mending Nets in the Dunes” will be sold on June 4.

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https://ift.tt/2pRfWsn March 28, 2018 at 03:41PM

Marvels of Chaukhandi tombs attract tourists from around the world

Author: 
NAIMAT KHAN
Wed, 2018-03-28 18:58
ID: 
1522241920268934800

Some 29 kilometers east of Karachi, more than 600 graves of yellow sandstone, popularly known as Chaukhandi tombs, tell a story of Jokhio and Baloch tribes whose men were fond of horse riding and animal hunting, and whose women would wear beautiful jewelry. The tombs also reveal how skillful the architects of that time were.
“Chaukhandi tombs are generally attributed to the Jokhio, Jam and Baloch tribes and were built between the 15th and 18th centuries,” reads a board at the entrance of the historic Islamic cemetery, which has now been declared a national heritage.
Chaukhandi literally means “the four corners.” The tombs are built of yellow sandstone that was carried from Jung Shahi, a railway station near Thatha.
The most impressive tombs have the pyramidal structure, under which lay four chieftains of the time. “One tomb has an inscription, indicating that it belongs to Jam Mureed bin Hajji, who was one of the famous chieftains of the Jam tribe,” said Jamshed, a caretaker of Chaukhandi graveyard, while talking to Arab News.
The tombs are rectangular in shape and generally two and half feet wide, five to eight feet long and four to 14 feet high. The geometric designs that cover the entire surface of the tombs are quite extraordinary.
The intricate carving in geometric design is unique and its delicacy gives the impression of a woodcarving. “The same designs are found in the textiles, pottery, jewelry and wood carvings in Sindh and Balochistan today,” says Muhammad Farooq, a caretaker, who has been with Chaukhandi for more than 35 years.
The tombs of men are capped and stylized in turban and occasionally carved with horses, arms and weapons. The tombs of women are decorated with anklets, bracelets, necklace, rings and ear pendants, etc. On one tomb there is a horse and a man with a lantern.
“The more influential the man, the higher his grave,” said Farooq. Among the curved tombs, one can also find normal graves that depict the difference between the haves and have-nots. Not everyone could afford to buy the stone and provide a month’s ration to the architect, which back then was the cost of labor.
Some of the graves have been recently carved out. These include the tombs of chieftain Jam Bijar Khan Jokhio and his son, which were built in 2008 and 2018. These tombs resemble the old ones, paying tribute to the architects of the past. “Although the stone is still available at Jung Shahi, the skillful architect no longer exists and the work in these stones is all done by machines,” said Farooq, pointing to the new tombs.
“There is one tomb belonging to Jamal Bin Bijar, who was fond of hunting, and one can also see that by taking a look at his grave,” said the caretaker, adding that people back then wanted carvings on their graves that reflected their particular skills and hobbies. “There are 1,160 different designs on more than 600 graves,” he added.
Although the graves have names of the deceased embedded on them, two graves of an unmade?? mother and her daughter being built at a single platform has name of the architect, Ustad Enyatullah.
Till the early 1990s, it was the highest tourist attraction for people belonging to European countries, which gradually decreased and almost came to an end when violence hit the seaside metropolis.
“Recently, however, there has been a rise again in the number of tourists. But most of them are Chinese, whereas the Japanese stand at number two,” said Farooq.

— Watch more photos Click here

Main category: 
https://ift.tt/2GjV57d March 28, 2018 at 02:00PM

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