Lionel Richie’s Saudi debut enchants audience

Sun, 2020-03-01 00:14 ALULA: Lionel Richie performed to a sold-out crowd at the Maraya Concert Hall on Friday during AlUla’s second Winter at Tantora festival. The artist and “American Idol” judge played his greatest solo hits as well as songs from his time with the Commodores as part of his first Saudi performance. “Let me just say first how beautiful that place is,” Richie told Arab News as he reflected on his experience in AlUla, which...

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Lebanese art pioneer hails Jeddah as a leading force in Arab art

Sun, 2020-03-01 00:04 PARIS: Jeddah is now at the forefront of the contemporary art scene in the Arab world, according to Nora Jumblatt, the president and founder of Lebanon’s Beiteddine Art Festival. She recently visited Jeddah and AlUla to attend a number of art-related events, including an invitation by the Saudi Arts Council, and its president, Princess Jawaher bint Majid bin Abdul Aziz, to attend the opening of the seventh edition of...

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A day at the races: Stylish guests wow at the Saudi Cup

Author:  Sat, 2020-02-29 16:47 RIYADH: All eyes were on Saudi Arabia as the world’s most valuable horse race kicked off over the weekend — and there was something for everyone, including fashion fans. Style-lovers descended on the Saudi Cup in Riyadh wearing their race day best, with women giving Audrey Hepburn’s character in Hollywood classic “My Fair Lady” a run for her money with their chic abayas and colorful dresses. Stylish...

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French-Algerian star Lyna Khoudri wins big at French Oscars

Sat, 2020-02-29 14:01 DUBAI: “Papicha,” a touching story of Algerian women fighting for their freedom by Mounia Meddour won both best first film and best female newcomer for actress Lyna Khoudri at the French Oscars on Friday. The 27-year-old French-Algerian star won big at the Cesars for her portrayal of 18-year-old university student Nedjma, who finds herself struggling to continue her passion for fun and fashion as conservative forces sweep...

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Yolanda Hadid, Gigi and Bella Hadid’s mother, returns to the runway at Off-White

Fri, 2020-02-28 15:22 DUBAI: Virgil Abloh’s fall 2020 show for Off-White was a family affair, with Bella Hadid opening the show, Gigi Hadid closing it, and their mother, Yolanda Hadid, walking mid-runway during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday night. While the former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star has spent the past several weeks traveling between London, Milan, and Paris with her daughters, she is always sat on the front row to...

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Inmates serve their sentences in this collection of personal essays written by UAE prisoners

Author:  Fri, 2020-02-28 12:17 DUBAI: A new book released at the Emirates Literature Festival last month gives voice to 27 inmates of Dubai Central Prison. “Tomorrow, I Will Fly” is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the region, and saw British novelists Annabel Kantaria and Clare Mackintosh host a one-week writers program for 12 male and 15 female prisoners in a project organized by Dubai Police and the Emirates Literature Foundation. The...

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Pop legend Lionel Richie shut down the Dubai Jazz Festival

Fri, 2020-02-28 11:27 DUBAI: On the second night of the Dubai Jazz Festival, acclaimed US singer Lionel Richie took to the stage of Dubai Media City’s amphitheater to dazzle audiences with a live energetic performance of some of his biggest hits as a solo artist and the frontman of the Commodores. The funk, soul and R&B legend proved to be the hottest ticket of the three-night event, kicking off his disco-infused set with an upbeat...

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Legendary film director Spike Lee returns to Saudi Arabia

Author:  Fri, 2020-02-28 09:58 DUBAI: On March 13, as part of the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival, acclaimed US film director Spike Lee’s iconic “Malcolm X” will be shown in Saudi cinemas for the first time. The screening honors a milestone in Saudi Arabia’s film history, as — nearly 30 years ago — the film was the first non-documentary, and the first American movie, to be given permission to film in the holy city...

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Where We Are Going Today: Sanbok Restaurant

Fri, 2020-02-28 04:55 If you’re not a vegan or a vegetarian, then your first instinct when visiting a coastal city is probably to grab some seafood, right? If you’re a fish fan and you find yourself in the Eastern Province, you simply can’t miss Al-Sanbok Restaurant. Located on the Dughaither Leisure Island in Alkhobar, Al-Sanbok remains, in their own words, “a pilgrimage of seafood committed to giving the ultimate dining experience.”  The...

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What We Are Reading Today: Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand

Author:  Fri, 2020-02-28 05:01 Authors: Dylan Van Winkel, Marleen Baling, and Rod Hitchmough With more than 400 extraordinary color photographs and richly informative text, Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand is the definitive field guide to all of the country’s tuatara, geckos, skinks, frogs, marine turtles, and marine snakes. From the ancient tuatara, the sole surviving member of its order, to the world’s largest collection...

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Fast food fashion: Saudi designer Arwa Al-Banawi collaborates with KFC

Thu, 2020-02-27 12:38 DUBAI: Fashion’s fixation with food is no secret. In recent years, we’ve seen a number of brands cook up edible-themed accessories, including McDonalds cups crafted into shoulder bags from Moschino and lait de coco clutches by Chanel. Meanwhile, other designers took it a step further by joining forces with popular eateries, such as Alber Elbaz for Ladurée. Now the latest designer to team up with a restaurant is Saudi...

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eL Seed: ‘I want my art to spark a dialogue between cultures’

Thu, 2020-02-27 11:28 DUBAI: In his studio in studio in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue, Tunisian-French artist eL Seed, 38, wears a smock filled with colorful smudges — remnants of a recent painting session. Working here is actually a rarity for eL Seed these days. He has become known — and in demand — the world over for his unique method of incorporating the aesthetic traditions of Arabic calligraphy into his large-scale outdoor graffiti works....

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Lauryn Hill kicks off Dubai Jazz Festival with soulful concert

Thu, 2020-02-27 10:17 DUBAI: The Dubai Jazz Festival kicked off on Wednesday with a soulful and dynamic performance from the evening’s headliner Lauryn Hill. The singer and rapper who gave us the “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” rocked the crowd at Dubai’s Media City Amphitheater with live renditions of some of her most popular hits such as “Everything is Everything,” “Ex-Factor,” and “Killing Me Softly,” which had the entire crowd...

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Bahrain rock trio The Relocators return with new EP ‘Part of Me’

Author:  Thu, 2020-02-27 09:52 AMMAN: Bahrain-based alt-rock trio launched their new record with a gig in Manama’s Water Garden City on February 22. Frontman Faisal Amin describes the six-track EP — “Part of Me” — as having a “warmer” and “more lustrous” sound than their 2013 self-titled debut EP. “We are still focusing on the strength of melodies,” he told Arab News. “Nothing fancy  — just good solid performance of...

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Meet Wafaa Debs, the ‘beauty gypsy’ breaking the rules

Author:  Thu, 2020-02-27 09:40 NEW YORK: Social media has revolutionized the beauty industry: Take Huda Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics or even Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty — without Instagram they would probably not exist. It has also meant that many traditional players have had to be open to change. One professional who has been able to adapt while staying true to her own beauty philosophy is New York-based mother of two Wafaa Debs — better...

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