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Culture

Neymar

After Ronaldo, Neymar scores $54 million penthouse in Dubai

The Brazilian soccer player is the latest athlete to acquire property in the UAE’s largest city.

United Arab Emirates

Head coach Robert Saleh of the New York Jets looks on against the Denver Broncos during the first half at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

What’s behind firing of Robert Saleh, NFL’s first Muslim, Lebanese head coach?

The New York Jets were performing poorly under the Lebanese American Saleh amid rumors of tensions with outspoken quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur drops out of 2024 tennis circuit

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, currently ranked 22nd in the Women's Tennis Association, will step away from tennis until 2025 as she recovers from a shoulder injury.

Bassem Youssef attends the 2020 Sundance Film Festival Cinema Cafe on January 31, 2020, in Park City, Utah.

Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef no longer on X: What we know

The exiled comic has been a vocal critic of Israel, highlighting the plight of the Palestinians during the Gaza war but has recently been accused of antisemitism.

Latest News

CT scans reveal mysteries of ancient Egypt's 'Screaming Woman' mummy

Visitors tour the site in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, where archaeologists unearthed two human and animal embalming workshops, as well as two tombs, on May 27, 2023. The head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters the embalming workshops, where humans and animals were mummified, "date back to the 30th dynasty" which reigned around 2,400 years ago. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Middle East athletes rack up 44 medals at Paris Olympics

Imane Khelif

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From Egypt to Saudi: Meet Middle East's athletes at Paris Olympics

This photograph shows Paris 2024 Olympics Games banner in front of the National Assembly, in Paris, on July 18, 2024.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's soccer dreams tested as Vision 2030 goal posts move

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - MAY 4: Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr celebrates after scoring the 2nd goal during the Saudi Pro League match between Al-Nassr and Al Wehda at Al Awwal Park on May 4, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.(Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Nazlan Ertan

In Izmir, reporting on culture

Danny Makki

In London, reporting on Syrian politics and culture

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Rebecca Anne Proctor

In Dubai, reporting on culture

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Fatal 'Brazilian butt lift' reveals ugly side of cosmetic tourism in Turkey

Turkey is a premier destination for cosmetic surgery thanks to low prices and attractive vacation packages, but not everyone is making it home in better shape.

Entrance to the Magen Abraham synagogue in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Aug. 11, 2009.

Passing of leader of Lebanon’s tiny Jewish community comes at heavy moment

The country is now home to 29 Jews, as thousands fled during the civil war in the past century amid rising anti-Jewish sentiment.

Saudi Arabia sets art ambitions with Noor Riyadh Festival

A tour of this year’s Noor Riyadh Festival sheds light on Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a cultural hub and, consequently, a tourism hub in the region.

A relief from the foot of the golden sarcophagus of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun (r. 1342–1325 BC) in the restoration lab of the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Giza, Sept. 21, 2019.

Despite regional tension, Egypt's Grand Museum readies to open

The partially opened Grand Egyptian Museum is enticing visitors with the treasures of Tutankhamun, the “Golden King,” as work continues to complete the complex.

A woman sits with her German shepherd at the Barking Lot cafe in Saudi Arabia.

In cultural shift, Saudi Arabia allows pets on public transportation

Pet owners can now bring their pets onto buses, boats and trains in the kingdom, but only under certain conditions.

Bust of Ramses the Great.

Egypt’s Ramses II collection opens in Australia, biggest in 200 years

The traveling exhibition "Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs" goes Down Under after stops in the United States and Paris to promote Egyptian tourism.

Bita loom

Iranian artist Bita Ghezelayagh points pens and roses at censorship

Iranian artist Bita Ghezelayagh fuses ancient Iranian crafts with universal themes of rebellion, hope and alienation.

Iraqi security forces stand guard at the site of a newly-unearthed Assyrian Lamassu (human-headed winged bull) sculpture discovered with its entire wings intact by the French archaeological mission at the archaeological site of Khorsabad (also known as Dur-Sharrukin), the former Assyrian capital in the time of Sargon II (721705 BC) in Iraq's northern Nineveh province on October 24, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP) (Photo by ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq unveils ancient Assyrian lamassu statue in Nineveh province

The Iraqi government has worked to repatriate smuggled artifacts in recent years. The city of Khorsabad, where the lamassu is located, was one of several ancient sites targeted by the Islamic State.

Morocco's national flag is displayed during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Morocco to host 2030 World Cup as Saudi Arabia bids for 2034

The announcement follows historic performances by Morocco’s men's and women's squads at their most recent respective World Cups. Saudi Arabia had also sought to host the 2030 tournament following Qatar winning the rights to host in 2022.

Al-Ittihad's supporters wave a flag.

Saudi-Iran soccer match canceled over Qasem Soleimani statue row

Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed diplomatic relations in March. Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in 2020, is a polarizing figure in the region.

Members of Lebanon's LGBTQ community attend a picnic the coastal city of Batroun, north of Beirut, on May 21, 2017, as part of the Beirut Pride week aimed at raising awarness about the rights of the community. / AFP PHOTO / IBRAHIM CHALHOUB (Photo credit should read IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon: Backlash as MPs introduce bill to decriminalize LGBTQ+ relationships

Some Lebanese leaders have intensified their campaign against the LGBTQ+ community after news emerged of a bill to repeal an anti-LGBTQ+ provision of the Penal Code.

A cemetery demolition amidst ongoing roadworks at the historic City of the Dead.

Will Egypt back off from the demolition of Cairo's historic Islamic cemeteries?

Egypt’s government has been demolishing ancient tombs for three years as part of a controversial project that tore apart a renowned cemetery in Cairo, even as researchers and activists fight to stop the destruction.