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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

Kholoud Sukkarieh (R) and Nidal Darwish, who got married in defiance of the ban on civil unions, walk past Pigeon Rock, Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 25, 2013.

Newly elected MPs bring back debate about civil marriage in Lebanon

The positions of some new legislators in favor of civil unions to be performed in the Mediterranean country have outraged religious authorities.

Nile houseboat.

Egyptian government plans demolition of Nile's historic houseboats

The Egyptian government is planning to clear the banks of the Nile River of floating residential houseboats to beautify the waterfront and implement new projects.

A general view shows the remains of an atrium at the archaeological site of Saint Hilarion Monastery, also known as Tell Umm Amer, in the central Gaza Strip, May 11, 2022.

Gaza issues first-of-its-kind archaeological guide

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the Gaza Strip issued a first-of-its-kind archaeological guide providing a detailed explanation of all the 39 archaeological sites and buildings found across the coastal enclave.

Gaza archaeology

Gaza university receives British grant to restore old Sufi building

The Iwan Center for Cultural Heritage at the Islamic University has started a project to restore the 700-year-old Zawiya Al-Ahmadiyya in Gaza’s Old City, one of the few remaining buildings belonging to Sufism and dating back to the Mamluk era.

Spring

Israeli actions threaten historic spring near Jericho

Ain al-Auja spring in the Jordan Valley is threatened with settlement expansion after Israel announced a plan to take over lands surrounding the area.

Abdulmecid Efendi's (1868-1944) "The Russo-Turkish War."

Turkish exhibit reveals ‘extraordinary world’ of Ottoman Empire's last caliph

A retrospective of the artwork of Abdulmecid II, Islam’s last caliph, illustrates the dynasty’s fusion of East and West.

Dear Alyne screenshot from her trip to Iraq in the video "Is Iraq Dangerous?!"

YouTube influencers discover Iraq

The most famous content producers on YouTube, including artists, media professionals, and other prominent social media figures, recently visited Iraq.

A male houbara bustard dances in order to attract females.

Egypt, UAE work to protect rare bird

Under a project carried out in cooperation with a conservation fund in the UAE, Egypt's Ministry of Environment released 2,000 Houbara bustards into a nature reserve to conserve the threatened bird species.

Rosenblum

Israel's EcoOcean to tell UN meeting of its work to clean Mediterranean

Participating at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Portugal, head of the Israeli NGO EcoOcean Arik Rosenblum explains the actions that they are taking to clean the seas and to protect marine ecosystems.

A Syrian beekeeper picks honey from his hives.

Beekeepers feel sting in northern Syria

Beekeeping in northwest Syria, which was once a traditional industry, faces challenges due to the war and its repercussions amid a lack of support.

King Farouk's Royal Train pre-renovation.

Egypt restores 70-year-old train of King Farouk

Egypt restored an old train dating back to the era of King Farouk after it was worn out due to being stored in a maintenance workshop.

Charl Schwartzel of South Africa pictured after winning the LIV Golf Invitational at The Centurion Club, St. Albans, England, June 11, 2022.

Golfers eager to play for Saudi-funded LIV Golf despite human rights concerns

US golf media has been critical of LIV Golf, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. But for many golfers — especially lesser-known ones — the league offers unparalleled financial opportunities.