Revival of traditional arts brings Al-Dayer to life

The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
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The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
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The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
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The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
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The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
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The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest. (SPA)
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Updated 18 February 2024
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Revival of traditional arts brings Al-Dayer to life

Revival of traditional arts brings Al-Dayer to life
  • Folk art groups emphasized the significance of heritage in tourism, providing a glimpse into the cultural tapestry of the region’s provinces

RIYADH: The vibrant colors and rhythms of traditional arts captivated those attending the Coffee Harvest, a highlight of the International Saudi Coffee Exhibition 2024.

Organized by the Jazan Development Strategic Office in collaboration with local authorities, the event, running until Feb. 20 in the Al-Dayer governorate, featured diverse performances and exhibits, turning the area into a cultural hub.

Folk art groups emphasized the significance of heritage in tourism, providing a glimpse into the cultural tapestry of the region’s provinces. As well as providing entertainment, they connected younger generations with their ancestors’ cultural legacies.

The event showcased the agricultural and touristic treasures of the mountain provinces, with a special focus on Jazan and its renowned coffee industry. It was supported by the Social Development Bank, with 120 artisan families from the Civil Development Association in Al-Dayer taking part.

Displays offered visitors a glimpse of local craftsmanship and traditions, providing a valuable marketing platform from which to draw attention to artisanal skills.

The exhibits not only highlighted Jazan’s cultural heritage but also emphasized the pivotal role of women in the region’s socio-economic landscape. Through their contributions to handicrafts and other fields, women demonstrated their ability to shape and enrich local culture.

Those who attended immersed themselves in the region’s vibrant heritage and enjoyed discovering a wide variety of local products, from clothing and perfumes to traditional foods and accessories.


UK politicians urge England to boycott cricket match against Afghanistan in Pakistan

UK politicians urge England to boycott cricket match against Afghanistan in Pakistan
Updated 2 min 55 sec ago
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UK politicians urge England to boycott cricket match against Afghanistan in Pakistan

UK politicians urge England to boycott cricket match against Afghanistan in Pakistan
  • Over 160 politicians sign letter urging England stand against Taliban regime's restrictions on women's rights
  • England are scheduled to play against Afghanistan in Pakistan's Lahore on Feb. 26 in a Champions Trophy clash

LONDON: England should refuse to play the Champions Trophy cricket match against Afghanistan next month according to a letter signed by more than 160 U.K. politicians. The politicians want the England and Wales Cricket Board to take a stand against the Taliban regime’s assault on women's rights and boycott the men's one-day international against Afghanistan in Lahore, Pakistan, on Feb. 26.
Female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, a move that puts the Afghanistan Cricket Board in contravention of International Cricket Council rules.
Because Afghanistan’s men are still allowed to compete by the ICC, a strongly worded letter has emerged from the U.K. parliament pleading for the ECB to make its own moral objection.
Penned by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi and signed by a cross-party group from the House of Commons and House of Lords including Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn, it raises the “insidious dystopia” unfolding in Afghanistan.
The statement, addressed to ECB chief executive Richard Gould, concludes: "We strongly urge the England men's team players and officials to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban.
"We also urge the ECB to consider a boycott of the upcoming match against Afghanistan... to send a clear signal that such grotesque abuses will not be tolerated.
“We must stand against sex apartheid and we implore the ECB to deliver a firm message of solidarity and hope to Afghan women and girls that their suffering has not been overlooked.”
Gould issued a swift response, reaffirming ECB principles while suggesting it favoured a uniform approach from all member nations rather than acting alone.
“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime,” he said.
“The ICC constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women's cricket. In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan.
“A coordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members.
“We understand the concerns raised by those who believe that a boycott of men’s cricket could inadvertently support the Taliban’s efforts to suppress freedoms and isolate Afghan society.
It’s crucial to recognize the importance of cricket as a source of hope and positivity for many Afghans, including those displaced from the country.”
At the 2003 Cricket World Cup, England forfeited a game against Zimbabwe in protest at Robert Mugabe's regime.


Pakistan, Bangladesh discuss enhancing media cooperation amid push to improve ties

Pakistan, Bangladesh discuss enhancing media cooperation amid push to improve ties
Updated 16 min 51 sec ago
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Pakistan, Bangladesh discuss enhancing media cooperation amid push to improve ties

Pakistan, Bangladesh discuss enhancing media cooperation amid push to improve ties
  • Pakistan’s information secretary, Bangladesh diplomat discuss collaboration between state media organizations of both countries
  • Islamabad and Dhaka have moved closer in recent months to forge closer ties after the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s information secretary and Bangladesh’s high commissioner discussed ways to boost media cooperation and people-to-people contacts with each other, state-run media reported this week, as both countries bolster efforts to improve their relations strained by a bitter past.
Established together as one independent nation in 1947, Bangladesh won liberation from then-West Pakistan in 1971. Relations between the two countries continued to deteriorate during former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s previous administrations, which prosecuted several members of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party for war crimes relating to the 1971 conflict.
However, Islamabad’s ties with Dhaka improved after Hasina was ousted last year after student-led violent protests in the country. Dhaka’s ties with New Delhi have been strained in recent months as the new administration in Bangladesh repeatedly demands India extradite the ousted prime minister.
“Secretary Information and Broadcasting Ambreen Jan and Bangladesh’s High Commissioner in Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan met here Monday and discussed ways to boost media cooperation and people-to-people contacts between their countries,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said on Monday.
The two sides focused on enhancing partnerships to highlight their shared historical narratives and cultural values that strengthen mutual understanding, the state media said. 
Jan said Pakistan and Bangladesh had longstanding diplomatic and cultural ties with a shared history of cooperation in diverse sectors.
“She emphasized collaboration between state media organizations including Pakistan Television Corporation, Associated Press of Pakistan and Radio Pakistan with their Bangladeshi counterparts in fields of joint productions and exchange of news,” the APP said.
The Pakistani official highlighted that a journalist exchange program could provide media persons from Pakistan and Bangladesh an opportunity to learn about each other’s perspectives and narratives on various matters.
“High Commissioner Iqbal Hussain Khan lauded the government of Pakistan for taking steps to encourage multifarious cooperation between the two countries,” the APP reported. “He likened the people of two countries as brothers and added that their connectivity through joint cooperation programs would bring both nations further closer.”
The two sides also discussed expanding the availability of Pakistani news and entertainment channels on Bangladeshi cable networks and organizing film festivals and photographic exhibitions, the state media added.
Pakistan’s moves to forge stronger ties with Bangladesh include Islamabad’s initiative to launch a fully funded scholarship program for 300 Bangladeshi students in December 2024. The scholarship program is backed by Pakistan’s education ministry and supported by leading universities such as NUST, Comsats, and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).


Strong earthquake strikes in China’s Tibet region near border with Nepal

Strong earthquake strikes in China’s Tibet region near border with Nepal
Updated 53 min 17 sec ago
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Strong earthquake strikes in China’s Tibet region near border with Nepal

Strong earthquake strikes in China’s Tibet region near border with Nepal
  • The CCTV online report said there were a handful of communities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the epicenter, which was 380 kilometers (240 miles) from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet
  • A 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed some 9,000 people and damaged about 1 million structures in Nepal in 2015

BEIJING: A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck near one of Tibet’s holiest cities on Tuesday morning, the China Earthquake Networks Center said, damaging buildings around Shigatse and sending people running to the streets in neighboring Nepal and India.
The trembler at 9:05 a.m. (0105 GMT) had an epicenter depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the report added, revising the magnitude from an earlier 6.9.
Crumbled shop fronts could be seen in a video showing the aftermath from the nearby town of Lhatse, with debris spilling out onto the road.
Reuters was able to confirm the location from nearby buildings, windows, road layout, and signage that match satellite and street view imagery. The date could not be verified independently.
Tremors were felt in Nepal’s capital Katmandu some 400 km (250 miles) away, where residents ran from their houses.
Tremors were felt in the northern Indian state of Bihar which borders Nepal. As walls shook, people rushed out of their homes and apartments to open areas.
So far, no reports of any damage or loss to property have been received, officials in India said.
A magnitude 6.8 quake is considered strong and is capable of causing severe damage.
Southwestern parts of China are frequently hit by earthquakes. A huge quake in Sichuan province in 2008 killed almost 70,000 people.
According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, there have been 29 earthquakes with magnitudes of 3 or higher within 200 km of the Shigatse quake in the past five years, all of which were smaller than the one that struck on Tuesday morning.
In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 tremor struck near Katmandu in neighboring Nepal, killing about 9,000 people and injuring thousands in that country’s worst earthquake.


Forest tame Wolves to maintain unlikely Premier League title challenge

Forest tame Wolves to maintain unlikely Premier League title challenge
Updated 07 January 2025
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Forest tame Wolves to maintain unlikely Premier League title challenge

Forest tame Wolves to maintain unlikely Premier League title challenge
  • Forest remain third in the table but move level on points with Arsenal

WOLVERHAMPTON, United Kingdom: Nottingham Forest’s stunning season continued with a 3-0 victory at Wolves on Monday to give manager Nuno Espirito Santo a winning return to Molineux.
England international Morgan Gibbs-White and the in-form Chris Wood struck before half-time to take Forest to within six points of leaders Liverpool, who they host in their next Premier League game.
Substitute Taiwo Awoniyi rounded off the scoring and a sixth consecutive win for Forest in stoppage time.
Defeat leaves Wolves outside the relegation zone only thanks to goal difference as they suffered a first defeat under new boss Vitor Pereira.
Forest remain third in the table but move level on points with Arsenal.
Even if a shock title challenge proves beyond Espirito Santo’s men, they are building up an impressive cushion in the race for Champions League football next season.
They are five points clear of fifth-placed Newcastle and six in front of struggling champions Manchester City in sixth.
A top-four finish would guarantee a return to the continent’s elite competition for the first time in 45 years for the two-time European champions.
However, fifth could also be good enough depending on how English club fare in European competition this season.
“We need to stay humble. We haven’t achieved anything yet, we need to work until the end and this can lead us to good moments,” said Espirito Santo.
Gibbs-White savoured his return to the club where he spent the early part of his career.
In front of the watching new England manager Thomas Tuchel, the midfielder did his case for further international recognition no harm with a cool finish from Antony Elanga’s pass.
Forest’s unexpected rise from battling relegation until the final day of last season into Champions League contenders has been build on a solid defense and Wood’s purple patch.
The New Zealand international turned in Callum Hudson-Odoi’s low cross for his 12th goal of the season to double the visitors’ lead just before half-time.
Wolves pressed and probed for a way back into the game after the break but were toothless in the absence of talisman Matheus Cunha through suspension.
Mats Sels was forced into one brilliant save to deny Jorgen Strand Larsen to preserve a ninth clean sheet of the season and fourth in a row.
That solidity is familiar to Wolves fans from Espirito Santo’s time in charge of their club between 2017 and 2021.
The Portuguese coach led Wanderers from the Championship into Europe for the first time in 39 years.
Now after troubled spells at Tottenham and Saudi club Al-Ittihad, he is recreating that magic to leave Forest fans in dreamland.
“As coaching staff we have this natural ambition of improving the players, this is what we are obsessed with,” he added.
“If we improve the players then the team will improve and if the team improves then the club will improve and the city will be happy.”


Man charged in Tupac Shakur killing files motion to dismiss the case

Man charged in Tupac Shakur killing files motion to dismiss the case
Updated 07 January 2025
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Man charged in Tupac Shakur killing files motion to dismiss the case

Man charged in Tupac Shakur killing files motion to dismiss the case

LAS VEGAS: An ex-gang leader is seeking to have all the charges against him dismissed in the 1990s killing of rap music icon Tupac Shakur.
Attorney Carl Arnold filed the motion on Monday in the District Court of Nevada to dismiss charges against Duane Davis in the 1996 shooting of Shakur. The motion alleges “egregious” constitutional violations because of a 27-year delay in prosecution. The motion also asserts a lack of corroborating evidence and failure to honor immunity agreements granted to Davis by federal and local authorities.
“The prosecution has failed to justify a decades-long delay that has irreversibly prejudiced my client,” Arnold said in a news release. “Moreover, the failure to honor immunity agreements undermines the criminal justice system’s integrity and seriously questions this prosecution.”
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the filing. He has said evidence against Davis is strong and it will be up to a jury to decide the credibility of Davis’ accounts of the shooting including those in a 2019 memoir.
Davis is originally from Compton, California. He was arrested in the case in September 2023 near Las Vegas. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and has sought to be released since shortly after his arrest.
Davis is accused of orchestrating and enabling the shooting that killed Shakur and wounded rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight after a brawl at a Las Vegas Strip casino involving Shakur and Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.
Authorities have said that the gunfire stemmed from competition between East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect and West Coast groups of a Crips sect, including Davis, for dominance in a genre known at the time as “gangsta rap.”
In interviews and a 2019 tell-all memoir that described his life as a leader of a Crips gang sect in Compton, Davis said he obtained a .40-caliber handgun and handed it to Anderson in the back seat of a car from which he and authorities say shots were fired at Shakur and Knight in another car at an intersection near the Las Vegas Strip. Davis didn’t identify Anderson as the shooter.
Shakur died a week later in a nearby hospital. He was 25. Knight survived and is serving a 28-year prison sentence in connection with the killing of a Compton man in 2015.
Anderson denied involvement in Shakur’s death and died in 1998 at age 23 in a shooting in Compton. The other two men in the car are also dead.
A Las Vegas police detective testified to a grand jury that police do not have the gun that was used to shoot at Shakur and Knight, nor did they find the vehicle from which shots were fired.