REVIEW: Ella Purnell shines in ‘Sweetpea,’ a dark, twisted but funny thriller
Updated 36 sec ago
Matt Ross
LONDON: After announcing herself to the wider world with her breakout role as Jackie in Paramount’s “Yellowjackets”, and traversing the irradiated wastelands as the charismatic hero of Amazon’s brilliant “Fallout,” British actress Ella Purnell has chosen a UK production for her next role — one without a cannibalistic schoolgirl or organ-harvesting robot in sight. It is, however, still a strikingly dark part for Purnell, as she plays a shrinking violet-turned-serial killer in “Sweetpea,” a six-part adaptation of CJ Skuse’s book of the same name.
Rhiannon has spent most of her life feeling unseen. Whether it’s the manspreading passengers on her bus to work, the bored shop assistants who blank her, or the condescending boss who constantly overlooks her for promotion. She consoles herself with a mental list: “People I’d like to kill.” A simple, harmless thought experiment that doesn’t really mean anything, right?
Wrong. When her school bully returns to the town, and Rhiannon loses her dad and her beloved dog, something snaps inside her, and the otherwise sweet, softly spoken young woman begins to lash out in the most violent way possible, making herself finally seen in the most shocking manner. All of a sudden, anyone who has found themselves on Rhiannon’s hypothetical hit list could well find themselves the target of her now very lethal rage.
The whole show hinges on Purnell, and she’s more than up to the job. Utterly convincing as the downtrodden victim-turned-vigilante, she’s a villain that’s easy to root for — a strange thing to admit, perhaps, but testament to Purnell’s skills here.
A strong supporting cast (including Calam Lynch as colleague AJ, Jon Pointing as Rhiannon’s sort-of boyfriend Craig, and Leah Harvey as a young police detective) provide excellent foils for Purnell, but “Sweetpea” is definitely her show. Dark, funny and surprisingly violent, it’s a star outing from an exciting young talent.
‘Love match’ apps rival traditional matchmaking in Pakistan
Marriage apps describe themselves as ‘halal,’ offering options to blur profile pictures for privacy
Some users say people lie about their details on apps while using fake names and photos themselves
Updated 30 min 50 sec ago
AFP
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s traditional matchmakers play a revered role in molding daughters into potential brides, but marriage apps marketing themselves as halal are offering women a new route to finding a husband.
“When I saw my colleague happy after being married to someone she met online... I thought, since we have tried rishta aunties for four or five years, let’s try this too,” Ezza Nawaz, a textile designer in Lahore, told AFP.
Rishta aunties – or traditional matchmakers – polish up women and present them to the families of potential suitors, in a country where dating is considered dishonorable.
But in the last few years, marriage apps for Muslims have emerged in Pakistan promising so-called “love matches.”
Some offer a “chaperone” option – which provides a weekly transcript of sent and received messages to a chosen relative, satisfying families wary of their son or daughter connecting with strangers.
For Ezza, it was a success: just three months after meeting Waseem Akhtar on Muzz, she was married.
“We went on a couple of dates before we got our family involved. We took our time,” she said.
More than 80 percent of Pakistanis have arranged marriages, according to a survey by Gallup and Gilani Pakistan, where families decide the union, sometimes settling an engagement without the bride and the groom even meeting.
Parents enlist the help of professional rishta aunties to help find a suitable family, with the first impression often based on how the young woman looks as she pours tea for her potential in-laws.
The app, however, says 1.2 million Pakistanis have signed up since it launched last year with an advertising campaign in major cities, and 15,000 people have already married.
Marriage apps describe themselves as “halal,” or permissible in Islam, offering options to blur profile pictures for privacy and making clear the purpose is to reach a proposal.
But they continue to battle a stigma linking them to casual dating apps such as Tinder, which has been banned in Pakistan for being “immoral.”
“I do not tell people how I met my wife until I am sure that the person would not judge us,” said Waseem.
Marriage is viewed as a coming together of two families in Pakistan, where many live in multigenerational households.
Choosing your husband or wife yourself can be seen as a challenge to the deeply ingrained reverence toward elders and a threat to the traditional family structure.
Rishta aunties are therefore relied upon to find suitors from acceptable families – a process that young women, who are widely expected to marry by the age of 25, can sometimes find demeaning.
“I was asked not to tell the guy’s family that my hobbies are hiking or photography, but are cooking and cleaning... it made me angry,” said Rida Fatima.
“They had the audacity to talk about how I looked, what I did, how much I earned, who my family is, how many brothers I have, what are my future aspirations. So, every little thing is judged.”
Fatima was presented with several potential matches through a rishta auntie appointed by her parents, but was asked to pay around $700 for an introductory meeting with a guy.
The rate fluctuates depending on whether the match has a foreign passport, she added.
Eventually, she ditched the process, becoming part of the 18 percent of Pakistanis who have a “love marriage” after meeting her husband by chance.
“No matter how the guy looks, even if he is bald or has a big belly, he wants a wife who looks like a model,” said Muskan Ali, the managing director at a marriage consultancy in Karachi.
Rishta aunties do not feel threatened yet.
Their offices buzz with parents and their children crafting profiles on computers, as matchmakers strive to digitize their businesses with sleek websites and WhatsApp groups for client communication.
Consultants teach young women how to walk, talk and dress to best correspond to the wishes of their future in-laws.
Many traditional matchmakers like Fauzia Aazam, the head of a community of rishta aunties in Rawalpindi, reject marriage apps altogether.
“People waste time on these apps,” she said.
“Chatting together all through the night, I just don’t like it.”
For Aisha Sarwari, a feminist author, the matchmaking process is about exercising “control” over daughters-in-law.
“I would say that we need to find a good middle ground, where the respect is equal on both sides and there is no sense of demeaning a human being just because they look a certain way or they are from a particular race,” she told AFP.
Aneela, a digital media artist, whose name has been changed, tried her best to avoid being poured over by a matchmaker and turned to a marriage app, but found a new set of concerns.
“It is hard being on an app... men lie,” she said, swiping through her profile at a cafe in Islamabad.
She later admitted to using a fake name and pictures on her profile so that men cannot identify her.
“The only option left is to go for an arranged marriage instead.”
Uzbekistan’s capital city boasts grand architecture and a rich cultural history
Updated 2 min 38 sec ago
Rawaa Talass
DUBAI: Tashkent may not be as famous for its architecture and culture as Paris, Rome or Barcelona, but the capital of Uzbekistan is an underrated gem for tourists.
With a population of more than three million, Tashkent is the largest city in Central Asia, which was formerly part of the Soviet Union. Tashkent — which means “city of stone” — is historically significant as one of several trading hubs (along with its neighboring cities Bukhara and Samarkand) on the Silk Road stretching from Europe to China. In the 8th century, the city was under Muslim Arab rule, and Islamic architecture, studded with stunning blue tiles that match the skies above Tashkent, remains a notable feature.
Under Soviet rule, Tashkent saw a rise in the modernist style of heavy, brutalist buildings beloved by the USSR — see, for example, the overwhelming, grid-like exterior of Hotel Uzbekistan, established in 1974. Between the 1960s and 1990s, such structures were part of a plan to rebuild the city after an earthquake in 1966.
Tashkent's Alisher Navoiy Theater. (Shutterstock)
One of the grandest buildings in Tashkent is the centrally located Alisher Navoiy Theater, an elegant opera house which opened in the 1930s, playing the timeless melodies of classical maestros Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Verdi. It is named after the poet and national hero dubbed “the father of Uzbek literature,” who was born in modern-day Afghanistan during the 1400s. Designed by the Soviet architect Alexey Shchusev, the 1,500-seat opera house radiates with European and Oriental stylistic elements. Its six lobbies are named after the Uzbek cities of Bukhara, Khorezm, Samarkand, Fergana, Termez and Tashkent.
A number of museums — devoted to history, art, geology and warfare — exist in the capital; one of the best is the highly ornate Museum of Applied Arts, which pays tribute to the delicate handcraftsmanship of traditional Uzbek artisans, and displays embroidery, pottery, miniature paintings, jewelry and weaponry. The building itself is a work of art too, showcasing detailed wooden ceilings rendered with floral and geometric motifs.
There are more than 2,000 mosques in Uzbekistan and one of its oldest is Kukeldash Madrasah, founded in the 1500s. The tranquil site, which has been restored and used for various purposes over the years, was originally built to host lessons in Islamic studies and the Qur’an (lessons which still happen today). It also houses an intimate calligraphy studio. The main facade features Arabic scripture and a pattern of arches, decorated by predominantly blue mosaics.
Close by is the lively and substantial Chorsu Bazaar, where locals go to shop for food, spices, crockery and trinkets. The ruby-colored pomegranate fruit is particularly popular, and also features as a motif on clothing, acting, in a way, as a symbol of the country. The bazaar sits under a blue ornamented dome, which was designed in 1980.
Inside Tashkent's Chorsu Bazaar. (Arab News)
If you’re looking for a more peaceful location, then the Rakhimovs Ceramic Studio is the place to be. This haven of creativity, accessible by appointment only, aims to preserve the heritage of ceramic art. Full of decorated pottery pieces, the family-run space tells the story of four generations of ceramic masters, starting with one of Tashkent’s prominent 20th-century ceramicists and restorer of mosaics Mukhitdin Rakhimov down to his grandson, Alisher Rakhimov Akbarovich, who has passed along the art of pottery to his son, Shokhrukh.
And Tashkent’s attractions are not all on its surface. Be sure to visit the Tashkent Metro, which, in 1977, became the first subway system in Central Asia. Its 29 stations resemble art galleries, full of sophisticated columns, patterned domes, colorful tiles and murals with stories of national pride to tell. Perhaps the most famous station in the system is Kosmonavtlar (Cosmonauts), with its blue-and-white interior that inspired by the ‘space race,’ which occurred between the 1950s and 1970s. The walls of the station showcase large medallions depicting the Soviet Union’s leading astronauts, Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova, respectively the first man and woman to go to space.
Kosmonavtlar Station on the Tashkent Metro. (Shutterstock)
Tashkent is an ideal location for lovers of architecture who want to discover something atypical. It has a visually appealing landscape of old and modern buildings, demonstrating the city’s diverse cultural heritage, which is worthy of preservation and attention.
Princess Rajwa makes first public appearance since giving birth
Updated 16 October 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: New mother Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein made her first public appearance since the birth of her first child, Princess Iman bint Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II.
Appearing alongside her husband, Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, the couple attended the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match in support of the national football team at Amman International Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The pair, both dressed casually in all-black ensembles, were seen cheering on the Jordanian team as they played against Oman’s national team.
On August 3, 2024, the Saudi-born royal welcomed her first child, Princess Iman.
The Royal Hashemite Court released a statement on the birth of Princess Iman.
“The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein were blessed, on 3 August 2024, with a baby girl they named Iman,” the statement read.
At her birth, Jordan’s King Abdullah posted a tribute to his granddaughter on social media. Translated from Arabic, the post reads: "I thank God for giving us our first granddaughter Iman bint Hussein. I congratulate beloved Hussein and Rajwa for their newborn.
“We ask God to raise her well and protect her for her parents. You have lit up our family.”
Princess Rajwa, who celebrated her 30th birthday in April, is the daughter of late Saudi businessman Khalid bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al-Saif, who died in January this year, and his wife, Azza bint Nayef Abdulaziz Ahmad Al-Sudairi.
Van Gogh, Cezanne masterpieces go on show at Louvre Abu Dhabi
Exhibition of postimpressionist paintings includes works never before seen in region
Collection ‘created specifically for us,’ museum director says
Updated 16 October 2024
Hams Saleh
DUBAI: The Louvre Abu Dhabi has launched its latest exhibition, “Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances,” featuring works by some of the most celebrated artists of the influential movement — many on display in the region for the first time.
Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Georges Seurat, Henri-Edmond Cross, Emile Bernard, Paul Serusier, Paul Gauguin and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whose work helped shape the postimpressionist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are all represented.
Organized by Jean-Remi Touzet, curator of painting at Musee d’Orsay in Paris, and Jerome Farigoule, chief curator at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the exhibition is being held in collaboration with the Musee d’Orsay and France Museums. It runs until Feb. 9.
The exhibition runs until Feb. 9. (Supplied)
Manuel Rabate, director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, told Arab News: “This concentration is unique and created specifically for us. We held an exhibition on impressionism in 2022, but once again we’re able to bring a significant number of important paintings, drawings and prints to the region, granting access to a fundamental moment in art history.
“We first focused on impressionism, now our attention is on the constellation of artists that are framed within postimpressionism, which is not just one school, it is diverse.”
The exhibition also includes two paintings by Egyptian artist Georges Hanna Sabbagh: “The Artist and His Family at the Church of La Clarte” (1920), on loan from the Pompidou Center in Paris, and “The Family: The Sabbaghs in Paris” (1921), on loan from the Musee de Grenoble in France.
Vincent van Gogh, whose work helped shape the postimpressionist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is represented at the exhibition. (Supplied)
The works are accompanied by the actual palettes the artists used to create them.
“We aimed to make the exhibition extremely relevant to the region, whether by including artists like Sabbagh or by showcasing the artists’ palettes themselves,” Rabate said.
“With artists like Sabbagh you see the connection with our modernity.”
Visitors would be treated to “access to the artists’ works, like Van Gogh and Cezanne, which they may have only seen reproduced elsewhere. Here, you’ll be in the physical presence of them,” Rabate said.
“You may discover other artists as well. The surprise can take two forms: reconnecting with an old friend or discovering a new one. This exhibition will give guests access and inspiration.”
French Algerian model Loli Bahia fronts YSL beauty campaign
Updated 16 October 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: French Algerian model Loli Bahia graced yet another Yves Saint Laurent Beauty campaign this week, fronting the launch of the brand’s Inks Vinyl Cream lipstick.
In the video, she is seen applying a vibrant red shade from the collection, showcasing the product’s high shine finish and bold color.
This is not the model’s first collaboration with Yves Saint Laurent Beauty. Named a brand ambassador in January 2023, Bahia has since maintained an ongoing partnership with the brand.
Earlier this year, she starred in a video campaign that featured Bahia applying two shades of the brand’s Rouge Pur Couture The Slim lipsticks. The orange and nude hues were titled “Fiery Vermillion” and “Scorching Brown.”
Bahia is quickly shaping up to be one of the most in-demand models in the industry, becoming a runway fixture in just a few months after a breakthrough Spring 2022 fashion season, where she walked in 65 shows.
The model, who is signed to Women Management Paris, made her runway debut in 2020 at Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2021 show. She would go on to star in the Parisian luxury house’s advertising campaign for Fall 2021.
Since then, she has walked for a host of prestigious labels, including Chanel, Givenchy, Lanvin and Valentino.
In September, she maintained a busy schedule, walking in both Milan and New York Fashion Weeks.
In New York, she modeled for American designer Tory Burch, wearing a sleek, structured black ensemble from the Spring/Summer 2025 collection. The outfit featured asymmetrical cuts and overlapping panels, offering a modern, deconstructed look. The top had a wrap-like structure with subtle ties at the front, while the skirt featured a high slit, complemented by oversized statement earrings and classic black peep-toe heels.
Following her appearance in New York, Bahia wowed audiences in Milan at a Gucci show. She wore a charcoal grey, tailored zip-up jacket with a prominent, pointed collar and a slightly oversized fit, striking a balance between relaxed and structured aesthetics. The ensemble was paired with matching wide-leg trousers and accessorized with a sleek, metallic choker and white loafers detailed in black.
