Culture

Formula One drivers will join video gamers and others in a series of virtual grands prix to replace a swathe of races postponed by the coronavirus outbreak, the sport announced on Friday. The first, run on the official F1 2019 PC video game, will be held from 2000GMT this Sunday …

Bars and nightclubs in Turkey will be closed from Monday in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Turkish Interior Ministry said on Sunday. It said the temporary ban will go into effect at 10 am (0700 GMT) on Monday. The ministry did not say how long the …

Hurricane Katrina. The New Zealand earthquake. Even the Spanish economy. Over the years, LGBT+ people have been blamed for disasters both natural and man-made, and now they stand accused of being responsible for the coronavirus epidemic. Several U.S. religious figures and an influential Israeli rabbi have suggested the emergence of …

University student Sophie Meehan was enjoying a family trip to the theater in London when pictures of a stranger’s genitals popped up on her mobile phone. The 20-year-old was about to board a train to return home to Kent in southeast England last year when an AirDrop file appeared on …

United Nations human rights guardian Michelle Bachelet urged the global community on Thursday to show solidarity with people of ethnic Asian origin subject to discrimination amid an outbreak of a novel coronavirus that started in China. “The coronavirus epidemic has set off a disturbing wave of prejudice against people of …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday Bernie Sanders was wrong to call him a racist during a debate among contenders for the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination, but shied away from attacking the senator in return. “I am not intervening in the U.S. election,” Netanyahu replied when asked on …

A satirical Belgian carnival parade decried by Israel’s foreign minister as “hateful” went ahead on Sunday despite being withdrawn from the United Nation’s list of recognized cultural events over accusations of racism and anti-Semitism. After a float in 2019 featured caricatures of ultra-Orthodox Jews standing with bags of money, organizers …

German Kurds called on Thursday for stronger government action against far-right radicalism and racism as they mourned the victims of a gun attack on two shisha lounges. “Politicians must ask themselves, ‘how did we get here?’” Metin Kan, who said he was a close friend of one of the people …

The Utah state Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday effectively to decriminalize polygamy among consenting adults, reducing penalties for a practice with deep religious roots in the predominantly Mormon state. The bill, which would treat the offense of plural marriage as a simple infraction on par with a parking ticket, now …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD   Was watching an annoying science fiction movie the other day called variously The Holy Relic and The Hunt for the Hidden Relic (2002), and was struck by a number of things, good and bad. First, the bad. The movie is German, adapted from a novel …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended on Saturday his nation’s global role despite misgivings in Europe, vowing that Western values would prevail over Russian and Chinese desires for “empire”. Seeking to reassure Europeans troubled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America first” rhetoric, his ambivalence over the NATO military alliance …

The mayor of Tel Aviv ordered the removal on Friday of highway billboards that appeared to call for the surrender at gunpoint of Palestinian leaders for the sake of peace. “Peace is made ONLY with defeated enemies,” said the billboards, which showed photo-shopped images of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and …

Iran’s week-long parliamentary election campaign started on Thursday, state TV reported, a vote seen as a popularity test for the clerical establishment at a time when relations with Washington are at their worst since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The Guardian Council, which must approve candidates, has rejected around 6,850 moderate …

Business is booming at Iran’s largest flag factory which makes U.S., British and Israeli flags for Iranian protesters to burn. At the factory in the town of Khomein, southwest of the capital Tehran, young men and women print the flags by hand then hang them up to dry. The factory …

Iranian rapper Amir Tataloo has been detained by Turkish authorities in Istanbul after he was flagged as a wanted person by Interpol, police say. Turkish police said Interpol issued a “red notice” for Tataloo, real name Amirhossein Maghsoudloo. The notice, which is not an arrest warrant, was for a drug-related …

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said Jordan will host 2020 Olympics boxing qualifiers for Asia and Oceania after an event in China’s Wuhan was canceled due to fears over the new flu-like coronavirus. The death toll from the virus rose to 41 on Saturday, with more than 1,300 infected …

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will no longer be working members of Britain’s monarchy and they will pay their own way in life as they embark on an independent future, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday. They will also no longer use their “Royal Highness” titles, the palace said in …

The British government secretly funded Reuters in the 1960s and 1970s at the behest of an anti-Soviet propaganda unit linked to British intelligence and concealed the funding by using the BBC to make the payments, declassified government documents show. The money was used to expand Reuters coverage of the Middle …

Several Israeli school districts held impromptu tolerance classes on Sunday after the country’s education minister, an Orthodox rabbi, angered LGBT campaigners by implying homosexuality was unnatural. The furor over the remarks by Education Minister Rafael Peretz – who last year spoke favorably about gay “conversion therapy”, a widely discredited method …

Pope Francis called on Sunday for dialogue and restraint two days after the killing of a top Iranian military commander by the United States. Speaking at the Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican, the pope did not mention Iran by name but spoke of a terrible air of tension that …

By: Emily Devereaux | This Christmas season, let’s reflect on Jesus’ life and the historical areas of that far away land. While there is a debate about who is Jesus, still, there is some evidence o His Palestinian heritage. He especially represents Palestinian heritage in many of his teachings and …

Pope Francis urged the world to let the light of Christmas pierce the “darkness in human hearts” that leads to religious persecution, social injustice, armed conflicts and fear of migrants. In his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message, the 83-year-old pope called for peace …

By Angela Haupt  Freelance Writer Dec. 23, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. GMT+2 If you read it and loved it in 2019, read more like it in 2020. Here are 12 books, from a variety of genres, to consider based on recent favorites. If you enjoyed “City of Girls,” by Elizabeth …

Hosting a summit of Muslim leaders, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad bemoaned the state of Islam and defended the meeting that has been shunned by Saudi Arabia and criticized for undermining the bigger Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Divisions in the Muslim world were self-evident as only about 20 countries sent …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday came out in support of Arsenal player Mesut Ozil for his criticism of China’s treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims, saying Beijing can censor the team’s football games but cannot hide rights violations. The Arsenal midfielder, a German Muslim of Turkish origin, last …

Female Turkish lawmakers sang a Chilean song in parliament that has been taken up in demonstrations globally to protest violence against women, and displayed photographs of women who have been killed. Unofficial data compiled by a Turkish advocacy group shows men murdered 440 women in the country last year, more …

There are many interesting legends that tell about the origin of Khiva. Allegedly, the city grew around the well Hewvakh, with tasty and cool water. The well was dug by the order of Shem, the elder son of Biblical Noah. Today one can see this well in the old part of Khiva, …

We can attract more tourists with our history and values Shavkat Mirziyoyev Khiva – The City Museum Khiva is the most peculiar Uzbek city. Its history is inextricably connected with the history of the legendary Khorezmshah’s State with its capital in Urgench before. Khiva is a very ancient city. In the 10th …

What is Itchan-Kala? In ancient Khiva, as well as other eastern cities, was divided into three parts: the fortress – Kunya-Ark, suburb – Dishan-Kala and the city – Itchan-Kala. Today Itchan-Kala (Ichan Kala) is open-air museum. It is the old part of the city, surrounded with wall and turned into the …

Restaurants in Saudi Arabia will no longer need to maintain entrances segregated by sex, the authorities said on Sunday, further eroding some of the world’s strictest social rules as sweeping reforms take hold. Previously, Saudi Arabia required all restaurants to have one entrance for families and women, and another for …

If the city of Navoi is still “nothing at all”, then in six or seven kilometers south of the city of Navoi one of the most ancient settlements of craftsmen “Sangbur” is located.  The name comes from the words “Sang” – stone and “drill” – to drill, break, that is, …

New York lawmakers are considering setting up the nation’s first ban on virginity testing, a practice common in many countries, legislators said on Tuesday, after a U.S. rapper sparked controversy by saying he subjected his daughter to yearly exams. The proposed measures in New York would prohibit doctors from checking …

The Levant News Exclusive – By Emad El-Din Aysha | Mark Sedgwick is Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at Aarhus University, and Chair of the Nordic Society for Middle Eastern Studies. He studied history at Oxford University, did his PhD at the University of Bergen, and taught for many …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited U.S. troops in Iraq on Saturday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday period. During his visit Pence also held a call with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. Pence visited Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq where U. Source: Reuters

On the occasion of World Cities’ Day, celebrated on 31 October, UNESCO designated Beirut Creative City for Literature. With this annoucement, Beirut joins the Organization’s Network of Creative Cities, which now number a total of 246 members. The Network brings together cities that base their development on creativity, whether in …

By Russell Morris   Regarding The Basic Income with Demurrage as a distribution mechanism, and  our Agent of Transformation A message from Silvio, embedded in a book of magic; ShiBboLeTh. “After 30 YEARS of watching closely what was happening with The Two “No Eyes Guys”  (The Cash Mob Elite) and …

This source of funding for the whole agenda of keeping us all divided in any way possible, is massive. And I do not mean credit. I mean cash; US paper dollars for the most part, which pay for all the dirty work being done. The cash paper money in our …

By Russel Morris   New moon Dear Beast, I have been ceased By Two Winged Soldiers on horseback. Gently. Actually, They just showed me a document And asked me To come along. I know this document very well. It is Aktive Currency Policy. Silvio shared it with us In the …

By Russell Morris   Unexpected Meeting In The War Room Abraxas watches as The Shipping Empire and The Land Lords begin to clash. Pretty much out of the blue Abraxas exclaims in a peaceful but firm way; “I’ve surrendered” Puzzled looks from JD and JP “But,   what about …the, the …

A UAE delegation will participate in the ‘One Young World Summit 2019’, in London, UK, which will convene the brightest young talent from more than 190 countries, from 22nd to 25th October. The participation is in line with the UAE’s strategy to empower young people and provide them with an …

By Russell Morris   An open letter to William Crowdy of The White House in Washington DC: Dear Mr. Crowdy, I am very grateful to you for receiving my first correspondence with President Trump almost three years ago. Thank you. When i investigated your name i was inspired to somehow …

The oldest known natural pearl in the world has been discovered by Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi archaeologists working at a Neolithic site on Marawah Island, just off the coast of Abu Dhabi. Dubbed the ‘Abu Dhabi Pearl’, it was found in layers that have been radiocarbon …

Islamic countries are reembracing the world of knowledge they commanded during the ancient and medieval period of history but conflicts prevent that resurgence, said a prominent Russian scholar in Arabic and Islamic studies. The role of technological progress in the UAE is an example for such a resurgence to knowledge, …

An Emirati woman has been elected as a member of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development, GISD, Alliance, in a bid to scale up private sector investment for sustainable development. On Tuesday, the United Nations announced Habiba Al Mar’ashi Al Hashimi, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group, as …