Latest news with #UNESCO
Mid East Info
3 hours ago
- Mid East Info
AlUla's ‘Hegra After Dark' Experience Wins Best Arts and Culture Event at Middle East Event Awards 2025 - Middle East Business News and Information
AlUla, Saudi Arabia – June 2025: An immersive experience held exclusively in the ancient heritage destination of AlUla has been awarded Best Arts and Culture Event at the Middle East Event Awards 2025. Hegra After Dark, produced in collaboration with Saudi events company ImaginExperience is an imaginative nighttime journey set in the landscape of Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. This captivating event was first launched in October 2021 and has since welcomed thousands of curious guests. Inspired by historical research and brought to life through dramatic storytelling, sensory encounters and hands-on activities, Hegra After Dark reimagines the rich history of this city in creative and compelling ways. During the over one-hour experience, visitors are led along incense-scented trails, fully surrounding them in the rich cultural legacy of the Nabataeans and the ancient Incense Road, on which AlUla was a vital stop. From horse-drawn carriage rides to live performances and a vibrant theatrical marketplace, the experience is infused with the sights, sounds, scents, and flavours of the Nabataean era, bringing the ancient world vividly to life. Hegra After Dark will return on 26th November 2025 and will run until 14th February 2026 with the re-launch of the annual Ancient Kingdoms Festival, which returns this year from 20th November until 7th December, 2025. The event is one of many authentically crafted tours and experiences in AlUla designed for discerning travellers seeking deeply immersive, culturally rich and meaningful encounters. About AlUla: Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned. The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of over 140 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement. Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Roman's conquered the Nabataeans in 106 CE. In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open-air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages, which has been recently listed on the UNESCO's memory of the World Register. Also, AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, which has been selected as one of the World's Best Tourism Villages in 2022 by the UNWTO.
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Lavish Bezos wedding kicks off in Venice
Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos, 61, and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez, 55, kicked off a three-day wedding celebration with guests including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, and Oprah Winfrey, reported AFP. The sumptuous, secluded ceremony attended by celebrity friends on an island in Venice's lagoon, comes amid local criticism over its extravagance and ecological impact. Venice, home to the oldest film festival in the world, is used to VIPs whizzing around in speed boats, and happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014. But Bezos – one of the world's richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers – is different. And the festivities have sparked protests from environmentalists and locals who accuse authorities of pandering to the super rich while the city drowns under tourists. Wedding guests snapped by paparazzi as they hopped into boats included Jordan's Queen Rania, US football player Tom Brady, American fashion designer Spencer Antle, singer Usher, and Ivanka Trump – the daughter of US President Donald Trump. The celebrations are set to end on Saturday with a party likely at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse. Bezos and Sanchez are donating three million euros ($3.5 million) to the city, according to Veneto's regional president Luca Zaia, and are employing historic Venetian artisans. Venice's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century "fishermen's biscuits" for party bags which will also contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass. Trump and her family visited a glass-blowing workshop on the small island of Murano on Wednesday, according to the owner. Some locals say the A-list guests and their entourages bring good business but critics have accused billionaire Bezos of using the UNESCO site as his personal playground. And environmental activists have also pointed to the carbon footprint of the mega yachts and dozens of private jets bringing the rich and famous to the canal city.
Leaders
10 hours ago
- Business
- Leaders
SDAIA Supports Ethical AI in Thailand Session
Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), took part in a high-level ministerial session focused on enhancing international cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence. The session was held during the 3rd Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (GFEAI), organized by UNESCO in collaboration with the Kingdom of Thailand and in coordination with the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science. Abdullah Al-Khudairi, Chief Executive of the Strategy Management Office at SDAIA, represented the Kingdom alongside delegates from over 20 UNESCO member states and a panel of international AI experts. The session aimed to foster global dialogue on building ethical governance frameworks for AI, encouraging the exchange of national policies and best practices that support responsible and inclusive AI development. Key topics included the advancement of AI governance, ethical challenges arising from rapid technological progress, and the role of multilateral cooperation in sharing expertise and knowledge in this critical domain. Related Topics : Paris AI Action Summit: SDAIA Highlights Saudi Arabia as Comprehensive Governance Model SDAIA Winter School Boosts AI Sector with International Researchers NEOM Ignites AI Revolution with $5 Billion Oxagon Data Center Saudi Arabia Hosts Catwalk 2025 in Al-Jouf, Hail Short link : Post Views: 17 Related Stories
Scotsman
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
All aboard for a great day out in Belfast Stena Line day trips help you embrace the best Belfast festivals
With a rich history, flavoursome food scene and unique experiences Belfast is a city offering one giant adventure after another. Last summer almost 135,000 people explored this bustling city centre, uncovering its unique charm and character. Titanic Belfast is undeniably the number one visitor attraction in town but every summer the city becomes a cultural haven with an array of festivals offering something for everyone. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... And, thanks to Stena Line, embracing these fantastic festivals has never been easier. The Swedish-owned ferry company is inviting customers to leave their cars, and cares, at home and enjoy an unforgettable day out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With so much to enjoy across an action-packed summer, Stena Line has put together an overview of some of the city's best festivals. Belfast TradFest Belfast TradFest, 27 July - 3 August: A UNESCO City of Music Belfast's TradFest features world-class performances from renowned artists like Dervish, Matt Molloy, John Carty and lively pub sessions. Highlights include the annual Titanic Céilí and a diverse program of lectures, film screenings and taster sessions. Belfast Mela, County Antrim; 16 - 24 August: Northern Ireland's largest celebration of cultural diversity, Belfast Mela, returns with its most ambitious programme yet; a vibrant, inclusive festival where communities unite in celebration. The Mela transforms iconic venues and public spaces across Belfast with a rich mix of music, dance, food, art, theatre, wellbeing, and immersive experiences culminating with Mela Day in the city's Botanic Gardens. Belfast Maritime Festival,County Antrim; 6-7 September The city's iconic Titanic Quarter will be transformed into a vibrant celebration of sea, ships and stories as the Maritime Festival returns to Belfast. The waterfront will be a hive of activity, with historic ships moored along the quayside, street theatre, live music, interactive heritage experiences, artisan food markets and family-friendly zones. To book your day trip to Belfast with Stena Line visit
Gizmodo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Jeff Bezos's Wedding Invitation Is a Billionaire Fantasy Wrapped in Eco-Fluff
It's being billed as the wedding of the decade, a spectacle of wealth and power set against the romantic backdrop of Venice. The union of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, 61, and former journalist Lauren Sánchez, 55, this weekend is more than just a party. It's a coronation for a new kind of royalty. This marriage confirms the reality that tech luminaries now dominate all spheres of social life, flaunting their immense wealth with the glamour once reserved for Hollywood and monarchs. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index tells the story: eight of the world's top 10 richest people are tech moguls. This wedding is intended to be the ultimate symbol of that power, an uninhibited tech industry proudly displaying its dominance in a shower of glitter. The festivities, taking place between June 26 and 28, have drawn around 200 hand-picked VIPs. The guest list is a fusion of new power and old glamour, including Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey, George and Amal Clooney, and Mick Jagger, according to reports. Also spotted arriving were the U.S. President's daughter Ivanka Trump with her husband Jared Kushner, and Queen Rania of Jordan. The logistics of the event are as staggering as the guest list. According to Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera, 95 private jets have requested permission to land at Venice's airport. At least seven mega-yachts will be in attendance, including Bezos's own superyacht, the Koru, which is already anchored off the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. To ferry these guests, nearly all of the city's water taxis have been requisitioned. Jeff Bezos Wedding Plans Disrupted After Protesters Threaten to Fill Venice Canals With Inflatable Crocodiles This overwhelming display has sparked a backlash from locals, who worry the billionaire flotilla will make their city, already struggling with over-tourism, even more uninhabitable. Posters declaring 'No space for Bezos' have appeared around the city. Amid the protests and security concerns, the main party was reportedly moved from a 16th-century building to the Venice Arsenale, a medieval complex that is more easily controlled. For an event of such breathtaking excess, the invitation sent to guests strikes a carefully curated tone of humble philanthropy. 'We are excited for you to join us!' begins the invitation, which was posted on social media. 'We have one early request: please, no gifts.' Here is a copy of Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos' wedding invitation. Thoughts? — Theresa Longo Fans (@BarkJack_) June 24, 2025Instead of presents, Bezos and Sánchez informed their guests that they are making contributions in their names to UNESCO's Venice office 'to safeguard this city's irreplaceable cultural heritage' and to other local associations for environmental research and sustainability. The text reads like a billionaire-era version of noblesse oblige, a subtle way to embed philanthropy into luxury and rebrand Venice itself as their chosen cause. The card's design reinforces this soft-focus message. Adorned with delicate illustrations of pastel-colored butterflies, falling stars, and gondolas on the city's canals, it feels more like a page from a children's storybook than an invitation to a power-couple wedding. The point seems clear: soften the excess, aestheticize the wealth, and wrap the entire affair in a cloak of transcendence and charity. It's a PR ballet, a luxury wedding attempting to greenwash itself by inviting guests to feel like they're part of the solution, not the problem. In a world where billionaires increasingly shape public narratives, not just through wealth but through weddings, rockets, and even policies, this is a carefully curated spectacle that merges old-world glamour with modern-day branding. The wedding signals a generational shift in power. Tech billionaires are no longer confined to code and boardrooms. With this wedding, Bezos is planting a flag squarely in the world of glamor, influence, and narrative control. And while Venice will recover from the weekend's disruption, the message of the wedding is likely to echo long after the gondolas leave: this is the new elite, and they want to be seen.
