Arts & Culture

By Sebastien Malo NEW YORK, July 25 – Genital surgery should be banned on children whose sex characteristics are ambiguous because the procedures can scar young patients for life and be considered human rights violations, a leading rights group said on Tuesday. Several hundred so-called intersex children in the United States have undergone sex reassignment

By Maria Kiselyova and Olga Sichkar MOSCOW, July 21 – Global pizza brands Domino’s and Papa John’s are preparing an assault on Russia’s provinces, betting they can turn a profit far from Moscow as online card payments become more widespread and consumers get to know foreign brands better. While stay-at-home Muscovites can order an array

By Adnan Abidi NEW DELHI, July 14 – Joking with clients and colleagues, Mehrunnisha Shokat Ali might be mistaken for any other patron of the Social watering hole in the Indian capital’s swanky Hauz Khas neighbourhood. But the intent gaze of her kohl-rimmed eyes, as she stands with arms folded on the edge of the

By Arfa Shahid Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud has been cast in the leading role for Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, a feat many view as progress in Hollywood with regards to casting actors of color. It was in that moment, as he looked into her eyes, that he saw a soul so beautfully captivating that

A musical duo from Egypt took social media by storm after posting their cover of the chart-topper Despacito, performed on Arabic drums. The song was originally sung by Latino music artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, and recently popularized by superstar Justin Bieber with a remixed version. The video was posted by Adel Nabil, who can

ISTANBUL, July 13 – Turkish police detained the producer of a film on the life of President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, accusing him of ties to the Muslim cleric Ankara says orchestrated last year’s attempted coup, state media said. His arrest came a day after the release on social media of a trailer for a

By Emma Batha LONDON, July 12  – American cable television channel MTV is launching drama series in Egypt and in India with storylines on female genital mutilation, child marriage and sex work with the aim of generating debate around issues often seen as taboo. Both series by the Viacom-owned youth entertainment broadcaster will feature soundtracks

By Lin Taylor LONDON, July 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When Sudanese refugee Abu Haron first arrived in England in 2010, after clinging to the underside of a schoolbus from Calais in northern France, the teenager found himself at a police station surrounded by people speaking a strange language. He was 16, alone and unable

The traditional Levantine folk dance, known as ‘dabke,’ has been doing its rounds on the internet thanks to the #WallDanceChallenge that has been dominating social media trends lately. The challenge spread to U.S., France, UAE, Mexico and even Argentina after a video went viral of a group of Lebanese-Australian men doing the dabke – literally

By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES, July 6 – Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby has agreed to forfeit thousands of illegally smuggled ancient Middle Eastern artifacts obtained from antiquities dealers for a Bible museum headed by its president, the company and U.S. officials said on Wednesday. The forfeiture will include some 5,500 artifacts purchased by