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Varieties

Red Sea International Film Festival Kickstarts in Jeddah

Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki, Asharq Al-Awsat
Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki, Asharq Al-Awsat
    Jeddah - Asma al-Ghabri, Abdulhadi Habtor
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Red Sea International Film Festival Kickstarts in Jeddah

Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki, Asharq Al-Awsat
Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki, Asharq Al-Awsat

Hours after Jeddah concluded the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the city kickstarted the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival in the historic downtown area known as Al-Balad. The event was shining with international, Arab, and Saudi film stars, filmmakers, directors, and producers.

The festival, which is set for ten days, presents a solid and diverse program rich in cinematic ideas, methods, and languages, with the participation of veteran performers, young Saudi and Arab artists, and top stars of international cinema.

This first celebration of its kind in the Kingdom is evidence of the cultural and artistic movement that Saudi Arabia is experiencing today, according to the Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki.

Al-Turki described the organization of the festival as a “challenge” that Saudi Arabia had accepted and raced against time to have the event rise to the occasion and reach a global stage.

The festival kicked off with the Middle Eastern premiere of Joe Wright’s musical romance Cyrano.

Wright’s first musical adapts Erica Schmidt’s 2018 stage musical of the same name, which was itself based on the classic 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand.

It is noteworthy that the festival will showcase 138 films from 67 countries in more than 30 languages. It will also focus on honoring women and their role in the film industry.

The festival will organize a range of activities, performances, and events, including awards honoring women figures, seminars, and specialized lectures.

French actress Catherine Deneuve, an international artist who has presented many works and won many awards worldwide, including the British Academy Award (BAFTA), will be honored at the festival.

One of the most significant cinematic figures in the Kingdom, Haifaa Al-Mansour, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, will also be honored at the festival.

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Varieties

Punch the Baby Monkey Isn’t Being Bullied, Says Japan Zoo

Punch, right a Japanese macaque born on July 26, 2025, sits with others in the monkeys' playground at the Ichikawa city zoo in Tokyo's eastward neighboring city, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)
Punch, right a Japanese macaque born on July 26, 2025, sits with others in the monkeys' playground at the Ichikawa city zoo in Tokyo's eastward neighboring city, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)
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Punch the Baby Monkey Isn’t Being Bullied, Says Japan Zoo

Punch, right a Japanese macaque born on July 26, 2025, sits with others in the monkeys' playground at the Ichikawa city zoo in Tokyo's eastward neighboring city, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)
Punch, right a Japanese macaque born on July 26, 2025, sits with others in the monkeys' playground at the Ichikawa city zoo in Tokyo's eastward neighboring city, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)

A Japanese zoo caring for a baby monkey who has become an internet sensation was forced to issue a statement denying he was being bullied, following an outpouring of concern online.

Punch, a seven-month-old baby macaque, was abandoned by his mother and shot to stardom after he began clinging to a plush orangutan toy from IKEA for comfort at Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo.

But after the zoo posted on X last month that Punch "had been scolded many times by other monkeys", videos showing him being chased by members of the troop were spread online, alongside claims that he was being bullied.

"As a result, we have received many voices of concern from people both in Japan and overseas," the zoo said in a statement Tuesday.

The zoo added that Punch was becoming less reliant on the stuffed orangutan toy because increasing numbers of monkeys were looking after or playing with him.

"While dominant individuals may show disciplining actions toward their subordinates, as macaques do naturally, these actions in the macaque society 'differ from human abuses'," it said.

"Punch spends most of the day peacefully," the zoo added.

The zoo also warned that "Punch has become accustomed to living in this troop, so separating him now would create the risk that he would never be able to return to the group and would have to continue living that way for the rest of his life".

Spurned by its mother, Punch was raised in an artificial environment after being born in July, and began training to rejoin his troop earlier this year.

Punch's predicament sparked huge interest online, spawning a devoted fanbase under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch, as large crowds thronged the zoo, and sales of his IKEA orangutan toy boomed.

However, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said Punch's plight has highlighted the cruelty of zoos and called for his relocation to a "reputable sanctuary, where he could live in a more natural environment".

Varieties

Thousands of Authors Publish ‘Empty’ Book to Protest AI Using their Work

Thousands of authors published an “empty” book to protest AI (Shutterstock)
Thousands of authors published an “empty” book to protest AI (Shutterstock)
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Thousands of Authors Publish ‘Empty’ Book to Protest AI Using their Work

Thousands of authors published an “empty” book to protest AI (Shutterstock)
Thousands of authors published an “empty” book to protest AI (Shutterstock)

Thousands of authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman have published an “empty” book to protest against AI firms using their work without permission.

About 10,000 writers have contributed to Don’t Steal This Book, in which the only content is a list of their names.

Copies of the work were distributed to attenders at the London book fair on Tuesday, a week before the UK government is due to issue an assessment on the economic cost of proposed changes in copyright law.

By March 18, ministers must deliver an economic impact assessment as well as a progress update on a consultation about the legal overhaul, against a backdrop of anger among creative professionals about how their work is being used by AI firms.

The organizer of the book, Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and campaigner for protecting artists’ copyright, said the AI industry was “built on stolen work ... taken without permission or payment.”

He added: “This is not a victimless crime – generative AI competes with the people whose work it is trained on, robbing them of their livelihoods. The government must protect the UK’s creatives, and refuse to legalize the theft of creative work by AI companies.”

Other authors who have contributed their names to the book include the Slow Horses author, Mick Herron; the author Marian Keyes; the historian David Olusoga; and Malorie Blackman, the writer of Noughts and Crosses.

“It is not in any way unreasonable to expect AI companies to pay for the use of authors’ books,” said Blackman.

Varieties

Wildlife to Replace Humans on Next Series of UK Banknotes

Banknotes and coins that feature an image of Britain's King Charles III are pictured on display during a photocall for "The Future of Money" exhibition, at the Bank of England Museum, City of London, UK, Feb. 27, 2024. (AFP)
Banknotes and coins that feature an image of Britain's King Charles III are pictured on display during a photocall for "The Future of Money" exhibition, at the Bank of England Museum, City of London, UK, Feb. 27, 2024. (AFP)
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Wildlife to Replace Humans on Next Series of UK Banknotes

Banknotes and coins that feature an image of Britain's King Charles III are pictured on display during a photocall for "The Future of Money" exhibition, at the Bank of England Museum, City of London, UK, Feb. 27, 2024. (AFP)
Banknotes and coins that feature an image of Britain's King Charles III are pictured on display during a photocall for "The Future of Money" exhibition, at the Bank of England Museum, City of London, UK, Feb. 27, 2024. (AFP)

Images of ‌animals will feature on the next series of banknotes from the Bank of England, as the central bank shifts away from historical figures such as William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill and Jane Austen over the coming years.

"Nature is a great choice from a banknote authentication perspective and means we can showcase the UK's rich and varied wildlife on the next series of ‌banknotes," Victoria ‌Cleland, the BoE's chief cashier, said.

Bank ‌of ⁠England banknotes have ⁠featured monarchs since Queen Elizabeth first appeared on one in 1960, while Shakespeare was the first historic figure to appear in 1970.

King Charles' portrait will continue to appear on the next series of notes as well, the ⁠BoE said.

The BoE held a ‌consultation on a change ‌to the design of banknotes in July 2025, ‌inviting views from the public.

The theme of ‌nature was supported by 60% of the 44,000 responses, narrowly beating the category of "architecture and landmarks" on 56% and "notable historical figures" on 38%. Other categories included "arts, ‌culture and sport", "innovation" and "noteworthy milestones".

The new notes will feature wildlife native ⁠to ⁠the United Kingdom and will not include household pets, the BoE said. It plans to run a second consultation in the coming months asking for the public's views on specific animals to feature on the notes taken from a list created by British wildlife experts.

The BoE is not the only producer of banknotes in the United Kingdom. Notes are also produced by seven commercial banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland.