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Manga Arabia Takes Part in Anime Village at Jeddah Season

Anime Village at Jeddah Season. (SPA)
Anime Village at Jeddah Season. (SPA)
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Manga Arabia Takes Part in Anime Village at Jeddah Season

Anime Village at Jeddah Season. (SPA)
Anime Village at Jeddah Season. (SPA)

The Saudi Research and Media Group's (SRMG) Manga Arabia is taking part in the Anime Village as part of Jeddah Season 2022.

Anime Village is the first of its kind and largest village in the Middle East to celebrate anime.

The village features several global exhibitions and entertainment activities that celebrate anime.

The village was inaugurated on Thursday and will remain open for six weeks.

Manga Arabia will feature alongside Japan's most renowned publishers and production houses. It boasts its own wing at the exhibition that features interactive activities for people of all ages.

Manga Arabia will offer several enrichment workshops, including story writing, the basics of illustration and manga production and Japanese language courses for beginners.

A Manga Arabia cafe has been set up and people of all ages will be able to receive copies of Manga Arabia comics.

Editor- in-Chief of Manga Arabia, Dr. Issam Amanallah Bukhary said: "Manga Arabia marked a revolution in entertainment innovation in Saudi Arabia and the Arab wold."

"It is no secret the major impact manga art, its stories and cartoons, have had on generations," he added.

"Through this project, we are hoping to empower the imagination and open broader horizons to readers so that they can take part in inspiring experiences," he remarked.

"At Manga Arabia, we believe in the important role of interacting with the reader and fans, we therefore sought to be part of the major Seasons events, such as Riyadh Season, where we achieved remarkable success through Manga Arabia Boulevard," he added.

"We are following up on this success through our exclusive presence at Anime Village at Jeddah Season," he stated.

SRMG launched Manga Arabia in August 2021 stemming from the growth in popularity of Japanese manga and anime in the region over the last two decades and the demand for localized storytelling. Manga Arabia’s imaginative Arabic content is purposeful, safe, and inspired by Arab cultural values.

Manga Arabia boasts two offerings: “Manga Arabia Kids” with content catering to the 10–15-year-old age group, and a second title targeting those 16 and above.

With the aim of stimulating and fostering the imagination and creativity of the community, Manga Arabia produces original, high-quality, and authentic content, inspired by the culture and values of the Arab region for both regional and global audiences. The project champions local creatives for original content, alongside translated content from Japanese and international partners.

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Varieties

Indian Marble Waste Dump Becomes Unlikely Tourist Attraction

Tourists visit the marble-waste dumping yard in Rajasthan's Kishangarh city on August 16, 2026. (AFP)
Tourists visit the marble-waste dumping yard in Rajasthan's Kishangarh city on August 16, 2026. (AFP)
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Indian Marble Waste Dump Becomes Unlikely Tourist Attraction

Tourists visit the marble-waste dumping yard in Rajasthan's Kishangarh city on August 16, 2026. (AFP)
Tourists visit the marble-waste dumping yard in Rajasthan's Kishangarh city on August 16, 2026. (AFP)

A sprawling expanse of white marble waste in India is drawing tourists, filmmakers and social media enthusiasts to a landscape that looks more like a snow-covered valley than a dumping ground.

The site in Kishangarh, a major marble-processing hub in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, is blanketed in white slurry and discarded stone generated when marble and granite blocks are cut and polished.

Spread across 82 acres (33 hectares), it receives more than 5,500 tons of slurry every day from over 1,200 processing units, making it one of Asia's largest such disposal sites.

But the industrial wasteland has evolved into an unlikely attraction.

Couples pose among the chalk-white mounds for pre-wedding photographs, while filmmakers and music-video crews use the terrain as a backdrop.

Visitors ride horses across the undulating landscape, drawn by its unusual appearance.

Social media has fueled the site's popularity, with visitors comparing its gleaming surface to snowy alpine scenery.

After rainfall, water collects in depressions between the waste piles, forming vivid blue pools that accentuate the illusion of a mountain vista.

Authorities have repeatedly warned about the environmental impacts of marble waste disposal in the region, citing risks ranging from airborne dust to groundwater contamination.

Studies have detected elevated levels of salinity, hardness and some heavy metals in water from the surrounding area.

India's top environmental court ordered a series of corrective measures in January, including guidelines aimed at promoting the reuse of slurry instead of uncontrolled dumping.

"There is no engineered liner system, no decanting wells, no dust suppression mechanisms, no monitoring of air or groundwater, and no protective green belt," the tribunal said in its order.

But those dangers have not yet deterred crowds of visitors from soaking in the striking, otherworldly scenery.

Varieties

Food Safety Crackdown Snares Mumbai's Famed Restaurants

This photograph taken on July 30, 2026 shows Maharashtra's Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Tukaram Mundhe speaking with AFP at his office in Mumbai. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP)
This photograph taken on July 30, 2026 shows Maharashtra's Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Tukaram Mundhe speaking with AFP at his office in Mumbai. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP)
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Food Safety Crackdown Snares Mumbai's Famed Restaurants

This photograph taken on July 30, 2026 shows Maharashtra's Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Tukaram Mundhe speaking with AFP at his office in Mumbai. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP)
This photograph taken on July 30, 2026 shows Maharashtra's Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Tukaram Mundhe speaking with AFP at his office in Mumbai. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP)

When food safety inspectors raided a Mumbai dessert parlor famed for its ice cream sandwiches last month, they found rats, houseflies and expired flavoring agents.

At another beloved restaurant known for slow-cooked mutton and beef stews, they discovered meat stored in filthy containers, greasy floors and open windows that could let in insects and crows.

Both eateries were ordered shut in the toughest crackdown in years on restaurants in the megacity of more than 20 million people.

Residents of India's financial capital are fiercely protective of their food culture, but many have welcomed the closure of some of the best-known establishments over a lack of hygiene.

Much of the campaign has been driven by Tukaram Mundhe, the new head of Maharashtra state's food safety regulator.

"If they are abiding by the law... they have nothing to fear. And those who do not, they have no place to hide," Mundhe told AFP.

In July alone, his office inspected nearly 900 businesses and temporarily suspended more than 100 licenses.

The sweep has targeted everything from top eateries and luxury hotels to canteens at elite institutions, including the nearly century-old Cricket Club of India.

Mundhe, who has 2.6 million Instagram followers, said he was surprised by how many owners lacked knowledge of even basic food safety rules.

"How to receive the raw material, how to store it, how to process it... whether there should be (special) flooring. Many of the things they are unaware (of)."

India has a robust food safety framework on paper, but enforcement remains weak.

Government data from 2022 to 2025 shows roughly one in six food samples tested by the federal regulator failed to meet key standards.

While Indians are used to street food carts that use grimy rags or rancid cooking oil, they have higher expectations for established restaurants.

Mundhe's no-holds-barred approach has won support from residents who believe some operators routinely bribe officials to overlook violations.

"Every department must have an officer like Mundhe," said Mumbai resident Pramod Shinde.
"Corruption and adulteration can be contained only through the strict actions of such officers."

But the campaign is also facing resistance from hotel lobby groups, who have criticized it as too heavy-handed.

"The sudden suspension or termination of licenses without prior notice or opportunity for corrective action is a matter of grave concern," three industry associations said in a statement, adding that they had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This photograph taken on August 1, 2026 shows a cyclist riding past the 110 year-old Parsi Dairy Farm which reopened after being closed down for food safety norms violation by Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Mumbai. (Photo by Indranil Mukherjee / AFP)

Courts have also begun weighing in.

In one case, local media reported that Mumbai's high court had overturned the suspension of a hotel's license, telling regulators to tone down their approach given "we're in India".

Anxiety has also spread among roadside vendors, many of whom fear they could be next.

"If the smaller street-food stalls are closed down, where will we go? We have a family and kids to support," said Ashok Verma, who runs a sandwich shop.

Mundhe, who took over in May, says much of the criticism he has faced is unfair since only a small share of inspections have led to license suspensions.

"(But) we don't compromise on unhealthy or unsafe food which is likely to go in the stomach of the person."

Experts say India's food safety problems are structural and cannot be fixed through inspections alone.

A shortage of personnel is among the biggest challenges. Maharashtra's regulator has fewer than 400 officers, despite rules requiring more than twice that number.

"They ideally need 2,000 for proper functioning," said food safety consultant Sanjay Indani.

Many residents worry Mundhe may not stay long enough to complete the overhaul, given India's reputation for frequently transferring bureaucrats who upset powerful interests.

Mundhe has reportedly been moved 20 times during a career spanning more than two decades.

He has received some backing from the rich and influential, including billionaire Harsh Goenka.

"Nothing restores public faith faster than seeing the powerful treated like everyone else. Nothing destroys it faster than transferring the officer who made that happen. Let's hope this time it's different," Goenka wrote on social media.

Mundhe himself is unfazed by the prospect of reassignment.

"I do not look at it as a hanging sword on me. I just look at my role where I am posted. I try to do it in the best possible manner," he said.

Varieties

Corgis Race, Bark and Sniff Their Way to Glory at a Growing International Race

Corgis race during the Corgi Race Vilnius 2026 event in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP)
Corgis race during the Corgi Race Vilnius 2026 event in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP)
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Corgis Race, Bark and Sniff Their Way to Glory at a Growing International Race

Corgis race during the Corgi Race Vilnius 2026 event in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP)
Corgis race during the Corgi Race Vilnius 2026 event in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP)

It's not all about short-legged speed when 150 corgis gather for an international race celebrating the little dogs. There's a costume parade, the "smartest nose," and — of course — the loudest bark.

The fifth Corgi Race Vilnius drew dogs and their owners to the Lithuanian capital's Vingis park on Saturday for what organizers said was the biggest edition yet. There were competitors from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Germany, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, the United States and Britain — the country most closely associated with the breed, famously a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

“In the first year, we gathered 40 corgis from one city. This year, it’s 150 from nine countries, and for the first time we have a participant from the place where the breed originated,” organizer Edvinas Miskas said.

“We call Vilnius the European capital of corgis, and when people from the breed’s homeland start coming to us rather than the other way around, that title begins to sound a little more serious.”

Ninety-four dogs took part in the main running event, competing in qualifiers, semifinals and the final.

In the final, which pitted corgis against each other over 25 meters (82 feet), the winner was American competitor GG, short for Gustave the Girl Dog. Another US entrant, Mr. Corgington, finished a close second. Lithuania's own Moka, a two-time former champion, was third.

But much of the program dispensed with speed to explore the other skills of the dogs and their owners.

There was a costume parade featuring 38 corgis in diverse outfits including a dinosaur suit, a dress and doggy sports gear. Amigo swept both the four-judge jury and the public Facebook vote for a flawless costume entry with a knight-like look.

In the “smartest nose” challenge, dogs searched for hidden treats. Latvian corgis Tora and Rusty shared the win.

And then there was the loudest bark competition. The first British competitor, 12-year-old Pembroke Welsh corgi Duke from Sedbergh in northwest England, didn't participate in the main race because of his stately age but was a hopeful in the barking stakes after, as his owner put it, training for his whole life.

It was Mr. Corgington who won the loudest bark contest, though.

He was one of the most traveled competitors. The final race offered him a rematch after he finished second against GG at a major race at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington — her second consecutive win there.

Half of the corgis registered in Vilnius this year were taking part for the first time. But six veterans — costume winner Amigo, Foksas, Foksis, Madeira, Bulka and Dziugas — have attended every edition.