عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

‘To Beirut with Love’... Sherihan and Emma Stone’s Dresses for Sale at Auction

A silk haute couture gown designed by Egyptian actress Sherihan has been signed by the star for the auction. (Sotheby's)
A silk haute couture gown designed by Egyptian actress Sherihan has been signed by the star for the auction. (Sotheby's)
TT
TT

‘To Beirut with Love’... Sherihan and Emma Stone’s Dresses for Sale at Auction

A silk haute couture gown designed by Egyptian actress Sherihan has been signed by the star for the auction. (Sotheby's)
A silk haute couture gown designed by Egyptian actress Sherihan has been signed by the star for the auction. (Sotheby's)

What brings Egyptian star Sherihan together with American actress Emma Stone, iconic model Naomi Campbell and artist Damien Hirst? They might not have any actual link, but they all came together for an auction organized by Sotheby’s in collaboration with five Lebanese charities that were established after the explosion that rocked Beirut’s port in August.

The auction, sending a message of love to Beirut, relied on generous donations made by international fashion houses, Arab and foreign celebrities, artists and renowned jewelry designers. The charities, including Nusaned (we support), Beit Al Baraka (house of blessing) and Baynta Baytak (our home is your home), will share the proceeds to those most in need.

They will also focus on helping the families that were left without homes because of the explosion and give aid to small businesses. The venture charity organization Al Fanar (beacon) will provide support to entrepreneurs, and the House of Christmas association will contribute to the efforts to restoring heritage buildings.

Edouard Gheeb, Chairman of the Middle East Department at Sotheby’s, said: “Lebanon has an art community that has made immense cultural contributions. The explosion at the Beirut port shook the city and the world, leaving an impact on all segments of Lebanese society and endless tales of loss and displacement. Sotheby’s has joined forces with our partners to provide assistance and help with rehabilitation.”

From designer Giambattista Valli to Ralph & Russo, Azzedine Alaia to Prada, the auction offers collectors the opportunity to purchase iconic pieces from international fashion houses’ archives. From the Middle East, dresses donated by Arab stars stand out. They include a luscious silk dress valued at around 22,000 pounds and partially designed and signed by Egyptian star Sherihan, who also wore it for her 1985 “One Thousand and One Nights” Ramadan show. Lebanese singer Majida al Roumi donated a sky blue dress, with an estimated to fetch 8,000 to 10,000 pounds.

From the glamorous world of Hollywood, Emma Stone offered an Elie Saab designed green embroidered dress that she wore during the 2015 Oscars, which is expected to bring in 20,000 to 30,000 pounds. From the music world, British singer Jerry Halliwell is donating the outfit she wore in the Spice Girl’s debut “Wannabe” music video.

Bringing the shine to the auction, major jewelry designers have also made generous contributions. Dior donated a gold bracelet with colored precious stones by house jeweler Victoire de Castell. It is expected to fetch between 30,000 to 50,000 pounds. Bulgari offered a rose gold necklace with an ancient gold coin priced between 3,000 to 5,000 pounds.

Damian Hirst donated an item that merges modern art with contemporary design, an exquisite bracelet with dangling golden pills from his “Medicine Cabinet” series. The limited-edition 2013 bracelet, with only 50 pieces made, is expected to fetch between 8,000 and 12,000 pounds.

Naomi Campbell also contributed, donating a personal photo taken by Rocco Lapasta, priced at 3,000 to 5,000 pounds.

From Lebanon, the auction includes works by the duo Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, who donated some of the renowned photographs from their “Wonder Beirut” postcard series that contrast scenes of Beirut during its heyday with images from the civil war. Lebanese photographer Fouad Khoury and artist Huguette Caland have also made contributions.

The auction will be held between December 7 and 15.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

'Extremely Exciting': The Ice Cores that Could Help Save Glaciers

A researcher cuts a slice from an ice core sample taken from a glacier in the Pamir mountain range in Tajikistan, at the Hokkaido University Institute of Low Temperature Science, in Sapporo, in northern Japan's Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
A researcher cuts a slice from an ice core sample taken from a glacier in the Pamir mountain range in Tajikistan, at the Hokkaido University Institute of Low Temperature Science, in Sapporo, in northern Japan's Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
TT
TT

'Extremely Exciting': The Ice Cores that Could Help Save Glaciers

A researcher cuts a slice from an ice core sample taken from a glacier in the Pamir mountain range in Tajikistan, at the Hokkaido University Institute of Low Temperature Science, in Sapporo, in northern Japan's Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
A researcher cuts a slice from an ice core sample taken from a glacier in the Pamir mountain range in Tajikistan, at the Hokkaido University Institute of Low Temperature Science, in Sapporo, in northern Japan's Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)

Dressed in an orange puffer jacket, Japanese scientist Yoshinori Iizuka stepped into a storage freezer to retrieve an ice core he hopes will help experts protect the world's disappearing glaciers.

The fist-sized sample drilled from a mountaintop is part of an ambitious international effort to understand why glaciers in Tajikistan have resisted the rapid melting seen almost everywhere else.

"If we could learn the mechanism behind the increased volume of ice there, then we may be able to apply that to all the other glaciers around the world," potentially even helping revive them, said Iizuka, a professor at Hokkaido University.

"That may be too ambitious a statement. But I hope our study will ultimately help people," he said.

Thousands of glaciers will vanish each year in the coming decades, leaving only a fraction standing by the end of the century unless global warming is curbed, a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change showed Monday.

Earlier this year, AFP exclusively accompanied Iizuka and other scientists through harsh conditions to a site at an altitude of 5,810 meters (about 19,000 feet) on the Kon-Chukurbashi ice cap in the Pamir Mountains.

The area is the only mountainous region on the planet where glaciers have not only resisted melting, but even slightly grown, a phenomenon called the "Pamir-Karakoram anomaly.”

The team drilled two ice columns approximately 105 meters (328 feet) long out of the glacier.

One is being stored in an underground sanctuary in Antarctica belonging to the Ice Memory Foundation, which supported the Tajikistan expedition along with the Swiss Polar Institute.

The other was shipped to Iizuka's facility, the Institute of Low Temperature Science at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, where the team is hunting clues on why precipitation in the region increased over the last century, and how the glacier has resisted melting.

Some link the anomaly to the area's cold climate or even increased use of agricultural water in Pakistan that creates more vapor.

But the ice cores are the first opportunity to examine the anomaly scientifically.
"Information from the past is crucial," said Iizuka.

"By understanding the causes behind the continuous build-up of snow from the past to the present, we can clarify what will happen going forward and why the ice has grown."

Since the samples arrived in November, his team has worked in freezing storage facilities to log the density, alignment of snow grains, and the structure of ice layers.

In December, when AFP visited, the scientists were kitted out like polar explorers to cut and shave ice samples in the comparatively balmy minus 20C of their lab.

The samples can tell stories about weather conditions going back decades, or even centuries.

A layer of clear ice indicates a warm period when the glacier melted and then refroze, while a low-density layer suggests packed snow, rather than ice, which can help estimate precipitation.

Brittle samples with cracks, meanwhile, indicate snowfall on half-melted layers that then refroze.

And other clues can reveal more information -- volcanic materials like sulfate ions can serve as time markers, while water isotopes can reveal temperatures.

The scientists hope that the samples contain material dating back 10,000 years or more, though much of the glacier melted during a warm spell around 6,000 years ago.

Ancient ice would help scientists answer questions such as "what kind of snow was falling in this region 10,000 years ago? What was in it?" Iizuka said.

"We can study how many and what kinds of fine particles were suspended in the atmosphere during that ice age," he added.

"I really hope there is ancient ice."

For now, the work proceeds slowly and carefully, with team members like graduate student Sora Yaginuma carefully slicing samples apart.

"An ice core is an extremely valuable sample and unique," said Yaginuma.

"From that single ice core, we perform a variety of analyses, both chemical and physical."

The team hopes to publish its first findings next year and will be doing "lots of trial-and-error" work to reconstruct past climate conditions, Iizuka said.

The analysis in Hokkaido will uncover only some of what the ice has to share, and with the other samples preserved in Antarctica, there will be opportunities for more research.

For example, he said, scientists could look for clues about how mining in the region historically affected the area's air quality, temperature and precipitation.

"We can learn how the Earth's environment has changed in response to human activities," Iizuka said.

With so many secrets yet to learn, the work is "extremely exciting," he added.

Varieties

Jane Austen Fans Celebrate the Author’s 250th Birthday in Britain and Beyond

One of the new British 10 pound notes is posed for photographs outside the Bank of England in the City of London, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. (AP)
One of the new British 10 pound notes is posed for photographs outside the Bank of England in the City of London, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. (AP)
TT
TT

Jane Austen Fans Celebrate the Author’s 250th Birthday in Britain and Beyond

One of the new British 10 pound notes is posed for photographs outside the Bank of England in the City of London, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. (AP)
One of the new British 10 pound notes is posed for photographs outside the Bank of England in the City of London, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. (AP)

Fans of Jane Austen celebrated the acclaimed author's 250th birthday on Tuesday with a church service in her home village, festive visits to her house — and a virtual party for those paying tribute from afar.

Thousands of enthusiasts around the world have already taken part in a yearlong celebration of one of English literature’s greats, who penned “Pride and Prejudice," “Sense and Sensibility” and other beloved novels.

On Tuesday — to mark 250 years since she was born on Dec. 16, 1775 — Jane Austen’s House, in the southern English village of Chawton, hosted talks, tours and performances for dozens of visitors, with celebrations concluding with an online party for fans from all over the world.

“Regency dress strongly encouraged,” organizers said, adding that more than 500 people had signed up for the Zoom party.

The cottage, now a museum with Austen artifacts, was where the author lived for the last years of her life and where she wrote all six of her novels.

A church service featuring music and readings is held in Steventon, the rural village where she was born.

Fans, who call themselves “Janeites," have marked the anniversary year with Regency balls and festivals staged in the UK, US and beyond.

At the weekend, the city of Bath, where Austen lived for five years, hosted the Yuletide Jane Austen Birthday Ball, the finale of many grand costumed events held there this year.

Varieties

Thousands of Dinosaur Footprints Found on Alpine Cliffs Near Winter Olympics Site

The Director of the Stelvio Park, Franco Claretti, poses next to a reproduction of a dinosaur prior to a press conference in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, on a discovery of thousands of dinosaur tracks at the Stelvio Park. (AP)
The Director of the Stelvio Park, Franco Claretti, poses next to a reproduction of a dinosaur prior to a press conference in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, on a discovery of thousands of dinosaur tracks at the Stelvio Park. (AP)
TT
TT

Thousands of Dinosaur Footprints Found on Alpine Cliffs Near Winter Olympics Site

The Director of the Stelvio Park, Franco Claretti, poses next to a reproduction of a dinosaur prior to a press conference in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, on a discovery of thousands of dinosaur tracks at the Stelvio Park. (AP)
The Director of the Stelvio Park, Franco Claretti, poses next to a reproduction of a dinosaur prior to a press conference in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, on a discovery of thousands of dinosaur tracks at the Stelvio Park. (AP)

Italian paleontologists have uncovered thousands of dinosaur footprints on a near-vertical rock face more than 2,000 meters above sea level in the Stelvio National Park, a discovery they say is among the world's richest sites for the Triassic period.

The tracks, some up to 40 cm wide and showing claw marks, stretch for about five kilometers in the high-altitude glacial Valle di Fraele near Bormio, one of the venues for the 2026 Winter Olympics in the northern region of Lombardy.

"This is one of the largest and oldest footprint sites in Italy, and among the most spectacular I've seen in 35 years," said Cristiano Dal Sasso, paleontologist at Milan's Natural History Museum in a press conference on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Lombardy Region.

Experts believe the prints were left by herds of long-necked herbivores, likely plateosaurs, more than 200 million years ago when the area was a warm lagoon, ideal for dinosaurs to roam along beaches, leaving tracks in the mud near the water.

"The footprints were impressed when the sediments were still soft, on the wide tidal flats that surrounded the Tethys Ocean," said Fabio Massimo Petti, ichnologist at MUSE museum of Trento, attending the same conference.

"The muds, now turned to rock, have allowed the preservation of remarkable anatomical details of the feet, such as impressions of the toes and even the claws," Petti added.

As the African plate gradually moved north, closing and drying up the Tethys Ocean, sedimentary rocks that formed the seabed were folded, creating the Alps.

The fossilized dinosaur footprints shifted from a horizontal position to the vertical one on a mountain slope spotted by a wildlife photographer in September while chasing deer and bearded vultures, experts said.

"The natural sciences deliver to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games an unexpected and precious gift from remote eras," Giovanni Malagò, President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee told journalists.

The area cannot be reached by trails, so drones and remote sensing technologies will have to be used to study it.