عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

UNESCO: Arabic is One of the Pillars of Human Civilization

The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at their headquarters in Paris, France, Oct. 30, 2017. Reuters
The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at their headquarters in Paris, France, Oct. 30, 2017. Reuters
TT
TT

UNESCO: Arabic is One of the Pillars of Human Civilization

The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at their headquarters in Paris, France, Oct. 30, 2017. Reuters
The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at their headquarters in Paris, France, Oct. 30, 2017. Reuters

UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay has described Arabic as one of the most widespread languages in the world, saying it is one of the pillars of human civilization.

“The Arabic language is one of the most widespread languages in the world, and it is the tongue of more than 422 million people, and through it they communicate and interact,” Azoulay said in a statement in a report released by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth on the state of the Arabic language and its future.

“Arabic is one of the pillars of human civilization, and it is the language of innovation and exploration in the fields of science, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, philosophy and history, throughout the ages, and it was and still is a bridge of knowledge, across time and space and contributed through the centuries, with the rest World cultures, in the accumulation of the legacy of humanity.”

UAE’s Minister of Culture and Youth Noura Al Kaabi said "The State of the Arabic Language and Its Future” report constitutes a basis and a reference point to assist decision-makers in governments and private institutions at the regional and global levels in everything related to the Arabic language.

She noted that the report will be the first building block in the framework of a permanent case study project The Arabic language, and working to enhance its presence and use in its various forms.

The report focused on the most important issues of interest to decision-makers working in the Arabic language sector, she said.

The minister explained that this work is part of the UAE’s commitment to its cultural identity and its role as an active contributor to the cultural identity of the region.

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan also said in the report that the Arabic language has received great attention from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Saudi Arabia placed the language in a major position in all its systems and regulations, he said.

As for Sheikha Mai bint Muhammad Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, she described language as a mother.

“Language preserves identity and its first embrace. It is the first word that we wake up to in this world.”

The report showed the growth of digital publishing platforms in the Arabic language, as the number of novels published on one of the platforms reached 2,600 novels, while the number of views of some novels reached 10 million.

The report also found that Arabic is among the most used languages on the internet, and pointed to a high demand by non-Arabic speakers to learn Arabic.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Row Deepens Over Vanished River Wave in Munich

(FILES) Surfers ride the Eisbach (ice creek) wave during freezing conditions on the Isar River in the English Garden in Munich, southern Germany on January 4, 2017. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP)
(FILES) Surfers ride the Eisbach (ice creek) wave during freezing conditions on the Isar River in the English Garden in Munich, southern Germany on January 4, 2017. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP)
TT
TT

Row Deepens Over Vanished River Wave in Munich

(FILES) Surfers ride the Eisbach (ice creek) wave during freezing conditions on the Isar River in the English Garden in Munich, southern Germany on January 4, 2017. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP)
(FILES) Surfers ride the Eisbach (ice creek) wave during freezing conditions on the Isar River in the English Garden in Munich, southern Germany on January 4, 2017. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP)

A row over the disappearance of a famous river surfing wave in Munich escalated on Sunday as authorities removed a beam inserted over Christmas to recreate the attraction.

The Eisbach wave on a side branch of the Isar River had been a landmark in the Bavarian city since the 1980s but it vanished in October after annual cleanup work along the riverbed.

Activists had placed a beam in the water early on December 25 to partially recreate the wave, according to German media reports, and hung a banner above the water that read "Merry Christmas".

But a spokesman for the Munich fire service told AFP the "installation was removed" on Sunday at the request of city authorities.

Activists have made several attempts to reinstate the wave in the city's Englischer Garten park since October -- only to see them reversed.

The local surfers' association IGSM on Thursday posted a statement on its website saying it had abandoned its campaign to save the wave, accusing city authorities of dragging their feet.

The Eisbach wave was considered the largest and most consistent river wave in the heart of a major city and had become a tourist attraction in Bavaria's state capital.

Franz Fasel, head of the IGSM, told AFP in July that 3,000 to 5,000 local surfers were using it.

Access to the wave was cut off for several months earlier this year after the death of a 33-year-old Munich woman who became trapped under the surface while surfing at night.

Varieties

New York Subway Ends its MetroCard Era and Switches Fully to Tap-and-go Fares

Lev Radin, a MetroCard collector, shows his collection of Inaugural Limited Edition MetroCards, Dec. 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Lev Radin, a MetroCard collector, shows his collection of Inaugural Limited Edition MetroCards, Dec. 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
TT
TT

New York Subway Ends its MetroCard Era and Switches Fully to Tap-and-go Fares

Lev Radin, a MetroCard collector, shows his collection of Inaugural Limited Edition MetroCards, Dec. 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Lev Radin, a MetroCard collector, shows his collection of Inaugural Limited Edition MetroCards, Dec. 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

When the MetroCard replaced the New York City subway token in 1994, the swipeable plastic card infused much-needed modernity into one of the world’s oldest and largest transit systems.

Now, more than three decades later, the gold-hued fare card and its notoriously finicky magnetic strip are following the token into retirement, The Associated Press reported.

The last day to buy or refill a MetroCard is Dec. 31, 2025, as the transit system fully transitions to OMNY, a contactless payment system that allows riders to tap their credit card, phone or other smart device to pay fares, much like they do for other everyday purchases.

Transit officials say more than 90% of subway and bus trips are now paid using the tap-and-go system, introduced in 2019.

Major cities around the world, including London and Singapore, have long used similar contactless systems. In the US, San Francisco launched a pay-go system earlier this year, joining Chicago and others.

MetroCards upended how New Yorkers commute The humble MetroCard may have outlasted its useful life, but in its day it was revolutionary, says Jodi Shapiro, curator at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, which opened an exhibit earlier this month reflecting on the MetroCard’s legacy.

Before MetroCards, bus and subway riders relied on tokens, the brass-colored coins introduced in 1953 that were purchased from station booths. When the subway opened in 1904, paper tickets cost just a nickel, or about $1.82 in today’s dollars.

“There was a resistance to change from tokens to something else because tokens work,” Shapiro said on a recent visit to the museum, housed underground in a decommissioned subway station. “MetroCards introduced a whole other level of thinking for New Yorkers.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched public campaigns to teach commuters how to swipe the originally blue-colored cards correctly, hoping to avoid the dreaded error message or lost fares. Officials even briefly toyed with the idea of a quirky mascot, the Cardvaark, before coming to their senses.

The cards quickly became collectors items as the transit system rolled out special commemorative editions marking major events, such as the “Subway Series” between baseball’s New York Mets and the New York Yankees in the 2000 World Series. At the time, a fare cost $1.50.

Artists from David Bowie and Olivia Rodrigo to seminal New York hip hop acts, such as the Wu-Tang Clan, the Notorious B.I.G. and LL Cool J, have also graced the plastic card over the years, as have iconic New York shows like Seinfeld and Law & Order.

“For me, the most special cards are cards which present New York City to the world,” said Lev Radin, a collector in the Bronx. “Not only photos of landmarks, skylines, but also about people who live and make New York special.”

Perfecting the correct angle and velocity of the MetroCard swipe also became something of a point of pride separating real New Yorkers from those just visiting.

During her failed 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton, a former US Senator from New York, took an excruciating five swipes at a Bronx turnstile. In fairness, her chief Democratic opponent at the time, US Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a native Brooklynite, didn't even appear to realize tokens had been discontinued.

Cost savings and lingering concerns Unlike the MetroCard rollout, OMNY has required little adjustment.

Riders reluctant to use a credit card or smart device can purchase an OMNY card they can reload, similar to a MetroCard. Existing MetroCards will also continue to work into 2026, allowing riders to use remaining balances.

MTA spokespersons declined to comment, pointing instead to their many public statements as the deadline approaches.

The agency has said the changeover saves at least $20 million annually in MetroCard-related costs.

The new system also allows unlimited free rides within a seven-day period because the fare is capped after 12 rides. It'll max out at $35 a week once the fare rises to $3 in January.

Still, new changes come with tradeoffs, with some critics raising concerns about data collection and surveillance.

Near Times Square on a recent morning, Ronald Minor was among the dwindling group of "straphangers" still swiping MetroCards.

The 70-year-old Manhattan resident said he's sad to see them go. He has an OMNY card but found the vending machines to reload it more cumbersome.

“It’s hard for the elders,” Minor said as he caught a train to Brooklyn. “Don’t push us aside and make it like we don’t count. You push these machines away, you push us away.”

John Sacchetti, another MetroCard user at the Port Authority stop, said he likes being able to see his balance as he swipes through a turnstile so he knows how much he’s been spending on rides.

“It’s just like everything else, just something to get used to," he said as he headed uptown. "Once I get used to it, I think it’ll be okay.”

Varieties

French Legend Brigitte Bardot Dead at 91

FILED - 01 April 1956, France, Cannes: Then French actress and singer Brigitte Bardot is photographed with a parrot in her hand on the beach during the Cannes Film Festival. Photo: -/AFP Intercontinentale/dpa
FILED - 01 April 1956, France, Cannes: Then French actress and singer Brigitte Bardot is photographed with a parrot in her hand on the beach during the Cannes Film Festival. Photo: -/AFP Intercontinentale/dpa
TT
TT

French Legend Brigitte Bardot Dead at 91

FILED - 01 April 1956, France, Cannes: Then French actress and singer Brigitte Bardot is photographed with a parrot in her hand on the beach during the Cannes Film Festival. Photo: -/AFP Intercontinentale/dpa
FILED - 01 April 1956, France, Cannes: Then French actress and singer Brigitte Bardot is photographed with a parrot in her hand on the beach during the Cannes Film Festival. Photo: -/AFP Intercontinentale/dpa

French film legend Brigitte Bardot, a cinema icon of the 1950s and sixties who walked away from global stardom to become an animal rights protector, has died aged 91, her foundation said Sunday.

Bardot had rarely been seen in public in recent months but was hospitalized in October and in November released a statement denying rumors that she had died. The foundation did not say when or where she died.

"The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation," it said in a statement sent to AFP.

Bardot became a global star after appearing in "And God created Woman" in 1956, and went on to appear in about 50 more movies before giving up acting.

She retired from film to settle permanently near the Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez where she devoted herself to fighting for animals.

Her calling apparently came when she encountered a goat on the set of her final film, "The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot.”

To save it from being killed, she bought the animal and kept it in her hotel room.