عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Riyadh Season to Offer Diverse Events, World Championships

Turki Al-Sheikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (PHOTO CREDIT: Turki al-Ogaili)
Turki Al-Sheikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (PHOTO CREDIT: Turki al-Ogaili)
TT
TT

Riyadh Season to Offer Diverse Events, World Championships

Turki Al-Sheikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (PHOTO CREDIT: Turki al-Ogaili)
Turki Al-Sheikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (PHOTO CREDIT: Turki al-Ogaili)

The fifth “Riyadh Season” will launch on October 12, featuring new locations, major events, and concerts, as well as 12 Gulf, Arab, and international plays, according to Turki Al-Sheikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
Riyadh Season has become a key economic attraction, drawing local and international investments. Last year, attendance more than doubled to over 20 million, compared to 10 million in its first season in 2019.
Al-Sheikh said that the new edition includes 14 entertainment areas, 11 world championships, in addition to 10 festivals and exhibitions.
He added that over 4,200 contracts have been signed, involving more than 2,000 companies, 95% of which are Saudi-owned.
Key partners include “Sela” from the Public Investment Fund, “Big Time” as the creative partner, and “SMG” as the media partner.
A new area called “The Venue” will be introduced in this year’s Riyadh Season. Spanning 9,425 square meters with a capacity of 8,000 square meters, it will host seven different events.
Al-Sheikh also announced that The Venue will feature a major global fashion event in collaboration with renowned Arab designer Elie Saab.
One of the key highlights this year is the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup event, which will feature the top six ranked tennis players in the world.
Additionally, the Middle East’s most influential marketing awards festival will be held in Saudi Arabia for the first time during this year’s Riyadh Season.
According to Al-Sheikh, “The Boulevard World” has expanded to 19 zones, a 35% increase, with 21 new attractions, five new areas, 300 restaurants and cafes, and about 1,400 stores—18% more than last year.
Five new countries will be featured in “The Boulevard World” this year: Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, South Africa, Iran, and Courchevel, a snowy area with a ski school and an all-day skiing experience.
He also revealed designs for the BLVD Business Park project, which will host several local and international entities and companies. Details were shared about the Boulevard Lane area, set to be developed in partnership with Saudi Airlines, featuring three converted Boeing 777 aircraft as commercial spaces and restaurants, along with 13 interactive experiences for all ages.
Improvement continues in various areas of the season, including "Wonder Garden," which has been upgraded to accommodate up to 23,000 people across nearly 500,000 square meters, featuring over 60 theatrical and roaming shows, 65 games and experiences, and more than 40 restaurants in a unique setting with three beautifully distinct garden areas.
As for VIA Riyadh, which hosted the press conference, Al Al-Sheikh said that it will be fully air-conditioned by summer 2025 to attract visitors year-round. This season will see improvements including upgraded cinema halls, new restaurants and cafes, and the renowned Ana Arabiya installation. Additionally, the season will feature the opening of a Christian Dior exhibition and museum, Dior café, gift shop, and 14 fashion-themed sections.
During the beautiful Riyadh winter, the "Dunes of Arabia" zone will be established to provide desert enthusiasts with immersive experiences such as sandboarding, desert driving, sand dune hiking, archery, and camel riding. Additionally, Al-Hosn Studios will open as one of the destinations in the Riyadh Season.
Souq Al-Awaleen, another free zone, reflects Saudi identity through a shopping experience, folk performances, handicrafts, and traditional clothing. As part of Riyadh Season's social responsibility initiatives, special days will also be organized for the children of martyrs and orphanages in the Boulevard World and Wonder Garden areas.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Oldest Known Whale Recording Could Unlock Mysteries of the Ocean

Carcasses of pilot whales found on Macquarie Heads beach on the west coast of Tasmania in 2022 (AFP)
Carcasses of pilot whales found on Macquarie Heads beach on the west coast of Tasmania in 2022 (AFP)
TT
TT

Oldest Known Whale Recording Could Unlock Mysteries of the Ocean

Carcasses of pilot whales found on Macquarie Heads beach on the west coast of Tasmania in 2022 (AFP)
Carcasses of pilot whales found on Macquarie Heads beach on the west coast of Tasmania in 2022 (AFP)

A haunting whale song discovered on decades-old audio equipment could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate, according to researchers who say it’s the oldest such recording known.

The song is that of a humpback whale, a marine giant beloved by whale watchers for its docile nature and spectacular leaps from the water, and was recorded by scientists in March 1949 in Bermuda, said researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Just as significant is the sound of the surrounding ocean itself, said Peter Tyack, a marine bioacoustician and emeritus research scholar at Woods Hole. The ocean of the late 1940s was much quieter than the ocean of today, providing a different backdrop than scientists are used to hearing for whale song, he said, The AP news reported.

The recovered recordings “not only allow us to follow whale sounds, but they also tell us what the ocean soundscape was like in the late 1940s,” Tyack said. “That’s very difficult to reconstruct otherwise.”

A preserved recording from the 1940s can also help scientists better understand how new human-made sounds, such as increased shipping noise, affect the way whales communicate, Tyack said. Research published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that whales can vary their calling behavior depending on noises in their environment.

The recording predates scientist Roger Payne's discovery of whale song by nearly 20 years. Woods Hole scientists on a research vessel at the time were testing sonar systems and performing acoustic experiments along with the US Office of Naval Research when they captured the sound, said Ashley Jester, director of research data and library services at Woods Hole.

The scientists didn't know what they were hearing, but they decided to record and save the sounds anyway, Jester said.

“And they were curious. And so they kept this recorder running, and they even made time to make recordings where they weren't making any noise from their ships on purpose just to hear as much as they could,” said Jester. “And they kept these recordings.”

Woods Hole scientists discovered the song while digitizing old audio recordings last year. The recording was on a well-preserved disc created by a Gray Audograph, a kind of dictation machine used in the 1940s. Jester located the disc.

While the early underwater recording equipment used to capture the sound would be considered crude by today's standards, it was cutting-edge at the time, Jester said. And the fact that the sound is recorded on a plastic disc is significant because most recordings of the time were on tape, which has long since deteriorated, she said.

Whales' sound-making ability is critical to their survival and key to how they socialize and communicate. The sounds come in the form of clicks, whistles and calls, according to NOAA scientists who study them.

The sounds also allow the whales to find food, navigate, locate each other and understand their surroundings in the vast ocean, scientists say. Several species make repetitive sounds that resemble songs. Humpback whales, which can weigh more than 55,000 pounds (24,947 kilograms), are the ocean's most renowned singers, capable of complex vocalizations that can sound ethereal or even mournful.

The discovery of long-lost whale song from a quieter ocean could be a jumping-off point to better understanding the sounds the animals make today, said Hansen Johnson, a research scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium.

“And, you know, it's just beautiful to listen to and has really inspired a lot of people to be curious about the ocean, and care about ocean life in general,” said Johnson, who was not involved in the research. “It's pretty special.”

Varieties

Buzz, Unease as UK Crowds Watch US Bombers Head to War

US military personnel loaded missiles onto a bomber at the Fairford base. Henry NICHOLLS / AFP
US military personnel loaded missiles onto a bomber at the Fairford base. Henry NICHOLLS / AFP
TT
TT

Buzz, Unease as UK Crowds Watch US Bombers Head to War

US military personnel loaded missiles onto a bomber at the Fairford base. Henry NICHOLLS / AFP
US military personnel loaded missiles onto a bomber at the Fairford base. Henry NICHOLLS / AFP

Hidden behind a tall hedgerow in the English countryside, Charlie Cumming stood at the fence of an air force base, camera raised towards a US B-1 Lancer bomber parked nearby.

He was one of hundreds of curious onlookers who flocked to the airfield at RAF Fairford in the southwestern county of Gloucestershire since US aircraft began arriving on March 6, days after the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

"I've come just for pictures for my Instagram, really," said the 17-year-old. "It's a bit concerning they're here, but I still think they're really cool to see."

Beside him stood his friend James Martin, 18, from Oxford, who first got him into plane spotting. Seeing bombers loaded for active combat felt "quite surreal", Martin said.

"Seeing these machines going out to cause destruction and actually being used in a war zone is quite a weird experience... we've always seen planes just doing standard training roles."

On Saturday, cars spilled onto verges and down narrow lanes as visitors converged from across the country.

Along a road offering a panoramic view, veteran enthusiasts, excited locals, dog walkers and father-and-son pairs found their spots in the spring sunshine, armed with telephoto lenses, binoculars, stepladders and air-traffic scanners.

Some settled in with fold-out chairs, sandwiches and flasks of tea.

Dave Savage, a truck driver who had driven three hours from mid-Wales with his son, summed up the "excitement" many felt.

"I just like the power and the size of them," he said. "I get a buzz out of seeing something that big and that impressive."

Adrian, a warehouse worker from Doncaster, arrived in time to see a B-1 take off shortly after dawn.

He has spent 22 years spotting warplanes and said the turnout on Saturday dwarfed anything he had seen at a military airfield on a normal weekend.

"Down the lane there's just as many cars as there would have been on air show days," the 58-year-old said, asking not to give his full name.

He came prepared, arriving with a multi-camera setup and heavy-duty ear defenders round his neck.

"The B-1 is pretty much the loudest thing on earth. I've never heard anything as loud as that before."

- Thrill and dread -

Yet the excitement was tempered by an awareness of what these planes were being sent to do -- and Britain's role in their mission.

Fairford, along with Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, is one of two bases Britain finally allowed the United States to use for "defensive" operations in Iran.

The US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its use of the base.

But according to estimates from AFP journalists at the site, around six B-52s and 12 B-1s have been using the base, conducting two to three sets of departures and landings per day.

Starmer's refusal to join the US and Israel in bombing Iran from February 28 triggered a public row with US President Donald Trump.

Polls show most Britons oppose the war, with half against US use of RAF bases even when the missions are restricted to bombing Iranian missile sites.

James Martin, who grew up close to RAF Brize Norton some 12 miles (19 kilometers) away, said even those in his local village accustomed to military aircraft overhead were now listening differently.

"Every time the fighter jet comes over, they're very worried about what that could mean," he said. "It's just scary how quickly it's evolving."

Research analyst Christoph Bergs from the London think tank RUSI said Fairford staff were experienced in dealing with large numbers of plane spotters.

"Given the US administration's public statements on Iran, visible activity at RAF Fairford may have been deemed an acceptable if not a welcomed externality of the current air campaign," he told AFP.

For Adrian, the spectacle was compelling.

"You can't turn your back on it, even though you might not necessarily agree with what they're actually doing," he said.

"We're never going to see this again. It's special in that respect -- but a little bit sad as well."

Varieties

Chinese Firms Seek to Loosen West's Grip on Lucrative Snow Business

A visitor snowboards on the slopes at Lianhuashan Ski Resort on the outskirts of Beijing. Pedro PARDO / AFP
A visitor snowboards on the slopes at Lianhuashan Ski Resort on the outskirts of Beijing. Pedro PARDO / AFP
TT
TT

Chinese Firms Seek to Loosen West's Grip on Lucrative Snow Business

A visitor snowboards on the slopes at Lianhuashan Ski Resort on the outskirts of Beijing. Pedro PARDO / AFP
A visitor snowboards on the slopes at Lianhuashan Ski Resort on the outskirts of Beijing. Pedro PARDO / AFP

Lianhuashan's slopes have been kept snow-covered by ageing European snow cannons for more than 20 years, but the Beijing resort added its first Chinese snowmaker this ski season.

The snow gun, made by Beijing-based Carving Ski, costs about a third less than Western brands such as Italian giant TechnoAlpin, Carving resort manager Tang Lingling told AFP on a crisp February morning at the bottom of the slopes.

"By producing and assembling locally, we avoid the high costs of overseas production and shipping," said Tang, whose company sold around 200 snow machines last year.

"But the pressure from competition is very great."

"The truth is, the profit margin for our snow machine business isn't high."

However, Chinese winter sports firms are slowly chipping away at foreign dominance in the 84.6 billion yuan ($12.3 billion) snow equipment market despite such ferocious price competition.

They aim to replace foreign brands at home before conquering overseas markets by investing in research and making use of China's formidable supply chains.

- Targeting the masses -

China's snow-related equipment sales have surged almost fourfold since 2015, but interest has levelled off since the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in 2022 and a post-Covid boom.

Chinese consumers are now tightening their belts.

"Since 2007, the price of raw materials has at least doubled... but we haven't raised our prices," said Jin Huiyuan, founder of snowboard brand Lidakis.

Her company targets beginners and children with social media-friendly, ultralight boards with detachable dolls that she sells for around 2,000 yuan ($290) each.

They sold around 20,000 boards last year out of their frigid warehouse in Zhangjiakou, close to the slopes used for the 2022 Winter Games.

"Big foreign brands are high-end brands, which are bought by the rich; ours is for the masses. So, on this point, I think we are competitive with them, since not every consumer has lots of money," Jin said.

- Olympic void -

The government has heavily supported this "ice and snow economy", with President Xi Jinping's goal of 300 million winter sports participants surpassed by 2022.

Companies such as Carving and Lidakis benefit from research funding and subsidized rents.

Still, foreign brands dominate the high-end market.

Domestic skis and boards "haven't reached the level" of international competitors, according to Li Zhibo, general manager of ski firm Qianmao Xuelong.

"Some are century-old companies; we can't overtake that kind of history and technical accumulation overnight."

Qianmao mostly sells entry-level ski boots and bindings, but has pivoted to high-end equipment and supplied skis to China's Aerials team for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February.

However, eventual women's Aerials champion Xu Mengtao opted for the Swiss brand Oxess during the competition.

Likewise, superstars Su Yiming and Eileen Gu secured gold using boards from US brand Burton and skis by Switzerland's Faction, highlighting the gap between Chinese brands and foreign competitors.

- Snow blow -

Despite not finding wide global popularity, some Chinese brands are finding a niche for themselves.

Lidakis has sold to Kazakhstan, South Korea and Iran, while Carving has exported to Russia, filling the void left by European firms locked out by EU export restrictions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.

For now, the focus is on a domestic shift.

Tang Lingling is optimistic about the transition from imports to local manufacturing.

"In many ski resorts, you will see a lot of European snow machines at first. Gradually, (resorts) are beginning to choose to try Chinese snow-making machines," she said.

"Later, they won't even consider imported ones. They will directly choose Chinese brands."