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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)
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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.

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Varieties

Sweet Dreams: Seoul Holds ‘Power Nap Contest’ in Sleep-Deprived South Korea

Participants take a nap during the 2026 Hangang Nap Competition at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)
Participants take a nap during the 2026 Hangang Nap Competition at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)
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Sweet Dreams: Seoul Holds ‘Power Nap Contest’ in Sleep-Deprived South Korea

Participants take a nap during the 2026 Hangang Nap Competition at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)
Participants take a nap during the 2026 Hangang Nap Competition at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)

Under hazy spring ‌sunshine on Saturday, hundreds of young Seoulites turned up at a park by the Han River at the invitation of the city government to try to do something many overworked South Koreans never get enough of - sleep.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government staged its third annual spring event, dubbed a power nap contest, from 3 p.m. (0600 GMT), under a refreshed set of admission requirements for would-be participants: wear outfits befitting either a sleeping beauty or prince, come tired, with a full belly.

For a metropolis that famously runs on 24-hour shopping malls, competitive hustle ‌and iced Americanos, ‌the underlying exhaustion on the lawn was palpable.

"Between ‌exam ⁠prep and part-time ⁠jobs, I survive on three or four hours of sleep a night, patching it up with desk naps during the day," said Park Jun-seok, who showed up draped in the silken, crimson robes of a Joseon Dynasty monarch.

"I'm here to show off my napping skills, and to demonstrate exactly how a king sleeps," said Park, a ⁠20-year-old university student.

Nearby, Yoo Mi-yeon, 24, an English ‌teacher from Ilsan north of Seoul, stood ‌out in a plush, oversized koala-themed onesie.

"I've always suffered from insomnia, ‌I struggle to fall asleep, and wake up easily," she said. "Koalas ‌are famous for their deep slumber. I came dressed as one hoping to borrow a little of their magic."

Now in its third consecutive year, the sleep competition underscores a chronic issue for South Koreans. Data show South Korea ‌is one of the most overworked and sleep-deprived nations among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members, ⁠and, as ⁠a consequence, people have some of the fewest sleep hours.

As the clock struck three and eye masks descended across the park, officials went around to measure participants' heart rate to make sure they had a stable reading - an indicator of deep, peaceful sleep.

The winner of the contest was a man in his 80s.

Hwang Du-seong, a 37-year-old office worker, was a runner-up.

"I was completely drained, having done night shifts often on top of going to work everyday plus I also drive a lot for work. So when I saw the contest I was determined to sleep to fully recharge amid river breeze, and I'm very happy to be placed second place, luckily."

Varieties

Humpback Whale Stranded in Germany Released into North Sea

01 May 2026, Denmark, Skagen: An aerial view of the the humpback whale towed in its barge by the tugboat Fortuna B along the Danish coast, just south of Skagen in the Skagerrak, through the Baltic Sea. (dpa)
01 May 2026, Denmark, Skagen: An aerial view of the the humpback whale towed in its barge by the tugboat Fortuna B along the Danish coast, just south of Skagen in the Skagerrak, through the Baltic Sea. (dpa)
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Humpback Whale Stranded in Germany Released into North Sea

01 May 2026, Denmark, Skagen: An aerial view of the the humpback whale towed in its barge by the tugboat Fortuna B along the Danish coast, just south of Skagen in the Skagerrak, through the Baltic Sea. (dpa)
01 May 2026, Denmark, Skagen: An aerial view of the the humpback whale towed in its barge by the tugboat Fortuna B along the Danish coast, just south of Skagen in the Skagerrak, through the Baltic Sea. (dpa)

A humpback whale that had been struggling to survive after beaching near the German coast was Saturday released into the North Sea off Denmark after being transported in a barge, a member of a rescue mission said.

Dubbed "Timmy" by the German media, the whale was first spotted stuck on a sandbank on March 23 near the city of Luebeck before freeing itself and then becoming stuck again several times.

The whale left the barge it had been towed on from Wismar Bay on the Baltic coast at around 8:45 am (0645 GMT), said Karin Walter-Mommert from the rescue initiative.

It is now swimming on its own and freely, and at least for the time being, in the right direction, she said.

At the start of April, German officials gave up on trying to rescue the animal, saying they believed it could not be saved.

But this triggered an outcry and authorities were persuaded to approve a privately financed rescue plan proposed by two wealthy entrepreneurs.

The barge idea was hatched after their initial attempt to save the whale with inflatable cushions and pontoons was unsuccessful.

The rescue effort was seen as a long shot and criticized by experts who said it would only cause the animal more distress.

The whale's ordeal has sparked a media frenzy -- with non-stop coverage from TV channels, online outlets and social media influencers -- but has also led to angry spats and conspiracy theories.

Varieties

US Border Wall Construction Threatens Endangered Wolves, Conservationists Say

Mexican gray wolf cubs, an endangered native species, are seen in their enclosure at the Museo del Desierto in Saltillo, Mexico July 2, 2020. (Reuters)
Mexican gray wolf cubs, an endangered native species, are seen in their enclosure at the Museo del Desierto in Saltillo, Mexico July 2, 2020. (Reuters)
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US Border Wall Construction Threatens Endangered Wolves, Conservationists Say

Mexican gray wolf cubs, an endangered native species, are seen in their enclosure at the Museo del Desierto in Saltillo, Mexico July 2, 2020. (Reuters)
Mexican gray wolf cubs, an endangered native species, are seen in their enclosure at the Museo del Desierto in Saltillo, Mexico July 2, 2020. (Reuters)

For the first time in decades, a radio-collared endangered Mexican wolf crossed from the US into Mexico last week in New Mexico, a federal official said on Friday, but environmental groups warn the animal may never return due to US border wall construction.

The male wolf crossed into Chihuahua, Mexico, from a remote area of the New Mexico Bootheel, according to Aislinn Maestas, a spokesperson for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which tracks members of the smallest and rarest subspecies of North American gray wolf, also known by its Spanish name "lobo."

Once common in the Southwestern US and Mexico, the wolf came ‌close to extinction ‌in the 1970s, exterminated by government agencies and ranchers who claimed ‌targeting ⁠the species would protect ⁠livestock.

The wolves have for millennia roamed the Bootheel's grasslands, desert and wooded mountains, traversing the migration corridor in search of prey and mates in what is now Mexico and the US

The administrations of President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden have built a steel border wall westward across New Mexico to stem the trafficking of migrants and drugs.

Current construction of the 18- to 30-foot-high barrier in the area means last week's wolf border-crossing may be the last ever by ⁠the species, conservationist Michael Robinson said on Friday.

That would exacerbate the ‌wolf's chronic inbreeding, which has led to lower survival ‌rates for pups, as well as cancers and birth defects.

“Sealing off the Bootheel would isolate wolves and ‌other rare mammals like jaguars and ultimately make them all less likely to survive,” Robinson, ‌a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an interview.

The Department of Homeland Security and its US Customs and Border Protection agency, which are responsible for border wall construction, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DIVERSITY PROBLEM

Conservation groups and some US wildlife officials have said expansion ‌of the border wall will fragment habitats and disrupt migration routes in regions such as the Big Bend area of Texas, the ⁠San Rafael Valley ⁠of Arizona and the Otay Wilderness in California.

The Department of Homeland Security has used legal authority to override environmental laws, leading to lawsuits against barriers.

US administrations from both parties have acknowledged environmental risks but argue the barrier is necessary for national security. Officials have incorporated mitigation features like ground-level wildlife openings for small animals such as reptiles and rodents.

In the case of the Mexican wolf, mating between animals from the US and Mexico could increase critically low genetic diversity, said Cyndi Tuell, Arizona and New Mexico director at Western Watersheds Project, a conservation group.

All modern Mexican wolves are descended from just seven wolves that were successfully bred after being captured as part of a binational breeding program started in the late 1970s.

As of this year there are at least 319 wild Mexican wolves in the US, around 36 in Mexico and about 380 in captive breeding programs, according to USFWS and conservation groups.