https://arab.news/bk8wa
DUBAI: Dubai is set to host the first edition of PopCon Middle East (PopConME) from Nov. 10-13 at Expo City Dubai, with “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington announced as a headlining celebrity guest.
Other confirmed celebrity guests include “House of the Dragon” breakout star Milly Alcock, “Arrow” actors Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy, voice actor Ray Porter, “Breaking Bad’s” Giancarlo Esposito, Ross Marquand from “The Walking Dead,” and more.
A post shared by PopConME (@popconme)
The pop-culture convention will showcase the best in movies, TV, comics, graphic novels, anime, cosplay and more. In partnership with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), Speedy Comics and Alanza Trading, PopConME will take place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Dubai, and will host workshops, movie screenings and Cosplay gaming competitions.
“We are excited to introduce PopConME to Dubai. I have been a fan of comic books since I was a child and have been entrenched in the community from an early age. This is a dream come true for a true geek like me. I want this convention to have everything and more my geek heart desires.” said Amer Rashed Al-Farooq, Deputy CEO of the Speedy Comics Group, in a released statement.
LOS ANGELES: Iraqi singer Rahma Riad recently released a new single as part of the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the first World Cup to be hosted in the Arab world. The performer was approached about the anthem, “Light the Sky,” during the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.
“I got very excited being an Iraqi artist participating in the World Cup and being an Arab who is present in the World Cup is also important. It’s a big responsibility and, of course, I thank FIFA for putting its trust in us as young artists and we were up to the responsibility and we did a good job,” Riad told Arab News.
The single, which features a shout out to the female referees officiating the tournament, was performed by Riad and fellow Arab singers Balqees, Nora Fatehi and Manal; and is produced by Grammy-winning RedOne, a Dubai-based, Moroccan Swedish producer.
The majority of the song is not in Arabic, however, a choice which Riad says was intentional.
“It’s an international song. It’s a song about the World Cup and is not specific to Arabs only. There are foreign countries participating in the World Cup, so we wanted to represent the world from the Arab world,” said Riad.
Two other World Cup anthems were also released ahead of the November mega-event. Qatari singer Aisha teamed up with Nigerian Afro-pop star Davido and US singer Trinidad Cardona on the very first World Cup track “Hayya Hayya,” released in April this year.
In August, the World Cup crew released “Arhbo,” featuring Puerto Rican reggaeton star Ozuna and French hip-hop artist Gims.
As she prepares to cheer along with her fellow fans for the upcoming games, Riad is also in talks to perform at the upcoming Riyadh Season 2022 and hopes that schedules permit her to perform in Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia is surely in a big and important development right now and we thank them as they are always doing a lot of cultural exchange through art, so we hope to be able to continue our successful concerts in Saudi,” she said.
DUBAI: From an awards night to a fashion show, Bella Hadid and Naomi Campbell had an eventful week in Qatar.
On Friday, Hadid and Campbell walked a fashion show to support education and investment in young creative and business talent from emerging regions, specifically in Africa, the diaspora and developing communities around the world.
The show, held under the patronage of Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, was part of Campbell’s new global charitable initiative, EMERGE, which she launched this week in partnership with Qatar Creates.
EMERGE is dedicated to uniting the fashion and creative industries.
Hadid, Campbell and the other models wore a selection of award-winning fashion designers from Africa, the diaspora and the Middle East, such as Thebe Magugu, Bianca Saunders and Abdel El-Tayeb.
On the runway, Hadid wore a black coat dress with a beaded chain around her neck. Her makeup was bold with a black graphic eyeliner and bleached eyebrows.
Campbell, 52, wore two outfits for the fashion show. The first was a floor-length dress with a hood covering her head and cut-out triangular designs around the chest area.
Her second dress was a feathered ombre gown in white and blue hues.
The fashion show was followed by a gala dinner.
A post shared by « La Fille à Nanou » ® (@maudsakri)
Hadid, 26, had a red-riding hood moment wearing a form-fitting hot-red dress with a hood that also covered her head.
Meanwhile, Campbell wore a velvet purple dress with voluminous sleeves and a glitzy diamond necklace.
Earlier this week, Bella Hadid and Naomi Campbell brought plenty of sparkle and style to a dazzling night of fashion and glamor at the Middle East’s much-anticipated fashion event, the Fashion Trust Arabia Awards.
The star-studded event, now in its fourth outing, took place at the National Museum of Qatar and awarded renowned and aspiring creatives in fashion in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Hadid wore a sleek navy-blue silk gown by luxury fashion house Alaia, while Campbell opted for a long-sleeved golden gown with a circular neckline and diamond-studded stones.
RIYADH: Lebanese superstars Elissa and Haifa Wehbe joined forces for the first time ever and performed at the same concert in Riyadh on Friday.
Fans seemed to be excited about the collaboration, with bronze and silver tickets having sold out before the icons hit the stage.
The gig was part of Riyadh Season and saw the singers, both with two decades of hits under their designer belts, perform a number of their chart-topping songs.
Wehbe sang her latest hit “Walad,” along with some of her fan-loved hits like “Tigi,” “Bokra Bfarjik” and “Ana Haifa Ana” as the crowd sang along.
Meanwhile, Elissa treated fans to her vocal range with her songs “Nefsi Aollo,” “Awakher El-Sheta” and “As’ad Wahda.”
For the occasion the pair showed off glamorous attire, with Wehbe hitting the stage in black sequined jumpsuit and pink boots as Elissa stunned in a yellow dress.
“Can’t wait to see all of you on the 28th of October with my beautiful friend Haifa Wehbe in Riyadh Season,” Elissa wrote to her 18.8 million Instagram followers before the show, as excitement ramped up online.
“Can’t wait,” wrote one user. Another said: “It will be the night of a lifetime and there is nothing better than Haifa and Elissa being together. (It is) a concert for history to be honest.”
This year’s Riyadh Season boasts 15 zones with over 8,500 activities, including 108 interactive experiences, eight international shows, 17 Arabic plays, 252 restaurants and cafes, daily fireworks and more than 150 concerts.
Luda Fine Jewelry is all about excellence, quality and finesse. Designs are based on flowers that combine sensual feelings with opulence. Each piece is made of 18-karat gold and precious and semiprecious stones.
The Luda Collection’s “Bouquet of Flowers” draws inspiration from the beauty of nature to evoke a unique experience, feeling and occasion in every piece.
Khlood Arab, Luda’s designer, found her passion in fashion jewelry, taking courses at schools including the Gemological Institute of America.
She has worked with 55fifty7 Diamond Studio in Dubai to realize her passion to design her own jewelry line. Arab wanted her creations to be self-explanatory.
Luda was chosen to be one of Saudi 100 Brands to be showcased in the Milan Whites showroom at next year’s Milan Fashion Week.
The world of fashion jewelry is continuously evolving and challenging, as is Luda, as it strives to be unique.
Arab is also a cosmetic dentist, who returned from the US and settled in Saudi Arabia after obtaining her master’s degree and American board certification in the field of dental artistry.
She was obsessed with the emerging world of fashion, captivated with the latest trends, and mesmerized by the memorable power of uniquely designed jewelry.
In On Every Tide, Sean Connolly tells the epic story of Irish migration, showing how emigrants became a force in world politics and religion.
Starting in the 18th century, the Irish fled limited opportunity at home and fanned out across America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
These emigrants helped settle new frontiers, industrialize the West, and spread Catholicism globally.
As the Irish built vibrant communities abroad, they leveraged their newfound power — sometimes becoming oppressors themselves.
Deeply researched and vividly told, On Every Tide is essential reading for understanding how the people of Ireland shaped the world.
Connolly’s writing is lively and light enough on its feet not to get bogged down in the statistics he deploys so effectively, Fiintan O’Toole said in a review for the New York Times.
Connolly has a healthy allergy to sentimental and heroic myth-making, remaining clear-eyed about the capacity of the Irish to inflict on others the oppression and belittlement they themselves suffered at home and abroad.