Not playing around
You’ve probably never heard of Playfish. But it’s the second largest social gaming developer in the world and, if you're on Facebook, then you’ve probably played at least one of its highly popular Flash-based games.
Increasing the gallery count
Makram Kadi and his partner Ziad Jamaleddine are breathing life into the reclaimed land off the coast of Beirut’s Central District (known as Downtown), and providing artists much-needed space to showcase their work near the city centre. The two Lebanese architects recently completed the Be
Parallel Worlds: Zakaria Ramhani Turns Modern Calligraphy into Expressive Human Figures
Zakaria Ramhani's vibrant, mesmerising paintings transform colourful modern calligraphy into isolated, expressive human figures. With one piece fetching 30,000 dollars at Christie's Dubai in April 2010, he now ranks among the top ten global artists under thirty.
Perpetual motion
A brand originally synonymous with refined yet luxurious jewellery, Harry Winston has garnered a prestigious reputation for its timepieces since their introduction in 1989.
Top shop
Though the 2.2 billion USD purchase of Harrods earlier this year may have sounded like a strictly English affair, it was in fact a thoroughly Middle Eastern one in that Qatar Holding bought the prestigious London department store from Egyptian tycoon Mohammad Al Fayed.
Foreigners allowed
Economically, Saudi Arabia is the giant of the region. It is the world’s top exporter with 25 per cent of the world's proven oil reserves and it also has the largest stock market in the Arab world, with a capitalisation of some 500 billion USD. Yet it’s unfortunately a fairly impenetrable
Staying power
‘It’ bags may be hyped and priced as investments but their trendiness undercuts any long-term worth. Even if they were to offer unheralded advantages - let’s say the ability to carry everything you own - most stylish women wouldn’t be caught dead clutching last season’s bag. Yet all is not
Crown Jewels
With prowess equal to that expressed in its emblematic panther design motif, Cartier stole the spotlight among High Jewellers at the Biennale des Antiquaires, held last September at the Grand Palais in Paris, France.
Snap crackle and pop
It’s a Baby Girl, King of Pop, Pretty Woman: their names sound more like tabloid headlines than pieces of furniture – but perhaps that’s because furniture label ByKal is also always trying to grab your attention. Khalid Sharan, the Amman-based brand’s designer is renowned for creating piec
Grand sand view
Banyan Tree is a busy company. After starting with just a single boutique resort in Thailand’s Phuket back in 1994, it has grown into a global multi-business operator with over 20 resorts and hotels. Its first Middle Eastern offering was the Al Areen in Bahrain close to the Formula One cir
Cultural beacon
For six weeks, from last February to April, the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Sculpture Symposium (ADISS) brought together 17 international sculptors with a mandate to create striking works of art and to educate the public. Never before had such a diverse group of sculptors descended u
From Zoo Clip to Global Giant: A Brief History of YouTube
February 15th, 2005 www.youtube.com is registered by former PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim who hope to make it a "Flickr for video." April 23rd, 2005 ‘Me at the Zoo’ is the first video to be put on the site. It’s a 19-second posting by Karim in front of the eleph