Cyprus puts spotlight on Arab artists at first Vima Art Fair
Palestinian artist Majd Abdel Hamid was one of many regional creatives invited to showcase their works in Cyprus. Photo: Vima Art Fair Palestinian artist Majd Abdel Hamid was one of many regional creatives invited to showcase their works in Cyprus. Photo: Vima Art Fair
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
9 hours ago
- The National
Luis Enrique – the mentor who has transformed PSG from luxury into legacy
Luis Enrique paced the touchline in Munich as if walking a familiar path. On a night laden with expectation, he remained composed, arms folded, gaze steely, his Paris Saint-Germain side dismantling Inter Milan with a cruelty only matched by its brilliance. By the end of 90 minutes, the scoreline read 5-0, magnified on the Allianz Arena scoreboard for all to see, engrained in the memory of all those that had witnessed it. It was the kind of score that doesn't just win trophies and ruin careers, but etches names into history. For all the money and ambition that has powered PSG's rise since the 2011 takeover by Qatar Sports Investments, they have often been a gilded idea rather than a galvanised team. Managers have come and gone. Players, too. But in Enrique they have found something rare – a head coach who doesn't just tolerate pressure, but seems to thrive on it. He did not flinch when Kylian Mbappe left last summer for Real Madrid, did not beg PSG's owners to keep Lionel Messi, a player whose own brilliant past is inextricably linked to the Spaniard's, upon his arrival in Paris just under two years ago. He didn't protest when Neymar was jettisoned and the club pivoted from superstar signings to investment in youth. He welcomed it. What he built was not just a team, but an ideal. Vitinha became a midfield maestro. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, plucked from Napoli, sliced through defences like a winger of a bygone era. And then there was Desire Doue – still a teenager – whose two goals and an assist in the final will remain preserved in football's collective memory. This wasn't just a win. It was a reckoning. And at the centre of it all was a coach who has made a habit of silencing doubters, a serial winner who in his spare time runs ultra-marathons, whose principles are grounded in discipline and the unwavering belief that, above all, the team comes first. 'Since day one, I said I wanted to win important trophies and Paris had never won the Champions League,' Enrique said. 'We did it for the first time. It's a great feeling to make many people happy.' It is tempting to view Enrique purely through the prism of his achievements. The trophies – 16 in all, including three this season – demand admiration. But to understand his work is to understand the depth of his conviction. After stepping away from Spain's national team to care for his daughter Xana – who tragically passed away from cancer age nine – Enrique returned to football not diminished, but even more determined. He does not play to the gallery, does not seek approval or redemption. He only coaches – intensely, with the focus of a man who has already had the worst thing that could happen to him happen to him. In the delirium that followed the final whistle, PSG's ultras unveiled a tifo that said everything words could not. A depiction of Enrique and Xana planting a club flag into the field. The symbolism was impossible to miss – Enrique had done the same thing with his daughter after guiding Barcelona to the 2015 Champions League title on their way to a treble. Emotional in the extreme, it also symbolised the green shoots of optimism that the club can expect more nights like this in years to come. It was a full-circle moment in a career defined by evolution. The firebrand of the Roma years, the calm conductor of Barcelona's golden symphony, the resolute leader who steered Spain through chaos, and now, the mentor who transformed PSG from luxury into legacy. It also cemented Enrique's place in the pantheon of greats, becoming only the second coach, alongside Pep Guardiola, to win trebles at two clubs.
The National
9 hours ago
- The National
GTA-style action meets Minecraft-style creation: Everything we know about Everywhere
While gamers are anxiously waiting to see whether the next Grand Theft Auto will be releasing this year, a new game from the developer of that series may tide enthusiasts over until then. Leslie Benzies, the former lead developer of every Grand Theft Auto game from GTA 3 to GTA 5, has made his first video game through his own company. Titled MindsEye, the action-adventure will remind many of the experience of playing a GTA game, especially when it comes to exciting missions and high-speed car chases. MindsEye is also described as a game within a game, one that is still in development called Everywhere. But what is Everywhere, and how will it impact the gaming experience? What exactly is Everywhere? Everywhere is an upcoming open-world, massive multiplayer online game developed by Build a Rocket Boy, a studio founded by Benzies. After leaving Rockstar North, of which he was president, Benzies set out to create something that blends traditional gameplay with a robust system for user-generated content. The result is Everywhere, a project that aims to blur the boundaries between player and creator. At its core, the game is an expansive digital universe where players can not only explore, race and battle, but also build their own experiences from the ground up. It's part social hub, part creative platform and part video game. What makes Everywhere special? The game centres on a futuristic city called Utropia. This city acts as the game's main hub, a zone where players can gather, interact and access a variety of portals. The game is divided into several themed districts, which offer different types of experiences. These are the racing district, the combat district, the entertainment district and the collection. One of Everywhere 's most ambitious features is the Arcadia creation system, a tool that allows players to design their own experiences. Using building blocks known as Stamps, users can create everything from racing tracks and shooting arenas to new interactive experiences. How will MindsEye fit into Everywhere? MindsEye is a single-player action-adventure game scheduled for release on June 10, which will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game is set within the world of Everywhere and will offer some of the same user-generation tools that will eventually be available in that game. Set in a desert metropolis called Redrock, the game's protagonist is Jacob Diaz, a former soldier equipped with a mysterious neural implant known as the MindsEye. Plagued by memories and flashbacks, Jacob attempts to uncover the truth behind his past while navigating a world dominated by artificial intelligence, high-tech experimentation and malevolent military power. While Everywhere is pitched as a sprawling, user-generated content platform that blends community engagement with gameplay, MindsEye offers a more traditional, story-focused experience. How is MindsEye influenced by Grand Theft Auto? The game features driving, shooting and exploration, with sequences of high-speed car chases, futuristic gadgets and intense combat sequences. The experience is much like previous Grand Theft Auto games, in which a player controls the protagonist and leads them through the storyline, accomplishing missions and improving abilities. Is Everywhere influenced by Minecraft? Creation within video games is often done within boundaries. Games like Minecraft, Roblox and others are purposefully presented in a simplistic format to allow for maximum creation potential. A blank canvas to put one's ideas on to, as it were. The user-generated technology proposed in a game like Everywhere promises the same level of freedom and choice, but in a much more premium setting. The experience Benzies brings with him from producing some of the most popular video games of all time, coupled with the ambition of creating an innovative gaming experience, could produce a game that elevates the industry's technology.
The National
10 hours ago
- The National
What is Everywhere and how will it be integrated into MindsEye?
While gamers are anxiously waiting to see whether the next Grand Theft Auto will be releasing this year, a new game from the developer of that series may tide enthusiasts over until then. Leslie Benzies, the former lead developer of every Grand Theft Auto game from GTA 3 to GTA 5, has made his first video game through his own company. Titled MindsEye, the action-adventure will remind many of the experience of playing a GTA game, especially when it comes to exciting missions and high-speed car chases. MindsEye is also described as a game within a game, one that is still in development called Everywhere. But what is Everywhere, and how will it impact the gaming experience? What exactly is Everywhere? Everywhere is an upcoming open-world, massive multiplayer online game developed by Build a Rocket Boy, a studio founded by Benzies. After leaving Rockstar North, of which he was president, Benzies set out to create something that blends traditional gameplay with a robust system for user-generated content. The result is Everywhere, a project that aims to blur the boundaries between player and creator. At its core, the game is an expansive digital universe where players can not only explore, race and battle, but also build their own experiences from the ground up. It's part social hub, part creative platform and part video game. What makes Everywhere special? The game centres on a futuristic city called Utropia. This city acts as the game's main hub, a zone where players can gather, interact and access a variety of portals. The game is divided into several themed districts, which offer different types of experiences. These are the racing district, the combat district, the entertainment district and the collection. One of Everywhere 's most ambitious features is the Arcadia creation system, a tool that allows players to design their own experiences. Using building blocks known as Stamps, users can create everything from racing tracks and shooting arenas to new interactive experiences. How will MindsEye fit into Everywhere? MindsEye is a single-player action-adventure game scheduled for release on June 10, which will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game is set within the world of Everywhere and will offer some of the same user-generation tools that will eventually be available in that game. Set in a desert metropolis called Redrock, the game's protagonist is Jacob Diaz, a former soldier equipped with a mysterious neural implant known as the MindsEye. Plagued by memories and flashbacks, Jacob attempts to uncover the truth behind his past while navigating a world dominated by artificial intelligence, high-tech experimentation and malevolent military power. While Everywhere is pitched as a sprawling, user-generated content platform that blends community engagement with gameplay, MindsEye offers a more traditional, story-focused experience. How is MindsEye influenced by Grand Theft Auto? The game features driving, shooting and exploration, with sequences of high-speed car chases, futuristic gadgets and intense combat sequences. The experience is much like previous Grand Theft Auto games, in which a player controls the protagonist and leads them through the storyline, accomplishing missions and improving abilities. Is Everywhere influenced by Minecraft? Creation within video games is often done within boundaries. Games like Minecraft, Roblox and others are purposefully presented in a simplistic format to allow for maximum creation potential. A blank canvas to put one's ideas on to, as it were. The user-generated technology proposed in a game like Everywhere promises the same level of freedom and choice, but in a much more premium setting. The experience Benzies brings with him from producing some of the most popular video games of all time, coupled with the ambition of creating an innovative gaming experience, could produce a game that elevates the industry's technology.
