Ivanka Trump publishes women’s self-help book

A woman walks past a shelf displaying Ivanka Trump’s book “Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success” at a Barnes and Nobel bookstore in New York on May 2, 2017. (AFP)
Updated 03 May 2017
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Ivanka Trump publishes women’s self-help book

NEW YORK: US First Daughter Ivanka Trump revived ethics concerns Tuesday by publishing a self-help book for working women, which was immediately criticized for offering little help to millions of Americans living outside the moneyed elite.
“Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success” was released simultaneously in hardback, ebook, 497-minute audio download and CD, Donald Trump’s favorite child sitting on the cover in a dark frock.
The millionaire mother of three, assistant to the president and wife of White House adviser Jared Kushner, says she wrote the tome, published by Penguin business imprint Portfolio, before her father’s shock election.
She took leave from the family real estate business and her eponymous clothing line in January. She is now an unpaid federal employee, with an office in the West Wing, who fulfills duties traditionally carried out by a first lady.
The purpose of the book, she writes, is to empower others with skills she has learned in matters as diverse as starting companies, negotiating, maximizing your influence at work and “helping change the system to make it better for women.”
The text is peppered with quotations from the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, business leaders Jeff Bezos and Sheryl Sandberg, even former secretary of state Colin Powell.
Yet the book spotlights the gulf between the gilded world of a 35-year-old woman thought — with her husband — to still hold investments worth up to $740 million and the struggles facing middle- or working-class working women.
She makes only fleeting reference to a nanny as she details an exhausting schedule for managing her companies, her household and date nights with her husband.
At extremely busy times, such as her father’s presidential campaign, she admits: “I wasn’t treating myself to a massage or making much time for self-care.”
She references her joy at spending weekends “at our country home in New Jersey,” her love of transcendental meditation and shares tips on treating your children to a “spa bath:” run the shower for steam, play rain forest music and lower the lights.

Fatima Goss Graves, incoming president of the National Women’s Law Center that promotes equality for women and families, wrote in US News that the book was “completely out of touch with the obstacles working women face.”
“Millions of women are in no position to follow any of this advice.”
The New York Times, a newspaper repeatedly criticized by the Republican president, called it “not really offensive so much as witlessly derivative.” The “why of her book becomes easy to discern. She’s extending the Trump brand.”
Online booksellers Amazon listed the book with an average of three out of five stars, an instant bestseller in the category of “job hunting and careers.”
Alongside glowing reviews extolling her as a role model with practical advice, irrate comments criticized her as a woman of privilege who never had to work.
Likely galling to many a hard-up student will be the revelation that Anna Wintour, the legendary editor of Vogue, called her in person to offer her a job while she was yet to graduate — a position which she “graciously declined.”
Trump, who uses social media to showcase a carefully curated image, reveals that she shared the first picture of her daughter only after being ambushed by paparazzi.
She justified sharing a photograph of herself digging in the garden with “messy” hair and “dirt on my cheek” thinking it might help “debunk the superwoman myth.”
Trump was pre-paid an advance for the book, but has tried to fend off concerns that she is profiting from public office by promising to donate further profits to charity and announcing that she would not go on a promotional tour.
“In light of government ethics rules, I want to be clear that this book is a personal project. I wrote it at a different time in my life,” she wrote on Facebook.
The book closes with her often-stated desire for the United States to enshrine paid leave and affordable high-quality childcare, but offers no concrete blueprint on how that might be achieved.


Saudi Arabia makes a splash at London Design Biennale  

Updated 12 June 2025
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Saudi Arabia makes a splash at London Design Biennale  

  • ‘Good Water’ focuses on the sabeel as a symbol of hospitality and generosity 

DHAHRAN: Saudi Arabia is presenting “Good Water” at the London Design Biennale, which runs until June 29 at the UK capital’s Somerset House. 

The Saudi National Pavilion — commissioned by the Architecture and Design Commission supported by the Ministry of Culture, and presented under the leadership of commission CEO Sumayah Al-Solaiman — examines water systems, accessibility, equity and scarcity. 

“In a biennale that explores the intersection of inner experiences and external influences, ‘Good Water’ reflects the spirit of inquiry we hope to share with the world,” Al-Solaiman said in a statement. “With this pavilion, we are proud to support the next generation of Saudi practitioners and provide platforms that amplify their voices on the international stage.” 

The pavilion's design team - Clockwise from top left - Dur Kattan, Aziz Jamal, Fahad bin Naif, and Alaa Tarabzouni. (Supplied)

Saudi artists Alaa Tarabzouni, Dur Kattan, Fahad bin Naif and Aziz Jamal worked as co-curators, collaborating across various disciplines. 

“In this team, we don’t have specific roles,” Jamal told Arab News. “We all collaborated on everything. For example, the video, we all shot together — we all wrote together. We all have different backgrounds in the arts sector but we’ve worked together (in the Saudi art scene) for the past five years; it’s more of a democratic process and there’s no strict guidelines.” 

At the heart of “Good Water” is the sabeel, a traditional water fountain usually placed and funded privately in a shaded outdoor communal space. It is meant for use by anyone in the community, free of charge.  

The sabeel is an enduring symbol of hospitality and generosity, deeply rooted in the Arabian Peninsula and found in many spots throughout the Middle East. 

A sabeel fountain in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Aziz Jamal - Courtesy of the Architecture and Design Commission)

“Growing up in Dhahran, you would see sabeels everywhere. Our house didn’t have one, but there was a mosque in front of our house that had one,” Jamal said. 

The London installation strips the sabeel of nostalgia and recenters it as a contemporary, working object. Visitors are invited to fill their cups as they pause to reflect on the often unseen systems, labor and energy that make the flowing “free” water possible. 

Stacks of paper cups will be provided, bearing the message “Good Water: 500 ml = one AI prompt” in vibrant color. There will also be refillable water bottles so spectators can have a “water-cooler moment” to chat, sip and ponder.  

The pavilion also features four short videos filmed at an old water factory in Riyadh, showing the painstaking journey of water from droplet to distribution. The screens trace the production process across different sizes of bottles. 

Jamal’s relationship with water has shifted since he started working on this project.  

A water delivery truck in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Aziz Jamal - Courtesy of the Architecture and Design Commission)

“I have to say, going to visit the water factory (in Riyadh) and seeing the enormous effort that it takes to fill up one tiny water bottle, you don’t take that effort for granted anymore, because it’s not just a matter of getting the water filled up; it’s testing it, going through inspection, doing all the mineral checks,” he said. “Before, if there was a little bit of water in my water bottle, I’d just leave it, but now I make it a point to drink (it) all … to finish the bottle. It has made me more conscious of every drop.” 

Jamal’s aim is for visitors to the pavilion to reach that same realization. 

“What I really hope for is for people to interact with the piece,” he said. “We want that act of generosity to come through and we want people to drink the water.” He noted that the sabeel in London will dispense locally sourced water, not imported.  

A catalogue written by the curators will also be available, offering further context in the form of essays, research material and images of water infrastructure and sabeels from across the Middle East and North Africa region.  

Saudi Arabia is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world and the largest producer of desalinated water globally, supplying over 60 percent of its potable water, according to the Saudi Pavilion team’s research. 

“We thought (the sabeel) was a perfect symbol of the attitude and the general principle behind this concept of water as a human right and not as a luxury,” Jamal said. “It’s free drinking water, but it’s from a private source. So we felt it really encompassed this phenomenon of paying it forward and offering water to people who don’t have access to it.” 

With “Good Water,” the Saudi National Pavilion puts this scarcity — and the labor behind everyday hydration — center stage. 

“Our research was about water and access to water,” Jamal explained. “When we were first conceptualizing the piece for the London Biennale, we were looking at the infrastructure and water and access and what’s the hidden cost of free water in Saudi — and specifically looking at the objective of a sabeel: What does this act of generosity and act of making water into a human right mean? And what is the hidden cost of that?” 

Though the widespread distribution of plastic bottles has displaced the sabeel to some extent, Jamal emphasized its enduring relevance, especially in a country with scorching summers and sizeable outdoor workforces. 

“People are on the go, so they need something convenient,” he said. “I don’t think water bottles have killed off sabeels completely. A lot of the workforce in Saudi still use it all the time. It’s not just drinking water, it’s cold drinking water, and in Saudi that’s very important.” 


‘Fever Dream’ starring Fatima Al-Banawi lands on Netflix

Updated 11 June 2025
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‘Fever Dream’ starring Fatima Al-Banawi lands on Netflix

DUBAI: Saudi filmmaker Faris Godus’ latest feature “Fever Dream” is now available to stream on Netflix, bringing together a star-studded local cast including Fatima Al-Banawi, Sohayb Godus, Najm, Hakeem Jomah and Nour Al-Khadra.

Supported by the Red Sea Fund, the film, which explores themes of media manipulation, digital identity, and the cost of fame in the age of online influence, had its world premiere at the 2023 Red Sea International Film Festival. 

It tells the story of Samado, a retired football star who, burdened by media scrutiny and public notoriety, finds a chance to reclaim control. Partnering with his daughter, he sets out to take revenge on a powerful social media portal. But as they plunge deeper into their pursuit of fame and digital redemption, the line between ambition and obsession begins to blur.

Najm plays Ahlam, the daughter of Samado, while Jomah appears as Hakeem, a PR agent hired to help restore Samado’s public image. Al-Banawi takes on the role of Alaa, another key PR agent working alongside Hakeem.

Godus is famous for his work “Shams Alma’arif” (The Book of Sun), which also streamed on Netflix, and “Predicament in Sight.” 

He previously said in an interview with Arab News: “(In Saudi Arabia), we have a rich soil to build content on and so many stories to tell. I do believe that nowadays the support coming from our country is just awesome. People have so many chances to create films now.”

Meanwhile, Al-Banawi is recognized for her roles in “Barakah Meets Barakah” and the Saudi thriller “Route 10.” 

She made her directorial debut with “Basma,” in which she also plays the title role — a young Saudi woman who returns to her hometown of Jeddah after studying in the US. Back home, she is confronted with her father’s mental illness, strained family ties, and the challenge of reconnecting with a past life that no longer feels familiar.

“I really went into cinema — in 2015 with my first feature as an actress — with one intention: to bridge the gap between the arts and social impact and psychology,” she previously told Arab News. “And I was able to come closer to this union when I positioned myself as a writer-director, more so than as an actor.” 


What to expect at the 10th edition of the UK’s SAFAR Film Festival 

Updated 11 June 2025
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What to expect at the 10th edition of the UK’s SAFAR Film Festival 

DUBAI: The 10th edition of the SAFAR Film Festival launches on Wednesday with a newly restored screening of the 1972 Egyptian classic “Watch Out for Zouzou” by Hassan Al-Imam at Ciné Lumière in London. 

The festival will run until June 28, concluding with the UK premiere of “Sudan, Remember Us” (2024) by Hind Meddeb. 

This edition of SAFAR will take place across cinemas in London and nine other UK cities, showcasing a broad range of feature films, documentaries and shorts from the South West Asia and North Africa region. 

A complementary online programme, curated by the Lebanese nonprofit cultural organization AFLAMUNA, will run throughout the month, exploring works that respond to the Lebanese civil war — 50 years after it began.

Audiences can expect films that explore themes of migration, political empowerment, conflict, creativity and joy. 

Among this year’s highlights is “A State of Passion,” documenting the work of British Palestinian reconstructive surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah in Gaza. Directed by Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi, the film delves into the emotional toll of his work. 

Veteran Palestinian actor, director and documentarian Mohammad Bakri will be a special guest, delivering a masterclass and appearing for screenings of “Upshot” (2024) by Maha Haj and his landmark 2002 documentary “Jenin, Jenin,” which was banned by the Israeli Film Board. The film features testimonies from survivors of the 2002 Israeli military assault on the Jenin refugee camp.

Among other notable titles is “Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo” (2024) by Khaled Mansour, an emotive thriller that follows Hassan on a mission to protect his best friend and dog. The film previously won the Grand Prize at the Red Sea International Film Festival. 

“Red Path” (2024) by Lotfi Achour, based on a true story, recounts the harrowing experience of 13-year-old Achraf, who is forced to carry the severed head of his cousin back to their village after a terrorist attack. 

In “Saify” (2024) by Wael Abu Mansour, a middle-aged trickster sells tapes of banned Islamic sermons in hopes of quick profit, offering a sharp social commentary on the pursuit of wealth. 

Directors of all three films will be present at SAFAR for post-screening discussions.

Also part of this year’s programme is Laila Abbas’s dark comedy “Thank You for Banking With Us!” (2024), where two estranged sisters reunite to claim their inheritance before the authorities discover their father’s death and transfer it to their brother.

SAFAR will also present “Palestine – A Revised Narrative,” a 30-minute silent film compiled from 35mm archival footage shot by British forces in Palestine between 1914 and 1918. Commissioned by ALFILM, this screening will feature a live score by composer Cynthia Zaven and sound design by Rana Eid, re-examining the British imperial narrative at a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern history.

The festival includes environmental programming through “Biodiversity and Cinema,” an initiative launched in 2023 that brings together Lebanese filmmakers and ecologists to create short documentaries on ecosystems and microorganisms. A selection of these films will screen under the title “Rooted Resistance,” with filmmakers in attendance.

“The Brink of Dreams” (2024) by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El-Amir also features in this year’s line-up. Shot over four years in southern Egypt, the film follows a group of girls who form a street theatre troupe to challenge the expectations of their conservative village.


French architect showcases AlUla’s heritage in New York exhibition

Updated 10 June 2025
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French architect showcases AlUla’s heritage in New York exhibition

  • The exhibition was opened by Abdullah Al-Hamdan, the Kingdom’s consul general in New York, who spoke about the role of art in encouraging cultural exchange and international understanding

RIYADH: The Didier Aaron Gallery in New York, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia, is hosting an art exhibition by French architect Jean-Pierre Heim.

The exhibition showcases AlUla’s culture and heritage through a collection of sketches depicting Saudi Arabia’s archaeological landmarks.

It runs until June 20, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

A special event at the exhibition featured Heim speaking about his visits to AlUla and the surrounding region.

It was opened by Abdullah Al-Hamdan, the Kingdom’s consul general in New York, who spoke about the role of art in encouraging cultural exchange and international understanding.

He also noted the value of such exhibitions in sharing aspects of Saudi heritage with a wider audience.

Heim described his design approach as being informed by local culture and geography, emphasizing the integration of architecture with environment, history, and traditions.

The exhibition includes selected architectural drawings by Heim, inspired by his travels to more than 80 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Greece, and China.

 


Emirati artists perform in showcase at London’s Kensington Palace

Updated 07 June 2025
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Emirati artists perform in showcase at London’s Kensington Palace

LONDON: “If we do not tell our story, someone else will. And they will get it wrong,” said Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, following a performance in London on Friday that brought Emirati talent to a major international platform.

Emirati artists took to the stage at Kensington Palace to present a night of operatic performances. Fatima Al-Hashimi, Ahmed Al-Housani, and Ihab Darwish performed in multiple languages including Arabic, Italian and English. The performance was part of the Abu Dhabi Festival’s Abroad program in collaboration with the Peace and Prosperity Trust. The event was intended to promote Emirati cultural expression through classical music and cross-cultural collaboration.

Fatima Al-Hashimi, Ahmed Al-Housani, and Ihab Darwish performed in multiple languages including Arabic, Italian and English. (Supplied)

Alkhamis-Kanoo said an event like this is vital for cultural diplomacy and is not a one-off, but a commitment to placing Emirati talent on the world stage. 

“It’s about creating understanding, building dialogue, and showing the world the strength of our cultural identity through music,” she explained. “We invest in the young, we partner with the world, and we build cultural legacies that last.” 

The evening also included the premiere of Darwish’s latest composition “Ruins of Time,” which blended orchestral arrangements with traditional Arabic elements.

“Music is the fastest way to reach people. It creates peace, it creates understanding,” Darwish told Arab News. “Music removes boundaries. It creates a shared language, a dialogue of coexistence, peace, and tolerance. When people from different cultures come together to create music, it naturally fosters mutual understanding.”

Al-Hashimi explained the intention behind adapting a classical repertoire to reflect Arab identity. “Even while singing in Italian, I included Arabic lyrics to keep our signature present,” she said.

Al-Housani described the event as a “professional milestone,” adding: “Performing here is more than a concert, it’s a message. We’re here to show the world the strength and beauty of our culture.”