JEDDAH: Tiffany Trump and her Arab boyfriend are now Instagram official.
President Donald Trump’s 25-year-old daughter posted a picture of herself and Michael Boulos, the son of Lebanese business tycoon Massad Boulos, standing in front of a Christmas tree inside the Red Room of the White House.
News of their romance surfaced last month, with the two reportedly seeing each other since the summer, when they met at a party at actress Lindsay Lohan’s beach club on the Greek island of Mykonos.
Boulos grew up in Nigeria, where his father runs Boulos Enterprises and SCOA Nigeria, a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate that trades in vehicles, equipment, retail and construction. Boulos Sr. is married to the daughter of Lebanese businessman Zouhair Faddoul, whom he worked with before founding his own ventures.
Streaming successes: What’s coming to your screens later this year
From stressed-out cooks to foul-mouthed spymasters, the must-see shows still to come in 2025
Updated 1 min 17 sec ago
Arab News
‘Squid Game’ season 3
Starring: Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon
Where: Netflix
When: June 27
The final season of the South Korean survival thriller about a game show where the rewards are enormous but loss means death, Seong Gi-hun (or player 456, as you might know him) and his friends must fight for survival in ever-more fiendish challenges. The VIPs — the wealthy individuals who fund the games — return to the island once again, perhaps setting the stage for a vengeance-fueled finale and a showdown between the Front Man and his brother, police officer Jun-ho.
‘Ironheart’
Starring: Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross
Where: Disney+
When: June 25
This Marvel miniseries is a spinoff from the “Black Panther” movie franchise and follows MIT student and genius inventor Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, who was responsible for creating the vibranium detector that sparked the events of 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” in which she also invented an exoskeleton to rival that of Tony Stark/Ironman so that she could fight alongside the Wakandans. Now Williams has returned home to Chicago, where she meets Parker Robbins, aka The Hood, who is able to access dark magic, setting Williams on a “path of danger and adventure.”
‘The Bear’ season 4
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri
Where: Disney+
When: June 26
The first two seasons of the horribly tense kitchen-based drama “The Bear” were fantastic TV. The third? Not so much. (Although it should be said that even weak episodes of “The Bear” are still better than the vast majority of shows.) But hopefully season four finds super-talented chef Carmy Berzatto and his crew back on form as they try to make a success of the titular family restaurant which they’ve shifted from run-down sandwich shop to fine-dining venue. And after a wait of almost a year, we’ll finally get to find out what that all-important review said.
‘Wednesday’ season 2
Starring: Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman
Where: Netflix
When: August 6
Wednesday Addams is back at Nevermore Academy for another year. And this time around, the rest of her spooky, kooky family will be spending a lot more time there, too — much to Wednesday’s chagrin — and not just because her brother Pugsley has enrolled. Co-showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have promised a “darker, more complex” series. And at Netlix’s live Tudum event last month, it was announced that Lady Gaga will be guest starring as the “mysterious and enigmatic” Nevermore teacher Rosaline Rotwood.
‘Slow Horses’ season 5
Starring: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas
Where: Apple+ TV
When: Sept. 24
Former British super-spy Jackson Lamb and his unfortunate crew of misfit spooks return for another series of this excellent, darkly humorous espionage drama. This time around, the trouble starts when Slough House’s resident tech nerd Roddy gets a glamorous new girlfriend, who everyone — or, at least, everyone except for Roddy — can see is well out of his league. The show is an adaptation of Mick Herron’s “Slough House” novels, and this season is based on “London Rules.” “Ted Lasso” star Nick Mohammed is perhaps the biggest new name to join the cast; he'll be playing an ambitious London mayoral candidate.
‘Stranger Things’ season 5
Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown
Where: Netflix
When: November 26
The final (really?) season of the phenomenally successful Eighties-set sci-fi horror drama has a lot to live up to. Once again, psychokinetic Eleven and her pals in Hawkins, Indiana, must fight to save the Earth from the alternate dimension known as the Upside Down. Since its arrival on our screens in 2016, “Stranger Things” has been one of the world’s most talked-about and beloved series. Showrunners The Duffer Brothers have got pretty much everything right so far. Can they stick the landing?
Owen Wilson’s charisma shines through, but ‘Stick’ is forgettable fluff
Updated 11 min 51 sec ago
Adam Grundey
JEDDAH: You remember “Ted Lasso,” right? The Jason Sudeikis-fronted feelgood football-based sporting comedy that was a huge hit for Apple? Apple sure does. Hence “Stick.”
The Jason Sudeikis of “Stick” is Owen Wilson — a solid choice, possessed of a similar goofy charisma and real comedy pedigree. The football of “Stick” is golf. Which, while it’s easier to convincingly replicate to a high standard on screen (the supposedly elite football action in “Ted Lasso” was, unintentionally, just as hilarious as its best jokes) is also nowhere near as visually engaging as football. So “Stick” already has a lot of work to do.
The plot: Wilson is former pro golfer Pryce “Stick” Cahill, a serious talent who had a serious meltdown during a televised tournament, basically ruining his life. He now sells golf gear, gives lessons, and carries out side hustles with his former caddy Mitts (Marc Maron, doing what Marc Maron does — grumpy, cynical, with a glimpse of heart). And he’s going through a protracted divorce with a woman he still clearly loves but who has moved on.
One day, Pryce spots a young teen, Santi (Peter Dager), smashing balls further than most pros manage. Pryce quickly identifies that Santi is a prodigy and convinces his single mom Elena (Mariana Trevino) to let him coach/manage/try and qualify Santi for the US amateur championships. This involves a road trip in Mitts’ RV. It also involves Pryce handing over $100,000 that he really can’t afford to Elena to prove to her he’s serious. She knows Santi’s good, but since his dad — and former coach — left them, he hasn’t wanted to play golf at all. Santi is hugely talented, but prone to losing his head if things don’t go perfectly for him.
And that’s about it (in episodes up to the time of writing). We follow the mismatched crew on their road trip; Santi plays some golf and wows people; Pryce kind of becomes a substitute dad; Mitts and Elena bicker in a kind of flirty way. Nothing much happens, no huge laughs are had, Dager is a convincing mix of adolescent arrogance and angst, and Wilson is his usual quirky, charming self.
There’s nothing to hate about “Stick,” but there’s nothing really to love about it either. It’s nice. It’s vaguely entertaining. I’m already forgetting it.
Recipes for Success: Chef Davisha Burrowes offers advice and a tasty recipe
Updated 17 min 39 sec ago
Shyama Krishna Kumar
RIYADH: The Mediterranean dining venue The Lighthouse, founded in the UAE, recently opened its first Saudi outpost in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter.
“I like to describe the Lighthouse menu as a celebration of fresh and seasonal ingredients that represent the Mediterranean culturally as a whole,” says its executive chef Davisha Burrowes. “I think it’s a perfect balance between East and West.”
Burrowes — who grew up in Barbados — caught the culinary bug early.
“I was around nine years old when I started cooking,” she says. “And that just grew around the age of 14 or 15. I did a few competitions in Barbados, and from there, I took my degree in culinary arts, worked around the world in different cuisines, then finally landed with the Lighthouse.”
The Lighthouse recently opened its first Saudi outpost in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter. (Supplied)
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
I think all young chefs tend to seek perfection. I was definitely overthinking the little things. And when you overthink, you tend to overcomplicate and overseason. and throughout the years, with growth from maturing as a chef, I will tell anyone that lasts this morning.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Experiment. Don’t be afraid to try new things — new flavors, new blends. Go with the flow a little bit, and don’t be so hard on yourself. Some of the best recipes, by a lot of chefs around the world, have been born through mistakes.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish? And why?
Probably a fresh squeeze of lemon. It brightens, it lifts, it cuts through very rich flavors as well. But personally, I think the best ingredient you can put in a dish is love, cooking with your heart, with your passion, just enjoying it and giving respect to each ingredient, whether it’s something as humble as an onion or a piece of foie gras.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
It depends. If I go to somewhere casual, you know, I take it for what it is. I manage my expectations. I also work within hospitality, so I know there can be certain challenges within the back of house and within the operation. But if I’m going somewhere where I have high expectations, then I hold them to a certain level.
The Lighthouse was founded in the UAE. (Supplied)
What’s your favorite cuisine?
I love Japanese cuisine. I worked in Japanese cuisine for two years, so I love a good selection of Nigiri platter. It needs precision, but it’s very, very simple.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
I love cooking spaghetti carbonara. It has very few ingredients, it takes minimal effort, but it also has its intricacies.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
If time’s not a factor, then it’s a barbecue. Going back to my roots, I’m from the Caribbean, and we do a lot of barbecue — it’s always summer in the Caribbean, so we do a lot of cooking outdoors. So, definitely a barbecue feast or a grazing plate.
What customer behavior most annoys you?
I wouldn’t say it necessarily “annoys” me, but I do get a little disappointed when some ingredients are swapped out of dishes — especially ingredients that are essential to the harmony of the dish. As chefs, we spend a lot of time curating dishes, making sure the flavors are balanced, so when ingredients are swapped out, it just changes the whole experience that we’re trying to offer.
As a leader, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?
I prefer to inspire rather than intimidate. I’m very hands-on in the kitchen. I like to lead by example. I think that as a chef — or as a leader in any field — it’s important that the team see you do it, so they can have the encouragement to do it on their own.
Chef Davisha’s charred aubergine with labneh and hot honey harissa
(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
For the Charred Aubergine:
1 large eggplant (aubergine)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp labneh (or see Labneh Mix below)
1 tbsp hot honey harissa (see Hot Honey Harissa below)
1 tsp toasted pine nuts
A few fresh chives, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Labneh Mix (optional, for a more flavorful labneh):
60g labneh
0g Greek yogurt
Pinch of table salt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
For the Hot Honey Harissa:
20g butter
10g olive oil
3g harissa paste (or more for extra heat)
1g crushed chili flakes
5g smoked paprika
10g honey
INSTRUCTIONS:
Char the Aubergine: Preheat a grill pan or BBQ to high heat. Brush the aubergine halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place cut-side down on the hot grill and cook until charred and softened (about 6-8 minutes per side). For a true smoky flavor, roast directly over a gas flame or in a preheated oven at 220°C for 20 minutes.
Prepare the Labneh Mix (optional): In a bowl, whisk together labneh, Greek yogurt, salt, and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Make Hot Honey Harissa: In a small saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
Add the harissa paste, chili flakes, smoked paprika, and honey. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat.
Assemble: Place the charred aubergine on a serving plate. Dollop with labneh (or labneh mix), drizzle generously with hot honey harissa, and scatter toasted pine nuts and chopped chives on top.
At-home tips
Labneh Substitute: If you don’t have labneh, use thick Greek yogurt, strained through a cheesecloth or coffee filter for a few hours to mimic labneh’s rich texture.
Char at Home: If you don’t have a grill, broil the aubergine in your oven or cook it in a cast-iron pan to achieve a similar smoky effect.
Harissa Hack: No harissa paste? Mix 1 tbsp tomato paste with 1 tsp chili flakes, ½ tsp cumin, and a pinch of smoked paprika for a quick substitute.
Honey Choices: Use mild, floral honey for a more balanced sauce or a spicy honey to really turn up the heat.
Out of the blue: How a wild fox changed Noura Ali-Ramahi’s life and art
‘There’s something that completely changed in me since I met her’ Lebanese-Emirati artist’s muse is fox, Blue, inspiration for new work
The creative, who was trained at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, has had her work exhibited at New York’s Art Club and at galleries in the UAE
Updated 12 June 2025
Celine Hijazi
ABU DHABI: On the morning of her birthday, a wild fox walked up to Noura Ali-Ramahi and sniffed her feet. Her life has not been the same since.
What began as a chance encounter in Abu Dhabi has become a daily ritual — and a profound source of inspiration.
For months now, the Lebanese Emirati artist has walked the edges of a golf course near her home not for peace of mind, but in search of Blue, the fox she has named, and who has become her muse.
“There’s something that completely changed in me since I met her,” Ali-Ramahi said. “I would almost consider the walk incomplete if I didn’t see her.”
Since that December morning, the accomplished artist has embraced a new ritual: meeting foxes at dawn, then creating art inspired by those encounters.
The creative, who was trained at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, has had her work exhibited at New York’s Art Club and at galleries in the UAE, including Abu Dhabi’s Twofour54 and N2N Gallery.
Born in Beirut in 1976, the artist moved to Scotland at the age of 11 before settling in the UAE in 1989. In 1993, Ramahi returned to Beirut, graduating with a business degree from the American University of Beirut in 1997.
But it is the last few months that have impacted her the most.
As she recounts her experiences, Ali-Ramahi springs out of her seat as if reliving a small miracle. She gestures animatedly, replaying each encounter with the foxes in vivid detail — not as distant wildlife, but as if they were old friends she shares breakfast with each morning.
“She looked at me,” Ali-Ramahi said, suddenly alert, motioning toward the ground as if the fox were right there. “And it’s as if she was saying, ‘thank you.’”
Her artwork, much like herself, bursts with energy and emotional charge. But she is not simply documenting wildlife; Blue has become a recurring motif and a vessel for expressing longing, grief, and resistance.
In her vibrant studio — a riot of color and creative force — Blue often appears superimposed over scenes of Gaza or alongside another of Ali-Ramahi’s defining symbols: a chair.
“For me, it’s (the chair) my own confinement … it’s like nothing, it’s doing nothing. It’s like emptiness, it’s no response, it’s nothing,” she said.
“Blue is the opposite of the chair.”
The chair — in a time of political paralysis surrounding Gaza and Lebanon — reflects both Ali-Ramahi’s personal sense of confinement and a broader societal powerlessness.
The fox, by contrast, is everything the chair is not: cunning, wild, disobedient. It represents movement, instinct, and the refusal to be tamed.
Since leaving her full-time job, Ali-Ramahi has embraced this liberated, intuitive energy in her art, using it as a way to process emotion and resist despair.
“When I superimpose her onto a destroyed landscape, she becomes more than an animal,” she said. “She becomes survival.”
At no point does Ali-Ramahi pretend to understand why the fox chose her, and she does not need to.
“She makes me feel special … I’m not shy to admit it,” she said.
What she does know is this: like a fox hunting its prey, Blue arrived quietly in her life and became essential not just to Ali-Ramahi’s creative ecosystem, but to her emotional survival during moments of hopelessness.
“Maybe she trusts me because she sees me walking every day, sipping my coffee, never trying to hurt her,” she said softly. “I’m just ... there.”
Saudi Arabia makes a splash at London Design Biennale
‘Good Water’ focuses on the sabeel as a symbol of hospitality and generosity
Updated 12 June 2025
Jasmine Bager
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.”
