Model Bella Hadid launches herself into the future by dropping first NFT
Updated 23 June 2022
Arab News
DUBAI: US Palestinian Dutch supermodel Bella Hadid on Wednesday dropped her first non-fungible tokens, from her line called CY-B3LLA, giving her fans a chance to own a three-dimension version of the catwalk star.
Hadid, in collaboration with social meta verse site reBASE, is selling 11,111 unique artworks of herself allowing NFT collectors to own digital assets of the model with a certificate of authenticity.
The runway star on Wednesday shared a short clip on Instagram revealing the news with her 53 million followers. “With my utmost respect, our first CY-B3LLA has been revealed. One of my favorite destinations, people, food, and cultures in the world … JAPAN. I can’t wait to be back,” she wrote before asking fans if she should do her first meet up in Tokyo.
“It would be an honor for me,” she said.
The model previously said that the project will allow collectors to go to real locations and events around the world, where they can meet her.
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: In a bustling corner of Islamabad’s F-10 Markaz, the scent of sizzling oil and green chili chutney once signaled the presence of Afghan street food.
Today, the aroma is gone and so are the stalls that created it — the hum of grills and laughter and life.
“There used to be a few [Afghan fries stalls] around my neighborhood and then one morning, they just upped and left,” said Hamza Nofil, 28, who used to daily have the crinkle-cut, ridged, and golden chips, always served with the signature green chutney.
“So, you know, it breaks my heart.”
This combination of photos shows two Afghan-run food stalls in Islamabad. (AN Photo)
The heartbreak is shared by many in Pakistan’s urban centers where those fries, and the people who served them, were part of a larger story — of exile, adaptation and community — that is now vanishing as a result of a sweeping deportation drive targeting Afghan nationals.
Since November 2023, Pakistan has expelled nearly one million Afghans as part of a crackdown on undocumented foreigners. The government has also not renewed Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for 1.4 million Afghan refugees, allowing their legal stay to lapse in June 2024.
While the policy has drawn criticism from rights groups and international powers, it is the quieter losses, of flavor, memory, and a sense of belonging, that now echo through city markets and street corners.
Among the casualties are the street food stalls, modest, smoky kitchens on wheels, where generations of Afghan refugees introduced Pakistanis to flavors from across the border: the fries dunked in secret chutney, paratha-wrapped burgers and mounds of Kabuli Pulao rice heaped with raisins, nuts and slow-cooked beef.
Shahid Ali, 22, a Pakistani vendor in F-10, said he remembered when there were six or seven Afghan fries stalls in the area, as well as those selling Afghan burgers wraps packed with shredded chicken or kebab, slathered with sauces and served in paratha.
“You won’t see any Afghans around here because the government sent them back to Afghanistan,” Ali said.
As Afghan families depart, Pakistani vendors have tried to mimic the recipes but something vital has been lost.
“We are missing them [Afghan food stalls],” said Iqra, 29, a banker who only gave her first name. “I will definitely miss them, especially their green chutney. I loved that.”
“A WORLD IS GOING”
In Karachi’s Al-Asif Square, nicknamed “Small Kabul” for its long-settled Afghan community, the losses are not just culinary. They are existential.
“The craftsmen are going, the shopkeepers are leaving,” said Sayed Abdul Wali, a 27-year-old shopkeeper. “A world is going to Afghanistan.”
This combination of photos shows Afghan dresses in Karachi. (AN Photo)
Abdul Kabir, a Pakistani who sells traditional Afghan naan flatbreads, said demand had plummeted.
“Where once three sacks of flour would be used, now we only use one,” he said. “Even the morning batch is still lying here.”
Anthropologist Saeed Husain warned of cultural erasure, saying more than flavor was being lost. He described Afghan food culture as a form of lived knowledge, passed down from generation to generation, evolving with each retelling.
“All these traditions will be lost,” Husain said. “And then we’ll just have copies, really cheap copies… all of that will be lost too now.”
Afghans began arriving in Pakistan in large numbers after the Soviet invasion of 1979, with successive waves fleeing war, drought, and political instability. In urban Pakistan, cities like Karachi and Islamabad, they became traders, laborers, mechanics, and cooks, helping build the very urban fabric from which they are now being erased.
This combination of photos shows populare Afghan Boti (left) and Kabuli Pulao (right) in Karachi. (AN Photo)
“Pakistan is a country founded in 1947 and made by refugees,” said Dr. Sanaa Alimia, author of Refugee Cities: How Afghans Changed Urban Pakistan.
The professor said Afghans were deeply woven into the economic and cultural fabric of urban centers and played a foundational role in shaping the cities of Pakistan, building homes, laying roads, running businesses — and serving food.
“There are many examples, from agricultural production and farming techniques, to mechanics, to doctors… artists, tandoor wallas, and so much more,” Dr. Alimai said.
But she cautioned against reducing the worth of Afghans to their economic value.
“Human and political rights are about protecting and valuing people irrespective of if they contribute to the economy or not.”
Back in Karachi, Mohsin, a local customer, feared not just the loss of food but of taste, tradition, and togetherness.
“If our Afghan brothers leave,” he said, “then perhaps the taste and flavor will leave too.”
ISLAMABAD: Spotify has named rising Pakistani musician Afusic as its featured artist for the third quarter of 2025 under its global Radar program, spotlighting the viral star’s rapid ascent in the country’s evolving music scene.
Afusic — the stage name of Affan Khan — gained widespread recognition this year after his single “Pal Pal” went viral on the platform, amassing over 64 million streams. The song’s success has placed him among a new wave of artists reshaping Pakistan’s independent music landscape.
As the Pakistani music industry undergoes a digital transformation, platforms like Spotify have played a key role in spotlighting emerging talent and connecting local voices with global audiences.
“Spotify’s Radar Pakistan returns this quarter, spotlighting Afusic as its latest featured artist,” Pakistani agency Asiatic Public Relations said in a statement on Friday. “This milestone marks a significant moment in his rapidly rising career with his viral track ‘Pal Pal’ being featured on the Radar Pakistan playlist.”
According to Spotify data shared by the agency, Afusic’s audience has surged by more than 1,200 percent since April 2025, with his music landing on nearly 270,000 playlists globally.
Streams have spiked over 440,000 percent since the song debuted in the platform’s Fresh Finds Pakistan playlist in February.
“In the past 28 days alone, the demographic breakdown of his global audience reveals a strong connection with younger listeners — 60 percent male and 40 percent female — led by the 18–24 age group, followed closely by 25–34-year-olds,” the statement said.
Afusic called the Radar selection a “huge moment.”
“Radar is an incredible platform that shines a light on independent artists and helps us reach new audiences, while also giving fans a chance to connect with who we are beyond the music,” he said. “I’m truly grateful for the support Spotify has shown me — watching ‘Pal Pal’ grow from Fresh Finds to Hot Hits Pakistan shows just how powerful this journey can be.”
Afusic joins past Radar Pakistan alumni including Hasan Raheem, Taha G, Shae Gill, and Rovalio, all of whom have gained both domestic and international acclaim in recent years.
Massive Attack, Brian Eno launch syndicate to defend artists criticizing Gaza war
Artists accuse pro-Israel groups of censorship, harassment
UK Lawyers for Israel wants to cancel careers, artists argue
Updated 18 July 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: British band Massive Attack, British singer and songwriter Brian Eno, Irish post-punk band Fontaines DC and hip-hop trio Kneecap have launched a syndicate to defend artists criticizing Israel’s alleged genocidal war on Gaza.
The group says these artists have been targeted by “aggressive, vexatious campaigns” orchestrated by pro-Israel groups.
In a statement shared on Instagram on Thursday, the musicians expressed concern for emerging artists who they believe are at risk of being “threatened into silence or career cancellation” by groups such as UK Lawyers for Israel.
“We’re aware of the scale of aggressive, vexatious campaigns operated by UKLFI and of multiple individual incidences of intimidation within the music industry itself, designed solely to censor and silence artists from speaking their hearts and minds,” the statement said.
“Having withstood these campaigns of attempted censorship, we won’t stand by and allow other artists — particularly those at earlier stages of their careers or in other positions of professional vulnerability — to be threatened into silence or career cancellation.”
The syndicate was announced amid mounting tensions involving the UKLFI.
The group filed a police report against Bob Vylan after the band chanted “death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces)” during their Glastonbury set, an incident now under police investigation.
The UKLFI also filed a complaint with the BBC for broadcasting the performance, and several of the band’s upcoming shows have since been cancelled.
Mo Chara of Kneecap was also referred to authorities by the UKLFI and later charged with a terrorism offence, accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a live performance.
Following the report, Kneecap had several concerts cancelled.
Need a summertime streaming binge? Here’s what you should have seen so far in 2025
Updated 18 July 2025
Arab News
‘Adolescence’
This harrowing drama, created by actor Stephen Graham (who also stars) and writer Jack Thorne and directed by Philip Barantini, will surely clean up at the next round of major awards. The story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, accused of the murder of a schoolmate, and his family was practically flawless in every aspect, from the excellent ensemble cast (including breakout star Owen Cooper, who plays Jamie) to the extraordinary technical skill (each of its four episodes was shot in a single take). “The balletic production processes that must have been involved are simply staggering, but they suck the audience in and refuse to let them go, demanding we share in every uncomfortable second,” our reviewer wrote. “‘Adolescence’ may be one of the most upsetting shows released this year — at times, it’s excruciating — but it is also a remarkable work of art.”
‘Severance’ S2
The wonderfully weird world of Apple’s sci-fi comedy-drama was expanded far beyond the walls of the Lumon offices in season two, as Mark S (Adam Scott) and his team of data refiners dealt with the fallout from their successful, if brief, escape from their ‘severed’ floor — where work and out-of-work memories and personalities are controlled and delineated by a chip embedded in their brains — and alert the outside world to the cruelties of their working conditions. Season two had that same blend of surreal silliness and nightmarish anxiety that made the show so popular — as our reviewer said: “Creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller waste no time in rediscovering the subtle blend of tangible oddness and sinister dystopian creepiness that made the first season such an uncomfortable joy.” “Severance” remains smart, thought-provoking, entertaining, and utterly absorbing.
‘Mo’ S2
The second season of Mo Amer’s semi-autobiographical comedy drama — in which he plays Mo Najjar, a Kuwait-born Palestinian refugee living in Houston, Texas, with his mother Yusra (the superb Farah Bsieso), and his older brother Sameer (Omar Elba), who’ve been waiting more than two decades to have their asylum case heard — proved that the success of season one was no fluke. Amer, our reviewer wrote, continued to explore “incredibly complex and divisive topics — family, religion, imbalance of power, exile, mental health, parenthood, multiculturalism and much more — with an artful lightness of touch, without ever taking them lightly.” The finale — in which the family finally head to Palestine for the first time in more than 20 years — was a triumph of storytelling.
‘Black Mirror’ S7
Charlie Brooker’s near-future-set sci-fi anthology series — which has, since its inception, proven frighteningly prophetic — continued to explore familiar themes in its seventh season, most especially the terrifying potential technology has to reshape our existence. But it did so with a slightly softer touch that suggests Brooker’s cynicism is mellowing just a little — and it was the richer for it. It doesn’t hurt that some fine actors continue to line up to feature in the show — this season saw Rashida Jones, Awkwafina, Peter Capaldi, Paul Giamatti, Emma Corrin, Issa Rae, Patsy Ferran and many more on the roster. And, of course, there was that sequel — the first in the show’s history — to a “Black Mirror” classic: season four’s “USS Callister.”
‘Andor’ S2
It seems a shame that what was by far the strongest of the many TV spinoffs from “Star Wars” was just two seasons long, but maybe that limitation was the reason why it was the strongest: it cut out the indulgent exposition. We already knew what was coming — at least, if you’d seen “Rogue One” you did, and if you hadn’t seen it then why on earth were you watching a “Star Wars” spinoff? Its story of a population rising up against the erosion of their rights was both convincing and timely. “With ‘Andor,’ (creator Tony) Gilroy and (star Diego) Luna have truly set the gold standard for what future “Star Wars” can be,” our reviewer wrote. “Not just a space opera, but real stories of transformation and beauty.”
‘The Studio’
Apple’s star-studded comedy about a newly appointed Hollywood studio head (Matt Remick, played by Seth Grogan), who believes himself to be a supporter of great art, but quickly discovers that he’ll have to park his principles and chase the money, was as sharp a satire as you could wish to see. “Even though “The Studio” is a TV show about the movie business, it still manages to skewer both industries,” our reviewer wrote. “At every turn, Remick is confronted by the inherent silliness of the movie business, and we get to watch it in a series of episodic, bingeable installments, each bursting with cameos and a satirical swipe at everything from celebrity culture to pretentious auteurs.”
Who doesn’t want to play the part of one of cinema’s great action heroes? And who doesn’t want to run around punching Nazis? In Bethesda’s addictive action-adventure you get to do both, controlling the titular archaeologist as he scraps and sneaks his way through a range of beautifully rendered real-world locations, solving puzzles on his way, all to thwart the bad guys.
‘Split Fiction’
The latest two-player action-adventure from co-op specialists Hazelight Studios is their best yet, earning well-deserved plaudits from critics and gamers alike. You and your partner play as authors Mio Hudson and Zoe Foster, who’ve been connected — against their will — to a machine that steals creative ideas and have become stuck in a world of their own stories.
‘Mario Kart World’
No way Nintendo could’ve launched the Switch 2 without a Mario game. And what a game it was, taking all the fun of previous “Mario Kart” editions, but introducing open-world options, off-roading skills, and an elimination mode. Oh, and the ability for up to 24 players to race at once. More than 30 years on from its launch, “Mario Kart” is still the gold standard in fun.
‘Clair Obscur:Expedition 33’
It has its flaws, but this bleakly moving RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive is so ambitious in its storytelling and execution that most of them can be forgiven. You control the party known as Expedition 33 on a suicide mission to defeat the Paintress, a mysterious being who — for 67 years — has determined the age at which people will die in the peaceful town of Lumière
