Mecca businesses see hajj boom ending pandemic slump

“Business is back”, exclaims Abdullah Mekhlafi at the shop where he sells prayer mats in Islam’s holiest city, which is preparing for the biggest influx of hajj pilgrims since the coronavirus pandemic began. Two years of drastic restrictions on the num…

Mixed fortunes of celebrities who leapt on NFT craze

Sports, film and music stars have all flocked to the NFT market to buy pictures of apes, endorse corporate partners or even launch their own art collections. Even as the crypto sector suffers a rout with sales and values plunging and scams proliferatin…

How binchotan is transforming summer barbecues

You may already be in the habit of putting a piece of activated charcoal, called binchotan, into a jug or bottle to purify water. But did you know that you can also use it to gently grill your summer dishes without producing any smoke or smells? At the…