Under the Taliban, the mannequins in women's dress shops across the Afghan capital of Kabul are a haunting sight, their heads cloaked in cloth sacks or wrapped in black plastic bags.

The hooded mannequins are one symbol of the Taliban's puritanical rule over Afghanistan. But in a way, they are also a small show of resistance and creativity by Kabul's dress merchants.

SchoolTec, the first event of its kind in the country, is inviting school principals, school administrators, teachers, IT managers, professionals, university teachers, training managers, trainers, and parents to get ready to attend the exhibition that will take place for three days starting Wednesday January 18th until Friday January 20th, 2023, from 3:00 until 9:00 p.m. in Mövenpick Hotel Beirut.

WHY ATTEND?

Greece's top Jewish body said a memorial to thousands of Jews killed in the Holocaust had been vandalized in Thessaloniki, the second such incident in as many weeks.

Donkeys pulling wooden carts churn up the desert dust as they race down a track in Bahrain, the riders whipping their backs with sticks as an excited crowd looks on.

A judge on Wednesday ordered a Detroit museum to hold onto an 1888 painting by Vincent van Gogh in response to a lawsuit by its owner, who claims it has been missing for nearly six years.

The painting, titled "The Novel Reader" or "The Reading Lady," is part of a rare van Gogh exhibit, which ends Jan. 22 at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Noura's determination to play sports was so great that she defied her family's opposition for years. Beatings from her mother and jeers from her neighbors never stopped her from the sports she loved.

But the 20-year-old Afghan woman could not defy her country's Taliban rulers. They have not just banned all sports for women and girls, they have actively intimidated and harassed those who once played, often scaring them from even practicing in private, Noura and other women say.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who came to power on a campaign motto of "God, Family, Fatherland" made her first official visit to see Pope Francis on Tuesday, fulfilling what she said was a hoped-for opportunity to better understand the Argentine pontiff.

Meloni spent 35 minutes with Francis alone, before she met with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the foreign minister. The Holy See said the talks with Parolin focused on the fight against poverty, family issues and Italy's demographic problems — a big concern for both Meloni and Francis who have lamented Italy's low birth rate. The war in Ukraine and migration were also discussed, according to a press statement.

Islam's annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will return to pre-pandemic levels this year after restrictions saw the annual religious commemoration curtailed over concerns about the coronavirus, authorities say.

The hajj, required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life, represents one of the world's largest gatherings of people. Before the pandemic, the pilgrimage drew millions each year to Islam's holy city of Mecca, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that observant Muslims pray toward five times a day.

The British Embassy in Beirut is launching the ‘Ambassador For A Day’ competition where winners will be able to shadow an Ambassador in Lebanon for one day. The competition aims to encourage young girls to become leaders and advocates for change.

The theme of the competition is Embrace Equity which is the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023. All girls aged 15-18 years old and who are not at university are eligible. The competition is open from now until 9 February 2023.

Pope Francis met on Monday with Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, the longtime secretary of Pope Benedict XVI who was a key figure in his recent funeral but who has raised eyebrows with an extraordinary memoir in which he settles old scores with the reigning pontiff and reveals palace intrigue.

The Vatican provided no details about the content of the private audience, other than to say that it happened.