Norwegian Joachim Ronning will direct the adaptation of Micro, a novel that was left unfinished by Michael Crichton when he died in 2008. Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall, the duo behind Jurassic Park, will produce the film. Micro tells the tale of a group of biotechnology students lost in a tropical jungle after having been shrunk to the point where they are only half an inch in height. The techno-thriller on which the film is based was published posthumously in 2011, three years after the death of Michael Crichton. The American author had written one third of the book when he died. His publisher Harper Collins subsequently tasked a writer specialized in bioterrorism to complete the novel.

Some 4,000 Jews remained in Germany after the Holocaust. Their motivations have rarely been explored. The movie “Bye Bye Germany,” starring Moritz Bleibtreu, chose to depict their paradoxical situation through humor.”Hitler is dead, but we are alive!” declares David Bermann to motivate his new business partners at the beginning of the film “Bye Bye Germany,” directed by Sam Garbarski.

Since its fourth edition in 2015, the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) has introduced shows highlighting disability into its vast programming. In this context, the festival already included events such as Italy’s Mission Roosevelt (2015), which involved the participation of the public on wheelchairs; Austria’s Madeeh (2016), which worked on movement, dance and explored physicality with a few dancers on the wheelchairs; and Gaze (2016) by the UK’s Stopgap Dance Company, which employed disabled and non-disabled actors; among other shows. Now, for the third consecutive year, the Arts and Disability segment of D-CAF in its sixth edition aims to challenge perceptions of the disabled by including people with disabilities and showcasing international artistic practices with the disabled.

Love's End, performed on 25 and 26 March at the AUC Falaki Theatre as part of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) theatre programme, is a striking piece about the eternally favoured subject of the arts: Love. Written and directed by Frenchman Pascal Rambert and translated to Arabic by Shadi El-Housseiny, Love's End (Clôture de l'Amour) is a dual performance presented in two long monologues. Two lovers, played by Mohamed Hatem and Hadeel Adel, end their love story on stage, with each standing on one end of the stage with a long distance between them.

Walt Disney World company, known as Disney, has decided to seek the stars of the new Aladdin film in the Middle East, specifically in Abu Dhabi, through the media production company Pyramedia. Pyramedia will choose Arab talents to play the main roles in what it to be of one of the most anticipated movies of Disney and Hollywood, directed by Guy Ritchie and distributed by Walt Disney Animation Studios.

The world’s most avidly-watched entertainment show is bound to rile at least some of its 200 million viewers. Here’s what has made blood boil in 61 years of ESC history.On April 4, 2017, the Eurovision Song Contest’s website reported that Ukrainian President Petro Poroschenko has upheld a travel ban for Russia’s candidate, singer Julia Samoylova. This is the latest round in escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine over the song contest. But as a look back over six decades of ESC history shows, controversies big and small have often swirled around the event.

Babies cry more in Britain, Canada, Italy and Netherlands than in other countries, while newborns in Denmark, Germany and Japan cry and fuss the least, researchers said on Monday. In research looking at how much babies around the world cry in their first three months, psychologists from Britain have created the first universal charts for normal amounts of crying during that period.

The remains of a 13th Dynasty pyramid were discovered on Monday by an Egyptian archaeological mission working in the Dahshur Necropolis at an area north of King Senefru's Bent Pyramid. The discovered remains are in a very good condition; and further excavation is planned to reveal more of the structure, Mahmoud Afifi, the head of the ancient Egyptian antiquities sector at the antiquities ministry, said in a statement issued by the ministry on Monday.

A major new exhibition in Madrid focuses on the artistic journey that led Picasso to paint his monumental anti-war masterpiece, “Guernica.” The iconic work turns 80 this year.Madrid’s Reina Sofia museum of modern art is opening a major exhibition on Tuesday to underline the upcoming 80th anniversary of Picasso’s monumental painting “Guernica.”

The fifth tallest skyscraper in the world opens on Monday in the South Korean capital Seoul. The Lotte World Tower with its 123 floors in the southern district of Jamsil stands 555 meters (1,819 ft.) tall.The opening was marked on Sunday by a great fireworks display. The Korea Times reported that for eleven minutes 30,000 fireworks lit up the night sky to celebrate the completion of the Lotte World Tower. The tower, with its area of 505,300 square meters of luxury residences, office space and shops, was designed by the American architect firm Kohn Pedersen Fox. On their webpage the said that their “design melds a modern aesthetic with forms inspired by the historic Korean arts of ceramics, porcelain, and calligraphy.” The tower boasts the world’s highest glass-bottomed observation deck and the world’s fastest elevator – taking visitors to the top in just one minute. And on the 85th floor, it also claims to have the world’s highest swimming pool in a building.

Growing up with stereotypes is both confusing and pressuring. In many parts of the Middle East, women are often categorised based on mistaken concepts and outdated ideas. The women of Iran are a controversial topic that often ends with generalised assumptions that could not be further from the truth. Recently, many Iranian women have decided to take matters in their own hands to communicate their true identity and reality. Hoda Katebi is a true example of a cultural ambassador. The elaborate Iranian writer, photographer, and activist living in Chicago does not hold back from speaking on behalf of young local women.

Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will receive his Nobel Literature Prize diploma and medal in the next few days in Stockholm, where is he due to perform this weekend, the secretary of the Swedish Academy said on Wednesday. The Academy's decision to give the bard of "Blowin' in the Wind" the literature prize caused controversy, only deepened by Dylan's silence about the award for weeks afterwards and his no-show at the annual banquet in December.

“Good theatre for children is essential,” Shona Reppe, the creator and actress of The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean, told me during our chat following her performance in Cairo. The play was one of numerous performances Egyptian children and young people were offered through the seventh edition of the Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children (7-12 March in Cairo, as well as 14 and 16 March in Alexandria and Luxor, respectively).

As part of an effort by the Ministry of Antiquities to increase historical awareness among Egyptians, the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Babul Khalq will be open for visitors on Saturdays till 9pm. Elham Salah, the head of the Museums Department at the ministry, said that in addition to its regular hours of 9am to 4pm, the museum will now also be open from 5pm to 9pm on Saturdays starting this week.

One of the largest Italian travel companies is organizing four weekly flights from the cities of Naples and Bari to Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh for the first time, raising hopes for the revival of the Red Sea tourism sector which has been hit hard in recent years, said Hesham el-Demeiry, the head of Egypt’s Tourism Promotion Authority, on Wednesday. These trips will include around 180 tourists per flight, amounting to a total of 2,800 Italian tourists per month, which el-Demeiry sees as the first step toward the return of Italian tourism to Sharm el-Sheikh after its decline.

After India’s culture has successfully invaded Egyptians’ lives, “India by the Nile” has become an annual mega-festival that brings the soul and life of India to Egypt and allows the loyal fans to travel in time and place to one of their most favourite countries, where bright colours, music, and beauty take place. In its fifth round, this year’s festival brings double the joy and fun, as India celebrates 70 years of independence as well as 70 years of diplomatic relations with Egypt.

Immanuel Kant followed a disciplined bedtime routine and believed that light created bugs. The quirks of the world-famous philosopher – and his odd relationship to his servant – are the subject of a unique graphic novel.Known for his moral philosophy and reliance on human reason, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was also a man of structure and discipline – and had more than a few loveable quirks about him.

Immanuel Kant followed a disciplined bedtime routine and believed that light created bugs. The quirks of the world-famous philosopher – and his odd relationship to his servant – are the subject of a unique graphic novel.Known for his moral philosophy and reliance on human reason, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was also a man of structure and discipline – and had more than a few loveable quirks about him.

Robert Pattinson has teamed up with fashion giant Karl Lagerfeld on a brand new campaign for Dior Homme. The Twilight star was photographed on the streets of Paris by the famous creative sporting eveningwear from the French fashion house’s Fall 2017 Black Carpet collection. Designed by Kris Van Assche, the collection strikes a tone between formal menswear and streetwear, blending relaxed pieces with Dior’s signature sharp tailoring.

The seventh edition of the Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children (7-16 March) brought plays and creative activities from Egypt, Germany, the UK and the USA. As is the case each year, while the plays gave the young audience a lot of fun, they also opened their eyes to many issues, triggering thoughts and igniting the imagination. Each play offered something wonderful and unique in its own way, and The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean from the UK was no exception.

Members of the US “alt-right” appear to have developed a taste for British literary classics. But how do they think this will help the white nationalist cause?The “alt-right” – a movement of internet-savvy, far-right nationalists in the United States – likes to provoke. Its members gather online, exchanging extremist views on blogging platforms and message boards, sharing racist memes and trolling their ideological opponents on social media.