DAMMAM: Pop diva Mariah Carey is in Israel to promote her new partnership with an Israeli skincare line, and that has not gone down well with many of her fans.
ramoosh221 wrote on Instagram: “Welcome to Palestine P.S. it was never Israel.”
Carey posted a short video in which she appears to be saying: “I am so happy to be in Israel with Premiere (skincare brand).”
Commenting on the video, mya__truco wrote: “You don’t sound like it. I wouldn’t be excited either when you’re around Jews that murder and slaughter Palestinians. #ApartheidIsrael #LandTheives”
“Why does she do stuff like this if she already has more than enough money?” asked one fan.
“I miss the mimi that loved Morocco and visited it a lot. What’s happening to you, you’re always in the Zionist state... damn all because of your zionist manager perhaps,” fatiha_87 speculated.
“What about Palestine, Mariah?” asked another fan.
In another Instagram post, Carey posed with a dove perched on her hand.
proptrader24Ironic wrote: “u love a symbol of peace and also love an apartheid and terrorist country that murders men, women and children with complete impunity. Your support and love for Israel is reprehensible to anyone who respects human life, rights and freedom.”
malvicheGirl commented: “... there are 196 countries you could’ve gone to yet you chose to go here.”
Carey, who has visited Israel several times in recent years, said she prefers to abstain from involving herself in the political controversies of the region.
“I don’t think it’s my place to act like a political figure ... we love everybody,” she said.
‘What about Palestine, Mariah?’ Fans slam pop diva’s Israel visit
‘What about Palestine, Mariah?’ Fans slam pop diva’s Israel visit
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
