EXPLAINER

Why did Saudi Arabia and the UAE allegedly carry out secret bombing raids on Iran?

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in April secretly carried out a series of air strikes against Iran during the US-Israeli war against Tehran, the Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported this week. Analysts say these raids – which neither country has confirmed – would have been clandestine counterattacks following Tehran’s drone and missile strikes against Gulf state infrastructure.


Issued on: 14/05/2026 - FRANCE24

By:Sébastian SEIBT

 F-15SA fighter jets are seen during a graduation ceremony and air show marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of King Faisal Air College in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 

 © Faisal Al Nasser, Reuters

At least two Gulf states “secretly” carried out bombing raids on Iran during the latest US-Israeli war against Tehran, officials speaking on condition of anonymity told the media earlier this week.

The United Arab Emirates struck several Iranian sites in early April, including an oil refinery on Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

And Saudi Arabia also launched “numerous” air strikes against Iran towards the end of March, Reuters news agency reported Tuesday, citing two Iranian officials and two Western officials briefed on the matter.

Ready and willing

There has been no official confirmation of what would be a significant escalation in the conflict that has swept the Middle East, whether from Washington, Tehran, Riyadh or Abu Dhabi. If the attacks indeed took place, it would be the first time that the two Gulf states have carried out direct attacks on the Islamic Republic.

"For the UAE strikes, there are photos that seem to confirm Emirati military involvement,” said Veronika Hinman, deputy director for the Portsmouth Military Education Team at the University of Portsmouth.

Images showing French Mirage fighter jets and Chinese Wing Loong drones – both of which are used by the UAE – flying over Iran have been identified by independent military analysts on social media.

To judge how likely it is that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi carried out these attacks, “we first have to ask ourselves if they are militarily capable of it”, said Shahin Modarres, a specialist in Iran and Middle East conflicts at the International Team for the Study of Security (ITSS) Verona.

Modarres said the answer was a firm yes.

“These two countries have the most modern and most well-equipped air forces in the region,” he said. “There’s no doubt they have the means to carry out precision strikes against Iranian infrastructure.”

But do they have the political will to do it? Both countries say they refused to allow Washington to use their airspace to carry out strikes against Tehran in the lead-up to the war, appearing united in the desire to avoid being dragged into the fight.
A warning to Tehran

The war seems to have put that desire under heavy strain. Tehran has pounded both countries with drones and missiles throughout the conflict, hoping to raise the cost of the US-Israeli war on Iran by damaging critical energy infrastructure and shattering the Gulf states’ long-cherished image as safe havens for international investors.

“While Saudi Arabia was affected, no country was targeted as much as the UAE,” Hinman said. The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran targeted the Emirates with more than 2,800 drones and missiles over the course of the war – more, even, than it had fired against Israel.

Did Iran go too far? If the reports are true, said Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, the aim of the Saudi and Emirati attacks seem to have been to set a stark precedent with the Islamic Republic.

“If Iran can inflict costs on Gulf infrastructure, then the Gulf states can also inflict costs within Iran,” he said.

The Emirati decision to send a message to Tehran through military force may not be entirely surprising.

“The UAE has adopted a more aggressive stance, officially warning that it has the right to defend itself and aligning itself more closely with Israel from an operational standpoint,” Modarres said.

As Tehran unleashed its drones and missiles against the Emirates, Israel sent Iron Dome anti-air missile batteries to the UAE, as well as personnel trained to use them, to help the country stave off further attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also made a discreet visit to the UAE during the conflict, his office stated Wednesday, further strengthening the burgeoning ties between the two countries. The UAE, which normalised diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords, denies that this visit took place.

Tehran seems unconvinced. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday lashed out at Abu Dhabi during a BRICS summit in India, accusing the UAE of being “an active partner” in the US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic.

"I must say that the UAE was directly involved in the act of aggression against my country. When this aggression began, they even refused to condemn it," Araghchi said.

"It also became clear that they participated in these attacks and may have even acted directly against us," he added.

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, “has adopted a much more cautious approach, favouring diplomatic channels through Pakistan, Oman and Qatar to make it clear that it had absolutely no intention of joining a war alongside Israel,” Krieg said.
Secret strikes

It’s for this reason, Hinman said, that the bombing runs had been kept well under wraps.

“The idea would be to prevent these air strikes from leading to an escalation of tensions as much as possible,” she said.

By carrying out the strikes in secret, Krieg said, Saudi Arabia “didn’t want to publicly humiliate Iran, which would likely have forced Tehran to retaliate”.

“This is a message intended for the authorities, who need to know where the strike came from – not for the whole country,” he said.

Krieg added that the UAE had even more reason to maintain plausible deniability over the strikes: “They don’t want these strikes to feed into the Iranian discourse that paints the UAE as Israel’s Arab partner.”

© France 24
02:11

For its part, Iran has a dilemma on its hands. If the ceasefire with the US falls through and the missiles again fly, can Tehran follow the same strategy of launching air strikes across the whole region?

Krieg said that the Iranian authorities “must now reckon with the possibility of direct retaliation from the Gulf states”.

Such an outcome would be militarily dangerous for Tehran – and maybe even damaging for its public image, Modarres said.

“Their official line is that Iran is the victim of a war of aggression waged by the United States and its Israeli ally,” he said. “But a more overt involvement by the Gulf states would undermine that narrative.”

But it’s a course that could prove just as risky for the Gulf states themselves.

“From the moment that they began bombing inside Iran, the line between defensive strikes and active participation in the conflict became blurred,” Krieg said.

He said that the UAE was in a particularly vulnerable position.

“Iran sees Abu Dhabi as more threatening due to their already more aggressive diplomatic stance,” he said.

If these strikes are confirmed, their impact will likely linger long into the future.

“It’s hard to turn back the clock and restart negotiations as though nothing has happened,” Hinman said.

“We are likely witnessing a growing desire among these Gulf states to take charge of their own defence without always having to rely on US support,” Modarres said. To put it another way, while Washington might be glad in the short term to see its allies in the region throwing themselves more actively into its war against Iran, these strikes may also be a warning sign that the Gulf states are looking to cast off the heavy shield of Captain America.

This article has been translated from the original in French.

Iran’s small businesses collapse under war, inflation and internet blackout

Prices for some goods have tripled or quadrupled within a matter of months. At least two million people have lost their jobs, the currency has lost 60% of its value, the international internet has been shut down for more than 75 days, and there is no end in sight. This is the reality of Iran’s economy after two and a half months of war, ceasefire and blockade. We spoke to the owner of an e-shop, a small business, and a major tech startup to capture what life is like for Iranians today.


Issued on:  15/05/2026 - 
By: Ershad ALIJANI/The FRANCE 24 Observers

The owners of this carpet shop in Tehran posted a message on X on May 5, 2026 begging customers to visit their store because sales had declined disastrously since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28. © https://x.com/sepidashun

Even before the war, Iran’s economy had been spiralling for years under international sanctions tied to the regime’s nuclear activities, alongside deep corruption and chronic mismanagement, making daily life increasingly difficult for millions.

Over the past decade, Iranians have staged several large local and nationwide protests triggered by economic grievances, including in 2019 and January 2026, leaving tens of thousands of protesters dead, arrested or injured.

Since February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran and the Iranian regime shut down the internet, the economy has worsened sharply.

Middle-class Iranians we spoke to said the situation was becoming unsustainable, and that they feared they may no longer be able to afford food in the coming months if the situation continues.

In this message posted on X on April 28, 2026, an Iranian small business owner begs users to share her post so the business she has built for 10 years does not fail.
'We are all just trying to buy food and keep a roof over our heads'

Sarina (not her real name) owns a small e-shop selling artefacts and handicrafts. Based in Tehran, her business has been suffering since January when the Iranian regime shut down the internet amid the massive anti-regime protests.

I have an e-shop, so everything happens online. We order, we buy, we sell online. Everything depends on the internet, especially Instagram, which is our shop window. Since January, we have just been losing money.

Before this, we had between 100 and 150 million tomans in turnover each month [€660 - €1,000, based on the exchange rate in January 2026]. For the past four months, it has been zero.

Most of the manufacturers we collaborate with are shutting down because they have no orders, and I think we are going to shut down in the coming days too. We have no orders, and every single day means more costs for me. I am heavily in debt.

It is not only the internet shutdown causing this crisis: it is the economy in general. If the government restores the internet connection right now, I don’t think it will change much.

People have no money to buy things. We are all just trying to buy food and keep a roof over our heads. Clothes, handicrafts and art have become luxury items.
In a May 12, 2026 message on X this Iranian small business owner says she has invested in an expensive Internet connection in a last-ditch effort to save the handmade postcard company she has spent 12 years building.

Our Observer’s account is consistent with figures released by the Iranian authorities. Since the outbreak of the war on February 28 and the subsequent internet blackout imposed by the Iranian regime, more than 1 million jobs have been eliminated and more than 2 million people have lost their source of income, Deputy Work Minister Gholamhossein Mohammadi said in an interview on April 19.

Independent experts, however, have reported even more alarming figures. Several Iranian experts estimate that more than 20 million Iranians – more than one in four people – earn their living through the internet, and that the internet shutdown is costing around $80 million a day.

'There will be another huge protest caused by hunger'

Saman (not his real name) is the CEO of a small, growing B2B startup in Iran.

We are a service-based small startup. We had 28 employees and had to lay off 25 of them because we lost our customers, and paying their salaries cost us a lot. I check on them regularly, though.

Unfortunately, 12 of them are still unemployed, and the rest have found new jobs where the salary is not enough, so when they finish their first job, they start working as delivery drivers or Snapp! drivers [Iran’s equivalent of Uber]. And I am talking about well-educated people, engineers and university graduates.

The private sector is dead. The only orders we still have are from the public sector. There are lots of orders, but they don’t have money to pay. So we provide the service, but it takes months to get paid, if they pay at all.

On the other hand, constantly rising prices are a huge issue. I had to buy an essential supply for 1 million tomans [€4.70] just a few weeks ago. Now I have to pay 1.5 million [€7.10], if I can even find someone willing to sell it, because suppliers are not sure that if they sell to me, they will be able to refill their stock at the same price and not lose money.
An online shop in Iran posted a message on X on April 29, 2026 saying they were forced to raise the prices they charge for handwoven towels because in order to protect the incomes of the weavers who produce them.

Iran’s currency has lost more than 60 percent of its value in just six months, creating chaos for importers. Many say selling their products has become too risky because the money they earn in tomans may no longer be enough to buy the same products again once converted into foreign currency. Iran’s currency, known as the rial internationally, has become the least valuable currency in the world.

Saman continues:


I have this strong feeling that if we don’t get out of this limbo very soon, there will be another huge protest caused by hunger. Everyone I know around me is using their savings to eat and pay the bills. These savings are not endless, and there are millions who have no more savings, or never had any at all. I have no children, but if you are a father or mother and cannot feed your child, you’re ready to burn down the entire world.

In January 2026, Iran saw its largest-ever anti-regime protests driven by economic grievances. In just two days, the Iranian regime killed more than 35,000 protesters, according to human rights organisations.

Exclusive: Iran, massacre under a blackout

Rima, a retired woman, explains how expensive food has become in a country where the minimum monthly wage is around 16,000,000 tomans – or €76, at the time of publication:

I am retired and live alone. My pension is 15 million tomans [€71].

A small chicken costs 900,000 tomans [€4.20], 32 eggs cost 600,000 tomans [€2.85], red meat is around 1.5 million tomans [€7.10], and a small basket of fruit and vegetables costs more than 2 million tomans [€9.50]. So if my son and daughter don’t help me every month, I cannot survive.

According to official statistics, rice prices have increased by more than 300 percent, oil by more than 400 percent, chicken and meat by between 170 and 220 percent, and food prices overall by around 200 percent in the last 19 months.
In this post on social media an Iranian explains that the price of a bottle of cooking oil increased 300 percent in recent days, while the manufacturer reduced the bottle size from 1 liter to 0.8 liter.

'One in five jobs in Iran’s cyberspace will disappear'

Ramak (not his real name) is a manager in a tech startup in Iran with tens of millions of users.

The situation for major startups in Iran is very confusing and contradictory. On one hand, because the international internet is shut down, all these tiny e-shops and businesses that used to work on Instagram have turned to internal platforms such as Divar [Iran’s equivalent of eBay], Digikala [Iran’s Amazon] and Torob [Iran’s Google Shopping] or Snapp! [Iran’s Uber]. So these platforms have even more users.

But on the other hand, because the domestic economy is in a crippling crisis and people have no money to spend, there are far fewer transactions and less profit for the big startups. So they are firing people.

Our forecast is that at least one in five jobs in Iran’s cyberspace will disappear in the coming weeks, if not the coming days.

The war has also come at a time when major Iranian startups are using AI extensively. A few weeks ago, Digikala laid off more than 2,000 employees, because almost all of them were replaced by AI.

According to the Iran Cyber Commerce Union, Iranian startups have lost between 25 and 70 percent of their revenue since the war started, depending on their sector.

According to Iran’s Welfare Organisation, even before the Israel-US war on Iran, more than 34 million Iranians were living below the absolute poverty line, while experts say the country’s middle class has been falling into poverty even faster since the war began.

Trump’s 'surprise admission' on Iran handed their negotiators a gift: MS NOW

Tom Boggioni
May 16, 2026 
RAW STORY


U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press, as he arrives at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., April 17, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

Donald Trump's reported desperation to end the Iran war is allowing Tehran's leaders to take a harder negotiating line — and a candid admission the president made on Fox News this week handed Iranian negotiators a significant strategic gift.

According to MS NOW's Zeeshan Aleem, during an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity on Thursday, Trump revealed his evolving priorities regarding Iran's estimated 970-pound stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

When asked whether the U.S. was considering seizing Iran's uranium, Trump first claimed it would take "a week and a half" to extract using a ground operation. But then he made a stunning admission that undercut his entire negotiating position.

"I don't think it's necessary [to get the uranium], except from a public relations standpoint," Trump said. "I think it's important for the fake news that we get it."

He added: "I'm the one that said we're going to get it, and we're going to get it. We have our eye on it."

In those few words — "I don't think it's necessary" — Trump appeared to abandon a position that has been central to his entire premise for the war. He instantly undermined his insistence on uranium removal as a key term of any peace deal with Iran, Aleem wrote.

Trump's characterization of uranium seizure as merely a "public relations" maneuver suggests he is repackaging a key plank of his negotiation position as window dressing — essentially admitting it's not actually necessary to end the conflict.

According to the report, Iranian negotiators will almost certainly exploit this revelation. If Tehran believes Trump is ambivalent about — or could eventually become indifferent to — removal of Iran's uranium stockpile, Iran has far more incentive to refuse to budge on that element or demand compromises more favorable to Tehran.

Aleem observed that Trump has a documented tendency to grow bored with or abandon protracted international conflicts, and the Iran war appears to be no exception and that each public statement weakens his negotiating leverage.

Tehran water consumption hits 3bn litres a day as Iran braces for crisis summer

Dams around Tehran are at historically low levels as consumption continues to defy the odds. / bne IntelliNewsFacebook

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By bnm Tehran bureau May 14, 2026

Daily water consumption in the Iranian capital Tehran has climbed to nearly three billion litres before the start of summer, with reservoirs sitting at just 22% of capacity, according to newly released information on May 14 by state media.

The Tehran Province Water and Wastewater Company recorded instantaneous consumption of 38,000 litres per second, with three million evaporative coolers already in operation and 300mn litres of water per day being used for cooling alone in what is expected to be the worst year for drought yet. 

Tehran and large parts of the country have endured five consecutive years of drought, with healthy rainfall in March and April failing to close the deficit in reservoirs supplying the capital.

The strain on water and power infrastructure is converging with broader pressures on Iran following the recent 40-day conflict with the United States and Israel, a fragile ceasefire and an extended period of semi-wartime conditions that have left the energy and utility sectors exposed.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued repeated calls in recent days for households and businesses to cut consumption, framing conservation as a national duty rather than a discretionary measure.

Authorities have pointed to results from last year as evidence that demand-side management can deliver. A 25-litre reduction in per capita daily water use in Tehran achieved savings equivalent to twice the capacity of the Latyan Dam, one of the main reservoirs serving the capital, without a material drop in living standards.

Officials have flagged what they describe as "hidden water thieves" in residential properties, including undetected leaks, ageing coolers, non-standard fittings and unnecessary consumption that compound at a national scale.

The government has been urged to accelerate structural reforms alongside its conservation drive, including the rehabilitation of ageing water and power networks, expansion of renewable energy, support for low-consumption appliances and a review of national water policy.

Iran's electricity grid faced repeated blackouts and load-shedding during the summer of 2025, with peak demand outstripping generation capacity as gas supplies to power plants were diverted to residential heating in winter and industrial use throttled in summer.

The Tehran reservoir system, fed primarily by the Latyan, Lar, Amir Kabir, Mamloo and Taleghan dams, has been operating well below historical averages for several consecutive years.

Alireza Jazghasemi, managing director of Tehran Province Water and Wastewater Company, said the capital's dams remained in a fragile state earlier in April.

Tehran sits at the top of the list of Iran's driest provinces, he said earlier this year, with the Salt Lake catchment basin provinces of Tehran, Alborz, Markazi, Qazvin and Semnan all recording poor rainfall.

While Tehran's rainfall improved 10% compared to the previous water year, Jazghasemi said the precipitation had not translated into adequate runoff to replenish the capital's reservoirs. He expressed hope that snowmelt and spring rains in late April and May could help stabilise dam levels.

Jazghasemi said the company's main strategy for the current year was demand management and expanding the use of water-saving devices, alongside network repairs and meter replacements. He said public cooperation in reducing consumption was essential.

To compound the stress on the national water system, 18 Iranian provinces are experiencing below-normal rainfall, with national precipitation at just 84.7% of the long-term average since the start of the current water year, ISNA reported on April 14, citing Meteorological Centre data.

Maldives rescue diver dies in search for missing Italians

Malé (Maldives) (AFP) – A rescue diver in the Maldives searching for the bodies of four Italians, who drowned in the deadliest diving disaster in the Indian Ocean tourist destination, has also died, authorities said Saturday.


Issued on: 16/05/2026 - FRANCE24

© Mohamed Afrah / AFP

Teams from the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) were searching for a third day for the Italians who failed to return after a dive on Thursday, officials said.

One body from the group of five was recovered the same day.

Search operations are being carried out despite bad weather.

"Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhy was taken to hospital in critical condition after surfacing during the search operation, but later passed away while receiving treatment," the MNDF said in a statement.


Earlier on Saturday, the Maldives suspended the operating licence of a luxury vessel from which the Italians had been diving from.

The University of Genoa said the victims included a marine biology professor, her daughter and two young researchers.

Chief government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said an investigation had been launched into why the group went below the officially permitted depth of 30 metres (98 feet).

Suspended operating licence

The body of one diver, yet to be publicly named, was found in a cave at a depth of 60 metres (196 feet).

"The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has suspended the operating licence of the liveaboard vessel MV Duke of York indefinitely, pending the outcome of an investigation into the diving incident that occurred in Vaavu Atoll on May 14," the ministry said.

The Duke of York is a 36-metre luxury boat that can accommodate 25 guests.

Italy's foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday that all five of its nationals had died.

The low-lying Maldives, a nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered some 800 kilometres (500 miles) across the equator in the Indian Ocean, is a luxury holiday destination popular with divers, who often stay at secluded resorts or on liveaboard dive boats.

Diving and water-sport-related accidents are relatively rare in the South Asian nation, although several fatal incidents have been reported in recent years.

© 2026 AFP

‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ shows how Christian imagery circulates in unusual ways through the fashion industry

(The Conversation) — Christianity has inspired the design of many garments – with angels, the Virgin Mary and other sacred figures appearing on many designer outfits.

Actress Meryl Streep attends the world premiere of 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' in New York. (Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images)

Lynn S. Neal
May 13, 2026

(The Conversation) — At the world premiere of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” actress Meryl Streep leaned into her character’s devilish persona. She wore the character’s signature sunglasses along with long black gloves and a flowing red leather cape from Givenchy’s Winter 2026 collection.

Streep’s outfit, though, is a small moment in a much larger story – one in which Christianity and fashion have been intertwined for centuries, sometimes as adversaries, sometimes as collaborators.

While neither of the “Devil Wears Prada” movies revolve around Christianity, the invocation of the devil taps into an older moral rhetoric. For centuries, fashion was cast as the troublesome, if not villainous, enemy of a pure and spiritual Christianity – a symbol of putting material desires before holy ones. For example, 18th-century cleric and founder of Methodism John Wesley urged his followers to show their faith by dressing “neatly” and “plainly.”

Yet Christian imagery has come to shape the industry in profound ways. As a scholar who researches the relationship between Christianity and fashion, I have traced how Christian imagery circulates in surprising forms. The devil, for instance, occasionally appeared in fashion advertising to suggest sin, sensuality and transgression.
Christian imagery of angels and Eve

In the mid-20th century, Christianity often occupied a supporting role in the fashion industry. It showed up in articles by Christian religious leaders and color photographs of Christian art and architecture published in fashion magazines.

For example, articles on how Christianity addresses contemporary problems by Catholic Bishop Fulton Sheen and Columbia University Chaplain James A. Pike appeared in Vogue alongside ads for makeup and fashion photo shoots.

Christian imagery also appeared in fashion advertisements featuring “Sunday best” clothing and Easter dresses. Ads showed angels gifting consumers “heavenly” products that promised beauty and ease.

The devil only occasionally played a part in ads for fashion products, such as perfumes, makeup and handkerchiefs. These advertisements depicted the devil as a snake or alluded to him and his role in the Book of Genesis. The biblical passage recounts how the serpent, typically interpreted as the devil in Christian theology, tempted Eve to sin by eating the forbidden fruit. Eve then offers the fruit to Adam, and, having both sinned, they realize their nakedness, are ashamed and make clothing.

Fashion advertisements, ranging from Revlon in the 1940s to Hanes in the 1960s, celebrated Eve’s rebellious action. Revlon “double” dared women to try their “Fatal Apple” makeup so they could look like Eve, while Hanes stated, “Poor Girl! She never knew the temptation of seamless stockings by Hanes,” next to an illustration of Eve holding an apple by a serpent.

Ads played with the idea of fashion as a temptation in which female consumers should indulge. Female consumers were urged to “Be Eve” and give into the desire to purchase products.

The devil was eclipsed as ads featured garden settings and products that promised “the look of Eve.” Eve symbolized beauty and promised consumers the same results through their purchasing power.

A 1967 ad for the “Eve Petticoat” issued an invitation: “Come, pretty girl. Be Eve, if you wish.” In that same decade, Catalina’s “part of the art of Eve” campaign for their swimwear showed what this meant. Each ad featured a woman in a provocative pose wearing a Catalina bathing suit in a garden setting. By donning Catalina, the ad implies, the wearer can become Eve – attractive, stylish and sexy. By highlighting Eve’s rebellion alongside her beauty, ads framed her as a fashion heroine.

Eve’s prominent role in advertising demonstrates how the Judeo-Christian tradition permeated American culture, including the fashion industry.

An evolving fashion landscape

While Christianity appeared in industry advertisements, it also slowly began to take a more prominent role in fashion garments, as designers became more bold. Christianity inspired the design of many garments, and later, Christian figures began to appear on designer garments.

For example, in the 1960s, American designer Geoffrey Beene, known for his minimalist design aesthetic, drew inspiration from the cassocks worn by Catholic priests. So, too, did Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga. In 1967, his black evening gown with cape radiated simplicity in form and draping even as it also referenced the attire of Catholic priests.

While Beene and Balenciaga received praise for their restraint and elegance, the lesser-known London-born designer Walter Holmes created controversy with his “mini-medievals” in 1968. Modeled after a monk’s robe and a nun’s habit, Holmes combined Christian inspiration with the miniskirt trend, which some people found fun, while others labeled it offensive.

Luxury fashion brand Krizia’s collection.

In the 1990s, Italian luxury fashion brand Krizia’s collection included women wearing cassock-like dresses, while Italian fashion designer Stefano Pilati’s 2010 line for Yves Saint Laurent played on the attire of Catholic nuns.

More recently, in spring 2020, French designer Virginie Viard’s designs for Chanel referenced nuns and Catholic school girl uniforms.

Yves Saint Laurent 2010/2011 fashion show.

‘Spiritual marketplace’

In the 1990s, Christianity began playing an even larger part in fashion, as the Virgin Mary and saints began to appear on garments. Prior to this, designers often avoided using religious figures; they preferred more abstract interpretations; it also helped prevent any controversy that might emerge from depicting sacred figures.

Designer Gianni Versace challenged this tacit rule in his Fall/Winter 1991 collection. It included biker jackets adorned with bejeweled crosses and, in the finale, a halter top that featured the Virgin Mary made out of a mosaic of jewels. The garment was also the centerpiece of ads for the collection and showcased the fashion potential of Christian figures.

Versace’s Marian halter reflected the larger shift away from institutional religion toward individual spirituality. Christian symbols were lifted from church contexts and recirculated through popular culture, including fashion, in new ways. Versace’s rock star rendering of the Virgin Mary offered people a new way of seeing her – one open to interpretation outside of doctrine. Like Versace, they could claim her and reimagine her on their own terms.

Sociologist Wade Clark Roof described the religious landscape as a “spiritual marketplace.” People relied less on religious authorities and more on the meaning they could create from “available images, symbols, moral codes, and doctrines.”

Religious ideas and products circulated through music and movies, crystal shops and sports stadiums, Christian bookstores and designer collections. Within this spiritual bazaar, fashion became a place where people could reimagine Christian symbols, figures and history in new ways.

Modern-day trends

In the years since, Christianity has become a regular feature in fashion collections. Most notably, Christianity regularly has a starring role in the work of Dolce & Gabbana. Their 1998 “Stromboli” collection revolved around a Christian theme, a Marian procession, and dresses, tunics and blouses featuring Marian imagery.

The design duo have returned to Christian imagery several times. For example, their 2013 “Tailored Mosaic” line, inspired by the golden mosaics in the Cathedral of Monreale in Sicily, featured garments adorned with angels, saints and Mary, as well as biblical figures.

Dolce & Gabbana ‘Tailored Mosaic’ show.

A critic called the mix of garments the designers’ “most heavenly offerings to date.” In 2018, Christian themes and symbols again permeated their collection.

It is now almost commonplace for fashion lines to reference or include Christian symbols, themes and figures. At New York Fashion Week in 2026, YesuGod, “a luxury Christian fashion house,” showcased its designs – garments adorned with the words “anno domini” and others with “the Lord is Coming.” More recently, in 2025, the vestments of Catholic priests inspired Dolce & Gabbana’s menswear collection.

The devil makes only an occasional appearance on the fashion runway and on the red carpet; historically, too, his presence has been minimal. Christian figures who embody ideals of goodness and holiness – saints, Mary and even Jesus – are the ones who rule the runway. Christianity and fashion are not so separate after all.

(Lynn S. Neal, Professor of Religious Studies, Wake Forest University. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)

Sculpting the past: Michelangelo and Rodin mixed and matched in Paris Louvre exhibition

By Nina Borowski & Tokunbo Salako & Amandine Hess with AFP

Published on 22/04/2026 - EURONEWS

A new exhibition at the Louvre in Paris pits Michelangelo and Rodin together to explore "Living Bodies" and the artistic links between the great masters who lived three and half centuries apart.

A summit duel between two great giants of Western sculpture is currently taking place under the Louvre pyramid in Paris.

In one corner stands Michelangelo. In the other Rodin. Between them are around 200 works in various materials ranging from marbles, bronzes, plasters, terracottas, casts and numerous drawings.

Separated by 350 years, the aim of the exhibition is to compare the art of these two geniuses, based on their main subject, the "living body".

"Michelangelo's style is very much a Renaissance style, the precursor of Mannerism, and in that sense his style is quite different from Rodin's, who also, in his own time, really overturned the codes of sculpture," says Chloé Ariot, curator at the Rodin Museum and curator of the exhibition.

"We are coming out of a century in which sculpture oscillated between a very strong tribute to classicism, with a renewed look at Antiquity, a strong inspiration from Antiquity, and at the same time, all the contribution of Romanticism, which is very much in the representation of expressions, of passions," adds Ariot.

The common thread running through the exhibition is the life and inner energy of the body. Beyond their form, the sculptures express a psychic life: thoughts, dreams, suffering.

The Louvre also recently hosted two dance performances, inspired by paintings and sculptures by the two artists and performed by dancers from the Paris Opera.

"When we started thinking about this evening with the director of dance, José Martinez from the Paris Opéra Ballet, we imagined a show devoted to duets," says Luc Bouniol-Laffont, director of the performing arts department.

"This exhibition, in a way, is a duet between two great sculptors, and so it's an evening made up of great duets that are somewhat mythical from the great repertoire of the Paris Opera Ballet, but also with a creation by Yvon Demolle, a dancer from the Paris Opera Ballet, who has imagined a creation that links, echoes and dialogues with the art of Michelangelo and the art of Rodin."

By bringing Michelangelo and Rodin together, the Louvre is offering a cross-disciplinary reading of the history of sculpture.

The exhibition does more than simply compare two artists: it shows how the same question - representing the living - crosses the centuries.

Michelangelo Rodin "Living Bodies" is at the Paris Louvre until 20 July, 2026.

Bulgaria wins 2026 Eurovision, Israel lands a nail-biting second


Bulgarian singer Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest Sunday for her catchy, party anthem "Bangaranga", handing her country its first ever title. Israel's Noam Bettan looked set to win for his song "Michelle" following a big televoting score, but in the end, Bulgaria's televote put Dara at the top of a contest clouded by protests and boycotts over Israel’s participation.


Issued on: 17/05/2026
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: FRANCE 24

Bulgaria's Dara holds up the 2026 Eurovision trophy in Vienna, Austria, May 17, 2026. 

© Martin Meissner, AP
02:03




Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest on Sunday with Dara's catchy floor-filler "Bangaranga" sweeping the 70th edition of the world's biggest live televised music event and pushing into second place Israel, whose participation had triggered a major boycott.

Bulgaria has missed the last three editions of the glitzy extravaganza but took the crown in Vienna for the first time ever, overtaking Israel at the very end as the points came in, with Romania finishing third.

Pop singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, was not among the favourites going into Eurovision week but the 27-year-old gained traction following a strong performance in the semi-finals, with her highly-choreographed dance routines.

"Everything is possible: Bulgaria just won Eurovision!" Dara told a press conference.


"I really like breaking rules. I'm really good with following my rules -- not anybody else's.

"We wanted to give to the audience something new and fresh, something that is not expected."

Her latest album is inspired by her 'hyperactivity'. © Tobias Schwarz, AFP


Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov on Facebook hailed a "magnificent story of immense talent, tireless effort, and faith in success, against all criticism."
Tension over Israel's participation

Around 10,000 glammed-up fans filled the Wiener Stadthalle arena in the Austrian capital to watch Saturday's showpiece final of Eurovision, where, as always, the razzmatazz didn't escape the geopolitics in the background.

Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia staged the biggest political boycott in Eurovision history over Israel's participation, citing the war in Gaza.

And it looked as though Noam Bettan was going to win the contest for Israel with his song "Michelle" following a big score in the televoting from the public around Europe.

But as Bulgaria's televote points were revealed, Dara ultimately won the contest.

Bulgaria finished with 516 points, ahead of Israel on 343, Romania on 296, Australia on 287, Italy with 281 and Finland on 279.

This is the second year in a row that Israel has come second, largely because of a huge vote from the public. Eurovision organizers tightened voting rules this year after allegations the country had mounted an intense lobbying campaign to get votes for its competitor.

Bettan was loudly cheered, though there was a smattering of boos as he performed “Michelle,” a rock ballad in Hebrew, French and English. Earlier in the week, four people were ejected for trying to disrupt his semifinal performance.

Hundreds of protesters against Israel's inclusion marched near the contest arena before Saturday's final, some holding placards saying “Block Eurovision.” Pro-Palestinian groups also staged an outdoor concert on Friday under the banner “No stage for genocide.”

“Inviting Israel on such a beautiful stage as the Eurovision Song Contest stage is an affront to all the people who believe in humanity, who believe in love and togetherness,” said Congolese-Austrian artist Patrick Bongola, one of the organizers.

Darina Yotova first became known in Bulgaria in 2015. © Tobias Schwarz, AFP


Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, who won Eurovision 2025 for Austria with his song "Wasted Love", handed over the winner's trophy to Dara.

JJ had opened Saturday's musical extravaganza with a nod to Austria's grand musical history, singing the "Queen of the Night" aria from composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 1791 opera "The Magic Flute".

"Bangaranga, it's a feeling that everybody has got in themselves," Dara said earlier Sunday as the votes were coming in.

"It's the moment that you choose to lead through love and not fear, and this is a special energy that I know everybody has got in themselves."

Her debut single released in 2016 catapulted her to the top of the music charts in Bulgaria. © Tobias Schwarz, AFP


Fans streaming out of the arena revelled in Dara's triumph.

"I didn't like the song at first,... but I saw it, I saw the performance, and I was stunned," said Katerina, a Eurovision fan from Greece.
Finnish fiddling, Romanian choking

The bookmakers' overwhelming favourites going into the final were the Finnish double-act of violinist Linda Lampenius and pop singer Pete Parkkonen, with their song "Liekinheitin", or "Flamethrower".

As the song built to a climax, 56-year-old Lampenius was shredding her bow as she worked her way to the very top of the fingerboard.

Romanian singer Alexandra Capitanescu's switched up the vibe with the 22-year-old's heavy metal song "Choke Me" triggering controversy in the build-up over its repeated lyric: "I want you to choke me".

Australia's Delta Goodrem, who has sold nine million albums, came fourth after wowing the crowds with her song "Eclipse", which was filled with strong moments, ending with her soaring high on a riser coming up out of a glittering piano.

Serbian metallers Lavina had the deepest throat-shredding growl of the night, the Czech Republic's Daniel Zizka navigated a hall of mirrors, while Lithuania's silver-painted Lion Ceccah brought an air of brooding mystery.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)

Eurovision winner Dara had 'doubt and anxiety' about taking part

17.05.2026, DPA

Photo: Helmut Fohringer/APA/dpa

Bulgaria’s first ever Eurovision winner Dara has said she had "doubt and anxiety" about taking part in the 2026 edition of the song contest.

The 27-year-old won the competition at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, with her song "Bangaranga," which scored 516 points, beating Israel’s Noam Bettan in second with 343 points and Romania’s Alexandra Capitanescu in third with 296 points.

The singer, whose real name is Darina Yotova, said at a press conference after her win: "I want to thank my husband, because he was the one to push me to come to Eurovision.

"Because in the beginning I was not sure if I want to come or not, because I had anxiety and doubt with myself, and he was the one that he just pushed me, and he was like, 'you need to go right now to Eurovision, right now, pick up your phone tell them you’re going'."

Dara, who previously appeared on the Bulgarian edition of The X Factor in 2015 and reached the final, won both the jury and public vote.

She added: "I’m so thankful that I (got) the chance to be in Eurovision, and every day I’ve been here in this place, I felt safe, protected, loved, supported.

"I felt that I can do everything, that everything is possible, and I really, truly think that this community is so amazing.

"I will miss you so much, today I woke up, and I almost cried, because I will miss this place, and you all."

Dara’s win means next year’s contest will take place in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

Her high-energy performance saw her perform in a pink top and leather shorts, as dancers around her performed a jerky routine in shirts and ties.

(c) 2026 dpa Deutsche Presse Agentur GmbH

Eurovision Asia boss unsure if region ready for ‘campy, gay’ acts

14.05.2026, DPA

Photo: Helmut Fohringer/APA/dpa

The boss of Eurovision Asia has said he is unsure if the continent is ready for “campy, gay” performances.

It was announced earlier this year that the Eurovision Song Contest would launch its first ever Asia edition, with broadcasters from 10 countries in the region, including Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand, taking part.

The comments came ahead of the second semi-final for the Eurovision Song Contest held in Vienna.

Speaking at a press conference in Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle, Eurovision Asia executive producer Assaf Blecher said: “I don’t think the Asian market is fully ready for full campy, gay, over the top performances.

“I don’t think that’s what we’re going to get from the countries, but maybe, who knows also, Thailand and Philippines are not the same as Bhutan and Cambodia and Nepal, that’s completely different territory.

“I think from the flavours that we’re going to get, the learning that also we are getting from the territories we’re going to create, I think, something special.”

The Eurovision Asia 2026 grand final is expected to take place in Bangkok on November 14.

The Asia edition of the song contest is co-organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and entertainment company Voxovation.

Peter Settman, Voxovation chief executive, said: “This is truly a non-political event, as we all know, but there are conflicts within the region that we need to overcome and be on the same stage.”

The United Kingdom along with the other big four - Germany, Italy and France - have already qualified as they contribute the most to Eurovision financially.

The Eurovision Song Contest final will take place on Saturday at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna.

(c) 2026 dpa Deutsche Presse Agentur GmbH