Yemen linnets raid a terrace wheatfield; ibex rams battle in their mountain fastness; reef fish flutter like leaves down a long blue wall of coral: a first look on film at the ecological riches of the Arabian Peninsula.

Children's literature's noblest Arabian, The Black Stallion, returns, and young readers who love books about horses will devour this "prequel" to Walter Farley's famous series - the most successful of the 20th century.

In the Arab world's most punishing and most prestigious motor rally, drivers push cars and cycles across 1900 trackless miles of Egyptian desert, from Giza to Sakkara -for the thrill of it, and maybe for a prize.

Vartan Gregorian became known as a miracle worker when he revitalized New York's decayed Public Library. Now, as president of Brown University, he has a new mission: "We're in the business of creating the future," he says.

"The first principle of Islamic art is unity. From calligraphy to fabrics, tile, brickwork, buildings, cityscapes and landscapes, it is to the glory of God." Art students look beneath the surface at the RCA in London.

To see Planet Earth in a new light, look in the mirror of an astronaut's eyes. Space explorers from 13 nations gathered in Riyadh to reflect on ways that knowledge from their realm could help solve problems here in ours.