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Women in Riyadh feel more at ease without niqab
THE land-locked Saudi capital Riyadh has long been culturally conservative in comparison to other areas in the Kingdom requiring its women to cover their faces with what it is known as niqab. Instead, more and more women are opting to wear the Islamic veil that covers the hair known as hijab, sometimes even with strands of their hair showing, combined with colorful abayas or cloaks instead of the traditional black color. “I know families [in Riyadh], the eldest sibling could not wear hijab alone — she had to wear niqab, but the youngest sister can now walk even without a scarf on her hair in some places,” Rawan Al-Wabel, a mother of three and a healthcare worker, told Al Arabiya English. Women sit in a cafe in Riyadh.
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India banker's tale of 'cash like rotten leather'
An Indian bank manager's tale of chaos and the "stench" of hoarded cash is being shared widely on social media, after last week's shock ban. Posted on the Humans of Bombay Facebook page, it has been shared more than 10,000 times with many praising the "unsung heroes" of India's cash crisis. The unnamed woman says the "story" of the cash crisis is not limited to the long lines outside banks. "We became a part of the dirty cycle that runs in this country," she said. In the post, the bank manager talks about how she has seen all human life in bank queues over the last few chaotic days. She describes the poor - daily wage labourers and small business owners lining up to deposit their money along
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Gun-loving India 'god-woman' who shot wedding guests
Sadhvi Deva Thakur, a self-proclaimed Indian god-woman who was on the run for three days after firing celebratory shots in the air at a wedding, has surrendered to a court. The groom's aunt was killed and three of his relatives critically wounded in the incident. The BBC's Geeta Pandey profiles this controversial preacher. In a video of the incident that took place on Tuesday in the northern state of Haryana, Sadhvi Deva Thakur is first seen firing from a revolver and then a double-barrelled gun. A few of her guards are also seen shooting along with her. Indian media reports quoted stunned guests at the wedding as saying that the Sadhvi, which is the Hindi word for holy woman or god woman, walked
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US, Iran clash over Tehran’s testing of limit in nuclear deal
The United States and Iran on Thursday clashed openly at the UN atomic watchdog for the first time since they signed a landmark nuclear deal last year, differing over Tehran’s repeated testing of one of the deal’s less strictly defined limits. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is policing the deal, said Iran’s overstepping of the limit on its stock of a sensitive material for the second time this year risked undermining countries’ support for the agreement. The victory of Donald Trump - a vocal critic of the deal - in the US presidential election also raised the question of whether his country would continue to support the accord, which restricts Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
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Iran refuses to attend OIC meet on Makkah attack
Arab diplomatic sources have said that Iran refused to take part in an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting summoned to discuss the Houthi militia’s attempt to attack Makkah by launching a ballistic missile in October. Asharq al-Awsat quoted the source as saying that Tehran did not reveal the reason behind its refusal but it has confirmed to the IOC that it will not participate. As many as 20 countries have confirmed their participation in the foreign ministers meeting to be held in Makkah Thursday. A previous first emergency ministerial meeting held in Jeddah by the OIC executive committee on November 5th, has strongly condemned the attack.
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Week in pictures: 12 - 18 November 2016
Our selection of some of the best news photographs taken around the world this week. All photographs are copyrighted.
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Love Island will return for a third series
Good news for fans of Love Island - ITV has announced it will be back next year. Bosses have ordered a third season of one of the summer's most talked about shows. Its second run is thought to have doubled last year's viewing figures, with an average of 1.3 million people watching each episode. "We can't wait to do it all again next year," said ITV Studios creative director Richard Cowles. Although the series officially finished last night with Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde crowned champions, it will return for a special episode on Sunday 17 July. Love Island: Heading Home will follow the islanders as they're reunited at the wrap party. Which will no doubt mean clashes as exes come face-to-face
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Japanese convenience stores take off in the Philippines
Slowly but surely, Filipinos are moving away from informal "sari-sari" variety stores and opting for what's more convenient.
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Saudi ministry: Views by Jamal Khashoggi do not represent kingdom
The Saudi foreign ministry on Saturday said views expressed by prominent Saudi journalist and commentator Jamal Khashoggi do not reflect those of the kingdom. The ministry reaffirmed in a statement published Saturday a similar announcement it issued on Dec. 20, 2015 regarding the Saudi author. “The author Jamal Khashoggi does not represent the government of Saudi Arabia or its positions at any level , and … his opinions only represent his personal views not that of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” a ministry source quoted by the Saudi Press Agency said.
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The connection linking Clinton, Saleha Abedin and the Muslim Brotherhood
Huma Abdein, the Muslim Indian-American politician, has been in the headlines ever since Hillary Clinton decided to run for president of the United States. Some have even blamed Abedin for the former Secretary of State’s loss in the recent election to Donald Trump, especially after details emerged of her private email correspondence when Clinton was the country’s top diplomat. Abedin listens as Hillary Clinton addresses her staff and supporters about the results of the US election at a hotel in New York. (Reuters) Where it all began? Student faces Appearance and character Last Update: Thursday, 17 November 2016 KSA 17:04 - GMT 14:04
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The princess who plans to change Saudi sports
Women’s participation in sports has the potential to create 250,000 jobs, according to Vice President of Women’s Affairs of the General Authority of Sports Princess Reema bint Bandar Bin Sultan. “It’s time to include women in sports for a healthier society and a productive economy,” she said addressing the MiSK Global Forum on the second day here on Wednesday. “We — especially women — must incorporate physical fitness in our lives,” said Princess Reema, who assumed office on Aug. 1. “Our role is to allow this nation more opportunities for physical fitness and health and to create healthy citizens. We’re a partner in the health sector,” she said. Saudi Arabia's Sarah Attar competes in a women's
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Makkah-Madinah high-speed rail link to open in March 2018
MADRID: A delayed high-speed railway linking Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia will finally open in March 2018, the Spanish consortium building the project said Friday. The railway linking Islam’s holiest cities was initially scheduled to open at the end of the year but the date for its completion was moved to the end of 2017. Now, according to a spokesman for the Al-Shoula consortium, “full operations will start in March 2018.” Partial operations will begin a few months earlier, in December, he added. Saudi Arabia in 2011 awarded the contract worth 6.7 billion euros ($7.1 billion) to the consortium of 12 Spanish companies and two Saudi firms for the project which aims to improve transport between
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Why smartphone owners can't tell if their data is being sent to China
Smartphones sold in the U.S. have been secretly collecting user data and sending it to servers in Shanghai. The findings, announced this week by security firm Kryptowire, have raised questions about how users can keep the secrets stored on their smartphones from being siphoned away without their knowledge. Most smartphone owners don't have anything to worry about right now. The Chinese company responsible for the software said the problem is limited to 120,000 phones sold by Blu Products, which offers cheap, unlocked Android smartphones at retailers including Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) and Best Buy (BBY). But the details of the incident are troubling. User data including text messages, call logs and
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Oklahoma girl, 11, finds wanted man hiding in closet
An 11-year-old Oklahoma girl has said she was "scared to death" to find a stranger - who turned out to be a wanted man - hiding in her closet. Presley Brown said the intruder emerged from her walk-in wardrobe and said: "Don't be scared, little girl." Her screams alerted her father, who tackled the man before he fled with $100 of her birthday money. Police caught up with the suspect, 26-year-old Race Cox, who was wanted on at least one felony warrant. Presley recalled seeing the strange man's reflection in a mirror while she was playing on her phone in her en suite bathroom. "I started screaming bloody murder," she told ABC affiliate WNEP-TV. "I hope no other men come in my closet," she added.
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Prince William wants George and Charlotte to have 'simple aspirations'
Prince William wants his children to grow up with "simple aspirations", he has told a talk show in Vietnam. Speaking on Talk Vietnam, he said: "I would like George and Charlotte to grow up being a little bit more simple in their approach and their outlook." He told the show's host he found materialism "quite tricky" with "people living with an enormous amount of stuff that they don't necessarily need". The TV appearance was made during his first official visit to Vietnam. The Duke of Cambridge had earlier on his trip spoken at an international conference about the number of endangered animals being killed in illegal poaching. During the interview on the English language show, for Vietnam's national
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Sushma Swaraj: Indians offer kidneys to ailing minister
Many Indians are offering to donate their kidneys to Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj after she tweeted she was undergoing tests for a transplant. The 64-year-old minister has a history of chronic diabetes and was admitted to a Delhi hospital earlier this month. Ms Swaraj is one the most high-profile ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet. On Tuesday she tweeted that she was undergoing dialysis after kidney failure. Unlike many other types of organ donation, it is possible to donate a kidney while still alive because humans only need one kidney to survive. Social media users responded quickly by offering to donate their own kidneys to Ms Swaraj, with some providing their personal phone
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Michelle Obama 'ape in heels' post causes outrage
A racist Facebook post about Michelle Obama has caused a major controversy involving a town mayor in the US state of West Virginia. Pamela Ramsey Taylor, who runs a local non-profit group in Clay County, referred to the first lady as an "ape". "It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified first lady in the White House. I'm tired of seeing a Ape in heels," she said. Local mayor Beverly Whaling responded with "just made my day Pam". Ms Whaling is mayor of the town of Clay, which has a population of just 491. It has no African American residents, according to the 2010 census. In Clay County as a whole, more than 98% of its 9,000 residents are white. Despite the small population in
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American couple ruin stereotypes about Saudis
“HE asked me to smile for the camera. I was jetlagged and really nervous because this was the first time I was arriving in the country. But the passport officer’s welcoming words made me feel relaxed. I knew then that my visit to the Kingdom would be different from what I have expected,” said Joan McCarthy to Okaz/Saudi Gazette about her first trip to Saudi Arabia. Joseph McCarthy, Joan’s husband, said they prepared for the trip months ahead and dedicated so much time to read up on the Saudi culture and traditions and learn some Arabic phrases. Born into Catholic families, Joan and Joseph have been married for 35 years. They raised their children to be Catholic and instilled in them virtuous
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'The Biles' and other famous moves named after Olympic athletes and footballers
Even if you don't consider yourself a gymnastics "fan" you've probably heard of Simone Biles. At Rio 2016 the 19-year-old won the individual all-round gold by a larger margin than 1980 to 2012 combined. The American is credited by many for turning the artistic gymnastics world upside down and even has a move named after her. Here's her move and some of the other famous sporting moves you may, or may not, know are named after an athlete. In gymnastics, if you do a double layout with half turn then you're doing a 'Biles' No idea what we're talking about? Us neither... It was officially recognised in 2013 at the Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp. Simone isn't the first gymnast to have her
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Eurovision: Why Norway's Agnete is open about her mental health struggles
When she's on stage, Norway's Eurovision entry, Agnete, is confident and assured. Offstage, the 21-year-old singer struggles daily with depression. She's now cancelled all interviews in the run-up to the contest. "We made room for her to focus," says Stig Karlsen, the head of Norway's Eurovision delegation. "She's a strong, intelligent girl who's taking control of her own situation." Third party content may contain ads. "She's been open about her bipolarity and health issues because it's not that common to talk about it." "I think she's an inspiration," Karlsen adds. "In Norway, she's very successful and she's a role model for dealing with her challenges." Agnete's performing her single Icebreaker
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