• British Ambassador performed Haj

    Saudi Gazette report According to a report in the BBC, the British ambassador to Saudi Arabia has performed the Haj pilgrimage after converting to Islam. The report stated that Simon Collis made the holy trip with his Syrian wife Huda Mujarkech, and he was the first British ambassador to perform Haj. Collis was pictured wearing the white robes, or ihram. The photograph was posted on the twitter account of Saudi Arabian writer and university professor, Fawziah Albakr, who wrote in Arabic, “First British ambassador to the Kingdom undertakes the Haj following his conversion to Islam. Simon Collis with his wife Huda in Mecca, praise be to God.”  On Twitter, Collis thanked well-wishers and revealed

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  • Boeing and Airbus get US green light to sell planes to Iran

    Cleared for takeoff! Boeing and Airbus have been given the green light by the U.S. government to sell planes to Iran despite fierce political opposition to the deal. The Treasury department has approved the delivery of more than 100 Boeing (BA) aircraft and 17 Airbus passenger planes, marking a key step for Iran's foreign business dealings now that its economic sanctions are lifted. Boeing (BA) is a U.S. company headquartered in Chicago. Airbus (EADSF), a European consortium, needed U.S. government approval to sell aircraft to Iran because many parts are made in the U.S. and the American authorities want to ensure the country doesn't use the planes for military purposes. Iran has agreed to buy

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  • Deputy crown prince among world’s most influential 50

    JEDDAH: Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been named on the list of Bloomberg’s 50 Most Influential People in the World of Finance.Bloomberg notes that almost eight decades after oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia, the 31-year-old has drawn up a plan to transform the world’s biggest crude exporter into a diversified economy fit for the next era. “He is readying the state oil company (Saudi Aramco) for an IPO, so he can pump the proceeds into other industries,” said Bloomberg. UK Prime Minister Theresa May took the top spot. US presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, are tied up in the second place. At No. 4 is Chinese President Xi Jinping. “The importance of Xi Jinping

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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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  • 23 Absurdly Fab Photos from Karim El Chiaty & Victoria's Secret Model Ana Beatriz Barros' Wedding

    You might have noticed people making the move to Sahel, Gouna, and other such dreamy beachy lands during the Eid weekend, but what about the mysterious case of Mykonos? Why were our social media feeds suddenly flooded with images of the Greek tropical island? A coincidence? We think not. Everyone in the country (or world) has been buzzing – about what can only be described as the biggest, most glam wedding of the year where Brazilian Victoria’s Secret supermodel Ana Beatriz Barros tied the knot with Egyptian-Greek billionaire Karim El Chiati. You could say a few celebrities made an appearance. Nothing special. A slew of luxurious villas held over 400 guests who flew from all over the world for

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  • Rouhani uses UN to hit US over nuclear deal - Region - World

    Iran used the UN General Assembly on Thursday to accuse the United States of failing to meet its commitments under a historic nuclear deal. President Hassan Rouhani complained that America is dragging its feet on its side of the bargain. "The lack of compliance (with the deal) on the part of the United States in the past several months represents a flawed approach that should be rectified forthwith," Rouhani told the world body. The agreement between Tehran, Washington and five other major powers came into force in January. Iran accepted curbs to its nuclear program in exchange for their lifting sanctions. While observers say Iran has met its commitments, Tehran accuses Washington of continuing

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  • Two Muslim Women Kicked Off JetBlue Flight for ‘Staring’ at Flight Attendant

    In what would have been a shocking but is now an all-too-familiar Islamophobic incident, two Muslim women were led off a passenger plane as a flight attendant did not like the way the women ‘stared’ at her, according to DailyMail. On Saturday, two Muslim women in hijabs onboard JetBlue Flight 487 between Boston and Los Angeles were escorted out of the airliner by police as one of the flight attendants was concerned about the way the two women were looking at her. A video showing the two women being escorted out for questioning was posted on YouTube on Monday by Mark Frauenfelder, taken by his friend Sharon Kessler. In regards to the incident, Kessler told DailyMail that "it was a terrible moment

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  • Daisy Ridley 'will not apologise' for her body size after Instagram criticism

    Daisy Ridley says she "will not apologise" for her body shape. She responded to an Instagram post of her character Rey, which criticised how thin she looked in Star Wars. "I can't believe the unrealistic expectations I'm setting for young girls," a speech bubble read. "Don't they know real women have curves?" She replied: "'Real women' are all shapes and sizes, all ethnicities, all levels of brave. I am a 'real woman' like every other woman in this world." Daisy deleted her initial response on the post. The actress said it wasn't her intention "for anyone to send messages to that poor person that posted the original picture". She then posted a full response on her own official account which included

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  • India signs $9bn deal to buy French fighter jets

    India has signed a deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France for around $8.7bn, the country's first major acquisition of combat planes in two decades and a boost for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan to rebuild an ageing fleet. The first ready-to-fly Rafales are expected to arrive by 2019 and India is set to have all 36 within six years. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signed the agreement with his Indian counterpart, Manohar Parrikar, in New Delhi, on Friday, ending almost 18 months of wrangling over terms between New Delhi and manufacturer Dassault Aviation. Parrikar said the deal would "significantly improve India's strike and defence capabilities". Air force officials have

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  • Everyone is Talking About the Egyptian Olympian Facing an Israeli Opponent

    News of Egyptian Judo player, Islam el-Shehaby, competing against Israeli Or Sasson, is becoming a source of uproar social media.  The reactions in Egyptian social media ranged from some objecting and demanding his withdrawal, and some challenging this view and asserting that he should go through with it. Those who object believe it is a choice the Egyptian judoka should not even contemplate, because according to them, it is a given that relations with Israel must be avoided, even in international sports arenas. As for those who believe he should go through with it, they are certain that el-Shehaby is strong enough to take the Israeli judoka down – a win that will metaphorically represent Egypt,

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  • Singapore pair 'tried to buy iPhones at airport without flying'

    The launch of the latest iPhone last week saw the usual excited queues forming outside Apple shops. But two Singaporeans allegedly thought they had found a new way of queue jumping, and saving some money, by buying plane tickets so they could pick up the iPhone 7 at Changi Airport. They were arrested on 16 September for breaking airport laws. Police said they had "no intention" of leaving Singapore so should not have been in the departure hall. The two have been charged under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act. They face a fine of up to 1,000 Singapore dollars ($735; £565) and a jail term of up to two years if convicted. Police have warned others not to misuse their boarding passes

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  • China's giant space telescope starts search for alien life

    It's a process known by astronomers as "first light" -- when a telescope opens its eyes and takes its first pictures of the universe. And FAST is wide eyed: its field of vision is almost twice as big as the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico that has been the world's biggest single aperture telescope for the past 53 years. Russia's RATAN-600 telescope is larger than FAST by diameter with panels arranged in a 576 meter wide ring -- but it's not one single dish and its collection area is much smaller than FAST and Arecibo. Decade to find right location Construction of the $185 million mega project began in 2011, with the last of the 4,450 triangular panels that form the dish painstakingly lowered

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  • India needs more than Rafale to match China - Just spent billions of dollars

    NEW DELHI: India may have just spent billions of dollars on hi-tech French fighter jets, but experts say it needs to do a lot more if it is going to face up to an increasingly assertive China. The world’s top defense importer has signed several big-ticket deals as part of a $100-billion upgrade since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in 2014. But it has been slow to replace its dwindling fleet of Russian MiG-21s-dubbed “Flying Coffins” because of their poor safety record. An agreement to buy 36 cutting edge Rafale jets from France’s Dassault aims to fix that. “It will give the air force an arrowhead. Our air force has old aircraft, 1970s and 1980s generation aircraft and

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  • King Salman: An epitome of hope

    RIYADH: A towering figure and accomplished statesman Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman is a visionary, a great philanthropist, and above all an epitome of hope for the Kingdom and the whole Middle East region. King Salman, who succeeded his brother late King Abdullah upon his death on Jan. 23, 2015, is a stalwart among world’s statesmen, whose contributions to the Saudi nation, to the peace and security of the Middle East region and to the world at large have no parallels. King Salman is also credited with transforming Riyadh from a mud city to a thriving modern world-class capital during his tenure as governor. With his active support and governance, Saudi Arabia is becoming more prosperous besides being a significant donor of foreign aid.

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  • Italian driver races China daredevil road in record time

    An Italian driver has raced up China's Tongtian Road, considered one of the world's most dangerous, in record time. Fabio Barone covered the nearly 11km (6.8 mile) route in just 10 minutes 31 seconds, on 21 September. The road has 99 sharp turns on its way up Tianmen Mountain, rising from 200 to 1,300 metres above sea level. He had his Ferrari specially modified for the attempt, shaving crucial kilos off its weight by swapping metal for carbon fibre parts. Mr Barone is not new to racing hairy mountain roads, having set another speed record last year on the Transfagarasan mountain road in the Transylvanian Alps in Romania. Tianmen Mountain is no stranger to extreme motor sports either, having

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  • India needs more than Rafale to match China: experts – Peninsula OnQatar Daily Star

    New Delhi: India might have only spent billions of dollars on hi-tech French warrior jets, though experts contend it needs to do a lot some-more if it is going to face adult to an increasingly noisy China. The world’s tip counterclaim importer has sealed several big-ticket deals as partial of a $100-billion ascent given Hindu jingoist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took energy in 2014. But it has been delayed to reinstate a shrinking swift of Russian MiG-21s — dubbed “Flying Coffins” since of their bad reserve record. An agreement to buy 36 slicing corner Rafale jets from France’s Dassault aims to repair that. “It will give a atmosphere force an arrowhead. Our atmosphere force has aged aircraft,

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  • China covers portions of Great Wall with cement

    Public decries the Chinese government's decision to repair a 700-year-old stretch of China's Great Wall with a smooth, white trail of cement.

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  • Blake Lively doesn't want you praising her post-baby body

    Blake Lively says new mums shouldn't feel pressure to lose weight straight after having a baby. She's been on Australian breakfast show Sunrise, where she was complimented on how great she looked in a bikini in her new film The Shallows. The presenter commented on how the film was shot just months after Blake had her first baby. But the 28-year-old called it unfair that slimming down after birth is "so celebrated". "It's like, this is what someone looks like after having a baby," she said. "I think a woman's body after having a baby is pretty amazing. You gave birth to a human being. I would really like to see that celebrated." The ex-Gossip Girl star's now expecting her second child with husband

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  • Saudis offer oil cut for OPEC deal if Iran freezes output: sources

    Saudi Arabia has offered to reduce oil production if rival Iran agrees to cap its own output this year, in a major compromise ahead of talks in Algeria next week, three sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters. The offer, which has yet to be accepted or rejected by Tehran, was made this month, the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Riyadh is ready to cut output to levels seen early this year in exchange for Iran freezing production at the current level, which is 3.6 million barrels per day, the sources said. "They (the Saudis) are ready for a cut but Iran has to agree to freeze," one source said. Two more sources confirmed the offer was presented to Tehran. The first source

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  • Rihanna to be awarded MTV Video Music Award lifetime achievement prize

    Rihanna will receive MTV's lifetime achievement award at the Video Music Awards later this month. It's MTV's highest honour and is known as the Michael Jackson video vanguard award. Last year Kanye West won the trophy, with Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears previously getting it. "[The award] reflects an artist's impact not just on music but on pop culture, fashion, film and philanthropy," says MTV. She will also perform at the ceremony in New York, as well as being nominated for best collaboration and best female video. Beyonce leads the nominations though with 11 nods, while Adele is up for eight. It's the first time the event has been held at Madison Square Garden and it will feature

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