You are here

  • Home
  • Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant
Hayoung Jeon of South Korea in action against Nada Hafez of Egypt. (Reuters)
Updated 30 July 2024
Follow

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant
Updated 30 July 2024
Follow

PARIS: Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez has revealed that she fought at the Paris Olympics while seven months pregnant.
Hafez posted on Instagram that she was “carrying a little Olympian one” hours after she had reached the round of 16 in women’s saber Monday.
The 26-year-old fencer from Cairo upset Elizabeth Tartakovsky of the United States, a former NCAA champion, before losing to Jeon Hayoung of South Korea.
“My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional,” Hafez wrote. “The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it. I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16!”
A former gymnast with a degree in medicine, Hafez is a three-time Olympian who won gold medals in the individual and team saber events at the 2019 African Games. She finished Monday’s competition officially ranked 16th, her best result in any of her three Olympic appearances.

Pakistan PM vows to ‘break any hand’ threatening relations with Saudi Arabia

Pakistan PM vows to ‘break any hand’ threatening relations with Saudi Arabia
Updated 4 min 59 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan PM vows to ‘break any hand’ threatening relations with Saudi Arabia

Pakistan PM vows to ‘break any hand’ threatening relations with Saudi Arabia
  • Statement comes after Imran Khan’s wife released a video message widely viewed as critical of the Kingdom
  • Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are close allies, with nearly 3 million Pakistanis living and working in the Kingdon
Updated 4 min 59 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday vowed strict action against anyone attempting to undermine Pakistan’s close relations with Saudi Arabia, declaring that his government would “break any hand” threatening ties between the two nations.
Sharif’s statement appeared to reference recent remarks by Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who in a rare public message on Thursday assured state institutions that her jailed husband would not seek revenge against political opponents if he returned to power.
She also made remarks in her video message that were widely viewed as implying that the Saudi government had opposed Khan when he was prime minister from 2018-22.
“Such venom-spitting is an unforgivable crime,” Sharif said while addressing a ceremony on Friday. “I, as the prime minister of Pakistan, want to announce that the nation will break any hand trying to undermine the Pakistan-Saudi friendship.”
“This is not a joke,” he continued. “The allegation is beyond understanding. The biggest national interest is being slaughtered to serve the short-term political interest.”
He criticized the former first lady, whose husband’s PTI party is currently in opposition, saying that the Kingdom had never demanded anything in return from Pakistan for extending economic and diplomatic support but instead always “opened its doors.”
“I think there can be no greater enmity against Pakistan than this [issuing such comments],” he said, adding that Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was sacrificing the country’s interest for its political interests.
Sharif said “no one will be allowed to play” with Pakistan’s interests when it concerned “brotherly allies” such as Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also addressed the issue in a press conference, highlighting that over 2.8 million Pakistanis were working in the Kingdom, sending billions of dollars in remittances back to their country every year.
“Our cordial and friendly relationship with Saudi Arabia should not be affected due to someone’s political gains,” he said. “Such a controversial statement is an effort to save PTI’s sinking ship.”
Khan was ousted from the prime minister’s office in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in 2022, alleging that he was removed by his political rivals and the all-powerful military at the behest of the United States. All three parties deny the accusation.
The cricketer-turned-politician has been in prison since August last year, facing a slew of legal challenges. He denies any wrongdoing, claiming that all cases against him are politically motivated to keep him in jail.
His PTI party is set to kick off a “long march” to stage a protest in Islamabad on Nov. 24, aiming to pressure the government into releasing Khan from prison. Authorities have refused to grant permission to hold the gathering and imposed a ban on public assembly in the capital for two months.

Topics: Pakistan Saudi Arabia ties PM Shehbaz Sharif

‘Dreamer’ Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd

‘Dreamer’ Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd
Updated 28 min 56 sec ago
AFP
Follow

‘Dreamer’ Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd

‘Dreamer’ Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd
  • Asked if he believes he can eventually restore United to the summit of English football, Amorim told reporters on Friday: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, I believe in myself”
  • “I truly believe in the players, I know you don’t believe a lot but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do“
Updated 28 min 56 sec ago
AFP

MANCHESTER: New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said he is the right man to revive the ailing English giants’ fortunes ahead of his debut against Ipswich on Sunday.
Amorim was hired from Sporting Lisbon to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked after a dismal start to the season left United languishing in 13th place in the Premier League.
The 39-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe after leading Sporting to a pair of Portugese titles during his four years in Lisbon.
But United have won just four of their 11 league games this term, extending a malaise that has set in since they last won the Premier League in Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge 11 years ago.
Asked if he believes he can eventually restore United to the summit of English football, Amorim told reporters on Friday: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, I believe in myself. I believe in the club, we have the same mindset.
“I truly believe in the players, I know you don’t believe a lot but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do.”
After arriving in Manchester during the international break, Amorim will finally get his first taste of the Premier League when United travel to struggling Ipswich this weekend.
He is trying to succeed where David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag all failed by bringing the title back to Old Trafford.
The Portuguese boss is adamant reviving United is not an impossible job, despite a difficult combination of high expectations and underperforming squad.
“Call me naive, but I truly believe that I’m the right guy in the right moment,” he added.
Amorim was speaking to the media for the first time since taking charge on November 11.
The packed press conference room at United’s Carrington training ground underlined what Amorim has already started to realize about the size and global reach of the 20-time English champions.
“It’s bigger than I imagined. There’s a lot of departments, it’s so much different than Sporting, and Sporting is a big club in Portugal,” he said.
“This you feel is a global club, so you have so much to do.”
Amorim’s rise has been compared to the early success enjoyed by compatriot Mourinho at Porto.
Mourinho took English football by storm when appointed Chelsea boss in 2004, shortly after guiding Porto to Champions League glory.
“He sent me a message saying it’s a big club with lovely people, and he’s correct, it still is,” Amorim said of Mourinho.
“With all the Portuguese coaches, we’ve shown that we can be the best in the world. I’m different from Mourinho. He was a European champion, I am not.
“Football is different nowadays, I think I am the right person for this moment. I am a young guy and I try to use this to help my players.”
Amorim’s confidence extends to his tactics and he is ready to stick with his preferred 3-4-3 system despite players who might not be suited to the formation.
“I prefer to risk a little bit,” he said. “We will adapt some players because we don’t have the right profile.
“This team was built for a different system. It’s not evolution or revolution, it’s a change in the way we play football.”
Acknowledging United’s numerous flaws, Amorim knows he faces a massive task to catch up the likes of rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
“We have space to grow as a team. We have to improve in a lot of areas,” he said.
“If you want to speak about the team and the way we play, we lose the ball too often. We have to be better at running back and we have to be very good in the details.
“We have to change the physical aspect of the team. I don’t know how long it will take. We have to improve a lot to try to win the title.”

Topics: Manchester United Ruben Amorim

Related

Ruben Amorim has declared his mission for Man United
Sport
Ruben Amorim has declared his mission for Man United
Amorim says future ‘hasn’t been decided’ as Man United show interest in Sporting Lisbon coach
Sport
Amorim says future ‘hasn’t been decided’ as Man United show interest in Sporting Lisbon coach

London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert

London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert
Updated 40 min 23 sec ago
Reuters
Follow

London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert

London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert
  • Police sent a bomb disposal team to deal with a suspected prohibited item that they said had been found in luggage at the airport’s south terminal, 30 miles south of London
  • “The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” Gatwick said
Updated 40 min 23 sec ago
Reuters

LONDON: London’s Gatwick Airport, the second busiest airport in Britain, reopened a terminal on Friday after a security alert earlier in the day forced its evacuation and caused travel disruption for thousands of people.
Police sent a bomb disposal team to deal with a suspected prohibited item that they said had been found in luggage at the airport’s south terminal, 30 miles south of London.
“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” Gatwick said in a statement. “The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”
The incident disrupted weekend travel plans for thousands of passengers, with more than 600 flights due to land or take off on Friday from Gatwick, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Thousands of passengers were seen outside the terminal and the surrounding area in videos posted online after the terminal shut for several hours. Emergency foil blankets were distributed to some of the passengers who were waiting in the cold, social media pictures showed.
In a separate incident earlier on Friday, London police carried out a controlled explosion near the US embassy in south London after discovering a suspect package. Police later said they believed it was a hoax.

Topics: Gatwick Airport security alert London

Related

Wizz Air announces new London Gatwick-Jeddah route
Corporate News
Wizz Air announces new London Gatwick-Jeddah route
Virgin Atlantic to cut 3,150 jobs; move flights to Heathrow from Gatwick
Business & Economy
Virgin Atlantic to cut 3,150 jobs; move flights to Heathrow from Gatwick

Saudi and Japanese culture ministers discuss ways to strengthen cooperation

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and his Japanese counterpart Toshiko Abe sign an MoU to enhance co
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and his Japanese counterpart Toshiko Abe sign an MoU to enhance co
Updated 55 min 9 sec ago
Arab News
Follow

Saudi and Japanese culture ministers discuss ways to strengthen cooperation

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and his Japanese counterpart Toshiko Abe sign an MoU to enhance co
  • Ministers sign MoU to enhance cultural exchange between the two countries
Updated 55 min 9 sec ago
Arab News

 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan met with his Japanese counterpart Toshiko Abe on Friday, Nov. 22. The two discussed various ways to enhance cultural cooperation between the two countries, according to a report by the Saudi Press Agency.

Prince Badr met with Abe as part of his official visit to Japan to attend the “Marvels of Saudi Orchestra” show in Tokyo, which took place on Thursday.

The Saudi minister noted that the Kingdom’s upcoming participation at Expo 2025 in Osaka highlights the strong relations between the two countries, and wished Japan success in hosting the event.

In their meeting, the ministers addressed the importance of “strengthening cultural relations between the Kingdom and Japan,” the SPA reported, and of “enhancing existing cooperation between the Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission and the Japanese to train Saudi students in the art of creating manga comics.”

Prince Badr and his Japanese counterpart signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at “enhancing cooperation and cultural exchange between the two countries through the exchange of knowledge in systems and regulations related to cultural affairs, in the field of animation, and projects related to preserving heritage of all kinds, in addition to digital preservation technologies for heritage, and developing artistic residency programs between the two countries.”

The MoU is part of the Ministry of Culture’s efforts to enhance international cultural exchange, one of the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Topics: Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Farhan Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Saudi Culture Ministry

Related

Saudi minister of culture inspects the second phase of the King Fahd Cultural Center’s development project
Saudi Arabia
Saudi culture minister reviews King Fahd center expansion
Saudi, Japanese culture ministers discuss cooperation
Saudi Arabia
Saudi, Japanese culture ministers discuss cooperation

Pakistani stocks break psychological 99,000 barrier on optimism over rates, reserves

Pakistani stocks break psychological 99,000 barrier on optimism over rates, reserves
Updated 22 November 2024
Follow

Pakistani stocks break psychological 99,000 barrier on optimism over rates, reserves

Pakistani stocks break psychological 99,000 barrier on optimism over rates, reserves
  • An analyst attributes the intraday rally to broad-based gains across most economic sectors
  • The stock market has remained bullish since the government slashed policy rate in November
Updated 22 November 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday breached a major psychological barrier, surging past 99,000 points during intra-day trading before settling at 97,798.23, as analysts attributed the rally to investor optimism driven by falling lending rates and higher foreign exchange reserves.
The benchmark KSE-100 index climbed 2,057.40 points by 11:10 am, reaching 99,385.79 points from the previous close. However, the index closed at 97,798.23, marking an increase of 469.84 points or 0.48 percent.
Analyst Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said bank levies on large deposits, surging global oil prices, and rupee stability were fueling investor optimism.
“Stocks remained bullish, led by scrips across the board, as investors weighed falling lending rates and the imposition of bank levies on large deposits following a drop in government bond yields,” he told Arab News. “Surging global crude oil prices, rupee stability, and higher forex reserves played a catalytic role in the record surge at the PSX.”
Last month, Pakistan’s external current account recorded a surplus of $349 million, marking the third consecutive month of surplus and the highest in this period. The current account reflects a nation’s transactions with the world, encompassing net trade in goods and services, net earnings on cross-border investments and net transfer payments.
A surplus indicates that a country is exporting more than it is importing, thereby strengthening its foreign exchange reserves.
A bullish trend has been observed in the stock market since Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 250 basis points, bringing it to 15 percent earlier this month. Economic indicators have also steadily improved since securing a 37-month, $7 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September.
In the past, the country faced a prolonged economic crisis that drained its foreign exchange reserves and saw its currency weaken amid double-digit inflation. Last year, Pakistan narrowly avoided a sovereign default by clinching a last-minute $3 billion IMF bailout deal.

Topics: Pakistan Stock Exchange Pakistan Stock Market Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)

Latest updates

‘Dreamer’ Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd
‘Dreamer’ Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd
London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert
London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert
Saudi and Japanese culture ministers discuss ways to strengthen cooperation
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and his Japanese counterpart Toshiko Abe sign an MoU to enhance co
26 endangered animals return home — Al-Souda release marks conservation milestone
26 endangered animals return home — Al-Souda release marks conservation milestone
Slot warns of Southampton slip-up ahead of Liverpool’s ‘incredible’ week
Slot warns of Southampton slip-up ahead of Liverpool’s ‘incredible’ week

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.