QUOTED

Quoted

“My father allowed me to study art because he was a big feminist…[he] wanted his daughters to be financially independent. But he wanted me to study computer science….I financed my own education, my own studio — and this is very rare, even in the Western world. The whole time I was studying art privately. I would go and take weekend or evening courses. It was my passion; it was meant to happen. It was just a matter of time.”
-Saudi Artist Manal AlDowayan, in an interview with the New York Times about her life and work that explores the changes in the Kingdom.

TOP STORY

Tiger Woods Cites Busy Schedule in Declining to Play in Saudi Invitational, Defends Mickelson’s Decision to Play

golf

Tiger Woods has declined to play in the upcoming Saudi Invitational golf tournament early next year, citing one of the busiest tour schedules for the Master’s champ in recent years, and defended the decision by Phil Mickelson and others to play.

Woods said that he understood that the decision could be difficult for some athletes, but noted that sports have a way of bringing people together and to help “heal.”

“I understand the politics behind it,” Woods said at a news conference. “But also the game of golf can help heal a lot of that, too. It can help grow it. And also a lot of top players are going to be playing there that particular week.”

“It’s traditionally not a golf hotbed, the Middle East,” Woods said. “But it has grown quite a bit. I remember going to Dubai for my very first time and seeing maybe two or three buildings in the skyline. Now there is a New York City skyline. Again, golf has grown. There were only a few courses when I went to Dubai and now they’re everywhere. Same with Abu Dhabi, and maybe eventually in Saudi Arabia.”

 

 

MORE TOP STORYLINES

Saudi Aramco IPO institutional tranche 2.95 times oversubscribed

Via Marwa Rashad in reuters.com : The institutional tranche of Saudi Aramco’s planned initial public offering (IPO) has been almost three times oversubscribed, receiving orders worth $50.4 billion, financial advisers for the IPO said on Tuesday.

Saudi king invites Qatar emir to GCC summit

in gulfnews.com : Saudi King Salman has invited Qatar’s emir to a meeting next week of the Gulf regional bloc in Riyadh, Qatari state media said Tuesday, without specifying if Doha had accepted. The invitation to the December 10 summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation (GCC) comes amid signs of reduced animosity between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which has led an economic boycott of Doha since 2017.

Youth in the Middle East overwhelmingly view Saudi Arabia as a stronger ally

in saudigazette.com.sa : Young Arabs overwhelmingly view Saudi Arabia as a stronger ally and believe the Kingdom to be the Arab state that has increased its influence the most in the Middle East in the past five years, according to insights from the 11th annual ASDAA BCW Arab Youth Survey 2019. In its 11th edition, the Arab Youth Survey reveals the hopes and aspirations of youth aged between 18-24. Titled ‘A Call for Reform’, the Survey was conducted between January 6 and 29, 2019.

 

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OPEC+

OPEC gearing up for deeper oil cuts, Russia yet to agree

OPEC is gearing up to deepen production cuts later this week but still needs to agree with allies such as Russia over details of a...[By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin via reuters.com]

 

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In Syria and Iraq, The Fight for Old ISIS Territory Is Just Beginning

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Lebanon Central Bank to Reduce Interest Rates to Ease Crisis

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And right when Middle Easterners are demanding to be treated as citizens — not Sunnis or Shiites — Americans are devolving into Sunnis and Shiites...[By Thomas L. Friedman via nytimes.com]

 

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Fresh intelligence points to Iranian threat against US forces and interests in Middle East, officials say

But in the last several weeks there has been movement of Iranian forces and weapons that the US worries could be put in place for...[By Barbara Starr via cnn.com]

 

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This large foothold in West Qurna 1 will very neatly fit in with China’s near-identical move just a couple of months ago in Iraq’s massive...[By Simon Watkins via oilprice.com]

 

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Turkey drops block on defence plan for Baltics – NATO chief

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Trade tensions, stricter regulations weighing on chemical industry: SABIC CEO

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$5 million reward offered for San Diego man linked to al-Shabab

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