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WORLD NEWS A11
Saturday 13 January 2018
Saudi stadiums open for women in a first to watch soccer
By A. AL-SHIHRI black veils and don loose- In this photo released by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi men and women attend national day
AYA BATRAWY flowing black robes, known ceremonies at the King Fahd stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi women will for the first time
Associated Press as abayas. The first stadium be allowed to enter a sports stadium on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018, to watch a soccer match between
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) to open its doors to women two local teams — though they will be segregated from the male-only crowd with designated
— Saudi women were al- was in the Red Sea city of seating in the so-called “family section.” The move is Saudi Arabia’s first social reform planned for
lowed into a sports stadi- Jiddah. The stadium in the this year granting women greater rights.
um for the first time Friday capital, Riyadh, will open
to watch a soccer match to women on Saturday, fol- (Saudi Press Agency via AP)
between two local teams lowed by the western city
— though they were seg- of Dammam on Thursday. and restrooms, as well as tives and sometimes groups family section for Friday’s
regated in the stands from At the Jiddah stadium Fri- separate entrances and of friends to sit together, match was still less than half
the male-only crowd with day, young Saudi women parking lots for female isolated from male-only full. “A lot of people want-
designated seating in the wearing bright orange vests spectators. Local media tables at restaurants and in ed to wait and see how it
so-called “family section.” over their abayas were de- said women would also waiting areas at banks and is. Some thought it wouldn’t
The move was the first of ployed to help with the fe- have their own designated hospitals. The sections also be very safe or organized,”
Saudi Arabia’s social re- male crowds. “Welcome to smoking areas. “Family sec- include women out on their said Swick, who attended
forms planned for this year Saudi families,” read a sign tions” are ubiquitous across own or in groups with other the game with her Saudi
to ease restrictions on in Arabic erected across the kingdom, allowing mar- women. Although only 20 husband and son, and her
women, spearheaded by the section of the stadium ried couples, direct rela- riyals ($5.33) a ticket, the American mother.q
the kingdom’s 32-year-old reserved for women.
crown prince. The kingdom “It’s very festive and very
has also announced that well organized. A lot of
starting in June women will people are just really hap-
be allowed to drive, lift- py to be here. I think there’s
ing the world’s only ban a lot of excitement when
on female drivers. More you walked in, especially
than just an incremental among the children,” said
step toward greater rights, Sarah Swick of the match
the presence of women in between Saudi soccer
the sports stadium under- teams Al-Ahli and Al-Batin.
scored a wider effort to To prepare for the change,
integrate women in soci- the kingdom designated
ety and grant them more so-called “family sections”
public visibility in a country in the stands for women,
where gender segrega- separated by barriers from
tion is widely enforced and the male-only crowds. The
where most women cover stadiums were also fitted
their faces and hair with with female prayer areas
Japanese PM kicks off six-nation European tour in Estonia
By JARI TANNER capital of Tallinn, where he and is looking to learn from the pressure” on Pyong- deal with digital threats.
Associated Press focused on cybersecurity Estonia, whose public insti- yang. Abe also met with Estonian
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — and information technol- tutions and private com- Abe is expected to address President Kersti Kaljulaid
Japan’s prime minister ogy issues. panies were hit by a large- the North Korea issue in over discussions on EU-Ja-
has kicked off a five-day The small Baltic nation of scale cyberattack in 2007. more detail when he visits pan relations and bilateral
European tour to Estonia, 1.3 million people is consid- Following a meeting with Bulgaria, which took over trade, accompanied by a
Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, ered one of Europe’s most Estonian Prime Minister Juri the European Union’s rotat- business delegation with
Serbia and Romania — be- advanced technological Ratas, Abe said both lead- ing presidency from Estonia several dozen representa-
coming the first-ever head nations. ers agreed about the threat on Jan. 1. tives from Japanese com-
of the Asian nation to visit Tokyo has been increas- posed by North Korea’s nu- Abe announced that Ja- panies.
those countries. ingly worried about po- clear arms program. pan would join NATO’s cy- He travels to Estonia’s Baltic
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tential cyberthreats from He urged the international berdefense center in Tallinn neighbors Latvia and Lithu-
arrived Friday in Estonia’s North Korea and China, community to “maximize to boost its capabilities to ania on Saturday.q
