Saudi Arabia sink Egypt

Saudi designer Tima Abid got her start at a time when fashion shows were taboo and tourism, apart from religious pilgrimages, was almost nonexistent in the Gulf kingdom.

So she was as surprised as anyone to see models draped in her latest couture collection gliding down an overwater boardwalk connecting beachfront villas that go for nearly $2,000 per night.

The sunset show on Thursday kicked off Saudi Arabia's first Red Sea Fashion Week, pitched by organisers as a milestone both for Saudi fashion and for a nascent tourism sector whose growth is key to diversifying the economy of the world's biggest crude oil exporter.

Abid's collection of two dozen "resort wear" dresses featured flowing white and beige fabrics and only the occasional visible midriff.

A second show on Friday was billed as the first to focus on women's swimwear, an envelope-pushing development in a conservative Muslim country that less than a decade ago required women to wear body-covering abaya robes.

"You may say it is boldness, but I look at it in another way: keeping pace with globalism," Abid told AFP while surrounded by models and harried, headset-wearing show producers.

"The borders and restrictions that used to exist have been abolished, and this has given us an opportunity to show our creativity in a more beautiful way."

The crowd on Thursday included designers, fashion journalists and Saudi celebrities like Lojain Omran, best known abroad for her turn on the money-drenched Netflix show "Dubai Bling".

The range of designs on display demonstrated Saudi Arabia's seriousness about competing not just with Dubai but other fashion capitals, Omran said.

"If you want to reach a global audience in fashion, you have to reach all types of people -- the conservatives, and those who are the opposite," she said.

A model presents a creation from the summer beachwear collection by Moroccan designer Yasmina Q, during the Red Sea Fashion Week in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea resort of Ummahat Island on May 17, 2024. Photo: AFP

'Something very new'

The setting for Red Sea Fashion Week, the St Regis Red Sea Resort on Ummahat Alshaikh island off Saudi Arabia's west coast, is accessible only by chartered boat or seaplane.

It is part of Red Sea Global, one of the so-called giga-projects at the heart of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 social and economic reform programme overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

As doubts grow about the feasibility of the most prominent giga-project -- a planned futuristic mega-city known as NEOM -- officials involved in Red Sea Global stress they are making progress, opening two resorts last year and preparing to launch 14 more hotels by the end of next year.

Since debuting a general tourism visa in 2019, formerly closed-off Saudi Arabia has tried to dispel the notion that it is one giant desert, showcasing mountains in the south and securing hosting rights for the Asian Winter Games in 2029 in a region of NEOM known as Trojena.

Beach developments are seen as major potential attractions, and Red Sea Fashion Week was partly intended to highlight what is already in place, said Burak Cakmak, chief executive of the Saudi Fashion Commission.

"Obviously logistically we are trying something very new. We are on a remote island that takes half an hour by boat to get to... There are many limitations on being able to do shows here," he said.

"I would love everybody not (only) to explore Saudi designs, but also explore Saudi as a destination."

Taking in preparations for Abid's show, Saudi designer Alanoud Badr of Lady Fozaza compared the kingdom favourably to a more established island locale.

"It's just something you would never expect, and honestly all I can say is, Maldives what?"

Models present creations from the summer beachwear collection by Moroccan designer Yasmina Q, during the Red Sea Fashion Week in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea resort of Ummahat Island on May 17, 2024. Photo: AFP

Image woes

Saudi Arabia is forging ahead with its fashion and tourism investments even as the war in Gaza drags down economic growth prospects for the wider region.

In a recent interview with AFP, Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb said attacks on Red Sea shipping by Yemen's Huthi rebels -- intended to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza -- posed no threat to the new resorts.

Besides security fears, Saudi Arabia's tourism industry has to overcome continued criticism of the kingdom's human rights record, including repression of dissent under Prince Mohammed.

Those who flocked to the St Regis paid little mind to such issues.

Model Beatris Resende said that growing up in Brazil, she often thought of the Middle East as a single place that was not depicted very flatteringly.

Only through travelling and modelling in the region has she come to appreciate differences among countries.

"I'm going to be honest. I really want people to stop looking at countries as the stereotype and actually get to know the places," she said.

"It's so much more than what we hear.

Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah has been ruled out of the next two Africa Cup of Nations games with a hamstring injury, his country's football association said Friday.

"Tests on Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Egypt national team, proved that he suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the next two matches of the team at the AFCON," the Egyptian FA said in a statement.

Salah, 31, came off late in the first half of the Pharaohs' 2-2 draw with Ghana on Thursday.

He will therefore sit out Monday's final group game against Cape Verde and any last-16 tie that would follow that.

After drawing their opening two games at the tournament, the record seven-time African champions need to beat already-qualified Cape Verde to be guaranteed of advancing in second place in Group B.

That would tee up a last-16 tie in San-Pedro on January 28, while they could also potentially qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

He will therefore only feature again at the competition if Egypt make it to a quarter-final on February 2 or 3.

Egypt needed an injury-time penalty from Salah to salvage a 2-2 draw with Mozambique in their opening game at the tournament.

On Thursday they had to come from behind twice to draw with Ghana, Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Mohamed scoring their goals, with the result leaving them on two points from two matches.

The last of Egypt's seven titles at the Cup of Nations came in 2010, a year before Salah made his international debut.

Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan has embarked on a journey to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. He departed from Dhaka to Mecca, taking a flight from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport this afternoon.

The "Priyotoma" actor is set to return to Dhaka next week after completing Umrah. Having undertaken the Umrah several times before, the actor experiences a profound sense of serenity and tranquility during his visits to Saudi Arabia.

Following his Umrah, Shakib Khan is scheduled to travel to India to take part in the dubbing sessions for his inaugural Pan-Indian movie, "Dorod", directed by Anonno Mamun. Next, he will commence shooting for the film "Rajkumar," directed by Himel Ashraf. Notably, the Bangladesh segment of the movie has already been filmed. Towards the end of January, Shakib Khan is also slated to visit the United States.

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Russia was the target of almost 25 million cyber-attacks during the World Cup, President Vladimir Putin said, though he did not indicate who may have been behind the attacks.

"During the period of the World Cup, almost 25 million cyber-attacks and other criminal acts on the information structures in Russia, linked in one way or another to the World Cup, were neutralised," Putin said during a meeting on Sunday with security services. The comments were reported by the Kremlin on Monday.

Saudi dignitaries on Sunday hailed the performance of Mashael Alayed, the first female swimmer from the kingdom to compete in an Olympics.

The 17-year-old is the only female swimmer in the delegation and smashed her personal best to come sixth of seven in her 200 metres freestyle heat.

Female athletes were for many years an untapped reservoir of talent in the conservative Islamic state, with girls banned from participating in sport at public schools until 2017 and women not allowed into sports stadiums until the following year.

Princess Reema bint Bandar bint Sultan, an influential member of the Saudi Olympic committee and the kingdom's ambassador to Washington, who has led efforts to integrate Saudi women into sport, wrote on X "Proud to cheer on this young woman! Breaking boundaries! Mashael Alayed."

While she did not make the semi-finals with her swim, she clocked two minutes 19.61 seconds at the Aquatic Complex in Paris' La Défense Arena to beat her previous best of 2:21.04 seconds.

Her time, in her fourth major championship since entering the elite development program in the kingdom, was 23.82 seconds behind the fastest qualifier, Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan.

Saudi swimming federation president Ahmed Alqadamani told Reuters Alayed's participation was "an indication of the potential and ambitions of Saudi sports thanks to the great support of young athletes to represent their country in the best way".

"I see that Mashael today is different from Mashael yesterday, where participation in the Olympics, contact with the best swimmers from different countries of the world, contributes to the refinement and development of her talent very much," he said.

"Perhaps most importantly, her participation will inspire a future generation of female players in the future."

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, sports minister, chairman of the Saudi Olympic Committee and head of the kingdom's delegation in Paris said on X: "Mashael Alayed has a great future ahead, all the best."

Alayed, who represents Ettifaq club, won a gold medal and two silvers in the first Gulf games in the UAE in April 2024. She also won three bronzes and a silver medal at the Saudi Arabian Games.