Britain's interior minister yesterday welcomed the decision to allow the teenage Saudi judoka Wodjan Shaherkani to compete wearing a hijab.
"It is a very important step. I think it is to be welcomed that the Arabian Gulf states have sent teams with women members in them and I hope that this will be encouraged for the future," said Theresa May, the UK home secretary.
Mrs May, who is also the minister for women and equality, said it was an issue "of particular interest" to her.
Officials had threatened to ban Shaherkani, 16, one of two women in the Saudi team, on safety grounds, but an International Olympic Committee spokesman said yesterday: "The judo federation will allow her to wear something which will not compromise her safety, which I think they use for competitions in Asia."
Mrs May also revealed how some of the lessons learnt from London's Olympic experience so far have already led to a review of border and immigration control processes at Heathrow airport.
"We will of course look at Heathrow generally as to how people get through borders," she said.
"We've got some arrangements already in place - we're looking at how we can enhance the automated gates, looking at what we can offer business people coming through Heathrow."
With extra staff drafted in and Olympic Family immigration lanes opened up, the success of Heathrow's Olympic operation has led some to call for a reduction of border controls after the Games to avoid queues returning to the levels that caused widespread outrage in past months.
Keith Vaz, chairman of the influential home affairs committee, said the home secretary should reinstate the "risk-based" checks that were piloted last year.
Mrs May insisted she was not against such checks, but last year's pilot had failed to provide concrete evidence that they reduced queuing time.
"The results were not properly recorded, but theoretically risk-based checks aren't necessarily the best in reducing queuing time because some people might get through more quickly but others will take longer," she said.
In the weeks leading up to the Games, security plans came under intense scrutiny and criticism, particularly when it was revealed that the private security firm G4S could not fulfil its obligation to recruit enough security guards.
The home secretary came under pressure as 3,500 troops were brought in to make up the shortfall.
But Mrs May said yesterday: "All the publicity has been about venue security, which is primarily the organising committee's responsibility and is about man-guarding, patting people down, checking handbags and so on.
"Set aside G4S and there are some huge positives in the overall security of the Olympics in terms of building in security as we were constructing the venues."
This knowledge and experience will, Mrs May hoped, prove part of the legacy of London 2012.
She explained: "As well as the tremendous amount of police and intelligence work that has been done, security planning has been about building security into the venues themselves. That has been going on for years, obviously, so there's a lot of experience that British business has in that area that we hope will be of use to others."
It is, of course, far too soon to draw any conclusions from this London 2012 security experience. Mrs May and her security advisers meet every morning to go over the events of the previous day and address the day ahead. Measures are constantly under review. "It is my job," she said, "to ensure that people have a safe and secure Olympics without security being too intrusive."
It is a delicate balance to find and one that has been years in the planning.
"I will breath a sigh of relief at the end. So far it's going well but we've got a long way yet to go."
lcollins@thenational.ae
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points
Other key dates
-
Finals draw: December 2
-
Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
The%20specs
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