AL RAM, WEST BANK // The small suburb of Al Ram, on the outskirts of East Jerusalem, had never seen anything like it. Just a few hundred metres from the separation barrier that snakes through the West Bank, the Faisal al Husseini stadium was already full two hours before kickoff; the crowd a noisy sea of white hijabs and Palestinian flags.
More than 10,000 women had flocked from all over the West Bank, on buses, in taxis, many on foot, to watch the Palestinian women's national team take on Jordan in an historic, first-ever home match.
"We want to prove that we are better than the men at football," said Asala el Wazeer, an 18-year-old student who arrived with a group of school friends just as the Palestinian team embarked on a lap of honour. She was one of the lucky ones: hundreds more were locked outside. "It has taken us years to get to this point and we are very proud of the team."
It is rare that you see a lap of honour before a football match, but for the Palestinian women's national team, who have had to overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers just for the right to exist, even getting a game is enough cause for celebration.
Football is hugely popular among women in the Middle East, but the development of the game has been held back by a social conservatism that disapproves of women competing in "men's" sport.
Famously, Iran has a long-standing ban on women attending football matches, a ban that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tried to repeal before being slapped down by his clerical allies.
In Kuwait, attempts to set up a women's national team were met with outrage in the country's parliament. The move was halted after it was decided that a women's football team was "un-Islamic".
The Palestinian team have had their problems too. Set up in 2003, Israeli movement restrictions meant that the team could not practice on the only serviceable grass pitch in the West Bank, in Jericho. Instead, they had to train on a concrete handball court at Bethlehem University. When the team wanted to play a match, they had to leave to the country to do so.
But the hardest part was when families, both Christian and Muslim, in conservative strongholds like Nablus, Jenin and Gaza, refused permission for their daughters to play.
"At first it seemed weird women playing soccer in our society because it has a male mentality," Honey Thaljieh, the team's 25-year-old captain, had said in 2007. "Some families had problems sending their daughters to play football, some still face problems."
But as the team has grown in popularity, and has become a symbol not just of Palestinian nationalism but also for women's rights, more families have allowed their daughters to play. Even the previously reticent Palestinian Football Association has begun to take the women's game seriously.
Now they have a Futsal league with teams from across the West Bank, a national stadium to play in, and regular participation in international tournaments. Even the great and good of Palestinian political life deigned to attend the match, including Dr Salam Fayyad, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, and Jibril Rajoub, the former security adviser to Yasser Arafat and president of the Palestinian FA who has transformed football in the West Bank since taking over last year.
"We go to the villages now and tell them [the parents] that it is not forbidden to play. Most of the team is now Muslim," explained Rouqaya Takrouri, the 45-year-old national team manager, who hoped that the match would spur a new recruitment drive. "We are talking to every woman now. We send out letters that say: 'Now is your time.' Last year we had six clubs, now we have 14."
Standing pitchside, Ms Thaljieh could barely hide her smile when asked just how far the game had come in two years. "It is still difficult sometimes," she said, referring to the fact that the team's players from Gaza could not attend because of an Israeli travel ban. "But this has broken all the rules for women here. This was a big event to get both women and men together in Palestinian society. In a way, today was like a marriage between the Palestinians."
But not everyone had such noble ideas. Outside, several thousand men who could not get in thronged on every available elevated surface - to catch a glimpse of the women.
But for the vast majority, however, it was the game that was king. Two disputed Palestinian penalties had put the team on course for a historic victory before a late equaliser secured the draw that Jordan probably deserved. But for the women playing, and watching, the result was less important. After the final whistle both sets of players hugged and embarked on another lap of honour in front of an ecstatic crowd.
"This is important and shows the world that we don't care about the barriers and the checkpoints," Ms Thaljieh shouted over the noise. "We have shown the world that we can fight, but that when we fight, we fight through peaceful play."
* The National
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Ashkal'
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The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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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
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The five pillars of Islam
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
