F1 coming to Jeddah is a ‘dream’ for Saudi Arabia’s first female racing driver

The Formula One Grand Prix coming to Saudi Arabia is a dream come true for the Kingdom’s first female racing driver.

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Reema Juffali shared her excitement and disbelief about the event coming to her home city of Jeddah, in an interview with Al Arabiya English.

“It’s something that’s been my world and what I’ve been doing for so long, and I associate it with places outside of Saudi.

“The fact that it’s in Saudi and we’re hosting it in my home city, it’s unbelievable. It’s just a bit of a dream.”

The 29-year-old racer first fell in love with the sport at the age of 22 when studying abroad in the US.

She would watch Formula One on television and soon decided that she wanted to give it a try.

In 2018, after Saudi Arabia had legalized driving for women, Reema came back to the Kingdom and became the first woman to compete with a Saudi racing license.

Her first event was an amateur race in the United Arab Emirates.

“I was just hooked,” she said. “The support of my family, friends, and Saudi as well, pushed me to take this a to a next step and a step further and do it more seriously and spend more time on it.”

Juffali played down the constraints of being a woman in such a male-dominated sport, emphasizing the competitive nature of racing.

“Once you're behind the wheel, you're all competitors so it kind of doesn't matter what gender you are. And that's the nice thing about the sport. It unites both.”

At the same time, she recognizes that she is emblematic of wider social changes for women in Saudi society.

“There is a bit of a responsibility to educate and allow women to dream about this as a possibility, as a field that they can actually be a part of.”

Juffali is not competing in this year’s Formula One, which will take place between December 3 and 5 at Jeddah’s street circuit, but she will show off her skills in a hot lap.

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‘Dream come true:’ Fans react to WWE Night of Champions wrestling event in Jeddah

Fans in Saudi Arabia were treated to an extravaganza of acrobatic combat and shocking storylines when World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) held its Night of Champions event at Jeddah’s Superdome on Saturday night.

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The evening was full of action as Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn beat Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa to retain their tag team titles, with Zayn winning over scores of new local fans as he walked into the ring wearing a traditional Saudi thobe and introduced himself in Arabic.

Earlier in the show, Seth Rollins defeated AJ Styles to win the world heavyweight championship, and there were also appearances by WWE veterans Brock Lesnar and Triple H.

Al Arabiya English caught up with some of the fans at Jeddah Superdome after the event.

Danya Hamdi has been watching WWE since the age of 8. At 21, she finally had the chance to attend her first live event.

“It was amazing, to be honest,” she said. “It was the first time I came to a WWE event and it was fabulous… It was amazing, like achieving my dream.”

Hamdi, who lives in Jeddah, attended the event with her sister Reef and their mother.

Although she was not a fan of the professional wrestling league before Saturday night, Hamdi says that Sami Zayn’s donning of the thobe was enough to win over her mother.

“I was mind blown by his Arabic. I think my mom really liked it, and she doesn’t like WWE… she became a fan.”

32-year-old Basem Degnah first saw the WWE in the flesh at the 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble event in Jeddah.

Since then, he’s attended events in both the US and Saudi Arabia. But Saturday’s Night of Champions was a “historic day” to him.

“I think it’s one of those events that’s once in a lifetime.”

The Jeddah local who has been a fan of the WWE for more than 20 years said that his favorite match of the night was the opening championship fight between Seth Rollins and AJ Styles.

“I would never, ever imagine, if you asked me back in the 90s, that we would see these incredible superstars performing in front of us.”

“This is really, honestly, a dream come true to a lot of Saudi fans.”

Indian nationals Harpreet Singh, 30, and Parmaat Singh, 36, became fast friends when they spotted each other’s Sikh turbans in the crowd at the event.

Harpreet previously attended the Elimination Chamber event in February 2022, and plans to catch future shows when the WWE returns to Jeddah.

Both men said that the highlight of the evening was seeing longtime WWE superstar Brock Lesnar fight again, defeating Cody Rhodes.

Ali Ahmed, 25 and also from Jeddah, was so enthralled by the last match between Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens, that he almost lost his voice from cheering.

“It was like a dream. I didn’t believe it until I saw it in action,” he said.

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Over 1,500 climate activists detained in Netherlands

More than 1,500 people were arrested during a protest by the Extinction Rebellion climate group in The Hague on Saturday, Dutch police said.

Activists blocked a section of a motorway in the centre of city during the afternoon, in protest against Dutch fossil fuel subsidies.

Police said they had used water cannon to disperse activists blocking a major road in the city, and arrested “a total of 1,579 people… 40 of whom will be prosecuted” on charges including vandalism.

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One of the activists bit a policeman during his arrest, police said.

Several Dutch celebrities were among the protesters, including Carice van Houten, best known for her role as Melisandre in the hit TV series “Game of Thrones.”

The Dutch news agency ANP reported that she was arrested but later allowed to return home.

It did not specify if she was among those who would be prosecuted.

The protests marks the seventh organized by Extinction Rebellion in this area of The Hague, but the highest number of people arrested so far, according to ANP.

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Sudan’s paramilitary RSF says it is ready to discuss extending truce

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Saturday it is willing to discuss the possibility of extending a ceasefire agreement with the Sudanese army that is due to expire on Monday.

The RSF “declares its full readiness to continue talks during the last two days of the truce under the auspices of the Saudi-American mediation to discuss the possibility of renewing the ceasefire agreement and humanitarian arrangements,” it said in a statement.

The warring factions signed a seven-day truce last Monday to secure safe passage for humanitarian aid and lead to wider talks sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

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