DUBAI: Arab youth is overwhelmingly supportive of the Saudi Arabian government’s decision to allow women to drive, according to the Arab Youth Survey.
Some 88 percent of all respondents agreed with the decision, which comes into force next month, with 90 percent of women and 85 percent of men in favor of the historic policy change.
However, a strong majority of young people — 80 percent — also agreed with the proposition that “Arab leaders should do more to improve the personal rights and freedoms of women.”
The belief that female empowerment needs to be taken further was especially strong among Saudi men, of whom 90 percent supported the call for more reforms to allow greater participation by women in economic, social and cultural life.
The survey also showed that the UAE remains the top role model for young Arabs, and the most popular country to live in, for the seventh year running. Some 35 percent chose the UAE, followed by the US and Canada on 18 percent.
Safety, security and wider career opportunities were seen as the UAE’s most attractive qualities.
Facebook was the most widely accessed medium for news, with 49 percent saying they get their news on the social media site daily, up from 35 percent last year.
CNN was the most trusted TV channel in the region, with 75 percent of respondents approving its credibility. Al Jazeera was the least trusted, with 43 percent calling it untrustworthy.
Technology was the sector most young Arabs would like to work or set up a business. Some 28 percent want to be involved in high-tech, nearly twice as many as in retail and real estate, previous favorites.
More than half of all respondent across the region said they shop online, but nearly 70 percent of respondents in North Africa say they have never shopped online.
Young Arabs strongly favor women driving — but Saudis say more should be done on female empowerment
Young Arabs strongly favor women driving — but Saudis say more should be done on female empowerment
- The belief that female empowerment needs to be taken further was especially strong among Saudi men
- Safety, security and wider career opportunities were seen as the UAE’s most attractive qualities
Iran president confirms talks with US
- No official confirmation from Tehran on where the talks would be held
Iran’s president confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of talks with the US following requests “from friendly governments.”
There has been no official confirmation from Iran on where the talks would be held, but an Arab official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP a meeting was likely to take place in Turkiye on Friday, following diplomatic interventions by Ankara, as well as Egypt, Oman and Qatar.
US President Donald Trump has spoken of potential military action and sent an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following anti-government protests in Iran that were met with a deadly crackdown last month.
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On Tuesday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said diplomacy with Iran was ‘continuing very intensively,’ in ‘tandem with all our neighbors.’
Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will “work something out” with Tehran, but also warned that “bad things would happen” if a deal was not agreed.
Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while promising a decisive response to any aggression.
“I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations,” President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote in a post on X.
He added that the talks followed requests “from friendly governments.”
On Tuesday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said diplomacy with Iran was “continuing very intensively,” in “tandem with all our neighbors.”
Earlier, a senior official from the UAE said Iran needed to reach a deal and “rebuild their relationship with the US.”
I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists to pursue fair and equitable negotiations.
President, Masoud Pezeshkian
“I would like to see direct Iranian-American negotiations leading to understandings so that we don’t have these issues every other day,” said presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.
Iran has repeatedly stressed that any talks should remain focused solely on the nuclear issue, rejecting the possibility of negotiations over its missile program or defense capabilities.
In an interview with CNN broadcast on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had lost trust in Washington as a negotiating partner but a deal on the nuclear issue remained achievable.
“So I see the possibility of another talk if the US negotiation team follows what President Trump said: to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons,” he said.
Since his return to office in January last year, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Iran, piling additional pain on a floundering economy.
Protests against the rising cost of living broke out in Tehran in December before evolving into wider nationwide anti-government demonstrations that triggered a deadly crackdown by the authorities.
Iranian officials have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest, but insist that most were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts.”
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based NGO, says it has confirmed 6,854 deaths, mostly protesters killed by security forces, with other rights groups warning the figure is likely far higher.
On Tuesday, the NGO said it had counted at least 50,235 arrests linked to the protests, with further detentions ongoing.
Meanwhile, local media reported that the authorities had detained 139 foreign nationals in central parts of the country during the protests.
