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Monthly Archives: March 2017

Nike to launch ‘Pro-Hijab’ for Muslim women athletes in 2018

Oregon State (IINA) - Sportswear giant Nike is developing a high-performance hijab for Muslim women athletes, the latest move to fold the Muslim clothing industry into the mainstream.

The Nike Pro-Hijab, which will be available in stores in spring 2018, is the result of an ongoing cultural shift that has seen more women than ever embracing sport, Nike said in a statement. This movement first permeated international consciousness in 2012, when a hijabi runner took the global stage in London.

That runner was Saudi Arabia's Sarah Attar, who along with Emirati weightlifting Olympian Amna Al Haddad helped inspire the product, Kens 5 News reported.

Al Haddad spoke to Nike extensively about issues she had with existing athletic hijabs: She had difficulty finding performance-grade head coverings she only owned one and had to hand-wash it every night during competitions, and its weight, movement and lack of breathability made it difficult to focus.

Nike's goal, therefore, was to create a lightweight hijab that was inconspicuous, almost like a second skin, the company said. Its design is now being used by select Muslim women in the Gulf region's competitive sports scene.

Outside the world of sportswear, too, the mainstream apparel industry is capitalizing on the booming market for modest clothing.

A report from Thomson Reuters last year found that Muslim consumers spent about $243 billion on clothing in 2015. That was about 11 percent of the total international spending on apparel.

Last month, global casual clothing company Uniqlo launched its fourth collection in collaboration with British designer Hana Tajima, a hijab-wearing Muslim whose work is marked by flowing dresses and long tunics.

Debenhams recently announced a partnership with modest fashion brand Aab, making it the first major U.K. department store to sell hijabs. Last January, high-end design label Dolce & Gabbana launched a line of hijabs and full-length abayas.

And since DKNY produced a Ramadan collection in 2014, brands such as Mango, Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, Monique Lhuillier, Net-a-Porter and Oscar de la Renta have all followed suit.

Such moves haven't come without criticism from some Muslims, who feel their spirituality is being commodified.

Functional athletic wear, though, may be an area without controversy � particularly in the Middle East, where temperatures can push 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

It's not just about making a product available for Muslim and Arab women, but it is also giving a chance to those women who are putting off the idea of wearing the veil completely in order to compete, Egyptian runner and mountaineer Manal Rostom told Al Arabiya English.

Nike's new pull-on head covering is designed with a single layer of durable mesh, which features small holes to increase airflow while remaining opaque enough for Muslim women's needs. The back of the hijab is slightly longer, so it doesn't come untucked (with the edges or ends hanging loose) to uncover the neck.

Al-Haddad and many of elite hijab-wearing athletes, including Rostom and Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari, have been testing these features in Nike's prototypes since early 2016.

I was really hesitant when I first saw it, Lari said, according to a statement. I've tried so many different hijabs for performance, and with how fast I spin on the ice and in training, so few of them actually work for me. But once I put it on and took it for a spin on the ice, I was blown away by the fit and the light weight.

The announcement follows Nike Middle East's viral ad campaign What Will They Say About You, which was touted for featuring Muslim women athletes such as Lari, Tunisian fencer InAs Boubakri and Jordanian boxer Arifa Bseiso. But many on social media and in the Arab world criticized it for, among other things, portraying Arab women's lives unrealistically and patronizing athletes by suggesting Nike empowered them.

It means the world to have the leading sports brand in the world come up with a product like this, Rostom said. It's not just speaking to athletes, but speaking to the whole word that Nike supports all athletes to go out there and Just Do It literally.

Source: International Islamic News Agency

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IAEA Approves Safeguards for Nuclear Power Plant Units K-2 & K3

(2017-03-08) The IAEA Board of Governors has today approved Pakistan's request for the application of Safeguards for Nuclear Power Plant Units K-2 & K-3. These two units are pressurized water reactors of 1100 MWe each and are being acquired from the People's Republic of China.

Civil nuclear power generation is an important component of Pakistan's energy security policy and a vital developmental imperative. These power plants will serve as important vehicle to help meet Pakistan's increasing energy needs and support sustained economic growth and industrial development.

Pakistan has the rare distinction of keeping all its civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA Safeguards signifying its commitment to global objectives of non-proliferation.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Government of Pakistan

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لون اسٹار نے آسٹرو جاپان پراپرٹی گروپ کے تمام جائیدادی اثاثوں کے لیےمکمل-نقد پیشکش کردی

نیویارک اور ٹوکیو اور سڈنی، 6 مارچ 2017 / پی آر نیوز وائر / — عالمی نجی ایکوئٹی ادارے لون اسٹار فنڈز نے آج درج ذیل بیان جاری کیا ہے: “لون اسٹار ریئل اسٹیٹ فنڈ V سے منسوب ایک ادارے نے اعلان کیا ہے کہ انہوں نے آسٹرو جاپان پراپرٹی گروپ (اے ایس ایکس: AJA-AU) […]

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Gemalto LTE Cat. 1 solution wins IoT Evolution Connected Home & Building Award

Amsterdam, Mar. 7, 2017 –  Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, has won the 2016 IoT Evolution Connected Home & Building Award for its Cinterion LTE Cat. 1 wireless module. The award from IoT Evolution honors organizations delivering the most innovative solutions that are advancing the smart home and building industry. The first-of-its […]

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‫حل LTE Cat.1 من شركة Gemalto يفوز بجائزة المنازل والمباني المتصلة المقدمة من IoT Evolution

أمستردام،  07 مارس 2017 –  فازت شركة Gemalto، الرائدة على مستوى العالم في مجال الأمن الرقمي (والمسجلة في بورصة يورونيكست تحت الرمز NL0000400653 GTO)، بجائزة المنازل والمباني المتصلة المقدمة من IoT Evolution عن حلها  وحدة Cinterion LTE 1 Cat. اللاسلكية. تأتي الجائزة المقدمة من IoT Evolution تكريماً للمؤسسات التي توفر الحلول الأكثر ابتكاراً والتي تعزز من […]

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