DUBAI: The 13-year-old Saudi social-media personality, host of the “Rateel Alpha Talk” podcast, recently topped the ranks of content creators born in the Kingdom on the US site Famous Birthdays. Here, she talks fashion, time management and more.  

Best fashion trend of 2024?  

Denim tops. I think they can get styled very easily and they look casual and nice. 

 

 

 

 

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Worst fashion trend of 2024? 

Maxi shorts. They’re not really my style. I tried them, but I didn’t really like them. Also, I love animals, so anything leather — I don’t like harming animals to create fur and exotic skins for clothes. The fake ones are OK. 

Best fashion accessory for any outfit? 

Confidence. It’s the best accessory. And a smile! If you’re in an outfit and you’re not confident in it, it’s not going to look as nice.  

Worst fashion accessory? 

I’d say anything that it’s difficult to move in or breathe in. I would much rather be comfortable. 

Best hairstyle for you?  

I love many hairstyles, but it’s probably when I keep it plain and keep my hair down. I have curly hair and I like keeping my curls natural. 

 

 

 

 

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Worst hairstyle you’ve ever had? 

A high,slicked-back bun. Generally, this hairstyle looks so good, but it looks bad on me. It makes me look bald. It is very trendy but you have to have the right face shape for it. 

Best way to deal with exam stress? 

Stay focused on what you can control. I don’t stress too much. I try not to focus on the time. I just do my thing and finish it. I avoid taking lots of breaks, because if I do that I get lazy and don’t continue. I like to have all my tools in front of me, too, so I don’t need to go get them.  

Worst distraction when trying to study? 

My phone. I get distracted by social media. I try to control it, but my mom takes my phone away to help me when I study, because sometimes I can’t properly focus.  

Best way to balance work and play? 

Have a stable routine. If you don’t, then everything will be crazy and messed up. It can be hard. I just filmed my podcast yesterday. Seventh grade is, like, really hard, so I have to focus, then I have to film content. It’s easier when I have a good, stable routine. 

Best compliment you’ve received? 

I like it when someone compliments my personality over my looks — because you didn’t do anything to get your looks, but your personality is (unique). I like it when they tell me I’m “such a vibe.” It makes me so happy knowing I have a fun personality. 

 

 

 

 

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Worst compliment you’ve received? 

I hate when people tell me I’m old for my age. I think they just live in a different generation.. People think that, for example, skincare… I know there are some products you shouldn’t use until you’re older or have more mature skin, but you can start skincare from any age with a cleanser and a moisturizer. Some (young people) really struggle with their skin and then some adults make it harder for them. 

Best way to start your day? 

I like to have something exciting going on in the week that I can remind myself about. So like, I get done with the boring stuff and then I have fun things to look forward to.  

Worst way to start your day?  

Being negative in the morning. If you start off positive, your whole day will be positive.  

App you can’t live without? 

I have a lot of apps, but the best one isn’t really an app — just my brain. My imagination is an app for me. I could live with just my brain: I could watch a movie in my head. I can sit down and think of movies in my head and just imagine everything. My head is like a phone.  

Worst app?  

It’s not really the ‘worst’ app, but I feel like WhatsApp is really for older people. I only use it to communicate with my mom. Most people my age communicate on Snapchat and Instagram. So it’s not a bad app, I just don’t use it and I don’t really like it. 

Best advice you’ve ever received?  

“Dream big and don’t let anyone stop you from dreaming.” And another thing my mom told me is that just because something is trending doesn’t mean you have to like it. Just follow what you love. You don’t need to follow other people. 

 

 

 

 

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Worst advice you’ve ever received?  

“Follow the crowd.” The best way to live life is to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to stand out. 

MALMO, Sweden: Competition in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Tuesday in Sweden, with the war in Gaza casting a shadow over the sequin-spangled pop extravaganza.
Performers representing countries across Europe and beyond took the stage in the first of two semifinals in the Swedish city of Malmo. It and a second semifinal on Thursday will winnow a field of 37 nations to 26 who will compete in Saturday’s final against a backdrop of both parties and protests.
Ten of the 15 acts performing Tuesday were voted through to the final by viewers. They include Croatian singer-songwriter Baby Lasagna, whose infectious electro number “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is the current favorite to win, and Ukrainian duo alyona alyona and Jerry Heil, flying the flag for their war-battered nation with the anthemic “Teresa & Maria.”
Also making the cut were goth-style Irish singer Bambie Thug, 1990s-loving Finnish prankster Windows95man and Portuguese crooner Iolanda. Iceland, Azerbaijan, Poland, Moldova and Australia were eliminated.
Other bookmakers’ favorites who will perform Thursday include Swiss singer Nemo, Italian TikTok star Angelina Mango and the Netherlands’ Joost Klein with his playful pop-rap song “Europapa.”
Security is tight in the Swedish city, which expects an influx of some 100,000 Eurovision fans, along with tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters. Israel is a Eurovision participant, and demonstrations are planned on Thursday and Saturday against the Israel-Hamas war, which has left almost 35,000 Palestinians dead.
Israel’s government warned its citizens of a “tangible concern” Israelis could be targeted for attack in Malmo during the contest.
Organizers told Israel to change the lyrics of its entry, originally titled “October Rain” in apparent reference to Hamas’ cross-border Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis and triggered the war. The song was renamed “Hurricane” and Israeli singer Eden Golan was allowed to remain in the contest.
Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director-general of Eurovision organizer the European Broadcasting Union, told Sky News that banning Israel “would have been a political decision, and as such (one) which we cannot take.”
Police from across Sweden have been drafted in for Eurovision week, along with reinforcements from neighboring Denmark and Norway.
Sweden’s official terrorism threat level remains “high,” the second-highest rung on a five-point scale, after a string of public desecrations of the Qur’an last year sparked angry demonstrations across Muslim countries and threats from militant groups. The desecrations were not related to the music event.
Eurovision’s motto is “United by Music,” but national rifts and political divisions often cloud the contest despite organizers’ efforts to keep politics out.
Flags and signs are banned, apart from participants’ national flags and the rainbow pride flag. That means Palestinian flags will be barred inside the Malmo Arena contest venue.

Some musicians seem determined to make a point. Eric Saade, a former Swedish Eurovision contestant who performed as part of Tuesday’s show, had a keffiyeh, a headscarf associated with the Palestinian cause, tied around his wrist as he sang.
Afterwards, organizers said in a statement that “we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event.”
Performers are feeling political pressure, with some saying they have been inundated with messages on social media urging them to boycott the event.
“I am being accused, if I don’t boycott Eurovision, of being an accomplice to genocide in Gaza,” Germany’s contestant, Isaak, said in an interview published by broadcaster ZDF. He said he did not agree.
“We are meeting up to make music, and when we start shutting people out categorically, there will be fewer and fewer of us,” he said. “At some point there won’t be an event anymore.”
One person who knows how Eurovision unity can collide with bitter reality is singer Manizha Sangin, who represented Russia at the contest in 2021. The country was expelled the following year over its invasion of Ukraine.
Manizha, who performs under her first name, spoke out against the war. As a result, her performances were canceled in Russia and her music banned from public spaces. The singer remains in Russia but has found it all but impossible to work.
“People are afraid to work with me here because they’re afraid to have consequences after, problems after that,” she said.
Despite the difficulties, Manizha has recorded a single, “Candlelight,” which she is releasing on Wednesday as “a message of hope.”
“Music cannot stop war,” she said. But “what music can do is inspire people.”
Manizha thinks Russia will one day return to the Eurovision fold – but not soon.
“Maybe next generation,” she said. “But for now, relationships are too complicated. And then that makes me sad, you know, because that’s why people are not hearing each other. Because we are separated from each other. And the thing, is music should unite.”