Saudi authorities have conducted their biggest-ever crackdown on camel beauty contestants that received Botox injections and other artificial touch-ups, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday, with over 40 camels disqualified from an annual pageant.
Saudi Arabia's popular King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, which kicked off earlier this month, invites the breeders of the most beautiful camels to compete for some $92 million in prize money.
Botox injections, face lifts and other cosmetic alterations to make the camels more attractive are strictly prohibited. Jurors decide the winner based on the shape of the camels' heads, necks, humps, dress and postures.
Judges at the monthlong festival in the desert northeast of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, are escalating their clamp down on artificially enhanced camels, the official news agency reported, using "specialised and advanced" technology to detect tampering.
This year, authorities discovered dozens of breeders had stretched out the lips and noses of camels, used hormones to boost the beasts' muscles, injected camels' heads and lips with Botox to make them bigger, inflated body parts with rubber bands and used fillers to relax their faces.
"The club is keen to halt all acts of tampering and deception in the beautification of camels," the SPA report said, adding organisers would "impose strict penalties on manipulators."
The camel beauty contest is at the heart of the massive carnival, which also features camel races, sales and other festivities typically showcasing thousands of dromedaries. The extravaganza seeks to preserve the camel's role in the kingdom's Bedouin tradition and heritage, even as the oil-rich country ploughs ahead with modernising mega-projects.
Camel breeding is a multimillion-dollar industry and similar events take place across the region.
<p><img width="840" height="532" src="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Faye.png" class="attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="Faye" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Faye.png 840w, https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Faye-300x190.png 300w, https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Faye-768x486.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" /></p>
<h2>The 44-year-old opposition candidate, <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/topic/faye/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bassirou Diomaye Faye</a>, has been sworn in as the fifth Senegalese president.</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.naijanews.com/"><strong>Naija News</strong></a> reports that Faye has become the youngest elected president on the African continent.</p>
<p>The new president took over from the immediate past president, Macky Sall, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in an event witnessed by African leaders in the new town of Diamniadio, near the capital Dakar.</p>
<p>Nigeria’s President and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, Bola Tinubu, also witnessed the historic event.</p>
<h2 class="mvp-post-title left entry-title"><a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2024/03/27/bassirou-diomaye-faye-what-the-world-should-know-about-44-year-old-senegals-president-elect/">What You Should Know About 44-year-old President</a></h2>
<p>1. Faye was born in Ndiaganiao, M’Bour, Thies, Senegal, on March 25 1980.</p>
<p>2. He previously held the position of General Secretary in the now-defunct political party PASTEF (Patriotes Africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité), which translates to African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity. The party was established in 2014 by Ousmane Sonko.</p>
<p>3. After obtaining his baccalaureate in 2000, Faye achieved a master’s degree in law. He successfully passed both competitive exams and was admitted to the National School of Administration (ENA) and the magistracy in 2004.</p>
<p>4. Following his graduation, he joined the Tax and Estates department as a tax inspector, where he crossed paths with Sonko, a fellow alumni from the same school.</p>
<p>5. In 2014, Faye and Sonko’s bond strengthened within the Taxes and Estates Union, initiated by Sonko. During this period, Faye actively advocated for simplifying the process of homeownership for tax and property agents.</p>
<p>6. As the leader of PASTEF and Senegal’s primary opposition figure, Sonko publicly endorsed Faye as a presidential candidate in November 2023. This endorsement came amidst uncertainty surrounding Sonko’s own potential candidacy, despite the dissolution of PASTEF a few months earlier.</p>
<p>7. Faye endured more than 11 months of imprisonment due to a Facebook post that authorities considered subversive. Remarkably, he regained his freedom merely 10 days before the presidential election and still emerged victorious.</p>
<p>8. On March 15, 2024, Faye attracted hundreds of supporters at his initial public appearance as a presidential candidate, following an endorsement from Sonko and his release from jail.</p>
<p>9. On the same day, the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and former President Abdoulaye Wade also backed Faye, enhancing his chances of winning the election.</p>
<p>10. Throughout his presidential campaign, Faye pledged to tackle unemployment, strongly opposed corruption, and promised to review energy agreements, all under the slogan “Diomaye mooy Ousmane” in Wolof, aiming to appeal to Senegal’s youth with Sonko’s popularity.</p>
<p>11. Faye, a close ally and friend of Sonko, gained popularity among Senegalese youth who sought a change from Sall’s administration.</p>
<p>12. Faye was arrested on April 14, 2023, outside his office in Dakar. The police detained him on charges of “spreading false information, contempt of court, and defamation of a legal entity” following a social media post.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2024/04/02/tinubu-other-african-leaders-present-as-44-year-old-faye-gets-sworn-in-as-senegalese-president/">Tinubu, Other African Leaders Present As 44-Year-Old Faye Gets Sworn In As Senegalese President</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.naijanews.com">Naija News</a>.</p>
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