Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak just became a Saudi ambassador

The Woz called Saudi Arabia's tech transformation "a remarkable success story."
Steve Wozniak, Saud bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (R) accepting his appointment as "Ambassador of the Saudi Tech Hub" from Saud bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani, head of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, at the close of the Hajj Hackathon in Jeddah on A Source: Twitter

Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of the now $1 trillion company Apple, has been appointed an ambassador for the creation of a "Saudi Tech Hub.” 

The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP) officially appointed Wozniak to the post on Friday, marking the end of the three-day Hajj Hackathon event in Jeddah, Arab News reported. Saud Bin Abdulla Al-Qahtani, the head of the federation and an adviser to the Royal Court, presented the technology entrepreneur with an official certificate to mark the occasion.

The Woz voiced his strong support for the kingdom's Vision 2030 transformation plan as he accepted the nomination.

"This is a remarkable success story in Saudi Arabia that can be written in the near future and will be an example to be followed internationally,” he said, according to Saudi Gazette. "I will be a supporter of this by being an Ambassador of the Saudi Tech Hub, while supporting to the Saudi Federation."

Through Wozniak's appointment, Saudi Arabia aims to promote its transformation plan's technical aspects, as it works to align the kingdom's technical needs with the latest technological developments from around the globe, according Saudi-owned news channel Al Arabiya.

Presenting the Woz with the official certificate, Al-Qahtani emphasized the immense success of Apple and the company's achievements.

"Perhaps the greatest evidence of the scale of these technical transformations in today’s world is that a company such as Apple has become the first public company in the world with a market value of one trillion dollars,” he said. “We are happy that its co-founder has agreed to be an ambassador to the Saudi Technical Hub."

Steve Wozniak
Source: Flickr

Wozniak co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne back in April of 1976. Wayne was removed from the founding contract 12 days later, as he decided to pursue his own personal dreams.

Jobs and Wozniak went on to grow the computer business, taking the company public in 1980, making both men millionaires overnight. Although Wozniak parted ways with Apple in 1985, he remains a shareholder and is on the employee list, receiving an annual stipend from the company. He regular represents Apple at various events and has become iconic in the global tech community. His co-founder, Jobs, died in 2011.

On Thursday, Apple became the first publicly traded American company to be worth $1 trillion. 

Iraqi newlywed murdered in honor killing over suspected 'loose' hymen

A post-mortem autopsy revealed the victim had died with her hymen intact.

In yet another horrendous case of so-called "honor killing," a man in Iraq beat his sister, a newlywed bride, to death, because her husband suspected she was not a virgin.

The bride's father also died of a stroke as a result of hearing the husband's accusations.  

According to media reports citing an official source, a post-mortem autopsy revealed the victim had died with her hymen intact.

According to Annahar, the husband reportedly took his new wife back to her parents' house in the Najaf governorate the morning after their wedding night.

The husband claimed she was not a virgin and had a "loose hymen," saying there were no signs of her hymen breaking.

After hearing these claims, the wife's father suffered a sudden stroke and died instantly. Meanwhile, her brother violently beat her head with a sharp object until she passed away.

Authorities arrested the perpetrator soon after, and the penalty he will face is yet to be determined. 

The deceased had an "elastic" hymen

According to the autopsy requested by her mother, the victim had a type of "elastic" hymen that does not break even after experiencing intercourse multiple times.

The crime is a testament to the numerous misconceptions regarding women's sexual and reproductive health, particularly when it comes to the hymen - a small membrane inside the opening to the vagina.

This comes as there is a widespread belief that women should bleed - as a result of breaking their hymen - when they have sex for the first time.

However, specialists have confirmed that there are different types of hymens, each of which reacts to intercourse in a different manner. 

Additionally, some females are born without a hymen, while others might break their hymens for reasons unconnected to sexual intercourse, such as stretching and horseback riding. 

Social media uproar

The crime has drawn public outrage on social media, stirring debate on the concepts of "honor" and virginity in the Arab world:

"An entire family has been destroyed because of a hymen"

"A man died, a girl was killed, and a boy was imprisoned... An entire family has been destroyed because of a hymen. May God curse Arabs and their fake honor."

Women are fed up with society's obsession with their virginity ...

And with the concept of virginity in general

There is simply no valid reason to justify the crime

Where's the honor in murder?

Ignorance at its worst

"This is the result of ignorance, backwardness and rashness, unfortunately."

"The thin, elastic honor! This really happened in 2018!"