美国有线新闻 CNN 沙特35年来首次解禁电影院 首批影院明年3月开业（在线收听）

沙特35年来首次解禁电影院 首批影院明年3月开业

What is the largest country in the world without a river?

Saudi Arabia, Greenland, Australia, or Iran?

Though it's situated between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia does not have a river running through it.

AZUZ: It also doesn't have any movie theaters, or at least it won't until next year when commercial theaters will be granted licenses to open up.

They've been banned for 35 years in the conservative Muslim country. But the change is part of a series of reforms taking place in the kingdom. The nation's crown prince has promised to destroy what he calls extremist ideologies and return Saudi Arabia to a, quote, more moderate Islam.

Part of the decision is economic, as Saudi Arabia tries to reduce its dependence on oil. Movie theaters could create jobs and encourage Saudis to spend more money at home rather than vacation in nearby countries that have more entertainment options.

Some Saudi religious leaders oppose this idea. One cleric has called theaters a depravity and suggested they could hurt the kingdom's morals.

The first cinemas are expected to open their doors in March.

Moving west from Saudi Arabia to the African country of Nigeria. It's had a number of success stories in the Olympic Games, like when its soccer team won gold in 1996. But Nigeria has never won a medal or even competed in the Winter Olympics.

Next February, three athletes representing Nigeria are set to compete in bobsledding. This is the first bobsled for any African country. The women have already qualified and say they're ecstatic.