Hillary Clinton got a rapturous welcome on Tuesday at an elite Saudi women's college and was hailed as the world's "most popular woman" - after arriving there late and delaying exams. The US secretary of state, on a Gulf mini-tour aimed at rallying support for sanctions against Iran and reviving Middle East peace talks, showed up one hour and 45 minutes late for a "town hall" meeting at Dar al-Hekma college.
But she received a loud standing ovation at the college in the Red Sea city of Jeddah that included cheering and whistling on her arrival, before some students started heading off for an exam only to be called back by officials.
A woman organiser stood up and grabbed the microphone to urge them to stay, saying it was the chance of a lifetime to see and exchange views with the "most powerful and popular woman" in the world. Officials later said the exam had been postponed by an hour. Dar al-Hekma college was established to produce graduates who can break through the conservative kingdom's harsh Islamic ceiling on women in the job market and public life in general.
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