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Greece seeks EU allies on debt but Germany holds firm

Athens: Greece’s new government began a search for European allies Saturday in its bid to renegotiate its loans and end austerity, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel once again ruled out debt relief for Athens.Radical Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his maverick Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis are reaching out to France and Italy, whose center-left governments are most likely to sympathize with its determination to end painful reforms.Varoufakis will head to Paris late Saturday and meet with French ministers on Sunday, aides said, bringing forward a European tour that was due to start in London on Monday.Tsipras is due to meet his Italian and French counterparts Matteo Renzi and Francois Hollande on Tuesday and Wednesday.Predictably, neither tour includes Germany, which has shouldered the bulk of Greece’s loans and where officials have already expressed outrage at the new Greek gove...

Wanted: Husbands for women planning overseas studies

An increasing number of Saudi female students are seeking husbands so that they can take up scholars...

Labor row: Tough action on complaints

The Ministry of Labor has started penalyzing recruiting firms and offices for violations including o...

Citizens rejoice over bonus and dynamic Cabinet ministers

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received Bahraini King Hamad on Friday at his ranch in Diriyah, and took him on a tour of the Al-Ouja Palace, which includes several old pictures and artifacts.King Salman hosted a lunch in honor of King Hamad, which included Crown Prince Muqrin and members of the royal family.The Bahraini king arrived on a day when the newly appointed officials and ministers thanked King Salm...

1.8 million genetically incompatible cancel their marriages

A total of 1.8 million Saudis have canceled their marriage plans after tests showed they were genetically incompatible with their prospective spouses, the Ministry of Health official has said.This constitutes 60 percent of the 3 million people who took the required premarital screening over the past 11 years, said Dr. Muhammad Saeidi, director general of genetic and chronic diseases at the ministry.The ministry aims to co...

SAUDI ARABIA »

King Salman’s new team has accomplished administrators

The new Cabinet announced by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Thursday has several appointees who are accomplished administrators with vast experience and expertise in their fields.Azzam Al-Dakhil, the new minister of education, is also chief executive officer of the Prince Mohammed...

Court saves woman from brother’s oppression

A civil status court in Jeddah canceled a man’s guardianship of his 49-year-old sister for withholding permission for her marriage. The court granted her permission to marry the man of her choice at the same hearing.The woman had filed a lawsuit against her brother and was surprised when the entire process was completed in...

KACST embarks on solar desalination project

The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) signed an agreement with the Advance Water Technology Company (AWTC) for planning out the design and construction of solar water desalination plant in Khafji with a production capacity of 60,000 cubic meters per day.The accord was signed by KACST President Ibrahim A...

Al-Balawi is new Border Guard chief

The Interior Ministry has appointed a new director-general of the Border Guard.Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior, announced recently that Maj. Gen. Awad bin Eid Al-Balawi would be placed in this position.Al-Balawi was appointed acting director-general of the Border Guard i...

KSA population is 30.8m; 33% expats

Saudi Arabia’s population stood at 30.8 million at the end of 2014, a 2.6 percent rise from 2013, according to data released by the Kingdom’s Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI).There were 20.7 million Saudis, making up 67 percent of the population, while the number of foreigners stood at 10.1 million or...

WAMY meet lauds KSA support for world youth

Saudi Arabia’s support to Muslim causes in general and youth in particular the world over has received high praise from prominent leaders of the 12th international conference of the Riyadh-based World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), which opened here on Thursday (Jan. 29).In his address at the opening of the three-day even...

Nuclear imaging marks new era in diagnosis

Nuclear imaging, an innovative and groundbreaking medical technology, may herald a new era in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.The cutting edge technology produces images by detecting radiation from different parts of the body to accurately diagnose tumors and diseases prior to treatment, in addition to disclosing th...

Cooking gas crisis deepens in Jeddah

Jeddah residents are complaining about the shortage of cooking gas for the third day in a row as outlets in the city have halted supplies.A source said that the National Gas Company has laid off a number of its employees in a bid to streamline the company, which has led to the delays in the supply and delivery of the cookin...

Fraud, manipulation at fish market irk Sharqawis

Residents in Dammam and Alkhobar, popularly known as Sharqawis, complained of widespread fraud at local seafood markets and restaurants, claiming retailers have been importing fish from outside the Kingdom, marketing supplies as local, and selling them at inflated prices.They called on the municipality to exert more control...

Relatives reluctant to seek hospital treatment for the mentally-ill

Most relatives of the mentally ill are reluctant to seek treatment for their patients in hospitals and prefer home care, an expert told local media.The reluctance to take patients to psychiatric hospitals stems from the social stigma attached to mental illness which is thought to be akin to mental disorder, head of home psy...

American man wounded in Al-Ahsa shooting

An American resident was shot and wounded while driving with a fellow US citizen in Al-Ahsa on Friday. The Eastern Province police said in a statement that shots were fired at the men at 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon as they were driving along Saladin Al-Ayobi Road.The man is reportedly in a stable condition at a local hospita...

Jubail businesses don’t want to be part of Asharqia Chamber

Businessmen in Jubail have reiterated their desire for independence from the Asharqia Chamber, demanding that the chairman of the Board of Directors, Abdul Rahman Al-Otaishan, promptly remove all hurdles facing the process. However, they stressed their role in developing the province and supporting its projects and economic...

TVTC announces ideal coach awards

The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) named Wednesday the 10 winning instructors for the “Ideal Coach” award.The contest was attended by more than 12,000 trained coaches who work at the organization’s institutes in different regions. Ali bin Nasser Ghafis, TVTC director, congratulated the winners and the...

» ‘Sadaya’ marks 4th anniversary with...

» Pak minister discusses Haj affairs

» Massive Cabinet shake-up

» Royal magnanimity: bonuses and other...

» 65 husbands jailed for contempt of...

» US military essay contest to honor...

» Al-Issa: KSA firm in dealing with...

» Jeddah car cleaners defy orders of...

» Vaccination campaign to combat...

» King Salman is a friend of India,...

» Israr Award winners honored

» Former Arab News staffer passes away

MIDDLE EAST »

Egypt court rules Hamas armed wing ‘terror group’

Cairo: An Egyptian court on Saturday banned the armed wing of Palestinian Islami...

Turkey ready ‘to pay price’ if found guilty of Armenian killings

ISTANBUL: Turkey is ready to “pay the price” if found guilty of the mass killing...

Tripoli rivals to join peace talks ‘if held in Libya’

TRIPOLI: The rivals of Libya’s elected Parliament agreed to join UN-mediated pea...

IS group silent as deadline passes with no swap

TOKYO: The fates of a Japanese journalist and Jordanian military pilot were unkn...

I’m no sultan, but more like British Queen: Erdogan

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan brushed off criticism that he’s...

WORLD »

Sicilian judge Sergio Mattarella elected Italian president

Rome: Sergio Mattarella, a constitional court judge from Sicily hwo is seen as a...

Bangladesh cuts power to opposition leader

Dhaka: Bangladesh authorities on Saturday cut the power to opposition leader Kha...

Bomb blast at Shiite mosque in Pakistan kills 56

ISLAMABAD: A bomb blast ripped through a Shiite mosque in southern Pakistan as w...

Ukraine peace talks aborted as civilians die in Donetsk

MINSK/DONETSK: Civilians were killed on both sides in heavy fighting in eastern...

NATO chief warns of challenges after ‘black year’

BRUSSELS: NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance must be ready to face fur...

SPORTS »

New Zealand coasts to seven-wicket win over Pakistan

WELLINGTON: New Zealand cruised to a seven-wicket win over an underdone Pakistan...

Dominant Serena beats Sharapova for 19th Slam

Melbourne: Serena Williams won her sixth Australian Open and 19th career Grand S...

Australia beats South Korea 2-1 to win Asian Cup final

SYDNEY: Australia won its first Asian Cup title by beating South Korea 2-1 after...

Djokovic masters Wawrinka to waltz into Open final

MELBOURNE: World No.1 Novak Djokovic fought off Stan Wawrinka over five tense se...

McIlroy seizes Dubai lead with late flourish

DUBAI: World No.1 Rory McIlroy made three birdies in his last three holes in the...

ECONOMY »

ConocoPhillips cuts oil drilling budget again

NEW YORK: Oil company ConocoPhillips has slashed its 2015 drilling budget, cutting it for the second time in less than two months as falling oil prices pressure petroleum...

How the ECB learned to love quantitative easing 

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced an expanded quantitative easing (QE) program on Jan. 22. Starting in March 2015, the ECB will buy, on a monthly basis, 60 billions euros worth of euro area sovereign bonds and private sector securities. The purchases will continue until September 2016, although the program could als...

Total to slash exploration outlays by nearly 30%

PARIS: The CEO of Total said that the French oil company would slash spending on exploration by 30 percent this year due to the drop in the price of oil.Patrick Pouyanne told the daily Le Monde that “these past two years, exploration spending was $2.8 billion” at the company.He confirmed earlier announced plans by the compa...

Shell wants to resume drilling in Arctic this summer

LONDON: Oil major Shell wants to revive its Arctic oil drilling program this year after a near two-year suspension, angering environmentalists who say the risk of an oil spill is too high.Remote and costly to develop, the Arctic is estimated to contain 20 percent of the world’s undiscovered hydrocarbon resources and despite...

Rig rates could fall further: Seadrill

OSLO: Rates for vessels that drill for oil on behalf of energy firms may fall further before bottoming out later this year due to the weak oil price and overcapacity, a top executive at Seadrill, the world’s third-largest offshore driller said.The market is oversupplied, oil companies are cutting capital spending due to the...

US economy cools in Q4, but consumer spending shines

WASHINGTON: US economic growth slowed sharply in the fourth quarter as weak business spending and a wider trade deficit offset the fastest pace of consumer spending since 2006.Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.6 percent annual pace after the third quarter’s spectacular 5 percent rate, the Commerce Department said in it...

Euro zone deflation accelerates to record low in January

BRUSSELS: Euro zone consumer prices fell by a record 0.6 percent in January, confirming deflation could be taking hold for the long term, EU data showed.The drop from minus 0.2 percent in December appears to back the European Central Bank’s decision last week to launch a bond-buying spree to drive up prices.Plummeting world...

Russia bank cuts main interest rate amid fears of recession

MOSCOW: Russia’s central bank unexpectedly cut its main interest rate on Friday as fears of recession mount in the country following the fall in global oil prices and Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.The central bank reduced its one-week minimum auction repo rate by two points to 15 percent, a little over a month a...

Amazon beats earnings estimates despite fierce spending

SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon surprised the market with a quarterly profit far better than anticipated for the online giant known for pouring money into projects such as original video programs and delivery drones.“Amazon beat estimates even though Jeff Bezos is moving at a paranoid pace; pretty much spending money as fast as it co...

Honda cuts profit forecast as airbag recall dents bottom line

TOKYO: Honda cut its full-year profit forecast as the Japanese automaker grapples with soaring recall costs, including from an exploding airbag crisis linked to at least five deaths.The downgrade came after Honda said it was probing a fatal crash in the US that may have been caused by a defect in airbags made by embattled s...

Easyjet supports Heathrow airport runway expansion

LONDON: British budget airline easyJet has backed Heathrow in London’s runway expansion race and said it would start flying from the capital’s largest airport if the government chooses to increase its capacity.British lawmakers and business leaders agree Britain needs new runways to remain economically competitive. A govern...

Japan’s biggest airlines foresee smooth annual earnings

TOKYO: Japan’s two biggest airlines have projected smooth full-year earnings, with All Nippon Airways (ANA) placing a $2.2 billion order for Boeing and Airbus planes, while rival Japan Airlines (JAL) raised its full-year profit forecast.ANA said its April-December net profit soared 57.2 percent to 52.36 billion yen ($443 mi...

Qatar Airways buys nearly 10% of BA’s parent firm

DUBAI: Qatar Airways announced that it has bought nearly 10 percent of the parent company of British Airways and Spain’s Iberia, deepening wealthy Qatar’s business ties to Europe and intensifying competition with the airline’s fast-growing Gulf rivals.The airline said that the decision to buy 9.99 percent of International C...

OPINION »

Harun Yahya

Gitmo: A wound that continues to fester

Experiences from history are in fact road maps guiding our plans for the future....

Christopher John Ryecart

The great peacemaker

World leaders including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid tribut...

Emmanuel Martin

Gaining strength from tragedy

THE deadly Paris attacks earlier this month — carried out by the Kouachi brother...

Charles Wyplosz

Economic collapse not likely

THE rapid depreciation of the ruble, despite a dramatic — and seemingly desperat...

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ART & CULTURE »

Man denounces Islamic State through art

BAGHDAD: The Islamic State (IS) militant glares at Baghdad residents with bulging eyes and bared teeth, but neither kidnapping nor death are imminent, because this terrorist is made from a shoe.
A black, treaded sole with the toe broken off serves as his face and nose, while old shoelaces evoke both black headscarf and long hair.
For t...

Art fair turns India’s capital...

Telling ‘The Story of Kamin’ —...

Abdullah Qandeel’s art: A thin...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Chinese language apps make learning a ga...

HONG KONG: Philipp Mattheis knew his gaming app was addictive when he realized he kept checking his phone — hooked by the brightly-colored reminders telling him to play again or risk falling from the triple-figure level he had reached.
Yet gripping the German journalist’s attention was not Candy Crush, but one of a new generation of Chinese...

Facebook, Instagram suffer glo...

Cosmic puzzle settled: Comets...

Turn your smartphone into a sc...

FASHION »

Hatem Al-Akeel: Revolutionizing the humb...

Knowledge is key in the fashion industry. Knowing what works and what doesn’t is what helps improve a designer in their quest for innovative designs. Inspired by different cultures, attentive to the latest in the fashion world and keen on details is what defines Hatem Al-Akeel. Coming from no background in design, he ventured in the world with h...

Anton Heunis: The hawk-eyed je...

Hair masks: Top 10 tips for lo...

Argan oil: The Moroccan ‘liqui...

TRAVEL »

Discovering the Kingdom

Historical monuments and sites can be found throughout Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has many attractions designed for those who want to know more about the country. The Kingdom offers several tourist places such as atmospheric souqs and villages reflecting the heritage and culture of Saudi Arabia.
This place is more than a harsh desert. We hav...

SCTA suspends ongoing tourism...

Tourist arrivals in Jeddah inc...

Japan’s modern architecture on...

FOOD & HEALTH »

Cases of sandfly disease are ‘on the rise’ in KSA

Health workers in the Kingdom have reported a rise in cases of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) disease, caused by the bite of sandflies, and warned the public to take precautions.According to a report in a local publication, several patients, mostly in the Eastern Province, have been detected with Leishmaniasis. The symptoms include welts or sores on the skin, which can become infected. It can affect the spleen and liver and result in death. Several physicians have said there is no clear method to treat CL. However, Ministry of Health officials recommend people minimizing the amount of exposed skin, improve their personal hygiene and keep their surroundings clean. They can also use nets...

California declares electronic cigarettes a health threat

SACRAMENTO, California: California health officials say electronic cigarettes are a health threat, especially to children, and should be strictly regulated like tobacco products.A report released Wednesday by the California Department of Public Health says e-cigarettes emit cancer-causing chemicals and get users hooked on nicotine. California Health Officer Ron Chapman says new generations of young people will become nicotine addicts if the products remain largely unregulated.E-cigarettes heat liquid nicotine from cartridges into inhalable vapor without tar and other chemicals found in traditional cigarettes. E-cigarette makers say their products are far safer than tobacco.Other states...

You quit smoking, now what?

Ever wondered what happens after you quit smoking? Many people fall back and get back to their bad habits. There are many reasons for this, some of which are mental while others are physical.We just found out about smoking detox where you can literally detox cigarettes out of your body. “This can only be assisted by controlling what you eat and drink on a daily basis. To be able to get the maximum benefit out of this type of detox, begin by quitting cigarettes right on the spot,” said pulmonologist Dr. Khalil Saad. “Your body will take its time to fully recover and this could take up to a period of years. Smoking is very harmful and your body cannot kick out the toxins in a short period of...

OFFBEAT »

Man who died in 2012 gets reappointed to county board

UNIONTOWN, Pennsylvania: Officials in western Pennsylvania are trying to figure out how a man who’s been dead for more t...

Pet reptile not a lizard, Lithuanian student finds out

VILNIUS, Lithuania: A baby caiman has found a new home at a Lithuanian zoo after its previous owner tried to sell it online, apparently upon realizing that the pet reptile he was raising in his bathroom wasn't a harmless lizard.Officials at the Kaunas zoo said authorities confiscated the spectacled caiman from a student who had posted an online advertisement for a large lizard.They said the student had kept it for several months but, stunned by how fast it was growing, decided to get rid of it. Lithuanian law prohibits raising dangerous animals at home.The 1.3-kilogram (2.8 pound), 63-...

US Secretary of State fined for not shoveling by Boston home

BOSTON, Massachussets : US Secretary of State John Kerry was slapped with a $50 fine for failing to have a side street adjoining his Boston home shoveled following the blizzard that dropped more than 2 feet (60 cm) of snow on Massachusetts this week, a spokesman said on Friday.The fine was issued on Thursday after a snow-removal company hired by Kerry and his neighbors in the city’s historic Beacon Hill neighborhood saw yellow tape blocking the sidewalk alongside the home and thought it was related to security for the top US diplomat.The tape had been put up to warn pedestrians of falling ice...