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King calls on Muslims to shun intolerance, extremism

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has called on Muslims to shun intolerance and extremism, work to unify their ranks and seek international cooperation.King Salman made these comments during a reception at his palace in Riyadh for the scholars and experts who participated in the international counterterrorism conference organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) in Makkah earlier this week.King Salman also said that Saudi Arabia “is the land of Islam that implements the Shariah in all walks of life.” He said Saudi kings have been proud of having the title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. “We ask the Almighty to guide us so that we can serve our religion of tolerance.”He said Islam is a religion of moderation. “We have to follow what is stated in the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his followers. We should not alienate people. There are people wh...

Saudi Arabia moves mission to Aden

A Yemeni government spokesman said on Thursday that the Saudi ambassador to Yemen would re-base his...

6,000 Twitter accounts ‘are threatening security’

A number of accounts on social networking websites are spreading false information in an attempt to...

Workers can leave wage law violating firms

Employees of companies that fail to implement the Labor Ministry’s wage protection law would be allowed to transfer their services to other firms, without the previous employer’s permission.This was stated by Muneef Al-Harbi, director of the wage program at the ministry. The Labor Office in Riyadh has launched the 5th stage of the wage protection program (WPP) for having more than 320 workers.The Labor Office plans to ope...

Saudi-UK talks spotlight ME crises

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior, held talks here Thursday with Prime Minister David Cameron.Prince Mohammed’s talks with Cameron focused on bolstering bilateral relations and major regional and global developments, Al-Arabiya channel reported.The deputy crown prince is on an official visit to the UK and is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including several minis...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Defying MOH advice, 3,000 with genetic illnesses to marry

Some 3,000 Saudis diagnosed with genetic diseases have rejected advice from the Health Ministry and decided to marry, a health official has said.These Saudis were among 7,500 people declared incompatible last year because they had illnesses they could pass on to their children, said Mohammad Al-Suwa...

All Makkah projects ‘must display Islamic identity’

Makkah Gov. and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee Prince Khaled Al-Faisal stressed the need to ensure all projects in Makkah are designed to display an Arab and Islamic identity.During a meeting in Jeddah on Thursday with members of the Higher Supervisory Committee of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expansion proj...

KAMC surgeons to separate Yemeni twins

A multidisciplinary medical team at the King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) will perform surgery on a set of Yemeni conjoined twins on Saturday to separate them.According to an official source from the KAMC, doctors found that the success rate of the surgery would be 60 to 70 percent due to congenital defects in the twins.Du...

Erdogan, El-Sissi to visit KSA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi are expected to visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday and Sunday respectively for talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.The Anatolia news agency said Erdogan would begin his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Egyptian...

Over 15,000 graduate from KAU in colorful convocation

The King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah on Wednesday hosted its 44th convocation to celebrate the success of its outgoing graduating batch.Excitement and anticipation filled the air in the vast stadium hall in late evening as graduates, proud parents and University officials gathered in the stadium for the event and began c...

Lab test only way to confirm MERS infection

Health authorities confirmed that so far, the only way to verify if a patient is infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is through a laboratory test.“This is because MERS symptoms very much resemble those of the influenza. Therefore it is essential to make a lab test to verify whether there is...

Cops nab 9, find drugs in machine-gun shooting case

The police arrested nine young men in Riyadh on Tuesday for allegedly shooting and injuring a 25-year-old man.It is claimed that a person with a machine gun had shot the man in broad daylight. A complaint was filed by the younger brother of the victim, who is 18 years old.Col. Fawaz bin Jamil Maiman, media spokesman of the...

250,000 children suffer from ADHD

Some 250,000 students in the Kingdom suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a psychiatric therapist said quoting a recently published survey.Abdul Samad Al-Jishi, member of the Saudi Society of Psychiatry, said about 5,000 doctors were following treatment of these cases. Fifty percent of the students a...

Turk flees with SR260 million

A Turkish investor has allegedly run off with SR260 million that he had been given by a well-known firm in the Eastern Province to complete a villa, a local publication reported recently.The property firm of the expatriate had a contract with the company that had undertaken the project. The man fled the country leaving behi...

Man owing SR400m in investor money surrenders

The General Court in Riyadh has registered more than 30 lawsuits filed by people who say they have been swindled out of SR400 million by an investor. The man allegedly cheated some 6,000 Gulf citizens.Legal sources told local media that the citizens who invested in the business group, which is now under investigation, have...

Tuition of private schools under scrutiny

In response to complaints about a recent spike in tuition at local and international private schools in the Kingdom, Minister of Education Azzam Al-Dakheel has called for the formation of special committees to review the issue.Joining the minister's reviewing campaign, the director of the Department of Education in Asir, Ja...

Filipino maids rescued from ‘job tending to animals’

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh (POLO-Riyadh) said it "rescued" two Filipino workers who were recruited as housemaids but forced to work as animal caretakers. The workers had run away from their sponsors for whom they had worked for seven months in Hail. The POLO enlisted the help of community leaders in the...

Productive families’ expo launches in Al-Ahsa

Over 300 productive families are participating in an exhibition here to showcase their products including candles, woodwork, carpets, soaps, perfumes and textiles. The event includes training workshops and a plastics art section. Eastern Province Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif opened the event on Wednesday at the Ibrahim Archaeo...

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MIDDLE EAST »

Syria refugee crisis nears ‘dangerous turning point’:UN

UNITED NATIONS: Syria’s refugee crisis is approaching a “dangerous turning point...

US jury convicts Saudi over Africa embassy bombings

NEW YORK: A Saudi man described by prosecutors as one of Osama Bin Laden’s most...

IS executioner ‘Jihadi John’ identified as UK national Emwazi

LONDON: “Jihadi John,” the masked Islamic State militant apparently responsible...

Jewish MP on Arab Israeli slate rejects ‘traitor’ label

Laqiya, Israel: As a Jewish Israeli Communist running for election under an Arab...

US looks to aid Syrian refugees amid security concerns

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration’s commitment to taking in thousands of Syri...

WORLD »

Russia’s Khodorkovsky: Putin is a ‘naked king’ facing economic ruin

LONDON: Former Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky said on Thursday Vladimir Put...

Pakistani denies Al-Qaeda ties at US terror trial

NEW YORK: A Pakistani-born man accused by US authorities of participating in an...

France’s Hollande seeks climate change ‘alliance’ with Philippines

MANILA: French President Francois Hollande called Thursday for a climate change...

German suspected serial killer nurse jailed for life

OLDENBURG: A German nurse was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for murdering...

Release Ukrainian Army pilot urgently, EU urges Russia

BRUSSELS: The European Union called on Russia Thursday to “urgently” release Ukr...

SPORTS »

KIA Motors nears finals in Microsoft Lumia-FBA cagefest

KIA Motors has one foot in the finals after beating Al Saady Trading 78-68 in a...

Purefoods Hotdog champ in FTBJ-ICBL 34th Conference bowling tilt

After a gap of one conference, Purefoods Hotdog is back in an all too familiar s...

Arciaga, Duma top OFBC Monthly Tournament for February

Beginning bowlers Eli Arciaga and Carmen Duma rode their rich handicap to victor...

Dammam Pirates, Cyber Dudes-1 face off for Div. D-4 title

Vic Bince drained a game-winning 3-point shot as Marc Aso’s Dammam Pirates elimi...

Thierry Mathy strikes again in RW Hilly Time Trial

The conditions could not have been more difficult for the Riyadh Wheelers out-an...

ECONOMY »

Bahrain banking on infrastructure, private sector to ride ou...

MANAMA: Bahrain’s economy is holding up in the face of low oil prices as policymakers bank on infrastructure spending and the private sector to offset shrinking energy se...

KSA land of opportunities, says Indian business tycoon Shetty

The UAE-based Indian business tycoon B. R. Shetty plans to open 150 branches of UAE Exchange across Saudi Arabia as part of his efforts to expand his operations in the Kingdom.Speaking to Arab News, Shetty said his group has taken over the majority shares in the London-based foreign exchange giant Travelex in a deal valuing...

Tadawul trading volume remains low

JEDDAH: Most major Gulf stock markets slipped despite stronger oil prices, as low trading volumes indicated retail investors remained cautious.Brent crude surged 5 percent on Wednesday. That was positive news for the Saudi stock market, but Tadawul All-Share Index inched down 0.1 percent as trading volume remained modest an...

Funds ‘increasingly bullish on Saudi equities’

JEDDAH: Middle East funds are increasingly positive toward Saudi Arabia’s stock market as oil prices appear to be stabilising and the kingdom is preparing to open its bourse to direct foreign investment, a Reuters survey of regional asset managers shows.With Tadawul All-Share Index up 11.2 percent year-to-date, Saudi Arabia...

Oil falls as rising USinventories continue to weigh

NEW YORK: Crude oil futures fell on Thursday, as rising inventories in the US pressured both Brent and US contracts and countered expectations for recovering demand.Brent losses were tempered by those expectations for improving global demand and geopolitical concerns about energy supplies from Libya and Russia.Brent April c...

Qantas roars back into black after aggressive cost-cutting

SYDNEY: Australian carrier Qantas has roared back into the black after an aggressive shake-up to stem mounting losses, posting its best interim result in four years helped by a revival in its international arm.The Aus$203 million ($162 million) result in the six months to December 31 marked a stunning turnaround from a net...

ExxonMobil says Russia sanctions cost it $1bn

NEW YORK: US energy giant ExxonMobil said that US and European Union sanctions against Russia had cost it $1 billion last year.In a securities filing, Exxon said the loss stemmed from suspending joint venture activities with Russian oil major Rosneft under the sanctions imposed in 2014 on the Russian energy sector.“In compl...

Repsol posts eight-fold rise in 2014 net profit

MADRID: Spanish oil giant Repsol posted a 2014 net profit of 1.61 billion euros, an eight-fold increase over last year when its results were hit by provisions related to Argentina’s nationalization of its subsidiary YPF.Average recurring net profit, adjusted for one-time gains and inventory effects, jumped 27.1 percent to 1...

ICD and Niger sign agreement to set up sukuk program

Amadou Boubacar, senior minister, minister of economic planning, land management and community development, and Khaled Al-Aboodi, CEO and General Manager of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), signed an agreement to setu...

Standard Chartered bank says CEO to depart

LONDON: The CEO of Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered will step down in June, the company said, following poor results, job cuts and fines for failing to detect possible money-laundering.“Peter Sands will stand down from the board and as group chief executive in June 2015,” the British bank said in a statement, adding tha...

RBS shrinks investment bank, posts $5.4bn loss

LONDON: Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will drastically shrink its investment banking operations, pulling out of 25 countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East and allowing the state-controlled lender to refocus on local lending in Britain.RBS is seven years into an unprecedented corporate diet, shedding over 1 trillion...

Lenovo victim of cyber-attack

NEW YORK : Chinese computer and smartphone firm Lenovo Group Ltd. said its website was hacked on Wednesday, its second security blemish days after the US government advised consumers to remove software called “Superfish” pre-installed on its laptops.Hacking group Lizard Squad claimed credit for the attacks on microblogging...

UK business investment slips as oil prices fall, trade boosts GDP

LONDON: British business investment fell at its sharpest rate in nearly six years late last year, after tumbling global oil prices hit the North Sea petroleum industry, but stronger exports helped make economic growth a bit more balanced.Gross domestic product between October and December grew by a quarterly 0.5 percent, da...

OPINION »

Aijaz Zaka Syed

West’s wilful bias against Islam

President Barack Obama may have touched a billion hearts by insisting that terro...

Mohamed Abdel Raouf

GCC: Looking beyond politics

Promoting environmental integration among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countri...

Salahuddin Haider

Is Pervez Musharraf gaining ground?

A SILENT but powerful undercurrent has begun to build up in Pakistan to place Ge...

Syed Ubaidur Rahman

Indian Muslims need to be sensible

INDIA’S political landscape has undergone a total change in the past one year. W...

LATEST VIDEOS

Grandmother confronts Syrian militants

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ART & CULTURE »

Ba9ma Banat: Reviving the Prophet’s lega...

Dareen M. Edress is the marketing manager of “Ba9ma Banat,” an innovative institution that revives the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) among young girls through different programs and interesting products such as calendars, diaries and books comprising the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh).
In a conversation with Arab News...

Dubai gets its first taste of...

Saudi steals show with his art...

The mural that stole the natio...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Oscars cause greater piracy

An Irdeto study published recently showed there was a 385 percent increase in global piracy rates for Oscar nominated films. Irdeto, which specializes in helping content owners minimize the impact of piracy, monitored illegal downloading activity in over 200 countries from Jan. 1 until Feb. 14 and found that this spike and the continuing growth...

‘YouTube Kids’ launched

Get rid of cable complications

Get cleaning and organization...

FASHION »

The secret style of a Vogue Overdosed

Ghalia Mahmoudi is a happening fashion blogger who writes about local and international fashion and style. She is a marketing student sharing her fashion addiction with the world through her blog www.vogueoverdosed.com.
Stylish people have always surrounded Mahmoudi...

Alex Soldier: Jewelry that is...

Fashion designers pin hopes on...

Fight and win cellulite battle

TRAVEL »

Edinburgh: A city of history and culture

Soaked in Celtic and medieval history, Edinburgh is a cultural tapestry that’s largely visually defined by hills, cathedrals, and the bold stone towers of Edinburgh Castle. The city is very festive where people like to celebrate everything from art, music, and food to theater, sports and comedy.
One of the most touristic activities in the...

Johannesburg: Heart of S. Afri...

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Discovering the Kingdom

FOOD & HEALTH »

90% of Gulf camels ‘MERS-infected’

About 90 percent of camels in the Gulf region are carriers of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which requires the urgent need for a vaccine, according to a leading Health Ministry official.In addition, the virus can be transmitted over a 1-meter distance, Abdullah Asiri, undersecretary for preventative health at the ministry, was quoted as saying in a local publication on Tuesday.Asiri said that 50 percent of camels in Al-Ahsa region carry the virus. A person who comes into contact with infected camels can transmit the virus to family members without showing symptoms of the disease, he said.He said mass extermination of these camels was not an acceptable solution...

The Parkinson’s mystery

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder that affects around seven million people globally, and one million in the United States alone, usually afflicting people older than 50. The disease strikes 2 percent of those over age 65, and 5-10 percent of cases occur in people under 50. The cause remains unknown, preventing us from arresting the disease’s development — though environmental and occupational factors loom large in recent research.Chinese and Indian texts from 1,000 BC appear to describe a similar affliction. But James Parkinson was the first to describe the disease in detail, in 1817. Those developing Parkinson’s suffer slow movement, tremors, stiffness, difficulty...

A breakfast spot that is not just a morning place

Riyadh has grown so much in the last 10 years and this is particularly noticeable when you look at restaurants. Nowadays most restaurants have opened outlets in Riyadh’s new districts. This is the case with Can Café. This fashionable coffee shop has a branch on the trendy Al-Tahliya Street lined up with some of the best restaurants in the capital and another outlet on Omar Bin Abdul Aziz Road (Exit 14) in the Rabwa district. Can Café is a good place to have breakfast food at any time of the day! You can order “Four pieces of French Toast with maple syrup, orange juice and American coffee” for SR32. “French Toast”, known in French as “Pain Perdu”is a delightful dessert consisting of slices...

OFFBEAT »

Madonna's tumble overshadows Brit Awards

LONDON: Madonna’s on-stage fall at the Brit Awards unleashed a wave of Internet jokes about the star’s cape malfunction...

Hungarian village for rent, comes with deputy mayor’s post

BUDAPEST, Hungary: If “king for a day” sounds too majestic, a small Hungarian village will let you become deputy mayor for a few days.The village of Megyer, population 18, has put itself up for rent to companies and tourists.For 210,000 forints ($750; 690 euros) a day, a prospective renter gets seven guesthouses that sleep 39 people, four streets, a bus stop, a barn, a chicken yard, six horses, two cows, three sheep and four hectares (10 acres) of farmland — along with the possibility of temporarily being named deputy mayor.The deal aims to revitalize the hamlet, which dates back to at least...

It’s win some, lose some for Fawad

Guess who is on cloud 9 these days? Yes, it’s Fawad Afzal Khan, after bagging the Filmfare Award. He is what fairytales are made of. Watching him on screen, the inevitable ‘happily ever after’ ending seems predictable. Already one of the top-rated actors in Pakistan, he sure has managed to get his competition green-eyed after his first Bollywood film, ‘Khoobsurat’. After his appearance here, he seems to have taken off in the Indian film industry. The result? Yes a lot of interest has been whipped up, for sure. There seemed to be a professional link with Karan Johar. Reports indicated that the...