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Attack on park in Gaza war kills 10, most children

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: A strike on a Gaza park killed 10 people Monday, nine of them children, as Israeli and Palestinian authorities traded blame over the attack and fighting in the Gaza war raged on despite a major Muslim holiday.A truce between the sides remained elusive as diplomats sought to end the fighting at the start of the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.In Israel, meanwhile, the military said a mortar attack on southern Israel caused “deaths and injuries,” but did not disclose further details. Israeli media reported that the attack killed at least four people, which saw military helicopters rushing stretchers away to local hospitals.The Gaza park attack happened as children played on a swing in the Shati refugee camp on the edge of Gaza City, said Ayman Sahabani, head of the emergency room at nearby Shifa Hospital. Sahabani said nine of...

Aquino urges support as scandal threatens to hurt Philippine...

MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino called on the nation on Monday to support his reforms as...

15 execution victims found in Baghdad as Eid holiday begins

BAGHDAD: Iraqi police on Monday found the corpses of 15 people, including three women shot in the he...

Downing of flight MH17 ‘may amount to a war crime’: UN

KIEV, Ukraine: The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 “may amount to a war crime,” the UN said Monday, adding that fighting in east Ukraine has claimed over 1,100 lives with both government and rebel forces using heavy weaponry in built-up areas.UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemned the “horrendous shooting down” of the Malaysian passenger jet in rebel-held territory that killed all 298 people...

Hamas leader Meshaal demands end to occupation

WASHINGTON: The leader of Hamas is demanding anew that Israel end its occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.Khaled Meshaal said in an interview broadcast Monday that he believes the world hasn’t taken an even-handed view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.“Unfortunately the world doesn’t blame the Israelis,” said Meshaal, interviewed by CBS news anchor Charlie Rose from Cairo.Meshaal complained that Palestinians too frequ...

SAUDI ARABIA »

'Reject extremism, defeat terrorism’

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah congratulated Muslims on the successful completion of Ramadan on Sunday.On the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, the king said: “Eid brings joy to the hearts of Muslims after having engaged in worship during the month of Ramadan,” he said. “Allah will reward Mu...

One million likes … and counting

Arab News has now passed the one-million likes milestone on Facebook, thanks to the page's fans. What seemed to be an unrealistic target a year ago has turned out to be achievable after all, even without resorting to paid promos. The page was set up in 2009, but it wasn’t until 2013 that it became really active. From only 1...

July 28 is the first day of Eid Al-Fitr

The Supreme Court declared Sunday as the last day of the holy month of Ramadan 2014 and Monday, July 28, as the first day of Eid Al-Fitr.A statement by the Royal Court, carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), said that the highest court made the decision in a meeting at its headquarters in the city of Taif after having ver...

SRO sets new policies on safety and environmental protection

The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) has come up with new policies to achieve the benefits of rail transportation for the national economy as well as to provide a work environment that enables upgrading behavioral practices by contributing in increasing the productivity, reduce costs and raise the level of quality.The apex...

King Abdullah meets with Palestinian president

JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah received at his palace in Jeddah yesterday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.During the meeting, they discussed the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza Strip, as well as the sufferings of the Palestinian people as a result o...

Residents urged to avoid Grand Mosque for Eid prayers amid congestion

Civil Defense authorities issued an advisory via SMS to the Kingdom’s residents on Saturday urging them to avoid going to the Haram Masjid (Grand Mosque) in Makkah at this time and give way to Umrah pilgrims.With construction work still going on, Islam's holiest mosque was a scene of congestion on Saturday and Sunday with t...

Skyrocketing prices don’t deter pilgrims

Pilgrims from around the globe continue to flock to Makkah despite the extortionate prices of performing Umrah, which can reach SR50,000 a head.Yet many of these pilgrims, on low incomes, save up for years before being able to travel.Abu Mohammad Somali, a 60-year-old pilgrim, is one such example. Abu Mohammad was unable to...

Jubail firms to take part in festivities

Several major industrial and petrochemical companies will participate in supporting the Eid Al-Fitr celebrations at Jubail downtown and Jubail Industrial City, according to the celebrations Commission in Jubail mayoralty.The commission, composed of several authorities, is geared up for the Eid Al-Fitr events and celebration...

Zamzam water, prayer mats form bulk of souvenir items being bought by pilgrims

Pilgrims like to take souvenirs when they go back to their countries. Stores surrounding the Grand Mosque are filled with pilgrims who look for gifts even before they complete the rituals.The value of the gift is not of much consideration, the important thing is to take back something from the holy city of Makkah.A local v...

Truck driver washed away by floodwaters

A truck driver who attempted to cross a flooded river in the Al-Jouf valley in Qunfudah was washed away along with the truck, said Col. Saeed Sarhan, Makkah Civil Defense spokesman, in a statement.“The Al-Jouf valley was declared a no-go zone in a statement issued on Saturday since it had been flooded with water coming from...

Grand Mosque lightning photograph goes viral

The iconic photo of the flash of lightning over the Grand Mosque on Saturday evening created a new record of sorts on the Arab News Facebook page.The picture, taken at 7 p.m. by Arab News photographer Ahmad Hashad, was uploaded on the newspaper’s Facebook page at around 8 p.m., and within minutes it went viral. The title sa...

Workshops jack up tailoring charges by as much as 50% during Ramadan

The Consumer Protection Association (CPA) has noticed some variations in the prices of services provided by women’s workshops during Ramadan.“A rise of more than 50 percent was recorded at tailoring workshops for dresses,” Nasser Al-Toam, chief executive of CPA, stated.“The association has noticed some disparity as well in...

10,000 rounds of fireworks to illuminate EP skies during Eid

The Eastern Province will witness the largest fireworks show in the Kingdom to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, in which 10,000 rounds of fireworks will be launched.The Asharqia Chamber will launch seven new and different firework types to mark the beginning of the festivities, which will be held under the patronage of Eastern Provin...

» Eradicate hatred to gain spiritual...

» Riyadh residents looking forward to...

» Pakistani mission lowers flag in...

» 4-day Eid festival planned

» Zakat Al-Fitr: Beggars cook rice fraud

» Riyadh gets into festive mood

» Middle income families turn into...

» 3,118 Filipinos register for absentee...

» Customs winning battle against drugs...

» 900 freed from EP prisons

» Car rental firms gear up for high...

» Ethiopian maid hangs herself

MIDDLE EAST »

Life becomes a struggle in wilfully pulverized Gaza

GAZA CITY: Caught in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, Gaza’s civilians are...

‘Very dangerous’ turn in Tripoli conflict: 2nd fuel depot ablaze

TRIPOLI: Libya said a second fuel depot caught fire Monday in Tripoli, in a “ver...

Muslims mark Eid

DUBAI: Millions of Muslims across the world are celebrating the first day of the...

Baghdad police find 15 dead in bloody start to Eid

BAGHDAD: Iraqi police found 15 corpses on Monday, including three women shot in...

Abbas to head ‘joint team’ for Gaza cease-fire talks

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is to head...

WORLD »

Pilots of Air Algerie plane that crashed asked to ‘turn back’

PARIS: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday the pilots of an Air A...

India: ‘Recovery’ of bugging devices from minister’s home triggers row

NEW DELHI: India’s ruling BJP denied a report on Monday that bugging devices wer...

Muslims mark Eid

DUBAI: Millions of Muslims across the world are celebrating the first day of the...

US data sweep harms press, democratic rights: Study

WASHINGTON: Large-scale surveillance by the US government has begun to have an i...

Liberia president orders new anti-Ebola measures

MONROVIA: Liberia’s president has closed all but three land border crossings, re...

SPORTS »

Matthew, David retain squash titles

GLASGOW: Nick Matthew lead an English sweep in the men’s squash at the Commonwea...

Bell, Ballance put India on the ropes

SOUTHAMPTON: Ian Bell ended his century drought in style after Gary Ballance mad...

Mozo’s birdie putt clinches title for Spain

BALTIMORE: Spain swept four singles matches Sunday to capture the inaugural LPGA...

Clark rallies past Furyk to win Canadian Open

MONTREAL: Tim Clark rallied to win the Canadian Open on Sunday, birdieing five o...

Isner bags 2nd straight Atlanta crown

ATLANTA: Top-seeded John Isner overpowered Dudi Sela on Sunday to successfully d...

ECONOMY »

Investors dump higher oil bets as prices fall

LONDON: Hedge funds and other large speculators cut their bets on higher Brent crude oil and gasoil sharply in the week to July 22, IntercontinentalExchange Inc. said, fo...

Immigration: Germany sees an economic opportunity

BERLIN: An unemployed architect back in Barcelona, Jordi Colombi weighed his options and decided to start a new life. Armed with two suitcases and a Spanish-omelet recipe to feed his homesickness, he arrived two months ago in the land of opportunity.In the US, the immigration debate is toxic and paralyzed. Political parties...

Mobily signs LTE-4G roaming deal with Batelco

Mobily has signed an LTE-4G roaming deal with Batelco.It provides customers with advanced Internet services.This agreement coincides with Eid Al-Fitr vacation that allows Mobily’s customers to enjoy best Internet connections during their vacations in Bahrain through the Batelco network that characterized with reliable infra...

Apple’s $3bn Beats deal wins green light

BRUSSELS: The European Commission said Monday it has cleared Apple’s $3 billion (2.2 billion euros) acquisition of US headphone maker and music streaming business Beats.Brussels had been concerned the takeover of Beats Electronics by the technology giant could hurt competition as both make headphones.But the European Union’...

Samsung postpones launch of Tizen smartphone

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co. said it is delaying sales of its first Tizen-powered smartphone in the latest setback to the company’s ambition to create a mobile platform to rival Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS.The South Korean company had planned to start selling the phone, the Samsung Z, in Russia this quarter. But Samsu...

UK sets out shale rules with new oil, gas licensing round

LONDON: The British government took steps to speed up energy exploration including controversial hydraulic fracturing for shale gas with a new licensing round for companies looking for onshore oil and gas.Concerns about the potentially dangerous impact of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the search for shale gas has pr...

No-frills carrier lifts profit forecast as quality drive pays off

DUBLIN: Ryanair has raised its full-year profit forecast as a campaign to improve service quality pulled more customers away from its struggling rivals.Europe’s biggest no-frills airline has let travelers choose their seats, eased restrictions on hand luggage and cut penalty charges, giving them fewer reasons to book flight...

Virgin America files for IPO as US airlines recover

NEW YORK: Virgin America Inc, the low-cost airline partly owned by Richard Branson, filed for an initial public offering of shares as it looks to expand in the recovering US airline market.The company, known for mood lighting and wi-fi and comfortable leather seats even in economy class, offers flights to 22 cities in the U...

Regulators ‘visit offices of Microsoft in China’

BEIJING: Officials from China’s corporate regulator paid visits Monday to software giant Microsoft’s offices in four cities in the country, Dow Jones Newswires reported, citing people familiar with the matter.Microsoft offices visited by China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce were in Beijing, Shanghai, Guang...

Philippine Islamic bank eyes new life after years of struggle

MANILA: A peace plan, a lifting of foreign ownership limits and the drafting of new Islamic banking rules in the Philippines could help breathe new life into one of the world’s oldest Islamic finance institutions.Since 1974, Makati-based Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank has been the only lender in the country offering fina...

Manila authorizes more rice imports for emergency needs

MANILA: The Philippines’ state grains agency has been authorized to import an additional 500,000 tons of rice for emergency needs, President Benigno Aquino said, as the government struggles to bring down record-high prices of the national staple.“The NFA has a standby authority to import 500,000 metric tons in preparation f...

US firms wading deeper into overseas markets

SAN FRANCISCO: Major US companies are starting to reap their most rapid growth in fertile lands of opportunity far from home.Technology trendsetters Apple Inc., Google Inc., Facebook Inc. and Netflix Inc. all mined foreign countries to produce earnings or revenue that exceeded analysts’ projections in their latest quarters....

Nissan quarterly profit soars on strong China demand

TOKYO: Nissan said its latest quarterly net profit soared 37 percent to $1.1 billion, as strong demand in China and other key overseas markets offset weaker sales at home.China accounts for about one quarter of Nissan's revenue so demand fluctuations in the world's biggest car market affect the firm more than domestic rival...

OPINION »

Recruiting to kill: It is not just an Israeli war on Gaza

To some, US Secretary of State John Kerry may have appeared to be a genuine peac...

Linda S. Heard

Gaza’s pain prolonged by unrealistic goals

Civilians are being slaughtered while the world debates and apportions blame. Ho...

Susan V. Ople

What kind of future awaits the 100-millionth baby?

Her name is Chonalyn, a baby girl weighing 6.1 pounds, born at 12.35 a.m. at a p...

Julia Zappei

Malaysia Airlines crew reel after disasters

Jonathan Takom has been a Malaysia Airlines steward for 16 worry-free years, but...

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ART & CULTURE »

Al-Athr showcases abstract and geometry...

Jeddah’s Al-Athr Gallery is hosting the abstract and geometry inspired work of 40 local and international artists until Oct. 10.
The gallery opened its door in 2009 and has already displayed the work of some leading artists.
The theme of this exhibition is entitled “The Language of Human Consciousness,” and explores how artists over th...

Street art to serve society

Dana Eshki’s emotionally inspi...

Clash of two worlds: Calligraf...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

German scientist starts 4-week swim down...

FRANKFURT: A German chemistry professor started on Monday a gruelling four-week solo swim down the Rhine river for the benefit of science and the environment.
Self-confessed “mad professor” Andreas Fath, who set off on his 1,231-kilometer (764-mile) adventure with a splash into Switzerland’s Lake Toma, plans to swim through Germany and Fran...

Earth survived near-miss from...

Twitter’s new move threatens W...

UAE’s giant leap into space

FASHION »

Hermes names new womenswear designer

PARIS: French luxury powerhouse Hermes has named Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski as their new womenswear designer.
The low-profile, 36-year-old French designer will replace Christophe Lemaire, whose departure was announced earlier this week and who will take his final bow in October.
Though Vanhee-Cybulski is not a big name, she was previously...

Eid gift ideas for the loved o...

Mishael Al-Rajhi designs for s...

Saudi women look to mesotherap...

TRAVEL »

4-day Eid festival planned

The Jeddah Municipality, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) will organize an entertainment festival for four days during Eid Al-Fitr following the success of the Ramadan festival in old Jeddah, which attracted 800,000 visitors throughout the holy month, said Yasser Madda...

Balad takes on a festive mood...

Naxos island: A glimmer among...

Mobile zoo attracts Baha visit...

FOOD & HEALTH »

E-cigarette ban sought: Decades of education against smoking...

A prominent professor at King Saud University (KSU) has called for a ban on the sale of e-cigarettes, especially to those under the age of 18.Sultan Ayoub Meo, a professor at the KSU’s College of Medicine, told Arab News on Friday that e-cigarette smoking should be regulated in the same way as traditional cigarettes. “Retail outlets, including pharmacies, must not be allowed to sell it to children and adolescents,” he said.E-cigarettes, which generate a vapor containing nicotine as a tobacco substitute, were initially released as a device to help smokers quit, but Meo fears “the huge rise in users could normalize smoking, and undo decades of anti-smoking education and campaigning.”He...

Study: Sleeping habits affect ethics

Do you consider yourself an ethical person? Chances are you answered “yes.” But new research suggests that our ability to act honestly in a given situation depends, in part, on the time of day. A study forthcoming in the journal Psychological Science finds that early-risers, or “larks,” are more likely to act dishonestly in the late evening hours. Night owls, on the other hand, exhibit a tendency toward ethical lapses early in the morning.Most of us are hard-wired to go to sleep and wake up at certain times of day. Some of us go to bed early to wake up early, while others prefer to stay up late and wake up late. Many of us fall somewhere in between. Researchers refer to this preference for...

Inside Loulou’s Kitchen

Louloua Elazzah is an ambitious and enthusiastic Saudi chef who lives between Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Greece with 19 years of experience in the field of culinary arts.Elazzah created a cooking academy called Loulou’s Kitchen that offers special cooking classes as well as basics in kitchen management.The ability to recognize different cultures and traditions of people through cooking is what first attracted Elazzah to cooking. Even though, she has a passion for Asian cuisine, she considers herself as an international cook who gets creative with globally celebrated cuisine.Arab News met with Elazzah to talk about her cooking classes, her passion for food and future plans. You give cooking...

OFFBEAT »

Working in India was ‘a good experience’

MUMBAI: Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s experience of working in India was very good and he credits his Indian co-star Sona...

Rome opens theme park in tribute to world cinema

ROME: A new amusement park outside Rome celebrates the world of cinema, taking visitors back to the golden age of Italian film production when the Rome-based Cinecitta Studios — still in operation — were known as “Hollywood on the Tiber.”“Here, the idea is that people will also enter not only sets, but the confusion of a place where we are shooting movie. Everything will be illusion,” said Emmanuel Gout, president of Cinecitta Parks. “The visitor will become a protagonist of the day, becoming a star, becoming involved in some fake movie.” At a submarine set, visitors get into character by...

Pak-British singer faces death threats over Gaza support

LONDON: Zayn Malik probably wasn’t expecting the barrage of abuse he received from followers after he pledged his support for the #FreePalestine social media campaign, The Independent reported.The One Direction star was bombarded with death threats and messages of complaint after he “did a Rihanna” and tweeted the hashtag to his 13 million followers.And to start with, Malik might have assumed his protest post was a popular decision: The tweet garnered over 130,000 retweets and 138,000 favorites in a matter of moments.The emotionally charged conflict has seen over 1,000 Palestinians perish in...