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PLO offers truce as at least 100 killed in Gaza

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: A senior PLO official proposed a 24-hour humanitarian cease-fire Tuesday in the Gaza war, saying he spoke in the name of Hamas, but was contradicted a short while later by a spokesman of the Islamist movement.In Gaza, a health official said at least 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes and tank shelling Tuesday, as Israel escalated its military campaign. The official, Ashraf Al-Kidra, said the day’s death toll was expected to rise.There have been several instances in which the daily Gaza death toll in more than three weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting has surpassed 100.Israel has lost 53 soldiers, along with two civilians and a Thai national.Tuesday’s cease-fire offer was made by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), of which Hamas is not a member. The largest group in the PLO is the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas’ mai...

New judicial service provides guidelines on buying property

Justice Minister Mohammad Al-Issa, who is also the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, will so...

Heading to Madinah for prayer, 7 lose lives in road horror

Eight people were killed and 17 injured in two separate road accidents in the Madinah region on the...

Israel escalates attacks in Gaza; 26 killed in airstrikes, s...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: Israel escalated its military campaign against Hamas on Tuesday, striking symbols of the group’s control in Gaza and firing tank shells that shut down the strip’s only power plant in the heaviest bombardment in the fighting so far.Flares turned the sky over Gaza City orange overnight and by daybreak, as the conflict entered its fourth week, heavy clouds of dust hovered over the territory. A thick co...

Eid call: Help crisis-hit fellow Muslims

Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, performed Eid Al-Fitr prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah in the presence of a massive congregation.He was joined by Prince Bandar bin Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Education Minister Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, Prince Khaled bin Fahd bin Khalid and Deputy Crown Prince Muqrin.Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah was congratulated...

SAUDI ARABIA »

5,950 illegals arrested in EP during Ramadan

The Eastern Province police arrested 5,950 illegal expats in cities across the region during Ramadan.Col. Ziad Al-Ruqaiti, Eastern Province media spokesman, said policemen referred violators to deportation centers affiliated with the province’s prisons. Al-Ruqaiti said that multiple security raids w...

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...

Huge Jeddah fire doused

Civil Defense forces doused a huge fire that broke out in a paper factory in south Jeddah on Monday.Several fire-fighting and rescue teams combated the blaze with the help of helicopters, which guided ground teams.Nearby warehouses filled with grass for animal feed, coupled with high temperatures and strong winds, added to...

Fireworks vendors take to Twitter to promote product

Firework vendors have taken to social media outlets, such as Twitter, to promote their products despite warnings issued by the Civil Defense and the Ministry of Commerce.These vendors also sell on sidewalks alongside commercial complexes and markets, a familiar scene just before Eid every year, despite extensive security ca...

Saudi stamps society to honor editors in chief of GCC papers

The Saudi Philatelic and Numismatic Society (SPNS) will mark its 50th anniversary at the King Fahd Cultural Center (KFCC) by honoring the editors in chief of leading dailies in English and Arabic in the Kingdom and other GCC countries.“The event, which will be held at the King Fahd Cultural Center, will be held in conjuncti...

Volunteers spread joy among orphans

More than 100 volunteers spent the last day of Ramadan and first day of Eid spreading joy and happiness among less fortunate children in Jeddah’s different neighborhoods.The volunteers distributed kiswa (Eid clothing), candy and Eideyya as gifts given in Eid Al-Fitr. “We feel like it is our responsibility as volunteers to c...

Low-income bachelors feel the pinch after Ramadan

Thousands of low-income bachelor expats mourn the end of Ramadan every year since these workers, living in Jeddah and other cities, are fully dependent on community meals offered by mosques for breaking their fast.Expats often take leftover boxes to have before dawn, thus saving up on food expenses for the entire month.Phil...

Barbers hike prices during Eid

More than 3,500 barbers in Jeddah raised their prices during Eid Al-Fitr. Prices, which have doubled, depend on the nationality of the barber — Turkish, Moroccan, Asians and Tunisians. Many barbers and men’s salons hire freelance and part-time barbers to serve as many clients as possible. “The only way for anyone to shave b...

GOSI subscribers increase by 30% in 2013

The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) recorded a 30-percent increase in the number of subscribers in 2013.Most of the 9.1 million members come from the private sector, according to an annual GOSI statistical report.More than 295,000 people receive pensions worth an estimated SR1.1 billion per month, suggestin...

Beauty parlors in capital did brisk business

Beauty parlors and salons in the capital did brisk business as customers made last minute appointments to look their best on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. Many beauty salons do brisk business during this time of the year as women aiming to celebrate Eid in style rush to the parlors to get a complete cosmetic makeover.Beautic...

Erring engineers face prosecution

The Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) has signed a deal with the Ministry of Interior and the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution to pursue foreign engineers who violated local laws and left the Kingdom.SCE Secretary-General Ghazi Al-Abbasi pointed out that the council is communicating with companies that employed...

Rights bodies in govt agencies demanded

Senior authorities are pushing for a quicker establishment of independent human rights departments within government bodies.Once opened, these departments will be equipped to address inquiries and complaints from citizens and residents and advise them on their legal rights.A source at the Human Rights Commission (HRC) said...

'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 Muslims who have abstained...

» July 28 is the first day of Eid Al-...

» SRO sets new policies on safety and...

» King Abdullah meets with Palestinian...

» Residents urged to avoid Grand Mosque...

» Skyrocketing prices don’t deter...

» Jubail firms to take part in...

» Zamzam water, prayer mats form bulk...

» Truck driver washed away by...

» Grand Mosque lightning photograph...

» Workshops jack up tailoring charges...

» 10,000 rounds of fireworks to...

» Eradicate hatred to gain spiritual...

MIDDLE EAST »

Israel escalates attacks in Gaza; 26 killed in airstrikes, shellin...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: Israel escalated its military campaign against Hamas on T...

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...

WORLD »

Millions fled homes in 2013 due to religious beliefs: US

WASHINGTON: Conflicts and repression around the world in 2013 triggered the larg...

US data sweep harms press, democratic rights: Study

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

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...

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 »

Suzuki recalls nearly 26,000 cars for fire risk

DETROIT: Suzuki is recalling nearly 26,000 midsize cars in the US because the daytime running light modules can overheat and could cause a fire.The recall covers the Vero...

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, following a big fall in prices.The ICE said money managers reduced their net long futures and options positions in Brent by 34,786 contracts to 117,195, and...

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....

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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Video shows smiling American bomber in Syria

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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...