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Egypt won't leave Sinai to terrorists: El Sissi

El-ARISH, Sinai Peninsula: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi told his nation to prepare for a long fight to defeat Islamic extremists Saturday following a wave of attacks on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.El-Sissi made his televised address as military commanders announced plans to forge a unified command for all armed forces in Sinai.“We will not leave Sinai for the terrorists,” el-Sissi said.Extremists targeting Egyptian military positions killed 31 security force members in a sophisticated and multi-pronged set of attacks Thursday night.An Islamic State-linked group in Egypt claimed responsibility, but el-Sissi laid the blame on the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement he ousted from power in 2013.The Egyptian government has long said it is fighting a war on terror. But it has not been able to stem a daily stream of militant attacks despite more than a year of massi...

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...

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 geneti...

Give peace a chance, say Philippine and rebel negotiators

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Philippine government and Muslim rebel negotiators issued a joint plea Saturday for the country to stick to a historic peace accord that is now in peril after a deadly clash spurred calls for retribution against the guerrillas.Both sides told a press briefing in Kuala Lumpur that two days of talks in Malaysia on disarming the rebels had made progress, and they vowed not to waver in implementing an...

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 e...

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...

Wanted: Husbands for women planning overseas studies

An increasing number of Saudi female students are seeking husbands so that they can take up scholarships to study abroad, according to a report in a local publication recently.This is happening because students will soon embark on their studies abroad, marking the 10th year of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Foreign...

Labor row: Tough action on complaints

The Ministry of Labor has started penalyzing recruiting firms and offices for violations including overcharging and breaking contractual obligations, after several complaints were filed by citizens.Some of the complaints have been referred to other government agencies for further action, said Ziad Sayegh, undersecretary for...

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...

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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 »

Give peace a chance, say Philippine and rebel negotiators

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Philippine government and Muslim rebel negotiators issue...

Is he dead? Philippines awaits answer of costly terror raid

MANILA, Philippines: The cellphone message of the Filipino police commandos to t...

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...

SPORTS »

McIlroy up by four in Dubai

DUBAI: Rory McIlroy gave the field a sliver of hope as he unexpectedly struggled...

Hawks run streak to 18 games vs. Trail Blazers

ATLANTA: The seemingly unstoppable Atlanta Hawks stretched their team-record win...

Laird leads as Tiger shoots 82 and misses cut

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona: Rain wasn’t the only thing that put a damper on the Phoenix...

Report: Arum optimistic of Mayweather-Pacquiao deal

NEW YORK: Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum reportedly is optimistic a mega-fight...

Sturridge scores on comeback as Liverpool beat West Ham

LONDON: England striker Daniel Sturridge celebrated his return after a five-mont...

ECONOMY »

How the ECB learned to love quantitative easing 

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced an expanded quantitative easing (QE) program on January 22. Starting in March 2015, the ECB will buy, on a monthly basis, 60 bil...

Russia’s economy to shrink by 3% in 2015

MOSCOW: Russia’s economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev forecast GDP to fall by three percent in 2015 on the back of a collapse in oil prices and a massive capital flight.“We have issued a forecast for 2015 which uses the current prices, that is $50 dollars a barrel for the entire year,” Ulyukayev was quoted by Russian news agen...

Mexico cuts spending on oil shock

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s government has cut its 2015 budget by nearly 3 percent after a drop in global prices hurt public finances, and it is shelving a tainted $3.75 billion high-speed train tender as part of its austerity measures.Finance Minister Luis Videgaray said the cuts were intended to reassure global investors that M...

Russia’s Astrakhan region delegation visits SAIF Zone

A high-level trade and investment delegation from Astrakhan region of Russia visited Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF ZONE).The delegation led by Sergey N. Krzhanovskiy, deputy chairman of the government and minister of industry, transport and natural resources of Astrakhan region, met Saud Salim Al-Mazrouei,...

Global halal food market is worth $1.1 trillion

The international Halal food market, considered one of the fastest growing segments of the worldwide food industry and currently worth $1.1 trillion globally, occupies an integral part of Gulfood 2015 — the 20th anniversary of the food and hospitality trade show. In all, more than 1,000 international halal food brands and c...

Saudi Brothers: Ensuring sustainable water solutions

For Saudi Brothers Commercial Group and its CEO Sheikh Fahd Al-Nowaiser, water desalination and purification industry is not only an important business but also a vital service to the nation, supplying potable water to its growing population.The group has established three subsidiaries with operations across the Kingdom to...

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 Franc...

Gold posts biggest monthly gain in three years on haven demand

Gold futures rose Friday, capping the biggest monthly gain in three years, after US government data showed the economy expanded at a slower pace than forecast in the fourth quarter, reigniting demand for the metal as a haven.A widening trade gap limited expansion for gross domestic product as imports climbed three times fas...

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...

OPINION »

ADEL MURAD

Double safety standard

US President Obama asked in his penultimate State of the Union Speech for congre...

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...

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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 »

Chicago man smashes eating record

PHILADELPHIA: A man from Chicago devoured 444 chicken wings in 30 minutes at the 23rd annual Wing Bowl in Philadelphia,...

US first lady defends ‘American Sniper’

NEW YORK: First lady Michelle Obama urged Hollywood to give a more accurate portrayal of veterans and defended the Oscar-nominated “American Sniper,” which has received criticism for its depiction of war.Bradley Cooper, who is nominated for best actor for his portrayal of the late Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, joined Obama and media heavyweights in Washington, D.C., on Friday to launch “6 Certified” with representatives from Warner Bros., National Geographic Channels and the Producers Guild of America.The initiative will allow TV shows and films to display an onscreen badge that tells viewers...

New book lifts lid on court of Prince Charles

LONDON: A new biography of Britain’s Prince Charles reveals how his inner circle is riven with backstabbing and infighting, according to extracts published by The Times newspaper Saturday.Charles’s household has been nicknamed “Wolf Hall” after Hilary Mantel’s historical novel about the brutal, conniving court of Henry VIII in the 16th century, the biography says.It adds that the son of Queen Elizabeth II and future king surrounds himself with people who tell him what he wants to hear.“Charles: The Heart of a King” by Catherine Mayer is published in Britain on Thursday. Mayer has based the...