Airplane crash in Pakistan kills all 152 people aboard

(Update) ISLAMABAD: All 152 passengers and crew on board an Airblue plane that crashed into the hills surrounding Pakistan's capital early Wednesday have been killed, officials said.

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Abdullah on peace mission

SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah arrived here Wednesday on the first leg of a four-nation tour — which will also take him to Syria, Lebanon and Jordan — aimed at strengthening Arab unity and reviving the Middle East peace process.

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Cameron says Pakistan must cut militant ties

BANGALORE: British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that Pakistan must not become a base for militants and "promote the export of terror" across the globe, saying their bilateral ties depended on that.

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Editorial: ‘A prison camp’

THE new British Premier David Cameron appears unafraid to speak his mind.  Visiting his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday, he described Gaza as “a prison camp” and urged the illegal Israeli blockade be lifted. Unlike his comments on Wednesday in New Delhi where he said Pakistan could not “face both ways on terrorism”, No. 10 Downing Street has not moved to play down his comments on the desperate plight of Gaza’s 1.3 million Palestinians.

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Local Press: Enlighten children against sexual abuse

WE often ask this question hoping we will be able to succeed in applying it. It should also be remembered that a 1,000-km journey starts with a single step.

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Japanese oil tanker 'attacked' in Gulf

DUBAI: A Japanese shipping line raised alarm Wednesday that one of its supertankers was damaged by an explosion in a possible attack in the Gulf, but authorities on both sides of the tense waterway denied that any strike occurred.

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US military investigates contractor work force

BAGHDAD: The US military said Wednesday it is clamping down on contracting firms on American military bases using employees whose home countries ban travel to Iraq, raising questions about why the contractors were allowed to work in the country for so long despite the ban.

German team in Riyadh to probe air crash

RIYADH: A group of German experts has arrived in Riyadh to investigate how a Lufthansa Cargo plane crashed leaving two pilots injured and over 80 tons of freight mangled in debris, said Michael Goentgens, spokesman for Lufthansa Cargo.

WikiLeaks: We don't know source of leaked data

LONDON: WikiLeaks' editor-in-chief claims his organization doesn't know who sent it some 91,000 secret US military documents, telling journalists that the website was set up to hide the source of its data from those who receive it.

Cancer rate in Fallujah worse than Hiroshima

The Iraqi city of Fallujah continues to suffer the ghastly consequences of a US military onslaught in late 2004.

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Doing Haj on Umrah visas is unacceptable: Al-Obaikan

JEDDAH: Overstaying one’s Umrah visa to perform Haj is not acceptable, said Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan, a renowned Saudi scholar and adviser to the Royal Court.

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Summer program attracts 500 boys and girls

RIYADH: Over 500 boys and girls are taking part in a summer program of firefighting, first aid, plumbing and other skills for boys, and decorating, etiquette and firefighting for girls.

Diamond jewelers pin hopes on Ramadan sales

JEDDAH: Diamond jewelers in Jeddah are eagerly waiting for Ramadan which is the traditional busy period for them.

Leaving kids in maids’ care: Better safe than sorry

JEDDAH: With many people in the Kingdom living fast-paced, modern lives and women holding down jobs, families are often obliged to leave their children with relatives and even maids. However, the question remains whether maids can be trusted?

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Rents force investors out of Makkah gold market

MAKKAH: A number of businessmen in Makkah’s gold market have stopped trading due to several factors that they say are affecting business, including the huge increases in rent.

25 killed as bus hits bomb in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan: A packed bus hit a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing 25 people aboard, as NATO announced another US death in a rapidly rising monthly death toll.

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Jeddah most friendly city for women entrepreneurs: Survey

JEDDAH: According to a report released on Tuesday, Jeddah is the most business-friendly city in the Kingom for women entrepreneurs.

Kingdom ready to expand Iraq ties‭: ‬Naif

JEDDAH‭: ‬Saudi Arabia is ready to cooperate with Iraq in all areas‭, ‬Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Minister Prince Naif said on Wednesday after holding talks with Iraqi Ambassador Ghanim Al-Jameeli‭.‬

British PM begins India trade drive

BANGALORE, India: British Prime Minister David Cameron wooed Indian business leaders Wednesday in a remarkable pitch aimed at revitalizing his nation’s economy with help from the burgeoning Asian power it once ruled. Cameron was leading a vast delegation of Cabinet ministers and business leaders, many of them dispatched across India in an unmistakable message that his new government wants India as a major partner.

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Cameron secures jet, nuclear deals with India

Spanish region says adios to bullfighting

BARCELONA, Spain: Lawmakers in Catalonia outlawed bullfighting Wednesday, becoming Spain's first mainland region to do so after a heated debate that pitted the rights of animals against preserving a pillar of traditional culture.

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More volunteers offer to treat ‘haunted’ man

MAKKAH: An Islamic scholar, a psychiatrist and a spiritual healer who uses the Qur’an to treat people possessed by jinns have come together to help Turki, a 29-year-old Saudi who has been chained on a bed for over six years after, according to his father, being possessed by a female jinn.

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Latest from
The Majalla
The Public Intelligence Chief
The Pakistani ISI is generally seen with a great degree of suspicion, particularly in the US. The current ISI head, in office since October 2008, is on a mission to renew ISI’s image in what is an effort to reposition his agency as a responsible stakeholder in Pakistan’s shaky democratization process.
In the Lead
Aid flows from Arab countries to the developing world are minimal, although for several decades there has been a major exception to this: Kuwait. A model which other Gulf States can draw on, the Kuwait Fund both expands economic political opportunities and influence for Kuwait through its development efforts while simultaneously improving welfare and capacity building of developing countries.
Clash of the Deficit Hogs
The resignation of White House budget director Peter Orszag is a telling sign of the fiscal tensions that grip Washington today. As much of Europe pursues budget-tightening agendas, the US has thus far resisted taking substantive steps to reduce its massive deficit--thanks, in large part, to the relative security of its currency and securities. Yet, while Europe recovers and as China gradually liberalizes, Washington's reluctance to rein in its debt may have serious, long-term consequences.
Challenging Dictators
The success of the ICC's June conference itself should not be assessed solely on the negotiations on whether to add the crime of aggression to the court's docket. The ICC members came into their own in Kampala as a community of states united to fight impunity. Debate planted the seeds for revitalizing discussion of cooperation, including when it comes to assisting the court in arrests. If the promise of Kampala to put a priority back on bringing to justice those responsible for the world’s worst crimes is realized, it will be a legacy well worth having.
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An Afghan boy carrying food for animals is seen entering his family's mudhouse in Samir Kalacha, a village in the volatile Arghandab Valley of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Wednesday. Local residents are getting caught in the conflict between Taleban fighters and the NATO-Afghan forces. (AP)

Internet crooks craft creative counterfeiting scam

SAN FRANCISCO: Think of it as one more reason not to write checks. Hackers believed to be operating out of Russia have figured out a high-tech way to carry out the decidedly low-tech crime of check fraud, a computer security company says — writing at least $9 million in fakes against more than 1,200 legitimate accounts.

2nd US student files suit alleging laptop spying

PHILADELPHIA: A second lawsuit has been filed against a suburban Philadelphia school district accused of spying on students through cameras in school-issued laptop computers.

The issue of breastfeeding

Islam champions the need for children to be breastfed, yet despite its support, breastfeeding rates in Saudi Arabia are not what they should be. In fact, according to a 2005 UNICEF report, Islamic states have the world’s highest child mortality rates.

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When sesame seeds attack

Gently put down that za’atar sandwich and back away from the keyboard. What do you think you’re doing?! All of you slurp tea and coffee near your computers. There’s also the occasional biscuit munching session or perhaps a shawarma snack. But za’atar, please no! Za’atar is unacceptable.

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