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KSA’s green card plan for expats welcomed

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s plan to issue permanent residence or “green cards” to foreign workers has been warmly welcomed by the expatriate community. In an interview with Bloomberg, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman disclosed plans for issuing such cards similar to the US green card system that allows hiring more foreign workers for a fee.The plan will abolish the existing sponsorship system for holders, who will be required to pay zakat and value-added taxes, if any, besides premiums on insurance, etc. They can own property and undertake commercial, industrial and related activities. “The plan is very welcome for those living here for over 40 years. I would also suggest that naturalization be given to those who have at least one child willing to serve in the armed forces in any capacity,” said Amir Qayyum, a business development executive from India. “This is actually in recognition...

Crown prince on Twitter

JEDDAH: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif has gone on Twitter to communicate with the Saudi nation. In...

Iran team to visit KSA for Haj discussion

TEHRAN: Iran plans to send a delegation to Saudi Arabia to discuss new arrangements for Haj, Iran’s...

Royal visit to boost Egypt ties

JEDDAH/CAIRO: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman will arrive in Cairo on Thursday on a historic visit that is expected to see the two countries cement political and economic ties, including firming up deals worth billions.The king will deliver a speech at the Egyptian Parliament during his first official visit to the country since he ascended to the throne in January 2015. On Wednesday, in preparation for his a...

Bitter truth: World losing battle against diabetes

GENEVA: The number of adults estimated to be living with diabetes has nearly quadrupled over 35 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday, urging huge efforts to change eating habits and exercise more.The UN’s health agency said the number of adults with the disease had surged to 422 million by 2014, compared to 108 million in 1980.The explosion in prevalence was because of worldwide changes “in the way pe...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Madinah governor launches SR400m educational projects

MADINAH: Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman launched Wednesday 41 education projects worth SR400 million.Minister of Education Ahmed Al-Issa and Minister of Commerce Tawfiq Al-Rabiah were among the attendees at the launch ceremony. The projects include school buildings and administrative faciliti...

KSA increases construction of housing units by 50%

RIYADH: In keeping with demand, there has been a 50 percent increase in the construction of housing units in the Kingdom, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) announced here Wednesday.According to a report released by the MCI real estate off-plan sales program, the total value of projects under this program reached m...

Al-Falih imposes SR79,000 in fines for various violations

RIYADH: Minister of Health Khalid Al-Falih has imposed fines totaling SR79,000 on a number of individuals and private medical facilities due to various violations in Taif.“The violations included poor storage of drugs, error in the circumcision of a baby boy at a private hospital, among others,” said Department of Health Af...

Decree issued to improve services of health care providers

RIYADH: The Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI) announced its plan to enhance the level of medical services provided to its beneficiaries.“The HCIC has issued a decree that requires all its accredited health care providers to comply with all requirements,” said CCHI Secretary-General Mohammed bin Suleiman Al-Huss...

Scholars discuss ways to counter hostile media

RIYADH: Leading Saudi scholars and thinkers discussed here this week the stereotype and negative image some international media projects about the Kingdom and ways to counter them.The meeting on the theme, “The role of scholars in the correct mental picture of the Kingdom and how to repel intellectual attacks that it faces,...

Parents say raising girls more expensive than boys

DAMMAM: Raising a child is expensive, but many believe that girls are more expensive than boys.With the change of social pattern in the Kingdom, Saudi household expenses have doubled in recent years, and too often, girls are considered to be one of the main reasons for this increase.Latifah Al-Maadi, a retired employee, sai...

Faisal Foundation receives Sultan Bin Owais Award

RIYADH: The King Faisal Foundation was awarded the Sultan Bin Owais Cultural Award for its cultural and scientific achievements for the year 2014/2015.The board of trustees of the Sultan bin Ali Al-Owais Cultural Foundation decided at its recent meeting to grant the award to the King Faisal Foundation for its cultural and s...

Indian community bids farewell to CG Mubarak

JEDDAH: Indian Consul General B.S. Mubarak, who left the Kingdom on Wednesday, said his posting in Jeddah was one of the most memorable of his diplomatic career.Mubarak, who many in the Indian community have described as down-to-earth, easily accessible, and with a consistent open door policy, said Jeddah was “close to my h...

Beat diabetes with proper food, says expert

RIYADH: Obesity is increasing in the Kingdom at an alarming rate and it will eventually lead to diabetes causing renal, cardiac, dental and eye diseases, said a senior official at a Riyadh-based company.Vikrant Shrotriya of Novo Nordisk was speaking to Arab News about this year’s WHO theme, “Beat Diabetes,” to mark the Worl...

NWC pours cold water on citizen’s SR2m bill claim

BURAIDAH: A citizen here has claimed that the National Water Company (NWC) sent him a bill of a whopping SR2 million even though he lives in an ordinary house and does not own any businesses.However, the NWC’s office in Qassim has denied sending Abdulrahman Suleiman Almiteq a bill of this amount, and claimed that it was mer...

Outrage as Al-Qarni attack suspects’ case dismissed

RIYADH: There has been a wave of criticism from Saudis and Filipinos at the decision by the Zamboanga prosecutor’s office to dismiss a criminal case against two men accused of involvement in the shooting of well-known Saudi preacher Sheikh Ayed Al-Qarni and a fellow citizen in the Philippines last month.According to a repor...

JCCI to train 500 youths in sports management

JEDDAH: Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCC) signed Tuesday an agreement to train 500 youth in sports management.Muhyiddin bin Yahya Hakami, deputy secretary general of the JCCI, signed the one-year agreement with Khamis bin Mohammed Al-Zahrani, head of the Khamis Al-Zahrani Star Union Sports Development Company.Ha...

More judges sought to clear case backlog

JEDDAH: The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has called on the Justice Ministry to increase the number of special courts and judges around the country to help tackle a backlog of cases in some areas.There was also a need to ensure more judges that could deal with cases involving women, said Bandar Al-Aiban, president of the HR...

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MIDDLE EAST »

‘Labor pains’ described at UAE meeting with workers

ABU DHABI: Laborers gathered Wednesday for an event aimed at showcasing how the...

Zionist MP blasted at home for anti-Arab drivel

JERUSALEM: A far-right Israeli lawmaker sparked anger Wednesday after he said he...

Qatar royal freed by Iraq kidnappers

DOHA: A member of the Qatari royal family and a Pakistani have been released by...

Al-Manar taken off Nilesat over sectarian antics

BEIRUT: A leading Arab satellite operator cut transmission of Hezbollah’s televi...

Iranian man who killed dog sentenced to 74 lashes

TEHRAN: An Iranian man has been sentenced to 74 lashes for killing a dog, the ju...

WORLD »

EU proposes reforms to asylum rules

BRUSSELS: European Union launched a drive Wednesday to overhaul the EU's asylum...

Karadzic is‘like a caged tiger’

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: Radovan Karadzic has asked a United Nations judge to rel...

Let Karabakh determine its own future: Armenian leader

BERLIN: The global community must recognize the right of the disputed Nagorny Ka...

Another MQM lawmaker joins Kamal’s party

KARACHI: Former Karachi mayor and leader of Pak Sarzameen Party, Mustafa Kamal,...

S. Africa to hold local polls on Aug. 3

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa will hold local government elections on Aug. 3 this y...

SPORTS »

Day, Spieth, McIlroy pace lineup for Masters showdown

AUGUSTA, Georgia: Top-ranked Jason Day, defending champion Jordan Spieth, career...

Pacquiao, Roach fondly recall 15 years at the Wild Card

LOS ANGELES: Manny Pacquiao was all kinds of hungry when he first walked into th...

‘No Trump’ undercard packs punch for Hispanics

LOS ANGELES: They say politics and sport should never mix — but don’t try tellin...

Al Murjana bowlers excel in Sarawat Superstores Cup

JEDDAH: Not too long ago Al Murjana had a legitimate shot at the title until it...

Swiss police raids UEFA HQ over contracts

GENEVA: Swiss police on Wednesday searched UEFA headquarters as part of a “crimi...

ECONOMY »

Petrochemicals lift Saudi shares

JEDDAH: Egypt’s stock market tumbled on Wednesday as local investors booked profits made after the March 14 devaluation of the currency. Gulf markets were little changed...

Oil prices jump 4% after surprise US crude stocks draw

NEW YORK: Oil prices surged by 4 percent or more on Wednesday after the US government reported a surprise draw in domestic crude stockpiles last week, versus market expectations for a new record high.The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude stocks unexpectedly fell by 4.9 million barrels in the last week as...

US sues to block Halliburton-Baker Hughes merger

NEW YORK: US antitrust officials has filed suit to block Halliburton's proposed $34.6 billion takeover of rival Baker Hughes that would create a global oil services giant. The Justice Department said the proposed merger, agreed in response to plunging oil prices, would eliminate competition, raise prices and reduce innovati...

Alwaleed briefed on Burundi investment opportunities

RIYADH: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), received at his office in Riyadh, Issa Ntambuka, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Burundi to Saudi Arabia. Hassna Alturki, executive manager for international relations to the chairman, Fahad bin Nafel, senior executive assistant to...

Qatar National Bank reports 7.1% rise in Q1 net profit

DOHA: Qatar National Bank has reported a 7.1 percent rise in first-quarter net profit, beating analysts’ forecasts as the largest bank in the Gulf region continued growing strongly despite the impact of lower oil prices.The bank, half owned by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, said net profit was 2.9 billion riyals ($796.5 mil...

Anbang resumes overseas push

SEOUL/FRANKFURT: Anbang Insurance Group has agreed to buy German insurer Allianz's South Korean businesses for more than $3 million, the Chinese company said, extending a push that has so far seen it spend billions of dollars on overseas assets.Anbang has been one of the biggest corporate buyers from China in the last few y...

Nokia moves to slash workers following Alcatel-Lucent merger

HELSINKI: Finnish telecom equipment giant Nokia said it was opening talks with staff representatives in some 30 countries about cutting jobs to save money following its merger with Alcatel-Lucent.Some 1,300 jobs are to go in Finland, 20 percent of its workforce there, but Nokia gave no figures for the rest of the world.“The...

Allergan, Pfizer call off proposed $160bn merger

NEW YORK: The biggest US-based drugmaker, Pfizer Inc., will stay put thanks to aggressive new Treasury Department rules that succeeded in blocking Pfizer from acquiring rival Allergan and moving to Ireland — on paper — to reduce its tax bill.As analysts and investors had expected, the two companies called off the record $16...

Tata Motors to resize diesel engines to skirt New Delhi ban

MUMBAI: India’s Tata Motors is reducing the size of its diesel engines to skirt a temporary ban on the sale of large diesel-powered cars in New Delhi as the government seeks to reduce toxic smog in the capital city.The New Delhi ban on the sale of cars with diesel engine capacity higher than 2 liters was imposed in December...

The not-so-slow-motion steel trade war

LONDON: As a symbol of the year thus far and a taste of things to come you could not do much better than China’s imposition of tariffs on European and some Asian steel.China announced last week that new “anti-dumping” tariffs ranging from 14 to 46 percent would apply to steel producers from the European Union, Japan and Sou...

OPINION »

Abdulateef Al-Mulhim

Unethical reporting of KSA

Do you really need to conceal a camera and move around taking photos in a countr...

Rebeca Grynspan

Inequality erodes social cohesion

In the quarter-century since the publication in 1990 of the first Human Developm...

Sabria S. Jawhar

A case of ill-informed opinion

On a rare occasion I will run personal emails I received from readers of my colu...

Rajeev Sharma

Exploring new horizons

Saudi Arabia figures on top of India’s diplomatic and strategic agenda in the Mu...

Muhammad Waqas

In search of lasting peace

The bilateral relations between India and Pakistan are again grabbing top headli...

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ART & CULTURE »

Ahmed Mater’s first US solo exhibition o...

The first US solo exhibition of the renowned Saudi artist, Ahmed Mater, has opened this week at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. The ‘Symbolic Cities’ exhibition, presented in collaboration with Culturunners in partnership with Art Jameel, will be on display at the Arthur M Sackler Gallery until Sept. 18.
The exhibition explores...

Princess Hayfa unveils first s...

Faisal Alkheriji: Beautifying...

Saudi-Indian heritage captivat...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

WhatsApp toughens encryption after Apple...

WASHINGTON: The popular messaging service WhatsApp said it had implemented “full end-to-end encryption,” a move which steps up privacy but may lead to conflicts with law enforcement agencies.
The Facebook-owned mobile application with one billion users worldwide made the announcement following weeks of intense debate over efforts by US auth...

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FASHION »

Capes: The new abaya revolution

A cape is a sleeveless outer garment, which drapes the wearer’s back, arms and chest, and fastens at the neck. It has become one of the most sought after cover-ups on fashion catwalks and makes for great street styles.
Capes have quickly become a favorite clothing item and an in-demand fashion piece for it is chic, majestic and can do wond...

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Masaya Kushino: New king of av...

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TRAVEL »

South Africa: Land of diversity

From vast plains to rolling mountains and golden beaches to barren deserts, South Africa is a vast country of huge diversity. And its bustling cities are just as varied as its landscapes — from the likes of hustling Johannesburg to the cosmopolitan Cape Town.

Majestic Cape Town:
Cape Town is the second largest city in South Afric...

Boston: Athens of America

Restoration work on ancient vi...

Quintessential Quebec

FOOD & HEALTH »

Bitter truth: World losing battle against diabetes

GENEVA: The number of adults estimated to be living with diabetes has nearly quadrupled over 35 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday, urging huge efforts to change eating habits and exercise more.The UN’s health agency said the number of adults with the disease had surged to 422 million by 2014, compared to 108 million in 1980.The explosion in prevalence was because of worldwide changes “in the way people eat, move and live,” WHO said, in its first-ever global report on the disease.An estimated 8.5 percent of the world’s adults now have diabetes, compared to 4.7 percent in 1980.The disease directly caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012 — the latest available global figures...

Beat diabetes with proper food, says expert

RIYADH: Obesity is increasing in the Kingdom at an alarming rate and it will eventually lead to diabetes causing renal, cardiac, dental and eye diseases, said a senior official at a Riyadh-based company.Vikrant Shrotriya of Novo Nordisk was speaking to Arab News about this year’s WHO theme, “Beat Diabetes,” to mark the World Health Day on Thursday.“The theme is a timely choice, since there are 350 million diabetics in the world and this is expected to be doubled by 2040, and the world spends some $673 billion to treat and prevent the disease,” he said, pointing out that the deaths cause by diabetes is much more than any other disease in the world.Nearly 1.5 million people die of diabetes...

Number of adults with diabetes has quadrupled since 1980: WH...

GENEVA: The number of adults estimated to be living with diabetes has nearly quadrupled over 35 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, urging huge efforts to change eating habits and increase physical activity.“Globally, an estimated 422 million adults were living with diabetes in 2014, compared to 108 million in 1980,” the UN health agency said in its first-ever report on the disease, warning that the condition had spread because of worldwide changes “in the way people eat, move and live.”The disease directly caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012 — the latest available global figures — but elevated blood glucose levels linked to diabetes were responsible for an additional 2.2...

OFFBEAT »

Hugs, tears, respect as ‘American Idol’ looks back

LOS ANGELES: “American Idol,” the TV show that searched for a pop star and itself became the biggest force in US televis...

Beyonce says she’s not ‘anti-police’

NEW YORK: Pop superstar Beyonce has rejected criticism that her new activism is “anti-police,” saying she is tired of being assigned labels.Beyonce caused a stir in February with her new song “Formation,” whose video was heavy in imagery from the Black Lives Matter protest movement including a scene in which police raise their hands up as if under arrest.“I’m an artist, and I think the most powerful art is usually misunderstood. But anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken,” she said in an interview with Elle magazine that came out Tuesday.“I have so much...

Lupita still basking in glow of Oscar win

LOS ANGELES: Lupita Nyong’o’s career has moved well along since her Academy Award two years ago, yet she’s still basking in the glow of her Oscar win.“I never expected to win in the first place, so I didn’t have any expectations as to what life would look like after that, but I’m happy. I’m a really happy person. I love my life,” said Nyong’o at the world premiere of “The Jungle Book” this week in Los Angeles.Nyong’o, who won best supporting actress in 2014 for “12 Years a Slave,” currently stars in Broadway’s “Eclipsed” and is back on set for “Star Wars: Episode VIII.”“I sleep whenever I can...