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Gaza violence spills over to West Bank; death toll nears 800

RAMALLAH, West Bank/CAIRO: Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Palestinian protesters and wounded about 100 on Thursday in confrontations with several thousand people demonstrating in the occupied West Bank against a 17-day-old Israeli offensive in Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said.The Israeli military confirmed troops had used “riot dispersal means” against protesters who threw rocks and firebombs at them and blocked a road with burning tires.The protest erupted after allies of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement marched from the West Bank city of Ramallah to the edges of Jerusalem in protest against Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza where the Palestinian death toll has topped 760.A doctor at Ramallah hospital said three people died of bullet injuries, including a man in his 20s who was injured in the head, while at least 100 other people were treat...

Wreckage of Air Algerie plane carrying 116 people found in M...

ALGIERS/BAMAKO: Authorities said on Thursday they located the wreckage of an Air Algerie flight afte...

Last-minute travel bookings cause chaos

Last-minute bookings are causing chaos at some of the country's airports, train and bus stations as...

Belt glitch strands hundreds at Riyadh airport

Hundreds of outbound Saudia passengers were left stranded at King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) for several hours on Thursday because of a faulty conveyor belt. Several passengers, who called Arab News from KKIA, claimed one of the belts at the departure terminal had broken down, causing flight delays and discomfort.The malfunction, which affected only Saudia international flights, created a chaotic scene at the che...

Human development boost: KSA ranked 34th

Saudi Arabia ranked 34th in the Human Development Index (HDI) of 2014 out of a total of 187 countries and territories.Saudi Arabia’s HDI value increased from 0.583 to 0.836, an increase of 43.3 percent, or an average annual increase of about 1.10 percent, between 1980 and 2013.The current figure is considered very high within the global indicator.According to the 2014 Human Development Report released by the United Nation...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Governor orders safety measures following Grand Mosque fire

Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah has urged the Civil Defense, as well as the contracting company responsible for the Grand Mosque expansion project, to adopt safety measures to prevent any possible fire during ongoing construction works after a fire gutted wooden scaffoldings on the northern...

Nitaqat woes dampen Eid for some expats

While many expatriates are preparing to celebrate Eid by shopping, traveling domestically or to their home countries, others are not so lucky because they have not been able to renew their residence permits and had their bank accounts frozen.This has been the result of some companies failing to comply with the rules of the...

Traffic rerouting irks Riyadh residents

Riyadh’s residents have expressed dismay over many traffic rerouting moves as a result of various road projects currently being implemented by the government.“We appreciate the fact that the public will ultimately benefit from these initiatives, but rerouting traffic without making motorists aware causes problems,” said one...

18 percent of Saudi students are smokers

Some 13 percent of Saudi male students and 5 percent of female students are smokers, said an expert citing data released by the World Health Organization (WHO).“The Kingdom loses SR5 billion annually as a result of the negative effects of smoking and thanks to the fact that the price of cigarettes in the Kingdom is the lowe...

Hospital waives medical bill for Sudan refugee

A hospital in Riyadh has allowed its doctors to remove a large-sized malignant tumor from a critically ill Sudanese refugee free of charge.The tumor, almost 15 centimeters big, had obstructed the patient’s colon, posing a threat to the 60-year-old man’s life.The hospital waived the entire medical bill, worth SR20,000, which...

Fireworks sold in Asir despite ban

Some traders are still selling banned fireworks at markets in Asir despite warnings by the Civil Defense of the dangers of these products.Arab News has discovered that some people are selling these products to children at shops and shopping centers here, in an attempt to exploit the upcoming Eid Al-Fitr celebrations.Saeed A...

Indian expat worker reunites with family

The ordeal of Mohammed Abdulaziz, an Indian expatriate who was threatened with separation from his family after languishing at a deportation center for months, came to an end after his story was published in Arab News, prompting several Indian officials to intervene and get the family a final-exit visa.Mohammed’s wife and s...

Asir promised adequate water in 10 days

The Asir governorate has promised to resolve the water shortage in the region in 10 days.The governorate is working with the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) to ensure there are adequate supplies to consumers in Abha, said Saad bin Abdullah Al-Thabet, spokesperson of the governorate.“Under the directions of Prince...

Henna business gets an Eid boost

Eid is not only a time for happy celebrations, but also the chance for enterprising women to boost their henna businesses.These enterprises have evolved to such an extent that various designs are on offer including Khaleeji, Arabic, Indian and traditional ones.Women have already starting making appointments at beauty salons...

Jazan’s Ramadan road toll 21

At least 21 people died and 123 were injured in 1,463 traffic accidents in Jazan during Ramadan, a report carried by the Saudi Press Agency said.Col. Ahmed Qassadi, assistant director of traffic in Jazan, said his officers had recorded more than 14,000 traffic violations in the region during the month.“We have arrested 67 p...

Peruvian envoy lauds excellent ties with KSA

Peruvian Ambassador to the Kingdom Eduardo Martinetti highlighted on Wednesday night the excellent friendly bilateral diplomatic relations between his country and Saudi Arabia.“Peru and Saudi Arabia share many common stances on regional and global affairs,” the Peruvian envoy said during the iftar he hosted for 60 members o...

PIF to set up new companies

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) aims to establish companies in areas including housing, petrochemicals and technology as it expands its investments locally and overseas, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said.His statement, quoted by Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, was a fresh sign th...

Envoy: 21m Chinese Muslims fast in Ramadan

An estimated 21 million Chinese Muslims fast during the holy month of Ramadan and are allowed under the country's constitution to freely practice other Islamic rituals, according to the Chinese ambassador to Saudi Arabia.Li Chengwen told Arab News here recently that these Muslims are from 10 ethnic minorities in the country...

» Choppers reduce Makkah traffic...

» All roads lead to Makkah ahead of Eid

» Crime rate up 102%

» DQ’s shaded area a welcome haven for...

» Riyadh readies up Eid preparations

» Jeddah public gardens ‘lack basic...

» Al-Athr showcases abstract and...

» 19 arrested in Riyadh for crimes...

» Dammam market to be relocated

» King discusses Gaza violence with...

» KSA flays Israeli savagery in Gaza...

» Crown Prince: We consider Pakistan...

MIDDLE EAST »

IS militants destroy ancient mosque in Mosul

BAGHDAD: Islamic extremist militants blew up a revered Muslim shrine traditional...

‘Almost impossible for Gazans to shelter from Israeli strikes’

JERUSALEM: Britain is “gravely concerned” by the high number of civilian casualt...

IS ordering female genital mutilation?

GENEVA: The United Nations, expressing deep concern, said on Thursday that milit...

Strategic tunnels used by Hamas spook Israelis

NIR AM, Israel: With deadly fighting raging next door in the Gaza Strip, souther...

Twin car blasts welcome new Iraq president; 21 killed

BAGHDAD: Iraqi officials say a double car bombing in central Baghdad has killed...

WORLD »

CIA ran secret jail in a Polish forest, says European court

WARSAW: The CIA ran a secret jail on Polish soil, the European Court of Human Ri...

Health, agriculture ‘key to Africa’s development’

ADDIS ABABA: Health and agriculture development are key if African countries are...

Taiwan launches probe into plane crash that killed 51

TAIPEI: Taiwan authorities launched an investigation on Thursday into the crash...

Philippines deports Australian preacher

MANILA: Philippine authorities said Thursday they deported an Australian preache...

Pope meets Sudanese woman sentenced to death

ROME: Pope Francis met privately Thursday with a Sudanese woman who refused to r...

SPORTS »

Commonwealth Games: England grabs triathlon double, Farah out

GLASGOW: England swept the opening Commonwealth Games triathlon golds on Thursda...

Peerless Nibali all but seals Tour with stage win

HAUTACAM, France: Vincenzo Nibali proved once again he has no serious rivals in...

Silky Jayawardene puts Sri Lanka on top

COLOMBO: Former captain Mahela Jayawardene hit a classy unbeaten century to help...

Engbord wins Ramadan golf tournament at Dirab

From Stableford to match play to team and individual competitions, night golf on...

Colon clobbers Seattle in New York’s 3-2 victory

SEATTLE: Bartolo Colon came within seven outs of a perfect game, giving up a sin...

ECONOMY »

KSA accelerates reform push with market opening

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s decision to open its stock market to foreign investors is part of an accelerating series of economic reforms that may culminate in the most far-rea...

Twitter admits to diversity problem in workforce

SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter has acknowledged that it has been hiring too many white and Asian men to fill high-paying technology jobs, just like several other major companies in Silicon Valley.The lack of diversity in Twitter’s workforce of roughly 3,000 people was spelled out in data released by the San Francisco company behind...

GM Q2 profit falls 85% on recall costs

DETROIT: Recall costs chopped $1.5 billion from General Motors’ bottom line in the second quarter, cutting its net income by 85 percent.The automaker, which is in the midst of the worst recall crisis in its history, posted a net profit of $190 million, or 11 cents per share. A year ago GM made $1.26 billion, or 75 cents per...

Egypt’s steel industry files anti-dumping claim against imports

NEW YORK: Egypt’s steel companies have filed a petition against rebar and wire rod imports from China, Turkey and Ukraine, one of its top steelmakers said, the latest move in a years-long quest to protect the fledging industry from low-priced imports.Egyptian Steel and other major steelmakers have submitted a request for th...

Gold hits one-month low as strong data lift stocks, dollar

LONDON: Gold dropped to its lowest level in a month, extending an earlier fall to below $1,300 an ounce as robust economic data from the US, China and the euro zone deterred investors from buying into safe-haven assets.Spot gold fell as much as 1 percent to its lowest since June 19 at $1,290.40 an ounce and was down 0.8 per...

IMF lowers 2014 global growth forecast

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund has warned that geopolitical risks in Ukraine and the Middle East are looming over a global economy already hit by slowdowns in the US and China.After “negative surprises” from the US and China, the global economy is now expected to grow only 3.4 percent this year, the IMF said, l...

Ford Q2 profit up 6% to $1.3 billion

DEARBORN, Michigan: Ford Motor Co.'s second quarter net income rose 6 percent to $1.3 billion as the company saw record profits in North America and made money in Europe for the first time in three years.The profit, of 32 cents per share, was up from 30 cents per share in the April-June period a year ago.Excluding separatio...

PIF to set up new companies

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) aims to establish companies in areas including housing, petrochemicals and technology as it expands its investments locally and overseas, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said.His statement, quoted by Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, was a fresh sign th...

SR1bn Eid boost: SAMA injects new currencies

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) has pumped new Saudi Riyal currencies worth SR1 billion to meet growing demand on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, when the Saudi central bank usually issues new currencies in different denominations.“The newly issued currencies are currently available at SAMA’s branch offices across the...

Saudi fertilizer industry set for diversification era

The Saudi fertilizer industry leads regional production and is set to usher in a period of strong growth and diversification, according to Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, secretary general of the Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association (GPCA). “Fertilizer production from the Kingdom accounts for 40 percent of total capacity i...

Dow plans to raise $6bn from non-core asset sales

NEW YORK: Dow Chemical Co. reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit as sales rose and margins improved due to higher prices and a tight control on costs.The company said margins improved in four of its six units, aided in part by lower costs for ethane, used in making ethylene and plastics.Dow, which makes everythin...

Women business owners face gender gap, report says

NEW YORK: Women who own small business are still far behind their male counterparts when it comes to getting loans and government contracts, a congressional report said Wednesday.The report by Democratic staffers of the Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee found that while businesses owned by women account...

Ultra high definition TVs boost LG Display profit

SEOUL: LG Display Co. said profit for the April-June quarter more than doubled as a stronger won reduced the value of its foreign debt and the World Cup boosted demand for ultra-high-definition TVs.The South Korean display panel maker said its net income reached 256 billion won ($250 million), compared with 105 billion won...

OPINION »

Bikram Vohra

A Muslim forced to break his fast

AT least 11 members of Parliament belonging to the right-wing Shiv Sena allegedl...

Nadeem Qureshi

Listen to the screams of hapless Palestinians, please

People are perplexed. They ask why do you only blame Israel? What about the Pale...

Aijaz Zaka Syed

What’s with Modi’s silence?

Silence is the virtue of fools, counseled Sir Francis Bacon. Throughout the long...

Khalid Abdulla-Janahi

Mideast elite’s indifference

A few weeks ago, the US Supreme Court, the highest federal court in the United S...

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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 »

Twitter’s new move threatens WhatsApp do...

SAUDIS are taking on Twitter and booming on Facebook; these are the usual news we hear about Saudis committing to social media websites, but we tend to overlook the simplest of them all, WhatsApp.
It is definitely booming, which explains Facebook's $19 billion deal to take it over. The number of messages and photos shared on the platform is...

UAE’s giant leap into space

Arab News ranked most influent...

Androids take us closer to ‘Bl...

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 »

Balad takes on a festive mood in Ramadan

Ramadan in most cities of the Kingdom brings with it a festive mood and Jeddah is no exception. The entire city comes alive after the Taraweeh prayer, a downside of which are jam-packed roads.
Downtown Balad, which was recently declared a historical heritage by the UNESCO has a unique charm in Ramadan. Glittering lights, especially put up d...

Naxos island: A glimmer among...

Mobile zoo attracts Baha visit...

A land of festivities and rich...

FOOD & HEALTH »

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...

What is the point of fasting? (Part 4)

Last week, I discussed the latest scientific research on fasting and its effects on the body, brain, and health in general. Fasting was found to have multiple benefits such as promoting fat loss; detoxifying the organs and systems; eliminating toxins; causing the body to heal itself; repairing damaged cells and organs; generating new white blood cells; balancing hormones; producing Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and an anti-aging hormone; relieving and energizing the digestive system; boosting the immune system; enhancing insulin sensitivity; reducing blood sugar count; breaking up plaque build-up in the arteries; enhancing the memory and mental activity; intensifying spirituality; and...

OFFBEAT »

China’s ageing millions look forward to bleak future

As she nears retirement along with millions of other Chinese, He Xiangying is too busy sending her son money and raising...

The color of confidence

What is this thing women have with color and why do men have to be dispatched on these hazardous missions to match the blouse to the sari or the used up favorite nail polish and carry little strips of cloth in an envelope when they go on business trips? Men are not equipped to handle these expeditions. Speak of misplaced confidence.Men know of black and white and red, yellow, green and blue and if we are stretched we can figure out that VIBGYOR is the acronym for the colors of the rainbow. Wives, they have it all so complicated. Like my wife will say, but I asked you for Coral Pink lipstick,...

Priyanka excited to go bald for ‘Mary Kom’

MUMBAI: For a crucial sequence in the forthcoming biopic ‘Mary Kom’, based on the life of Olympic bronze medallist boxer M.C. Mary Kom, Priyanka Chopra went for a bald look. The actress says it was her “responsibility” to do justice to her character.Priyanka’s bald look can be seen even in the films promos.The versatile actress says she was very excited about it — so much so that she was all around the film’s set in that look.“Mary has done it (gone bald) in her life. This is an authentic scene in the film and I was very excited about it,” Priyanka said here Wednesday at the launch of the...