Home | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

Saudi Arabia, Russia in push for Syria solution

MOSCOW: Saudi intelligence chief has held a new meeting in Russia with President Vladimir Putin on the Syrian conflict, the second closed-door encounter this year.The Kremlin said in a statement that Prince Bandar bin Sultan discussed with Putin at the president’s suburban Moscow residence the situation in the Middle East and preparations for a Syria peace conference planned in January.“There was a detailed exchange of views on the situation around Syria, including in the context of preparations for the Geneva II conference,” the Kremlin said, without giving further details.The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had also met Prince Bandar in Moscow to discuss the Syria peace conference.“The emphasis was placed on the need to ensure that regional problems are solved on the basis of respect of the UN Charter and principles of internat...

More young people in KSA hit by brain disorders

The Kingdom lacks specialized doctors who can diagnose and manage the growing incidence of brain dis...

Brain-dead expat woman saves 4

The organs of a 38-year-old Bangladeshi woman who was clinically pronounced dead were used to saved...

Crashes claim 9 lives in Riyadh everyday

Nine people on average die daily in the Saudi capital as a result of traffic accidents, which constitutes 72 percent of the overall number of accidents, said Mazen Al-Ghamdi, spokesman for the Saudi Red Crescent Authority. He was speaking at the Global Conference on Casualty and Accident Medicine held at the Security Forces Hospital in Riyadh.About 544,000 accidents took place on the Kingdom’s roads in 2012, causing the d...

Tehran charm offensive: UAE leader accepts visit invitation

The UAE President on Wednesday accepted an invitation to visit Iran. The official WAM news agency said the date for the visit would be announced at a later stage.Iran has tried to improve relations with Gulf countries in recent weeks following a landmark agreement on its nuclear program, which the GCC suspects is aimed at developing a weapons capability.The invitation was delivered to the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahya...

SAUDI ARABIA »

250,000 Saudis benefit from labor action

Labor Minister Adel Fakeih said over 250,000 Saudis have benefited from the ministry’s employment services during the seven-month amnesty given to illegals to legalize th...

South Arabian languages face threat

It would be difficult to save several endangered south Arabian languages, including one spoken only by a small community in the far southeast of Saudi Arabia, a renowned linguist said Wednesday.Janet Watson from the University of Leeds made this observation at the first Linguistics in Arabia Conference held at King Abdulazi...

UK multinationals wish to train,...

Thirty-two leading United Kingdom companies showcased their products in Madinah on Tuesday in education, medicine, construction, contracting, engineering design, technology, industry solutions, food and cosmetics.The Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted the exhibition. The British Consulate organized the event,...

Sir Syed Day celebrated in EP

The Aligarh Muslim University’s alumni in the Eastern Province celebrated Sir Syed Day at the Dunes International School recently. More than 450 graduates of the historic university and guests attended the function. Lt. Gen. Zameeruddin Shah, the AMU vice chancellor, was the chief guest and well-known educationist, N...

MIDDLE EAST »

Israeli deal ‘impossible’

RAMALLAH: A former Palestinian negotiator with Israel says wide gaps make a peac...

Arafat death investigator to reveal names soon

RAMALLAH: A Palestinian investigator said on Tuesday he would soon name the peop...

WORLD »

‘NATO interference in Ukraine untenable’

BRUSSELS: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday accused NATO of in...

Delhi residents vote in crucial elections

NEW DELHI: Millions of residents of India’s capital lined up Wednesday to cast t...

ECONOMY »

Saudi Arabia’s nonoil business activity growth accelerates

Growth in Saudi Arabia’s nonoil business activity accelerated in November, accor...

Construction, downstream industries drive Saudi GDP

Saudi Arabia's gross domestic product grew 3.19 percent in the third quarter of...

SPORTS »

Arsenal stay out in front with Hull win

LONDON: A goal early in each half from Nicklas Bendtner and Mesut Ozil allowed Arsenal to maintain their four-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table by be...

World Cup on track despite stadiums...

COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil: Three more venues for next year’s World Cup will be delivered past FIFA’s now redundant Dec. 31 deadline, Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said Wednesday.World football’s governing body FIFA backtracked after months of insisting it would not extend the deadline for all 12 Brazilian host arenas...

Taylor fights off his demons with...

DUNEDIN, New Zealand: A maiden double century to put New Zealand in firm command of the first Test against the West Indies on Wednesday proved the sweetest way Ross Taylor could find to “fight off those demons.”Taylor was unbeaten on 217 when New Zealand declared at 609 for nine in the final session at University Oval in Du...

New World Cup ball ‘Brazuca’ unveiled

RIO DE JANEIRO: The new ball for next year’s World Cup — called the “Brazuca,” in honor of Brazil, of course — was unveiled at a ceremony Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro.The word “Brazuca” has a double meaning, used as a term for Brazilians living abroad — including its many footballers — but also as slang used to describe nation...

OPINION »

Salahuddin Haider

Sharif: Yet to deliver on his promises

Exepectations that top-level changes in the military and judicial hierarchies wi...

Sabria S. Jawhar

Influence of Arab culture in the West

In the anonymous world of social media where everybody has an opinion, but doesn...

Gwynne Dyer

Playing chicken in the East China Sea

Since the day China declared an “Air Defense Identification Zone” (ADIZ) that co...

SHANTANU DATTA

Why I would have debuted with my vote this time

I don’t have a vote in Delhi (I stay in the Wild West — the badlands of western...

LATEST VIDEOS

Saudi man burns his truck to protest the...

Stay Connected

Follow @Arab_News

Facebook

ART & CULTURE »

Saudi artists display unique sculptures

A dazzling array of sculptures by Saudi artists is on display at the Furniture and Decoration Exhibition in Jeddah.
Arabian Wings, known for its support of Arab artists, has organized the exhibition to introduce Saudi talent to the world. There are eight sculptures in steel, iron, plaster, marble and stone at the exhibition.
...

Abu Dhabi Art celebrates creat...

Call of culture — in quest of...

Top Saudi and Arab artists to...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

First Russian smartphone, YotaPhone, lau...

MOSCOW: Russia’s first domestically designed smartphone, the YotaPhone, was unveiled in Moscow on Wednesday, featuring an always-on second screen as a unique feature to differentiate it from the plethora of competitors.
The phone, which used Google’s Android operating system and has a fixed price of 499 euros ($678), will be l...

China space launch debris wrec...

Saudis got talent

Beyonce is the most-searched p...

FASHION »

Ajrak: A symbol of Sindhi culture and tr...

The best gifts come from the heart, not the store. This is what Arab and Pakistani traditions are all about; we show our respect to our esteemed guests by presenting gifts that represent our culture.
Ajrak — from the Indus Valley tradition of Sindh, Pakistan, is one such item that has rich cultural value.
Ajrak is a block pri...

Qumar14: Chic kaftans

US-based Lebanese designer to...

‘Pink Star’ sold for more than...

TRAVEL »

Saudis account for more than half of Bah...

Saudis accounted for 52 percent of Bahrain’s eight million tourists during 2012, said a recent statement from the tourism department in Bahrain.
“Around 73 percent of Saudi tourists entered the country across the King Fahd Causeway and 22 percent arrived by air,” said Sheikh Khalid bin Hamoud Al-Khalifa, tourism undersecretary at the Bahrai...

SCTA: Tourism key to Saudi gro...

Lisbon — edge of Europe

Return of Philippine Airlines...

FOOD & HEALTH »

US warns of problems with Philips heart devices

WASHINGTON: US health regulators are warning the American public not to use certain defibrillators recalled by Philips Healthcare because the heart-shocking devices may fail in an emergency.Philips recalled three models of its HeartStart devices in September 2012 due to an electrical malfunction. The recall affects about 700,000 defibrillators sold between 2005 and 2012.The defibrillators are used by emergency responders and others to restore normal heart function in people suffering a heart attack. The Food and Drug Administration says the electrical problem with the devices could cause them to fail to deliver a life-saving shock.Customers who have received the devices can contact Philips...

Japan food seeks heritage gong as young spurn rice

TOKYO: Washoku, the traditional cuisine of Japan, is being considered for designation as part of the world’s priceless cultural heritage by the UN this week. But even as sushi and sake booms worldwide, purists say its finer points are candidates for the endangered list at home. The younger generation is increasingly eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts and McDonald’s, not rice.Among cuisines, only French cooking has been distinguished as a national culinary tradition. Other picks by UNESCO for its World Heritage list, such as food from Mexico and Turkey, are more specific dishes. Washoku embraces seasonal ingredients, a unique taste, time consuming preparation and a style of eating steeped in...

In love with energy drinks? Danger is just a heartbeat away

nergy drinks packed with caffeine can change the way the heart beats, researchers have warned. A team from the University of Bonn in Germany imaged the hearts of 17 people in the space of one hour after they had consumed an energy drink.The study showed contractions were more forceful after consuming the drink. The team told the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America that children and adults with health conditions should avoid these drinks.Researcher Jonas Dorner said: “We don’t know exactly what effect these energy drinks have on the function of the heart up until now. The amount of caffeine contained in these beverages is up to three times higher than in other...

OFFBEAT »

US courts asked to recognize 4 chimps' rights

Sierra, right, opens a package as Kenya, left, watches during their public debut in the Onstead Foun...

NEW YORK: Walking, talking chimpanzees may be TV comedy gold but now three courts in New York are being asked to recogni...

Saudi man cycles into Japanese hearts

A 34-year-old Saudi national cycled from the northern tip of the mainland of Hokkaido in Japan to the southern tip of Kyushu island in a journey that lasted 39 days. Omar Al-Omair began his 3,152-km trek from Cape Soya on Oct. 16 arriving at Cape Sata, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Nov. 23. In an interview with Japan Times, Al-Omair said, “I love cycling and I love Japan.” He said that he had visited Japan twice before but this time he wanted to bike through “to see what I had missed.” Al-Omair spent 32 nights in a tent which he had carried with him, to rest from the...

East Asia schools win top marks in OECD’s rankings

The Chinese city of Shanghai came top for mathematics, reading and science among teenagers in a study that suggested East Asian schools were driving academic excellence by tackling tough classrooms and abandoning rote-learning. Fifteen-year-olds in the United States trailed in maths and were average for reading and science in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) triennial student survey that assessed its 34 members and 31 mostly developing countries. With a special focus on mathematics, the latest Program in International Student Assessment (PISA) tested...