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Obama arrives in Kingdom to meet King Salman

US President Barack Obama landed Tuesday in Riyadh where he was received by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. Obama is leading a high-level delegation of current and former American officials to Saudi Arabia to pay respects following King Abdullah's death and to take measure of the kingdom's new monarch.Obama cut short the final day of his trip to India to make the four-hour stop in Riyadh. He will hold his first formal meeting with new King Salman, and then attend a dinner with other Saudi officials at the Erga Palace.Secretary of State John Kerry is joining Obama in Riyadh, along with former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and James Baker III. Sen. John McCain, the Arizona republican who is a frequent critic of Obama's foreign policy in the Middle East, is also part of the delegation.— With input from agencies

Dawn of a new era under King Salman

A new era dawned in Saudi Arabia on Monday under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques...

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SAGIA: Smooth transition highlights KSA’s stability

Saudi Arabia is committed to creating a world-class environment for investors, said Abdullatif A. Al-Othman, governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.“The smooth transition of power to Custodian of the The Two Holy Mosques King Salman is a testament to the stability and commitment to our leadership,” he said.King Salman brings with him a track record of knowledge, insight and success from an early age, s...

Salman, Obama set for strategic talks

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman will hold talks in Riyadh on Tuesday with US President Barack Obama on major regional and international issues, a Royal Court statement said. “The talks will also focus on prospects of expanding bilateral ties,” the statement added.The announcement came as Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council pledged its allegiance to King Salman, Crown Prince Muqrin and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed...

SAUDI ARABIA »

SCTA suspends ongoing tourism festivals

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has decided to suspend the ongoing and planned tourism festivals in the Kingdom to mark the death of King Abdullah who passed away early on Friday morning.SCTA President Prince Sultan bin Salman extended his sincere condolences to the Custodian...

Story behind the king’s title

With the pledge of allegiance this week, King Salman became the third Saudi monarch to take up the title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques after King Fahd and King Abdullah.Historian Hassan Al-Basha says in his book, Positions and Titles, that Saladin was the first king to take up the title as a means to attain closeness...

Bodyguard of King Abdullah served loyally for 10 years

There was an outpouring of sympathy and praise online by Saudis for the personal bodyguard of King Abdullah, who served the late monarch for 10 years.Col. Abdul Aziz Al-Faghm was seen performing the funeral prayers for King Abdullah in Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque in Riyadh last Friday with his usual stoic expression, but...

Crown Prince Muqrin ‘saved my daughter’

A 60-year-old Madinah woman says Crown Prince Muqrin saved the life of her daughter when he was governor of the city.Umm Mohammed, a resident of Al-Ais province in Madinah, said that when her daughter fell ill, the family did not have money for her treatment. She then decided to seek Prince Muqrin’s help while he was visiti...

New campaign to reduce car fuel consumption

The Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology plans to launch a third campaign to reduce fuel consumption in the country, this time targeting drivers.The four-week campaign follows the government focusing on air-conditioners in 2013. In 2014, it issued directives for all new buildi...

Stray bullet hits boy, 5, in Riyadh

A five-year-old boy is in intensive care at a hospital in Riyadh after being struck by a stray bullet, which is now lodged in his skull.Sultan bin Berm bin Abdul Aziz is being treated at the Abanamy Hospital in Riyadh. His father said the bullet struck him while he was standing in the doorway of the family’s home in Qurtuba...

Courts have SR6bn backlog of finance cases

The Ministry of Justice has called on judges to deal with lawsuits involving commercial papers and other financial instruments, even if these documents do not have the prescribed information on it.The ministry said these cases must be referred to executive judges so that plaintiffs can get paid out what was promised to them...

Saudis fortunate to have King Salman as leader

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who has nearly 60 years of experience as governor of Riyadh, defense minister, crown prince and deputy premier, is all set to drive the Kingdom to greater progress and prosperity. Saudis say they are fortunate to have King Salman as their new leader.Being a close associate of a...

Ministry sets up call centers to help resolve labor disputes

The Ministry of Labor has begun to provide services to workers with labor dispute cases via call centers in Makkah, Riyadh, Arar, Hail, Najran, and Jazan. Work is ongoing to expand services to other regions gradually, according to an official report by the Labor Dispute Settlement Department at the Ministry.The report indic...

Tourist arrivals in Jeddah increase by 70%

The influx of tourists to Jeddah has increased by 70 percent with the festivals and activities drawing huge crowds to the historical city. Hotels and furnished apartments have also recorded an increase of 75 percent as tourists take advantage of online bookings to rent accommodations in advance.Tourist spending has also ris...

Massive show of support for king

A large number of citizens declared loyalty to their new ruler, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, on Sunday. Regional governors and ambassadors posted in Saudi diplomatic missions across the world also received pledges of allegiance on behalf of King Salman on Sunday.More high-profile foreign leaders arrived fo...

Business community pledges allegiance

Leaders of the Saudi Chambers and the Saudi business community declared their allegiance to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince Muqrin and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif.In a statement on Sunday, CSC expressed its deep sorrow over the death of King Abdullah who rendered great services to Islam...

1.61 million follow King Salman on Twitter

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has become a widely followed world leader on Twitter, while his popularity is progressively growing on other social media networks. The new king has overtaken many leaders on the popular microblogging site, and he is currently being followed on all social sites by Saudi citizens...

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MIDDLE EAST »

Japan says asking Jordan for help after new IS hostage video

Tokyo: Japan said Wednesday it was asking the Jordanian government for help afte...

Baghdad flights disrupted after bullet hits flydubai jet

BAGHDAD: A bullet hit the fuselage of a flydubai airliner on its descent into Ba...

Iraq's Shiite militias killed 70 civilians after IS rollback:...

BAGHDAD: Sunni politicians and tribal chiefs from Iraq’s eastern Diyala province...

Kurds kick out IS from Kobani

BEIRUT: Kurdish fighters have expelled Islamic State (IS) group militants from i...

Japan seeks Jordan’s help to free hostages

TOKYO: Japan sought help from Jordan and other countries Monday in its race to s...

WORLD »

Somalia: Al-Shabab leader says he has quit terror group

MOGADISHU, Somalia: A leader with the Islamic extremist group Al-Shabab with a $...

Leaders mark Auschwitz liberation 70 years on without Putin

BRZEZINKA, Poland: A ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberati...

Blizzard in northeast US shuts schools, business, transport

BOSTON/NEW YORK: A blizzard dropped more than a foot (30 cm) of snow across the...

Obama warns India over religious divisions

NEW DELHI: US President Barack Obama warned India it would not succeed if it spl...

Modi vows business-friendly India to American executives

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to banish India’s reputation as a...

SPORTS »

Nadal in crushing defeat as Sharapova slaps down Bouchard

MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal's Australian Open dream lay in tatters Tuesday with the...

What to watch at Wednesday's quarterfinals

MELBOURNE: Once upon a time, the story of women's tennis was all about Serena an...

Australia uses fast start to beat UAE, enter final

NEWCASTLE, Australia: Australia remained on course for its maiden Asian Cup titl...

Meralco's measure of revenge after Dunigan loss to Ginebra

MANILA: No Michael Dunigan? No problem for Meralco.After losing in a tug-of-war...

Davis stars as Pelicans run streak to 4 games

NEW ORLEANS: Anthony Davis had 32 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as...

ECONOMY »

‘Transport sector offers immense investment scope’

A senior government official has urged investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in the transport sector.Abdulaziz Al-Ohaly, president of the Public Tran...

Gulf states ‘may need to rethink monetary policy’

DUBAI: Gulf Arab oil states may need to rethink longstanding economic policies, including their fixed exchange rates, over the next five to 10 years as economic cycles in the region and the US diverge, a senior Qatar central bank official said in a research paper.The GCC nations have pegged their currencies to the US dollar...

Zain Saudi gets regulator nod for second capital cut

JEDDAH: Zain Saudi has received regulatory approval to cut its capital for a second time, a move common in Saudi Arabia to offset accumulated losses, the telecom operator said.The company, 37 percent owned by Kuwait’s Zain, has yet to make a quarterly profit since launching service in 2008, having paid about SR23 billion ($...

Industrial Investment and petchem sectors in limelight

The Saudi stock market ended Tuesday’s trading session solidly in the green. The benchmark Tadawul All-Share Index posted its largest intra-day increase of 2015, adding 206 points or 2.43 percent to close at 8,686.16.TASI’s year-to-date collection reached 4.23 percent on Tuesday. Large cap with 2.61 percent upward jump rema...

Samba proposes SR8bn bonus share issue to raise capital

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Samba Financial Group said its board had proposed increasing the bank’s capital by SR8 billion through issuing bonus shares to help support future growth.The bank will increase its capital to SR20 billion from retained earnings by issuing two shares for every three shares held, the lender said in a bo...

Tech sector hot, but no bubble: Study

NEW YORK: Dealmaking in the tech sector jumped last year to the highest levels since the dot-com boom, a consultancy report said.But the Ernst and Young report said the sector is not in “bubble” territory and that the vast majority of the deals over the past year were based on “reality-based” valuations.The report counted 3...

Global oil downturn hits Caterpillar Q4 earnings

NEW YORK: US heavy equipment maker Caterpillar said that the plunge in oil prices took a hit on the company’s earnings in the fourth quarter of 2014.It also said it did not expect much of an upturn this year, with mining commodities still in a slump as the global economy grows slowly and with sweeping cutbacks in investment...

Budget: Iraq lowers oil price forecast to $55

BAGHDAD: Falling oil prices forced Iraq’s cabinet to revise its draft 2105 budget, trimming its forecast for oil to $55 a barrel from $60.It trimmed spending to 119 trillion Iraqi dinars ($105 billion) for 2015. Even so, the budget deficit will rise to 25 trillion dinars.The decision to lower the forecast oil price may sati...

Microsoft profit dips as revenue rises

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft has reported that its quarterly profit dipped but revenue increased in a sign that it is adapting to lifestyles centered on mobile devices and cloud services.Bright spots during the three-month period ending December 31 included rising sales of Microsoft devices such as Surface tablets, Lumia smartp...

Dubai overtakes Heathrow as top international airport

DUBAI: Dubai International has overtaken London’s Heathrow Airport to become the world’s top hub in international travel after handling 70.47 million passengers in 2014, its authority said.Traffic at the airport increased 6.1 percent last year, Dubai Airports said, and it expects the number of travelers passing through the...

Infrastructure investment to continue

Heavy spending on infrastructure, education, training and job creation initiatives would continue under Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, an expert said here.Mazen Al-Sudairi, head of the research department at Investment Capital Company, said the new monarch would also work to ensure a stable global oil market...

SABIC creates ‘enormous value’ for Kingdom

The enormous benefits of SABIC to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia include the creation of high-quality jobs, development of technology, and opportunities for service industries, said Mohamed Al-Mady, the company’s vice chairman and CEO, at a major international forum in Riyadh.“The petrochemicals industry has played a significa...

Al-Rabiah unveils new push to promote Saudi exports

Plans are under way to set up open markets with selected countries to export Saudi products, according to Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.He was speaking at the inaugural session of the GCF 2015 on "Competitive governments and Saudi Arabia: Gateway to the world" at the Four Seasons Hotel here on Monday. It w...

OPINION »

Javier Solana

Integrating Europe’s Muslims

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Osama Al Sharif

In the eye of the storm

More than a week has passed since the Houthis escalated their takeover of Yemen...

Susan V. Ople

Remembering the ‘reformer’

Filipinos across Saudi Arabia and their families back home owe a debt of gratitu...

S.N.M. Abdi

Shifting sands of Lankan politics

The first foreign envoy to call on the new Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sir...

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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.
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FOOD & HEALTH »

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...

Our kids’ bodies contaminated with chemicals (Part 12)

In the last two articles, Parts 10 and 11, I revealed to you the many toxic aspects of fast foods. Children are exposed to myriads of synthetic chemicals, high amounts of simple sugars, salts, artificial sweeteners, and trans fat, which the fast food and beverage industries add to hamburgers, fries, frying oils, ice-creams, sodas, soft and energy drinks, snack bars, and others to enhance flavor, texture, consistency, color, and more. Their ploy is to get you and your children addicted to their products and concoctions. Unfortunately, these toxic substances are not studied sufficiently. As a result, we see their health-harming effects in the forms of asthma, allergies, nutrient deficiencies...

Our kids’ bodies contaminated with chemicals (Part 11)

Last week I stopped at the discussion about fast food. Since the subject of fast foods and their harmful effects does not seem to end, because their health-damaging side effects are surfacing lately more and more through recent research, I will take the liberty to expound on them. Recent research at the Massachusetts Medical Society Committee on Nutrition found a relationship between fast food and elevated body mass index (BMI) and weight gain due to the high content of unhealthy simple sugars, refined chewy white bread, saturated, trans fats, and large portions, which raise the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and fatality. An earlier study showed that trans fats (...

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A book everyone should have at home

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Sean Penn to get French honor

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