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Kingdom, Turkey enter ‘a new era of cooperation’

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are embarking on a “new era” in their relations after talks between the nations’ leaders on Sunday, which included Yemen, Syria and Iran’s nuclear program, a senior diplomat said on Monday.Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan led the talks, accompanied by senior officials from both sides. “The wide-ranging talks between the two leaders were very fruitful,” said Adel bin Siraj Mirdad, Saudi ambassador to Turkey.The visit “will open a new era of relations between the Kingdom and Turkey,” said Mirdad. The gathering marks a thaw in diplomatic ties between the two countries, several Saudi and Turkish officials said, but did not divulge more details.Mirdad confirmed that the leaders discussed bilateral ties, the Middle East peace process, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Palestine, the threat of the Islamic State group and Iran’s...

Five reasons cited for growing infertility among Saudi women

Experts have identified five main reasons including late marriages and increasing cases of abortion...

Destruction of Iraqi heritage by IS flayed

The Kingdom has condemned the Islamic State group for targeting innocent civilians and destroying cu...

MERS death toll in Saudi Arabia hits 400

Four more people have died of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-Cov), raising the total in the Kingdom to 400, the Ministry of Health’s Command and Control Center said Monday.All the victims were male, and three of them, all Saudis aged 91, 89 and 60, were from Riyadh. The fourth victim was a 45-year-old foreign worker in the central city of Buraidah, said the MOH in a daily bulletin posted on its web...

Owners of camels involved in accidents go scot free

Legal experts have called for a law that would penalize owners of camels that cause road accidents. “Until now there is no law in Saudi Arabia that would penalize the owner of a stray camel for causing a fatal road accident,” said Ahmed Al-Ashwan, a Saudi lawyer.Currently, the traffic law considers leaving animals along roadside and highways a sinful act. There is no criminal responsibility on the beast’s owner if the ani...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Cabinet draws on success of anti-terrorism conference

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman thanked the scholars and experts who participated in last week’s anti-terrorism conference hosted by the Muslim World League in Makkah, said Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Toraifi, following the weekly Cabinet meeting. Al-Toraifi briefed Cab...

Five reasons cited for growing infertility among Saudi women

Experts have identified five main reasons including late marriages and increasing cases of abortion for the fall of fertility rate among Saudi women.“The fertility rate of Saudi women declined from 2.9 children in 2013 to 2.8 children in 2014,” said one expert. The Kingdom maintained its second position in the Gulf, after O...

Suspected murderer’s children in state custody

The Ministry of Social Affairs has taken custody of the two children of a mother who is suspected of killing her eight-year-old son.The police arrested the woman, 38, for allegedly striking the boy with a hard object against his head, which resulted in his death last week, according to a recent report in a local newspaper.J...

Umm Al-Qura University organizes career fest

Umm Al-Qura University recently organized an annual education forum to help students choose their career paths accordwwing to their interests and skills at King Abdulaziz Hall in Babidah University.Bakri bin Matouk Assas, director of the university, inaugurated the forum in the presence of a number of university officials a...

Cleaning workers neglect work, prioritize begging

Road cleaning workers leaving their work to beg at road intersections and public utilities or commercial centers is now a common feature.One reason why laborers are attracted to begging is there are some people who sympathize with them and give them money in charity.Muhammad Al-Munjem said he respected the cleaning workers...

Waste Free Environment campaign rallies thousands of volunteers

More than 500 volunteers participated recently in a campaign titled Waste Free Environment to clean up Jubail’s beaches, highways and islands.During the annual Waste Free Environment Week, responsible and enthusiastic organizations and people from all over the world join hands for cleaning up their local environment. The ca...

18 patients test positive for MERS

Eighteen cases were tested positive for corona virus after checking 1,493 samples across the Kingdom last week. The Ministry of Health said this in a weekly statement for the period from Feb. 22 to 28. Twelve of the confirmed cases were in Riyadh and one each in Al-Ahsa, Alkhobar, Jeddah, Najran, Buraidah and Al-Jouf, while...

Al-Toraifi to inaugurate book fair in Riyadh on Wednesday

A grand international book fair will be inaugurated by Adel Al-Toraifi, minister of culture and information, on Wednesday.“The book fair will feature a bulk of literature, including major titles from South Africa, which is the guest country at the fair this year,” said Ahmed Al-Zahrani, a spokesman at the Ministry of Cultur...

Fire hits conveyor belt at King Khaled Airport

No one was injured when a fire broke out in a baggage conveyor belt system at the King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) on Monday.Passengers contacted by Arab News said that the fire was possibly caused by some “friction or by the massive loads of luggage that was ferried by the poorly-maintained conveyor belt at a busy...

Health Ministry records 2,139 cases of abuse

The Ministry of Health recorded 2,139 domestic violence and abuse cases at its facilities in 2014, with married women, children and the elderly being the main victims.The ministry’s department of domestic violence and mental health stated that the Eastern Province recorded 466 cases, about 21.8 percent of the total. Jeddah...

KSA diversity is of amazing nature

• Which particular aspect of Saudi Arabia do you like the most? The hospitality of its people and its diversity of amazing nature.• What is your favorite and oft-repeated Arabic word? Insh’Allah.• Which book is by your bedside?“The Compassionate Life” by Marc Ian Barasch. • Your favorite holiday destination? The Seychelles...

Shoura seeks geared up drive to meet demand for housing

The Shoura Council urged the Housing Ministry on Monday to gear up to meet the growing demand for more housing units in the Kingdom.The request was made by the Shoura during its 18th regular session held under the chairmanship of President Abdullah Al-Asheikh on Monday.Yahya bin Abdullah Al-Samaan, assistant speaker, said t...

Be business savvy before joining forex markets, experts advise newcomers

Financial experts have warned against random trades in foreign currency markets, also known as forex trading. These arrangements indirectly cause the launch of new and unregistered companies which expose dealers to financial losses. It’s estimated that around 40 percent of Saudi dealers in the forex market are incurring los...

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MIDDLE EAST »

Lack of Gaza aid regretted

GAZA CITY: UN Middle East peace envoy Robert Serry criticized the international...

Haftar army chief for recognized Libya govt

BENGHAZI: Former Libyan general Khalifa Haftar was appointed as army commander f...

‘Hardworking’Jihadi John was born to stateless Kuwait family

LONDON: The man who became the Islamic State militant known as “Jihadi John” was...

Cairo blast wounds 11

CAIRO: Eleven people were wounded, one critically, in a bomb explosion outside t...

Iraq launches operation to retake Tikrit from Islamic State

BAGHDAD: Backed by allied Shiite, Sunni and Iranian fighters, Iraqi security for...

WORLD »

Ukraine death toll tops 6,000

GENEVA: The US and Russian foreign ministers expressed cautious optimism after h...

Pakistan detains parents refusing kids’ polio vaccine

PESHAWAR: Pakistani officials say hundreds of parents have been arrested in rece...

Delhi bus rapist blames victim

DELHI: One of the Indian men convicted of the Delhi gang rape of 2012 has claime...

Bangladesh arrests suspect in killing of US blogger

DHAKA: Bangladeshi security officials arrested a suspect Monday in the killing o...

Philippine Army seizes rebel bomb factory

MANILA: Philippine soldiers have seized a rebel base and bomb factory in the sou...

SPORTS »

Harrington takes Honda Classic in playoff

Ireland's Padraig Harrington won his first US PGA title in seven years on Monday...

Hanlon-Irfan wins AlNakhla Open Golf Tournament 2015

The team of Kevin Hanlon and Farhan Irfan emerged champion in the AlNakhla Open...

Harden (33 points) fires Rockets to OT win over Cavs

HOUSTON: James Harden scored 33 points and LeBron James missed a pair of free th...

Nadal ends title drought with Argentina win

BUENOS AIRES: Rafael Nadal won his first title in nearly nine months on Sunday,...

Yellow Submarine needs special splash to sink Barca

MADRID: Villarreal have proved they can go toe to toe with Spain’s elite this se...

ECONOMY »

Property stocks dominate Tadawul trading

DUBAI: Gulf stock markets diverged on Monday on mixed corporate news, while Egypt rebounded on bullish comments by government officials and executives and signs that the...

Positive signs continue for sterling pound

A positive end to the week saw sterling further its gains against both the euro and US dollar, as a member of the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee spoke out about the dangers of a premature increase in US interest rate.The week ahead could be an important one for sterling, with a host of data released from the...

HP's big deal: Tech giant buys Aruba Networks for $2.7bn

SAN FRANCISCO: Hewlett-Packard is buying wireless networking company Aruba Networks for about $2.7 billion, in what amounts to HP's first major acquisition since its disastrous purchase of a British software company in 2011.Aruba, based in Sunnyvale, California, makes Wi-Fi networking systems for shopping malls, corporate c...

Saudi job market ‘filled with opportunities’

More than half of respondents who responded to a recent survey in Saudi Arabia believe that their financial position will improve in the next six months, A majority (65 percent) of the respondents are also expecting the cost of living to increase, according to the poll.The Middle East and North Africa Consumer Confidence In...

Little global spillover from the Greek drama

News that Greece has reached an agreement on 20 February with its European creditors to extend the bailout program for four months seems to have cheered up markets. Yields on 10-year Greek government bonds have fallen by more than a percentage point in the two subsequent trading days. Meanwhile, Greek stocks jumped by almos...

Bill Gates still world's richest man, Forbes says

NEW YORK: Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates kept his spot as the world's richest man, a rank he has held for 16 of the past 21 years, Forbes magazine said.The Microsoft co-founder's fortune increased $3.2 billion since last year to $79.2 billion, the business magazine said, despite a $1.5 billion gift of Microsoft share...

Saudi Aramco finds eight new oil and gas fields

Saudi Aramco discovered eight new oil and gas fields and produced a record volume of gas in 2014, said Khalid Al-Falih, its president and CEO.In a statement following a meeting of the company’s executive committee in Dhahran, Al-Falih described 2014 as a difficult year as a result of a 50 percent fall in oil prices.However,...

Brent tumbles 3%; US crude rebounds

NEW YORK: Brent crude tumbled more than 3 percent on Monday on speculation of a nuclear deal that could boost Iran's oil exports, and US crude rose by around 1 percent as traders bet the gap between the two would narrow.Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said a deal on Iran's nuclear program could be concluded th...

Saudia begins Tabuk-Cairo flights on March 30

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has advanced the launch of its new flight from Tabuk to Cairo from April 15 to March 30 considering the growing demand of passengers traveling on the sector, said Abdulrahman Al-Fahad, spokesman of the airline.Tabuk would be the sixth station in the Kingdom to operate direct flights to Cairo,...

CMA suspects insider trading in Mobily shares

RIYADH/DUBAI: Saudi Arabia's market regulator is investigating possible insider trading in shares of telecommunications operator Mobily relating to its shock earnings restatement, the watchdog said on its website.The Capital Market Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Mobily in November after the firm slashed its...

Wrist action: Phone firms bet on 'year of smartwatch'

BARCELONA: Defying scepticism and geek-stigma, mobile phone firms are determined this year to sell you a wristwatch wirelessly connected to your mobile phone.Numerous models have hit the market over the past year but 2015 will see an explosion, analysts say, with manufacturers making their watches and other wearable connect...

Asian firms challenge Apple with snazzy new smartphones

BARCELONA: Several big Asian phone companies launched new high-end smartphones and other wireless gizmos on Sunday, hoping to challenge US giant Apple in a big year for wireless gadgets.Samsung, fellow South Korean firm LG and hip Chinese maker HTC timed their smartphone launches to grab the attention on the eve of the Mobi...

Saudis account for 27% of Arab investments in Egypt

Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab investor in Egypt with their investments reaching some $5.7 billion (SR21.3 billion), or 27 percent of the Arab totals invested in that country, Egyptian Commercial Attache in Riyadh Ahmed Zaki said.Total Arab investments in Egypt are reaching $20 billion (SR75 billion). The UAE was the seco...

OPINION »

Fayez Sara

Widening scope of war on terror

The Middle East has been buzzing with diplomatic activities during the past few...

Linda S. Heard

A make-or-break speech

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is about to step into the lion’s...

Susan V. Ople

OFWs deserve better

THE Manila International Airport Authority or MIAA continues to turn a deaf ear...

Ramzy Baroud

Where is the Arab intelligentsia?

Whenever a new poem by Mahmoud Darwish was published in Al-Quds newspaper, I rus...

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A Bangladeshi prisoner receives the gift of a...

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ART & CULTURE »

Ba9ma Banat: Reviving the Prophet’s lega...

Dareen M. Edress is the marketing manager of “Ba9ma Banat,” an innovative institution that revives the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) among young girls through different programs and interesting products such as calendars, diaries and books comprising the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh).
In a conversation with Arab News...

Dubai gets its first taste of...

Saudi steals show with his art...

The mural that stole the natio...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Solar plane passes new test ahead of wor...

ABU DHABI: A solar-powered plane made a third successful test flight in the UAE on Monday ahead of a planned round-the-world tour to promote alternative energy.
Organizers hope that Solar Impulse 2 may head off around the globe as early as Saturday but caution that the launch is dependent on the weather, even in the relatively cloudless Gul...

Dress color debate: So, it is...

Streaming fitness videos leave...

Apple Cars are on the way!

FASHION »

Femininity gets a rethink during Milan F...

MILAN: Femininity is getting a rethink in Milan.
Designers are incorporating more masculine tailoring, while giving a contemporary edge to normally girly touches like bows, ruffles, lace and, yes, polka dots. Among the runway trends during Milan Fashion Week, in its fourth day Saturday, are silken blouses tied with an off-skew bow around th...

The secret style of a Vogue Ov...

Alex Soldier: Jewelry that is...

Fashion designers pin hopes on...

TRAVEL »

Edinburgh: A city of history and culture

Soaked in Celtic and medieval history, Edinburgh is a cultural tapestry that’s largely visually defined by hills, cathedrals, and the bold stone towers of Edinburgh Castle. The city is very festive where people like to celebrate everything from art, music, and food to theater, sports and comedy.
One of the most touristic activities in the...

Johannesburg: Heart of S. Afri...

Get inspired by Cuba

Discovering the Kingdom

FOOD & HEALTH »

90% of Gulf camels ‘MERS-infected’

About 90 percent of camels in the Gulf region are carriers of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which requires the urgent need for a vaccine, according to a leading Health Ministry official.In addition, the virus can be transmitted over a 1-meter distance, Abdullah Asiri, undersecretary for preventative health at the ministry, was quoted as saying in a local publication on Tuesday.Asiri said that 50 percent of camels in Al-Ahsa region carry the virus. A person who comes into contact with infected camels can transmit the virus to family members without showing symptoms of the disease, he said.He said mass extermination of these camels was not an acceptable solution...

The Parkinson’s mystery

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder that affects around seven million people globally, and one million in the United States alone, usually afflicting people older than 50. The disease strikes 2 percent of those over age 65, and 5-10 percent of cases occur in people under 50. The cause remains unknown, preventing us from arresting the disease’s development — though environmental and occupational factors loom large in recent research.Chinese and Indian texts from 1,000 BC appear to describe a similar affliction. But James Parkinson was the first to describe the disease in detail, in 1817. Those developing Parkinson’s suffer slow movement, tremors, stiffness, difficulty...

A breakfast spot that is not just a morning place

Riyadh has grown so much in the last 10 years and this is particularly noticeable when you look at restaurants. Nowadays most restaurants have opened outlets in Riyadh’s new districts. This is the case with Can Café. This fashionable coffee shop has a branch on the trendy Al-Tahliya Street lined up with some of the best restaurants in the capital and another outlet on Omar Bin Abdul Aziz Road (Exit 14) in the Rabwa district. Can Café is a good place to have breakfast food at any time of the day! You can order “Four pieces of French Toast with maple syrup, orange juice and American coffee” for SR32. “French Toast”, known in French as “Pain Perdu”is a delightful dessert consisting of slices...

OFFBEAT »

How chocolate cake led to Mexican drug kingpin's arrest

TUMBISCATIO, Mexico: He traveled by four-wheeler and on horseback. He lived in caves and on secluded mountain ranches, s...

Star designer dresses disabled

MILAN: From outfits for Lady Gaga and Beyonce to disabled fashion: Antonio Urzi, a long-time collaborator with Armani, is trying to revolutionize Milan fashion week with creations designed for amputees.Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Britney Spears have all worn his masterpieces, but Urzi’s latest face is hunky British amputee Jack Eyers, the star of a radically different catwalk show which mixes able-bodied and disabled models.“My life’s changed dramatically, it’s a full-on rollercoaster ride,” said Eyers, who was born with a rare condition which meant his right leg failed to grow properly,...

Japanese comedy opens Asian Film Festival

The 8th Asian Film Festival opened with a Japanese comedy film 'Robo-G' at the garden residence of the Japanese Consul General Matahiro Yamaguchi in Jeddah on Saturday.Yamaguchi is this year's coordinator of the Asian Consuls-General Club (ACGC), which is organizing the film festival. The club consists of 13 Asian countries that include Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, India, China, Singapore, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Brunei Dar Islam, Indonesia and Japan.The ACGC Film Festival will last until March 13 and will screen a feature film from each Asian country at six different...