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GAZA CITY: An Israeli warplane struck the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday wounding six people, one very seriously, the territory’s Hamas rulers said. The raid came as thousands took to the streets of Gaza City to celebrate the announcement by Hamas and the PLO of an agreement to form a unity government to end seven years of divided administration. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. The rival Palestinian movements had agreed shortly before the strike to form a unity government of independents within five weeks under the leadership of the West Bank-based Palestinian president. “An agreement has been reached on the formation within five weeks of an independent government headed by president Mahmud Abbas,” said a joint statement read out by Hamas’ Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniya standing alongside a visiting delegation from the Palestine Liberation...

Pakistan delighted at envoy’s OIC victory

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Muhammad Naeem Khan has been elected the Assistant Secretary G...

2 Saudi women arrested ‘on way to join Al-Qaeda’

Jazan police arrested two Saudi women from Qassim and three Yemenis for allegedly trying to cross th...

Fakeih draws action plan to defeat MERS

Over 20 experts from abroad are scheduled to arrive in the Kingdom shortly to join discussions on how to contain the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, said Labor Minister and Acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih on Tuesday. “We will contact medical experts in the US, Europe and Asia and take advantage of their knowledge and expertise,” Fakeih told reporters after following up on the MERS situation...

Arab News celebrates 39th anniversary

Arab News, the leading English language daily in the Middle East, celebrated its 39th anniversary at Jeddah Inter.Continental on Monday in the presence of a large number of government officials, diplomats, intellectuals, media persons and representatives of advertising agencies. In a statement on the occasion, Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, editor in chief of Arab News, said the ceremony was aimed at highlighting the newspape...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Shoura Council urges steps to protect Arabic language

The Shoura Council has demanded protection mechanisms for the Arabic language, the mainstay of the Kingdom’s national identity.This came during a Shoura Council meeting h...

Hollande opens Haj show

French President Francois Hollande opened a first-of-its-kind Haj exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe here Tuesday and commended Saudi Arabia’s efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence and prevent violence and terrorism.He described the Haj as an important annual event in which nearly three million pilgri...

New passport office opens at Red Sea...

The Passport Department has opened a new office for citizens and residents at the Red Sea Mall.Gen. Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah Al-Tuwairki, deputy director general of the department, opened the office on Monday. It will have a special female section.Al-Tuwairki said the office would provide various services including exit an...

Academic named global English program...

An academic at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah has been named as an official reviewer for the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), a US-based accreditation agency recognized by the American government.Abdullah Al-Bargi, vice-dean of development at KAU’s English Language Institute, has just r...

MIDDLE EAST »

Bomb kills police general in Cairo

CAIRO: A police brigadier general was killed when a bomb exploded under his car...

Palestinians mull handing territory ‘keys’ back to Israel

JERUSALEM: Palestinian negotiators have warned they may pass responsibility for...

WORLD »

Camilla's brother dies in US after head injury

LONDON: Royal officials in Britain say that the brother of Camilla, Duchess of C...

Pakistan's army seeks closure of TV channel

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani official says the army has sought to shut down the countr...

ECONOMY »

Spacious new Heathrow Terminal 2 set for opening

LONDON: The rundown, overcrowded Terminal 2 at London’s sprawling Heathrow Airpo...

Toyota sells record 10 million vehicles in year to March

TOKYO: Japan's Toyota, the world's biggest auto maker, sold more than 10...

SPORTS »

Al-Attiyah, Abu Issa pull clear as Barreda regains motorcy...

SEALINE, Qatar: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Spaniard Joan Barreda and the host nation’s Mohammed Abu Issa stole the limelight by setting the fastest times in the thi...

Canadiens complete sweep of Lightning

MONTREAL: Montreal became the first team to book a place in the second round of the NHL playoffs as Max Pacioretty scored with 43 seconds left to secure a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday and complete a 4-0 series sweep.San Jose looks likely to be the next team into the second round after edging Los Angeles in overtime to...

Rangers edge A's 5-4 to close AL...

OAKLAND, California: Texas' Michael Choice singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning against his old team to lift the Rangers to a 5-4 win over Oakland on Tuesday, cutting the gap to the American League West leader to half a game.Among the day's other games, San Diego won a 12-inning struggle at majors-leading Milwau...

F1 boss Ecclestone goes on trial in...

MUNICH: Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone goes on trial in Munich on Thursday on bribery charges that could lead to a prison term of up to 10 years if he is convicted.The trial could spell the end of the 83-year-old Ecclestone’s career running F1, which he turned into a billion dollar business.Here are five things to know...

OPINION »

Mohamed A. El-Erian

The democratic disruption of finance

There seems to be no limit to the exciting possibilities that come from combinin...

John Tirman

America’s grim legacy in Iraq

The Iraq war is now 11 years old and still tearing up the country, but no longer...

Jeffrey D. Sachs

Putin’s perilous course

The dangers of the crisis in Ukraine cannot be exaggerated. Russian President Vl...

Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi

Libya and Tunisia — a tale of two revolutions

Three years after the revolutions in various Arab countries, many observers are...

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After Fukushima, Japan Eyes Solar Power

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ART & CULTURE »

Noha Al-Sharif — an expert in Islamic sc...

Saudi sculptress Noha Al-Sharif is known for her Islamic inspired sculptures that reflect both, religion and lifestyle. The concept of modern art attracted her to this medium where she majored in Porcelain and Textile. She is interested in Islamic Art and she loves to read about Asian Art" Indian Chinese and Egyptian Art.
Al-Sharif h...

Fiesta 1000: A treat for Jedda...

Egyptian artist gives voice to...

Alkhobar’s Al-Rashid Qaisariya...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Increase your productivity with RescueTi...

RescueTime is a software that helps increase your productivity by monitoring your activity on the computer and informing you when and how you're being productive or distracted.
The program is basically a small application (3.76MB) that you have to install locally on your computer. Whenever you would like to see statistics about your b...

NASA’s space station Robonaut...

Tracking posts on social media...

Flu can increase risk of autis...

FASHION »

Samah Khashoggi: For simple, sophisticat...

Walk into Samah Abaya’s boutique and you cannot help but notice the wooden floors with traditional carpets that are exactly like her abayas, a beautiful blend between the modern and the cultural.
The boutique is very feminine and the interiors are a mixture of wood and steel, where the abayas hang under romantic lighting. Many shopp...

Fashion Forward attracts GCC f...

Skirt trunk show attracts Jedd...

Shopaholism: Is it a disease?

TRAVEL »

Explore stunning Islamic architecture in...

The historic Bidar in the federal state of Karnataka in India now finds itself on the world map of heritage tourism as it figures in the 2014 World Monuments Watch list released by the World Monuments Fund (WMF), a New York-based NGO working for the protection of monuments. I was in Bidar last year especially to feel what a premier madrasa (reli...

Media convoy to capture Taif...

Visitors throng Taif for mild...

New surprises, more fun &...

FOOD & HEALTH »

Dine like a ‘Maharaja’ at Alkhobar’s Movenpick

Having been to countless Indian restaurants in the region earlier, I confess to having had preconceived notions before I went to Maharaja by Vineet, an Indian specialty restaurant located in the Movenpick Hotel, Alkhobar. I assumed it would be like the others I have tried but was willing to give it a chance owing largely to all the rave reviews and praise it had gotten from my friends and colleagues over recent months. Now, coming out of the experience, I admit I could not have been more wrong! The first thing that hits you as you enter the fine dining culinary eatery, even before the wafting aroma of Indian spices, is its sheer ability to transport you to a different era and culture...

When grief becomes overwhelming (Part 5)

In the last four weeks, I have been discussing different types of grief, especially when it gets complicated and turns destructive. The person becomes uncooperative and self-negligent, alienating loved ones. You saw how Chris saved herself and her family by becoming self-assertive just in time to regain her husband and their two children back after shutting herself in her own circle of sorrow and desperation and neglecting her health. Salim and Najla tackled their grief differently with acceptance of fate and prayer, which helped them pull through their loss in a healthy manner. Last week, I went through some of Dr. Daniel Amen’s recommendations like healthy nutrient-dense foods,...

Face mask can reduce coronavirus risk by 80%

Wearing a face mask can reduce the risk of being infected by the coronavirus by more than 80 percent, Dr. Hana Bakhash, a consultant in infectious diseases and viruses at Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital (DSFH) in Jeddah, told Arab News.“Residents are advised to maintain personal hygiene and wash their hands regularly, as well as avoid large crowds, especially at hospitals, commercial centers, malls and markets,” she said.Pharmacy owners have reported a boom in mask sales, with a 300-percent increase in a single week, indicating fear among locals that has only been exacerbated by rampant rumors on social networking sites.“I hardly used to sell any face masks in the past, but have sold more than...

OFFBEAT »

Yaroub Bashraheel: In search of peace ... underwater

You’ve heard of diving, snorkeling and other water activities, but rarely has anyone heard of free-diving. It...

Rani, Aditya secretly marry in Italy

MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Rani Mukherji and filmmaker Aditya Chopra secretly married in Italy on Monday. Yash Raj Films released a statement confirming the wedding, which was a ‘small and intimate affair’. “We are happy to announce that Mr. Aditya Chopra and Ms. Rani Mukherji got married last night on 21st April in Italy. The wedding was a very small intimate affair with very close family and friends,” said the statement. Though the couple never admitted to their relationship, Mukherji was always spotted along with the Chopra family in times of celebration and...

Traditional welcome for royals at Uluru

ULURU, Australia: Britain’s Prince William visited Australia’s Uluru on Tuesday, taking his wife Kate to the spectacular red monolith and evoking the visit by his parents Prince Charles and Diana in 1983.On arrival at Yulara airport after flying over the landmark formerly known as Ayers Rock, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were met by officials including traditional land owner Daisy Walkabout, who had also welcomed William’s parents.“We’re happy to meet them, like we were happy to meet (Charles and Diana) in the past,” Walkabout said.“They’ve traveled a lot and now they will come to see...