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MUSCAT: Oman opposes upgrading the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to a union of six nations, Muscat’s foreign minister said on Saturday. The union issue is on the agenda of the GCC summit to be held on Tuesday in Kuwait. “We are against a union,” Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi said at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. The annual forum on security is also being attended by senior world officials including British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel. Alawi was speaking after Saudi Assistant Foreign Minister Nizar Madani in a speech called on Gulf states to unify against dangers in the region. “We will not prevent a union, but if it happens we will not be part of it,” Alawi told AFP on the sidelines of the gathering. If the five other GCC members — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar...

Qatar demands GCC inclusion in Iran talks

MANAMA: Gulf Arab states must have a seat at nuclear talks between world powers and neighboring Iran...

Saudis hold 70% of private GCC jobs

A recent survey conducted by the information center of GCC states has revealed that Saudis hold 70 p...

King Abdullah unifies Arabs

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah tops the list of personalities who have succeeded in uniting the Arab people, according to a survey conducted by the Organization of Arab People and Parliaments. This is not the first time King Abdullah has topped the list of Arab political personalities.In 2013 King Abdullah was chosen the most influential personality of the year by Forbes Magazine.Lt. Gen. Abdulfattah Al-S...

Umrah visa cut to reduce congestion

Saudi Arabia announced Saturday its decision to reduce the number of foreign pilgrims arriving for Umrah during the peak Ramadan season to ensure their number would not exceed 500,000 a day in Makkah and Madinah.Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar also announced that the issuance of Umrah visas would be stopped by mid-Ramadan. Both measures are aimed at reducing congestion at the Grand Mosque in Makkah where expansion work is in p...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Departure of thousands of illegal expats seen lowering house...

Houses are now available for rent in various districts with vacancies of residential accommodation caused by the departure of thousands of expatriates, according to real...

MoH jobs not done by Saudis are...

Health Ministry spokesman Khalid Al-Mirghalani recently announced that health sector job positions filled currently by non-Saudis are to be deemed vacant until they are occupied by Saudis.“This is the standard rule by which the ministry is operating; priority will always be given to Saudi citizens,” he emphasized.The Health...

Gas station workers get two years to...

The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has moved to grant fuel stations and car service centers a two-year grace period to correct their employees’ status in line with the new regulations.The ministry said in a report that six ministries will oversee the work of status correction and monitor its compliance with the rul...

Saudi woman wins global business award

A Saudi woman has won one of the top positions for business inventions in a recent global contest held in Copenhagen, Denmark.Lutfiya Al-Waalan was in 5th position in the final round along with contestants from Croatia, Germany, Denmark and Italy.She also won the first position in the contest for business inventions conduct...

MIDDLE EAST »

Rowhani defends nuclear deal

TEHRAN: Iran’s president defended an interim nuclear deal that eases some...

Bashir announces Sudan vice president resignation -state media

KHARTOUM: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir has announced the resignation of Fir...

WORLD »

Mandela memorial one of largest in generations

JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela’s memorial on Tuesday at Johannesburg’s...

Japan, Philippines alarmed by China’s new air zone

MANILA: Japan’s defense minister said Saturday that China’s recently...

ECONOMY »

$1 trillion WTO deal: Saudi exporters to reap benefits

Saudi Arabia has welcomed the $1 trillion WTO agreement in Bali, saying it would...

KSA bank credits to grow 15% in 2014

Bank credits destined for the private sector are poised to grow by 15.3 percent...

SPORTS »

United, Chelsea beaten; Liverpool climbs to 2nd

LONDON: Manchester United crashed to a second home Premier League defeat in four days when they lost 1-0 to Newcastle United on Saturday while Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea suf...

Johnson's magnificent 7 helps...

ADELAIDE: Mitchell Johnson tormented England by taking seven wickets with some fearsome fast bowling on Saturday and Australia's batsmen compounded the pressure by extending the lead to 530 runs with two days remaining in the second Ashes Test.It was a hectic third day at the Adelaide Oval, with 12 wickets tumbling after En...

Thailand’s Phatlum wins Omega Dubai...

Pornanong Phatlum conjured a piece of magic on the closing hole to win the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters held under the patronage of Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai.The 24-year-old from Chaiyaphum, Thailand, drill...

Blazers breeze past Jazz 130-98

NEW YORK: When the team with the worst record in the NBA's Western Conference met up with the best, the result was exactly what one might expect.Guard Wesley Matthews scored 24 points, guard Damian Lillard chipped in 21 points, all in the first half, and forward LaMarcus Aldridge collected 20 points and 15 rebounds in Portl...

OPINION »

Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg

Will Gulf investment return to Egypt?

I write this week from Cairo, where the Egypt-Gulf Investment Forum was held to...

Saeed Naqvi

Why should rape cases be treated differently?

State election results have taken Tarun Tejpal off prime time shows and the fron...

BIKRAM VOHRA

Invictus down but the legacy lives

I had the privilege of meeting Nelson Mandela in an elevator in Cape Town when a...

Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan

Why do they hate us?

Referring to foreigners, a Saudi journalist recently wrote an article for a lead...

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ART & CULTURE »

Traditional art and craft decline worrie...

The centuries-old Khan El-Khalili market is one of the few places in modernizing Cairo that retains the atmosphere of a by-gone era, but its artisans warn their crafts are slowly dying.
They blame slumping tourism and a lack of interest among young people in learning traditional trades.
Dating back to 1382, the souk in the Old Cairo...

Saudi artists display unique s...

Abu Dhabi Art celebrates creat...

Call of culture — in quest of...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Men and women’s brains are wired differe...

Women aren’t very good at reading maps, and men are incapable of multi-tasking.
At first glance they might seem like a couple of hoary old stereotypes from the battle of the sexes. But are they?
A new study looking at the neural wiring of the male and female brain has concluded that there may be some truth to commonly held beliefs abou...

First Russian smartphone, Yota...

China space launch debris wrec...

Saudis got talent

FASHION »

Ski fashion: Rainbow of color headed dow...

NEW YORK: Bright is the new black when it comes to colors and styles for snow bunnies to look their best on the slopes.
The move to color in winter-sport outerwear follows a trend seen in clothing for other active pursuits, such as running, rock climbing and cycling.
Part of the color revolution is driven by safety since it’s easier to...

Ajrak: A symbol of Sindhi cult...

Qumar14: Chic kaftans

US-based Lebanese designer to...

TRAVEL »

SCTA sees surge in home tourism

Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), has said that the tourism sector continues to receive the full support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman.
During the SCTA’s annual meeting at the Diplomatic Quarters in the Saudi capital recently, Prince S...

SCTA: Tourism key to Saudi gro...

Lisbon — edge of Europe

Return of Philippine Airlines...

FOOD & HEALTH »

Early detection crucial in breast cancer screening

Riyadh Gov. Prince Khalid bin Bandar commended the efforts of Zahra Breast Cancer Association for raising awareness among Saudi women on the importance of early detection and screening of breast cancer. Addressing the participants of the campaign’s award ceremony, Princess Haifa bint Faisal, chairwoman of the association, said, “Women are a vital part of society. We targeted 20 cities within the Kingdom to reach the largest possible number of women with the help of government and private sectors in a united effort to fight cancer and support those affected by breast cancer.” Zahra Breast Cancer Association honored the sponsors who supported the campaign entitled “...

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...

OFFBEAT »

Fawcett portrait worth $12 million, expert tells jury

Singer Miley Cyrus performs during KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball concert at the Staples Center in Los Angele...

LOS ANGELES: An Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett currently held by actor Ryan O’Neal is worth an estimated $...

Television series are a new academic mainstay

Television series, once considered too low-brow to be worthy of academic study, have become a mainstay of university curricula and frequent fodder for critical analysis. Academics delve into TV series not only for their artistic merit but also for their sociological or historic value, often comparing them to literary standards such as Shakespeare or Dickens. “Intellectuals scorned TV series for around 40 years,” said French writer and philosopher Tristan Garcia. “And suddenly, with quality television in the United States and the emergence of cable in the 1990s, there was a...

Transport intersects with art in Naples metro stations

Commuting has never been so arty — taking the metro in Naples is an increasingly cultural experience with its ever-expanding network of “art stations” created by international designers. For the price of a 1.3 euro ($1.8) metro ticket, tourists and locals have access to 16 stations filled with 200 colorful works of art — including sculptures, murals, mosaics and floor decorations. Beneath the smog-filled streets and faded beauty of this bustling southern Italian city, officials boast of “an underground contemporary art museum” complementing the city...