Oman says no to union of Gulf states
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 — decide to form a union, “we will simply withdraw”...
Hagel outlines new weapons sale plan for Gulf
MANAMA, Bahrain: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel opened the door for the US to sell missile defense...
Air traffic glitch sparks big air delays in UK
LONDON: Flights are being delayed at Britain’s busiest airports because of a technical problem...
South Africa prepares to welcome world leaders
JOHANNESBURG: South Africa readied itself for the arrival of a flood of world leaders for the funeral and memorial services for Nelson Mandela as thousands of mourners continued to flock to sites around the country Saturday to pay homage to the freedom struggle icon. At Mandela’s house in the Johannesburg neighborhood of Houghton, more than 100 people, black and white, gathered in the morning where they sang libera...
Jordan elected to UN Security Council
NEW YORK: The 193-member UN General Assembly has elected Jordan to the UN Security Council to replace Saudi Arabia, which rejected its two-year term in protest at the council’s failure to end the war in Syria and act on other Middle East issues. Saudi Arabia was elected in October to join the 15-member council from Jan. 1, but in an unprecedented move Riyadh declined the role a day after the vote. While unopposed...

SAUDI ARABIA »

SR500m water storage plan springs hope for Jeddawis
The National Water Company (NWC) is set to launch the first of the six Strategic Water Storage Projects in Jeddah during the second quarter of 2014 at a cost of SR500 mil...
Ethiopia OKs 361 Saudi investment...
Ethiopian ambassador Mohammad Kabeera said his country has approved more than 361 investment projects to Saudi Arabia mainly in the agricultural sector. The envoy said that Saudi Arabia comes at the forefront of the GCC countries investing in Ethiopia, one among several African nations that have been targeted by Custodian...
Beauticians want work permits without...
Faced with shortage of beauticians, salon owners and beauticians alike have urged the Ministry of Labor to consider their case on par with school teachers in the Kingdom by giving them work permits without having to transfer their sponsorship. The request comes in the wake of the ministry directing several small beauty sal...
MoL weighs seasonal farm visas
The Ministry of Labor (MoL) is considering granting the agriculture sector special privileges by allowing farmers to have seasonal visas to recruit workers. The move is aimed at overcoming problems faced by the sector in the wake of the crackdown by the authorities on undocumented workers. Once the proposal is cleared, agr...

MIDDLE EAST »

Egypt court cuts sentences against Islamist women

CAIRO: An Egyptian appeals court reduced Saturday harsh prison sentences given t...
Hagel: US committed to regional security

MANAMA: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel toured an anti-mine warfare ship in the...

WORLD »

Mandela dies with rainbow nation dream... still work in progress

JOHANNESBURG: In his first speech as president, Nelson Mandela spelled out a vis...
South Africa stops for Mandela’s transition

JOHANNESBURG: As flags were lowered to half mast, people across South Africa com...

ECONOMY »

Arab Thought Foundation sets up strategy to create 80 million jobs

The Arab Thought Foundation (ATF) concluded its annual conference (FIKR12) in Du...
ICD partners with PIF and PIB to launch Ijara company in Palestine

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) announce...

SPORTS »

Bach says India could be kicked out of Olympics
LAUSANNE, Switzerland: India faces the ultimate sanction of being kicked out of the Olympic movement unless it keeps corruption-tainted officials out of its ranks, IOC Pr...
Johnson takes magnificent seven to scar...
ADELAIDE: Wrecking ball Mitchell Johnson laid further scars on England’s battered psyche with a stunning seven-wicket haul that skittled the tourists for 172 and put Australia in complete control of the second Ashes test after the third day on Saturday. The red-hot Queenslander unleashed a withering spell of pace bow...
Sports world salutes Mandela
When it came to sport, Nelson Mandela had the ability to inspire even inspirational figures and leave global stars completely star-struck. The anti-apartheid leader, former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner died on Thursday at the age of 95, prompting a vast outpouring of tributes from the world’s...
Dominant Donaldson not put off by freak...
SUN CITY, South Africa: A freak penalty stroke did little to deter Welshman Jamie Donaldson as he posted a second-round 66 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Friday to top the leaderboard with an 11-under-par total of 133. A storming outward 31, including five birdies, gave Donaldson a three-stroke halfway lead at the Gary P...

OPINION »

Uri Avnery
Israel’s endless ‘security’ worries
So here comes John Kerry again, for the umpteenth time (but who is counting?) to...
Nilofar Suhrawardy
Tehelka scandal renews debate on gender crimes
Had Tarun Tejpal not been the founder of Tehelka magazine, the sexual scandal in...
Elsa Franco Al Ghaslan
Creative Thinking: No ‘ID’ needed
Let us now observe another attitude that is possibly less detectable at a superf...
JULIAN SAVULESCO
A failing regime?
Imagine you are training for February’s Sochi Winter Games when you sustain an i...

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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...
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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
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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...

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TRAVEL »

SCTA: Tourism key to Saudi growth

Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) said that the majority of the foreigners visit Kingdom for religious purposes and tourism, and only about 20 percent of them come here for business.
Tariq Al-Essa, business tourism project manager at the SCTA, said: “The government is keen to position Saudi Arabia as a substantial meetings...
Lisbon — edge of Europe
Return of Philippine Airlines...
Havana — lots of colors, littl...
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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 »

Young American singer enthralls Arab music fans
Jennifer Grout
ZOUK MOSBEH, Lebanon: Young American Jennifer Grout doesn’t speak a word of Arabic, but has taught herself to sing the A...
Workers try again to save whales in Florida park
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Florida: Wildlife workers are returning to Everglades National Park in Florida on Thursday to try leading 41 pilot whales out of dangerously shallow waters and back to the ocean where they belong.“We’re going to be cautiously optimistic on our way out,” said Liz Stratton, assistant stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “We don’t know what we’re going to find.” For now, the death count stands at 10. Six whales were found dead in the remote area on the park’s western edge, and four had to be euthanized. The whales were first...
Bollywood star faces new trial on homicide case
NEW DELHI: Indian movie star Salman Khan will face a fresh trial on a homicide charge for a fatal road accident more than 11 years ago.Police said that Khan drove his car into a group of people sleeping on a Mumbai sidewalk in September 2002, killing one and injuring four.The actor was on trial for a lesser offense of causing death by negligence, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. However, after a magistrate in Mumbai heard the evidence, he invoked the more serious charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the actor in February.Khan could face up to 10...

CLASSIFIEDS »

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HOUSE COOK (MALE/...
A Saudi family urgently required family/house cook (male/female) and one housemaid. Interested candi...
2013-12-05 17:16
MATRIMONIAL
Pakistani Sunni Muslim family settled in USA, living in KSA invite alliance for their daughter,19 yr...
2013-12-05 17:15
ANNOUNCEMENT
I, Mohamed Asim Mohamed Jabir Manna, Indian national, holding Passport No. E 6607446 issued at Riyad...
2013-12-05 17:09
MATRIMONIAL
Indian sunni muslim hyderabadi parent’s in Hyderabad invite alliance for their daughter age 21 years...
2013-12-05 17:00

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