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RIYADH: The GCC bloc has agreed on the mechanisms to implement a security pact, marking a possible first step toward bridging deep rifts among its six member states.Qatar’s official news agency confirmed that Doha’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah took part in the GCC Foreign Ministers meeting held in Riyadh. The GCC statement was released just before midnight after the meeting concluded.It marked the foreign minister’s first visit to Saudi Arabia since the Kingdom, along with the UAE and Bahrain, withdrew its ambassadors from Qatar in an unprecedented public protest against Doha’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood group in the region.A statement said the GCC agreed on a “collective framework” in which the policies of the bloc’s member states “would not affect the interests, security and stability of its members and would not tamper with the sovereignty of any of its mem...

MERS kills Riyadh woman; teachers monitoring pupils

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus has claimed the life of a 55-year-old expatr...

Rival rejects 4th-term victory of Bouteflika

ALGIERS: Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika clinched a fourth term on Friday, despite his poor...

Makkah authorities brace for increased number of pilgrims

Makkah is bracing for the increased number of visitors and pilgrims in the holy month of Ramadan. Authorities including the Presidency of the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque, the Civil Defense, the Police Department, the Makkah Municipality, the Haj and Health ministries have begun strategic planning in their preparations to facilitate the visitors. There is expected to be a 15 percent increase in the number of pilgrims...

Female orphans studying abroad not exempt from ‘mahram’ rule

Latifa bint Sulaiman Abu Nayan, assistant undersecretary for family affairs at the Ministry of Social Affairs, has recently announced that orphan female students are not exempt from the need to have a male guardian (mahram) accompany them on scholarships abroad.She noted that a number of orphan female students are currently studying abroad, accompanied by their adoptive families or husbands.The assistant undersecretary’s...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Architecture students exhibit innovative house designs

Several female students at Dar Al-Hekma College showcased innovative house designs for affordable living at the institution's two-day architecture exhibition this week.Th...

Courts tackle 576 ‘khula’ cases in 5...

A total of 576 “khula” cases (where a wife asks her husband for divorce) have been reviewed by the courts in the Kingdom during the past five months of the current year. The Makkah region recorded the highest numbers of “khula” cases at 175, followed by the Eastern Province and Riyadh Region at 91 a...

Productivity low in private sector

A study carried out by the Ministry of Labor recently has revealed private sector employees in the nonoil sector have critically low productivity compared to countries such as China and India. The study looked at ways to help companies improve productivity, and increase the number of Saudis working in the private sector. T...

Haia official guilty of boarding bus...

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) has found one of its members guilty of boarding a bus transporting female students in Abha.Awad Al-Asmari, Haia spokesman for the Asir region, confirmed Friday that the man was a Haia member, and had boarded the bus on his own initiative.Al-Asmari said...

MIDDLE EAST »

Diplomat’s abductors want Tunisia to free jailed Libyans

TUNIS: Tunisia said Friday that the kidnappers of a Tunisian diplomat in Tripoli...

Iran bears no hostility to the world: Rowhani

TEHRAN: Iran has no intention of committing acts of aggression but retains the r...

WORLD »

Vietnam battles fatal measles outbreak

HANOI: Vietnam is scrambling to contain a deadly outbreak of measles that has ki...

Snowden defends phone-in with Putin

LONDON: Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden on Friday defended his de...

ECONOMY »

Ignition switch row: GM says recalled cars are safe

WASHINGTON: General Motors says that cars being recalled because of faulty ignit...

SABIC keen to raise Asia investments

Mohamed Al-Mady, SABIC vice chairman and CEO, interacted with Li Keqiang, premie...

SPORTS »

Nadal bows out; Djokovic rallies in Monte Carlo

PARIS: Rafael Nadal’s mastery of the Monte Carlo clay courts seems to be over.The top-ranked Spaniard hopes his confidence isn’t gone, too.Nadal lost to fellow Spaniard D...

Silencer 2, Sequoia, Jeddah United grab...

Silencer 2 moved within a win of a twice-to-beat advantage, Toyota-Sequoia guaranteed itself of a top two seed for the semifinals and Jeddah United gained the upper hand in the chase for two championship berths in the centerpiece Inter-Commercial Open Rated during the eventful Week 12 in the 2nd Nokia-Asha and 35th FBA seas...

Bank AlJazira notches double in Qatar...

Bank AlJazira had been playing consistent bowling of late and to win its second Team of the Week award is no longer surprising in the Qatar Airways-AFTBL 48th Open Conference bowling tournament at Jeddah Lanes here.The Bankers returned the 13th week top tally of 36 points, edging out Habagat (35) for the weekly honors.Jedda...

NCB, Yanabie, Grain Silos cagers triumph

NCB and Al Yanabie continued their campaign as they posted convincing victories against their opponents in the OFBL 4th Conference Inter-Company Bonafide Division and Inter-Company Non-rated at Timeout Sports Academy Gymnasium on Television St. , Ghulail District on the outskirts of Jeddah at the weekend.A strong second...

OPINION »

Harun Yahya

Another Cold War is out of question

Prior to the two great wars, the measure of a nation’s strength was the number o...

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed

GCC unity must to ensure prosperity

Most of the official news agencies in the Gulf region released a vague report ab...

Shiraz Hasan

Inexplicable

The decision of India’s Election Commission to allow Amit Shah to canvass for vo...

Uri Avnery

Is it the end of a two-state solution?

The death of Ron Pundak, one of the original Israeli architects of the 1993 Oslo...

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ART & CULTURE »

Egyptian artist gives voice to Pakistani...

When artist Wael Shawky attended the 10th Sharjah Biennal in 2011 he became aware of something a little unsettling. This was the unintentional disconnect between the words being spoken by the art curators at the press conferences and a large part of the ‘community’ which the organizers declared it was their intention to reach. He not...

Alkhobar’s Al-Rashid Qaisariya...

Jeddah’s artworks amaze visito...

Arabic calligraphy flourishing...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Tracking posts on social media made easy

The Arab Developers Company for technology and Internet services revealed that it is now possible to operate a monitoring technology system that targets both traditional and social media in all its manifestations, positive or negative.
The technology will allow the classification and sorting out of all posts on social networking sites as p...

Flu can increase risk of autis...

‘Blood moon’ wows sky-watchers

Heartbleed Bug: Memorizing a n...

FASHION »

Skirt trunk show attracts Jeddah fashion...

In the latest event to rock J-town's fashion scene, 15 fashion designers came together with their collections of trendy skirts, especially designed for the trunk show held at Libra Boutique.
The event gathered 12 Saudi designers along with two Kuwaiti designers who were looking to test the Saudi market with their designs.
...

Shopaholism: Is it a disease?

Paraphernalia: Street-wear glo...

Cosmetic herbal recipes with a...

TRAVEL »

Heritage awareness campaign launched

The Saudi Society for Preservation of Heritage has stressed the role of the Kingdom’s heritage in shaping the Saudi identity.
"Heritage is a major factor in determining the identity of the nation. The Society attaches great importance to preserving the cultural heritage in all its diversity,’’ Executive Director of...

Explore stunning Islamic archi...

Media convoy to capture Taif...

Visitors throng Taif for mild...

FOOD & HEALTH »

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...

Baiz: Celebrating tradition, the modern way

Ehnaini cakes, burgers made with traditional Bahraini kebabs, and fries made with ancient aromatic spices are only some of the dishes you can enjoy at the Baiz coffee shop and restaurant in Alkhobar. Everything in the restaurant, from its name (Baiz is an old local term meaning a piece of cloth used to clean surfaces) to the dishes on the menu and the antique interior design uniquely blended with modernity, end up giving a feel of the traditions of the Eastern Province. Eman Al-Bagawi is the co-founder of the restaurant together with her cousin Fai Al-Shammari. She is a marketing graduate whose study has helped her market her project, especially through Instagram and Twitter. She then...

Ohio clinic plans ultra-modern health center in Abu Dhabi

The late United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan traveled 7,000 miles to get there for his kidney transplant. For decades the Cleveland Clinic has provided health care to the upper echelons of Middle Eastern society who fly halfway across the world for treatment at the Ohio-based private medical center. Soon, they can skip the trip. Early next year the Cleveland Clinic plans to open an ultra-modern, 364-bed specialty hospital on Al-Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi, one of the most ambitious forays into the oil-rich country by a US health care brand. The expansion comes as the Cleveland Clinic slashes hundreds of millions of dollars off its US operations to prepare for...

OFFBEAT »

World leaders, writers pay tribute to Garcia Marquez

Colombian Nobel Literature laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. (AP)

MEXICO CITY: Presidents, writers and celebrities paid tribute Friday to Nobel-winning Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Ma...

Tampa gears up for top Indian film award show

TAMPA, Florida: “Busy” is an understatement, when it comes to staff from the International Indian Film Academy or IIFA. Many have been in Tampa Bay for months preparing for next week’s celebration of Indian film. “Now is when it all comes together,” says IIFA Vice President Noreen Khan. “Stages are being built at Raymond James Stadium and the amphitheater. It’s really all systems go.” One of the main Bollywood events is free to the public. It’s called IIFA Stomp and it takes place Wednesday at Curtis Hixon Park. “IIFA Stomp is like...

Renowned Pakistani chef loses fight against cancer

KARACHI: A prominent Pakistani television personality, chef Sara Riaz, passed away on Friday. Sara had been appearing in cooking shows on ARY Zauq, politely demonstrating the recipes for the audience and nobody expected her to be suffering from a fatal disease such as cancer. She was in critical condition since last week. Sara had over 20 years of cooking experience and was a well-respected food expert. Her career took off when she began contributing recipes to media outlets. Her easy to follow recipes and personal charisma soon made her a prominent member of the local culinary community....