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World silence over Israeli war crimes ‘inexcusable’

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said Friday that world silence over Israeli war crimes in the Gaza was inexcusable. “We see the blood of our brothers in Palestine being shed in collective massacres that have spared nobody,” the king said in a speech carried by the SPA. “These are war crimes against humanity.” He said it was all taking place under the eyes and ears of the international community that has stood indifferently watching events in the whole region. “The international community is watching silently with all its institutions and organizations, including human rights groups. This community is silently observing the events in the region and is indifferent to them, as if what is happening doesn’t concern it,” said King Abdullah. “This silence has no justification.” The king said such atrocities can only breed more violence. “Is the international community not aware...

Al-Maliki to blame for IS horror: Zebari

BAGHDAD: Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and his security officials are to blame for the rise of insur...

Truce farce: 62 killed in Gaza

GAZA CITY: Intensive Israeli shelling killed at least 62 people and wounded more than 350 in souther...

70 illegals escape through hole in jail wall; 25 rearrested

Around 70 Ethiopians escaped from a detention center in Riyadh.“We have arrested 25 of them and the security authorities are in hot pursuit of the remaining detainees,” said Capt. Abdullah Al-Harbi, general director of prisons.According to police, the detention centers are heavily monitored by surveillance cameras.Col. Fawaz Al-Maiman, official spokesman for Riyadh police, said that the detention facilities are subjected...

Ebola out of control, says WHO

CONAKRY: The World Health Organization warned west Africa’s Ebola-hit nations on Friday that the epidemic was spiralling out of control and could spread to other countries, causing “catastrophic” loss of life and severe economic disruption.WHO chief Margaret Chan told the leaders of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia at a regional summit the response to the epidemic had been “woefully inadequate,” revealing that the outbrea...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Nitaqat created 255,000 jobs for nationals

The labor correctional campaign has resulted in a number of Saudis finding jobs.Announcing the positive results of the Nitaqat campaign, the Labor Ministry said: “Nearly 255,000 Saudis joined the private sector as a result of the freeing up of jobs.”With more than 1.4 million employed work force, Sa...

‘Eidna Kida’ an eye-opener for youngsters

The Jeddah heritage site has become the biggest Eid festival of 2014 with a daily turnout of more than 43,000 visitors. The four-day Eid festival “Eidna Kida” (we celebrate Eid like this) ran from Monday through Thursday.The biggest festival of Eid 2014 was organized by the Jeddah Municipality with the cooperation of the Je...

Telecom networks move with the times

The tradition of Eid greetings seems to have lost the personal touch as an increasing number of people, both Saudis and expatriates resort to using social media applications with Eid greetings on smartphones to reach friends and relatives.The advent of mobile phones in the Kingdom has led to greeting cards becoming obsolete...

Plans afoot to recycle slaughterhouse waste

A government source revealed Friday that the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs in collaboration with the public sector in the provinces’ mayoralties is moving to recycle waste from slaughterhouses in the interest of the economy and environment.The move comes at a time when an enormous amount of waste is being released...

Crowds throng Jeddah beach, several rescued from the sea

The festive spirit of Eid Al-Fitr continued through the weekend with a huge turnout of families at Jeddah’s waterfront as authorities intensified patrols and rescue operations to keep the crowds under control and to save holidaymakers from the dangers of the sea.Thousands of people from Jeddah and around the Kingdom converg...

Fireworks burn father, 4 children

One person was seriously injured and four people suffered mild burns during a firework display at Riyadh’s King Fahd International Stadium.“Three rescue teams were dispatched to the scene, where a man and his four children sustained burns, some serious, to various parts of their bodies due to fireworks,” said Ahmad Al-Enezi...

Temporary jobs flourish during holidays

The Ramadan and Eid holidays afforded ample opportunity to low-salaried employees to supplement their income by working temporary jobs.Abu Suleiman, a laborer at a construction company, decided to make some extra money by selling dates and mint leaves from the back of his pick-up truck during the month of Ramadan. “I make a...

Civil Defense to shut down unsafe arcades

The Civil Defense has pledged to close down entertainment centers that do not adhere to safety standards.Many of these centers are operating in full swing during the current Eid holidays.“Civil Defense teams constantly conduct ad hoc inspections on entertainment centers and parks to ensure they adhere to safety standards, e...

Saudia delays resumption of flights to Peshawar

The Saudi Arabian Airlines has decided to postpone the resumption of its flight operations at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar to Aug. 7.Speaking to Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Syed Latiful Haq of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), said the airline was scheduled to restart operations at the airport in Khyber...

Saudis spend SR5.4 billion on perfumes

The value of consumption of perfumes in the Gulf region throughout the year exceeded SR12 billion, with the Saudi market accounting for more than half — SR5.4 billion — throughout the year. In total, people in the Gulf region spend around SR45 billion on cosmetics, perfumes, oud and bukhoor, Makkah newspaper reported.Accord...

Thousands await kidney donors

More than 3,000 kidney patients were on the transplant waiting list at the end of 2013, while around 2,570 patients are set to undergo surgery, said Faisal Shaheen, an internal medicine and kidney consultant and director of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation.“A total of 7,360 patients are in the follow-up phase afte...

Jeddah records high number of violations at female workplaces

Jeddah has surpassed other cities in the number of violations reported against female workshops, with close to 3,000 violations recorded in one year. Municipalities in Riyadh and the Eastern Region reported 4,000 violations over three years.A spokesman for Jeddah Municipality stated that female inspection teams focus on sho...

Firefighters rescue two girls in apartment fire

Firefighters rescued two young girls who were trapped inside their apartment after a fire broke out in a five-story building in the Samer District in eastern Jeddah on Wednesday evening. “Two girls, who were trapped inside their room on the fourth floor, were crying loudly as they inhaled smoke and carbon dioxide,” said Col...

» Umrah season sees more visitors...

» Nazaha to probe local sports bodies

» Eid holidays help expats bond with...

» Highway tragedy: 2 women killed

» Fire guts restaurant in Riyadh

» Delhi confirms Saudi ban on import of...

» Palestinian expats call for support...

» Commercial building gutted in Jubail

» Bridge near KAIA to be removed in 2...

» No decline seen in camaraderie among...

» UNWTO lauds Saudi law to protect...

» Kashmiri leader wants OIC to make...

MIDDLE EAST »

Amid Palestinian slaughter, US Senate approves $225m for ‘Iron Dom...

WASHINGTON: With no pause in Zionist barbarity against Gaza’s citizens, the US S...

With nothing left to save, Gazans say war must go on

AL-BUREIJ, Palestinian Territories: After bombardment gutted his home in central...

Intensive shelling kills dozens in southern Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: A humanitarian truce in Gaza collapsed only...

Emirates suspends flights to Guinea over Ebola fears

DUBAI: Dubai's Emirates Airline is to suspend flights to Guinea, one of three Af...

At least 40 dead in Israeli shelling: Palestinian ministry

GAZA: Israeli shelling near the southern Gaza town of Rafah killed at least 40 p...

WORLD »

Kerry challenges India over WTO

NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State John Kerry told Narendra Modi that India’s stan...

New Indian Army chief warns Pakistan over ‘soldiers’ beheading’

NEW DELHI: The new Indian Army chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag on the first day of...

Nine more killed in fresh Xinjiang violence

BEIJING: Nine militants were shot dead and one captured in China’s restive far w...

Manila, rebels discuss Muslim self-rule bill

Manila: Philippine government and rebel negotiators began a new round of meeting...

25 dead in Taiwan gas pipeline blasts

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: Heavy machinery pulled vehicles from huge trenches gouged by...

SPORTS »

Pospisil dumps top seed Berdych; Raonic wins

WASHINGTON: Czech top seed Tomas Berdych was ousted from the ATP and WTA Washing...

India bags first athletics gold; Nigeria’s Amalaha fails dope tes...

GLASGOW: Vikas Gowda gave India its first athletics gold medal of the 20th Commo...

Williams topples Azarenka; Ivanovic has it easy

STANFORD, California: Venus Williams feels like the hometown girl when she plays...

Waratahs wary of Crusaders back row in Super final

SYDNEY: The New South Wales Waratahs will not be able to unleash their trademark...

Yogeshwar, Babita win wrestling golds for India

GLASGOW: Olympic bronze medalist Yogeshwar Dutt won the fifth wrestling gold med...

ECONOMY »

Construction giant reports boost from Saudi subways

MADRID: Spanish construction giant FCC, which is fighting its way out of heavy losses, said it expects a boost in revenues from the launch of contracts to build new subwa...

KSA crude prices to Asia may fall further

SINGAPORE: Saudi Arabia is expected to cut the official prices of crude it sells to Asia in September on a weaker Dubai market and poor refining margins, trade sources said.Flagship Arab Light crude could fall by 20-30 cents a barrel, down for a second straight month, a survey of five refiners and traders showed.Official se...

US auto sales growth slowed in July

DETROIT: US auto sales growth slowed a bit in July, with healthy gains from some manufacturers falling short of expectations, according to early returns from the major carmakers.Ford Motor Co. reported a gain of 10 percent to 212,236 vehicles, slightly beating the analysts’ average estimate of 9 percent. General Motors Co....

Indian factory output hits 17-month peak

NEW DELHI: Indian factory output surged to a 17-month peak in July, according to a key business survey Friday, fueling recovery hopes in Asia’s third-largest economy.But the HSBC Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), keenly watched as a harbinger of industrial expansion and overall economic health, also flagged inflation worrie...

ArcelorMittal reduces outlook on lower iron ore price

PARIS: Steel titan ArcelorMittal said it has reduced its outlook for 2014 because of a lower-than-expected iron ore price, even as it reported a return to profit in the second quarter of this year.The company, run by Indian magnate Lakshmi Mittal and based in Luxembourg, said it now expects 2014 EBITDA (earnings before inte...

British Airways owner IAG earnings up 55%

MADRID: British Airways owner International Airlines Group reported a 55 percent rise in second-quarter profit driven by a recovery at Spanish airline Iberia and signalled its confidence in the carrier with plans to renew its long-haul fleet.Iberia, which has undergone a deep restructuring to cut staff and costs, will start...

Sharp in the red, but on track for full-year profit

TOKYO: Sharp said it lost $17.4 million in the three months to June, but was still on track to book a full-year profit as it tries to move past years of record losses.The Osaka-based company’s results came a day after Sony and Panasonic reported profits in the latest quarter.The trio of firms ushered in huge restructuring p...

Adidas issues profit warning on Russia risks

BERLIN: Sports equipment maker Adidas has lowered its full-year profit target, citing among other things increasing risk in the Russian market amid mounting political tensions over Ukraine.Russia’s economy and currency have weakened this year due to uncertainty over the potential damage from Western sanctions. The US and Eu...

Alitalia fixes date for Etihad deal, raises capital hike

ROME: Italian airline Alitalia is due to clinch a tie-up deal with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad on Aug. 8, Italy’s transport minister said, in a deal Rome hopes will turn the loss-making flag carrier into a money spinner.Italy’s government is keen to sell a 49 percent stake in the Rome-based company to the Abu Dhabi airline and concl...

Mideast funds bullish on Kingdom, bearish on UAE

JEDDAH: Middle East funds are heavily bullish toward Saudi Arabian stocks after news the market will open to direct foreign investment, while they are bearish on the United Arab Emirates because of concern about high valuations.The latest Reuters survey of 15 leading investment managers, conducted over the past 10 days, sho...

Property developer DAMAC looks to list shares on Dubai bourse

DUBAI: Dubai luxury property developer DAMAC is offering investors the option of converting its Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), listed on the London bourse, into ordinary shares that would be listed on Dubai’s main stock market.Investors would get around 23.08 shares per GDR. They have until Sept. 2 to decide on the offe...

Italy's Eni posts 51-percent Q2 profit rise

MILAN: Italian energy giant Eni raised net profit by half in the second-quarter it reported, driven by a significant increase in cash flow from the renegotiation of long-term gas supply contracts.The company posted a net profit up 51.0 percent from the same time last year at 868 million euros ($1.16 billion), while net sale...

Exxon profit surges, but production slips

NEW YORK: Exxon Mobil Corp. net income rose 28 percent in the second quarter on a sale of Asian assets and higher oil prices, but oil and gas production slipped 6 percent, disappointing analysts.On Thursday, Exxon reported net income of $8.78 billion in the second quarter on revenue of $111.65 billion. Last year during the...

OPINION »

Harun Yahya

What has changed since Lausanne?

July 24 was the anniversary of the treaty that ended WWI for the Ottoman Empire....

Nilofar Suhrawardy

Indian secularism holds its ground

Indian Muslims are rightly apprehensive over a spate of communal incidents takin...

Bikram Vohra

The crippled pursuit of excellence

We all want excellence. That goes without saying. Give us the best, we won’t set...

Ban Ki-moon

New hope for Haiti

During a recent visit to the rural community of Los Palmas, Haiti, I had the opp...

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UNWRA spokesman breaks down sobbing on live...

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ART & CULTURE »

Al-Athr showcases abstract and geometry...

Jeddah’s Al-Athr Gallery is hosting the abstract and geometry inspired work of 40 local and international artists until Oct. 10.
The gallery opened its door in 2009 and has already displayed the work of some leading artists.
The theme of this exhibition is entitled “The Language of Human Consciousness,” and explores how artists over th...

Street art to serve society

Dana Eshki’s emotionally inspi...

Clash of two worlds: Calligraf...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Facebook unveils free Internet app, star...

NEW YORK: Facebook on Thursday unveiled an app to allow people around the world with mobile phones but no Internet access to access online services for health, education and basic communications.
The Internet.org app is being released first in Zambia, and is to be rolled out in other countries where Internet access is lacking or unaffordabl...

More mysterious craters found...

NASA rover breaks off-Earth di...

German scientist starts 4-week...

FASHION »

Saudis spend SR5.4 billion on perfumes

The value of consumption of perfumes in the Gulf region throughout the year exceeded SR12 billion, with the Saudi market accounting for more than half — SR5.4 billion — throughout the year. In total, people in the Gulf region spend around SR45 billion on cosmetics, perfumes, oud and bukhoor, Makkah newspaper reported.
According to Mohammed...

Hermes names new womenswear de...

Eid gift ideas for the loved o...

Mishael Al-Rajhi designs for s...

TRAVEL »

UNWTO lauds Saudi law to protect heritag...

The United Nation’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has applauded Saudi Arabia’s new monuments system, a legislation aimed at protecting national heritage and antiquities.
The Kingdom recently joined the selected league of countries to set up a system for the monuments and became one of the first Arab countries to set up a monuments syst...

4-day Eid festival planned

Balad takes on a festive mood...

Naxos island: A glimmer among...

FOOD & HEALTH »

Thousands await kidney donors

More than 3,000 kidney patients were on the transplant waiting list at the end of 2013, while around 2,570 patients are set to undergo surgery, said Faisal Shaheen, an internal medicine and kidney consultant and director of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation.“A total of 7,360 patients are in the follow-up phase after undergoing successful surgical procedures, of whom 2,500 are going for review at Health Ministry hospitals and 4,700 in government sector hospitals not affiliated with the ministry, while only a marginal 160 cases follow up on their surgical procedures privately,” he said. “There is an 11-percent mortality rate among kidney transplant patients,” said Shaheen.“There are...

E-cigarette ban sought: Decades of education against smoking...

A prominent professor at King Saud University (KSU) has called for a ban on the sale of e-cigarettes, especially to those under the age of 18.Sultan Ayoub Meo, a professor at the KSU’s College of Medicine, told Arab News on Friday that e-cigarette smoking should be regulated in the same way as traditional cigarettes. “Retail outlets, including pharmacies, must not be allowed to sell it to children and adolescents,” he said.E-cigarettes, which generate a vapor containing nicotine as a tobacco substitute, were initially released as a device to help smokers quit, but Meo fears “the huge rise in users could normalize smoking, and undo decades of anti-smoking education and campaigning.”He...

Study: Sleeping habits affect ethics

Do you consider yourself an ethical person? Chances are you answered “yes.” But new research suggests that our ability to act honestly in a given situation depends, in part, on the time of day. A study forthcoming in the journal Psychological Science finds that early-risers, or “larks,” are more likely to act dishonestly in the late evening hours. Night owls, on the other hand, exhibit a tendency toward ethical lapses early in the morning.Most of us are hard-wired to go to sleep and wake up at certain times of day. Some of us go to bed early to wake up early, while others prefer to stay up late and wake up late. Many of us fall somewhere in between. Researchers refer to this preference for...

OFFBEAT »

Whimsical TV movie is a massive hit on social media

WASHINGTON: Whimsical TV disaster movie “Sharknado 2” reeled in 3.9 million viewers, the Syfy specialty channel said rec...

‘Katy is a wonderful person!,’ says Obama

WASHINGTON: In what might be the ultimate seal of approval, Barack Obama hailed Katy Perry as a “wonderful person”, reported Daily Mail.The US President hosted the “Dark Horse” hit-maker at a White House dinner to honor the 46th anniversary of the Special Olympics and admitted he felt “grateful” she’d taken time out of her busy schedule to be there.Introducing her on stage, Obama said: “We have just one of my favorite people performing tonight — Katy Perry. We are so grateful to her.“Katy is just a wonderful person,” he added. “I’ve just met her mom and now I know why she is such a wonderful...

India hires ‘monkey men’ to combat macaque menace

NEW DELHI: India has hired a group of monkey impersonators to scare the real marauding animals away from Parliament and other key buildings in the nation’s capital, officials said recently.The “very talented” group of men has taken to wearing monkey masks, imitating their whoops and barks and hiding behind trees to ward off the aggressive animals, the head of the Delhi Municipality told AFP.Groups of monkeys roam freely around Delhi’s streets where they trash gardens, offices and even attack people in their search for food.Concerns about the monkey population were raised in Parliament where...