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Makkah governor orders confiscation of fake Qur'an copi...

Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah, governor of Makkah province, has ordered the confiscation of "perverted" copies of the Qur’an that are being sold in some malls and markets in Jeddah. The governor has ordered the formation of a team to investigate and find out the origin of such fake copies and how they are being distributed, said the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).The team is to be composed of representatives of the district police; the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance Branch; the Ministry of Trade and Industry; and the Ministry of Culture and Information. Prince Mishaal’s directive was prompted by information reaching his office that reading materials lifted from the Qur’an, including distortions of the holy book, were being distributed or sold in a number of centers and commercial markets at attractive prices and coated with a variety of colors.Some of the materials pr...

Mudslide swallows Indian village; at least 41 dead

MALIN, India: Rescuers using earth-moving equipment and their bare hands dug through heavy mud and d...

21 defiant bathers drown off Pakistan beaches

KARACHI: At least 21 bathers have drowned in rough seas off Pakistan’s biggest city Karachi, officia...

Facebook unveils free Internet app, starting in Zambia

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 unaffordable, Facebook said.“Over 85 percent of the world’s population lives in areas with exis...

World's Ebola death toll now at 729; Sierra Leone decla...

GENEVA: Fifty-seven more deaths from the Ebola epidemic spreading alarm in west Africa have pushed the overall fatality toll from the outbreak to 729, the World Health Organization said Thursday.The 57 deaths were recorded between Thursday and Sunday last week in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, the UN health agency said in a statement.It added that 122 new cases were detected over the four days, taking the tota...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Belt blues: Thousands fly out without luggage from Jeddah a...

A conveyor belt at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) crashed under the influx of baggage on the first day of Eid, resulting in thousands of passengers having to travel without their luggage.Operations were largely back to normal by Wednesday amid a frenzy of travelers leaving the...

No decline seen in camaraderie among neighbors during Eid

There is the age-old practice in cities and villages of taking meals to the nearest neighborhoods on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr. Men of the neighborhood meet with each other and exchange Eid greetings soon after the Eid prayers and they together share the meals.This social tradition still exists despite the many factors t...

UNWTO lauds Saudi law to protect heritage

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...

Kashmiri leader wants OIC to make more efforts

Overseas Kashmiris, including those in the Kingdom, are concerned about the future of Kashmir, following Hindu right-wing leader Narendra Modi becoming the prime minister of India, says former Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sultan Mahmoud Choudary. “The new Indian premier is trying to dilute the issue by ignoring all internati...

KFIP gets world’s largest desal equipment

The King Fahd Industrial Port (KFIP) in Yanbu Tuesday received Korean ship Dongbang Jiant 3, which is carrying the world’s largest water desalination equipment to be installed at the water desalination plant in Yanbu.The Yanbu plant along the same coast produces about 124 million cubic meters of water, and supplies it to Ma...

Stranded Indian family marks end of ordeal with Eid in Hyderabad

The ordeal of a stranded Indian family from Hyderabad finally came to an end with the climax being the wishful Eid Al-Fitr celebration with family and friends at home as they departed from King Khaled International Airport, Riyadh to India, celebrating the festival on Tuesday.The Saudi government, the Indian Embassy in Riya...

Indian Eid program toned down in solidarity with Gazans

An extensive yearly Indian community Eid program was reduced to a simple get-together ceremony on Monday night in solidarity with the victims of Gaza.Indian expatriates condemned the ongoing Israeli attacks on innocent civilians, including women and children.Organizers cited the assertion made by United Nations High Commiss...

Wife of BIS official dies in road crash

The wife of a member of the governing board at the Bangladesh International School (BIS) in Jeddah was killed in a road accident on Tuesday, the second day of Eid Al-Fitr.Nasima Jahan Silpi was the wife of Amir Firoz, a board member at the school’s English section.Five other members of the same family were injured in the in...

Overseas Saudi students find celebrating Eid away from family lacks flavor

Students studying abroad have shared their experience with spending Eid Al-Fitr on foreign soil. They say celebrating the festival away from their families lacks flavor. They are however mindful that they are required to be abroad due to their studies.They say they rely on social networks and other Internet services to conn...

Scholarship student set to be cleared in harassment case

Another Saudi is embroiled in a legal scandal merely 20 days after an American judge in Los Angeles acquitted a Saudi student of false charges of assault and battery made by a German woman and her lawyers.Judge Calvin Holden has dismissed charges of kidnap, assault and battery against the student, on scholarship at a univer...

Police officer stabbed to death in dawn attack

A Saudi police officer in Riyadh was stabbed to death by an unknown assailant on his way to the mosque to perform the morning prayers on the first day of Eid.Col. Fawaz Al-Meiman, Riyadh police spokesman, refused to disclose any details into the incident. “Investigative authorities have stipulated that we don’t divulge any...

Ukrainian Embassy: Russian-backed groups behind MH17 crash

The Ukrainian Embassy in Riyadh has blamed Russian-backed terrorist groups for downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 17. Volodymyr Plachynda, chargé d’affaires at the Ukraine Embassy, told Arab News that the Ukraine government is highly concerned about subsequent spats resulting from the incident.Major international...

Sharif eyes Saudi investment

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has suggested that Saudi corporates and the private sector invest in his country’s power industry.“They can set up coal-fired power stations in Pakistan,” he said during an informal meeting with journalists at his Jeddah residence on Tuesday.“We now have a stable economy and we are offe...

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MIDDLE EAST »

Former Palestinian midfielder killed in Israeli shelling

GAZA, Palestinian Territories: Ahed Zaqout, a former Palestinian national team p...

Turkish women ‘laugh’ off leader’s remarks

ISTANBUL: Hundreds of Turkish women posted pictures of themselves laughing on Tw...

World stands ‘disgraced’: 16 die as Israel shells UN school

SAN JOSE: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned an Israeli strike on a Gaza...

Gaza toll passes 1,300 on day 23 of Israeli assault

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: At least 76 people died in Israeli strikes a...

Iraqi Shiite militia executes, hangs 15 by electricity poles

BAGHDAD: Shiite militia forces executed 15 Sunnis and then hung them by electric...

WORLD »

Bolivia declares Israel a terrorist state

LA PAZ: Bolivia on Wednesday renounced a visa exemption agreement with Israel in...

WHO advises no flight restrictions, low risk from Ebola: IATA

GENEVA: The World Health Organization is not recommending travel restrictions or...

Philippines to ferry workers from Libya after beheading, rape

MANILA: The Philippines dispatched its foreign minister on Thursday to oversee t...

France mulls ban on radical Jewish group

PARIS: France is mulling disbanding a radical Jewish group whose members clashed...

Sonia Gandhi turned down India PM job ‘after Rahul plea’

NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhi’s shock decision not to take over as India’s prime minis...

SPORTS »

Serena on song in WTA return at Stanford

STANFORD, California: Serena Williams put a worrying Wimbledon behind her Wednes...

Berdych, Raonic triumph, Isner falls at Washington

WASHINGTON: Czech top seed Tomas Berdych and Wimbledon semifinalist Milos Raonic...

Female athletes deserve more attention

A couple of news stories have me wondering about women’s sports.The Tour de Fran...

Dodgers beat Braves 3-2 for 5th straight win

LOS ANGELES: Matt Kemp singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inni...

RGCF survives Abana scare; PCB Bulldogs, Rawabi, Tuwairqi beat r...

Unheralded Joelano Bayuta preserved Joab Paglinawan and Raffy Salandino’s big ga...

ECONOMY »

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 Unit...

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...

Smartphone management flaws puts users at risk, researchers say

VIENNA: Security researchers have revealed two separate threats this week they say could put up to 90 percent of the world’s 2 billion plus smartphones at risk of password theft, stolen data and in some cases let hackers take full control of devices.One vulnerability involves flaws in the way scores of manufacturers of Appl...

Shell quarterly profit beats forecasts despite impairments

LONDON: Royal Dutch Shell Plc reported a 33 percent increase in quarterly earnings, beating analyst forecasts despite impairments of almost $2 billion after producing more liquids and selling at higher prices.The Anglo-Dutch oil company also raised its quarterly dividend and said the value of its share buybacks and dividend...

Japan electronics giants on profit path

TOKYO: Sony and Panasonic have posted quarterly profits as the pair try to put years of losses behind them, but analysts warned that the firms still had work to do in overhauling their bloated businesses.Japan’s electronics sector has been battered by fierce competition from lower-cost rivals, a shrinking domestic market an...

Toshiba Q1 net profit surges 68.7%

TOKYO: Toshiba said its first-quarter net profit climbed 68.7 percent due to brisk sales in infrastructure business and PCs in Japan.In the three-month period to June, Toshiba posted a net profit of 8.9 billion yen ($87 million), a 68.7 percent jump from a year earlier.Operating profit surged 57.1 percent to 39.5 billion ye...

Samsung posts 19.6% fall in Q2 net profit

SEOUL: Samsung said net profit plunged almost 20 percent in the second quarter as competition from cheap Chinese phones and the strong won saw sales slump in its key mobile business.The South Korean electronics giant said net profit came in at 6.25 trillion won ($6.1 billion), down 19.6 percent in the first on-year decline...

Amazon to invest $2bn to expand in India

MUMBAI: The world’s largest online retailer is facing off in India against a new name in e-commerce that was founded by former Amazon employees.Amazon.com Inc. said it will invest $2 billion to expand its Indian business, a day after local rival Flipkart raised $1 billion to fund its own expansion.Launched last year, Amazon...

Mobily Wajid offers free lines to family members

Mobily continues to provide its extraordinary offer to the new subscribers of Wajid that provides discounts and privileges to all family members.The new Wajid Extra and Plus subscribers can enjoy a discount up to 50 percent on the subscription fees of the first month, in addition to the free additional lines it offers; thre...

Twitter surges on user growth figures

NEW YORK: Twitter shares surged in morning trade after the messaging platform eased investor concerns with a quarterly report showing strong user growth and robust revenues.In the first half hour of trading, Twitter rallied 20 percent to $46.15, the highest levels since March.The company’s shares were up 27 percent at $48.9...

US crude inventories fall more than forecast

NEW YORK: US crude stocks fell more than forecast last week, while gasoline and distillate inventories rose less than expected, the Energy Information Administration reported.Crude inventories fell 3.7 million barrels in the last week, compared with analysts’ expectations for a decrease of 1.5 million barrels.Crude stocks a...

Osram cuts 7,800 jobs as sales of traditional bulb drop faster

MUNICH: Osram AG, the world’s second-biggest lighting company, will cut an additional 7,800 jobs to safeguard earnings amid a faster-than-expected decline in sales of traditional bulbs.The layoffs will help Osram save 260 million euros ($349 million) in annual costs through 2017, the Munich-based company said in a statement...

OPINION »

Rajeev Sharma

US chasing India opportunity

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds its first strategic dialogue w...

Salahuddin Haider

Is Sharif facing real challenges?

Will Aug. 14 bring hope or despair for Nawaz Sharif? Different viewpoints are be...

Gene Frieda

China’s bad dream

Since his first address as China’s president last year, Xi Jinping has been espo...

Novi Anggriani

A bright future for Indonesia

On July 22, 2014, Joko Widodo was declared the winner of Indonesia’s presidentia...

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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 »

Hermes names new womenswear designer

PARIS: French luxury powerhouse Hermes has named Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski as their new womenswear designer.
The low-profile, 36-year-old French designer will replace Christophe Lemaire, whose departure was announced earlier this week and who will take his final bow in October.
Though Vanhee-Cybulski is not a big name, she was previously...

Eid gift ideas for the loved o...

Mishael Al-Rajhi designs for s...

Saudi women look to mesotherap...

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 »

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...

Inside Loulou’s Kitchen

Louloua Elazzah is an ambitious and enthusiastic Saudi chef who lives between Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Greece with 19 years of experience in the field of culinary arts.Elazzah created a cooking academy called Loulou’s Kitchen that offers special cooking classes as well as basics in kitchen management.The ability to recognize different cultures and traditions of people through cooking is what first attracted Elazzah to cooking. Even though, she has a passion for Asian cuisine, she considers herself as an international cook who gets creative with globally celebrated cuisine.Arab News met with Elazzah to talk about her cooking classes, her passion for food and future plans. You give cooking...

OFFBEAT »

Renowned British band dedicates Midde East gig to Gaza child...

BYBLOS, Lebanon: Influential British band Massive Attack dedicated their only Middle East gig to the children of Gaza, o...

Pulitzer-winning novel to hit big screen

LOS ANGELES: Donna Tarrt’s acclaimed novel “The Goldfinch” could be set for the big screen after Warner Bros. snapped up the film rights to the Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller, it was confirmed Tuesday.A tale of survival, “The Goldfinch” charts a decade in the life of its 13-year old protagonist, whose mother is killed in an act of terrorism at the New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.Paul Mcguire, a spokesman for Warners Bros., said no decision has been made as to who will write the screenplay or produce the film.A release date also has not yet to be determined, he said.Tartt has a cult...

‘Jazz comes easier vs. pop’

NEW YORK: Lady Gaga is a bonafide pop star, but the singer says recording jazz music was easier than pop.Gaga has spent two years recording an album of jazz standards with Tony Bennett called “Cheek to Cheek,” to be released this fall.“You know, it’s funny, but jazz comes a little more comfortable for me than pop music, than R&B music,” Gaga said in an interview recently. “I’ve sang jazz since I was 13 years old, which is kind of like my little secret that Tony found out. So this is almost easier for me than anything else.”Gaga made the comments with Bennett by her side ahead of the duo’s...