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King named Cultural Personality of the Year

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has been chosen for the Zayed Book Award’s Cultural Personality for 2014. The announcement was made by Ali bin Tamim, secretary-general of the award, during a press conference here on Saturday. The Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s Cultural Personality of the Year honors a prominent Arab or international figure (or organization) who has contributed to the advancement of the Arabic culture and promoted tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Ali said that the Award’s scientific committee and its board of trustees has decided that the prize for 2014 be awarded to King Abdullah in view of his numerous achievements over the decades. “King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz’s impressive achievements have been witnessed over the decades and he still contributes as generously as he has always done to the Arab and Islamic...

Attacks kill at least 15 people in Iraq

BAGHDAD: A series of attacks, including a coordinated assault on a private Shiite college in Baghdad...

At least 42 dead in Pakistan road accident

KARACHI: At least 42 people were killed and 17 wounded in southern Pakistan when a bus travelling to...

MERS strikes 13 more

Saudi Arabia confirmed 13 new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Sunday, adding up to 49 infections in six days, a sudden increase of a disease that kills about a third of the people infected and has no cure. The virus has infected 244 people in the Kingdom, of whom 75 have died, the Health Ministry said Sunday. However, Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeeah told reporters there was no scientific evidence...

Qaradawi tries to soothe Gulf rift

DOHA: A Qatar-based Islamic scholar whose fiery sermons strained ties between Doha and its neighbors sent a conciliatory message to countries he has criticized in an apparent attempt to help end a rift between the Gulf allies. Sheikh Yousuf Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born scholar, said all views expressed in his preaching were his own and not those of Qatar. “My personal position does not reflect the position of the Qa...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Photos bring back memories of Haj from a bygone era

French President Francois Hollande and Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah will open a Haj exhibition in Paris on Tuesday.King Abdul Aziz Library and t...

Female Saudi pilot flies high

A Saudi woman has become the first licensed female pilot in the Kingdom.Thirty-five-year-old Hanadi Al-Hindi, who had battled kidney problems, acquired licensing from the Jeddah-based General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to fly planes in Saudi Arabia.Al-Hindi, who wears a headscarf, has begun flying small and wide-bod...

Makkah intensifies traffic inspections...

The Makkah Traffic Police is intensifying inspections on weekends to control and streamline the increasing traffic owing to the surging number of pilgrims in the holy city and adopting strategic measures to curb driving violations with the aim to ensure road safety.In the latest move, the Traffic Police arrested 20 erring m...

Oman top destination for tourists from...

More than 17,000 Saudi tourists visited neighboring Oman last year, placing the country among leading destinations for the Kingdom’s residents.“The government aims to sustain this growth and achieve further market expansion by participating in travel fairs taking place in various parts of the Kingdom,” said Ghasi Humaid Al-...

MIDDLE EAST »

7 in fray to be Libya PM

TRIPOLI: The Libyan Parliament on Sunday began hearing seven candidates who are...

Peace our greatest weapon: Al-Sudais

There some individuals who misuse Islam to achieve personal goals and spread vio...

WORLD »

At least 42 dead in Pakistan road accident

KARACHI: At least 42 people were killed and 17 wounded in southern Pakistan when...

Abdullah Abdullah leads the race in Afghan election

KABUL: Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah leads the race to become Afghan...

ECONOMY »

Automakers unveil China-focused models in Beijing

BEIJING: Ford Motor Co. unveiled a new Escort sedan designed in China for global...

Pharmaceutical market of KSA estimated at SR13.5 billion

The volume of pharmaceutical market in the Kingdom is estimated at nearly SR13.5...

SPORTS »

Hamilton pulls three-peat at Chinese Grand Prix

SHANGHAI: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton captured his third straight Formula One race with ease on Sunday, leading from start to finish to win the Chinese Grand Prix. Me...

Rain or Shine gets critical win over...

Wayne Chism shot 30 points, had 15 rebounds and five blocks in a critical Rain or Shine win over Barangay Ginebra Sunday night, giving Yeng Guiao the last laugh on everyone who wanted to see him send his import home.“(Only) the team and myself were the ones not giving up on him,” Guiao said after a 105-101 overtime thriller...

Liverpool closes on title; Everton...

LONDON: Liverpool moved closer to a first league title since 1990 with a 3-2 win at Norwich City on Sunday that sent them five points clear in the Premier League.Quick-fire early goals from Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez put the visitors in control at Carrow Road, before Gary Hooper replied for fourth-bottom Norwich in the...

Sweet home success for Michelle Wie

KAPOLEI, Hwaii: American Michelle Wie won her first LPGA title since 2010 on Saturday, firing five-under par 67 for a two-shot victory in the Lotte Championship. Wie had six birdies, and not even a three-putt bogey at the final hole at her home course, Ko Olina, could dim her joy at her third career LPGA crown. “It...

OPINION »

Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi

AN turns 39

Today we are celebrating the 39th anniversary of Arab News, the first English-la...

Abdulateef Al-Mulhim

Arab News: A turning point for Saudi media

After the start of the Saudi economic boom in 1973, there was an influx of expat...

Seema Sengupta

Human rights versus commercial interests

British envoy to India Sir James Bevan’s politically significant decision to tra...

Muhammad Waqas

Musharraf case tests civil-military ties

Times change, people change but acrimony in some relationships seems to last for...

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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 »

Increase your productivity with RescueTi...

RescueTime is a software that helps increase your productivity by monitoring your activity on the computer and informing you when and how you're being productive or distracted.
The program is basically a small application (3.76MB) that you have to install locally on your computer. Whenever you would like to see statistics about your b...

NASA’s space station Robonaut...

Tracking posts on social media...

Flu can increase risk of autis...

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 »

Explore stunning Islamic architecture in...

The historic Bidar in the federal state of Karnataka in India now finds itself on the world map of heritage tourism as it figures in the 2014 World Monuments Watch list released by the World Monuments Fund (WMF), a New York-based NGO working for the protection of monuments. I was in Bidar last year especially to feel what a premier madrasa (reli...

Media convoy to capture Taif...

Visitors throng Taif for mild...

New surprises, more fun &...

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 »

Why is Amitabh Bachchan nervous?

Amitabh Bachchan ... apprehensive

MUMBAI: After delivering hits with R Balki, megastar Amitabh Bachchan has revealed that he still gets butterflies in the...

A royal baby’s day out

SYDNEY: Britain’s baby Prince George stepped out in public with his parents Sunday for the first time in Australia, for an encounter with wildlife at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.George, eight-months-old and third in line to the throne after grandfather Princes Charles and father William, stole the show as his parents toured the harborfront zoo overlooking the Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge.The royal family were at the zoo to visit an enclosure for bilbies and meet one of the rabbit-eared native marsupials who was named in George’s honor.Dressed in a blue striped shirt, blue shorts and black...

Michelle to make acting debut

LOS ANGELES: Michelle Obama is to make a cameo appearance on American musical drama series ‘Nashville’ next month. The First Lady, 50, will make a cameo appearance as herself in an upcoming episode of the ABC drama, which will air on May 7 and lead up to the season two finale, reported Ace Showbiz.The brunette beauty will appear alongside Connie Britton, whose character Rayna James persuades Obama to host a charity concert at Fort Campbell, after it is revealed character Luke Wheeler has been injured in Afghanistan. The mother of two, who appears to have no problem oozing confidence in front...