Home | Arab News

Partners in progress: King Salman, Obama to continue strateg...

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and US President Barack Obama pledged to work closely on a range of regional and international issues at a meeting on Tuesday, including terrorism, the Iranian nuclear talks and conflicts in neighboring states.In their first formal meeting, the talks focused broadly on counter-terrorism and regional stability with special reference to bilateral Saudi-US relations. Obama’s meeting with King Salman comes just days after the death of King Abdullah, who was buried on Friday.The White House said the main reason for Obama’s trip was to pay his respects to the country that has been a key ally in the region. Obama had arrived with his wife Michelle, accompanied by a delegation of about 30 members. During his four-hour stop in Riyadh, Obama also attended a dinner with Saudi officials at Erga Palace.A member of the delegation said the trip was an oppor...

Airlines halt Baghdad flights after gunfire hits plane

DUBAI: Several airlines have suspended flights to Baghdad after a passenger plane arriving from the...

Obama visit to boost relations

The landmark visit of US President Barack Obama to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, cutting short his offici...

KSA investing billions of riyals in shale projects

American shale oil production is important for the world’s long-term energy future and Saudi Aramco has marked an additional $7 billion (SR26.25 billion) for its own shale projects, said its President and CEO Khalid Al-Falih.Aramco has already invested $3 billion (SR11.25 billion) in developing its unconventional gas resources and has earmarked an additional $7 billion, he told the Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh.“...

4% petchem surge spurs Saudi market

The smooth transition in Saudi Arabia with Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman ascending the throne is expected to have a positive impact on the local stock market in the coming weeks, say Saudi economists.The market has perceived the recent developments in a positive light, they said.“The pledge of allegiance by the royal family and other Saudi citizens to King Salman has given the Saudi economy huge confidence tha...

SAUDI ARABIA »

Fatwa allows citizens to pledge allegiance via social websit...

A member of the Council of Senior Scholars said pledging allegiance to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman through social networking websites is allowed, especially since the monarch is the first Saudi king to have a Twitter account.Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manie, a member of the council, said t...

Mawhiba leads the way for the youth

The late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah gave a boost to the education sector when he launched the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity “Mawhiba” in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.The late king believed that education was the way forward for his people and...

Customs intensifies bomb and drug checks

Saudi Customs has increased inspections at all the country’s entry points to counter the smuggling into the country of explosives, drugs, radioactive material and other contraband.Customs officers are using hi-tech equipment and 452 specially trained sniffer dogs to help them during inspections, according to a report publis...

Skills drive needed to boost Saudi work force

Labor Minister Adel Fakeih has reiterated the need to develop the skills of local manpower to reduce the Kingdom’s dependence on more than 10 million expatriate workers.One of Saudi Arabia’s most pressing issues is to develop the skills of its young citizens, he said.The minister made these comments during a panel session a...

KSA’s education strategy geared toward sustainable development

Education Minister Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said that the Kingdom has launched an ambitious national strategy to achieve sustainable development at all levels through integrated education.In a keynote speech made at the GCF 2015 which concluded here on Tuesday, Prince Faisal said that it is imperative that states should draw...

Fund to help Kingdom’s enterprising women soon

Deen Al-Manahil, a Riyadh-based organization, will launch in March the Princess Madawi bint Musaad Fund for Women’s Development to help aspiring Saudi female entrepreneurs.“We will provide them with either training or seed money so that they can start their own business ventures,” said Hanan Asmari, Deen Al-Manahil’s manage...

Young Saudis prefer reading news online

A research by the Abha-based Aseer News has revealed that Saudi youth prefer reading online editions of local newspapers.“We conducted a survey last December with 30,000 Saudis. About 12,000 participants aged between 15 and 35 or 40 percent of the sample said that they prefer to read news online,” said Saeed S. Al-Ravie, As...

Inspectors close down 12 health stores for violations

The municipality of Wady Al-Dawasir closed down 12 shops for various violations during a surprise inspection tour on Monday.“Shops selling produce and other food items were shut down due to violations of health standards,” said Ibrahim Al-Safi, the director of public relations at the municipality.He said the inspection team...

15 hurt in EP traffic accident

15 people have been injured in a traffic accident involving 54 cars on the Jubail–Dammam highway. According to eyewitnesses, there was a minor collision between two cars, which was followed by a series of cars colliding with each other because of the heavy fog that engulfed the area, blocking the vision of drivers who could...

Gulf press vows to raise standards

The fifth conference of the Gulf Press Association (GPA) concluded in Muscat on Tuesday, adopting a number of important resolutions to strengthen the standard of journalism and journalists in the GCC countries.The conference set up a committee at the GPA secretariat to meet with GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani an...

Obama arrives in Kingdom to meet King Salman

US President Barack Obama landed Tuesday in Riyadh where he was received by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. Obama is leading a high-level delegation of current and former American officials to Saudi Arabia to pay respects following King Abdullah's death and to take measure of the kingdom's new monarch.Obama c...

Salman, Obama set for strategic talks

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman will hold talks in Riyadh on Tuesday with US President Barack Obama on major regional and international issues, a Royal Court statement said. “The talks will also focus on prospects of expanding bilateral ties,” the statement added.The announcement came as Saudi Arabia’s Shoura...

Dawn of a new era under King Salman

A new era dawned in Saudi Arabia on Monday under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman as citizens across the country expressed their confidence in the new king’s ability to take the Kingdom to new heights of progress and prosperity.The three-day mourning period for the late King Abdullah ended Sun...

» Story behind the king’s title

» Bodyguard of King Abdullah served...

» Crown Prince Muqrin ‘saved my...

» New campaign to reduce car fuel...

» Stray bullet hits boy, 5, in Riyadh

» SCTA suspends ongoing tourism...

» Courts have SR6bn backlog of finance...

» Saudis fortunate to have King Salman...

» Ministry sets up call centers to help...

» Tourist arrivals in Jeddah increase...

» Massive show of support for king

» Business community pledges allegiance

MIDDLE EAST »

Airlines halt Baghdad flights after gunfire hits plane

DUBAI: Several airlines have suspended flights to Baghdad after a passenger plan...

Kurds expand offensive against Islamic State

BEIRUT: Kurdish fighters expanded their offensive Tuesday after driving Islamic...

8 die in Tripoli terrorist attack

TRIPOLI: As many as eight people, including five foreigners, were killed when gu...

Kidnappers threaten to kill Japan hostage ‘in 24 hours’

TOKYO: Senior Japanese officials were meeting late on Tuesday after a video emer...

Japan says asking Jordan for help after new IS hostage video

Tokyo: Japan said Wednesday it was asking the Jordanian government for help afte...

WORLD »

Pakistan opposes US, India nuclear agreement

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tuesday said it opposed a new nuclear deal signed between th...

India nuke deals still thorny for America

NEW DELHI: India and America’s declaration of a breakthrough in contentious nucl...

Philippine police commander fired after 44 commandos die

MANILA: Philippine officials have removed the commander of a police special acti...

Ukraine rebels say govt forces pushed back near Donetsk

KIEV/MOSCOW: Ukrainian separatists said on Tuesday they had pushed government tr...

Thousands mourn son of Bangladesh opposition leader

DHAKA: Tens of thousands of mourners turned out Tuesday for the funeral of Bangl...

SPORTS »

Nadal in crushing defeat as Sharapova slaps down Bouchard

MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal's Australian Open dream lay in tatters Tuesday with the...

What to watch at Wednesday's quarterfinals

MELBOURNE: Once upon a time, the story of women's tennis was all about Serena an...

Australia uses fast start to beat UAE, enter final

NEWCASTLE, Australia: Australia remained on course for its maiden Asian Cup titl...

Meralco's measure of revenge after Dunigan loss to Ginebra

MANILA: No Michael Dunigan? No problem for Meralco.After losing in a tug-of-war...

Davis stars as Pelicans run streak to 4 games

NEW ORLEANS: Anthony Davis had 32 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as...

ECONOMY »

‘Transport sector offers immense investment scope’

A senior government official has urged investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in the transport sector.Abdulaziz Al-Ohaly, president of the Public Tran...

Gulf states ‘may need to rethink monetary policy’

DUBAI: Gulf Arab oil states may need to rethink longstanding economic policies, including their fixed exchange rates, over the next five to 10 years as economic cycles in the region and the US diverge, a senior Qatar central bank official said in a research paper.The GCC nations have pegged their currencies to the US dollar...

Zain Saudi gets regulator nod for second capital cut

JEDDAH: Zain Saudi has received regulatory approval to cut its capital for a second time, a move common in Saudi Arabia to offset accumulated losses, the telecom operator said.The company, 37 percent owned by Kuwait’s Zain, has yet to make a quarterly profit since launching service in 2008, having paid about SR23 billion ($...

Industrial Investment and petchem sectors in limelight

The Saudi stock market ended Tuesday’s trading session solidly in the green. The benchmark Tadawul All-Share Index posted its largest intra-day increase of 2015, adding 206 points or 2.43 percent to close at 8,686.16.TASI’s year-to-date collection reached 4.23 percent on Tuesday. Large cap with 2.61 percent upward jump rema...

Samba proposes SR8bn bonus share issue to raise capital

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Samba Financial Group said its board had proposed increasing the bank’s capital by SR8 billion through issuing bonus shares to help support future growth.The bank will increase its capital to SR20 billion from retained earnings by issuing two shares for every three shares held, the lender said in a bo...

Tech sector hot, but no bubble: Study

NEW YORK: Dealmaking in the tech sector jumped last year to the highest levels since the dot-com boom, a consultancy report said.But the Ernst and Young report said the sector is not in “bubble” territory and that the vast majority of the deals over the past year were based on “reality-based” valuations.The report counted 3...

Global oil downturn hits Caterpillar Q4 earnings

NEW YORK: US heavy equipment maker Caterpillar said that the plunge in oil prices took a hit on the company’s earnings in the fourth quarter of 2014.It also said it did not expect much of an upturn this year, with mining commodities still in a slump as the global economy grows slowly and with sweeping cutbacks in investment...

Budget: Iraq lowers oil price forecast to $55

BAGHDAD: Falling oil prices forced Iraq’s cabinet to revise its draft 2105 budget, trimming its forecast for oil to $55 a barrel from $60.It trimmed spending to 119 trillion Iraqi dinars ($105 billion) for 2015. Even so, the budget deficit will rise to 25 trillion dinars.The decision to lower the forecast oil price may sati...

Microsoft profit dips as revenue rises

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft has reported that its quarterly profit dipped but revenue increased in a sign that it is adapting to lifestyles centered on mobile devices and cloud services.Bright spots during the three-month period ending December 31 included rising sales of Microsoft devices such as Surface tablets, Lumia smartp...

Dubai overtakes Heathrow as top international airport

DUBAI: Dubai International has overtaken London’s Heathrow Airport to become the world’s top hub in international travel after handling 70.47 million passengers in 2014, its authority said.Traffic at the airport increased 6.1 percent last year, Dubai Airports said, and it expects the number of travelers passing through the...

SAGIA: Smooth transition highlights KSA’s stability

Saudi Arabia is committed to creating a world-class environment for investors, said Abdullatif A. Al-Othman, governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.“The smooth transition of power to Custodian of the The Two Holy Mosques King Salman is a testament to the stability and commitment to our leadership,” he sa...

Infrastructure investment to continue

Heavy spending on infrastructure, education, training and job creation initiatives would continue under Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, an expert said here.Mazen Al-Sudairi, head of the research department at Investment Capital Company, said the new monarch would also work to ensure a stable global oil market...

SABIC creates ‘enormous value’ for Kingdom

The enormous benefits of SABIC to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia include the creation of high-quality jobs, development of technology, and opportunities for service industries, said Mohamed Al-Mady, the company’s vice chairman and CEO, at a major international forum in Riyadh.“The petrochemicals industry has played a significa...

OPINION »

Javier Solana

Integrating Europe’s Muslims

He came from Algeria seeking a better life, anticipating an escape from poverty,...

Osama Al Sharif

In the eye of the storm

More than a week has passed since the Houthis escalated their takeover of Yemen...

Susan V. Ople

Remembering the ‘reformer’

Filipinos across Saudi Arabia and their families back home owe a debt of gratitu...

S.N.M. Abdi

Shifting sands of Lankan politics

The first foreign envoy to call on the new Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sir...

LATEST VIDEOS

Twitter gets Group Messaging ability

Stay Connected

Follow @Arab_News

Facebook

ART & CULTURE »

Telling ‘The Story of Kamin’ — one pen s...

It takes imagination, time, patience and a lot of creativity to create a piece of art. A canvas, a freshly painted white wall, a restaurant napkin or on the side panels of a notebook can all be materials to create something amazing after a moment or two of inspiration. For some, the act of creativity is an innate feeling and it can result in ama...

Abdullah Qandeel’s art: A thin...

Purists alarmed at increasing...

Filipino wins in photo expo

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Facebook, Instagram suffer global outage

PARIS: Facebook, the world’s most popular social network, and its Instagram photo-sharing site were interrupted temporarily Tuesday, provoking panic, rumors of a hack, and jokes of how more than one billion users were struggling to cope.
“This was not the result of a third party attack,” Facebook said in a statement after its services were...

Cosmic puzzle settled: Comets...

Turn your smartphone into a sc...

KSA’s digital generation

FASHION »

Hatem Al-Akeel: Revolutionizing the humb...

Knowledge is key in the fashion industry. Knowing what works and what doesn’t is what helps improve a designer in their quest for innovative designs. Inspired by different cultures, attentive to the latest in the fashion world and keen on details is what defines Hatem Al-Akeel. Coming from no background in design, he ventured in the world with h...

Anton Heunis: The hawk-eyed je...

Hair masks: Top 10 tips for lo...

Argan oil: The Moroccan ‘liqui...

TRAVEL »

Discovering the Kingdom

Historical monuments and sites can be found throughout Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has many attractions designed for those who want to know more about the country. The Kingdom offers several tourist places such as atmospheric souqs and villages reflecting the heritage and culture of Saudi Arabia.
This place is more than a harsh desert. We hav...

SCTA suspends ongoing tourism...

Tourist arrivals in Jeddah inc...

Japan’s modern architecture on...

FOOD & HEALTH »

You quit smoking, now what?

Ever wondered what happens after you quit smoking? Many people fall back and get back to their bad habits. There are many reasons for this, some of which are mental while others are physical.We just found out about smoking detox where you can literally detox cigarettes out of your body. “This can only be assisted by controlling what you eat and drink on a daily basis. To be able to get the maximum benefit out of this type of detox, begin by quitting cigarettes right on the spot,” said pulmonologist Dr. Khalil Saad. “Your body will take its time to fully recover and this could take up to a period of years. Smoking is very harmful and your body cannot kick out the toxins in a short period of...

Our kids’ bodies contaminated with chemicals (Part 12)

In the last two articles, Parts 10 and 11, I revealed to you the many toxic aspects of fast foods. Children are exposed to myriads of synthetic chemicals, high amounts of simple sugars, salts, artificial sweeteners, and trans fat, which the fast food and beverage industries add to hamburgers, fries, frying oils, ice-creams, sodas, soft and energy drinks, snack bars, and others to enhance flavor, texture, consistency, color, and more. Their ploy is to get you and your children addicted to their products and concoctions. Unfortunately, these toxic substances are not studied sufficiently. As a result, we see their health-harming effects in the forms of asthma, allergies, nutrient deficiencies...

Our kids’ bodies contaminated with chemicals (Part 11)

Last week I stopped at the discussion about fast food. Since the subject of fast foods and their harmful effects does not seem to end, because their health-damaging side effects are surfacing lately more and more through recent research, I will take the liberty to expound on them. Recent research at the Massachusetts Medical Society Committee on Nutrition found a relationship between fast food and elevated body mass index (BMI) and weight gain due to the high content of unhealthy simple sugars, refined chewy white bread, saturated, trans fats, and large portions, which raise the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and fatality. An earlier study showed that trans fats (...

OFFBEAT »

A book everyone should have at home

‘Home Doctor” is a book that everyone should have at hand in the house. Nowadays, we are more aware of health issues tha...

Jeddah Comedy Club: A platform for comedians

If you are based or staying in Jeddah, you must have heard about the Jeddah Comedy Club. Launched late 2012, the JCC has made history! They are a registered official platform for local stand-up comedians to showcase their talent; not only that, they also nurture up and coming talents. Live entertainment in Saudi Arabia is very hard to find but that’s why Jeddah Comedy Club is quickly becoming a “must attend” event for locals and tourists who are visiting Jeddah. Jeddah Comedy Club was created by Yaser Bakr, a Saudi blogger and comedian himself in association with other comedians. All JCC...

Sean Penn to get French honor

PARIS: Sean Penn is to get an honorary French film award in a Paris ceremony next month in recognition of him being a cinema “living legend,” the organizers said in a statement.The 54-year-old is a “mythical actor, a politically active personality and an exceptional director,” said the French Academy of Cinema.As “a standalone icon in American cinema,” he will receive an honorary Cesar award during the academy’s annual prize ceremony in the French capital on February 20 — two days before the Oscars in the US.Penn, who won Oscars for his performances in “Milk” and “Mystic River,” has earned a...