Home | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

Malaysia loses contact with plane carrying 239

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 carrying 239 people lost contact with air traffic control early Saturday morning on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and international aviation authorities still hadn’t located the jetliner several hours later.The plane lost communication two hours into the flight over Vietnam at 1:20 a.m. (18:20 GMT Friday), China’s state news agency said. The radar signal also was lost, Xinhua reported.There were rumors the plane had landed safely, but Fuad Sharuji, Malaysian Airlines’ vice president of operations control, told CNN that they were untrue and the airline had no idea where the plane was. AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes sent a tweet saying that the radio failed and all were safe, but the tweet was later deleted.Sharuji said that the plane was flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet and that the pilots reported no problem with the air...

Treason court rejects Musharraf objections

ISLAMABAD: Judges hearing treason charges against former Pakistan ruler Pervez Musharraf have reject...

Kashmir: Police drop sedition charge against cricket fans

LUCKNOW: Police in northern India said they had dropped sedition charges against a group of Kashmiri...

KSA tightens noose on Brotherhood terrorism

Saudi Arabia has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization and banned it and other organizations effective from March 8, according to an Interior Ministry statement.The ministry issued a list of banned organizations that includes the ‘Saudi Hezbollah’ movement, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Al-Qaeda in Yemen, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and the Houthis in...

Kingdom near ‘AAA’ rating

Saudi Arabia’s robust economy is clearly due for a further rating upgrade and this should take place sooner rather than later, says a top Riyadh-based economist. “The economy is on a solid footing and the rating agencies should take note of this and hopefully upgrade Saudi Arabia a notch up,” said John Sfakianakis, chief investment strategist at MASIC, a Riyadh-based investment firm. His comments came...

SAUDI ARABIA »

OIC names envoy to Central African Republic

Iyad Madani, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has appointed a special envoy to the Central African Republic (CAR).A press statement rel...

Campaign to promote tolerance among...

A campaign to promote tolerance in society kicked off in Jeddah on Thursday under the slogan “A Tolerant Person is A Winner” with the aim to promote youths’ tolerance to challenges they may face in society.The 3-month campaign was launched by a Saudi non-profit organization ‘Rekaaz’ as part of a social responsibility drive...

Shoura study suggests 5-year jail for...

A Shoura Council study has proposed five-year jail terms and fines of up to SR500,000 for those found guilty of sexual harassment, including the abuse of children and persons with disabilities.A source said that these penalties are contained in draft anti-harassment legislation with tough provisions for male and female sex...

Denying children rights eyed as a...

The Ministry of Justice is considering a proposal that calls for the government to take criminal action against parents who deprive their children of education and registration of national identification as a result of marital disputes. According to the proposal, such parents would be referred to the Bureau of Investigation...

MIDDLE EAST »

Egyptian envoy ‘will not return to Qatar’

CAIRO: Egypt has welcomed the decision of three Gulf states to withdraw their en...

Yemeni accused of guiding US drone strikes ‘executed’

SANAA: Al-Qaeda militants shot dead a man in southeastern Yemen on Thursday for...

WORLD »

Malaysians to hang for starving Indonesian maid

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian couple was sentenced to hang for starving their Indone...

ICC convicts Congo rebel leader of war crimes

THE HAGUE: Congolese warlord Germain Katanga was convicted on Friday of being an...

ECONOMY »

Kingdom near ‘AAA’ rating

Saudi Arabia’s robust economy is clearly due for a further rating upgrade...

ALJ, Sumitomo form JV for distributing Komatsu heavy equipment

Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) and Sumitomo Corporation of Japan have formed a joint v...

SPORTS »

Sri Lanka begins as favorite in Asia Cup final

DHAKA: Rampaging Shahid Afridi and prolific Kumar Sangakkara have set the stage for a rousing contest when Pakistan face Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup one-day final in Dhaka...

San Miguel demolishes Meralco in...

An old name finally made its return to the PBA on Friday night and did a thing it is most accustomed to.San Miguel Beer, three years out of the league after the franchise used another brand name, demolished Meralco, 94-76, in its Commissioner’s Cup debut even with an import who is on the way out and its cornerstone watching...

Pakistan hope Afridi is fit for Asia...

MIRPUR, Bangladesh: Defending champion Pakistan is hoping big-hitting allrounder Shahid Afridi will be fit in time to play in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka. Afridi, who helped pull off two dramatic last-over wins with an 18-ball 34 against India and a 25-ball 59 against Bangladesh, has a hip strain because caused hi...

Fugen stuns Elite Team-A; Al Taj A...

Future Generation International School (Fugen) stunned fancied Elite Team-A 86-83 even as Al Taj Team-A remained unbeaten with an 88-80 triumph over Sandy Fugaban’s SPIS (Second Philippine Int’l School) in a pair of Group A semifinal openers on Tuesday in the 1st Inter-School Bonafide Parents basketball tournament 2014 at...

OPINION »

Shiraz Hasan

Dubious surveys

Arvind Kejriwal’s brief detention by police and an attack on his car in Narendra...

Neil Berry

Ghosts of the colonial past that haunt France

A British professor of French studies resident in Paris, Andrew Hussey became cu...

Neil Berry

Ghosts of the colonial past that haunt France

A British professor of French studies resident in Paris, Andrew Hussey became cu...

Muhammad Waqas

Pakistan really needs a census

AFTER a long gap of almost 15 years, the government of Pakistan has finally deci...

LATEST VIDEOS

Children saved from car submerging into sea...

Stay Connected

Follow @Arab_News

Facebook

ART & CULTURE »

ALJCI lauded for restoring sculptures

Makkah Gov. Prince Mishal bin Abdullah lauded Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI) for its latest contribution to the community in restoring the sculptures along Jeddah’s waterfront and giving them a new home within the Jeddah Sculptures Museum.
Prince Mishal congratulated ALJCI President Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, as well as...

Former slave trade town to bec...

Music on a mission: Japanese c...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Video-gaming industry breaks culture bar...

It’s a city better known for its history and culture, but a new generation of mobile game developers is bringing a slice of Silicon Valley to Pakistan’s Lahore.
With open plan offices, mixed gender teams, gourmet catering and an emphasis on a fun atmosphere, the small but growing IT industry worth an estimated $2.8 billion is being led by y...

Facebook expands server farm i...

90 million videos viewed daily...

Apps thrill toddlers as Swedis...

FASHION »

Shoes that speak luxury and a language

Women are crazy about shoes because the right pair can take an outfit to another level. Wearing comfortable, stylish shoes is the secret to self-confidence, which is surefire head turner.
And there is someone who thinks along the same lines and has taken shoe design to a whole new level. That person is none other than Anas Younes Shanaah,...

Najla Zainy: Good skin is key...

Fantasy, furs draw Milan week...

French revolution inspires ris...

TRAVEL »

Statue of pharaonic princess found in Eg...

Archaeologists in Egypt have found a nearly 3,500-year-old statue of the daughter of pharaoh Amenhotep III in the famed temple city of Luxor, the Antiquities Ministry said on Friday.
An Egyptian-European team uncovered the statue of princess Iset, 170 centimeters tall and 52 cm wide, during renovation work at the Amenhotep III mortuary temp...

Dubai food festival: A flavor...

Tourism sector to create 1.8m...

SCTA lauded for protecting Al-...

FOOD & HEALTH »

Be proud to sleep on the job

Some forward-thinking companies such as Nike and Google offer places for their employees to nap. But for most workers, napping in the office is frowned upon. This is a shame given the long list of benefits from an afternoon nap. Here are eight reasons why we should embrace and encourage naps during the workday:1. Napping makes you more productive: Research has shown that naps refresh our bodies, make us more attentive and improve our moods. It’s in the best interest of employers and employees for everyone to be functioning at their best. Fatigue contributes to $18 billion a year in lost productivity. And when tired employees go home, they’re at an increased risk of being in a car crash.2....

Polio’s last stand on the Afghan-Pakistan border

Trundling across the Afghan-Pakistani border in a handcart, Shayma dismisses militant threats and conspiracy theories about polio vaccinators while her four children receive drops that could finally eradicate the crippling disease.About 1.3 million oral vaccinations are administered every year to children at the Torkham Gate crossing, the focal point of an intense global campaign to eradicate polio by 2018.But Afghanistan and Pakistan — two of the three remaining “endemic” polio nations — face a tough task due to fighting on either side of the border, Taleban opposition to vaccinations and rumors that the drops could cause impotency.Families hurrying through the Torkham mountain pass are...

Le Relais de L’entrecote: Winning formula for a salad, a ste...

I have known the original restaurant located near the Porte Maillot in Paris, hence its name, “L’Entrecote Porte-Maillot”, since the 1980’s. More often than not, you have to stand in a queue on the pavement for half an hour and sometimes even more, so you really get to see the name of the restaurant! I always knew that in a matter of time, this simple but enjoyable food would make its way to Riyadh. It is interesting to know that the founder of “l’Entrecote Porte Maillot”, Paul Gineste de Saurs, decided from the very beginning that his restaurant would have only one main dish, the “steak-frites” served with its famous top-secret green sauce and only a green salad as a starter. After his...

OFFBEAT »

Will never join politics, says Aamir

Aamir Khan

MUMBAI: Leading Bollywood actor Aamir Khan on Friday said he is not interested in joining politics, and does not conside...

Benazir’s niece named for fiction prize

LONDON: Fatima Bhutto, the niece of assassinated Pakistani former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has been nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the judges announced Friday.Bhutto is among 20 women on the long list for the award, which was formerly known as the Orange prize and is open to English-language novels from anywhere in the world.She is nominated for “The Shadow of the Crescent Moon,” her first attempt at fiction following several fact-based books, including a memoir of her family’s blood-soaked history.Bhutto is a fierce critic of her charismatic aunt, who twice served as...

British premier laughs off Twitter parodies of Obama call

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday laughed off the widespread mockery of a photo he posted on Twitter of him looking serious while on the phone to US President Barack Obama.In a tweet to actor Patrick Stewart, one of those who had parodied Cameron’s photo, the premier posted a snap of a meeting with former US president Bill Clinton — “this time face to face, not on the phone.”On Wednesday, Cameron posted a photograph of himself discussing the situation in Ukraine in a telephone call with Obama.His grave expression was intended to convey the seriousness of the subject, but...