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The rising number of fatalities from MERS infections in the Kingdom is causing alarm in the public. The Health Ministry reported another fatality in Jeddah Wednesday, bringing the total number of MERS victims across the country to 71 from 205 infections. It said five more people were infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, including two medics, all in Jeddah. It identified the latest victim as a 52-year-old Saudi man. The ministry said 35 percent of MERS patients in the Kingdom have died. There were 37 confirmed cases in Jeddah in less than a month, including 21 medics. Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah promised that he would press for special allowance for medics dealing with infectious diseases. The MERS virus was initially concentrated in the Eastern Province but has now spread to other regions with 82 cases in Riyadh, 37 in Jeddah, 25 in Al-Ahsa, 23 in Dammam,...

283 missing, 4 dead in South Korea ferry disaster

MOKPO, South Korea: A ferry carrying 462 people, mostly high school students on an overnight trip to...

Organizer of women’s protest handed 6 years

A Riyadh court on Wednesday sentenced the organizer of women’s protest campaigns in the Kingdo...

Saudi-made car has a long way to go

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has given Saudi and Malaysian businesses a preliminary license to study the feasibility of building a Saudi-made car. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry stated that the company planning to set up a SR7.5 billion automotive manufacturing plant has to undergo further assessment before it can acquire a location and get government support. The preliminary license for the S...

1,000-bed hospital a health shot for Jeddah

A 1,000-bed maternity and children’s hospital will be established in Jeddah soon, while the King Faisal Medical Tower in Makkah will be opened ahead of the upcoming Haj season, said Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who highlighted his ministry’s efforts to expand quality health care services. Speaking with reporters following a strategic meeting in Jeddah, he said a new 500-bed hospital would be set u...

SAUDI ARABIA »

WHO experts to probe Saudi MERS outbreak

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) will arrive in the Kingdom on April 28 to investigate the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus outbreak in...

Official reiterates rights of expats...

Children born to expats married to Saudi women will be treated as Saudis for work, education and medical purposes, said Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Yahya, director-general of the Passports Department.They can also reside in the country at the state’s expense and will be allowed to work in the private sector without transferring t...

Young inventors desperate for funding

Several young Saudi inventors here say they are tired of “flattery” and participation at local and international exhibitions, and have urged investors in the Kingdom to fund their creations.They say they no longer want to receive medals and certificates. They would rather have public and private businesses provide the finan...

Shoura ‘disappointed’ at TVTC...

The Shoura Council has requested that the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) halt the opening of new colleges of excellence until evaluation studies have been conducted on the quality of graduates who had completed their courses at these colleges.The request was made during a meeting held in Riyadh on Tues...

MIDDLE EAST »

UAE toughens stance on labor violations

The Labor Ministry of the UAE has toughened stance on employers who violate the...

Filipino positive for MERS virus home from UAE

MANILA, Philippines: Philippine officials say a Filipino health worker who teste...

WORLD »

Pakistani Taleban refuse to extend cease-fire

MIRANSHAH: The Pakistani Taleban Wednesday said they would not extend a cease-fi...

Bollywood urges voters to shun Modi’s party

MUMBAI: More than 50 Bollywood filmmakers, actors and writers on Wednesday urged...

ECONOMY »

Emirates to cut 41 flights during Dubai airport runway upgrade

DUBAI: Dubai’s Emirates airline will have to ground flights to 41 destinations f...

Travel industry forges new links at Riyadh fair

Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF), a significant annual event where the leading travel an...

SPORTS »

Bale leads Madrid 2-1 past Barca for Copa del Rey

VALENCIA, Spain: Gareth Bale filled the void left by the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, sealing Real Madrid’s 19th Copa del Rey title with a late goal in Wednesday’s 2-1 win...

Liverpool hangover cost Man City —...

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini blamed the hangover from defeat by Liverpool for his side’s damaging 2-2 draw at home to the Premier League’s bottom club Sunderland. City needed to win the first of their two games in hand on Liverpool to keep the pressure on the league lead...

Clippers down Nuggets for club-record...

LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Clippers rolled past Denver 117-105 on Tuesday for a club-record 57th win that kept their hopes of claiming the NBA Western Conference second seed alive.Blake Griffin had 24 points — and was assessed his 16th technical foul of the season — in the victory.Chris Paul added 21 points and 10 assists...

Supreme court nixes Srinivasan return...

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected N. Srinivasan’s plea to reinstate him as India’s cricket chief, saying he had effectively turned a blind eye to allegations of wrongdoing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).Giving reasons for its decision, the court also said Srinivasan — seen as the most powerful man in wo...

OPINION »

Sabria S. Jawahar

Mr. Abuser, beat a retreat!

Saudi Arabia has taken another step to curb domestic violence against women by i...

Jamal Doumani

For some vets, the war will never end

Accompanied by the first lady, President Obama flew to Fort Hood, Texas, last we...

Shen Dingli

An illegitimate claim?

China is now facing challenges to its maritime claims. The Philippines has just...

Salahuddin Haider

Musharraf case: Sharif walks a tightrope

Although the two Sharifs — Nawaz and Raheel — seem to have defused what barely a...

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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 »

Flu can increase risk of autism, say pan...

Applied behavior analysis and early intervention are the two most research based-methods to deal with autism — a mental condition characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts. Also known as autism spectrum disorders, the problem occurs from early...

‘Blood moon’ wows sky-watchers

Heartbleed Bug: Memorizing a n...

KACST holds science fair

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 »

Sunshine, cheers welcome royal couple in Sydney

Prince William and his wife Catherine hold cricket bats presented to them at the Sydney Opera House...

SYDNEY: Britain’s Prince William and wife Kate charmed a welcoming crowd at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday as...

‘Shahid,’ ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ bag national awards

MUMBAI: The Indian National Film Awards were announced on Wednesday. ‘Ship Of Theseus’ won the Golden Lotus for Best Feature Film. ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ won Best Popular Film while ‘Shahid’ director Hansal Mehta won the Best Director Award. The Best Actor award is shared between ‘Shahid’ star Rajkummar Rao and Malayalam actor Suraj Venjaramoodu for ‘Perariyathavar.’ Geetanjali Thapa won Best Actress for ‘Liar’s Dice.’ Saurabh Shukla won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Jolly LLB.’ The Best Supporting Actress...

Walker brothers to finish ‘Fast and Furious 7’

LOS ANGELES: Late “Fast and Furious” star Paul Walker’s brothers will stand in for him to complete the seventh movie in the blockbuster franchise, after the actor’s death, filmmakers said Tuesday. Walker had completed much of his part in filming “Fast and Furious 7” before he died in November aged 40, in a high-speed car crash in California. His brothers Caleb and Cody will replace him to finish shooting for the film, due out next year. Walker played Brian O’Conner, an undercover federal agent. “Our family experienced an unthinkable shock in...