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A Saudi expert on infectious diseases on Thursday reaffirmed the link between the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and camels after research proved that the viruses isolated from a Saudi patient and his camel were 100 percent similar.“We have succeeded in isolating the coronavirus and proving the role of camels in transmitting this deadly virus to humans,” said Dr. Tariq Ahmed Madani of the King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah.Speaking with Arab News, he said the discovery proves that camels are the prime reservoir that allowed the coronavirus to infect and kill humans. “This does not mean camels are the only source,” he said. “This important discovery will help combat and contain the disease,” said Madani, who obtained a fellowship in infectious diseases from the University of Manitoba in Canada.A total of 72 people have died from MERS out of 212 infected cases in Saudi A...

SR500 fine for jumping road dividers

Motorists who drive over road dividers to skip traffic congestion will be fined SR500 for the first...

Jeddah dumpsters to be consigned to dustbin of history

Garbage dumpsters will soon disappear from Jeddah’s streets, Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi, Jeddah Municipalit...

Parents, get ready for school fee hike

The Ministry of Education has agreed to a request by 3,000 international schools to raise their fees by SR1,000 annually in the new academic year.Mansour Al-Khunaizan, chairman of the national committee for private and international education at the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC), said that the decision was market-related and took into account losses incurred by Saudi investors because of the Ministry of Labor's new laws...

Lifesaving slap: Victim’s mother forgives Iranian at gallows

TEHRAN: An Iranian mother spared the life of her son’s convicted murderer with an emotional slap in the face as he awaited execution with the noose around his neck, a newspaper reported Thursday.The dramatic climax followed a rare public campaign to save the life of Balal, who at 19 killed another young man, Abdollah Hosseinzadeh, in a street fight with a knife back in 2007.Shargh newspaper said police officers led Balal...

SAUDI ARABIA »

SMS campaign fights MERS

The Ministry of Health is sending SMS to residents to dispel myths surrounding coronavirus.The SMS reassures residents that the virus does not spread unless there has bee...

Americans share joy of freedom with...

The US Consulate in Jeddah celebrated the country's 238th Independence Day on Wednesday with Saudi officials and diplomats from other countries.Anne Casper, the consul general, said the consulate decided to celebrate early because many people travel abroad in July for their vacations. Independence Day is on July 4 every yea...

KFU pact with Dutch varsity to improve...

King Faisal University (KFU) and University of Groningen (UoG) in the Netherlands signed Wednesday a contract that would open new areas of cooperation between the two universities.The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the fifth international conference on innovations in higher education at the Riyadh International Co...

Flight inquiry center set up

An exclusive customer care call center has been set up to answer calls in English and address inquiries at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport.English-speaking travelers will now be able to inquire about flight information and lodge formal complaints and suggestions on 920011233 around the clock.Abdulhamid Aba Al-...

MIDDLE EAST »

British teenager killed in Syria conflict

LONDON: A British teenager whose uncle was detained in the Guantanamo Bay camp h...

Bouteflika votes in wheelchair for 4th term

ALGIERS: Abdelaziz Bouteflika, seeking a fourth presidential term, cast his ball...

WORLD »

Chelsea Clinton,34, expecting first child

WASHINGTON: Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, are expecting their...

India goes to polls in biggest voting day

BANGALORE: India hosted its biggest day of voting Thursday with the ruling Congr...

ECONOMY »

SABIC keen to raise Asia investments

Mohamed Al-Mady, SABIC vice chairman and CEO, interacted with Li Keqiang, premie...

Saudi market gains strength; Qatar shares touch 8-year high

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s bourse added 0.3 percent on Thursday, helped by a 4 perce...

SPORTS »

Top guns stroll into Monte Carlo quarters

MONTE CARLO: Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic demonstrated their superior class on clay as they eased into the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thu...

Silencer 2, Sequoia, Jeddah United grab...

Silencer 2 moved within a win of a twice-to-beat advantage, Toyota-Sequoia guaranteed itself of a top two seed for the semifinals and Jeddah United gained the upper hand in the chase for two championship berths in the centerpiece Inter-Commercial Open Rated during the eventful Week 12 in the 2nd Nokia-Asha and 35th FBA seas...

Bank AlJazira notches double in Qatar...

Bank AlJazira had been playing consistent bowling of late and to win its second Team of the Week award is no longer surprising in the Qatar Airways-AFTBL 48th Open Conference bowling tournament at Jeddah Lanes here.The Bankers returned the 13th week top tally of 36 points, edging out Habagat (35) for the weekly honors.Jedda...

NCB, Yanabie, Grain Silos cagers triumph

NCB and Al Yanabie continued their campaign as they posted convincing victories against their opponents in the OFBL 4th Conference Inter-Company Bonafide Division and Inter-Company Non-rated at Timeout Sports Academy Gymnasium on Television St. , Ghulail District on the outskirts of Jeddah at the weekend.A strong second...

OPINION »

Bikram Vohra

It’s yesterday once more and all that razzmatazz

At half past six Wednesday evening the first ball was bowled in the IPL7 at Abu...

Rajeev Sharma

Arvind Kejriwal’s five blunders

Arvind Kejriwal had waded into the now-ongoing Indian general elections with his...

Aijaz Zaka Syed

Women, Urdu and Bollywood

A Friend was all fire and brimstone when another one quoted Kaifi Azmi to drive...

GRACE B. CASTILLO

Off the BPA court: Pacquiao playing for KIA?

Manny Pacquiao scored a unanimous decision over American Timothy Bradley in thei...

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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 »

World leaders, writers pay tribute to Garcia Marquez

Colombian Nobel Literature laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. (AP)

MEXICO CITY: Presidents, writers and celebrities paid tribute Friday to Nobel-winning Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Ma...

How to relish the best of British?

All eighties kids dreamed of being transported like Captain Kirk who would tell Starship Enterprise’s chief engineer Montgomery “Scotty” to “beam me up.” That wish is likely to remain unfulfilled till that kind of technology is developed. So what could be the next best once-in-a-lifetime experience that is no less exciting? It is a media trip to London that offers first-class travel, five-star accommodation and jaw-dropping adventures. To celebrate the launch of the Boeing 777’s first-class service from Jeddah to London, British Airways decided to give a...

Sunshine, cheers welcome royal couple in Sydney

SYDNEY: Britain’s Prince William and wife Kate charmed a welcoming crowd at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday as they began the Australian leg of a tour Down Under with baby Prince George. The couple touched down in Sydney after a 10-day visit to New Zealand in which the royal infant George was the star attraction, and were taken by motorcade to the iconic harborside building. Addressing a reception inside the Opera House, Prince William praised Australia’s efforts in leading the search to find missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the remote Indian Ocean. “Your...