Joint military command to bolster GCC defense
The annual summit of GCC leaders concluded its deliberations in Kuwait City, adopting a spate of key decisions, including the formation of a joint military command that would strengthen the six-member group’s defense capabilities amid growing challenges.The summit endorsed “the formation of a joint military command for the Gulf Cooperation Council states, as well as the establishment of a Gulf academy for strategic and security studies,” the final communiqué said.The GCC states, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE, formed the Peninsula Shield force in 1982 as a 5,000-strong force, but has since expanded to more than 30,000 troops.Fahd Al-Shulaimi, president of Gulf Security and Peace Forum, emphasized the significance of the joint military command and said it would strengthen GCC military cooperation.“There is a difference between the Peninsula Shield and th...
Kuwaiti security chief worried by Iraq turmoil
MANAMA: Kuwait is anxious about instability in Iraq and disappointed at its neighbor’s failure to ar...
Foreign firms to design GCC train project
The Saudi Railway Organization (SRO) will issue tenders for the design of the Gulf Cooperation Counc...
Fakeih: Job creation the main challenge
Labor Minister Adel Fakeih listed major challenges facing the Saudi labor sector at the “Talent and Diversity Leadership Forum” in Riyadh on Wednesday. “These challenges include the creation of new jobs in the private sector, ensuring the right skill level, and exerting efforts directed at the employment of women and the youth,” he said. The minister said that there is an urgent need to provide jobs to qualified Saudis, e...
Landmark rest stop on Makkah highway shut for violations
Authorities shut down a well-known roadside rest stop along the Jeddah-Makkah highway early Wednesday morning for violating hygiene and safety standards, according to a source.The Al-Ruhaili rest stop, about 20 km east of downtown Jeddah, has been operating for more than 25 years.“The entrance from the highway to the rest stop was blocked with barricades when I tried to go in for a cup of coffee on my way to work,” said A...

SAUDI ARABIA »

‘Anti-corruption’ lessons at schools
The Riyadh Economic Forum has called for the incorporation of moral education on how to combat corruption in the school curriculum.Delegates stressed that modern educatio...
Prices of warm clothes, firewood shoot...
With the onset of winter, the demand for warm clothes and devices to keep the homes warm have shot up by 100 percent in the Northern and Central ProvincesMarkets supply plenty of woolen garments, blankets and thick cloths with varying pricetags. Warm underclothes, such as pajamas of good quality, are sold at SR100 per piece...
Foreign schools using curricula from 20...
Saudi Arabia has opened its doors wide for foreign communities to establish their own schools to teach their nationals the curricula followed in their home countries in line with the Kingdom’s policy of non-discrimination in the education sector and in compliance with decision No. 26 of the Council of Ministers.The Human Ri...
Ministry begins recruiting 3,500 expat...
The Ministry of Health has started recruiting 3,500 expatriate medical professionals including doctors and nurses for vacancies at various hospitals across the Kingdom.Officials from the ministry visited the Indian cities of Hyderabad, Cochin and New Delhi to select 714 specialist doctors to work at hospitals in Jeddah, Tab...

MIDDLE EAST »

Judges walk out again in Egypt’s Brotherhood trial

CAIRO: The trial of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood chief and his deputies on charges...
Snow, rain lash Syria refugees in Lebanon

BEIRUT: Thousands of Syrian refugees living in makeshift camps in Lebanon were w...

WORLD »

Thailand crisis deepens as PM’s supporters weigh in

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s red-shirted supporters...
UN chief, Kerry call Bangladesh PM over poll standoff

DHAKA: UN chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry called Banglade...

ECONOMY »

Rain water harvesting among key REF recommendations

Riyadh Economic Forum (REF) concluded with key recommendations primarily suggest...
KSA and Azerbaijan sign deals to boost trade and investment

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev Tuesday received a Saudi high-level delegat...

SPORTS »

Late Sneijder winner ousts Juve, sends Gala to last 16
ISTANBUL: Galatasaray’s Wesley Sneijder struck late to clinch a 1-0 win over Juventus and a Champions League last 16 spot at the expense of the Italians on Wednesday as t...
Pacers beat Heat in rematch of East...
NEW YORK: Center Roy Hibbert scored 24 points and Paul George scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half to help the Indiana Pacers defeat the Miami Heat 90-84 in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals.Indiana led by just two midway through the fourth quarter where they went on a 7-0 run capped by George’s...
Returning Cabagnot's floater lifts...
Alex Cabagnot returned from a long layoff and played as if he never left.The 6-foot point guard drilled in the game-winning floater on Wednesday night as Petron Blaze extended its winning run in the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations to six games following a 90-88 nipping of Air21 at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.Absent in the...
Myanmar puts on dazzling SEA Games show
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: Myanmar staged a lavish spectacle of lights and pyrotechnics at the opening ceremony for the Southeast Asian Games Wednesday, as the impoverished and formerly reclusive state displayed a dazzling face to the world.Fireworks exploded above the 30,000-seat, purpose-built Wunna Theikdi stadium and a series...

OPINION »

Sabria S. Jawhar
Patients’ rights: A dream yet to be realized in KSA
Some months ago, I had a minor procedure performed at a top-notch private Jeddah...
MAHIR ALI
Under the halo, a militant red?
Back when the groundswell for Nelson Mandela’s freedom from incarceration began...
Nilofar Suhrawardy
Where is the Muslim vote?
During the election season, role of Muslims becomes the most talked about issue...
Nadeem Mumtaz Qureshi
No country for young people
Youth unemployment rates in the euro zone countries are at historic highs. In Gr...

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ART & CULTURE »

Renowned artist trains 27 women painters

Twenty-seven women painters participated in a training course on painting pastels organized by the Hail Plastic Arts Society at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Cultural Center in Hail recently.
Salma Al-Afnan a well-known painter trained the participants over a four-day period which concluded Friday.
Saita Al-Sabhan, the supervisor of t...
Jeddah — the city of arts and...
Traditional art and craft decl...
Saudi artists display unique s...
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Comet ISON pronounced dead

WASHINGTON: Comet ISON, once optimistically called the comet of the century, is dead, the victim of a way-too-close brush with the sun. It was barely a year old.
The comet, which excited astronomers and the media as it zipped within 730,000 miles of the sun on Thanksgiving Day, was pronounced dead at a scientific conference Tuesday. Astrono...
Facebook ‘helps grow home-base...
Swiss set sights on becoming w...
NASA Mars rover finds evidence...
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FASHION »

Pakistan fashion casts off ‘dark cloud’...

Mention the Taleban to Pakistan fashion designer Kamiar Rokni and his irritation is clear.
“One of the things we feel diminishes our work is whenever our story is linked to Talebanization and whether we are doing this to fight extremism,” he told AFP in Paris.
“We’re not. We’re doing this for the busin...
Ski fashion: Rainbow of color...
Ajrak: A symbol of Sindhi cult...
Qumar14: Chic kaftans

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TRAVEL »

An Oz-some trip to land of beauty

When you live in the bustling and noisy East, you need to take some time off now and then to travel somewhere far away, to immerse yourself in a new cultural experience and a serene landscape.
One such destination, which is guaranteed to offer you both a vast wilderness and thriving city encounter, is Australia, a vast country located in...
SCTA sees surge in home touris...
SCTA: Tourism key to Saudi gro...
Lisbon — edge of Europe
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FOOD & HEALTH »

Shobak — creative pies
Many have been sharing photos of their delicious pies on different social media platforms, which made us head there and try for ourselves. And to be honest, we loved it! The pie store is a small two-floor restaurant located on Malik Road right next to Tujjar Jeddah, neighboring Fa6or Faris and 20 Minutes Burger. The restaurant is cozy and rustic, decked entirely in wood, from the chairs, tables to the hardwood floors and wall decorations. The ground floor is reserved for singles, while families dine upstairs with a wide window view overlooking Malik Road. The place is always buzzing with young Jeddawis grabbing a bite on their way to college, school or work. The restaurant is a...
Unraveling the mysteries of the brain
This week, I intended to start a series of articles on the effects of the brain on the body and obesity. Coincidentally, “The Brain Forum” took place in Jeddah Dec. 3-4, providing the appropriate platform to launch an introduction to my next articles. The huge hall was humming with low voices of leading brain scientists, professors and researchers from world-class universities and research labs. The vibrations felt like brain waves. There was a special aura in the air. Listening to each and every one of these scientists speak about their endeavors to reverse brain disorders was a jolt to the brain. Surgery, laser, drugs, genetic engineering, and electric currents were some of...
Early detection crucial in breast cancer screening
Riyadh Gov. Prince Khalid bin Bandar commended the efforts of Zahra Breast Cancer Association for raising awareness among Saudi women on the importance of early detection and screening of breast cancer. Addressing the participants of the campaign’s award ceremony, Princess Haifa bint Faisal, chairwoman of the association, said, “Women are a vital part of society. We targeted 20 cities within the Kingdom to reach the largest possible number of women with the help of government and private sectors in a united effort to fight cancer and support those affected by breast cancer.” Zahra Breast Cancer Association honored the sponsors who supported the campaign entitled “...

OFFBEAT »

Italian city marks ‘suspended coffee day’ amid social crisis
Maurizio del Bufalo, a former UN aid worker and founder of the "Suspended Coffee Network"...
Cafes across Naples marked “Suspended Coffee Day” on Tuesday, spotlighting a remarkable tradition of social...
Music lovers seek to pump up digital audio quality
When he sees people listening to music on portable digital devices, David Chesky cringes. “You can have an $8 million Stradivarius, and it sounds like you bought it at a local hardware store,” says Chesky. A composer who also has his own record label, Chesky began a music download site in 2007 called HD Tracks, offering “high resolution” music which retains much of the fidelity lost in most digital music. “We are making a quality product for someone who is passionate about music,” Chesky told AFP. “No artist goes into a studio and slaves for six...
‘12 Years a Slave’ leads SAG nominees
LOS ANGELES: The actors of director Steve McQueen’s slavery drama “12 Years a Slave” led nominees for the Screen Actors Guild film awards on Wednesday with nods in four categories including best ensemble cast, a key indicator for the industry’s best picture prizes. Joining them in the nominees for best film ensemble cast, in four categories including best ensemble cast, a the organization’s top prize, were the actors of family dysfunction drama “August: Osage County,” AIDS treatment tale “Dallas Buyers Club,” and the examination of civil...

CLASSIFIEDS »

classifieds

MATRIMONIAL
Pakistani Sunni Muslim family settled in USA, living in KSA invite alliance for their daughter,19 yr...
2013-12-10 21:33
MATRIMONIAL
Asian Sunni family settled in UK invites alliance for their daughter, 32 years, 5’6”, UK...
2013-12-10 21:32
ANNOUNCEMENT
I, Pauli Tabao Batabor, Filipino, mother of Rohani Tabao Batabor, Passport # EB8129973, wants to cor...
2013-12-10 21:31
LOST PASSPORT
I, Mwanahawa Ali Ibrahim, Kenyan national, hereby announce that my Passport No. A 1148469 issued at...
2013-12-10 21:29

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Weather in Saudi Arabia

21° - 28°

Light rain shower
Jeddah , Saudi Arabia
Day Weather Min Max
Thursday, 12 Dec Light rain shower 21° 28°
Friday, 13 Dec Patchy light drizzle 19° 25°
Saturday, 14 Dec Sunny 19° 25°
Sunday, 15 Dec Sunny 18° 27°
Monday, 16 Dec Sunny 20° 28°

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