Kingdom to set up center for rational use of energy

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia intends to establish a national center for the rational use of energy shortly, said Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, assistant minister of petroleum and mineral resources.

UN envoy urges Iraqi leaders to form government

BAGHDAD: The UN special envoy to Iraq called on Wednesday for the country’s leaders to come together urgently and form a government to tackle violence, a day after his convoy was hit by a roadside bomb.

Pakistan’s largest city reels after 51 killed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s largest city reeled Wednesday after gunmen opened fire in a commercial market, killing 11 people in the latest spasm of violence to underscore the poor state of law and order in this US-allied nation.

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Editorial: Poverty amid plenty

Given the breathtaking scientific progress mankind has made over the past few centuries, especially the last one, you would think it has banished inconvenient words like hunger, poverty and starvation. After all, if the last century witnessed the two catastrophic wars, it also saw man take the impossible leap into space and on to Moon and beyond. Yet hunger remains the greatest challenge facing humanity in the 21st century. 

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Zelikow and 9/11 cover-up

In an interview on the Fox Business Network, a retired US intelligence officer accused the official in charge of the 9/11 Commission of a cover-up of intelligence failures leading up to the terrorist attacks on Sept.11, 2001. Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, talks about his mid-October 2003 encounter with Dr. Philip Zelikow.

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23 percent of Afghan ballots declared invalid

KABUL: Afghanistan has thrown out nearly a quarter of ballots cast in last month's parliamentary elections because of fraud, according to full preliminary results released Wednesday.

Haramain Railway project on right track: Al-Seraisry

DAMMAM: The contract for implementing the final phase of the Haramain Railway project will be awarded by the end of this year, Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry said Wednesday. “We’ll study the financial and technical offers made by companies vying to win the contract before the end of this year to announce the winner,” the minister told reporters.

Iran’s stock of enriched uranium up

TEHRAN: Iran has increased its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium, a senior official said on Wednesday, showing it is pursuing the sensitive process even as major powers are trying to coax it back to nuclear talks.

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Abdullah, Ahmadinejad discuss regional issues

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Wednesday received a telephone call from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and discussed major regional and international issues.

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LOCAL PRESS: Saudi women and beggary

ACCORDING to a report by the Ministry of Social Affairs, 3,459 beggars, all of them Saudi, were arrested across the Kingdom by the authorities recently. The report added that the majority of those arrested (1,414 men and women) were in the Riyadh region.

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Consumer agency chief’s firing mired in confusion

JEDDAH: There is confusion over the proposed sacking of the Consumer Protection Society’s (CPS) chairman after it was the revealed that the decision to relieve him has not been confirmed by the relevant authorities.

Patient safety a strategic goal, says Al-Rabeeah

RIYADH: Ensuring patient safety is the Kingdom's strategic goal when providing health services to citizens and residents in Saudi Arabia, according to Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah.

US plans to sell $60bn arms to Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration has notified Congress that it plans to sell advanced weaponry including fighter aircraft worth $60 billion to Saudi Arabia in one of the largest-ever single US arms deals, Al Arabiya channel reported on Wednesday.

Oil rebounds 3%, equities edge higher

NEW YORK: Oil rebounded nearly 3 percent on Wednesday as a weaker dollar, stronger equities and a smaller-than-expected rise in US crude stockpiles improved investors' risk appetite.

Dubai index gains as TASI declines

JEDDAH/DUBAI: Egypt's bourse dropped for a fifth session on Wednesday, dragged by heavyweight Orascom Telecom (OT) and Qatar's index fell to a two-week low as investors booked profits.

Iraq auctions off three major gas fields

BAGHDAD: Iraq auctioned three major natural gas fields to foreign companies on Wednesday as it seeks to shake off a legacy of war, bolster its standing as an energy giant and break into the lucrative global gas market.

Hefty govt spending seen lifting  Qatar property

DOHA: Hefty government spending is expected to boost demand for real estate in Qatar despite a threat of oversupply, property consultant DTZ said in a report on Wednesday.

Merkel under fire for EU budget sellout to France

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel was pilloried by coalition allies and the media on Wednesday for an alleged sellout to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, dropping German demands for automatic enforcement of EU budget rules.

Minister blasts closure of French school in Yemen

SANAA: Yemen’s foreign minister has criticized a private French school for temporarily closing down over security concerns.

Iran’s top leader seeks to end rifts with clerics

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Iran’s top leader quickly set the tone for his long visit among some of the country’s most influential clerics — demanding loyalty to the Islamic state and an end to defiance that has blurred once-clear lines of power since last year’s disputed elections. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began his 10 days of speeches and meetings in the seminary city of Qom on Tuesday.

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Seongnam, Zob Ahan scupper hopes of all-Saudi final

JEDDAH: Hopes of an all-Saudi final in the AFC Champions League evaporated in thin air after Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal lost their second leg semifinal matches against South Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa and Zob Ahan of Iran on Wednesday.

Karzai sees hope for peace, reconciliation

KABUL: The hope for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan after almost 10 years of war has increased, President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday, reinforcing his wish for a political settlement to the intractable conflict. During a long address at his presidential palace in the Afghan capital, Karzai made no direct reference to peace talks between his government and the Taleban and other insurgents.

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French fuel depots forced open amid strikes

(Update) PARIS: French authorities forced strike-shuttered fuel depots to reopen to ensure gasoline supplies, and the interior minister threatened Wednesday to send in paramilitary police to stop rioting on the fringes of protests against raising the retirement age to 62.

Plan for 100-story tower in Malaysia under siege

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government faced mounting opposition Wednesday to a $1.6 billion, 100-story skyscraper plan, with critics slamming the government-backed project as an unnecessary extravagance at a time of belt-tightening and rising prices.

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Mom of US hiker jailed in Iran expects Nov. trial

MINNEAPOLIS: The mother of one of two American hikers still jailed in Iran said Tuesday that she’s been told they will stand trial in November and that she’s relieved they will get to formally deny the espionage charges against them. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal remain in Tehran’s Evin Prison more than a month after the release of Bauer’s fiancee, Sarah Shourd, who was freed after complaining of health problems.

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Picture of the Day

A Palestinian takes his donkey into the water to cool off, at the Mediterranean Sea, in Gaza City, on Wednesday, as temperatures climb up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit). (AP)

Dropped phone leaves man engaged in toilet

BEIJING: A Chinese man who got his arm stuck in a toilet pipe in an attempt to retrieve his dropped mobile phone was freed by rescuers, state television reported on Tuesday.

Denim thief leaves wallet in dressing room

GALLATIN, Tennessee: Police in Tennessee say it wasn't too difficult to find a man accused of walking out of a Walmart store wearing stolen jeans. He left his old denim behind — along with his wallet.

Obama to appear on Stewart's show

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama is taking his campaign message to "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.

Salma Al-Farouki: Rediscovering Islam

Salma Al-Farouki simply oozes class when she walks into the Arab News offices for our interview. Wearing a simple turban and purple dress combination, finished off with pearl earrings and eye kohl, she emanates warmth, intelligence and wisdom.

Apple launches new ultralight laptops, introduces Mac OS X Lion

CUPERTINO, California: Apple Inc. unveiled new MacBook Air ultralight laptops and offered a few glimpses of its new Mac operating system software Wednesday.

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