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GCC leaders arrive in the Riyadh ahead of summit

JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received Wednesday GCC leaders ahead of an important US-GCC summit scheduled to be held on Thursday in Saudi Arabia’s capital.Among those welcomed included Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.The GCC leaders then met with US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

Prince Naif prize helps spread Islamic values

JEDDAH: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and interior minister, has highlighted the im...

Letter from a Saudi citizen to Obama

Mr. Obama, welcome to Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia that you have visited more than any o...

Welcome, Mr. President

RIYADH: Cementing GCC-US ties through dialogue and diplomacy will be the main objective of the Gulf bloc’s summit meeting with President Obama tomorrow, said Abdullatif Al-Zayani, GCC secretary-general, on Tuesday. The summit will be preceded by talks between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Obama today.Al-Zayani said that the summit would focus on peace and security in the Gulf and the Middle East beside...

US will continue effort to counter Iranian violations: Carte...

JEDDAH: US defense chief Ashton Carter reaffirmed the US’s commitment to Gulf security on Wednesday ahead of the arrival of US President Obama to the Saudi Arabia.At a joint press conference with Abdullatif Al-Zayani secretary general of the GCC, Carter said “The US will continue its effort to counter the Iranian violations.”Al-Zayani said GCC defense ministers expressed concern over Iran’s interventions in the region. He...

SAUDI ARABIA »

8 decades on, Saudi-US ties growing stronger

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and the United States have shared cordial partnership for more than eight decades now, which essentially makes the relations special. The two friendly countries are working to further enhance cooperation on issues of mutual interest despite changing dynamics in the international...

Deputy Crown Prince, US defense chief meet in Riyadh

JEDDAH: Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, met US Defense secretary Ashton Carter in Riyadh on Tuesday. The two met ahead of US President Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Carter, who is part of Obama’s US delegation to meet the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques...

‘Extremism could lead youth to atheism’

JEDDAH: The country’s youth are in danger of becoming atheists or rejecting religion if nothing is done to counter militant and extremist ideas, said Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Saleh Al-Asheikh recently.Speaking during the third meeting of Islamic affairs ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Al-Ashei...

Haram to be clear of mataf bridge by May 27

JEDDAH: The temporary bridge around the Kaaba will be removed by May 27, according to the committee overseeing the expansion of the Grand Mosque. Bakri bin Matouk Asas, director of Umm Al-Qura University and chairman of the committee, said Tuesday that the mataf, the circumambulation area around the Kaaba, only allowed 48,0...

Germany issued 74,000 visas to Saudis in 2015

JEDDAH: The German Embassy in Saudi Arabia has revealed it had issued 74,000 visas for Saudi citizen in 2015, a 25 percent rise from 2014, and the highest in its history in the Kingdom.The embassy in Riyadh issued 60,000 visas and the consulate in Jeddah 14,000. There is expected to be a higher number issued this year, acco...

Young Saudis follow their heart, reject arranged marriages

JEDDAH: Many young Saudis are adamant that they will not follow tradition and get married to women chosen by their families.One such person is Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, who told a local publication recently that he has decided to follow his heart in matters of love. He said he came from a small village in the southern part of the...

Forum draws 30,000 visitors

JUBAIL: The Social Services Department at the Royal Commission for Jubail (RCJ) organized a youth forum, “Shabab Sa7,” at the Youth Beach Park in the Jubail Industrial City, to promote local tourism in the city, from April 13-18.The five-day event attracted about 30,600 visitors and participants, and its sales exceeded SR72...

Capital visit, capital goal

WASHINGTON: After a month of unpleasantries between two important allies, US President Barack Obama arrives in Riyadh on Wednesday to meet with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and attend the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit the following day.The president is expected to attempt to iron out differences tha...

Trade relations forge ahead

RIYADH: The Riyadh-based US-Saudi Arabian Business Council (USSABC) has been playing a vital role in fostering the strategic business alliance between Saudi Arabia and the US.The council was established as a non-profit organization in 1993 as a spin-off of the US-Saudi Arabian Joint Economic Commission, a technical assistan...

A journey that reaffirms Kingdom’s special relations with United States

DHAHRAN: When Mike Keller sat next to Saad Al-Shammari to enjoy a traditional Saudi lamb feast in Abqaiq last week, generations of deep family ties that cross thousands of miles of land, ocean and cultures were reconnected.Everyone has a place that they call “home.” For Mike Keller, who lives in Windsor, Sonoma County, Cali...

Saudi man kidnapped, robbed in US

JEDDAH: The police in the United States city of Cleveland, Ohio, have launched an investigation into claims a Saudi man was kidnapped, robbed and then dumped in a parking lot.According to Cleveland’s Fox 8 News website the man was found April 12 in a parking lot in Garden Valley with a wound to his head. After getting him t...

Teacher accused of assaulting student

JEDDAH: Jeddah Education Department is investigating a complaint by a first grade pupil that his teacher hit him in the face last Thursday, causing a wound requiring 12 stitches. “The expatriate teacher hit my son, Moutassem Billah, in the face while he had glasses on and caused a deep wound just under the left eye. School...

King Salman receives education minister, GCC Secretary General, higher education ministers

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received at Yamamah palace here today, the Minister of Education Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Isa; the Secretary General of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani and GCC Ministers of Higher Education.They were the Minister of Edu...

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MIDDLE EAST »

Shame on you ‘for killing thousands of children’

NEW YORK: The Israeli and Palestinian ambassadors engaged in a rare shouting mat...

Tehran to be ‘fixed’

JEDDAH: The US wants greater special forces and naval cooperation with Gulf stat...

Erdogan tells EU: You need us more than we need you!

ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the European Union Tuesday it ne...

Regime strikes kill 44 civilians; Syria opposition chiefs leave ta...

BEIRUT: Suspected government airstrikes killed at least 44 civilians at markets...

Circus lights up Gaza gloom

GAZA: The circus doesn’t come to town anymore in the Gaza Strip, so Palestinians...

WORLD »

Switzerland halts citizenship process for Muslim family

GENEVA: Switzerland has suspended the citizenship process for the family of two...

Migrant crisis sparks rise in Austria far-right attacks

VIENNA: Europe’s migration crisis led to a sharp increase in extremist and racis...

Racist German leader in court over hate speech speech

BERLIN: The co-founder of Germany’s anti-Islam PEGIDA group arrived at a Dresden...

Ukraine, Russia reach deal to release pilot

MOSCOW: Ukraine and Russia have reached a deal to free a jailed Ukrainian pilot,...

Rightwingers held in Germany for terror activities

BERLIN: Five people were arrested in Germany on Tuesday on suspicion of founding...

SPORTS »

Evergrande back on track with win over Pohang

POHANG, South Korea: Guangzhou Evergrande kept their stumbling AFC Champions Lea...

Luis Enrique tries to restore Barcelona’s confidence

MADRID: Looking to find a way to end its freefall, Barcelona coach Luis Enrique...

UEFA to use Hawk-Eye goal-line technology at Euro 2016

PARIS: UEFA have announced that Hawk-Eye will provide the goal-line technology (...

Granollers beats De la Nava in Barcelona

BARCELONA: Marcel Granollers will play Rafael Nadal in the second round of the B...

Nibali’s Astana takes opening Trentino stage

ROME: Former Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali’s Astana team got off to the...

ECONOMY »

Tadawul surges 1.7% as firms report Q1 results

DUBAI: Gulf stock markets rose on Tuesday as several Saudi companies beat first-quarter earnings estimates and oil prices held up better than feared after the failure of...

SABIC suffers 13.2% drop in first-quarter net profit

RIYADH: Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) made a net profit of SR3.41 billion in Q1, 2016, down from SR3.93 billion in the corresponding period last year.The company reported on Monday a 13.2 percent drop in the first-quarter net profit, extending a profit slump.SABIC’s Acting Vice Chairman and CEO Yousef Al-Benyan attri...

German investor mood improves

BERLIN/DUESSELDORF: The mood among German analysts and investors rose for the second consecutive month in April, a survey by think tank ZEW showed on Tuesday, as positive signs from China helped allay concerns that weakness there would hurt the export-reliant German economy.Mannheim-based ZEW said its monthly economic senti...

Iraq plans to sell $2 billion in bonds

BAGHDAD: Iraq may go ahead with plans to sell $2 billion in bonds in the next three months, hoping that international aid will lower the cost of borrowing that derailed earlier plans to issue the debt, the governor of the Iraqi central bank said in a interview Tuesday in Baghdad.Iraq would like to see the yield drop to 5 pe...

Oil prices rise as Kuwaiti strike continues

LONDON: Oil prices rose on Tuesday as a strike by oil workers in Kuwait nearly halved crude production from the OPEC member, overshadowing bearish sentiment following Sunday's failure by producers to agree to freeze output levels.Thousands of Kuwaiti oil workers downed tools for a third day on Tuesday to protest against pla...

Brent signals traders to release oil stocks

LONDON: Crude oil storage helped commodity traders and refiners make strong profits last year and in the first quarter of 2016 but now the price structure which made it possible is evaporating.In a typical storage strategy, known as "cash and carry", traders buy physical crude and put it into storage in a tank farm, or more...

Malaysia Airlines CEO to leave in September

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Berhad's (MAB) Chief Executive and Managing Director Christoph Mueller will leave in September, well before the end of his three-year contract, the company said on Tuesday.The airline said in a statement Mueller was leaving because of "his changing personal circumstances".Mueller will serve...

Alabbar buys 4% stake in online fashion retailer

MILAN/DUBAI: Dubai entrepreneur Mohammed Alabbar will take a 4 percent stake in online fashion retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter (YNAP) in a move expected to push the Italian group's growth in the high-potential Middle Eastern market.YNAP, which was created last year from the merger of Italy's Yoox with upmarket rival Net-a-Porter...

Goldman Sachs net income slumps 56.3% to $1.2bn

NEW YORK: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s quarterly profit fell by more than half and revenue slumped to its lowest in more than four years as market volatility hit the Wall Street bank's bond trading and investment banking businesses.Goldman, wrapping up a dismal quarter for big US banks, reported a 40 percent drop in net reven...

Impact of subsidy cuts to be limited

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is set to limit the impact of subsidy cuts on citizens as it prepares to implement an economic vision for the future, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Bloomberg in an interview on Monday.The proposed system being developed by the Saudi government would provide cash to low and middle income S...

OPINION »

Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi

Letter from a Saudi citizen to Obama

Mr. Obama, welcome to Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia that you have vis...

Talal Alharbi

Saudi-US relationship

US President Barack Obama is visiting the Kingdom. He is scheduled to meet Custo...

Hans-Helmut Kotz

Say no to scapegoating

The European Central Bank is under heavy attack in Germany, a country that has l...

Danica Kirka

The cost of leaving EU

Britain's treasury chief has put a price tag on it: Leaving the European Union w...

Osama Al Sharif

Preventing break-up of Iraq

Iraq has been facing a deep political crisis since 2003 — the year it was invade...

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ART & CULTURE »

Wafaa Abbar: The queen of luxury retail...

After the success of the annual Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience in the fashion capital of the Middle East — Dubai — the unique and exciting event has traveled all the way to Jeddah, the fashion capital of Saudi Arabia.
Rubaiyat, Saudi Arabia’s go-to luxury destination, and Vogue Italia, the most influential Italian fashion magazine, have co...

’Bilal’ to bring Muslim hero’s...

Oil Barrel: Lifestyle brand th...

Middle East artists stand toge...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY »

Tweeps 2016: Innovative way to promote s...

Twitter should be thankful to Saudis. In the initial stages after its launch in the cyberspace, Saudis formed the largest user base on the platform.

Even at a time when it is losing its charm around the world, the Saudi twitteratis continue to use it with the same old vigor.
Their love for this platform is evident from the four...

Facebook’s next 10 years

A look at Android N’s new emoj...

EU anti-trust chief targets An...

FASHION »

Good news for makeup maniacs: Kat Von D...

Kat Von D is a name to be reckoned with in the makeup world. Recognized by international beauty gurus, bloggers and makeup artists, she is the founder of a leading makeup brand that is sold exclusively at Sephora worldwide.
She is not only the founder of Kat Von D, the high-performance makeup brand, but she is also a model, musician, entre...

Atulier by Samar Nasraldin: A...

Capes: The new abaya revolutio...

Tips to keep your locks fresh,...

TRAVEL »

Aidofood festival: A virtual celebration...

So it’s 2016, times have definitely changed since 1996 when we would watch a daily cooking show featuring that one chef on that one channel, some would record it beforehand and document it after, others would jot everything down with an end result of gibberish on paper, but with a recipe at hand. Whichever method the 80’s and 90’s generation use...

Travel fair hailed as a window...

Peru — land of the Inca, Andes...

South Africa: Land of diversit...

FOOD & HEALTH »

Working the pear-shaped body

Research shows that the pear body shape is the most common female figure in the Middle East and Africa, mostly as a result of estrogen levels of women in the region. The hormone distributes fat cells in the chest, buttocks and thighs, so women who produce more estrogen tend to be heavier and gain more weight in those specific areas. This sometimes leads to a disproportional body, cellulite and stubborn fat deposits that are difficult to burn. In her book, “The Body Shape Diet”, specialist Dr. Sandra Cabot discusses special dietary tips to help women maintain an attractive pear shape. Characteristics of the pear shape:Some of the most iconic beauties in the world possessed a pear-shaped body...

Recipes for health

Is it just me or is breakfast really the most controversial of all meals? Some people believe it’s the most important one of the day, while others don’t even bother eating it. Personally, I belong to the former camp. Without breakfast, I’m cranky, fussy and completely ravenous by lunch time. I love to try new recipes almost everyday, followed by seasonal juices. Although watermelon and sweet melon is available all year around, domestic and imported watermelon is in its peak season from March until August. You don’t need a fancy juicer, just a blender. Scoop the watermelon into the blender, blend for about thirty seconds, and ta da! You have made the simplest slush ever. I gave a twist by...

MoH set to initiate eHealth database

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health (MoH) is to launch shortly its eHealth research, Entity-Relation Database (ERDB), which comes as part of its strategic health plan to serve the patients in the Kingdom.An official from the ministry said that it is expected to adopt an integrated and comprehensive health care approach, with attention to the research and education. The ERDB will be based on the promotion of research in health and academic training. It is aimed at improving the management of health care in the Kingdom with the help of accurate and relevant data base.The project aims to document, classify, preserve and make available research efforts carried out in the ministry, as part of a...

OFFBEAT »

Wafaa Abbar: The queen of luxury retail therapy

After the success of the annual Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience in the fashion capital of the Middle East — Dubai — the u...

’Bilal’ to bring Muslim hero’s story to Cannes screen

Stories based on real characters may not be a recipe for box office success, but Ayman Jamal’s animated movie “Bilal” aims to bring forward the inspiring story of a real life hero to young and adult audiences. It is the most prestigious CG-animated movie to come out of the Middle East that is both empowering and inspiring in its call for social justice and equality. Inspired by the real-life story of Bilal Ibn Rabah, an African slave who became one of the most well-known names in Islamic history, Jamal, the film’s director and producer, has not only narrated a story of a hero that has managed...

Comedy Central to bring big laughs to small screen in MENA

JEDDAH: Further strengthening its roster of world-class and exclusive comedy content, OSN, the region’s leading pay-TV network, has signed an agreement with Viacom International Media Networks to add the number one global comedy brand, Comedy Central, to its offering of entertainment channels. Comedy Central HD is the third brand for VIMN in the region, complementing the existing presence of MTV and Nickelodeon/NickJr.From May 7, Comedy Central HD (OSN Channel No. 207) will be available exclusively on OSN in the Middle East and North Africa region, adding to the distinctive ‘nowhere else’...