BEIRUT (AP) – Hundreds of Syrians, some with gunshot wounds, crossed into neighbouring Lebanon in search of a refuge from the growing government crackdown in their homeland, a Lebanese security official said Saturday. Other Syrians marched in a funeral for victims of the crackdown outside Damascus, demanding President Bashar Assad’s […]
This essay dates from November, 2005, but is still very valid. Stirrings in the Desert Heavy Hand of the Secret Police Impeding Reform in Arab World By NEIL MacFARQUHAR AMMAN, Jordan, Nov. 13 – At a cultural festival last year, Sameer al-Qudah recited a poem of his depicting Arab rulers […]
When US Defense Secretary Robert Gates devoted his final policy speech this month to berating NATO and America’s European allies, he was engaging in a time-honored tradition: Americans have worried about Europeans shirking their share of global burdens since the start of the 60-year-old alliance. Gates sounded a pessimistic note, […]
The world is witnessing a chaotic transition to uncertainty. While there is a profound transformation in the balance of global economic power, the lack of leadership has created a serious vacuum. Not much more than a decade ago, the emerging economies — China, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, […]
By RIMA AL-MUKHTAR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Women2Drive campaign continued down a rocky road with some sustaining the campaign a week after it was launched with sporadic efforts on Friday. Meanwhile a dawa (Islamic propagation) group, in Riyadh made clear its belief that women driving cars is against Islamic […]
By GALAL FAKKAR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Requests for visit visas so far are up 30 percent compared to the same period last year, according to sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry’s branch in Jeddah is struggling to handle the number of foreigners wanting to bring their […]
By ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Foreign workers contracted by various government bodies will by paid the 15 percent cost-of-living allowance on equal footing with their Saudi colleagues, local daily Al-Watan reported Friday, citing the Ministry of Finance. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah recently ordered a 15-percent increase in […]
By MD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Haj Ministry has said that between Jan. 19, the start of the Umrah season, and last week the number of pilgrims was 34 percent higher than the same period last year. About 2.84 million pilgrims have come for the lesser pilgrimage so […]
By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | ARAB NEWS RIYADH: Human rights officials and social workers have called for increased police patrols to prevent abductions and other crimes. They also called for a review of laws to ensure speedy trials of suspected rapists. “About 200 cases of child rape are reported annually […]
The Federal Court says the humanitarian situation in most regions of Afghanistan is too critical to send back asylum seekers whose requests were rejected by Switzerland. A court statement said security had deteriorated in all regions of Afghanistan over the past few years. It added the return of an asylum […]
By SYED FAISAL ALI | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Pilgrims coming through the Haj Committee of India are likely to get mobile SIM and debit cards. The Indian Consulate is trying to obtain as many SIM cards as possible with important numbers uploaded on them for pilgrims this year, Consul General […]
By Taylor Luck AMMAN – Iraqi refugees are at risk of being overlooked as victims of a forgotten conflict, a UN official in Amman warned on Wednesday. As the international community marks World Refugee Day – observed annually June 20 – donor countries and the greater global community risk suffering […]
ROME (AFP) – Upheaval across the Arab world is causing capital flight of up to $500 million a week, Finance Minister Mohammad Abu Hammour said on Thursday at an Arab banking conference in Rome. “There is capital flight. Five hundred million dollars a week are leaving the Arab world. Tourism […]
http://www.toronto.com/article/689492 Long before India had information technology or outsourcing services or a booming economy, it had Bollywood — older and bigger than Hollywood. But when I was growing up in India, Bollywood was thought of as a purveyor of “pageant for peasants,” a view my parents shared. I got to […]
By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS RIYADH: A Sri Lankan housemaid was kept against her will by her Saudi sponsor and not paid since she came to the Kingdom in 1997, sources from the Jazan governorate said on Tuesday. According to the sources, the authorities rescued 45-year-old Weerawardena Hettiarachchilage Indrani […]
By DIANA AL-JASSEM | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Prices of gold have continued to rise across the Kingdom because of the summer season. The summer is considered the perfect time for gold retailers to make a profit, as it is also the wedding season. For Saudi families, gold is the perfect […]
By GALAL FAKKAR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: A number of expatriates, especially laborers, drivers, masons and salesmen have said they would cancel their plans to travel home this summer following strong rumors that exit and re-entry visas would be converted into final exit visas at the airports. Though passport officials […]
By REUTERS UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly on Wednesday elected as its next president veteran Qatari diplomat Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, who UN diplomats say is unlikely to cause trouble for Western powers. Nasser, who has been Qatar’s ambassador to the United Nations since 1998, will replace Joseph Deiss of Switzerland. […]
By Khetam Malkawi AMMAN – The tourism industry in Petra will organise a festival next month and provide discounted offers on hotel accommodations in an bid to attract more Jordanian and Arab visitors to the Nabataean city, an industry representative said on Wednesday. Fawwaz Hasanat, head of Petra Hotel Association […]