By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH | AP RAMALLAH, West Bank: The West Bank Palestinian leadership formally decided to press ahead with efforts in September to win UN recognition of a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, in what could be a blow to efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace […]
By MD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: An official of the Charitable Society for Holy Qur’an Memorization has blamed the Ministry of Education for not producing sufficient number of qualified Saudi teachers for the Qur’an memorization institutions. “The three-year grace period granted to Qur’an memorization societies to Saudize their institutions […]
By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS RIYADH: The Shoura Council said a fine of up to SR100,000 will be imposed on Saudis who violate the regulations of the proposed marriage law that would allow Saudis to marry foreigners. The bill was approved Monday at the council’s session chaired by Vice […]
By Hani Hazaimeh AMMAN – Jordan is keeping a good track record to promote the rule of law, but has much to do to further guarantee fundamental rights for its citizens, an international report said. According to the Rule of Law Index 2011 report, issued by the World Justice Project, […]
AMMAN (JT) – UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee on Monday voted in favour of a Jordanian and Arab decision on the city of Jerusalem and Bab Al Magharbeh. The decision was made during the 35th session of UNESCO’s executive board, which was held yesterday in Paris with the participation of a […]
By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS Published: Jun 27, 2011 00:05 Updated: Jun 27, 2011 00:05 JEDDAH: Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen on Sunday disclosed his ministry’s plans to establish a Zamzam water distribution project near the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. “Tenders to implement the project will be opened within two weeks,” he said […]
By ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Labor Ministry is working on new rules and regulations aimed at phasing out unskilled foreign workers from the Kingdom so as to replace them with Saudis, Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper quoted Labor Minister Adel Fakeih as saying on Saturday. The minister made the statements in a speech […]
By Mohammad Ben Hussein AMMAN – Hundreds of Syrians living in Jordan gathered outside the Turkish embassy in Amman on Sunday to express gratitude for Turkey’s political and humanitarian stance concerning developments in their country. Carrying Turkish flags and pictures of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they thanked him […]
By Peter Apps Reuters LONDON – From the streets of Cairo and Madrid to online forums and social media sites, “leaderless” protests are on the rise. But the very qualities that led to their short-term success may condemn them to failure in the long run. Activists in Egypt, Tunisia and […]
UR, Iraq: Standing before the imposing ziggurat which was once part of a temple complex at the Sumerian capital of Ur, Iraqi archaeologist Abdelamir Hamdani worried about the natural elements that are eating away at one of the wonders of Mesopotamia. “Is there anybody thinking about preserving these monuments?” asked […]
BEIRUT: Two Hezbollah members have confessed to working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and a third had links to an as-yet-undetermined foreign intelligence service, the group’s leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said Friday, admitting for the first time the penetration of one of the most secretive organizations in the region. […]
By Rami G. Khouri The Daily Star, Lebanon My pleasure at speaking this week in Ottawa at a gathering at the International Development Research Center of Canada was compounded by the very thoughtful questions and comments that members of the audience offered. The audience raised new questions in my mind […]
I recently spent a bit of time in the Maluku Islands, one of Indonesia’s northeastern provinces and also an archipelago in its own right. Given it is less accessible to tourists and definitely well off the beaten track, I thought Asian Correspondent readers might like to be treated to a […]
By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has approved a religious awareness mini-festival to be organized during the Jeddah Summer Festival this year. The meet, which will feature cultural events, amusement programs and sport items apart from religious lectures and awareness programs, will be held […]
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 […]