New studies on proposed Saudi-Egyptian bridge set
By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | ARAB NEWS RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Egypt have decided to launch fresh studies to build a gigantic 32-km bridge linking the two countries in a renewed bid to forge closer ties and boost bilateral trade and investment. The bridge project will be on the top […]
‘Spend wisely … to avoid breakdown of family and breakup with spouse’
By ARAB NEWS RAFHA: A number of Saudi experts and specialists in family affairs have underscored the importance of prudent spending and budgeting well according to priorities. They are of the strong view that this would help solve most family problems and prevent many family breakups and divorces, according to […]
Umrah packages galore as Ramadan nears
By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS RIYADH: With two weeks to go before the holy month of Ramadan, attractive weekend Umrah packages starting from SR100 are being offered by travel operators in the capital. The beginning of the Umrah season on June 29 this year coincided with the summer holidays, […]
‘Early’ Ramadan fuels wedding industry boom
By Zain Khasawneh, Jordan Times. AMMAN – Wedding industry businesses have witnessed a boom over the past two months as people rush to get married before Ramadan, due to start in early August. Demand for wedding halls, rented cars and flowers surged sharply over the past few months, because of […]
Lower House endorses public agencies budgets draft law
By Raed Omari AMMAN – Lawmakers on Sunday endorsed the public agencies budgets draft law for the fiscal year 2011 as referred by the government, with some recommendations. During yesterday’s Lower House session, an overwhelming majority of deputies voted to approve the law and all recommendations put forward by its […]
British doctors warned against social media
Source/Credit: The Times of Malta: Monday, July 18, 2011 British doctors have been warned not to make friends with their patients on social networking sites. The British Medical Association issued advice urging medics and students not to blur the boundaries with people they are treating or have treated in the past, […]
An Argument for Quitting Facebook
Source: Cal Newport ‘Study Hacks Blog’ A Bold Decision At the end of his first semester at Penn, a student whom I’ll call Daniel was disappointed to learn that his GPA was a lackluster 2.95. Following the Study Hacks orthodoxy that study habits should be based on evidence — not random decisions […]
David and Goliath: Swiss to strengthen military ties with China
Swiss Defence Minister Ueli Maurer discussed increasing military cooperation with his Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie at a meeting in Beijing on Thursday. The atmosphere at the meeting was “harmonious” and “friendly”, defence ministry spokesman Jean-Blaise Defago told the Swiss News Agency. He said China regarded Switzerland as an interesting partner […]
Jordan Crossing Heats Up
By Daoud Kuttab – The religious men and women patiently clutching their water jugs on July 10, waiting in line at the Israeli border crossing looked like the average Palestinian. They had been to Mecca for Umra, the lesser pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places. What was different in this […]
GCC membership may be a burden on Jordan’s security
By Oraib Al-Rantawi, The Daily Star, Lebanon On May 10, at their 13th consultative summit, Gulf Cooperation Council leaders accepted Jordan’s application for membership, noting that it had originally been tendered 15 years ago. The GCC leaders also issued an invitation to Morocco to join their “super-rich Arab club” even […]
Japan wins women’s World Cup over U.S. on penalty kicks
Frankfurt, Germany (CNN) — The Japanese women’s soccer team won the World Cup after defeating the United States on penalty kicks Sunday night, rallying from a pair of one-goal deficits to capture its first-ever world title. Japan had come into the tournament as sentimental favorites, helping rally a nation that […]
Rebekah Brooks arrested over UK phone-hacking scandal
Source/Credit: CNN and Associated Press London (CNN) — Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks was arrested Sunday in connection with British police investigations into phone hacking and police bribery, her spokesman told CNN. She is being quizzed by police in London after having come in by appointment, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said. […]
2011 Tour de France takes to the road
Rfi France. The world’s best-known cycling event, the Tour de France, got underway on Saturday 2 July as 20 teams with nine riders each set off from Passage de Gois in the eastern Vendée region. The 98th Tour has 21 stages covering a total distance of 3,430.5 kilometres and will […]
US embassy cables: France under fire over support for Tunisia.
Guardian.co.uk French media continues to report widely on the attack on “Liberation” correspondent Christophe Boltanksi, who was beaten and stabbed by four unknown assailants late November 11 in Tunis, after having extensively reported on human rights abuses on the eve of the GOT-hosted WSIS. Several French newspapers, led by “Liberation,” […]
Mysterious Lake Baikal devours vessels
Pravda Russia: Another vessel with people on board disappeared in Lake Baikal. Now a search and rescue team is looking for a pleasure boat “Yamaha” that went into the lake with four men on board on 16 June and still has not returned. Everyone says that the men were experienced […]
Indonesian Ministry employs 5,000 preachers to preserve forests
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Forestry Ministry will dispatch 5,000 Muslim preachers in its latest move to campaign against forest destruction, citing the rampant case of illegal logging involving local communities. “Our forests don’t go up in flames on their own, but are intentionally burned because there is this tradition […]
Letter: Ulema and state affairs
The Jakarta Post | Jajang Jahroni’s article (The Jakarta Post, p. 6) on Friday, July 8, about bringing the ulema back in is thought-provoking. What caught my attention was the sentence: “This is the reason why democratization in many Muslim countries is so poor.” The problem outlined: When ulemas have […]
Over 10,000 millionaires in Israel
Israel boasted 10,153 millionaires in 2010, according to a new Merrill Lynch-Capgemini 2011 World Wealth Report. The annual survey showed that the number of Israeli millionaires rose 20.6 percent from 2009, when there were ‘just’ 8,419 millionaires. The report also found that the gross amount of capital of Israeli millionaires […]
Mind-controlled computing for the disabled
Source: Israel21c A new Israeli-developed tool enables the disabled to send emails by thought alone, and could revolutionize the world of mind-controlled computing The able-bodied can blast off an email in seconds, while eating a sandwich and calming a baby. But those less deft with their digits, such as the […]