96% of runaway girls are Saudis

MAKKAH: A recent survey conducted in the Makkah region found that 96.3 percent of girls who ran away from their families are Saudis, while 3.7 percent are non-Saudi. The study showed 51.9 percent are female university students, 36.4 percent high school students, and 11.7 percent middle school students.The study showed 54 percent of runaway girls are between the ages of 17 and 21 years; 24.6 percent between the ages of 22 to 26; 15 percent...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Tweeters back executions, condemn Tehran

JEDDAH: Social networking sites are witnessing popular solidarity of all Saudi citizens across the social spectrum, in addition to Arab solidarity in denouncing Iranian intervention in Saudi domestic affairs, and the blatant attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran.Many tweets come from well-known personalities expressing their solidarity with the Kingdom and denouncing Iranian intervention in Saudi domestic affairs.“Saudi Arabia can burn the...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Thank you, Arab News and Hope

I really enjoyed the trip to the planetarium. For me as an adult, it was both fun and educational trip. I personally will be back for another visit; excited to show friends and relatives this new form of entertainment offered here in Jeddah.I think it addressed the many different levels of the mental and intellectual capacities of our children. It amused, excited, educated and simulated each and everyone one of them. From the movement of the...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

‘Special’ children wake up to fun-packed morning

The mothers of the special guests from Hope — For Exceptional Needs were also touched by the initiative of Arab News in organizing the event and support of Fakieh Planetarium & Aquarium and Al Baik in ensuring the program was a big success. A total of around 160 people including the special children and their mothers, and the staff of Arab News and the center took part in the program.The event started at 8:45 a.m. at the Fakieh Planetarium,...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Oops: UK astronaut calls wrong number from space

British astronaut Tim Peake tweeted an apology on Christmas Day from the International Space Station after calling a wrong number.He wrote “I’d like to apologize to the lady I just called by mistake saying ‘Hello, is this planet Earth?’ — not a prank call — just a wrong number!“The 43-year-old former army helicopter pilot did not say who he was calling. Since he’s Britain’s first publicly funded astronaut and the first Briton to visit the...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Drug Addiction Can Get Your Brain Hooked Over Time

People with addiction have problems in controlling their drug taking behavior. They yearn and seek out drugs, alcohol, or other substances at any cost— regardless of its consequences that comprises; damaging friendships, hurting family, or losing jobs. At this point, we must stop and ask ourselves why addiction makes people behave in such ruinous ways. And why is it so hard to quit?Many things influence the development of an addiction. While...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Once again, giant Yule goat burns in Sweden

The straw goat is a beloved Christmas symbol in the city of Gavle, in central Sweden. However, it’s also become a tradition of sorts to burn it down.This year’s edition lasted nearly a month on a downtown square before going up in flames.Police said they arrested a suspect wearing a balaclava and clothes reeking of lighter fluid. His face was covered in soot and his hair damaged by fire.Police said he would be questioned once he sobered up.The...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

'Un-Islamic' vaping catches fire in Malaysia amid govt backlash

KUALA LUMPUR: At Malaysian e-cigarette outlet Vape Empire, customers kick back and puff out thick, aromatic clouds of vapor in funky flavors like Horny Mango and Creamy Suckerz’ Banana Anna.“Vaping” is soaring in popularity in Malaysia, the largest e-cigarette market in the Asia-Pacific region, but authorities are threatening to ban the habit for health reasons — a move that has sparked anger from growing legions of aficionados.Backing a ban,...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Israel rejects novel on Arab-Jewish love from curriculum

JERUSALEM: Israel’s education ministry has disqualified a book depicting a love story between an Israeli and a Palestinian from school curriculums, prompting an outcry from cultural figures.The education ministry said Thursday that Israeli author Dorit Rabinyan’s “Gader Haya” (translated as “Borderlife” in English) had been rejected for inclusion in school curriculums.“Officials discussed the matter of including the book in the curriculum,”...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

US university’s 41st list of words it would like to banish

Professors at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in the United States first came up with list of words and phrases that people love to hate at a New Year’s Eve party in 1975. It was published on Jan. 1, 1976. Five decades later, LSSU continues to receive nominations from the public of their own pet peeves about language.Below is LSSU's 41st annual list of words nominated for banishment by members of the public:— So— Join the conversation— Break...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Japanese research institute earns right to name element 113

TOKYO: A team of Japanese scientists have met the criteria for naming a new element, the synthetic highly radioactive element 113, more than a dozen years after they began working to create it.Kosuke Morita, who was leading the research at the government-affiliated Riken Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, was notified of the decision on Thursday by the US-based International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.“Now that we have...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Brush with talent: Blind female artist in limelight

RIYADH: A female Saudi artist with a visual disability has stunned people attending an exhibition here with the display of several paintings, including one which sold for SR8,000.Noorah Al-Majrashi has been showing her artwork at the “Muntijoon 3” exhibition at the Riyadh convention center. She has now produced 300 paintings during her short career.Al-Majrashi, who has entitled her exhibition “White Glass,” said that she began painting at the...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Stars beat Predators 5-1 to extend Central lead

DALLAS: Dallas extended its lead atop the NHL Central Division to nine points by beating Nashville 5-1 on Thursday, helped by rookie Mattias Janmark scoring his sixth December goal to break a tie late in the second period.Tyler Seguin added two insurance goals in the third period for the Stars, who boosted their lead over St. Louis, who lost at home against Minnesota.Third-placed Chicago closed in on St. Louis by winning in overtime at Colorado,...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Clemson, Alabama face off in college football title game

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida: Clemson will meet Alabama in college football’s championship game after both recorded convincing victories in Thursday’s decisive bowl games.Clemson, chasing its second national title — the other was in 1981 — beat Oklahoma 37-17 in the Orange Bowl, with quarterback Deshaun Watson running for one touchdown, passing for another and accounting for 332 yards.Alabama cruised past Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl to...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

19th Kanoo Inter-Division League kicks off

JEDDAH: The 19th Kanoo Inter-Division Cricket Tournament kicked off last week with tremendous excitement among the participating teams and players. The tournament is sponsored by Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group Jeddah for its employees and associates and subsidiaries companies and co-sponsored by Maersk Sealand (Mercantile Shipping) and AXA Insurance as part of the Group’s corporate social responsibility to encourage sports in general and cricket...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Australia set to test twin spin attack against Windies

SYDNEY: Australia look set to field two specialist spinners at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for the first time in a decade when they host West Indies in a dead rubber New Year’s Test starting this weekend.An inexperienced and demoralized West Indies touring party succumbed by an innings and 212 runs in Hobart and 177 runs in Melbourne to hand their hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.That position, and the likelihood...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Amir vow in return: wickets and love

5 The 23-year-old left-armer, who is set to make his international comeback less than four months after completing a five-year ban, remains a polarizing figure for Pakistan’s cricket-mad public and even some teammates.Last week Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali left a training camp which Amir was attending in protest at his prospective selection. They were later forced to return after being threatened with disciplinary action.In an interview...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Sharapova takes on Makarova in Brisbane first round

BRISBANE: Maria Sharapova will open her Australian campaign with a match against Ekaterina Makarova following Friday’s draw for the Brisbane International.Defending champion and third seed Sharapova will play world number 23 Makarova in a rematch from last year’s Australian Open semifinal.“This was a grand slam semifinal last year in Australia,” five-time grand slam champion Sharapova told reporters.“For a first match, it’s a pretty high-quality...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Loeb the pretender eyes Al-Attiyah’s Dakar crown

BUENOS AIRES: Nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb will add some extra spice to this year’s Dakar Rally in which Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah will bid to defend his title in Argentina and Bolivia.The Frenchman will seek to follow in the footsteps of Ari Vatanen, who won the Dakar in his first attempt in 1987, back when it was raced in Africa.After Peru pulled out as one of the hosts of this edition in August, citing concerns over the...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Real Madrid visits Valencia in test for struggling coaches

BARCELONA: Rafa Benitez held on to his job last year but faces another tough test of his coaching credentials on Sunday when Real Madrid visits Valencia for its first Spanish league game of 2016.Benitez has been the focus of criticism from disgruntled fans for Madrid’s unpredictable campaign, which has included a lopsided loss to fierce rival Barcelona and its embarrassing disqualification from the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player.Madrid...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

No Curry, no problem as Warriors ground Rockets

HOUSTON: Klay Thompson scored 38 points, Draymond Green had a triple-double and the Golden State Warriors overcame star Stephen Curry’s absence to beat the Houston Rockets 114-110 on Thursday.Golden State was blown out by Dallas on Wednesday night for just its second loss of the season when Curry missed his first game since March because of a sore left lower leg. But the Warriors were able to outlast the Rockets thanks to the big night by...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

As 2016 dawns, refugee, migrant flows look set to continue

ATHENS, Greece: Bitter cold, biting winds and rough winter seas have done little to stem the seemingly endless flow of desperate people fleeing war or poverty for what they hope will be a brighter, safer future in Europe. As 2016 dawns, boatloads continue to reach Greek shores and thousands trudge across Balkan fields and country roads heading north.More than a million people reached Europe in 2015 in the continent’s largest refugee influx...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Firecrackers leave 1 dead, 380 injured in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines: Philippine officials say firecrackers have left at least one man dead, 380 other revelers injured and caused a fire that gutted 1,000 shanties, despite rains and a government scare campaign.Health Secretary Janet Garin said Friday that a drunken man lit a dynamite-like firecracker called “Goodbye Philippines” and embraced it on New Year’s Eve, ripping his jaw and killing him.Garin says the number of injured, while still...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Rwandan president to seek third term

KIGALI: Rwandan President Paul Kagame declared Friday he will run for a third term in office after his second seven-year term expires in 2017, a move opposed by the US, a key ally.The announcement in his end-of-year message follows last month’s constitutional referendum in which 98 percent of Rwandans voted to approve a revised Constitution to allow Kagame to extend his tenure in office.“You requested me to lead the country again after 2017....

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Ben Carson’s campaign manager, 20 staff quit

Barry Bennett, who oversaw Carson’s rapid rise to the top tier of Republican contenders and his later fall, said he quit over differences with another top adviser to Carson, Armstrong Williams.Specifically, Bennett blamed Williams for an interview Carson gave last week to The Washington Post suggesting that the campaign was in disarray. “It’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen a candidate do,” Bennett said.Things had “boiled over”...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Russia sues Ukraine over default on $3bn debt

MOSCOW: Russia’s finance ministry said Friday it was suing Ukraine for defaulting on a $3-billion debt to Moscow, following an order by President Vladimir Putin.Kiev is “in a state of default” regarding its obligations toward Moscow and legal proceedings would ensue, the ministry said.“Russia’s finance ministry (...) has initiated procedures required for an immediate lawsuit against Ukraine,” the statement said, adding that the lawsuit would...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Boko Haram threat hangs heavy over Nigeria in 2016

KANO, Nigeria: As Nigeria rings in 2016, the ever-present threat of violence by Boko Haram hangs heavy over Africa’s most populous country, despite official claims that the battle against the militant group has been “technically” won. After setting a Dec. 31 deadline to rid his country of Boko Haram, President Muhammadu Buhari told the BBC: “I think technically we have won the war because people are going back into their neighborhoods.” In...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Turkish national dies in Somalia shooting

MOGADISHU: Unidentified gunmen Friday shot dead a man believed to be a Turkish national in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police and witnesses said.The assailants opened fire on a “foreign national” near a mosque in the northwestern district of the city, said police official Mohamed Abidrahman.“We don’t have details but the initial information we have obtained indicates that a Turkish citizen was shot dead,” added the official.The Turkish embassy...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Indian capital starts limiting cars for 2 weeks to clear air 

NEW DELHI: The Indian capital on Friday kicked off a sweeping plan to reduce its record-high air pollution by limiting the numbers of cars on the streets for two weeks.New Delhi is testing a formula where private cars will be allowed on the roads only on alternate days from Jan. 1-15, depending on whether their license plates end in an even or an odd number.On Friday, most cars appeared to be following the rules and traffic was a trickle compared...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Pakistan courts sentence nine militants to death

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan military courts have sentenced nine men to death for terrorism-related offenses or attacks on minority Shiites, the army said Friday.Pakistan has hanged more than 300 people since lifting a moratorium on the death penalty in December 2014, many of them convicted in closed military courts which critics say fail to meet fair trial standards.“Today, (the) Chief of Army Staff confirmed death sentences (were) awarded to another...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Philippine New Year mayhem leaves 2 dead, 380 injured

MANILA, Philippines: New Year’s firecrackers left two dead and 380 others injured, and caused a fire that gutted 1,000 shanties in the Philippines despite rain and a government warning campaign, officials said Friday.A drunken man lit a dynamite-like firecracker called “Goodbye Philippines” and embraced it in Manila as it exploded, ripping his jaw and killing him, Health Secretary Janet Garin announced.Fire officials said a rocket lit by revelers...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Japan PM pledges to keep country out of war

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday promised he will keep his nation out of war following the introduction of contentious new security legislation, a day after China announced it is building its second aircraft carrier.In September parliament in the officially pacifist nation passed security bills opening the door for Japanese troops to engage in combat overseas for the first time since the end of World War II.The legislation...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Authorities in China arrest 11 over deadly landslide

BEIJING: Authorities in southern China have formally arrested 11 people for their role in a landslide unleashed at construction waste dump last month that killed 12 people and left 62 others missing and presumed dead.Prosecutors in the southern city of Shenzhen said in a statement late Thursday that a dispatcher and supervisor of the landfill, the chief and deputy manager of a company in charge of the landfill, and seven other people were...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

N. Korea leader blames South for increased mistrust

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un blamed South Korea on Friday for increased mistrust in a New Year speech after a year of heightened tension between the rival countries.The speech was Kim’s fourth since becoming leader in 2011 when his father, Kim Jong Il, died, sparking a long and turbulent succession process marked by several bloody purges in the isolated country.“South Korea has made a unilateral case for unification and increased...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More

Publisher recalls disputed Chinese translation of Indian poet’s work

BEIJING: A Chinese publisher has recalled the latest Chinese-language translation of a work by Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, after it drew sharp criticism in India that it is too vulgar and strays too far from the original text.Zhejiang Literature and Arts Publishing House announced this week that it would pull from shelves all copies of Tagore’s “Stray Birds,” translated by contemporary Chinese writer Feng Tang, citing controversy and...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• ◄

Read More