ISTANBUL: Turkey’s president has renewed a pledge for a cross-border military operation into northeastern Syria.In a speech Sunday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “We’ve entered Afrin, Jarablus, Al-Bab. Now we will enter the east of the Euphrates.”Talks between US and Turkish officials have stalled over creating a safe zone in Syria east of the Euphrates River.…
JEDDAH: Temperatures during Hajj season this year are expected to reach 50 degrees Celsius on some days, Saudi officials said Sunday. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental protection also expects humidity to reach 85 percent, making the climate feel even hotter. The authority said there was a chance of some rain clouds over…
JEDDAH: Public spaces express the culture and identity of a city’s inhabitants, regardless of their backgrounds. Be it in Saudi Arabia or France or Russia, cities are shaped by collective identities, shared memories, cultures and histories. The world’s most famous public places tell stories that influenced the social and political life of their cities, such…
LONDON: Saudi gamer Mosaad Al-Dossary has made it into the final of the FIFA eWorld Cup in London after winning the Xbox competition Sunday. The reigning world champion, who plays under the name Msdossary snatched up another win, beating French opponent "Rafsou" to claim the Xbox World Champion title. Al-Dossary, who quickly garnered worldwide gaming fame after winning last…
DUBAI: Luxury modest wear e-tailer The Modist is set to open its first-ever European pop-up at the UK’s Bicester Village, an outlet shopping destination, between Aug. 12-Sept. 24, where shoppers can expect elegant pieces from its own brand Layeur, as well as a carefully-curated selection of attire from luxury brands. Desirée Bollier, chair and chief…
DUBAI: Luxury modest wear e-tailer The Modist is set to open its first-ever European pop-up at the UK’s Bicester Village, an outlet shopping destination, between Aug. 12-Sept. 24, where shoppers can expect elegant pieces from its own brand Layeur, as well as a carefully-curated selection of attire from luxury brands. Desirée Bollier, chair and chief…
LONDON: Pep Guardiola has urged Manchester City to prepare for the “incredible challenge” of battling Liverpool for the Premier League title by landing an early blow against their rivals in Sunday’s Community Shield. Guardiola’s side pipped Liverpool to the Premier League by one point last season after a thrilling title race went down to the last…
LONDON: Pep Guardiola has urged Manchester City to prepare for the “incredible challenge” of battling Liverpool for the Premier League title by landing an early blow against their rivals in Sunday’s Community Shield. Guardiola’s side pipped Liverpool to the Premier League by one point last season after a thrilling title race went down to the last…
JEDDAH: Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, has officially completed his takeover of Spanish football club Almeria, according to reports. “After continuous speculation, Almeria have been sold to Turki Al-Sheikh after the operation went through for about €20 million ($22.26 million),” Spanish paper Marca said on its website. Al-Sheikh will…
The speedometer was touching 120 km per hour on Sheikh Zayed Road, and I sat behind the wheel of a gutsy Genesis G70 sports sedan owned by Altar Yilmaz. “This is the best car I’ve ever driven,” he said. After a career with some of the best-known motor brands in the world, that was quite…
BEIJING: Plains All American Pipeline said it will tack on a fee for users of a new oil pipeline to pay for the cost of the Trump administration’s imported steel tariffs, becoming the first US operator to do so. In addition to steel levies announced last year, President Donald Trump said on Thursday he plans to…
An eventful week ended with downward momentum for oil prices. Brent crude fell to $61.89 and WTI dropped to $55.66 per barrel. Oil has been under pressure from concerns over global economic growth amid ongoing US-China trade tensions. However, crude remains healthy, reflected by growing demand from refineries in Asia, where new refining capacity is…
KABUL: The US is seeking a peace deal that can pave the way for the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, Washington’s special envoy said hours before the resumption of major talks with the Taliban on Saturday.“We are pursuing a #peace agreement, not a withdrawal agreement; a peace agreement that enables withdrawal,” Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted.“Our…
KUALA LUMPUR: Air travelers leaving Malaysia will have to pay an airport tax ranging from $2 to $37 from Sept. 1.The so-called departure levy seeks to boost the government’s coffers and stimulate domestic tourism.Government and tourism officials on Saturday defended the tax, saying there had been no negative effects since it was first mooted in…
MOSCOW: Police detained dozens of demonstrators in Moscow on Saturday as Russian opposition supporters took to the streets in defiance of a formidable security presence, in fresh protests calling for fair elections in the capital next month. The unauthorized march, which comes after stark warnings from Russian authorities and a crackdown on Kremlin critics, was…
BEIRUT: Every Hajj season, Rafic Hariri International Airport is the only corridor for Lebanese, Palestinian refugees in the country and Syrians who want to perform pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Those who were issued their Hajj visas were informed three months ago. According to a diplomatic source in the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Lebanon, “the…
STUTTGART: Nobel laureate Nadia Murad on Saturday urged Iraq’s Yazidi minority to return to their ancestral heartland of Sinjar, five years after militants launched a brutal assault on their community there. Murad was one of thousands of women and girls from the ancient faith abducted by Daesh as they overran swathes of Iraq in 2014.Speaking…
ANKARA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the first new church in Turkey since it became a modern republic in 1923.The church in the Istanbul suburb of Yesilkoy will serve the 17,000-strong Syriac Christian community, which is also paying for the new building.“It is the Turkish republic’s duty to meet…
JEDDAH: A surgical team at Makkah’s King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC) has successfully removed a tumor from a 58-year-old Iranian pilgrim. The tumor was discovered in the pilgrim’s pituitary gland. It was severely affecting his sight and required urgent surgery. It was performed by surgical teams from the neurology department and the otorhinolaryngology department, the Ministry…
Mohammed bin Ahmad Al-Mowkley has been deputy minister for water services at the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture since December 2016. He has been CEO of the National Water Co. (NWC) since March 2017. He has 21 years’ experience in business administration, operations, investment and project management. Al-Mowkley spent 12 years at Obeikan…
