June 17, 2013 A famed Lebanese singer, who has turned into a self-proclaimed Sunni Islamist, will put his home up for sale to back the Free Syrian Army (FSA) battling the Syrian regime, he said during an interview with a Lebanese TV channel this week. “I would rather sleep on the ground just for the Syrian revolution’s sake,” Fadhel al-Shaker told the al-Jadeed TV channel, adding “whoever attacks us (Sunnis ...

June 16, 2013 Jordan’s King Abdullah said on Sunday the kingdom was ready to defend itself from any threat to its security from the conflict in neighboring Syria. “If the world does not help as it should, and if the matter becomes a danger to our country, we are able at any moment to take the necessary measures to protect the country and the interest of our people,” he said. King Abdullah was speaking as Jo ...

June 16, 2013 A Middle Eastern symbol – traditionally believed to bring good fortune – has become a sweeping fashion trend among celebrity A-listers this season. Jennifer Aniston and Madonna are just some of the stars that have been spotted wearing necklaces and bracelets with the “hamsa” (also known as “khamsa,”) a hand-shaped amulet with an “evil eye” symbol. “Other celebrity fans of the symbol include si ...

Kuwait City, June 16, 2013 (AFP) Kuwait's constitutional court on Sunday scrapped last December's parliamentary election which was boycotted by the opposition but approved the controversial electoral law that sparked the boycott. The court, whose rulings are final, called for a fresh election to replace the current loyalist-dominated parliament, in the verdict read out by presiding judge Yousef al-Mutawah. ...

June 14, 2013 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shrugged off Western criticism over the legitimacy of the Iranian elections, in a televised speech early Friday morning as he cast his ballot in Tehran. ‘I recently heard that someone at the U.S. National Security Council said ‘we do not accept this election in Iran’. We don’t give a damn,’ he said, as quoted by Reuters. Khamenei also urged for large voter ...

Kuwait City, June 12, 2013 (AFP) Several Kuwaiti supermarket chains have begun boycotting products from Iran for its support of the Syrian regime, while activists staged a demonstration against the involvement of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement in the conflict. At least nine cooperative consumer societies out of 50 in the oil-rich Gulf state published announcements in the local media on Wednesday saying the ...

Riyad, June 6, 2013 (AFP) Gulf Arab states have advised citizens not to travel to Lebanon, a popular summer tourist destination that is becoming increasingly engulfed in neighboring Syria’s civil war, official Saudi news agency SPA reported. “Most GCC states have urged their nationals to avoid travelling to Lebanon due to the instability of the security situation there,” Gulf Cooperation Council’s chief And ...

June 4, 2013 The Saudi Arabian market for IT and telecoms makes up 50 percent of the sector’s overall sales in the GCC region, Dell officials said this week at a press conference in Riyadh, reported Aleqtisadiah. Information technology is the top priority for large institutions looking for business growth and innovation, Dell officials said. Digital security and the use of personal digital devices at work a ...

May 26, 2013 Jordan, which shares borders with war-torn Syria, said on Sunday it is in talks with “friendly countries” to deploy Patriot missiles on its territory after a similar move by Turkey. “Jordan wishes to deploy Patriot missile batteries in order to boost its defense capabilities and help protect the country,” Information Minister Mohammad Momani told a news conference. “We are currently at the stag ...

May 23, 2013 Humble, sweet and candid, Raha Moharrak’s conversation with Al Arabiya English ranged from her latest accomplishment of climbing Mount Everest, to women’s rights, family and friends. She stirred a media storm in the last week, becoming the first Saudi woman to climb the highest peak in the world, and the youngest Arab to do so. “I felt relieved once I was done with the climb,” said the freelanc ...

Jeddah, May 21, 2013 (MAP) The Organization of Islamic cooperation (OIC) condemned on Tuesday the Israeli decision to call off a visit by a UNESCO’s mission to Al Quds. The United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (UNESCO) announced last month that it would send experts to occupied Al Quds in mid-May to examine the state of conservation of the walled Old City, a World Heritage site. ...

May 21, 2013 The first woman from Saudi Arabia to scale Mount Everest said she doesn’t intend to inspire a movement, but would be happy to change people’s opinions of Saudi women and Saudi women’s opinions of themselves. Raha Mobarak told reporters in Katmandu on Tuesday after returning from the mountain that her next goal is to climb the highest peaks in all seven continents. She said she has already scale ...