Algerian twins Sarah and Ekram were separated during an eight-phase marathon surgery that began at 7:30 a.m. and lasted until 6 p.m. The operation was carried out in line with the instructions of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

An aviation doctor has already examined Hindi, who is awaiting a medical clearance certificate to be issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an agency of the US Department of Transportation.

“It is too early to talk about the possibility of any future seismic activity in the Arabian Peninsula,” said Khaled Abdulaziz Al-Eissa of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

RIYADH: Attorneys representing the defunct Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation criticized the US government for designating the Saudi-based charity as a "global terrorist organization" without spelling out the charges against it in 2004.

Ansari said that the compensation amount received by the embassy for all dead Nepali workers is regularly sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Katmandu. Ansari, who gave Arab News a copy of bank statements and documents showing the remittance of money, contradicted the reports of his complicity in stealing compensation money.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has launched a multimillion riyal project to set up 122 new weather stations and install 11 weather surveillance radars (WSR). It forms part of an ambitious plan to expand the weather forecast system, with the main objective of warning the public about natural disasters like heavy rainfall and cyclones, Tarek Al-Samawi, a spokesman for the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME), said Wednesday.

“An additional few hundred are expected to be flown within a day or two,” said Waleed Al-Olumi, a spokesman for Saudi Arabian Airlines, which alone has operated 62 flights to evacuate Saudi citizens from different Egyptian cities so far.

Almaeena and RCA officials discussed the opportunity in sponsoring the tournament and other details related to the event. “The objective is to build not only the strong ties between Arab News and RCA but also to promote the game of cricket,” said Almaeena after the meeting. He said that Arab News would work as a partner with RCA in the tournament, which will be a great occasion to see our young school boys in action.

Dr. Salwa A. F. Al-Hazza, chief of the Ophthalmology Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital, called on government agencies, NGOs and the general public to discourage first-cousin marriages in the interest of Saudi society.

The students were handed certificates and trophies at a crowded luncheon ceremony attended by SAGIA Gov. Amr Al-Dabbagh and Chairman of Walt Disney International Andy Bird.

RIYADH: A foreign relations expert has called on the Kingdom and Turkey to forge stronger strategic ties to boost bilateral links and contribute to the peace and security of the Middle East region.

A panel of over 100 of the world's most gifted minds including political leaders and top-notch business executives will be rubbing elbows with each other at the GCF's different sessions spread over three days from Sunday onward.

A leaking pipe was being fixed on Thursday after several complaints were lodged by residents of Rabwa district.

The talks mainly focused on the future of Saudi-Sudanese relations with special reference to a referendum in Sudan that may eventually create a new nation in Africa. "Taha briefed Crown Prince Sultan on the latest political developments in Sudan, especially concerning the south Sudan referendum," said Osama Mahjoob Hassan, spokesman for the Sudanese Embassy, after the talks.

The four-day symposium, the first of its kind organized by the Ministry of Education, will discuss in depth how to pursue excellence and bring quality education to Saudi institutions. This event, entitled The First International Conference of TQM in K-12 Education, will help to work out educational plans and policies with "quality initiatives drawn from the best international experiences," said Prince Faisal in a statement. He said the event would also find out ways and means for restructuring education, especially primary and secondary (K-12) segment, with added stress on quality and excellence.

The three-day exhibition displays some winning photographs that were selected from a bundle of hundreds of thousands of photos shot by Wasif during the last two decades of his career as a photographer.

“The cheetah was spotted moving toward the bank's gate by the bank's outer cameras at about 4:15 a.m. on Monday, prompting the security guards to raise alarm,” bank representative Salem Al-Onaizi told Arab News on Tuesday. Al-Onaizi said the panic-stricken guards saw the cheetah darting around the bank, which led them to close the entrance gate and inform the authorities about the animal freely roaming near Dabbab Street.

The figure is also set to increase with the opening of new colleges and universities across the Kingdom for which the government has earmarked SR150 billion in the current budget. “The budgetary allocation will ensure the completion of several huge projects,” said Dr. Ali bin Sulaiman Al-Atiyah, deputy minister at the Ministry of Higher Education, in a statement. He added that the ministry has planned to set up 10 new colleges at a cost of SR9 billion in addition to the existing educational projects that are currently under way.

“The website was hacked a few weeks back, but has now been fully restored, and is safe and functional,” said Mohammed Al-Dukhainy, a spokesman for the ministry. The website was taken offline after being hacked, he added, while expressing concerns over such incidents. Hackers replaced the front page of the ministry's website early November with a photo of a syringe-wielding young man, the cache of which can be accessed through Google.

“The move is to inculcate sense of security among students that will eventually strengthen the national security apparatus,” said a source at the Riyadh-based King Fahd Security College (KFSC).

“We thank Saudi officials, owners and top executives of the Jeddah-based International Bunkering Company (IBCO), which owns and operates the tanker, for securing the release of the vessel and its Sri Lankan crew,” Sri Lankan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmed A. Jawad said on Wednesday. “We are very pleased that this ugly incident came to a happy ending.”

"The tanker, with a dead weight of 5,136 tons, and its crew — one Greek and 13 Sri Lankans — were all safe," Paddy O'Kennedy, a spokesman of the European Union Naval Force, said by telephone on Thursday. Arab News contacted some officials of the Jeddah-based International Bunkering Company (IBCO), which owns the tanker, but they declined to comment. IBCO has been working with their insurer, Saudi IACI Cooperative Insurance Company (SALAMA), to secure an early release of the bunker barge.

The new legislation, which will replace the present 34-year-old election laws, will offer a broad regulatory framework for municipal elections and explain the extent of power, jurisdiction, rights and duties of councilors.

Riyadh: Several institutions from Saudi Arabia, Austria, other Arab countries and Europe have teamed together to organize a high-profile “Arab-European Young Leaders Forum.” Several institutions from Saudi Arabia, Austria, other Arab countries and Europe have teamed together to organize a high-profile “Arab-European Young Leaders Forum.”

Didi Wahyudi , chief of the citizen service and protection task force at the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah , said on Wednesday police in Madinah have yet to react to a complaint against a Saudi employer accused of toturing 23 year old Indonesian maid Sumiati binti Salan Mustapa.