SURABAYA, Indonesia: An aging giraffe at Indonesia’s largest zoo has died with a large lump of plastic found in his stomach, causing concern among zoo officials.
MANILA: A Philippine official says “Friday Night Lights” star Taylor Kitsch was not hassled at Manila’s airport recently, as the Canadian actor indicated this week.
PEORIA, Arizona: An Arizona police sergeant has been demoted and suspended for two weeks without pay for posting a photo of a bullet-riddled image of President Barack Obama on Facebook.
DHAHRAN: Saudi Aramco will organize its 17th charity run along Alkhobar Corniche on Thursday. This year's event is dedicated to enlightening the public on the importance of donating organs to save the lives of fellow human beings.
RIYADH: The Hofuf-based King Faisal University has made a major scientific achievement toward discovering the missing link between diabetes and cerebral hemorrhage.
LAS VEGAS: Singer Celine Dion has canceled more shows at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace, citing a virus causing an inflammation of her vocal cords.
VIENNA: Illegal “Internet pharmacies” are using social media to market drugs to young people, an international report said yesterday. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), which monitors the implementation of UN drug control conventions, said illicit drugs as well as prescription medicines were being ordered online from such unscrupulous operations.
JEDDAH: More than 1,200 youths hope to fulfill their dream of marital bliss in a mass wedding festival that will be opened by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Events in May. Prince Khaled is the honorary chairman of the Charitable Marriage and Family Counseling Society that has decided to organize the event.
JAZAN: A major commercial center for foodstuffs in Jazan has set a very good example for the success Saudi women can have in shops selling goods other than lingerie and women’s accessories.
NEW YORK: Some people devote their lives to ending world hunger, some to lifting children from poverty, and still others to getting Leap Day the respect it deserves. The cause may seem frivolous but it is not the least bit trivial to leapers, those born on February 29, a date that appears on calendars once every four or sometimes eight years.
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey: A Rutgers University student who committed suicide after his roommate used a webcam to spy on his homosexual tryst had sought a single dormitory room a day before killing himself, a New Jersey jury heard on Monday.
JEDDAH: A Jeddah-based charity organization specialized in family reconciliation has launched a program to train 11 men with speech and hearing impairments as family specialists.
JEDDAH: Twelve projects provided by group of high school students called on the protection of environment through organized campaigns that they have been organizing here in Jeddah.
Some expats are so sure that we Saudis don’t smile! You may also consider that a few of them do believe that “committing” a smile is some sort of a sin! What I’m here to say is: “Come on guys!” Smiling is much welcomed in our culture. We do smile, and we do love to see people smiling! I had this idea of clearing the confusion when I used to work for Radio Riyadh years ago!
Twitter co-founder Christopher Isaac “Biz” Stone has a message for those followers who stare at the stream of tweets on the social networking site for hours on end — don’t do it.
JEDDAH: Saudi artists showed their innovative paintings and modern artwork during the first Contemporary Islamic Art Exhibition in Jeddah, under the auspices of the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand: Kim Dotcom, the founder of the file-sharing website Megaupload, was released on bail Wednesday after a New Zealand judge determined that authorities have seized any funds he could have used to flee the country.
CAIRO: Archaeologists on Monday began restoration on a 4,500-year-old wooden boat found next to the pyramids, one of Egypt’s main tourist attractions.
JANADRIYAH: The “Tourism and Heritage Oasis,” a pavilion of Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), will be the major highlight of the Janadriyah National Heritage and Cultural Festival next year, said Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the commission. Prince Sultan made the remarks while speaking to reporters after signing an agreement for sponsoring the pavilion with Saudi Telecom Company.
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida: Authorities say a Florida pastor’s daughter who was accidentally shot in the head in a church died Saturday at a hospital.
DUBAI: The Dubai International Exhibition for Arabic Calligraphy, running at the Scientific and Cultural Association headquarters in Al-Mamzar, takes the visitors to the rich glory of Arabic calligraphy with several beautiful displays.
LAS VEGAS: President Barack Obama lauded Muhammad Ali Saturday as he joined a host of celebrities in offering birthday wishes to the boxer known simply as “The Greatest.”
RIYADH: To coincide with the Janadriyah Festival, the Saudi Heritage Society launched a photography workshop on camel racing, for photographers between 18 and 35 years old.
CANBERRA: Zurich has topped Tokyo to become the world’s most expensive city, as surging currencies push up the cost of living in countries like Switzerland and Australia, a survey showed on Tuesday.
BEVERLY HILLS, California: Whitney Houston was underwater and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub, and she had prescription drugs in her room, authorities said Monday.
DALLAS: The birth of a Texas baby has been bittersweet.
Her mother, 31-year-old Diane Aulger, had her labor induced in January so her husband could see their child before he died.
The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry plans to develop restaurant menus in Braille language to help customers with visual impairment.
SRINAGAR, India: A pair of rare and reclusive snow leopards have been caught on camera wandering a remote, mountain region once ravaged by conflict between India and Pakistan.
JEDDAH: The Sixth Yanbu Flower Show and Garden Festival, which opened here on Monday evening, is drawing thousands of local residents and visitors. The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu is organizing the 10-day event.
Suleiman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rajhi, a prominent Saudi businessman and philanthropist, will receive the King Faisal International Prize (2012) for services to Islam during a ceremony in Riyadh on Tuesday.
LOS ANGELES: After months of preparation, a massive boulder has begun its 169-kilometer journey to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The 340-ton chunk of granite that acclaimed earth artist Michael Heizer selected to be the centerpiece of his latest creation left a dusty rock quarry in Riverside late Tuesday.
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has been named the best Arab personality in the field of solving issues related to Arab youth. The award was given by the Arab Youth Media Forum, which is currently being held in Manama under the sponsorship of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.
A group of Indian artists and music enthusiasts in Riyadh have launched a new music band named the “G5 Orchestra,” with the noble vision to promote classical and melodious music and to encourage creative talents among Indian expatriates in the Kingdom.
TOKYO: Ever wonder how dogs can walk barefoot in the snow? Now a Japanese scientist may have the answer — an internal central heating system.
TEHRAN, Iran: Iran hailed the country’s first Oscar-winning film as a triumph over arch-foe Israel on Monday after an Academy Award race with its own subplots: Iranian officials giving a grudging nod to cinema and Israeli audiences flocking to see a made-in-Tehran drama.
JEDDAH: NASA has appointed a Saudi woman academic who holds a doctorate degree in environmental studies and biotechnology from a UK university as a member of its scientific team.
