MAQzine

T he biggest clock in the world started operation in Ramadan The world's biggest clock perched on the Makkah Clock Tower started the trial run since Wednesday morning. The clock is perched on a sky rise which is part of the King Abdelaziz endowment property in Makkah, and the entire tower project is due for completion in three months. The project was ordered by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdelaziz in an attempt to provide an alternative for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), currently used as international reference. The design of the project has traditional Islamic architectural features and the clock is to be run with the latest operating systems and gear. The tower is 601 meters high and the clock has four faces, one in each direction, with the name of Allah on top of each. The face of the clock is over 40 meters in diameter and is over 400 meters above surface level. The call for prayer from the Holy Mosque would be heard from the new landmark's loudspeakers for a distanc...

A new player has appeared in Israel's political environment in recent months: - - - - - - - - Saudi Arabia. After years of behind-the-scenes activity, Crown Prince Abdullah has come out with an initiative aimed at "saving the Palestinians" from Ariel Sharon's iron fist and dragging President George W. Bush into deeper involvement in the region. The American press provides a multitude of reports about the Saudi activities. Last August the prince was furious with Bush, who had expressed firm support for Israel, and the prince threatened to cut off ties with the U.S. In response to the ultimatum, Bush sent a letter to Riyadh, promising to change direction. The Qaida attack on New York and Washington interrupted that plan, which was to include a first meeting between Bush and Yasser Arafat. This week, Abdullah surprised again. - - - - - - - - In an interview with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, Abdullah spoke of a draft speech he has prepared for the upcomi...