Iraq has hosted five rounds of talks between the two regional rivals, who have not had diplomatic relations since 2016. Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhemi stated in April that “reconciliation is near” between Riyadh and Tehran. The visits are not related to internal Iraqi political affairs, a source said. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi is scheduled … Read more
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has long been marginalized on the international stage. The 36-year-old prince was widely condemned for the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Some of his most striking policies have played out beyond his country’s borders, such as launching an intervention in Yemen. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has long … Read more
Saudi Arabia’s main airline will begin weekly international flights from the kingdom’s planned futuristic megacity known as NEOM next month, with Dubai as the first destination, according to state media on Monday. The weekly NEOM-Dubai flights will begin “by the end of June 2022, with plans to expand to London shortly thereafter,” according to the … Read more
Iraq closed public buildings and temporarily closed airports on Monday as another sandstorm hit the country, the ninth since mid-April. More than 1,000 people were hospitalized across the country with respiratory problems, according to Seif al-Badr, spokesman for the health ministry. Flights were also grounded for the second time this month in neighboring Kuwait, as … Read more
Officials in Saudi Arabia claimed Saturday that an airline had completed the country’s first flight with an all-female crew, hailing the achievement as a watershed moment for women’s emancipation in the conservative nation. The flight, which was operated by flyadeal, a budget affiliate of Saudia, flew from Riyadh to Jeddah on the Red Sea coast, … Read more
A sandstorm engulfed Saudi Arabia’s capital and other desert kingdoms on Tuesday, reducing visibility and slowing traffic. A thick grey haze obscured iconic Riyadh buildings such as the Kingdom Centre from more than a few hundred metres (yards), despite no announced flight delays or cancellations. The kingdom’s meteorology centre forecast “surface dusty winds” in the … Read more
Doctors in Saudi Arabia have successfully separated conjoined twins from Yemen after a “difficult” 15-hour operation, Saudi state media said on Monday The baby boys, Yussef and Yassin, were “conjoined in various organs,” according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The operation to separate them needed 24 doctors. Yemen has been plagued by a vicious … Read more
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will fly to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, an official told AFP, in his first visit on account that Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi’s killing within the state’s Istanbul consulate in 2018. The two-day trip comes after an Istanbul court docket this month ruled to halt the trial in absentia of 26 … Read more
BAGHDAD: Iran and Saudi Arabia have resumed key talks in Baghdad, an Iraqi official said Saturday. “Talks resumed last Thursday in Baghdad,” the official said, declining to elaborate. According to Iran’s Nour news agency, “senior officials from the secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the head of the Saudi intelligence service”. Shiite-majority Iran … Read more
Yemen’s president said Thursday that he is delegating power to a new leadership council, signalling a fundamental shift in the coalition fighting Huthi rebels as a shaky truce takes root. “I irreversibly relinquish my complete powers to this presidential leadership council,” President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi said in a televised address early Thursday, the penultimate day … Read more
Turkey held the penultimate part of the trial in absentia of 26 individuals related to the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Thursday before sending the case to Riyadh, angering rights organisations. On October 2, 2018, the 59-year-old journalist was assassinated inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in a brutal murder that stunned the … Read more
Riyadh – Pakistan’s newly-appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ameer Khurram Rathore met the community members in an introductory ceremony organised by the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh to further strengthen fraternal ties between both countries. Rathore assured everyone that the Embassy of Pakistan would take all possible steps to resolve issues of the community. The ambassador … Read more
RUMAH: Saudi women, in a first for the kingdom, have paraded their camels in a beauty pageant for the prized “ships of the desert”. “I hope today to reach a certain social standing, InshaAllah (God willing),” said Lamia Al-Rashidi, 27, who participated at the weekend contest in the Rumah desert northeast of the capital Riyadh. … Read more
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will be hoping to lift their first title on Sunday when they will face Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Los Blancos will be strong favourites going into the match but they will be without a few of their first-team players. Centre-back David … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia plans to more than triple the size of its rail network with 8,000 kilometers of new track, Arab News quoted the country’s investment minister as saying. “New rail will criss-cross the Kingdom and add to the network we already have,” Khalid Al-Falih told the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh. There are currently about 3,650 … Read more
RIYADH: Starting from Wednesday, RSI will be the code on air tickets when you book your future trips to the world’s largest sustainable tourism destination, Arab News reported. This comes as the Red Sea International Airport is now officially registered with the International Air Transport Association, IATA, the project’s developer The Red Sea Development Co said in … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution on Tuesday announced the establishment of an independent specialised unit to investigate financial frauds, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Saudi Arabia is taking several measures to ensure the protection of consumers and businesses within the kingdom and from criminals operating outside. [embedpost slug=”/saudi-arabia-to-privatise-all-its-airports/”]
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia was among the top countries in the Middle East and North Africa for new venture capital deals in the third quarter of 2021 with startups raising SR769 million ($205 million) from 91 deals, Arab News reported. It is a 439 per cent hike as compared with the figures of a year ago during which … Read more
LONDON: Oil prices slid on Friday, heading for a slight decline over the week, on concern curbs to slow the spread of the Omicron variant could hit demand, Arab News reported. Brent crude futures declined 1.5 per cent to $73.88 a barrel at 1.10 p.m. Riyadh time, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 1.4 per … Read more
RIYADH: Low-cost airline flyadeal will begin flights from Saudi Arabia to Egypt from January 6, 2022, Arab News reported. The company, a subsidiary of Saudia, will operate the Cairo-Riyadh route twice a day, with flights in both directions as a first stage. Egypt is the third international destination for flyadeal, following Dubai and Kuwait, bringing the … Read more
RIYADH: The Saudi capital is a global city, where a third of its residents are non-Saudis, and plans are afoot to transform Riyadh into one of the top-10 city economies of the world by 2030, Fahd Al-Rasheed said. The chief executive officer of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City highlighted the rapid transformation and ongoing … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is expected to record a surplus of SR27 billion in 2023 and SR42 billion in 2024, Arab News quoted Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, as saying, at a press conference; following the cabinet’s approval of the fiscal budget for 2022. He said the kingdom expects revenues to reach SR968 billion in 2023, while … Read more
RIYADH: More than SR12 trillion ($3.2 trillion) is set to be ploughed into Saudi Arabia by 2030, as the kingdom seeks to diversify its economy away from the oil sector, Arab News quoted the minister of investment, as saying. Speaking at a forum in Riyadh in the wake of the 2022 budget announcement, Khalid Al-Falih … Read more
RIYADH: One in 10 Saudi jobs will be in the tourism industry by the end of the next year, Arab News quoted the kingdom’s minister for the sector, as saying. Speaking at a forum in Riyadh to mark the unveiling of the 2022 budget, Ahmed Al-Khatib said SR500 million ($133 million) will be spent training … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef has said that transparency is the key to attracting investment in the kingdom’s mining sector, Arab News reported. Speaking at a post-budget forum in Riyadh, Alkhorayef said Saudi Arabia is committed to the environmental, social, and governance concepts in all sectors, including mining. He said mining is … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has identified housing as one of its key projects under the Vision 2030, and Minister Made Al-Hogail said that the ministry’s plans have not been affected by the pandemic, Arab News reported. In fact, the ministry is aiming at building 300,000 housing units over the next five years, in partnership with the … Read more
RIYADH: Car-booking platform and Uber’s subsidiary Careem is launching its new rapid grocery delivery service in Dubai through Quik, Wamda reported. Using a network of hyperlocal dark stores and inventory management, the new service aims to deliver customers everyday grocery items 24/7 in a delivery time of 15 minutes. It currently caters to select active … Read more
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia-based asset management firm Sedco Capital has launched an additional offering of its real estate investment trust fund to increase asset value by SR702 million ($187 million), Arab News reported. The offering period will run for five days until December 16, the company said in a statement. The price is set at SR10/unit. Sedco Capital … Read more
