Saudi Arabia

Attack off Yemen Coast Damages Ship Says UKMTO

A ship was struck and damaged by an "unknown projectile" in the Red Sea, a British maritime agency said on Thursday, following months of attacks by Yemen's Houthis. "The master of the vessel reports being hit by an unknown projectile and the vessel has sustained damage, no fires or casualties reported," said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade ...

Iran FM in Saudi for Talks on Gaza and Lebanon

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in the Saudi capital on Wednesday, according to Saudi state media, for what his office said would be talks on efforts to end Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. The Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel broadcast footage of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan greeting Araghchi and his ...

Iran Delays Israel-Saudi Normalization, Israel Hinders US-Iran Deal

Will Israel’s response to the Iranian strike be calculated, precise, and restrained under US guidance, the same way Iran’s strike on Israel was? Will Tel Aviv comply with Washington’s directives to avoid targeting nuclear sites, keeping its actions within the parameters set by the US, or will it disregard these boundaries and strike those ...

Movie About Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia Sparks Controversy

A movie titled “The Goat Life” has sparked fierce controversy in Saudi Arabia, where citizens are calling for a boycott, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released on Monday. Released this month, it recounts the harrowing story of Najeeb Muhammed, an Indian migrant worker who, after being abandoned in the Saudi desert in the ...

France's Macron Calls for 'Restraint' in Middle East

France's President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he had spoken to the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and all three had urged "restraint" to avoid an escalation in the Middle East. "I have spoken to President Mohamed bin Zayed and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the situation in the Middle East. We call on all actors to be ...

Saudi Arabia Welcomes Houthis and Yemeni Government Deal

Saudi Arabia, a key player in Yemen's nearly decade-long war, on Wednesday welcomed a deal between Yemen's government and the Iran-backed Houthis to halt tit-for-tat banking sanctions. The deal was announced on Tuesday by Hans Grundberg, the United Nations' envoy to Yemen, in a bid to end the warring parties' battle for control over the country's ...

Saudi Arabia to Host First Esports Olympics in 2025

Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Esports Olympics in 2025, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday. "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the body ...

Lilium Secures 100 Air Cabs for Pilgrim Transport to Mecca

German electric air cab developer Lilium announced, on Thursday, a landmark order for up to 100 “Lilium Jets” from Saudi state-owned airline Saudia. Contracts for 50 firm orders and an option for a further 50 machines were signed at a ceremony at Lilium's headquarters in Gauting, near Munich. The Saudia Group intends to use these air cabs to ...

Iran and Bahrain Agree to Start Talks on Resuming Ties

Iran and Bahrain have agreed to launch negotiations on how to restore diplomatic relations that have been severed for nearly eight years, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Tiny Gulf monarchy Bahrain cut ties with Iran in 2016, following in the footsteps of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia after Riyadh's diplomatic missions in Iran were ...

Diplomats Say at Least 600 Pilgrims Died During Hajj

An Arab diplomat told AFP on Wednesday that at least 600 Egyptians died during the hajj pilgrimage, citing searing heat that reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday. “All of them (the Egyptians) died because of heat,” except for one who sustained fatal injuries during a minor crowd crush, one of the diplomats said, ...

Last Major Hajj Ritual, on First Eid Day

Pilgrims on Sunday performed the last major ritual of the hajj, the "stoning of the devil", in western Saudi Arabia, as Muslims the world over celebrated the Eid al-Adha holiday. Beginning at dawn, the 1.8 million Muslims undertaking the pilgrimage this year threw seven stones at each of the three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina ...