saudi arabia

Saudi FM to Make Landmark Visit to the West Bank

Prince Faisal bin Farhan will become the first Saudi foreign minister to visit the occupied West Bank on Sunday, a diplomatic source told AFP, as the Gaza war drags on and Riyadh pushes for Palestinian statehood. The top Saudi diplomat will head a delegation to Ramallah, a Palestinian embassy source said, the first such trip since Israel first ...

With AI and More Shade, Saudi Set for a Searing Hajj

With artificial intelligence, more shade and misting machines, Saudi authorities are preparing to welcome more than a million hajj pilgrims amid punishing summer heat that has a deadly history in the holy city of Mecca. Saudi Arabia's hajj minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP on Thursday that efforts to mitigate the searing desert heat remained a ...

New Metro Cuts Through Saudi Social Divisions

For decades, civil servant Zayed al-Ghamdi's social circles in Saudi Arabia were more than predictable, bound by routine and kinship in a country where societal divisions have rarely been challenged. Then came the metro. A decade after breaking ground, Riyadh's gleaming new metro opened in December, offering the capital's eight million residents ...

New Mother-and-Child Unit Inaugurated at Quarantine Governmental Hospital

A new state-of-the-art obstetrics department named the Dr. Robert Sacy Mother-and-Child Unit was officially inaugurated on Thursday at the Quarantine University Governmental Hospital in Beirut. The launch ceremony was attended by Minister of Public Health Rakan Nassereddine, French Ambassador Hervé Magro, and numerous local and international ...

From Syria to Ukraine: The Gulf as the New Hub of Global Diplomacy (2/2)

https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/articles/1315328/from-irans-nuclear-program-to-gaza-the-gulf-as-the-new-hub-of-global-diplomacy-12  On Tuesday, May 13, US President Donald Trump was received with great ceremony in Riyadh by Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), marking the first stop on a tour of immense geopolitical and ...

Saudi Frees Iran Cleric it Detained Ahead of Hajj

Saudi authorities have released a well-known Iranian religious figure they detained ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places, Iranian media reported on Thursday. "Gholamreza Ghasemian has been released and is on his way to Iran after follow-up by Iranian officials," the ISNA news agency reported. Iran said it had held ...

OPEC+ meets as oil output hike looms

Ministers of the OPEC+ oil alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, discussed production on Wednesday as another hike looms despite falling prices. The 22-nation group began a series of cuts in 2022 to prop up crude prices, but Saudi Arabia, Russia and six other members surprised markets recently by sharply raising output for May and June. The ...

Where Will Ronaldo Write His Final Chapter?

Officially, his contract with Al-Nassr runs until the end of June. Unofficially, a verbal agreement for an extension has been mooted. But behind the scenes, the situation has changed. The Saudi club's elimination from the forthcoming Asian Champions League could shake the last pillars of his commitment. Despite his age and extraordinary stature, ...

Ronaldo Says Al-Nassr Chapter 'Over'

Cristiano Ronaldo indicated on Monday that he could leave Al Nassr after declaring that a "chapter is over" hours after the Saudi Pro League finished. The 40-year-old Portuguese forward joined Al Nassr in 2022 from Manchester United and his contract with the Saudi club ends this summer. A special transfer window runs from June 1-10 to allow the ...

Lebanon Secures Spot Among Arab Billion-Dollar Companies

The Arab world’s economy is undergoing a rapid transformation, fueled by the rise of financial markets and robust growth in the technology, energy and finance sectors. According to data compiled by Forbes Middle East, more than 280 companies across the region now boast a market valuation exceeding $1 billion. At the forefront of this ...

Abraham Accords: Israeli Ambassador to Washington Cites Lebanon and Syria... Before Saudi Arabia

While Saudi Arabia is often cited as the next country to join the Abraham Accords, a statement by Israeli diplomat Yechiel Leiter upsets predictions. In an interview with Marissa Streit, CEO of US platform PragerU, the Israeli ambassador to the United States openly raises the possibility of Lebanon and Syria joining the normalization agreement ...