Saudi Arabia

Saudi social media influencers have become a key element in the Kingdom’s advertising market in recent years, but many are increasingly aware they risk a backlash if their growing power is not used wisely. While many observers argue that influencers serve a positive purpose, others say they are simply filling …

The head of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) believes the state owned business could be run by a Saudi female engineer in the future as it seeks to attract top talent back to the Kingdom. Speaking to Arab News at the DSEI trade fair in London, SAMI CEO Walid Abukhaled, …

The US State Department has approved a potential agreement covering up to $500 million in military support services for Saudi Arabia, and has sent the agreement to Congress for review, the Pentagon said on Thursday. It was the first major defense agreement for Saudi Arabia sent to Congress since President …

EnerVenue, the first company to offer metallic hydrogen batteries, announced that it has raised $100 million in Series A funding, led by Schlumberger New Energy and Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV)- Aramco Ventures’ capital programme, the company said in a statement. EnerVenue has established a framework for a major distribution and manufacturing …

Bahrain has strongly condemned the failed Houthi drone attack which targeted Abha International airport south of Saudi Arabia. The bomb-laden drone launched by the Iran-backed group was intercepted and destroyed by Arab Coalition forces.“The launch of a drone by the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia towards Abha International Airport in the …

The new UN special envoy for Yemen arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday as part of his first visit since taking office on Sep. 5. He will hold talks with senior Yemeni and Saudi officials and diplomats during his stay in the Kingdom. Hans Grundberg will meet Yemeni President Abed Rabbo …

Defense spending in Saudi Arabia is to focus on acquisitions as well as research and development (R&D) over the next decade to ensure that the local military industry will create around 100,000 jobs for Saudis, the governor of the Kingdom’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) said. Speaking in an exclusive interview …

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Tuesday discussed coordination within OPEC as well as bilateral, regional and international issues, Algeria’s presidency and the Saudi minister said. Saudi Arabia “is keen to continue coordination and consultation regarding regional and international issues…most notably …

U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday she was “deeply concerned” about the alleged torture of a Saudi aid worker while in detention in Saudi Arabia. The aid worker, Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, was detained by Saudi authorities in March 2018 and reported to be sentenced to …

ACWA Power, the energy producer backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, sees big opportunities in the hydrogen market but the company isn’t planning to add another hydrogen project to its portfolio for some time until its venture with NEOM and Air Products is at an advanced level, its CEO …

The FBI has released the first document related to its investigation of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States and allegations of Saudi government support for the hijackers, following an executive order by President Joe Biden. Relatives of the victims had called on Mr Biden to skip memorial events …

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt called for a “rapid and comprehensive inspection” of all Iranian nuclear sites on Thursday. Gathering on the sidelines of an Arab League session in Cairo, ministers from the four countries also discussed stopping Tehran’s destabilizing policies that threaten global security and stability. The …

Riyadh-based non-profit investment arm Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute has invested $500,000 in Interstellar Lab, a space technology company working to sustain agriculture beyond Earth.  The French company is designing closed loop biodomes for sustaining life on Earth, the moon, and Mars, as a response to climate change.  “Climate change is a …

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Wednesday the release of classified documents relating to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Its U.S. embassy said in a statement that “any allegation that Saudi Arabia is complicit in the September 11 attacks is categorically false”. U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday …

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a royal decree to terminate the public security director Khalid al-Harbi and refer him to investigation with corruption charges, the state news agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday. Charges include embezzlement of public money, forgery, bribery and abuse of influence. Source: Reuters

The World Defense Show, the global defense and security event to be held in Riyadh under the patronage of King Salman, has allocated 85 percent of its space, a statement released on Tuesday said. The event aims to provide a platform for global firms to connect with the regional defense …

The US led on Sunday the global condemnation of a recent escalation in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Houthi militia launched three ballistic missiles toward the Kingdom on Saturday, two targeting the southwestern cities of Najran and Jazan. A third missile was launched at Dammam in the Eastern Province. …

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhhimi held talks with Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif on Saturday. During the meeting, they discussed security cooperation between Baghdad and Riyadh, and ways of developing it in various security fields, especially combating terrorism. The Saudi minister conveyed greetings of …

A ballistic missile attack aimed at Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich eastern region was intercepted on Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group in Yemen said in a statement carried by Saudi state media. The missile was intercepted over the city of Dammam, according to a source familiar with the matter …

Saudi Arabia plans to launch a trading platform for carbon offsets and credits produced in the Middle East and North Africa, the country’s sovereign wealth fund and domestic stock exchange announced Sept. 3. The Riyadh Voluntary Exchange Platform is aimed at helping the oil-rich country support its Paris Agreement climate …

President Joe Biden on Friday directed the declassification of certain documents related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a supportive gesture to victims’ families who have long sought the records in hopes of implicating the Saudi government. The order, coming little more than a week before the 20th anniversary of the …

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait next week, the Pentagon said on Friday, in a “thank you” tour for allies and troops that helped in the massive U.S.-led airlift from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. Austin planned to leave on Sunday and …

Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) and Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) events in Riyadh on Oct. 23-25, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) announced on Thursday. Announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March, the two initiatives have been praised by governments and international green agencies. …

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call on Thursday from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to express concern over a Houthi attack on Abha airport. Eight people were wounded when Iran-backed Houthi militants targeted the airport in Asir province, with two exploding drones on …

Recent archaeological discoveries in northern Saudi Arabia reveal the earliest evidence of human migrations from the African continent to the Arabian Peninsula about 400,000 years ago, the Saudi Heritage Authority has announced. They confirm the Kingdom’s civilizational importance, and the role played by early communities outside of the African continent …

Iran plans to hold a fourth round of talks with regional rival Saudi Arabia in Iraq after the new Iranian government is set up, the Iranian ambassador in Baghdad was quoted on Tuesday as saying. Iran and Saudi Arabia, leading Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East, have …

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok said a Saudi pledge to invest $3 billion in his country could rise to $10 billion as the country looks to rebound from an economic crisis. “In our last visit to Saudi Arabia, we met the crown prince and agreed on an investment of $3 …

The NEOM Media Industries Sector has partnered with ITP Media Group, the parent company of magazine brands such as Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire, to train young Saudi journalists. “Talent development is a key element of our aim of establishing NEOM as the regional epicenter of the media industries,” said Wayne …

Iraq has invited Iran and Tehran’s Gulf Arab foes to a summit in Baghdad with the aim of calming tensions which have brought them close to open conflict in recent years. Officials say the meeting, which will also discuss the war in Yemen, Lebanon’s collapse and a regional water crisis, …

Saudi firefighters have put out a blaze on the Makkah-Jeddah expressway, authorities said on Tuesday. The fire was caused after a tanker carrying petroleum was involved in a road accident. Provincial authorities said ten vehicles had caught fire, but that there were no injuries. A video posted to the Makkah …

Saudi Arabia on Monday signed an agreement aimed at developing military cooperation with Russia. The Kingdom’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman announced the agreement, which he signed alongside his Russian counterpart Colonel General Alexander Fomin. Prince Khalid arrived in Russia on Monday to attend the International Military-Technical Forum …

Arab coalition airstrikes have killed an Iranian military officer who was an adviser to the Iran-backed Houthis during their deadly offensive on the central province of Marib, Yemen’s Information Minister, Muammar Al-Eryani, said on Saturday.   The advisor, Haidar Serjan, and nine other combatants were killed on Friday night in the …

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken the strategic relations between the two countries and developments in Afghanistan, Saudi state news agency said on Wednesday. Source: US News & World Report

Saudi authorities said on Tuesday that they are closely monitoring current events in Afghanistan, and expressed their hopes that the situation in the country will stabilize as quickly as possible. During the weekly cabinet meeting, chaired remotely by King Salman from NEOM, the Council of Ministers also affirmed its support …

A Saudi-Indian naval exercise that took place in the Arabian Gulf came to an end on Saturday. The Commander of the Eastern Fleet, Rear Admiral Majid bin Hazaa Al-Qahtani, explained that several manoeuvres were carried out as part of exercise “Indian Ocean.” The manoeuvres trained participants in protecting oil fields …

Iran is developing a so-called “kamikaze drone” program in the wake of heightened maritime warfare, analysts have warned. Experts from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) have warned that the new exploding drone tactics are a “core element” of Tehran’s efforts to influence the region. The warning comes as the West …

The Saudi Cabinet approved on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the energy ministry and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy for cooperation in the hydrogen field, state news agency SPA said on Tuesday. The CEO of Aramco, Amin Nasser, said on Monday the Saudi Arabian state oil …

Saudi Arabia reiterated on Tuesday its solidarity with the Lebanese people, but said any assistance to current or future government depends on serious reforms, state news agency SPA reported, citing a statement by the Saudi Cabinet. “Any assistance provided to the current or future government depends on it carrying out …

Saudi Aramco (2222.SE) is scouting for other potential deals to offer to investors and unlock capital, Chief Executive Amin Nasser said on Monday after the oil giant in June closed a $12.4 billion deal for its crude pipeline network. “We are looking at the potential for other deals that we are currently …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Monday and repeated a call for progress on human rights. A State Department statement said Blinken and the Saudi minister discussed regional security and the attack last month on the tanker Mercer Street …

Iran on Saturday rejected as psychological warfare accusations that it was behind a deadly attack on a tanker off Oman’s coast, and said Tehran sought to enhance the security of the strategic Gulf waterway. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy economies said on Friday Iran was threatening international …

Hezbollah’s insistence on imposing its hegemony on the Lebanese state is the main cause of Lebanon’s problems, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday. Speaking at an international conference on Lebanon marking the first anniversary of the Beirut Port explosion, Prince Faisal bin Farhan urged Lebanese politicians to confront the …

Saudi Arabia’s Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) is a “world leader” in pioneering work to prevent and counter violent extremism, according to Jehangir Khan, director of the UN Center for Counter-Terrorism (UNCCT). “Etidal is a world leader in this field and we are proud of it,” he said …

Saudi officials in charge of developing the country’s space program are now traveling around Europe seeking partnerships with leading companies in a sign that the Kingdom is putting the program up on its agenda. The chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Space Commission, Abdullah Alswaha, met in …