Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

French prosecutors said on Tuesday they had opened a terrorism investigation into an explosion that went off under a French vehicle involved in the Dakar rally in Saudi Arabia. The blast, which seriously injured one of the rally competitors, hit a support vehicle belonging to the French team Sodicars soon …

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday charged that the latest speech of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was “full of fallacies and lies” regarding Saudi Arabia’s role in Lebanon and the region. Speaking to Sky News Arabia, Geagea added that “taking up arms is not at all the LF’s …

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday stressed his adherence to “Lebanon’s official stance” as to “keenness on Lebanon’s Arab and international ties, especially with the Arab Gulf nations, topped by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” “This keenness must be mutual, because it is in the interest of both Lebanon and the …

Australia has asked Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Japan for urea needed to make a diesel additive essential for trucks, as China holds back urea exports to cool fertiliser prices at home. The Australian Trucking Association last week raised concern about a looming shortage of diesel …

Israel slashed its list of countries eligible to buy its cyber technologies following concern over possible abuses abroad of a hacking tool sold by Israeli firm NSO Group, Israel’s Calcalist financial newspaper reported on Thursday. The newspaper, which did not disclose its sources, said Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and the United …

On behalf of the United States, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday extended his “heartfelt best wishes to the people of Lebanon on their Independence Day.” “The United States recognizes both the rich culture and perseverance of the Lebanese people, who have faced and overcome many challenges over …

The Biden administration has asked some of the world’s largest oil consuming nations to consider releasing some of their crude reserves in a coordinated effort to lower prices and stimulate the economic recovery, according to several people familiar with the matter. Global oil prices touched seven-year highs in late October …

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday lashed out at those who are “undermining Lebanon’s ties with the world, paralyzing the judiciary and impeding the government.” “Wasting time and not solving the crisis with the Gulf countries plunges us into an exhausting economic and social crisis that would harm the interests …

Egypt is in talks with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) to increase cooperation and finance projects aiming to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the Egyptian ministry of International cooperation said in a statement.  The corporation has already provided financing worth $2.3 billion to Egypt’s General Authority for Supply …

Prime Minister Najib Miqati has started contacts with the main political parties to convince them with the resignation or sacking of Minister of Information George Kordahi and with seeking mediations with Riyadh, al-Akhbar newspaper said Friday. Miqati wants to make a Cabinet statement that opens the way for Arab and …

Embattled Information Minister George Kordahi has announced that the diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia “has turned into an issue of national dignity.” “I totally understand and feel the plight of the Lebanese abroad and their fear of any measures that might target them, but the matter has turned into an …

The U.S. Air Force said it flew a B-1B strategic bomber over key maritime chokepoints in the Mideast with allies including Israel amid ongoing tensions with Iran as its nuclear deal with world powers remains in tatters. The B-1B Lancer bomber flew Saturday over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow …

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday noted that “the crisis with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular and the Arab Gulf nations in general has multiple and accumulating reasons.” “It can harm the interest of Lebanon and the interests of the Lebanese,” al-Rahi warned in his Sunday Mass sermon. …

The leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces party denied on Thursday his group has fighters, dismissing accusations by Hezbollah that it has a militia and seeks civil war as the fallout of deadly violence in Beirut continues to roil Lebanon. Already suffering a devastating economic meltdown, Lebanon has been overshadowed …

The United States on Thursday denounced Hezbollah’s deliveries of Iranian fuel in crisis-hit Lebanon as a public relations stunt and warned that Tehran remained under sanctions. Iran is set to deliver more fuel in the coming days to Lebanon for distribution by Hezbollah, the Shiite movement that has shown its …

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held “thorough and confident” talks with Iraq’s President Barham Salih late on Thursday, wrote Le Drian on his Twitter page. “Following on from the Baghdad conference of August 28 and the ministerial meeting in New York on September 21, I reaffirmed the support of …

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 …

Several Middle Eastern leaders and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Baghdad on Saturday at a summit hosted by Iraq, which wants its neighbours to talk to each other instead of settling scores on its territory. Iraq’s security has improved in recent years but it is still plagued by big …

Family members of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks are opposing U.S. President Joe Biden’s participation in memorial e Family members of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks are opposing U.S. President Joe Biden’s participation in memorial events unless he declassifies government documents that they contend will show Saudi Arabian …

The US State Department is “beyond fed up” with Houthi attacks in Yemen, spokesperson Ned Price told a press briefing on Thursday, adding that the assaults were exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the country.  A Yemeni government official said Tuesday that Houthi rebels fired two missiles in the latest attack …

Saudi Arabia is on a path of dramatic economic and social reforms. The reforms, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, are aimed at modernizing the kingdom and are welcomed both nationally and internationally. Abir Abusulayman stands at the forefront of social reforms, in particular women’s right to choose. The …

Netflix has announced a new hardship fund in collaboration with the Arab Fund for Arts & Culture (AFAC) to support those most affected by the pandemic in the Arab region’s film and TV community. The fund, valued at $500,000, will provide financial support in the form of individual grants ($2000 …

If Palestinian-US twins Simi and Haze Khadra’s routine display of bold beauty looks on Instagram is any indication, they know a thing or two about makeup. And now, it appears that the DJ duo are taking their know-how to market with the launch of their own cosmetics line, SimiHaze Beauty, …

It has been revealed that the Biden Administration’s State Department discourages officials and employees from referring to the UAE/Bahrain-Israel normalization agreements as the ‘“Abraham Accords” — despite that being their official name. According to US daily The Washington Free Beacon, emails to employees stated that the agreements will only be referred …

The drone threat posed to US and coalition personnel by Iran-backed militias is growing, and defenses against such threats remain limited — particularly in the face of Tehran’s growing capabilities. That was the clear message delivered by the US military commander in the Middle East during his most recent visit …

Lebanese Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe has quit after provoking widespread anger and condemnation for suggesting that Gulf states were to blame for the rise of Daesh, with lawyers submitting a complaint against him for breaching his duties and “committing crimes that threaten national unity.”  Wehbe faced a barrage of criticism …

Saudi Arabia on Saturday denounced Israeli plans to evict Palestinian families from their homes in Jerusalem amid soaring violence in the city. Israel reinforced its security operation on Saturday after clashes on Friday night, when more than 200 Palestinians were injured. Riot police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun …

A team of U.S. envoys is traveling to the Middle East this week for talks with key allies, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, amid simmering concerns in the region about President Joe Biden’s attempt to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. “A senior interagency delegation will be traveling over …

Delek Drilling DEDRp.TA said on Monday it had signed a non-binding deal to sell its stake in the east Mediterranean natural gas field Tamar to Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Petroleum for $1.1 billion. The deal, if finalised, would be one of the most significant developments since Israel and the United Arab …

Britain’s special envoy for the Gulf Edward Lister is leaving his role and departing the government, a Downing Street spokesman said in an emailed statement late on Friday. Lister, a close aide of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was appointed as the special envoy for the Gulf only in February …

Details from more than 500 million Facebook users have been found available on a website for hackers.The information appears to be several years old, but it is another example of the vast amount of information collected by Facebook and other social media sites, and the limits to how secure that …

The Middle East quartet of mediators – the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations – discussed on Tuesday reviving “meaningful negotiations” between Israel and the Palestinians with the aim of a two-state solution. In a statement following their meeting, the quartet said that both Israel and …

Egypt is racing to prepare a grandiose new capital city in the desert east of Cairo before the first civil servants move in this summer and ahead of the delayed official opening of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s flagship project. At the heart of the city, workers are putting finishing touches …

The Iranian regime is using the Houthi militia as a pressure card against the international community and the US administration to extract concessions on the 2015 nuclear agreement, Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani said on Thursday. Al-Eryani claimed that Iran is pressuring the Houthis for a military escalation in …

Delegations from Qatar and Egypt met in Kuwait on Tuesday for the first time since an agreement last month to end a rift, both countries’ foreign ministries said, in a further push to bury a Gulf Arab diplomatic feud with repercussions around the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain …

An Iran-aligned Iraqi militia group on Tuesday denied any role in recent rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq, but said an attack against Saudi Arabia last month was justified. It is a rare direct denial and the first time the Kataib Hezbollah group, one of the Iraqi factions closest …

Joe Biden has said Iran must cut its uranium enrichment before any return to talks over the regime’s nuclear program. The US president said he would not ease any of the tough sanctions imposed by Donald Trump after he withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, while Iran is not sticking …

Iran will be weeks away from building a nuclear bomb if it stays on its current path, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Monday. In his first TV interview since his appointment was confirmed last month, Blinken said Tehran was months away from being able to produce enough …

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested a way on Monday to overcome the U.S.-Iranian impasse over who goes first in returning to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying a top EU official could “synchronize” or “choreograph” the moves. Zarif’s stance was a shift from his position, expressed in a …

Bahaa Hariri, the eldest son of slain Lebanese statesman Rafik Hariri, is calling for a broad alliance — a “supermajority” — to coalesce around a plan to agree on the way forward for Lebanon as it faces multiple crises. Such an alliance is needed to implement the unfinished business of …

Egypt reopened its airspace to Qatari flights on Tuesday and will allow the resumption of air traffic between the two countries as part of a thaw in relations with the Gulf state, officials said. The decision follows moves by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to end …

Scholars of Islam and the Middle East the world over have long craved a glimpse of the rich collections of artifacts and manuscripts held in Saudi Arabia’s libraries and museums. So, when Saudi authorities launched its e-visa system in September 2019, academics leaped at the opportunity to visit the country. …

Bahrain will open its airspace to Qatar as of Jan. 11, the civil aviation affairs authority said on Sunday, following a U.S.-backed deal by Arab states last week to end a dispute with Doha. The move comes after Riyadh announced a breakthrough at a summit on Tuesday to end the …

As Tunisia assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of January, the timing could not be more apt. It comes as the North African nation celebrates the 10th anniversary of “the revolution of freedom and dignity,” in the words of Tarek Ladeb, the country’s permanent representative …