Tag: saudi

US to update Saudi artillery for $1.31 billion

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday approved a contract to sell Saudi Arabia 180 self-propelled artillery systems for $1.31 billion, in the latest stage of perhaps the world’s biggest arms deal. When US President Donald Trump visited Riyadh last year he boasted that the desert kingdom would spend $110 billion on US equipment and the howitzer contract is one more step towards that goal. Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince […]

UN council condemns Yemen missile attacks on Saudi Arabia

  UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The UN Security Council on Wednesday condemned “in the strongest possible terms” multiple missile attacks launched by Yemen’s Huthi rebels on Saudi Arabia, saying they posed a threat to regional security. Saudi forces on Sunday intercepted seven missiles fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels toward cities in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, killing one person. Council members “expressed alarm at the stated intention of the Huthis to continue these attacks […]

Britain urges Iran to stop supplying Yemen rebels

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Monday urged Iran to stop sending weapons into Yemen and instead use its influence to end the conflict, as the Saudi-led coalition’s military intervention enters its fourth year. Saudi Arabia has been leading an aerial bombing campaign in support of the government and against the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels. The United Nations has found Tehran in violation of an arms embargo on Yemen by failing to block supplies of […]

Kuwait protests after Saudi ‘insults’ minister

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — Kuwait on Wednesday protested to Saudi Arabia over derogatory remarks made by a senior adviser to the Saudi royal court against one of its cabinet ministers. Deputy foreign minister Khaled al-Jarallah told reporters that he conveyed the Kuwaiti complaint to the Saudi ambassador in the country. “We have expressed our regret and blame over the insult against (commerce minister) Khaled al-Roudhan, a minister who enjoys the full trust of all in Kuwait,” he […]

First women-only car showroom opens in Saudi

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — A Saudi private company on Thursday opened the first car showroom for women only just five months before a decision allowing females to drive takes effect. The showroom was opened in a shopping mall in the western Red Sea port city of Jeddah to allow women the freedom to choose their own cars before they hit the road. In a historic decision late last year, King Salman gave Saudi women […]

Qatar says Saudi-led boycott amounts to ‘economic warfare’

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar on Wednesday said a Saudi-led boycott, now in its eighth month, amounted to “economic warfare” as Doha plans to seek compensation for those hit by the sanctions. “This is economic warfare,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Lulwa al-Khater said at a press briefing. Khater said the energy-rich emirate would “not leave a stone unturned” in legally pursuing claims for businesses. Tensions have escalated in the Gulf since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab […]

Saudi Arabia confirms princes arrested over protest

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s attorney general on Sunday confirmed 11 princes had been arrested after protesting the kingdom’s austerity measures and would face trial after “disrupting public peace and order”. Saudi media on Saturday had reported the princes arrested after gathering outside Qasr al-Hokm, a historical palace in Riyadh, in protest against a government decision to stop paying the water and electricity bills of royals. They were also demanding compensation for a […]

Saudi chess PR gambit checked by controversies

by Alison Tahmizian Meuse Agence France-Presse DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Saudi Arabia brushed aside rulings from top clerics to host a big money chess tournament, but the gambit to improve the kingdom’s image has been jolted by regional powerplays. The landmark event and its record $2 million (1.7 million euro) prize pot come as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks to repackage his oil-rich nation as more welcoming — and moderate. But a […]

Coalition raids hit Yemen rebels after missile targets Riyadh

SANAA, Yemen (AFP) — The Saudi-led coalition conducted multiple air raids in Yemen on Wednesday, a day after Huthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh in an attack Washington said was enabled by Iran. The Saudi-led strikes killed 11 civilians in the Huthi stronghold of Saada, a tribal chief and witnesses said, while unidentified assailants attacked Huthis guarding the Sanaa residence of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed by the Shiite rebels […]

Saudi filmmakers, businessmen eye return of the silver screen

by Alison Tahmizian Meuse Agence France Presse DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Saudi filmmakers and major cinema chains alike are basking in the news the kingdom will lift its decades-old ban on movie theaters, opening a market of more than 30 million people. At the Dubai International Film Festival on Tuesday, short-film directors talked shop on a seaside veranda, the city’s iconic sailboat-shaped hotel in the background. And Saudi Arabia was on everyone’s mind. […]

British PM May embarks on visit to Saudi Arabia, Jordan

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Theresa May left London late Tuesday for a three-day visit to the Middle East, where she will meet Saudi and Jordanian leaders in a bid to bolster regional ties. The British leader will hold talks on issues including Qatar and Yemen with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, before heading to Jordan for meetings with King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Hani Mulki. “This visit demonstrates that […]

Floods paralyze Saudi city of Jeddah

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Flash floods triggered by heavy rains swept through Jeddah on Tuesday, leaving motorists stranded and forcing authorities to shut schools and universities in Saudi Arabia’s second biggest city. Dozens of people were plucked from vehicles engulfed by floodwaters, Saudi civil defense authorities said, with heavy rainfall expected to last at least until Wednesday. Local residents posted videos on social media, with one showing a convoy of official cars wading through […]