Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec 2 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia will host the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in the capital, Riyadh, on Dec 10, it was reported, on Sunday.

GCC General Secretary, Abdullatif Al Zayani, announced that, the Gulf leaders will hold their 40th meeting in Riyadh, saying that, the summit will be chaired by the Saudi King, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The ministerial preparatory meeting before the summit will be held in Riyadh on Dec 9.

RIYADH, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Qatar’s foreign minister has made an unannounced visit to Riyadh, amid signs that a 2-1/2-year rift among US-allied Gulf Arab states could soon subside.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met with senior Saudi officials last month, said a source familiar with the trip, the highest-level visit since May when Qatar’s prime minister attended an Arab summit in Mecca.

It was unclear if the visit, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, included a face-to-face with de facto Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

JEDDAH, Nov 26 (APP): Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was a platform uniting the Muslim world.

Talking to media persons after her arrival at Jeddah, she said that Pakistan was the founder member of the OIC which played its due role for strengthening social, cultural and religious values among the member countries, said a press release issue here Tuesday.

Dubai, Nov 26 (AFP/PTI) Saudi Arabia has detained at least nine academics, writers and activists, campaigners said, the latest in a series of crackdowns on intellectuals over the past two years.

The detention of liberals in the midst of a much-hyped liberalisation drive underscores what observers call increasing repression and authoritarianism under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's de facto rule as he consolidates his grip on power.

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco’s weighting in Saudi Arabia’s main stock index once the oil giant has listed shares is not expected to breach the maximum limit set by the Gulf kingdom’s Tadawul exchange, a senior executive said on Sunday.

“There is a ceiling for the maximum weight any listed company on the Saudi index can reach, it will be around 15%. It is unlikely that Aramco’s weight will reach the maximum level,” Argaam financial website quoted Tadawul chief executive, Khalid al-Hussan, as saying.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov 21 (NNN-SPA) – The Saudi-led coalition, involved in a war in Yemen, denied on Wednesday, allegations of Houthi militia, of shooting down one of Saudi’s F-15 fighter jets.

The spokesperson of the coalition, Turki Al Maliki, described in a statement, the claims as “baseless and unfounded.”

He said that, the allegations were based on a previous failed attempt, in July, 2018, highlighting that, what the militia published is a continuation of its “deliberate falsification methodology.”

20 Nov 2019; MEMO: China and Saudi Arabia have begun a three-week joint naval exercise, Chinese state media said on Tuesday evening, reports Reuters.

The joint exercise at a Saudi Arabian naval base comes as tensions in the Gulf have risen over recent attacks on oil tankers and a major assault on Saudi energy facilities.

20 Nov 2019; MEMO: The Trump administration yesterday informed Congress that it has deployed an additional 3,000 troops to the Middle East in a bid to counter the perceived growing threat posed by Iran, some of whom have already arrived in Saudi Arabia.

“United States Armed Forces have been deployed to the Middle East to protect United States interests and enhance force protection in the region against hostile action by Iran and its proxy forces,” President Donald Trump informed Congress in a letter.

18 Nov 2019; MEMO: Saudi Arabia and China yesterday launched a joint naval exercise dubbed “Blue Sword 2019” at the King Faisal Naval Base on the Red Sea, Saudi Press Agency reported.

According to SPA the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Special Forces of the Western Fleet in Jeddah, and its counterpart of the Chinese People’s Navy took part in the exercise.

The drill is scheduled to last three weeks at the King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah.

14 Nov 2019; MEMO: A well-known Islamic scholar died in a Saudi Arabian prison on Tuesday having been detained since 2016 after sending a “secret advice letter” to the Royal Court, reported Prisoners of Conscience. The group focuses on the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia.