Saudi Arabia

15 March 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has invited Chinese President, Xi Jinping, to visit Riyadh as the Kingdom looks to deepen ties with Beijing amid strained relations with Washington, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing people familiar with the plan.

16 March 2022; MEMO: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) yesterday condemned Israel's "crimes of field execution" of Palestinians, Quds Press reported.

In a statement, the OIC said that the killing of 20 Palestinians since the start of the year "is a dangerous escalation of Israeli crimes and aggression on the Palestinians."

Adding that the Israeli occupation held "full responsibility for the repercussions of this escalation."

13 March 2022; MEMO: Iran has suspended talks with regional rival Saudi Arabia, a website affiliated to Iran's top security body reported on Sunday, without giving a reason for the decision that comes as a fifth round of negotiations was due to start this week, Reuters reports.

12 March 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has announced its plan to establish a holding company for nuclear energy to participate in local and international commercial nuclear programmes, Saudi media revealed on Friday.

According to Okaz newspaper, Saudi Prince Abdullah Bin Khalid Bin Sultan confirmed that the Saudi Nuclear Energy Holding Company (SNEHC) would participate in nuclear economic projects locally and internationally.

11 March 2022; MEMO: Yemen's Houthi group claimed a drone attack on a refinery in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Thursday morning, which Saudi state media said did not affect petroleum supplies, Reuters reports.

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement targeted a Saudi Aramco 2222.SE refinery in Riyadh using three Samad-3 drones, its military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said on Friday. Six Samad-1 drones were also fired at Aramco facilities in the Saudi cities of Jizan and Abha.

11 March 2022; MEMO: Blogger, Raif Badawi, is out of a Saudi prison after spending 10 years behind bars on charges of insulting Islam and cyber crime, his wife, Ensaf Haidar, said on Twitter on Friday, and Reuters reports.

"After 10 years in prison #Raifisfree," tweeted Haidar, who lives in Canada where she and their three children were granted political asylum.

10 March 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has lifted the ban imposed on its citizens for travel to Thailand, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) has reported. Thai citizens will now also be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia three decades after diplomatic ties were severed. No further details were provided.

10 March 2022; MEMO: The Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) elected Saudi Arabia yesterday to the presidency of the council for 2022-2023.

The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the council will be chaired by the Saudi Ambassador to the Netherlands and the Kingdom's OPCW permanent representative, Ziyad Bin Maashi Al-Attiyah.

RIYADH, Mar 8 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia inked 2.13 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of deals, with local and foreign defence companies, at the ongoing World Defence Show in Riyadh, it was reported yesterday.

The 22 deals cover direct purchases of military systems, the building of production lines, knowledge transfer and training, and the localisation of technologies and services, the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), the Gulf state’s military industry regulator was quoted as saying.

RIYADH, Mar 8 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia inked 2.13 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of deals, with local and foreign defence companies, at the ongoing World Defence Show in Riyadh, it was reported yesterday.

The 22 deals cover direct purchases of military systems, the building of production lines, knowledge transfer and training, and the localisation of technologies and services, the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), the Gulf state’s military industry regulator was quoted as saying.