Middle East

Washington, Jul 25: President Donald Trump on Wednesday vetoed three congressional resolutions barring billions of dollars in weapons sales to countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The resolutions “would weaken America’s global competitiveness and damage the important relationships we share with our allies and partners,” Trump said in letters to the Senate justifying

Washington, Jul 23: Saudi Arabia’s reforms have started to yield results and the outlook for the economy is positive, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board said. The board also commended the authorities for the progress in implementing their economic and social reform agenda. The continued commitment to macroeconomic policies and appropriate prioritization of reforms will be key

Dubai, Jul 22: Iran has captured 17 spies working for the US Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) and some have been sentenced to death, Iranian media reported on Monday. State television quoted the Intelligence Ministry as saying it had broken up a CIA spying ring and captured 17 suspects. A ministry official said some of those arrested had been sentenced to death, the semi-official Fars news agency

Dubai, Jul 21: Indian comedian Manjunath Naidu died on stage while performing a stand-up act in Dubai. The performer, originally from Chennai, passed away from a reported cardiac arrest on July 19 at the Signature Hotel. "I was sitting in the front row at the show and Manjunath was the last performer of the night," PR manager Sana Topiwala told the Gulf News. "The show kicked off around 9.30 p.m

Jeddah/Washington, Jul 20: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman approved hosting US forces in the Kingdom to boost regional security and stability, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. The ministry tweeted that Saudi Arabia and the United States are "strengthen(ing) their longstanding partnership in (the) face of regional threats." In Washington, the US Defense Department confirmed the move

Riyadh, Jul 19: The National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) has warned people against using the viral face-transforming mobile application FaceApp, citing the software’s use of personal information. The app allows users to upload photos of their faces and have them edited to look older, a popular trick that filled the social media feeds of millions of users spread over more than 100 countries

Riyadh, Jul 18: Medical missions accompanying Hajj pilgrims from overseas countries are following Ministry of Health guidelines, according to officials. The ministry has issued guidelines saying that it requires the teams accompanying pilgrims to comply with technical requirements that include the mission having at least one physician per 1,000 pilgrims and at least 20 percent of the physicians in

Riyadh, Jul 17: Saudi Arabia will host 200 Hajj pilgrims of families of victims of the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand on the orders of King Salman, a Saudi Press Agency report said. The attack in March by Brenton Tarrant on two mosques in the city killed 50 people and wounded dozens more. The directive from King Salman was announced on Tuesday by Sheikh Abdullatif bin Abulaziz Al

Abu Dhabi, Jul 15: The tourist visa fee waiver for children younger than 18 travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) came into effect for the first time this summer on Monday. The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) announced on Sunday that the latest visa waiver for children under 18, who on conditions of accompanying their parents to the UAE, will further boost inbound tourism

New York, Jul 12: Saudi Arabia, represented by its permanent mission to the UN, held a symposium on Wednesday to discuss the importance of quality education in increasing women’s participation in the labor force. The delegation hosted the symposium at the UN’s headquarters in New York, during the UN’s High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Saudi Arabia’s deputy permanent