Middle East

Riyadh, Oct 11: In a session chaired by King Salman on Tuesday, the Cabinet welcomed Palestinian reconciliation efforts and wished them success to achieve national unity. It approved changing the Council of Competition’s name to the General Authority for Competition, which is responsible for protecting and promoting fair competition, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The Cabinet commended the

Timber trade between the Middle East and South Asian countries has steadily progressed over the past decades, and Malaysia has stood at the forefront for the majority of that period. This is on account of the sheer variety of timber species and other value added products such as plywood that is available for export from the Malay peninsula. Malaysia also possesses many highly industrialised

Jeddah, Oct 10: Riyadh police revealed on Sunday the circumstances of a video showing a resident assaulting a police vehicle and trying to pull a policeman’s arm before hearing a shooting. Media spokesman of the region’s police told Almarsd news website that the security patrol operations room received a notice from a citizen Sunday morning that his 27-year-old Indian driver had attempted to

Moscow, Oct 9: Saudi Arabia has dismissed several thousand imams from mosques for spreading extremism, Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir told Russian journalists in Moscow on Sunday. “We will not let anyone spread the ideology of hatred, to finance that kind of ideology or terrorism,” he said. “Our approach to this problem has been very strict: We … modernize our educational system in order to rule

Jeddah, Oct 8: A gunman on Saturday drove up to a gate of the king's palace in the Saudi city of Jeddah and opened fire, killing at least two security guards and wounding three others before being shot dead, according to officials. The attacker, identified by the interior ministry as Mansour al-Amri, a 28-year-old Saudi national, was armed with a Kalashnikov rifle and three Molotov cocktails. Amri

Moscow. Oct 7: Saudi King Salman on Friday said he and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev “stressed the importance of ending the suffering of the Palestinian people and achieving a just, comprehensive and permanent peace for the Palestinian question.” During their meeting in Moscow, the monarch added, they agreed that “accomplishing peace and stability in the Gulf and Middle East region, with

Riyadh, Oct 5: Introduction of driving licenses for women will steer economic growth and reduce dependence on foreign labor in the Kingdom, according to a panel discussion held at the Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh on Tuesday to mark the opening of the new office of Fitch Ratings. There are 1.3 million foreign house drivers earning salaries of SR33 billion ($8.8 billion) annually. Most women are

Jeddah, Oct 4: King Salman hopes his visit to Russia this week and talks with President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials will achieve the aspirations of the two countries, he told the Cabinet on Tuesday. Addressing the weekly meeting at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, the king told ministers he looked forward to the visit enhancing relations between the countries to serve common interests and

Jeddah, Oct 3: A new page will be turned in relations between Saudi Arabia and Russia on Thursday when King Salman arrives in Moscow for a historic visit. The visit, the first to Russia by a reigning Saudi monarch, will boost already solid ties between the two countries, with shared interests in security, energy and trade. King Salman is also expected to have talks with Russian President Vladimir

Jeddah, Oct 2: Plans were approved on Sunday for a $3 billion “new city” at Taif, with more than 10,000 homes, a culture and heritage tourist center, technology and industry parks, a university and an airport. The project will occupy nearly 1,250 square kilometers on a site in the northeastern part of the existing city of Taif, with the tourist center an expansion of the popular Souq Okaz