Middle East

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

Doha, Oct 1: Thousands of people watched in admiration as a Qatar Airways aircraft flew in formation over Doha with the world-famous Red Arrows aerobatic display team, an event taking place as the airline celebrates its twentieth anniversary. The event, hosted by the British Ambassador to the State of Qatar, His Excellency Mr. Ajay Sharma, and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr

Dubai, Oct 1: The United Arab Emirates has begun collecting new "sin" taxes on tobacco products, energy drinks and soft drinks. Beginning today, tobacco and energy drinks will be taxed at 100 per cent and soft drinks at 50 per cent. Shoppers could be seen stocking up the day before. The new tax push comes as the UAE and other oil-rich Gulf nations have struggled with low global energy prices. The

Riyadh, Oct 1: The adoption of a draft Arab resolution by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) shows that Saudi Arabia is supporting “international consensus in Yemen,” the Kingdom’s ambassador to the war-torn country has said. The UN on Friday agreed to establish a group of experts to examine human rights violations in Yemen’s war and to identify those responsible. Several Arab states had

Beirut, Sept 30: At least 28 civilians were killed in air strikes on northwestern Syria where a planned safe zone has been overshadowed by a bombing campaign against jihadists, a monitor said Saturday. Four children were among the dead in the overnight strikes on the town of Amanaz, in Idlib province near the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based watchdog