Middle East

Dubai, Mar 19: The Maldives government announced that the official visit of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Male from March 18 had been postponed because of the spread of swine flu in the archipelago nation, however, highly placed sources say the reality is the Saudi King faced terror threats following which the visit was called off. Separately, there were other media reports

Beijing, Mar 18: King Salman on Friday received a group of Saudi students on scholarships in China. The king delivered a speech in which he said: “I am glad that I see our sons and daughters struggle for science. You shall return to serve your country. There is no doubt that our country, since its establishment, has been taking care of its citizens in all areas.” Dr. Fahd Al-Sharif, cultural

Beijing, Mar 17: Chinese foreign affairs analysts say that a series of agreements signed by Saudi Arabia and China is a “win-win” situation for both countries. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman oversaw the signing of deals worth potentially $65 billion on the first day of a visit to Beijing on Thursday, as the world’s largest oil exporter looks to cement ties with China. Dr. Zeng Ji, chair of the

Beijing, Mar 16: Saudi Arabia's King Salman began a visit to Beijing Thursday that highlights growing ties underpinned by China's thirst for Saudi oil and the kingdom's status as a key link in Beijing's bid to connect China to Europe through infrastructure development. Salman went immediately into talks with President Xi Jinping following a formal welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People

Jeddah, Mar 16: Moody’s Investors Service has revised its outlook for the Saudi banking system to stable from negative. Saudi banks are more profitable than most of their Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) peers, with an average ratio of net income-to-tangible assets of 1.9 percent as of 2016, on a par with Qatari banks, said a Moody’s report issued on Wednesday. The stable outlook reflects high risk

Washington, Mar 15: Saudi-US relations were firmly in the spotlight Tuesday as President Donald Trump hosted Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House for their first official meeting. The meeting was dubbed a “reset moment” in US-Saudi relations after eight years clouded with differences under the Obama administration over its handling of the Arab Spring, the Iran nuclear deal

Riyadh, Mar 14: There is an urgent need to intensify international efforts to resolve crises in the Middle East, including the Palestinian cause and the Syrian and Yemeni wars, said Saudi King Salman on Monday, according to Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The king, who is in Tokyo for the fourth leg of his seven-nation Asian tour, said: “Terrorism has become the greatest danger to the security of

Beirut, Mar 13: Syria’s war has killed just over 320,000 people since it erupted six years ago, a monitor said Monday, noting that a fragile cease-fire had helped to slow the rising death toll. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had recorded the deaths of 321,358 people since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against President Bashar Assad. The toll

Riyadh, Mar 12: The high-profile visit of King Salman to Japan beginning Sunday will reinforce ties with Tokyo while providing opportunities to explore investment opportunities and secure energy security for the Southeast Asian nation. During the visit, King Salman will meet and hold talks with Japanese emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday. “It is the greatest honor to receive

Riyadh, Mar 11: A Shoura Council member said the council is expected to adopt a proposal to extend the Umra visa period to three months after it is studied, Al-Watan newspaper reported Friday. Vice chairman of the council’s financial committee, Dr. Fahad bin Jumah, said the extension will be based on meeting certain conditions, including the financial capacity of extension seekers. An extended