Middle East

Abu Dhabi, Jan 13: Saudi Arabia has cut oil output to its lowest in almost two years, Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on Thursday, as the world’s largest oil exporter leads OPEC’s drive to eradicate a global glut and prop up prices. Al-Falih said output had fallen below 10 million barrels per day — more than it had promised as part of a global output cut deal between OPEC and non-OPEC

Riyadh, Jan 12: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, has ordered that the Order of Courage be conferred on all security personnel who participated in an operation that resulted in the elimination of wanted terrorists Tayea Salem bin Yaslam Al-Sayari and Talal bin Samran Al-Saedi in Riyadh on Saturday morning. The crown prince also ordered the promotion for three

Riyadh, Jan 11: King Salman was pronounced winner of the King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) for his service to Islam at an event held in Riyadh on Tuesday. Makkah Governor Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, adviser to the king, CEO of the King Faisal Foundation and chairman of the KFIP Commission, made the opening speech to announce the winners at a press briefing at Al-Khozama Center. The award

Jeddah, Jan 10: Anti-narcotics forces in Madinah foiled the smuggling of 623,000 Captagon pills. The drug consignment, which was coming from Tabuk and heading for Jeddah, was intercepted in Madinah and the alleged smuggler arrested. Meanwhile, customs officers at the Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Airport in Qassim stopped an attempt by a passenger to smuggle 21,000 Captagon pills into the Kingdom. The

Jeddah, Jan 9: The brave police officer who shot and killed two Daesh-linked terrorists has been hailed as a hero by Saudi citizens and the international media. The UK-based Daily Mail has cited his bravery, saying that “despite the terrorists being armed with machine guns, an officer shoots them [the two terrorists] with a pistol.” “Hero police officer shoots dead two ISIS terrorists wearing

Abu Dhabi, Jan 8: The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has called for a prayer for rain, or Salaat al Istisqaa, to be performed at all mosques and prayer areas across the UAE at 7:30, Tuesday morning. The prayer follows the Sunnah (practices, customs and traditions) of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). He called for supplicating God to send rain, mercy and abundance

Jeddah, Jan 8: Two terrorists were killed on Saturday after a shootout with Saudi security forces in a district north of the capital Riyadh. Acting on a tip-off that the wanted terrorists were present at a villa in the Al-Yasmeen district, security forces cordoned off the area and asked the extremists to surrender, security sources told Arab News. The militants, who were armed with Kalashnikov

Makkah, Jan 7: Some 311,000 pilgrims used the Haj Metro last season, with zero technical malfunctions and a high level of satisfaction with the system, an official report has said. Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal received a Makkah Development Authority evaluation of the operation of the Mashaer Railway, known as the Haj Metro, covering last year’s busiest pilgrimage season. It found there were

Jeddah, Jan 6: The Middle East’s top tech investors are hopeful the region’s Internet businesses are in for a boost, after Apple confirmed its participation in a $100 billion Saudi-backed mega fund. The iPhone maker on Wednesday confirmed its plan to invest $1 billion in a tech fund being set up by SoftBank Group Corp, according to reports. The Japanese telecoms group was previously said to be in

Dubai, Jan 5: An Arab opposition group has claimed two pipeline bombings in Iran’s oil-rich south and threatened to launch more attacks in the coming year as the country tries to boost production following the nuclear deal with world powers. Iranian Interior Ministry spokesman Salman Samani later denied the claim by the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, which said it bombed the