Saudi-US talks focus on key issues

naeem@coastaldigest.com (Arab News)

April 13, 2012

Washington, April 13: US President Barack Obama held talks in Washington on Wednesday with Defense Minister Prince Salman to discuss major regional issues. They also reviewed the historic relations between the two countries.

During the meeting at the White House Prince Salman conveyed the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to the US president.

The talks were attended by Minister of State Musaed Al-Aiban and Saudi Ambassador to the US Adel Al-Jubeir, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Prince Salman arrived here Tuesday on his first official visit to the US after his appointment as defense minister. He met with US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at the Pentagon and discussed major regional issues as well as ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Prince Salman received Gen. James Mattis, commander of US Central Command, and John O. Brennan, assistant to the US president for homeland security and counterterrorism, at his Washington residence on Wednesday.

In an arrival statement on Tuesday, Prince Salman highlighted the strong and strategic relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States, adding that King Abdullah's visit to the US in 2005 played a big role in taking bilateral ties to new heights.

Prince Salman arrived on Tuesday from London where he held talks with Prime Minister David Cameron, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond and Foreign Secretary William Hague on strengthening bilateral relations.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Chaos in Bangkok: Indian family's frantic escape as earthquake strikes

News Network

March 28,2025

When the ground violently shook beneath his feet, Prem Kishore Mohanty, an Indian expatriate in Bangkok, was attending his five-year-old daughter's school sports day. What began as a routine event—children competing, parents cheering—quickly turned into a moment of panic as tremors struck.

"I felt my head spinning and had to sit down. The overhead lights swayed, and chairs moved," said Mr. Mohanty, 44. The school's PA system quickly announced an emergency evacuation, directing everyone to the outdoor field while warning against using nearby lanes lined with high-rise towers.

Water from rooftop swimming pools, including those at the InterContinental Bangkok, cascaded down buildings, as captured in viral videos.

Fear and Chaos as Bangkok Shakes
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake, with its epicenter in Myanmar, sent powerful tremors into Thailand, bringing Bangkok to an abrupt standstill. Public transport was suspended, traffic snarled, and people evacuated buildings, waiting anxiously for the all-clear.

Earthquakes are rare in Bangkok, a city more accustomed to heat and monsoons than seismic shocks. For the Mohanty family, who live in a high-rise apartment in Sukhumvit, confusion and fear gripped them as the evacuation began.

"It was terrifying. We were told to take the fire escape stairwell and wait outside. There was no time to think," Mr. Mohanty recalled.

Now safe, he remains shaken by the unexpected jolt that turned a normal day into a moment of chaos for his family and thousands across the city.

Comments