Saudi Arabia

Saudi minister optimistic U.S. ties will be ‘excellent’ under Biden

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has voiced optimism that relations between Riyadh and Washington will be “excellent” under new U.S. President Joe Biden, Al-Arabiya TV channel cited him as saying. Appointments…

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Saudi Arabia pips Russia to be China’s biggest oil supplier in 2020

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, beat Russia to keep its ranking as China's top crude supplier in 2020, Chinese government data showed on Wednesday. Oil demand in China,…

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Qatar and Saudi Arabia to resume direct flights

Qatar Airways and Saudi Airlines will resume flights between Doha and Riyadh from Monday in a reopening of airspace as part of a political rapprochement in a three-year-old dispute. Qatar…

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With eye on US ties, Saudi Arabia leads pack on Gulf detente

Saudi Arabia will move faster than its allies to reconcile with Qatar, sources familiar with the matter said, aiming to impress the incoming Biden administration by ending what the West…

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From embargo to embrace, Saudi Arabia pushes Gulf detente

Embracing Qatar’s ruler, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince pushed a deal to end a row with Doha at a Gulf summit on Tuesday to try to strengthen an Arab alliance against…

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OPEC+ deadlocked over raising oil output, to resume talks today

OPEC+ will resume talks today after reaching a deadlock over February oil output levels as Saudi Arabia argued against pumping more due to new lockdowns while Russia led calls for…

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Qatar, Saudi Arabia ‘agree to open airspace, land and sea border’ – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera - Saudi Arabia, Qatar agree to open airspace, land and sea border, Kuwait’s foreign ministry announced on Monday. The state-run Kuwait News Agency reported the announcement, saying that Saudi…

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Saudi Arabia ends entry ban but keeps some coronavirus restrictions

Saudi Arabia said that entry to the kingdom by sea land and air will be resumed starting Sunday after a ban that lasted two weeks amid fears of a new…

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Saudi Arabia announces four oil and gas discoveries

Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry on Sunday announced the discovery of four new oil and gas fields, state news agency SPA reported. State oil producer Aramco discovered oil in the Al-Ajramiyah…

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UPDATE – Oil tanker attack in Saudi Arabia considered as a ‘terrorism’ act

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that a fuel transport ship anchored at a Jeddah terminal was hit by an explosive-laden boat in what it called a terrorist attack, after shipping…

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Resolution of bitter dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia within reach

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Friday a resolution to a bitter dispute with Qatar seemed "within reach" after Kuwait announced progress towards ending a row that Washington says hampers…

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Saudi non-oil private sector keeps growing as COVID-19 impact eases – PMI

Saudi Arabia's non-oil private sector activity expanded for the third straight month in November as the economy recovers steadily from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey showed on…

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Missile fired at Saudi Aramco site in Jeddah

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group on Monday said it fired a missile at a distribution station operated by the Saudi Aramco oil company in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea city of Jeddah…

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Turkey’s Erdogan, Saudi king agree to solve issues through dialogue – Turkish presidency

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz agreed in a phone call improve bilateral ties and solve outstanding disputes through dialogue, the Turkish presidency said early…

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Saudi Arabia warns it will strike those who threaten its security

Saudi Arabia will strike those who threaten the kingdom’s security and stability with an “iron fist”, the crown prince said, after an attack on a Remembrance Day ceremony injured two…

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Four injured in explosion during Remembrance Day ceremony in Saudi

Four people were injured by a blast in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday, a Greek government official said, in what France described as a "cowardly attack" involving an…

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Saudi Arabia hold its breath following Biden’s election

Saudi Arabia, which may have more to lose from Joe Biden's U.S. election victory than other Arab states, has taken its time to comment after the defeat of Donald Trump…

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Saudi Arabia to relax foreign workers’ sponsorship terms in March ’21

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced new plans to ease foreign workers' contractual restrictions, improving a controversial seven-decade-old sponsorship system known as kafala. The plans, to take effect in March 2021,…

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UPDATED: Man arrested in Jeddah after attacking guard at French consulate “with sharp tool”

A Saudi man was arrested in the Red Sea city of Jeddah after attacking and wounding a security guard with a "sharp tool" at the French consulate on Thursday, local police said.…

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World should look at all options to reduce emissions, Saudi energy min says

Saudi Arabia's energy minister said on Monday the world should be looking at all options to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases in its fight against climate change, but that getting…

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Saudis launch national artificial intelligence strategy, signs MoUs with IBM, Alibaba and Huawei

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday launched a national artificial intelligence strategy aimed at making it a global leader in the field as it seeks to diversify its oil-based economy. The National…

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ISIS calls on its fighters to target westerners in Saudi Arabia

An ISIS spokesman called on the militant group’s supporters to target westerners, oil pipelines and economic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. “Targets are plenty ... Start by hitting and destroying oil…

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Saudi Arabia allows citizens, residents to perform prayers in Al-Haram Mosque

Saudi Arabia allowed its citizens and residents inside the kingdom to perform prayers in one of the most holy religious sites in Islam, Al-Haram mosque in Mecca, for the first…

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Expats working in Saudi declined by 19,000 after lockdown measures

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GaStat) said the number of expats in the labour market declined by 19,000 on a net basis in Q2 as lockdowns forced many out of work, local…

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Saudi business leader calls for boycott of goods from ‘hostile’ Turkey

The head of Saudi Arabia's Chambers of Commerce has called for a boycott of Turkish products amid reports from merchants that animosity between Ankara and Riyadh is hindering the flow…

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Umrah pilgrims return to a Mecca stilled by COVID-19 slump

Mecca slowly stirred from a seven-month hibernation on Sunday as pilgrims trickled in after Saudi Arabian authorities partially lifted a coronavirus ban on performing umrah - a pilgrimage to Islam’s…

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Documentary film on assassination of Jamal Khashoggi released

A documentary film featuring the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was released Friday at the Zurich Film Festival. “The Dissident,” directed by award-winning American director Bryan Fogel, received a lot…

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Saudi economy shrank by 7% as coronavirus hit

Saudi Arabia's economy shrank by 7% in the second quarter, a sign of how deeply the new coronavirus hit both the oil and non-oil sectors, official data showed on Wednesday.…

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Saudi Arabia to hold virtual G20 summit on Nov 21-22

The G20 leaders summit will be held virtually on Nov. 21-22, Saudi Arabia said on Monday, as the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted Riyadh's hopes of hosting the gathering in the kingdom…

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Saudi Arabia to resume tourist visas by early 2021

Saudi Arabia plans to resume tourist visas by early 2021 after months of suspension amid strict government measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the kingdom's tourism minister told Reuters.…

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Saudi Arabia to partially lift international flight suspension

Saudi Arabia will partially lift its suspension of international flights as of Sept. 15 to allow "exceptional categories" of citizens and residents to travel, the state news agency SPA said…

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Ukraine to ship wheat to Saudi for the first time in 12 years

Ukraine will supply milling wheat to Saudi Arabia for the first time in 12 years, exporter Continental Farmers Group said on Monday, with 60,000 tonnes now being loaded at the…

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Saudi King wants to achieve fair solution to Palestinian issue

U.S. President Donald Trump told Saudi Arabia's King Salman in a phone call that he welcomed the opening of Saudi airspace to flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates…

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Saudi Arabia’s top military commander sacked

Saudi Arabia's King Salman sacked a top military commander and his son on Monday as part of an anti-corruption purge. The decree said Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz Al…

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Saudi price for ties with Israel is Palestinian state – Saudi royal

Saudi Arabia's price for normalising relations with Israel is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, a senior member of the Saudi royal family said.…

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Coronavirus deaths rise in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait

Local health authorities in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait recorded additional fatalities due to the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday. In Saudi Arabia, 36 deaths and 1,363 infections were recorded as well…

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Trump expects Saudi Arabia to join UAE-Israel deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia to join the agreement announced last week by Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize diplomatic ties and forge a…

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Saudi Arabia plans distance learning for schools as virus precaution

Students at Saudi Arabia’s public schools will be educated via distance learning as a precaution against coronavirus for the first seven weeks of the new term, which begins on Aug.…

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CanSino to start Phase III trial of COVID-19 vaccine in Saudi

Saudi Arabia will soon begin Phase III clinical trials on around 5,000 people for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s CanSino Biologics Inc, a Saudi health ministry spokesman announced. Last…

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Saudi Aramco’s profit plunges, sees signs of oil market recovery

Saudi state oil group Aramco on Sunday reported a 73.4% fall in second-quarter net profit, a steeper drop than analysts had forecast, and said it expected capital expenditure for 2020…

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U.S. sends first shipment of crude to Saudi Arabia in over a decade

The United States sent a shipment of crude to Saudi Arabia in June, data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed on Wednesday, in what appears to be the first such…

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Saudi King Salman leaves hospital after gallbladder surgery

Saudi Arabia's 84-year-old ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, left King Faisal hospital in the capital Riyadh after recovery, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday. The Saudi king, the custodian…

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Saudi oil exports down by nearly $12 billion year-on-year in May

The value of Saudi Arabia's oil exports dropped by 65% year-on-year in May, or a fall of nearly $12 billion, official data showed on Thursday. Compared with April, total exports…

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Saudi finance minister says country to widen privatisation scope

Saudi Arabia will look to sell assets in sectors not previously considered for privatisation, the country's finance minister said on Wednesday, as the country contends with the economic impact of…

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Saudi king chairs cabinet meeting from hospital, in stable condition

Saudi King Salman held a cabinet meeting via video call from hospital in the capital Riyadh on Tuesday, a day after the 84-year-old monarch was admitted with what state media…

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Saudi Arabia’s ruler admitted to hospital for checks

Saudi Arabia's 84-year-old ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, has been admitted to hospital in the capital Riyadh, suffering from inflammation of the gall bladder, state news agency SPA said on…

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Saudi hosts G20 talks on virus recovery, debt crisis

G20 finance ministers and central bankers are set to hold talks Saturday aimed at spurring global economic recovery from a coronavirus-triggered recession amid growing calls to widen debt relief for…

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Rockets and drones launched by Yemen’s Houthis targeting Saudi Arabia intercepted

The Saudi-Led coalition said on Monday it intercepted and destroyed four ballistic rockets and seven drones laden with explosives launched by Yemen’s Houthis towards the kingdom. The coalition has started…

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Despite downturn, Saudi Arabia pursues goal of doubling size of capital city

Saudi Arabia is pressing on with plans to double the size and population of its capital city in the next decade, a government official said, despite an economic downturn due to the…

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Saudi Arabia announces haj health measures for domestic pilgrims

Saudi Arabia announced health protocols to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in the 2020 haj season, banning gatherings and meetings between pilgrims, the state news agency said on…

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Coronavirus cases rising in Saudi Arabia, UAE after curfews lifted

Saudi Arabia's coronavirus infections have passed 200,000 and neighbouring United Arab Emirates 50,000, with the number of new cases climbing after the Arab world's two largest economies fully lifted curfews…

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Saudi Arabia extends measures to mitigate pandemic impact

Saudi Arabia extended several government initiatives to support the private sector in mitigating the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, state news agency SPA reported, citing a decision by King Salman.…

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Gulf coronavirus infections surpass 400,000

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the six Gulf Arab states has doubled in a month to over 400,000, as the region’s two biggest economies this week fully lifted…

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Saudi Arabia ending nationwide curfew today

Saudi Arabia will end a nationwide curfew and lift restrictions on businesses from today after three months of lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, state news agency SPA quoted a source…

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Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says it destroyed missile targeting Saudi Arabia

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said that on Saturday it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile targeting the Saudi Arabian border city of Najran. In a statement issued…

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Yemen, Philippine missions in Saudi Arabia close due to coronavirus cases

The Yemeni Embassy in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, is shuttering indefinitely due to a number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus among staff. The embassy made the announcement on Twitter…

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Saudi Arabian airlines to resume some domestic flights from May 31

Saudi Arabian airlines are preparing to resume some domestic flights from Sunday as the Kingdom eases coronavirus containment measures, the state news agency said on Wednesday. Sixty flights will resume…

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