saudi arabia

Iran Delays Israel-Saudi Normalization, Israel Hinders US-Iran Deal

Will Israel’s response to the Iranian strike be calculated, precise, and restrained under US guidance, the same way Iran’s strike on Israel was? Will Tel Aviv comply with Washington’s directives to avoid targeting nuclear sites, keeping its actions within the parameters set by the US, or will it disregard these boundaries and strike those ...

Movie About Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia Sparks Controversy

A movie titled “The Goat Life” has sparked fierce controversy in Saudi Arabia, where citizens are calling for a boycott, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released on Monday. Released this month, it recounts the harrowing story of Najeeb Muhammed, an Indian migrant worker who, after being abandoned in the Saudi desert in the ...

France's Macron Calls for 'Restraint' in Middle East

France's President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he had spoken to the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and all three had urged "restraint" to avoid an escalation in the Middle East. "I have spoken to President Mohamed bin Zayed and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the situation in the Middle East. We call on all actors to be ...

Saudi Arabia Welcomes Houthis and Yemeni Government Deal

Saudi Arabia, a key player in Yemen's nearly decade-long war, on Wednesday welcomed a deal between Yemen's government and the Iran-backed Houthis to halt tit-for-tat banking sanctions. The deal was announced on Tuesday by Hans Grundberg, the United Nations' envoy to Yemen, in a bid to end the warring parties' battle for control over the country's ...

Saudi Arabia to Host First Esports Olympics in 2025

Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Esports Olympics in 2025, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday. "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the body ...

Lilium Secures 100 Air Cabs for Pilgrim Transport to Mecca

German electric air cab developer Lilium announced, on Thursday, a landmark order for up to 100 “Lilium Jets” from Saudi state-owned airline Saudia. Contracts for 50 firm orders and an option for a further 50 machines were signed at a ceremony at Lilium's headquarters in Gauting, near Munich. The Saudia Group intends to use these air cabs to ...

Iran and Bahrain Agree to Start Talks on Resuming Ties

Iran and Bahrain have agreed to launch negotiations on how to restore diplomatic relations that have been severed for nearly eight years, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Tiny Gulf monarchy Bahrain cut ties with Iran in 2016, following in the footsteps of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia after Riyadh's diplomatic missions in Iran were ...

Diplomats Say at Least 600 Pilgrims Died During Hajj

An Arab diplomat told AFP on Wednesday that at least 600 Egyptians died during the hajj pilgrimage, citing searing heat that reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday. “All of them (the Egyptians) died because of heat,” except for one who sustained fatal injuries during a minor crowd crush, one of the diplomats said, ...

Last Major Hajj Ritual, on First Eid Day

Pilgrims on Sunday performed the last major ritual of the hajj, the "stoning of the devil", in western Saudi Arabia, as Muslims the world over celebrated the Eid al-Adha holiday. Beginning at dawn, the 1.8 million Muslims undertaking the pilgrimage this year threw seven stones at each of the three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina ...

Muslim Pilgrims Pray on Mount Arafat in Hajj Climax

More than 1.5 million Muslims will pray on Mount Arafat in soaring temperatures on Saturday, in the high-point and most gruelling day of the annual hajj pilgrimage. Worshippers from all over the world will climb the rocky, 70-metre (230-feet) hill, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his ...

Million-Plus Begin Hajj Pilgrimage Under Shadow of Gaza War

More than a million Muslim pilgrims were in Mecca Friday for the start of a hajj pilgrimage held against the grim backdrop of the Gaza war and in exhausting summer heat. Crowds of robed worshipers will circle the Kaaba, the black cubic structure at Mecca's Grand Mosque, with many expressing sadness eight months into the Israel-Hamas war. "Our ...