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Tag: Saudi Arabia

  • Police identify Saudi sisters found dead in Sydney flat

    Two Saudi sisters found dead in their Sydney apartment in “unusual” circumstances last month have been identified by police, as authorities appealed for more information.

    Police discovered the bodies of Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, on June 7, following a concern for welfare report, according to a statement on Wednesday from New South Wales Police.
    “Despite extensive inquiries, detectives have been unable to ascertain how the women died,” the statement said. “However, it is believed the women had been deceased for some time prior to being located.”
    The sisters arrived in Australia from Saudi Arabia in 2017, NSW Police confirmed to CNN. “The circumstances of their death were unusual because they have no signs of injury,” police said.
    NSW Police detective inspector Claudia Allcroft said any information from the public could hold the key to solving the investigation.
    “Detectives are interested in speaking with anyone who may have seen or who may have information about the women’s movements in the days and weeks prior to their deaths — which we believe occurred in early May,” Allcroft said in the NSW Police statement.
    In a statement posted on Twitter, the Saudi Consulate in Sydney said it was in contact with Australian authorities about the case. “The Consulate also expresses its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased,” it said.
    CNN has reached out to the Saudi Embassy in Canberra for comment.
    Source: cnn.com

  • Saudi Arabia: Biden meets crown prince amid criticism

    US President Joe Biden has been greeted by the Saudi crown prince on his arrival in the kingdom he said he would ostracise over its human rights record.

    Mr Biden gave Mohammed bin Salman a fist bump. The White House has said the president is trying to avoid handshakes to protect him from Covid-19.

    He has faced criticism over the trip in the wake of the murder of dissident Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.

    The president has defended his visit, saying he did not want to rupture ties.

    He flew to the kingdom directly from Israel – something previously barred.

    Saudi Arabia, which does not officially recognise Israel and for decades led a regional boycott of the Jewish state, earlier announced it would allow “all carriers” to use its airspace, seen as a conciliatory gesture to Mr Biden and Israel.

    The president is aiming to broaden Israel’s integration in the region, especially in the field of security and defence, as part of efforts to counter the threat from Iran.

    Saudi Arabia and Iran are regional rivals, while Israel considers Iran its most dangerous foe. Iran does not recognise Israel’s right to exist and has repeatedly called for its elimination.

    Mutual concerns about Iran have led to unofficial security and intelligence ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

    Saudi Arabia has long been an important regional ally to the US, serving as a major oil supplier and buying billions of dollars of US weaponry.

    However, ties have been tested in recent years, with a US pivot towards Asia, withdrawal of forces and air defence capabilities from the Middle East and Mr Biden’s declared prioritisation of human rights as a plank of his foreign policy.

    The US-Saudi relationship faced its most serious challenge with the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a US-based journalist who wrote for the Washington Post.

    Jamal Khashoggi
    IMAGE SOURCE,EPA Image caption, Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents in 2018

    Crown Prince Mohammed was accused by US intelligence agencies of approving the murder. The prince denied the allegations, and Saudi prosecutors blamed “rogue” Saudi agents.

    When he was campaigning for the presidency in 2019, Mr Biden vowed to make Saudi Arabia “the pariah that they are” for killing Khashoggi.

    Mr Biden subsequently faced a storm of criticism over his decision to visit the kingdom. It comes at a time of near record oil prices in the US, with the president expected to push Saudi officials to commit to increasing production.

    The White House has downplayed Mr Biden’s meeting with Prince Mohammed, saying he will also be meeting other Arab leaders when he attends a conference in Jeddah on Saturday.

    Meanwhile, it has been revealed to the BBC that a Saudi American businessman in his 70s – whose case has not been disclosed before – has been detained without charge by the Saudi authorities since November.

    The information came from a member of his family, who requested anonymity. Relatives of those held there often do not make the cases public as they fear the consequences of doing so.

    The man went missing on his arrival in Saudi Arabia last November. The member of his family believes his detention may be due to social media posts critical of the Saudi authorities.

    A source at the US State Department told the BBC that the department had no higher priority than protecting US citizens abroad, but that for privacy reasons it would make no further comment.

    Source: BBC

     

  • Saudi Arabia: Biden set to meet Crown Prince amid criticism

    US President Joe Biden will meet Palestinian leaders in the occupied West Bank on Friday before he flies to a controversial summit in Saudi Arabia.

    His meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is likely to be strained, analysts say, after ties hit a low under the Trump administration.

    Later, Mr Biden will travel to Saudi Arabia to meet its de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    Mr Biden will meet both the prince and his father, King Salman.

    Two years ago, Mr Biden had pledged to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over the 2018 murder in Turkey of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.

    The prince denies involvement, but US intelligence concluded he approved it.

    Topics of discussion for the leaders will include energy supply, human rights, and security cooperation.

    Mr Biden’s meeting with President Abbas in Bethlehem earlier on Friday will be the highest-level meeting between the US and the Palestinians since the Palestinians froze ties in a dispute over the closure of the Washington office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) – the main representative body of the Palestinians – by the Trump administration in 2018.

    The Palestinians want the US to do more to re-start peace talks with Israel, and to reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem, which served as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians before it was shut under President Trump in 2019.

    Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest oil producer, and the attempted reset of relations follows a spike in oil prices driven by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

    The US is expected to push Saudi officials to commit to increasing production.

    Late on Thursday, Saudi Arabia announced it would open its airspace to commercial Israeli flights – a decision welcomed by the US.

    The move will see the kingdom’s airspace open to all carriers that meet its requirements for overflights, and paves the way for more flights to and from Israel.

    US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it “paves the way for a more integrated, stable, and secure Middle East region”.

    Mr Biden will become the first US president to fly directly to Saudi Arabia from Israel, which is seen as a small but significant sign of Riyadh’s growing acceptance of Israel after decades of boycott in solidarity with the Palestinians.

    Joe Biden and Yair Lapid
    IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Mr Biden will fly from Israel, where he has been meeting with Prime Minister Yair Lapid

    On Friday evening, Mr Biden will arrive in the Saudi city of Jeddah, where he will meet Prince Mohammed for the first time since taking office.

    Up to now, the president has insisted on speaking with King Salman, who US officials say is Mr Biden’s direct counterpart.

    White House officials have refused to say whether Mr Biden will raise the murder of Mr Khashoggi, who was a Washington Post columnist and lived in the US.

    They also declined to say if the pair would shake hands.

    Source: BBC

  • Saudi Arabia gives 50 tons of date fruits to Ghanaian Muslims for Ramadan

    Ghana has taken delivery of 50 tons (2,500 pieces) of date fruits from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration received the donation on Thursday, May 6, 2021, in Accra on behalf of the government.

    The Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ambassador Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, who received the items, was grateful for the gesture.

    She said, ​“Ghana-Saudi bilateral relations date back to 1960, when Ghana established a diplomatic presence in the Kingdom with the latter reciprocating later, Since then the two countries have witnessed fruitful cooperation and strengthened relations.”

    “The increasing numbers of Ghanaian Muslims embarking on the annual ritual of the Hajj, and unique occasions such as we are witnessing today bear testimony to our excellent relations,” she added.

    “This presentation ceremony is one more expression of the friendship and cooperation between Ghana and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Indeed Ghana has been a beneficiary of this symbolic gift of date fruits over the years.”

    “It is also insightful to know that dates are considered among the fruits of heaven in Islam and signify vitality and growth. Rooted in the religious teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, dates are traditionally recognized as a customary food item during Ramadan.”

    The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Ghana, Meshal Hamdan Al-Rogi, who presented the dates, described it as the most important fruit in Saudi Arabia with deep historical and religious significance.

    Source: gbcghanaonline.com

  • Saudi Arabia denies Netanyahu held secret meeting with crown prince

    The Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, denied on Monday reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret trip to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    Israeli news outlets reported Netanyahu went for a meeting that was also attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday.

    “I have seen press reports about a purported meeting between HRH the Crown Prince and Israeli officials” during Pompeo’s visit, Faisal wrote on Twitter.

    “No such meeting occurred. The only officials present were American and Saudi,” he added.

    Earlier on Monday, the Haaretz newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources, that Netanyahu was accompanied by the Head of the Intelligence Agency Mossad, Jossi Cohen, to the Saudi city of Neom for the talks.

    The apparent visit, which was not confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, comes after Israel established full diplomatic relations with two other Gulf Arab States, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

    The newly allied countries share a common enemy in Iran, which they see as the biggest threat to peace in the region.

    Saudi Arabia, a traditional Sunni rival to Shiite Iran, had reacted with caution to Israel’s establishment of diplomatic ties with its much smaller neighbours.

    Riyadh has, however, allowed flights between Israel and the two Gulf states to fly over its territory.

    Source: GNA

  • Samuel Sarfo signs new contract with Khaleej Club in Saudi Arabia

    Ghanaian defender Samuel Sarfo has signed a new contract with Saudi Arabia side Khaleej Club for another one year until 2021.

    Sarfo joined the second-tier side in the summer of 2019 on an initial one-year deal from Iranian club Saipa FC.

    His contract elapsed at the end of the 2019/2020 campaign but he has earned himself an extension following his outstanding performances last term.

    The former Liberty Professionals captain made 36 appearances in all competitions for Khaleej last season.

    He scored 6 goals and assisted twice in the process making him a figure in the club.

    Sarfo was an integral member of the Ghana team that won the 2017 WAFU Cup of Nations.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Coronavirus: Oil prices are collapsing after Saudi Arabia sends ominous signal

    US oil prices plunged 7% Tuesday to $36.76 a barrel. It was crude’s worst day and lowest closing price in nearly three months.

    At one point, oil was down as much as 9%. Brent crude, the world benchmark, fell below $40 a barrel for the first time since late June.

    The fierce selling in the energy market is being driven largely by rising concern about how much crude the fragile world economy needs. With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, summer driving season in the United States is over.

    Jet fuel demand remains extremely weak because many people don’t want to fly during the pandemic. And no one knows for sure how long it will take to recover.

    “Demand is down. Supply is up,” said Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho Securities. “The economic laws of survival are being violated on both ends of the spectrum.”

    The selloff comes after Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC, slashed its official selling price to Asia and the United States, Bloomberg News reported. It’s never a good sign when the world’s leading oil exporter feels compelled to cut prices to draw buyers.

    “That is a double-blinking warning sign,” said Yawger. “OPEC kind of panicked today by putting out a bad signal to the energy community.”

    ‘Avalanche of sell orders’

    The latest turmoil in the oil market comes during major turbulence in the stock market.

    The Nasdaq plunged Tuesday for the third day in a row and is flirting with a 10% correction from record highs. Major pandemic winners like Tesla (TSLA), Apple (AAPL) and Zoom (ZM) are down much more.

    “Oil is getting caught up in the risk-off trade,” said Jeff Wyll, energy analyst at Neuberger Berman. He added that “nothing changed” in the fundamental supply/demand picture for oil to “warrant this kind of drop.”

    Just as investors are hitting the exits on tech stocks, they are unwinding speculative bets on crude oil.

    “Everyone is trying to get out at once. There is an avalanche of sell orders,” said Mizuho’s Yawger.

    Investors are also rushing out of oil stocks.

    Apache (APA), Occidental Petroleum (OXY) and Diamondback Energy (FANG) all tumbled more than 6% on Tuesday. ExxonMobil (XOM), which last month was kicked out of the Dow, retreated another 3%.

    Weak air travel is depressing demand

    The pandemic, along with a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, caused oil prices to implode this spring. US oil prices even briefly turned negative for the first time ever, bottoming at -$40 a barrel.

    But unprecedented production cuts from OPEC and Russia helped trigger a V-shaped recovery in the energy market. Just seven weeks after bottoming, US crude returned to $40 a barrel. That led OPEC and Russia to agree to slowly increase production from very low levels.

    The good news for oil bulls is that demand for gasoline has rebounded sharply.
    Road traffic is has nearly recovered and Bank of America expects global oil demand from road use to go positive year-over-year in the next few months. That has helped lift national average gasoline prices to $2.22 a gallon, up from a low of $1.77 in late April.

    The bad news is that air travel is nowhere near pre-COVID levels — and that’s keeping demand for jet fuel very depressed. As the CNN Business Recovery Tracker shows, just 940,000 people were processed through TSA security lines on Monday, down 59% from a year ago.

    Source: cnn.com

  • Samuel Owusu shines in Al Fayha’s defeat to second place Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia

    Ghana winger Samuel Owusu was in his best form for Al Fayha despite their slim defeat to second place Al Nassr in the Saudi topflight league on Saturday night.

    The 24-year old produced a man of the match performance for the visitors, who fell to Al Nassr in a 2-1 loss at the King Fahd International Stadium

    Owusu provided the assist for his side’s only goal, which was converted by Feneva Andriatsima.

    Al Nassr were down to Anriatsima’s goal after just seven minutes, before forward Abderrazak Hamdallah leveled from the spot three minutes later.

    Hamdallah snatched victory for Al Nassr with the last kick of the game.

    Samuel Owusu has been in blistering form for the Al Fayha since joining from Serbian side FC Cucaricki.

    The former Vision FC player was a member of the Ghana team at the AFCON 2019, playing in all four games as the Black Stars were eliminated at the round of 16.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Saudi Arabia’s oil-export revenues plunged US$11 billion in the first quarter as crude prices tanked

    Saudi Arabia’s oil exports dropped by $11 billion in the first three months of 2020, the kingdom’s statistics agency said this week.

    Saudi Arabia’s revenue from oil exports tanked 21.9% or about $11 billion in the first quarter of 2020, according to official data released by the country’s statistics agency.

    The General Authority for Statistics said the sharp decline fueled a 20.7% year-on-year drop in the kingdom’s total revenue from merchandise exports to $53 billion. The drop in exports reflected depressed oil prices last quarter, as the coronavirus pandemic hammered demand for fuel.

    Saudi Arabia and Russia also waged an oil-price war for several weeks that only ended in April after OPEC and its allies agreed to cut crude production by 10% . Lower prices contributed to oil exports making up 75.8% of Saudi Arabia’s total exports last quarter, down from 77% a year earlier.

    The global downturn didn’t just weigh on Saudi Arabia’s oil exports. Its revenue from non-oil exports, such as plastics and chemicals, fell by 16.5% in the first three months of the year.

    Saudi Arabia’s main trading partner was China last quarter, as the world’s second-largest economy bought about $9 billion worth of its exports. Japan and India were its next two biggest buyers, buying $5.3 billion and $5.2 billion of its exports respectively.

    Source: markets.businessinsider.com

  • Family of exiled top Saudi officer Saad al-Jabri ‘targeted’

    A senior Saudi security official who for years was the key go-between for Britain’s MI6 and other Western spy agencies in Saudi Arabia is now being persecuted along with his family, according to former Western intelligence officials.

    Dr Saad al-Jabri, who helped foil an al-Qaeda bomb plot against the West, fled into exile three years ago, ahead of a purge by the all-powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Now his children have been seized as “hostages”, according to his eldest son, Khalid.

    “Omar and Sarah were kidnapped at dawn on 16 March and taken out of their beds by about 50 state security officers who arrived in 20 cars,” says their brother, Khalid al-Jabri.

    The family house in Riyadh was then searched, the CCTV memory cards removed and the pair, aged 21 and 20 respectively, held incommunicado at a detention centre.

    There have been no charges given and no reason offered to the family for their arrest, Khalid tells me on a phone call from Canada where he and his father live in self-imposed exile. “We don’t even know if they are alive or dead.”

    He believes they are being held as bargaining chips in an attempt to force his father to return to Saudi Arabia where he fears he will face immediate arrest and imprisonment.

    “They can make up any lies they want about him but he is innocent.”

    The Saudi authorities have not responded to the BBC’s requests for comment on the allegations made by the family of Dr Saad al-Jabri and those who worked with him.

    Who is Saad al-Jabri?

    For years he was the right-hand man, the gatekeeper, to Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was widely credited with defeating the al-Qaeda insurgency in the 2000s. He was also the linchpin in all Saudi Arabia’s relations with the “Five Eyes” (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) intelligence agencies.

    In 2010 this crucial link “helped save hundreds of lives”, according to a former Western intelligence officer who worked with him.

    Al-Qaeda in Yemen had smuggled a powerful bomb on-board a cargo plane bound for Chicago, hidden inside a printer ink toner cartridge. But Saudi intelligence had a human informant inside al-Qaida who provided the tip-off to MI6, even relaying the serial number of the device it was hidden in.

    British counter-terrorism police then located and defused the bomb inside the plane at East Midlands Airport. “If that had gone off as planned over Chicago hundreds would have been killed,” said the former intelligence officer.

    “Dr al-Jabri transformed Saudi counter-terrorism efforts,” says another former western intelligence official.

    “He changed it from being a crude, violent, confession-based system into one that used modern forensics and computer-based data mining.

    “He was the smartest guy we dealt with amongst so many others who were dysfunctional,” he says.

    A quiet-spoken man with a doctorate in artificial intelligence from Edinburgh University, Dr al-Jabri rose to the rank of cabinet minister and held a major-general’s rank in the interior ministry.

    But in 2015 everything changed. King Abdullah died and his half-brother Salman ascended to the throne, appointing his young and untested son Mohammed Bin Salman (known as MBS) as defence minister.

    MBS then ordered his country’s forces to intervene in Yemen’s civil war, a move opposed by Dr al-Jabri who pointed out that there was no exit strategy. More than five years later Saudi Arabia is still looking for a way out of the costly stalemate in Yemen.

    In 2017 MBS carried out a bloodless palace coup with his father’s blessing. He effectively usurped the next in line to the throne, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, becoming crown prince himself.

    Today that deposed prince is under arrest, his assets seized and those who worked for him have been removed from their posts. Dr al-Jabri fled into exile in Canada. But former Western intelligence officials believe MBS still sees him as a threat to his legitimacy.

    “He can’t afford to have that guy as a free radical and a galvanising force against him,” says one of them.

    His family say they have tried in vain to meet the Saudi authorities “on neutral ground” and have now decided to go public.

    “There are signs that Dr Saad is being targeted with a wide range of threats and the (Canadian) authorities are taking it seriously,” says his son Khalid.

    “We were pushed into this,” he adds. “We are patriots, we love our country, we don’t want to embarrass Saudi Arabia but kidnapping Omar and Sarah like this, it’s daylight thuggery by a state.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Ghana receives 50 tonnes of date fruits from Saudi Arabia

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has taken delivery of 50 tonnes of date fruits from the Government of Saudi Arabia.

    The fruit, which is the National symbol of Saudi Arabia and most treasured, was from the custodian of the two Holy Mosques of the Kingdom, King Abdallah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Ghana, Meshal Al-Rogi presented the consignment to Deputy Minister for the Foreign Affairs Ministry Mohammed Habibu Tijani at a brief ceremony in Accra.

    Mr Al-Rogi said the donation, which was the eighth in series, reflected the longstanding, deep and strong relations based on the cooperation and friendship between the two nations.

    The date fruit is the most important fruit in Saudi culture with deep historical and religious significance, as a natural energy booster, containing vitamins, mineral and dietary fibre.

    Mr Tijani, on behalf of Government, thanked the Government of Saudi Arabia for the gesture, which demonstrated trust and commitment towards fostering strong cooperation with Ghana.

    He said due to the energy qualities of the fruit, its consumption during the month of Ramadan was very important.

    Mr Tijani said the Government acknowledged other developmental initiatives with the assistance of Saudi Arabia in sectors including health, education, energy and roads.

    Source: GNA  

  • FBI ‘mistakenly reveals Saudi official linked’ to 9/11 attackers

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has accidentally disclosed the name of a Saudi diplomat suspected of directing support to two al-Qaeda hijackers in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Yahoo News reported.

    The mistake about the identity of the Saudi embassy official was made in a declaration by an FBI official in response to a lawsuit by families of 9/11 victims who accuse Saudi Arabia’s government of involvement in the attacks, the report said on Tuesday.

    Michael Isikoff, the chief investigative journalist at Yahoo News who was the first to notice the apparent mistake, told Al Jazeera he knew right away the disclosure was “a slip-up”.

    “When I noticed that the declaration included this information, I contacted the FBI for comment. Because I knew that the justice department and the Trump administration had been going to extraordinary length to keep all of this under wraps,” he said.

    “In fact, both Attorney General William Barr and the Acting Director of the National Intelligence Richard Grennell had filed motions with the court saying that any information relating to the Saudi embassy official and all internal FBI documents about this matter were so sensitive; they were state secrets, that means if revealed they could cause damage to the national security.”

    The declaration by Jill Sanborn, the assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, was filed in April but unsealed late last week, according to Yahoo News.

    Mussaed Ahmed al-Jarrah was mistakenly named in the declaration, an error that Yahoo News said was also confirmed by a senior US government official.

    Al-Jarrah was a mid-level Saudi foreign ministry official who was assigned to the Saudi embassy in Washington, DC in 1999 and 2000.

    He was in charge of supervising the activities of Ministry of Islamic Affairs employees at Saudi-funded mosques and Islamic centres in the US, according to the report.

    In a portion of the filing describing the material sought by lawyers for the families of 9/11 victims, Sanborn refers to a partially declassified 2012 FBI report about an investigation into possible links between the al-Qaeda hijackers and Saudi government officials, Yahoo News said. That probe initially focused on two individuals, Fahad al-Thumairy, a cleric, and Omar al-Bayoumi, a suspected Saudi agent.

    A redacted copy of a three-and-a-half page October 2012 FBI “update” about the investigation said that FBI agents had uncovered “evidence” that al-Thumairy and al-Bayoumi had been “tasked” to assist two hijackers by another person whose name was blacked out. This prompted the lawyers for the families of the 9/11 victims to refer to this individual as “the third man”.

    Describing the request by the lawyers to depose that person under oath, Sanborn’s declaration said in one instance that it involved “any and all records referring to or relating to Jarrah”, according to Yahoo News.

    This represented the first public confirmation that the so-called “third man” was an accredited Saudi diplomat. But all of the FBI evidence the agents had gathered about al-Jarrah and his communications about the two attackers remain under seal, the report said.

    It is unclear how strong the evidence is against al-Jarrah, whose whereabouts remain unknown. But the disclosure appears likely to revive questions about Saudi Arabia’s potential links to the 9/11 plot and highlights the extraordinary efforts by US government officials to prevent internal documents about the issue from becoming public, Yahoo News said.

    “This shows there is a complete government cover-up of the Saudi involvement,” Brett Eagleson, a spokesman for the families, told the news outlet. “This is a giant screw-up.”

    Yahoo News said it contacted the Department of Justice on Monday, but officials notified the court and withdrew the FBI’s declaration from the public docket.

    “The document was incorrectly filed in this case,” the docket now reads, said the report.

    Fifteen of the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people, were Saudi citizens.

    The Saudi government has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks in which al-Qaeda-affiliated men hijacked and crashed planes into New York’s World Trade Center, destroying the towering buildings and sending plumes of debris shooting through the most populous US city.

    A third aircraft struck the Pentagon just outside of Washington, DC, and a fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • Saudi Arabia triples VAT to support coronavirus-hit economy

    Saudi Arabia is tripling its value-added tax (VAT) as part of austerity measures to support its coronavirus-hit economy.

    The government in Riyadh also said it will suspend its cost of living allowance to shore up state finances.

    The oil-rich nation has seen its income plummet as the impact of the pandemic has forced down global energy prices.

    The kingdom first introduced VAT two years ago as part of efforts to cut its reliance on world crude oil markets.

    Saudi Arabia’s state news agency said VAT will increase from 5% to 15% as of 1 July, while the cost of living allowance will be suspended from 1 June.

    The allowance of 1,000 riyals ($267; 245 euros) per month to state employees was introduced in 2018 to help offset increased financial burdens including VAT and a rise in the price of petrol.

    “These measures are painful but necessary to maintain financial and economic stability over [the] medium to long term… and overcome the unprecedented coronavirus crisis with the least damage possible,” finance minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said in the statement.

    The announcement came after state spending outstripped income, pushing the kingdom into a $9bn (£7.2bn) budget deficit in the first three months of the year.

    That’s as oil revenues in the period fell by almost a quarter from a year earlier to $34bn, pulling down total revenues by 22%.

    At the same time Saudi Arabia’s central bank saw its foreign reserves fall in March at their fastest rate in at least two decades and to their lowest level since 2011.

    The measures to fight the impact of coronavirus are expected to slow the pace and scale of economic reforms launched by Crown Price Mohammed bin Salman.

    Last year Saudi Arabia raised a record $25.6bn in the initial public offering of shares in state-owned oil giant Aramco in Riyadh.

    The share sale was at the heart of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to modernise the economy and wean it off its dependence on oil.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Saudi Arabia ends executions for crimes committed by minors, says commission

    Saudi Arabia will no longer impose the death penalty on people who committed crimes while still minors, the country’s Human Rights Commission says.

    The announcement, citing a royal decree by King Salman, comes two days after the country said it would ban flogging.

    The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – which Riyadh has signed – says capital punishment should not be used for offenses carried out by minors.

    Activists say Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s worst human rights records.

    They say freedom of expression is severely curtailed and critics of the government are subject to what they say is an arbitrary arrest.

    A record 184 people were executed in the kingdom in 2019, according to human rights group Amnesty International. At least one case involved a man convicted of a crime committed when he was a minor, the rights group reported.

    In a statement published on Sunday, Awwad Alawwad, president of the state-backed commission, said a royal decree had replaced executions in cases where crimes were committed by minors with a maximum penalty of 10 years in a juvenile detention centre.

    “The decree helps us in establishing a more modern penal code,” Mr Alawwad said.

    It was unclear when the decision – which was not immediately carried on state media – would come into effect.

    The kingdom’s human rights record has remained under intense scrutiny, despite recent changes, following the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, while many civil rights and women’s rights activists remain in prison.

    Earlier this week, the most prominent Saudi human rights campaigner died in jail after a stroke which fellow activists say was due to medical neglect by the authorities.

    Source: bbc.com

  • G20 calls for more donations

    The presidency of the G20, currently held by Saudi Arabia, has called for more donations to fund an emergency response to the pandemic.

    The G20 secretariat said that so far $1.9bn (£1.5bn) had been donated, but that the target set was $8bn. Donations are coming from countries and the private sector.

    G20 Labour and employment ministers pledged on Thursday to prop up the labour market as the coronavirus pandemic hits jobs and output around the world.

    The International Labour Organization (ILO) earlier this week warned that the economic consequences of the virus crisis were having a “devastating effect” on workers and employers.

    “The world of work is facing the worst global crisis since World War Two,” Alette van Leur, ILO policies director, warned.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia asks Muslims to delay Hajj bookings

    Saudi Arabia has asked Muslims planning to take part in the Hajj pilgrimage to delay booking amid uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic.

    Hajj Minister Mohammed Banten said the kingdom was concerned about the safety of pilgrims and urged people to “wait before concluding contracts”.

    Some two million people were expected to travel to Mecca and Medina this July and August for the annual gathering.

    Muslims who are physically able must undertake the Hajj once in a lifetime.

    The lesser pilgrimage, the Umra, has already been suspended as a precaution to try to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

    People are also being prevented from entering Mecca and Medina, as well as the capital Riyadh, as the Saudi authorities attempt to contain an outbreak of Covid-19 that has infected at least 1,563 people and claimed 10 lives in the country.

    “Saudi Arabia is fully ready to serve pilgrims and Umra seekers in all circumstances,” Mr Banten told state TV. “But under the current circumstances, as we are talking about the global pandemic, from which we have asked God to save us, the kingdom is keen to protect the health of Muslims and citizens.”

    “So we have asked our brother Muslims in all countries to wait before concluding contracts [with tour operators] until the situation is clear.”

    He added that the Hajj and health ministries had been inspecting hotels currently being used to accommodate people who had been undertaking Umra before the suspension and then been told to self-isolate or been unable to return home.

    The minister also said that, for the time being, people who had purchased Umra visas and that could not be used would be refunded the cost.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Saudi Arabia ends gender segregation in restaurants

    Saudi Arabia will no longer require restaurants to have separate entrances segregated by sex, the government says.

    Previously, it was mandatory to have one entrance for families and women, and another for men on their own.

    The restrictions had already been quietly eased in practice, with many restaurants, cafes and other meeting places no longer enforcing segregation.

    A series of sweeping social reforms in Saudi Arabia has been accompanied by an intensified crackdown on dissent.

    Read:Saudi Arabia rules women are permitted to join the army

    Earlier this year, a royal decree allowed Saudi women to travel abroad without a male guardian’s permission, and in 2018 the Gulf kingdom ended a decades-long ban on female drivers.

    But activists complain that many laws discriminatory against women remain in place. And several prominent women’s rights advocates have been arrested even as the government has made reforms.

    On Sunday, the Saudi ministry of municipalities said that restaurants would no longer need to maintain sex-segregated entrances. Instead it would be left up to businesses to decide.

    Read:Indonesian maid in Saudi Arabia executed for killing employer who raped her

    Until now, inside restaurants, families and women were usually cut off and separated from men on their own by screens.

    Since Mohammed bin Salman was elevated to crown prince in 2017, he has made moves to open up Saudi Arabia’s extremely conservative society.

    His reforms have won praise in the international community but have been accompanied by a wave of repression.

    The murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul drew intense international condemnation but key world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, have continued to stand by Saudi Arabia.

    Read:U.S. briefly overtakes Saudi Arabia as top oil exporter IEA

    Saudi officials have said Khashoggi, a high-profile critic of the government in Riyadh, was killed in a “rogue operation” by a team of agents. But many critics believe otherwise and a UN expert concluded that the death was an “extrajudicial execution”.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Saudi crown prince warns of ‘Iran threat’ to global oil

    Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has warned that oil prices could rise to “unimaginably high numbers” if the world does not act to deter Iran.

    Mohammed bin Salman said a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran would ruin the global economy, following an attack on its oil facilities two weeks ago which it blames on Tehran.

    Speaking to CBS News, he also said he accepted some responsibility for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

    But he denied personally ordering it.

    The prince, who is considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, is suspected of personally targeting Mr Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist critical of the government in Riyadh.

    Mr Khashoggi was killed in Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Turkey on 2 October 2018.

    In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes news programme on Sunday, he said: “I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it [the killing] was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government.”

    Read:Saudi Arabia deports 22 Ghanaians

    However, he denied ordering the killing of Mr Khashoggi directly, or having knowledge of it at the time.

    Saudi authorities have since blamed a “rogue” operation for his murder and put 11 men on trial.

    What about the crown prince’s oil warning?

    Iran has denied any involvement in the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities.

    But Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the Saudi throne, said: “If the world does not take a strong and firm action to deter Iran, we will see further escalations that will threaten world interests.”

    “Oil supplies will be disrupted and oil prices will jump to unimaginably high numbers that we haven’t seen in our lifetimes.”

    He said the Middle East region “represents about 30% of the world’s energy supplies, about 20% of global trade passages, about 4% of the world GDP”.

    “Imagine all of these three things stop. This means a total collapse of the global economy, and not just Saudi Arabia or the Middle East countries,” the prince said.

    And what about the drone attacks?

    Saudi Arabia says 18 drones and seven cruise missiles were fired on the country’s two oil facilities in Abqaid and Aramco on 14 September.

    Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have said they were behind the attacks.

    Read:U.S. briefly overtakes Saudi Arabia as top oil exporter IEA

    But Saudi Arabia as well as the US, a key ally, blame Iran for the strikes that knocked out about 5% of global oil supply and sent oil prices soaring.

    US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington has “many options” in response, including an “ultimate option”.

    What’s the background to all this?

    Iran is the regional rival of Saudi Arabia and an opponent of the US, which pulled out of a treaty aimed at limiting Tehran’s nuclear programme after Mr Trump took power.

    US-Iran tensions have risen markedly this year.

    The US said Iran was behind attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf in June and July, as well as on another four in May.

    Tehran rejected the accusations in both cases.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Saudi Arabia to open up to foreign tourists with new visas

    Saudi Arabia will open its doors to international tourists for the first time as part of a broader push to cut its economic dependence on oil.

    On Friday, the kingdom will launch a visa regime for 49 countries and relax strict dress codes for female visitors.

    Tourism Minister Ahmad al-Khateeb described it as a “historic moment” for the country.

    Visas have until now largely been restricted to pilgrims, business people and expatriate workers.

    Saudi Arabia is also hoping to secure foreign investment in the tourism industry. It wants tourism to rise from 3% to 10% of gross domestic product by 2030.

    “Visitors will be surprised… by the treasures we have to share – five Unesco World Heritage Sites, a vibrant local culture and breathtaking natural beauty,” Mr al-Khateeb said.

    Foreign women visitors will not be required to wear the body-covering abaya robe required to be worn in public by Saudi women, but must still maintain modest dress. There will also be no restrictions on unaccompanied women visiting the country.

    Read:Saudi Arabia hosts over 1.8 million pilgrims for Hajj 2019

    “We have a culture. We believe our friends and our guests will respect the culture, but definitely it is modest and it will be very clear,” Mr al-Khateeb said.

    Non-Muslims will still not be allowed to visit the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the ban on alcohol will be maintained.

    More details on the scheme, including which countries are eligible, are due to be provided later on Friday.

    But Mr al-Khateeb said he did not believe the recent attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry would put people off visiting.

    “Our cities are among the most safest cities globally. Therefore, we don’t believe at all it will impact our plans. We have all the expats living in Saudi Arabia, enjoying Saudi Arabia. We’re very secure,” he said.

    Read:Saudi crown prince hosts Christian evangelicals

    Tourism hopes
    The moves to open up tourism is central to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s wider economic reform programme that aims to reduce the kingdom’s focus on oil.

    Under the plan, Saudi Arabia wants to increase international and domestic visits to 100 million a year by 2030. The government expects to create one million tourism jobs.

    Still, the push comes as the kingdom faces a tarnished international image amid criticism of its human rights record following last year’s murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and a recent crackdown on women’s rights activists.

    In 2017 Saudi Arabia announced a massive tourism development project that will turn 50 islands and other sites on the Red Sea into luxury resorts.

    Last year construction began on Qiddiya “entertainment city” near Riyadh, which is to include high-end theme parks, motor sport facilities and a safari area.

    Source: bbc.com

  • UAE minister says international community should stand by Saudi Arabia after attacks

    The attack on Saudi Arabia is a dangerous escalation and the international community should stand by the Gulf country and ensure regional stability, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a tweet on Tuesday.

    Read:Drones hit 2 Saudi Aramco oil facilities, cause fires

    Saudi Arabia said the attacks were carried out with Iranian weapons, adding that it was capable of responding forcefully and urging U.N. experts to help investigate the raid.

    Source: reuters.com