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A court has sentenced blogger Abdullah al-Saleh to five years in prison in absentia for criticizing Saudi Arabia in the diplomatic showdown between the kingdom, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain plus Egypt on one side and Qatar on the other. Read more
Qatar will not be part of Speed Chess Championship to be held in Saudi Arabia after the local organizing committee banned the raising of Qatari national flag amid the ongoing diplomatic row between the small Gulf country and its neighbors. Read more
The Saudi anti-corruption commission, overseen by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, is expecting to get from Prince al-Waleed bin Talal $6 billion in exchange for his freedom, Wall Street Journal reported. Prince al-Waleed bin Talal had been rounded up alongside Read more
Human Rights Watch urged the UN to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the violations committed as part of the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen. “Imposing targeted sanctions for the indiscriminate bombing and unlawful blockading Read more
Saudi Arabia has permanently closed its only border with Qatar after briefly opening it in August to allow Qataris to perform the Hajj. The Salwa crossing point was permanently closed on Monday at the request of the Saudi customs directorate. Read more
In an unprecedented move, Belgium appointed a female Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, which has long been criticized for violating women’s rights. The Belgian media reported that Dominique Mineur, who is performing her duties in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as Read more
Saudi Arabia said it succeeded in destroying a missile fired by Houthi rebels targeting the Yamamah palace, the official residence of King Salman. The Houthis’ Al Masirah TV said the missile was targeting the palace to project power and to Read more
Egypt plans to join a Gulf power link with the signing of agreements next April with Saudi Arabia to finance the $1.6 bln project. Quoted by Bloomberg, Egypt’s Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker said his country will finance $600 million adding Read more
Saudi Arabia has lifted a 35-year ban on cinemas in one of the surprising social modernization decisions taken by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The decision is part of “Vision 2030” spearheaded by the young Prince with a view to Read more
Israel’s minister of intelligence affairs Yisrael Katz has confirmed to Israeli Haaretz media that he had extended an invitation to Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman to visit Israel as he describes him as the leader of the Arab world. Read more