A prominent Saudi princess jailed without charges made a rare public appeal to the king and crown prince on Thursday for her release from a high-security prison, citing her ‘deteriorating’ health. Princess Basmah bint Saud, a 56-year-old businesswoman and an outspoken royal family member, was detained in March last year just before she was due … Read more
Saudi Arabia has doubled its use of the death penalty since King Salman came to the throne, with 800 executions carried out in five years Saudi Arabia has carried out 800 executions under the reign of King Salman That is double the 423 executions carried out in the country from 2009-14 Rights group says rise … Read more
Saudi military chiefs have displayed ballistic missiles intercepted over the capital of Riyadh. Yemen’s Huthi group launches the weapons at the capital city which is in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Colonel Turki al-Malki yesterday revealed missile debris that the authorities had recovered. Colonel Turki al-Malki (pictured, on the left) revealed missile debris that … Read more
Prince Andrew’s new PR expert helped to Saudi Arabia’s image following global outrage over air strikes that killed thousands of Yemeni civilians Mark Gallagher nicknamed the ‘backroom fixer’ is an expert in handling crises His role will be to rebuild the prince’s reputation following the Epstein scandal A source told PR Week: ‘He… has no doubt … Read more
Outrage after Saudi Arabia’s state oil firm forces worker to dress up as a human hand gel dispenser Images shared online show Saudi Aramco worker dressed as hand gel dispenser Act criticised with social media users saying it is ‘humiliating’ and ‘disgusting’ Firm said practice ‘immediately’ stopped and measures taken to prevent repeat By Faith Ridler … Read more
Saudi Arabia reopens Mecca’s Grand Mosque but bars people from touching the cuboid Kaaba shrine after it was closed for disinfecting over coronavirus Saudi Arabia closed the Grand Mosque in Mecca, one of the holiest sites in Islam, this week to disinfect it The mosque was reopened Saturday, but people were blocked from touching the … Read more
Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman orders arrest of King’s brother and nephew as they are charged with treason ‘over coup plot’ Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef were arrested Over plot to oust king and son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reports suggest Mohammed bin Nayef had been crown prince … Read more
Saudi Arabia suspends year-round umrah pilgrimage to stop coronavirus spreading to holy Islamic sites The umrah draws more than 18.3million Muslim pilgrims to Saudi Arabia per year Many people choose to undertake it during Ramadan, which starts in April But it has now been suspended as Saudi Arabia tries to keep out coronavirus By Afp … Read more
BOOK OF THE WEEK THE KILLING IN THE CONSULATE by Jonathan Rugman (Simon & Schuster £20, 368pp) The ripples from the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi just over a year ago never cease — and nor should they, given what an appalling affront to humanity and to press freedom his brutal killing was. The … Read more
Saudi Arabia finally BANS religious pilgrims from visiting Mecca or Medina to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the Kingdom Statement issued this evening by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom Will be supporting other countries and will abide by ‘international standards’ Temporarily suspended entry into the Kingdom for the purpose of Umrah … Read more