A Saudi delegation is due to visit Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah this week, a Palestinian official said, amid diplomatic efforts to secure an accord between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The delegation will be led by the non-resident Saudi envoy to the Palestinians, who was appointed last month, the …
Read More »Paper: Saudi crown prince threatened to inflict ‘major’ economic pain on US amid oil feud
A classified document has revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) threatened to impose significant economic costs on Washington after US President Joe Biden warned Riyadh over its decision to slash oil production last fall. Even though the Saudi government publicly defended its actions politely via diplomatic statements, …
Read More »Executions in Saudi Arabia doubled since 2021: AFP tally
Saudi Arabia has executed twice as many people in 2022 as it did last year, according to an AFP tally, highlighting a rise in capital punishment that is condemned by rights groups. The latest execution was of a Jordanian national convicted of smuggling amphetamine tablets, the official Saudi Press Agency …
Read More »‘Jamal died again’: US grants immunity to MBS over Khashoggi killing
The US Department of State has given Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman immunity from a lawsuit over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi despite Joe Biden’s earlier promise to hold the de facto ruler accountable for the crime. In a statement on Thursday, the US State Department announced that it …
Read More »Rights group: 34 political prisoners on verge of execution in Saudi Arabia
A Europe-based human rights organization has expressed concerns over the imminent execution of dozens of political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, as Saudi courts continue to hand heavy punishment to human rights activists for expressing their opinion. The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) said in a statement that 34 …
Read More »Saudi Arabia widens crackdown, detains 9 prominent Saudi judges
Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested at least nine prominent judges amid reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is seeking to get rid of political dissidents and potential royal challengers with the aim of clearing his path to the succession once his elderly and ailing father, King Salman, steps …
Read More »Payback for defending bin Salman? Saudis give $2 billion to Kushner’s fund
A Saudi wealth fund led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman contributed over $2 billion to Jared Kushner’s new investment fund six months after Kushner left the White House, in what ethics experts say could be potential payback for defending the controversial Saudi leader. Saudi Arabia’s $620 billion Public Investment …
Read More »One of suspected killers of Saudi journalist Khashoggi arrested in France – RTL
One of the suspected killers of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was arrested at the Roissy airport near Paris on Tuesday as he was about to board a flight to Riyadh, French RTL radio reported. RTL said the person arrested was a former Royal Guard of Saudi Arabia who is believed …
Read More »Amnesty voices human rights concerns as Saudi takeover of Newcastle looms
Amnesty International called on the Premier League on Thursday to focus on human rights issues and “sportswashing” as Newcastle United’s proposed sale to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) inched closer. The PIF – chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – wants to buy …
Read More »In latest crackdown, Saudi Arabia’s bin Salman orders arrest of 207 rivals, dissenters
In his latest sweeping crackdown on political dissent, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has ordered the arrest of at least 207 employees from different ministries under the guise of fighting corruption. The announcement came Monday from the kingdom’s so-called National Anti-Corruption Commission, known as ‘Nazaha,’ which reports directly …
Read More »Saudi crown prince used Israeli spyware Pegasus to spy on Lebanese, Hezbollah officials: Le Monde
An Israeli software company is revealed to have helped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) take over the smartphones of high-ranking Lebanese authorities, senior figures of the Hezbollah resistance movement as well as journalists, and spy on their communications. According to the report published by the French daily newspaper …
Read More »MBS reign of terror | Report
Since the gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Mohammad bin Salman, the de facto leader of the Saudi Kingdom, has kept a rather low profile in the international arena. But that does not mean the young prince has made a U-turn in his major policies, …
Read More »Biden admin. welcomes Prince Khalid linked to Khashoggi murder, angering human rights activists
The US administration has sparked outrage over welcoming Saudi prince Khalid bin Salman, the younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who is linked to the murder case of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with human rights advocates saying President Joe Biden has fallen short of punishing Saudi Arabia …
Read More »Tortured in detention, ex-Saudi crown prince unable to walk unaided: Report
The former crown prince of Saudi Arabia has suffered serious injuries to his feet from beatings and can no longer walk unaided, sources familiar with his situation said, citing torture during his detention by the kingdom. NBC News, citing two people familiar with his situation, reported on Wednesday that Mohammed …
Read More »Pakistani Prime Minister Khan visits Saudi Arabia to reset ties
Imran Khan’s visit to Riyadh is a significant move to rebuild relations between the historic allies following recent setbacks, say, analysts. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has started a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia in an effort to reset relations after tensions between the longtime allies in recent years. Khan’s …
Read More »Saudi crown prince sent kill squad to Toronto in search of ex-intel chief, lawsuit alleges
Just days after the brutal killing of prominent Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in the fall of 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman dispatched a group of hitmen, known as the Tiger Squad, to Canada to seek out and kill one of his former top intelligence officials who had …
Read More »Saudi prince suspect in Khashoggi murder case: UN official
A UN official has said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was a prime suspect in the case of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018. In an interview with Anadolu Agency, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Execution Agnes Callamard …
Read More »Democrats demand Trump clarify side deals in US-Saudi arms sales: Report
Several US House Democrats are calling on the Trump administration to disclose the details of side deals between Saudi Arabia and US arms manufacturers that allow the kingdom to produce weapons with American technology on its own soil, Foreign Policy reported. The legislators argued that the side arrangements undercut the …
Read More »Donald Trump defended Saudi’s Mohammed bin Salman over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi
President Trump backed Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the aftermath of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder to distract reporters from covering Ivanka Trump’s use of a private email server, a new book claims. Early copies of John Bolton’s ‘The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,’ were obtained Wednesday …
Read More »Saudi Arabia holding senior prince incommunicado: HRW
Saudi authorities have detained Prince Faisal, the son of late King Abdullah, and are holding him incommunicado, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Saturday. HRW, citing a source close to the royal family, said security forces arrested Prince Faisal bin Abdullah from a family compound northeast of Riyadh on March …
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