Contraband Whiskey and a Secret Royal Dinner: Wall Street Goes to Riyadh

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Are you an international business titan on the hunt for billions of dollars of Saudi oil cash? Prepare for “a mind game.”

At exactly 6:19 p.m. last Tuesday, in a gold-trimmed hallway snaking off the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, a lesson emerged in money, power and what Arabs call wasta, or influence.

The scene was opened by Marc Rowan, the private equity billionaire, pacing the carpet leading up the unremarkably named Meeting Room B — where a few minutes earlier chairs had been arranged in a semicircle.

Mr. Rowan, clad in a neat suit rather than his usual sweaters, was 11 minutes early — he actually doubled back a few times, apparently unwilling to arrive first — but was soon followed by a dozen or so titans of technology and finance, including top executives of the Carlyle Group, BlackRock, Citi and Standard Chartered, and founders of the giant hedge funds Bridgewater Associates and Third Point. » | Rob Copeland | Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Saudi’s MBS Welcomes Putin with Smiles & Handshake | Russia’s Bid to Checkmate US In Middle East?

Dec 7, 2023 | Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held bilateral talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on December 6. Putin said "nothing can prevent the development of our friendly relations" as he makes a rare trip abroad seeking to bolster Russia's influence in the Middle East. MBS also said that cooperation between the two countries had a "positive impact on many issues" in the Middle East. Before Saudi Arabia's visit, Putin made a trip to the UAE, where he met President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Arab and Muslim Leaders Blame West for Gaza Misery

Leaders warned of the "disastrous repercussions" of what they called Israel's "retaliatory aggression" | REUTERS
BBC: Hypocrisy, double standards and a failure to understand the region. These are the charges being levelled at the West, primarily the US, by leaders of 57 Arab and Muslim countries who convened at the weekend in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

How is it, foreign ministers said to me, that the West slams Russia for killing civilians in Ukraine, yet, in their words, it "gives a green light to Israel to do the same in Gaza"? In the luxurious surroundings of Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel, amid giant floral bouquets and glittering chandeliers, and a world away from the shattered landscape of Gaza, princes, presidents and prime ministers met for the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit.

Blame for the war and the destruction of lives and property was heaped unilaterally on Israel and its supporters. No-one criticised Hamas for its 7 October raid into southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw some 240 taken hostage, triggering the massive military retaliation. Israel, said the secretary general of the Arab League, had committed criminal acts.

"We warn of the disastrous repercussions of the retaliatory aggression by Israel against the Gaza Strip, which amounts to a war crime," said the final communique. "We warn of the real danger of the expansion of the war as a result of Israel's refusal to stop its aggression and of the inability of the [UN] Security Council to enforce international law to end this aggression." » | Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent, Saudi Arabia | Tuesday, November 14, 2023

What World Leaders Are Doing to Help End the War in Gaza | DW News

Nov 11, 2023 | Arab leaders were joined in Saudi Arabia by the presidents of Turkey and Iran for an emergency summit on Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said his people face a 'genocidal war' and want international protection. Arab nations are expected to issue a joint call for an end to Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

Germany's foreign minister is in Ramallah to meet with Palestinian leaders. Annalena Baerbock will also hold talks with her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Tel Aviv later this evening. The trip comes on the heels of a meeting with Gulf State leaders, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Baerbock discussed efforts to free German hostages being held by Hamas, as well as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This is her third visit to the region since the October 7 terror attacks.

Arab League Holds Summit: Regional Leaders Gather in Riyadh to Discuss War

Nov 11, 2023 | The summit in Riyadh has started, with the Saudi crown prince delivering his opening remarks.

Qatar’s emir condemns silence on Gaza »

King Salman's Brother Returns to Riyadh amid Khashoggi Crisis l Breaking News

The only surviving full brother of Saudi Arabia's King Salman has reportedly returned to the kingdom, amid international outcry over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz flew back to Riyadh from London on Tuesday, according to three Saudi sources close to the prince cited by 'The New York Times', in what some analysts are calling a potential challenge to the authority of Saudi Arabia's de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

One of the most senior members of the royal family, Prince Ahmad - who has been living in the United Kingdom - is said to have agreed to return to Riyadh only after receiving security assurances from the UK and United States.

The reports say the prince had been afraid to return home after publicly challenging bin Salman on several occasions.

Is Saudi Arabia More Vulnerable to Houthi Attacks from Yemen? | Inside Story

Three years after launching air strikes in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is under attack. Houthi rebels targeted Riyadh and three other Saudi cities as they step up their response to the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman defends his country's military intervention in the conflict in 2015, saying "the options are between bad and worse".

After three years the situation could not be any worse. About 10,000 killed in the fighting, thousands more dead from the worst recorded outbreak of cholera, and millions facing famine.

The UN calls Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. And the complex relationships and divisions of all those involved in the conflict make any hope of a settlement even more remote.

Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam | Guests: Mohammed Jumeh, columnist and editor at the Al Quds newspaper; Adam Baron, visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; Suze van Meegen, protection and advocacy adviser at the Norwegian Refugee Council

'The Saudis Are Going to Fight Tehran to the Last Dead American'

Paul Jay talks with Larry Wilkerson

Analyst: Gulf Crisis 'Is a Crisis by Choice, Not by Necessity'

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to launch a fresh bid on Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha, both allies of Washington, but without high hopes of a breakthrough.

Omar Ashour, a senior lecturer in Middle East Politics and Security Studies at the University of Exeter, speaks to Al Jazeera about Tillerson's Middle East tour.

LIVE: President Trump’s Speech at the Arab Islamic American Summit – May 21, 2017

Woman 'Faces Calls to Be Executed after Going Out without a Hijab in Saudi Arabia'

Violation Kingdom: US, Saudi Ties Tighten Amidst Human Rights Outcry

The US President is on his way to Saudi Arabia to meet King Abdullah. The countries enjoy a close relationship, and the talks are unlikely to touch on human rights violations in the Arab nation. One such case is that of a former Saudi diplomat - seeking asylum in the US, after coming out as gay. RT has been closely following his story, and Gayane Chichakyan now brings us the latest. It's easy to understand why returning home is not an option for the former diplomat. Being gay in Saudi Arabia leads to capital punishment. You can also find yourself on the wrong side of the law in the kingdom by posting on Twitter. Earlier this month, two Saudis received lengthy prison sentences for their activity on the microblogging site. Saudi Arabia enforces rigid rules of conduct for women - who are banned from travelling alone, driving, or talking to male non-relatives and are often subjected to domestic violence. Daoud Khairallah, international law professor at Georgetown University, believes the dire rights situation in Saudi Arabia is there to stay...

Saudi Men Arrested for Offering Free Hugs in Riyadh

BBC: Two men have been arrested in Saudi Arabia for offering free hugs to passers-by in the capital, Riyadh.

The Saudi religious police detained the two young men for indulging in exotic practices and offending public order.

The free hugs movement aims to "brighten up" people's lives by offering strangers hugs.

A young Saudi man, Bandr al-Swed, posted a video of himself offering hugs to male strangers on YouTube, where it has received nearly 1.5m views.

"After seeing the Free Hugs Campaign in many different countries, I decided to do it in my own country," Mr Swed told al-Arabiya news [sic].

"I liked the idea and thought it could bring happiness to Saudi Arabia."

Britain's Independent newspaper reports that his video inspired two more young Saudis, Abdulrahman al-Khayyal and a friend.

They offered hugs, advertised on a placard, in one of Riyadh's main shopping streets. » | Thursday, November 21, 2013

Kerry Hails Saudi Leadership as He Bids to Repair Relations

U.S. Secretary of State meets with King Abdullah in Riyadh

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The US Secretary of State holds talks with King Abdullah and praises a disgruntled Saudi Arabia as a "senior player" in the region

John Kerry played down rifts with Saudi Arabia, saying relations between the two countries were "strategic and enduring" and that both agreed negotiations were the only way to stop Syria's civil war.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, in Riyadh after talks with King Abdullah, Mr Kerry said: "This is a deep relationship and it has endured for 75 years and it will endure well into the future."

He also reiterated Washington would not let Iran develop an atomic bomb. "The United States will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. That policy has not changed."

The Saudis have complained that the United States did not follow through on its threat to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad with military strikes for his government's use of chemical weapons.

Last month, the Saudis won but turned down an elected seat on the UN Security Council, saying the body had proved itself largely meaningless because of its inability over two years to address the crisis in Syria. The Saudis also have watched with increasing nervousness as President Barack Obama has approved a cautious opening with their archrival Iran. Read on and comment » | Alex Spillius, and Agencies | Monday, November 04, 2013

45 Filipinos Convert to Islam in Saudi
EMIRATES 24|7: A group of 45 Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia converted to Islam after they were taught about the religion during a visit to their company by preachers from a government religious centre in the Gulf Kingdom, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

The preachers from the Islamic Guidance Centre in the capital Riyadh said the 45 Filipinos decided to embrace the new religion after listening to a brief lecture by one of the preachers at their company on Monday. » | Correspondent | Thursday, March 07, 2013

Several Dead in Riyadh Truck Explosion

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: At least 10 dead and 50 injured from explosion when truck carrying flammable liquids crashed in the Saudi capital.

At least 10 people were killed and another 50 injured when a truck carrying flammable liquids crashed in Riyadh causing a large explosion, according to Al Jazeera correspondents.

The truck exploded after it crashed into a concrete flyover in the Saudi capital on Thursday, said a civil defence official at the scene speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

An industrial building, several storeys high, was almost entirely destroyed by the blast while several nearby buildings were damaged, witness said. » | Source: Al Jazeera And Agencies | Thursday, November 01, 2012

Abusing Women Is Un-Islamic: Saudi Mufti
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has strongly warned against maltreating women in any form and said this is totally against Islam.

In his Friday sermon at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, the mufti said only bad people treat women badly.

"The psychological or physical abuse of wives, daughters and sisters is against the Islamic Shariah and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)," he said.

Al-Asheikh warned husbands and fathers who take the salaries of their wives and daughters that they are committing anti-Islamic acts.

"The fathers who make it a condition to have their daughters' salaries before they give their consent for marriage are equally wrong. Husbands who force their working wives to share in home expenses are committing erroneous acts. Islam made it the responsibility of the man to spend on the house," he told the worshippers. » | Muhammad Humaidan, Arab News | Friday, April 08, 2011

Oil Interests Muted Bahrain Criticism: Analysts
VANCOUVER SUN: BAGHDAD - Saudi Arabia's massive oil wealth and Sunni solidarity against Shiite Iran is the main reason Arab states remained muted over repression in Bahrain, while loudly protesting over the crushing of a popular revolt in Libya, analysts say.

"Riyadh has traded Bahrain for Libya, because what happens at its borders is vital for the kingdom," said Burhan Ghalioun, director of the Centre for Contemporary Oriental Studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.

He said "the allied military intervention in Libya is secondary for Gulf countries, because their relations are very bad with Moamer Gadhafi," the Libyan leader facing a revolt at home and air strikes by an international coalition to prevent his brutal crackdown on civilians.

On March 14, Saudi Arabia sent 1,000 troops across the causeway into Bahrain, and two days later police cracked down on protesters who had been camped in the centre of Manama for a month, killing three demonstrators.

"Nobody is interested in showing hostility to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. Westerners and Arab states alike need their oil and huge financial resources," Ghalioun added.

Nearly half of the world's oil reserves are owned by the Gulf monarchies, which since 1984 have been linked through the "Peninsula Shield" defence pact.

It has been conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, and the looming shadow of Iran, that has been instrumental in coalescing support behind King Hamad, the Sunni monarch who rules over a Bahrain population that is 70 per cent Shiite. » | Agence France-Presse | Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Saudi Police Break Up Protest Outside Riyadh Interior Ministry
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: Police have broken up a small protest outside the interior ministry in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, leading to the arrest of at least a dozen people.

According to reports, riot police prevented the crowd from rushing into the building.

Reuters reported that at least 50 police cars surrounded the ministry, with riot police vastly outnumbering the number of protesters.

"They arrested a lot of people," pro-democracy activist Mohammed Al-Qahtani told CNN. "They started putting them in police cars and even buses to take them away."

The demonstrators were demanding the release of people detained by the government without trial for long periods on security charges. » | Monday, March 21, 2011

Saudi Shi'ite Protests Simmer as Bahrain Conflict Rages
REUTERS: Hundreds of young Shi'ite men marched down a commercial street in the Saudi city of Qatif, near the heart of the kingdom's oil industry, pounding their fists in anger over their country's military intervention in Bahrain.

"With our blood and soul we sacrifice for you, Bahrain," they chanted as they walked, according to videos of a recent protest posted on the internet. Some wore scarves to conceal their faces. Others waved Bahraini flags.

"People are boiling," one Shi'ite activist in Qatif told Reuters by phone, asking not to be named for fear of arrest. "People are talking about strikes, demonstration and prayer to help the Bahrainis."

The protests were in response to Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and most powerful Gulf Arab state, sending troops to Bahrain last week to help quell weeks of protests by majority Shi'ites in the Sunni-led monarchy. Bahrain's opposition called it a declaration of war.

Riyadh, facing Shi'ite protests of its own, fears a sustained revolt in neighboring Bahrain could embolden its own Shi'ite minority, which has long grumbled about sectarian discrimination, charges Riyadh denies.

The military intervention, however, appears to have only deepened Shi'ite resentment in the kingdom, where between 10 and 15 percent of the 18 million Saudi nationals are Shi'ites.

Leading Saudi Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Hassan al-Saffar has called for Gulf leaders to find a political solution.

Saudi Shi'ites, inspired by pro-democracy protests across the Arab world that toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia, have held sporadic protests in a handful of eastern towns over the past three weeks.

"Before the start of revolution in Tunis, people felt rather incapable of making a difference," activist Tawfiq al-Seif said. "They (now) feel they can make a difference." » | Cynthia Johnston | QATIF, Saudi Arabia | Monday, March 21, 2011