Author: Mahdeehassan

CAIRO: Saudi Shoura Council member Saad Al-Otaibi was elected unopposed as president of the Arab Parliament on Saturday during a procedural session held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). In his acceptance speech, Al-Otaibi said his election reflected Saudi Arabia's standing in the Arab world and its commitment to supporting joint Arab action and regional solidarity. He thanked King Salman and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for what he described as their continued support for Saudi talent, and also expressed appreciation to Shoura Council Speaker Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim…

RIYADH: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh will reopen two terminals on Sunday, two weeks after a deadly Houthis missile strike. Terminal 1 will be designated for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights operated by national carriers, the airport said on Saturday evening. "We kindly advise passengers with confirmed bookings to contact their airlines to verify the status of their bookings and flights before heading to the airport," the statement said. The airport was closed after the missile attack by the Houthis in Yemen killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 on Oct. 10. The attack sparked…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday sent cables of condolences to Jordan’s King Abdullah II following a terrorist attack on a church in the southern governorate of Karak that killed nine people and injured at least 40 others. The Saudi leaders condemned the attack and expressed their sympathy to the families of the victims and the people of Jordan, the Saudi Press Agency reported. King Salman denounced the shooting as a criminal act and extended his condolences to King Abdullah and the families of those killed, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. Crown…

RIYADH: They call themselves “Ansar Allah,” meaning “Supporters of God.” Their reality, however, could not be further from the truth. For what do the Houthis support? Not God. Not Islam, for sure. The Houthis have committed the ultimate transgression by attacking the holiest sites in Islam. They have fired missiles toward Makkah and Madinah — the cities where the Prophet walked, where the Kaaba stands as the “qibla” for every Muslim on Earth, where millions of believers journey each year to perform Hajj and Umrah. To target these sacred places is not merely a crime against Saudi Arabia, it is…

JEDDAH: Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre arrived in Jeddah on Saturday. He was received at King Abdulaziz International Airport by Jeddah Gov. Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi and several officials. The two countries aim to further boost their relations at all levels. The Kingdom has affirmed the sovereignty of Somalia over its entire territory. Riyadh has rejected anything that compromises Somalia’s security and stability. The two countries are working to ensure the security of international waterways and freedom of navigation.

ISTANBUL: Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt and Pakistan on Friday described the Israeli occupation as “the main source of instability in the Middle East and beyond.” They called for the urgent implementation of a two-state solution to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, and the intensification of diplomatic efforts to end the Israeli-US war with Iran. In a joint statement following talks in Istanbul, the foreign ministers from the four countries said Israeli policies had deepened a sense of injustice worldwide, and renewed their nations’ calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East…

ASTANA: Saudi Arabia, represented by its Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, or Nazaha, and the Republic of Kazakhstan, represented by its National Security Committee, have signed a memorandum of understanding to combat corruption and enhance cooperation. The agreement was signed by Nazaha President Mazin Al-Kahmous and Chairman of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee Yermek Sagimbayev, in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to Kazakhstan Faisal Al-Qahtani. The pact aims to strengthen cooperation in combating cross-border corruption, exchange information, and enhance institutional capacity. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed relations between the Kingdom and Kazakhstan and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation, the Saudi…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia strongly condemned a "cowardly" terrorist attack on a church in southern Jordan on Friday that killed seven people and injured dozens.The Kingdom rejects “all terrorist acts that attempt to undermine the security and stability of Jordan,” a foreign ministry statement said.Saudi Arabia also extended its condolences to the families of the victims and the government and people of Jordan. The statement came as other Arab nations and countries around the world denounced Friday’s attack by gunmen on the church in Hammoud village in the Karak governorate. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said attacks against civilians and places of…

RIYADH: Survivors of the Oct. 10 Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh have recounted scenes of explosions, smoke and bloodshed, describing how they tried to help fellow passengers despite suffering serious injuries. Their accounts feature in a documentary titled “Before Boarding the Plane: Witnesses and Testimonies,” published by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of National Guard. The film follows survivors receiving treatment at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh as they recall the attack and the efforts to rescue those caught in the ensuing chaos. Saudi citizen Abdulhameed Al-Sharari remembered hearing a powerful explosion that he likened to a…

JEDDAH: France will honor its commitment to help protect Saudi infrastructure against Houthi attacks, French lawmaker Amal Amelia Lakrafi said in Jeddah on Thursday. “My colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee and I support Saudi Arabia because, for us, the Houthis are terrorists,” she said. “We must support countries that are fighting terrorism.” Lakrafi, who is part of the delegation accompanying French President Emmanuel Macron, was speaking to a small group of journalists at the French Residence in Jeddah. She sits on the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and represents the 10th constituency for French citizens living abroad, which covers…