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Saudi Arabia under Mohammed bin Salman's de facto leadership

From US Partner To Pariah And Back: Saudi Prince Salman's Journey
Four years since journalist Jamal Kashoggi's murder, Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman is no longer a global pariah.

Paris: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, once hailed as a reformer, became a global pariah in 2018 after the gruesome murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Four years later he is being rehabilitated, with Greece and France welcoming him this week on his first visit to the West since the Khashoggi affair, less than two weeks after he received a reconciliatory visit -- and fist bump -- from US President Joe Biden.

Here is a rundown of key events since he became Saudi's de facto ruler.

Crown prince at 31

On June 21, 2017, King Salman names his then 31-year-old son Mohammed as crown prince, capping the meteoric rise of the ambitious defence minister.

It comes amid a major fallout with Qatar, which Riyadh accuses of supporting terrorism and being too close to Saudi Arabia's arch-rival Iran.

Royal purge

In November 2017, around 380 royals, senior officials and business tycoons are arrested in a dramatic purge presented as an anti-corruption drive.

Many are held for weeks in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Most are released after agreeing significant financial settlements.

Women allowed to drive

In September 2017, the monarchy ends the world's only ban on female drivers by announcing that they will be able to take the wheel from June 2018.

Cinemas are also reopened, music concerts are organised with mixed-gender audiences permitted, and women are allowed into sports stadiums.

The enthusiasm generated by the announcements is somewhat dampened by the repression of female activists who had campaigned for the right to drive.

Lebanon crisis

In November 2017, Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri announces in a televised address from Riyadh that he is resigning, citing Iran's "grip" on his country.

Saudi Arabia is accused of forcing his hand to try to weaken the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement that shares power in Lebanon.

After France intervenes, Hariri returns to Lebanon and calls off his resignation.

Yemen war

Riyadh enters the war in Yemen in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition supporting the internationally recognised government against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

The Saudi-led bombing campaign escalates the conflict, turning it into a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran, which produces the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Lunch with the queen

In March 2018, the prince embarks on his first foreign tour as heir, visiting Egypt and Britain, where he lunches with Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Mohammed then spends more than two weeks in the United States, meeting President Donald Trump and visiting tech leaders in Silicon Valley. He also goes to France and Spain.

Khashoggi murder

On October 2, 2018, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is murdered and dismembered inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, triggering global outcry.

Prince Mohammed denies ordering the killing. The government blames rogue security officials.

A Saudi court condemns five people to death over the killing but they are later given jail terms instead.

The affair turns the crown prince into a pariah in the West, with a UN rapporteur and the CIA both linking him to the killing.

Talks with Iran

In April 2021, Prince Mohammed causes surprise by declaring that he wants to have "good relations" with Iran. Over the following year, the two arch-foes conduct five rounds of talks in Iraq, leading to speculation they could resume diplomatic ties.

Yemen truce

Yemen's Huthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition agree to a two-month truce in April 2022 which they renew in June.

As Riyadh looks for a way to exit the war, Yemen's Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi announces that he is handing power to a new council that will conduct peace talks with the Huthis.

Pariah no more

On July 15, US President Joe Biden visits Saudi Arabia on a mission to try to increase global oil supplies. He greets the crown prince with a fist bump, sealing the Saudi leader's return to the international fold.

The image draws sharp criticism from rights groups, with Khashoggi's bereaved fiancee accusing Biden of having blood on his hands.

On Wednesday, Prince Mohammed arrived in Paris from Greece on his first trip to Europe since Khashoggi's death. He will meet President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday.

NDTV
 
A Saudi Arabian man wanted in connection with a deadly 2015 bombing in the kingdom detonated an explosive device in Jeddah on Wednesday as security forces attempted to arrest him, killing himself and injuring four others, state media reported.

Saudi news agency SPA, reporting the incident on Friday, identified the man as Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Shehri.

Al-Shehri detonated the explosive belt on Wednesday night in Jeddah's Al Samer neighbourhood, injuring three members of the security forces, who were seeking to arrest him, and a Pakistani national, SPA reported.

The injured, who were not named, were taken to hospital, SPA said, without giving details of their injuries.

According to Saudi state media reports, Al-Shehri was suspected of being a member of a domestic terrorism cell that coordinated the 2015 suicide bombing of a mosque in Abha frequented by security force members.

Eleven members of the security forces and four Bangladeshi nationals were killed in the attack, and 33 people were injured, state media reported at the time.

The Saudi Arabian government named Al-Shehri in early 2016 as one of six Saudi nationals wanted in connection with the bombing.

Saudi Arabia was the scene of a series of large-scale militant attacks in the 2000s, including on security forces and Western targets.

Such attacks were carried out by Dai’sh, al Qaeda and other groups. Though attacks have since mostly subsided, several people were wounded in a 2020 attack that used an explosive on a World War One remembrance ceremony in Jeddah.

Earlier this year, French prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation into a December 2021 explosion under a French vehicle involved in the Dakar rally sports race in Saudi Arabia.

Express Tribune
 
Leeds University has expressed deep concern for one of its PhD students who has been jailed for 34 years in Saudi Arabia over critical tweets.

Salma al-Shehab, 34, a Saudi citizen and mother of two, was arrested in 2021 while on holiday in the kingdom.

Before the trip she had called for reforms and the release of activists.

Human rights groups said the harsh sentence gave the lie to Saudi claims it was improving women's rights and showed the situation was getting worse.

A terrorism tribunal convicted Shebab of aiding dissidents seeking to "disrupt public order" and publishing "false rumours", they said.

They warned that it was "the longest prison sentence ever for a peaceful activist" in the Gulf state, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has overseen a crackdown on dissent for five years.

Shehab, a member of Sunni Muslim-ruled Saudi Arabia's Shia minority, describes herself on her Instagram account as a dental hygienist and medical educator. She says that she is studying for a PhD at Leeds University and is a lecturer at the Princess Nourah University in Riyadh.

Her Twitter account, which has 2,700 followers, has not been updated since 12 January 2021, three days before she was reportedly detained in Saudi Arabia.

At the end of the previous month, she tweeted or retweeted several messages calling for reforms in Saudi Arabia and the release of prominent activists, clerics and other intellectuals.

US-based human rights group The Freedom House and UK-based group ALQST reported that Shehab was initially given a six-year prison sentence after being found guilty of violating the country's counter-terrorism and anti-cybercrime laws late last year.

On 9 August, an appeals court increased her term to 34 years and added a 34-year travel ban that would start following her release, they said, citing court documents.

Bethany Al-Haidari, the Saudi case manager at the Freedom Initiative, described the sentence as "abhorrent".

"Saudi Arabia is boasting to the world that they are improving women's rights and implementing legal reforms. But there is no question with this sentence that the situation is just getting worse," she told the BBC's Newshour programme on Saturday.

"We also have gotten reports that there are hundreds of young women who were detained around the same time as Salma was."

ALQST's head of communications Lina al-Hathloul, Loujain al-Hathloul's sister, said on Monday that the sentence showed Saudi authorities remained "hellbent on harshly punishing anyone who expresses their opinions freely.

On Wednesday, a Leeds University spokesperson told the BBC: "We are deeply concerned to learn of this recent development in Salma's case and we are seeking advice on whether there is anything we can do to support her.

"Our thoughts remain with Salma, her family, and her friends among our close-knit community of postgraduate researchers."

A US state department spokesman said it was studying Shehab's case and that "exercising freedom of expression to advocate for the rights of women should not be criminalised".

The Saudi government has so far not commented on the reports.

BBC
 
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has become the kingdom's prime minister, a Saudi royal decree said on Tuesday.

Saudi King Salman ordered the cabinet reshuffle, with the king's son Khalid bin Salman, the former deputy defence minister, as the new defence minister.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on being appointed Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Your friendship & support for Pakistan is invaluable and with your vision you will usher the Kingdom into a new era.</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1575476048392765441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Executions of prisoners have been carried out in Saudi Arabia with no advance warning to their families, relatives have told the BBC. The country's execution rate has almost doubled since 2015 - according to a new human rights report - the year when King Salman and his son Mohammed bin Salman took charge.
 
In Saudi's First-Ever Space Mission, A Woman And A Fighter Pilot
Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer researcher, will become the first Saudi woman to voyage into space and will be joined by fellow Saudi Ali Al-Qarni, a fighter pilot.

Cape Canaveral: A private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) organized by Axiom Space is due to blast off from Florida on Sunday, carrying the first two Saudi astronauts to go to the orbiting laboratory.
Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer researcher, will become the first Saudi woman to voyage into space and will be joined on the mission by fellow Saudi Ali Al-Qarni, a fighter pilot.

The Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) crew will take off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in the southern state of Florida at 5:37 pm (2137 GMT).

The team also includes Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who will be making her fourth flight to the ISS, and John Shoffner, a businessman from Tennessee who will serve as pilot.

They are due to spend around 10 days on board the ISS, where they should arrive around 1:30 pm on Monday.

"Being the first Saudi woman astronaut, representing the region, it's a great pleasure and honor that I'm very happy to carry," said Barnawi at a recent press conference.

She added that, aside from excitement for the research she will carry out on board, she is looking forward to sharing her experience with kids while on the ISS.

"Being able to see their faces when they see astronauts from their own region for the first time is very thrilling," she said.

A career fighter pilot, Al-Qarni said he has "always had the passion of exploring the unknown and just admiring the sky and the stars."

"It is a great opportunity for me to pursue this kind of passion that I have, and now maybe just fly among the stars."

The mission is not Saudi Arabia's first foray into space.

In 1985, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, an air force pilot, took part in a US-organized space voyage.

But the space mission involving a Saudi woman is the latest move by the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, where women only gained the right to drive a few years ago, to revamp its ultraconservative image.

The kingdom established the Saudi Space Commission in 2018 and launched a program last year to send astronauts into space.

Experiments

The four-member team is set to carry out some 20 experiments while on the ISS.

One of them involves studying the behavior of stem cells in zero gravity.

They will join seven others already on board the ISS: three Russians, three Americans and Emirati astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi, who was the first Arab national to go on a spacewalk last month.

The mission to the ISS will be the second in partnership with ISS-key holder NASA by Axiom Space, a private space company, which offers the rare voyages for sums that run into the millions of dollars.

...
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/in-...hter-pilot-4052776#pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories
 
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been invited to visit the UK, the Saudi Arabian embassy has told the BBC.

No 10 said it would confirm the prime minister's engagements in the usual way, with nothing in the diary yet.

A spokesperson said the prime minister looked forward to meeting the crown prince "at the earliest opportunity".

It would be the prince's first UK visit since the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

The invitation was first reported by the Financial Times and the Times newspapers.

The murder of Mr Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Arabia's government, was condemned by the West at the time.

UK ministers said it involved "appalling brutality" and later sanctioned 20 Saudi nationals involved in the killing.

US intelligence agencies concluded that the prince must have authorised the killing, despite him denying any involvement.
 
My gut feeling is that the reign of MbS would have long lasting impact on the world and for future. (not in a good way)
 
Saudi Arabia weighs nuclear power offers from China and France in bid to sway US.

Saudi Arabia considering alternative offers to develop nuclear facilities from countries like China, Russia, France, as US insists curbs.

Washington : Saudi Arabia is considering bids to build a nuclear power station from countries including China, France and Russia as the kingdom seeks to sway the US over a sensitive security pact, foreign media reported.

The Israeli government, which has pushed for a diplomatic deal with the kingdom, has remained guarded on the issue. But Israeli security officials and opposition leaders have raised vocal objections, arguing the transfer of technology could lead to more nuclear proliferation in the region. But Israel’s strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer earlier this month suggested that Saudi Arabia could turn to China or other countries if the US withheld its assistance. Russia has also announced a bid.

www.thenews.com.pk

Saudi Arabia weighs nuclear power offers from China and France in bid to sway US

WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia is considering bids to build a nuclear power station from countries including China, France and Russia as the kingdom seeks to sway the US over a sensitive security pact,...
www.thenews.com.pk www.thenews.com.pk
 
RIYADH: An Israeli delegation attended a UNESCO meeting in Riyadh on Monday, marking the country's first publicly announced visit to Saudi Arabia as speculation grows about a potential normalisation of ties.

The five-member delegation arrived on Sunday, an Israeli official told AFP, for the meeting to update UNESCO's world heritage list of cultural and historic sites. “We are happy to be here — it's a good first step,” said the official, who did not want to be named given the sensitivities of the visit, during the meeting.

“We thank UNESCO and the Saudi authorities.” The team travelled through Dubai, the official said, as there are no direct flights between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and arrived on Sunday.

They received their visas via UNESCO, the United Nations' educational, scientific and cultural organisation. The delegation, including a security official, joined the UNESCO meeting on Monday, sitting behind a sign that said “Israel” on the front of their desk.

The visit has been “very good — they treat us very well”, the official said. The “Israel” sign drew stares from Saudis working at the meeting, where more than 50 sites are contenders to join the coveted world heritage list.

“That is God´s command. The issue is bigger than us and we can´t object to it,” said a young Saudi man working among the support services, when asked about the Israeli delegation.

A UNESCO diplomat said the agency's director-general Audrey Azoulay had been instrumental in securing Israel's participation in Riyadh.

“It's the result of several years of work by Audrey Azoulay to create, in the heart of UNESCO, the conditions for a dialogue between all the states of the region,” said the diplomat, who did not want to be named.

While the visit does not have any overt political significance, it comes at a time of growing rumours of moves to bring the two countries closer.

According to reports, a Palestinian delegation visited Riyadh last week to discuss the way forward if Saudi Arabia and Israel were to formalise relations.

Saudi Arabia, which contains two of Islam's holiest sites, does not recognise Israel and did not join the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords where Israel established ties with Gulf countries the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia, which is trying to reshape and revitalise its oil-reliant economy, has made a number of landmark diplomatic moves in recent months including a surprise rapprochement with Iran, years after the two heavyweights severed ties.

The fact that the visit was coordinated by UNESCO suggests “obstacles” remain to Saudi-Israeli normalisation, said Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi analyst and expert on the bilateral relationship.

“This is most likely a result of Saudi Arabia being more open to the world, which will include Israelis, not a result of bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel,” Alghashian said.

Saudi officials have realised they cannot ban anyone if they want to transform the kingdom into a global business and tourism hub under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform agenda, Alghashian said.

“The Israelis will definitely milk this as the first step, when actually it was facilitated by UNESCO. It's not really because of their diplomatic skill or diplomatic victories.”

He compared the Israeli delegation's visit to a visit this summer by Israeli eSports players for the Gamers8 festival, which also required “third-party coordination” by global tournament organisers.


The News
 
AMERICAN and Saudi officials are discussing the terms of a mutual defence treaty that would resemble military pacts that the US has with allies such as Japan and South Korea — in a bid to get Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel, the New York Times reported.

Under the agreement, both sides would pledge to provide military support if the other country is attacked, either in the region or on Saudi territory.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is also asking the Biden administration to help his country develop a civilian nuclear programme, which some US officials fear could be cover for a nuclear weapons program to counter Iran, according to an NYT report.

Any treaty with Saudi Arabia that is similar to the American pacts with other allies is sure to draw strong objections in Congress, since some lawmakers, including top Democrats, see the Saudi government as unreliable partners who care little about US interests or human rights.

An agreement would also raise questions about whether President Biden is getting the United States more militarily entwined with the Middle East, and would contradict his administration’s stated goal of reorienting American military resources and fighting capabilities away from the area and towards China.

Discussions between the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel have mainly revolved around MBS’ demands, and that diplomacy is expected to come up on Wednesday, when Biden meets with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

During his speech at the UNGA on Tuesday, the US president mentioned the benefits of nations normalising ties with Israel.

The US military has bases and troops in both Japan and South Korea, but American officials say there are currently no serious discussions about having a large contingent stationed in Saudi Arabia under any new defence agreement.

The separate defence treaties that the United States has with Japan and South Korea were forged after devastating wars in the mid-20th century and as the Cold War was intensifying, compelling the United States to stitch together alliances around the world to counter a global Soviet presence.

The Pentagon has just under 2,700 American troops in the kingdom, according to a letter the White House sent to Congress in June.

The US president’s push for a Saudi-Israel deal is a gambit that, not long ago, would have been hard to imagine. He pledged during his 2020 presidential campaign to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah”.

But American officials have said a diplomatic agreement would be an important symbol in the defusing of Arab-Israeli tensions and could also have geopolitical significance for Washington. Bringing Saudi Arabia closer to the United States, they argue, could pull the kingdom farther from China’s orbit and blunt Beijing’s efforts to expand its influence in the Middle East.

In a public appearance last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel would be a “transformative event in the Middle East and well beyond.” But he said that getting the parties to an agreement “remains a difficult proposition” and that a deal was far from certain.

A majority of Senate Democrats have voted on multiple occasions to restrict Washington’s arms sales and other security cooperation with Riyadh, objecting to the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen and the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, a murder that American spy agencies have judged was ordered by MBS, even though the crown prince has denied direct involvement.

The Saudi-led war in Yemen, which began in 2015, resulted in mass killings of civilians and what the United Nations called “the worst man-made humanitarian crisis in the world”.

Democratic lawmakers are also pressing the Biden administration on reports that Saudi border forces recently killed hundreds or thousands of African migrants who were trying to cross from Yemen. Human Rights Watch released a report in August on the atrocities. Saudi Arabia maintains the reports are “unfounded”.

Michael Green, a former director at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, told NYT the treaties with Japan and South Korea were “pretty ironclad” in terms of a US military commitment in the event of hostilities.

The arrangement with Japan is more straightforward — being a defeated and demilitarized nation from World War II when the treaty was signed, American officials at the time did not envision another country attacking Japan or vice versa, Mr Green said.

Because of the constant tensions in the Middle East — and the fact that Saudi Arabia is involved in a war in Yemen — getting a Japan-style treaty approved would probably involve clearing “a much higher political bar,” he added.

www.dawn.com

Washington, Riyadh exploring mutual defence pact: New York Times

Move part of Biden’s gambit to secure "normalisation" of ties between Israel, Saudi Arabia.
www.dawn.com
 
Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s planned UK visit to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may be later than initially expected, sources say

Source: Bloomberg
 
Saudi crown prince launches urban plan and brand for the city of Qiddiya

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman launched on Thursday the urban design for the Qiddiya City and Qiddiya’s international trade brand, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Qiddiya City is expected to create over 325,000 job opportunities, yielding nominal GDP of SR135 billion per annum, the report added.

The crown prince said Qiddiya will become, in the near future, the foremost global destination in the entertainment, sports, and culture sectors.

“This will have a positive impact on the Kingdom's economy and its international standing, as well as on enhancing Riyadh’s strategic position and contributing to its economic growth. It aims to improve the quality of life, making Riyadh one of the top 10 economies globally,” he said.

Prince Mohammed added that the investment into Qiddiya was a cornerstone of the Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the Kingdom’s economy, creating thousands of job opportunities for the ambitious Saudi youth.



www.arabnews.com

Saudi crown prince launches urban plan and brand for the city of Qiddiya

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman launched on Thursday the urban design for the Qiddiya City and Qiddiya’s international trade brand, Saudi Press Agency reported. Qiddiya City is expected to create over 325,000 job opportunities, yielding nominal GDP of SR135...
www.arabnews.com www.arabnews.com
 
Saudi Arabia implements stringent visa rules for foreign domestic workers

Saudi Arabia has introduced new regulations governing the issuance of work visas for foreign domestic workers.

These changes come as part of the country's broader initiative to modernize its labor market and establish transparent and fair relationships between employers and domestic workers.

The Ministry of Human Resources has raised the bar for obtaining visas to hire foreign domestic workers, particularly focusing on individuals aged 24 and above. The move is intended to ensure a more mature and responsible workforce in the domestic sector.

Eligibility criteria and financial capacity

Under the revamped rules, Saudi citizens, Gulf nationals, foreign wives of Saudi men and their mothers, along with holders of Saudi premium residency permits, are eligible to apply for visas.

However, eligibility is contingent upon the financial capacity of the employer, aligning with the government's efforts to secure the well-being of domestic workers.

Musaned platform

At the forefront of this transformation is the Musaned platform, a comprehensive system developed by the Ministry of Human Resources.

This digital platform educates users about their rights and responsibilities and provides a range of services, including visa application processes, recruitment requests, and employment relationship management. It also facilitates the seamless transfer of wages through digital means, such as STC Pay and Urpay apps.

Categories covered

The new regulations cover a wide array of domestic worker categories, including housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, tailors, live-in nurses, tutors, and nannies.

The aim is to bring transparency and efficiency to the recruitment process while providing a robust mechanism for dispute resolution, safeguarding the rights of both employers and domestic workers.

This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to modernize its labor market, ensuring fair treatment and clear contractual relationships within the domestic labor sector.

By implementing these measures, the government aims to foster a more organized and efficient system



www.samaa.tv

Saudi Arabia implements stringent visa rules for foreign domestic workers

The new regulations cover a wide array of domestic worker categories, including housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, tailors, live-in nurses, tutors, and nannies.
www.samaa.tv www.samaa.tv
 
I have been reading David Rundell’s book Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads.

I have not finished reading it, but so far it is a gripping account. Some quotations germane to this thread:

On the nature of the dramatic changes to the political foundations under King Salman and the centralisation of royal authority:

"The old system—in which various senior princes ran independent, uncoordinated ministries and where senior technocrats were allied to one senior prince or another—has been dismantled. The king has appointed dozens of new judges and replaced every minister and military service chief, some more than once. Across the Saudi government, all senior technocrats now owe their position not to a variety of princely patrons but solely to the patronage of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The new king and his son have further concentrated royal authority by ending the financial independence that some ministries had long enjoyed.

…in making this shift, King Salman has torn up most of the policies that had long underpinned Saudi stability. He has ended the careers of many long-prominent or long-hopeful royal players. He has ended the collective rule of half-brothers that had characterized the Third Saudi State since the reign of King Faisal. He has diminished respect for age within the royal family and dispensed with the requirement for experience in holding senior government positions. He has dismantled the military balance of power among princes that had confirmed consensus rule. Finally, he has used physical force against some members of the royal family and allowed their disputes to become public.”

On the Crown Prince, MBS, being both a moderniser and an autocrat:

“To some, MBS would become a visionary and a hero; an autocratic reformer fighting to make long overdue changes against a firmly entrenched, reactionary opposition. To others, he was an aspiring dictator—an arrogant, unstable bully, no longer constrained by any individuals or institutions—who was determined to eliminate all opposition and dissent by whatever means necessary. In fact, Mohammed bin Salman embodied a striking combination of both great strengths and real weaknesses.

…He works sixteen hours a day, comes to meetings well prepared and, unlike some of his predecessors, he is not prone to drinking, gambling, or womanizing. The crown prince is certainly ambitious, focused, forceful, charismatic, disciplined, and decisive. He believes that years of avoidable indolence, entitlement, and corruption created many of Saudi Arabia’s current problems—a situation that he is now determined to tackle. Within Saudi Arabia, the economic and social reforms that he has implemented are widely seen as bold, even courageous.

On the other hand, MBS is inexperienced and focused on princely entitlements. He can be impetuous, impatient, and impulsive. His campaign against corruption and government waste was undermined by his own purchases of a luxury yacht, a multimillion-dollar painting, and a French chateau. His vision of megaprojects, luxury resorts, and futuristic cities may feed inspiring long-term dreams, but critics protest that people need better education, housing, and healthcare today. They protest that one of the first buildings constructed at his entirely new city, NEOM—near Tabuk, in the kingdom’s extreme northwest—was yet another palace for himself.”
 
Saudi Arabia plans new initiative to boost industrial activities

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources is planning to launch a new initiative to further support the growth of small and medium enterprises and boost the country’ industrial sector.

This was revealed by Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef at an event in Riyadh on Sunday.

The minister said the initiative will provide entrepreneurs and innovators with promising opportunities for growth and expansion in various industrial activities.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of an industrial business accelerator and incubator initiative, Alkhorayef said support through the initiative will not be limited just to industrial activities but will be extended to the services and logistics sectors as well, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He said the Kingdom’s industrial strategy aims to increase the base of mature and innovative small and medium industrial companies, enabling them to compete globally.

Industrial SMEs constitutes about 92 percent of the total number of industrial facilities, representing 34 percent of the total investment volume and employing 55 percent of the workforce in the sector.

Furthermore, the top official said the recently concluded accelerator and incubator initiative called Nomu reflected the ministry’s commitment to introducing programs that contribute to enabling innovations and emerging projects.

It also aims to enable SMEs in the industrial sector and provide a conducive environment for industrial entrepreneurs, he added.

Nomu has achieved significant success since the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources invited entrepreneurs to register in May last year.

It attracted 17 quality industrial projects from Saudi industrial pioneers. The incubator serves as an entity that nurtures businesses, generates ideas, and assists in the establishment and accelerated growth of SMEs.

Incubators focus mainly on entrepreneurs in the early stages, and provide short-term programs, consultations, training, and optional financial support.

In August, the official spokesperson for the ministry, Jarrah bin Muhammad Al-Jarrah, said the initiatives fall in line with Vision 2030 and the National Industrial Strategy to expand the industrial base of Saudi Arabia and promote SMEs and enable them to compete globally.


Source: Arab News
 
Saudi Arabia announced that the estimated value of its mineral resources has nearly doubled to $2.5 trillion, signalling a commitment to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

Bandar Alkhorayef, the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, shared this news at a conference in Riyadh, stating that the increase of 90 percent from the previous valuation of $1.3 trillion is attributed to new discoveries of rare earth elements, higher volumes of phosphate, gold, zinc, and copper, as well as a reevaluation of these minerals.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had previously cited the $1.3 trillion valuation since at least 2017. Seeking to move away from fossil fuels, especially oil, Saudi Arabia, as the world's leading crude oil exporter, views the mining sector as a key avenue for diversification. The government aims to attract billions of dollars in foreign direct investment annually through this sector.

Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman emphasized the country's ambition to be recognized as an "energy-producing country for all sources of energy" rather than merely an oil-producing nation. The Vision 2030 reform agenda, led by Prince Mohammed, has identified mining as a feasible component of this diversification strategy, benefiting from existing mines, plants, and infrastructure.

Last year, the Public Investment Fund and state mining firm Ma'aden established Manara Minerals, targeting global mining assets. Manara's notable acquisition, a 10-percent stake in Brazil's Vale, was announced in July. Despite these efforts, Torbjorn Soltvedt of Verisk Maplecroft notes that foreign investment in Saudi Arabia is still below ambitious targets. The mining sector is seen as a promising avenue for boosting foreign investment, but the country has yet to secure a significant agreement with a major global mining company for active licenses.

A conference in Riyadh this week attracted delegations from over 77 countries, including resource-rich African nations where Saudi Arabia is expected to pursue mining acquisitions.

The United States, represented by Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey R. Pyatt, expressed a focus on reducing dependence on China for key energy inputs. Soltvedt suggests that mining could become another pillar of ties between Washington and Riyadh, with discussions ongoing, especially as Saudi Arabia becomes more active in the African mining sector.

Despite the positive valuation announcement, Saudi Arabia still faces challenges in becoming a preferred destination for foreign direct investment.

Source : Samaa News
 
Saudi Arabia lifts ban on expats who fail to return with specific duration

Saudi Arabia has lifted the three-year entry ban on expatriates who failed to return to the Kingdom before the expiry of their visas. The authorities have issued a notification regarding the lifting of the ban.

The General Directorate of Passports has issued directives to all departments and employers to allow those expatriates who did not return within the stipulated time.

Previously, the Kingdom had imposed a three-year ban on those who did not return within a specific timeframe.

Expatriates holding a re-entry visa must still return to the country within the visa’s specified timeframe under the country’s rules. Otherwise, their employer needs to obtain a new visa for them.

According to the Okaz newspaper, expatriates can enter with a new visa regardless of whether they were previous employees. After obtaining a new visa, they can extend it through Abshar or Aqama.


www.aajenglish.tv

Saudi Arabia lifts ban on expats who fail to return with specific duration

Expatriates can enter with a new visa regardless of whether they were previous employees
www.aajenglish.tv
 
Dream of the Desert: Saudi Arabia is launching its own luxury train

State-owned railway company Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) recently struck a 200 million Saudi riyals ($53.33 million) deal with Italian hospitality company Arsenale Group to launch the first luxury train in the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Saudi Arabia officially opened its doors to international tourists in a “historic moment” back in 2019 and the Middle Eastern kingdom has been pulling out all the stops to lure visitors over ever since.

The destination has made a number of high-profile tourism investments in recent years – a $500 billion model city in the desert of northwest Saudi Arabia among them.

Now Saudi Arabia is getting on board with the slow travel movement in a big way by moving into the luxury train market.



 
Saudi Arabia’s Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili launched on Tuesday His Majesty’s Ship Onaiza, the fifth vessel in the Sarawat project, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Sarawat project ships are equipped with cutting-edge combat systems designed to address air, surface, and subsurface threats, including electronic warfare capabilities. The ships serve as a vital addition to the Royal Saudi Navy’s arsenal, aimed at safeguarding the nation’s maritime interests and capabilities.

Arab News
 
Saudi Arabia going down the drain under MBS
====
Saudi Arabia to make debut at Miss Universe pageant
The move is a historic first for Saudi Arabia, where women have long faced restrictions under conservative Islamic laws.

Rumy al-Qahtani, a 27-year-old Saudi model and social media influencer, will take part in the global beauty pageant, which takes place in Mexico in September.

Rumy al-Qahtani, a 27-year-old Saudi model and social media influencer who is set to take part in the global Miss Universe pageant, which takes place in Mexico in September. She will be the kingdom's first participant.

In a historic first, Saudi Arabia will be represented at the Miss Universe beauty pageant this year, as the conservative kingdom moves toward more women’s rights reforms.

Rumy al-Qahtani, a 27-year-old Saudi model and social media influencer, will take part in the global beauty pageant, which takes place in Mexico in September.

Qahtani revealed the news of her debut in Miss Universe in a post on her Instagram account on Monday.

“I am honored to participate in the Miss Universe 2024 competition. This is the first participation of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Miss Universe competition,” she wrote in her post.

Qahtani is a beauty pageant veteran and actively shares with her 1 million followers her journey and participation in numerous beauty competitions. She has won several pageants since she was crowned Miss Saudi Arabia in 2021, including the Miss Middle East and Miss Arab World Peace titles. According to the women’s magazine Laha, Qahtani was born in Riyadh and has a degree in dentistry. She is also fluent in Arabic, French and English.

Saudi Arabia’s debut at Miss Universe marks another milestone for the Islamic country as it seeks more openness to the Western world.

Since he was appointed crown prince in June 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spearheaded several steps to promote gender equality in the kingdom under Vision 2030, which aims to introduce social and cultural reforms and digital transformation to modernize Saudi society and diversify its oil-based economy.

In a major breakthrough for women's rights, Saudi Arabia in June 2018 lifted a long-standing ban on women driving.

Earlier that year, in April 2018, women were allowed to attend a concert — the first gender-mixed event in the kingdom.

Later in 2019, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud signed a law that no longer requires women to get male permission to travel or obtain a passport.

However, despite the apparent reforms, rights groups continue to report discrimination and violation of women’s rights in the kingdom.

Most recently, Amnesty International called on UN member states to review their decision to appoint Saudi Arabia as chair of the UN women’s rights forum during an annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

“Saudi Arabia’s abysmal record when it comes to protecting and promoting the rights of women puts a spotlight on the vast gulf between the lived reality for women and girls in Saudi Arabia, and the aspirations of the Commission,” Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Advocacy Sherine Tadros said in a press release last week.

Saudi Arabia ranked 131 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index released by the World Economic Forum in 2023.

Source: Al Monitor
 
The Bald Eagle said:
Saudi Arabia going down the drain under MBS
====
Saudi Arabia to make debut at Miss Universe pageant
The move is a historic first for Saudi Arabia, where women have long faced restrictions under conservative Islamic laws.

Rumy al-Qahtani, a 27-year-old Saudi model and social media influencer, will take part in the global beauty pageant, which takes place in Mexico in September.

Rumy al-Qahtani, a 27-year-old Saudi model and social media influencer who is set to take part in the global Miss Universe pageant, which takes place in Mexico in September. She will be the kingdom's first participant.

In a historic first, Saudi Arabia will be represented at the Miss Universe beauty pageant this year, as the conservative kingdom moves toward more women’s rights reforms.

Rumy al-Qahtani, a 27-year-old Saudi model and social media influencer, will take part in the global beauty pageant, which takes place in Mexico in September.

Qahtani revealed the news of her debut in Miss Universe in a post on her Instagram account on Monday.

“I am honored to participate in the Miss Universe 2024 competition. This is the first participation of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Miss Universe competition,” she wrote in her post.

Qahtani is a beauty pageant veteran and actively shares with her 1 million followers her journey and participation in numerous beauty competitions. She has won several pageants since she was crowned Miss Saudi Arabia in 2021, including the Miss Middle East and Miss Arab World Peace titles. According to the women’s magazine Laha, Qahtani was born in Riyadh and has a degree in dentistry. She is also fluent in Arabic, French and English.

Saudi Arabia’s debut at Miss Universe marks another milestone for the Islamic country as it seeks more openness to the Western world.

Since he was appointed crown prince in June 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spearheaded several steps to promote gender equality in the kingdom under Vision 2030, which aims to introduce social and cultural reforms and digital transformation to modernize Saudi society and diversify its oil-based economy.

In a major breakthrough for women's rights, Saudi Arabia in June 2018 lifted a long-standing ban on women driving.

Earlier that year, in April 2018, women were allowed to attend a concert — the first gender-mixed event in the kingdom.

Later in 2019, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud signed a law that no longer requires women to get male permission to travel or obtain a passport.

However, despite the apparent reforms, rights groups continue to report discrimination and violation of women’s rights in the kingdom.

Most recently, Amnesty International called on UN member states to review their decision to appoint Saudi Arabia as chair of the UN women’s rights forum during an annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

“Saudi Arabia’s abysmal record when it comes to protecting and promoting the rights of women puts a spotlight on the vast gulf between the lived reality for women and girls in Saudi Arabia, and the aspirations of the Commission,” Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Advocacy Sherine Tadros said in a press release last week.

Saudi Arabia ranked 131 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index released by the World Economic Forum in 2023.

Source: Al Monitor
Click to expand...
So all these years the Saudis were doing very well while promoting the most regressive brand of Islam, funding all sorts of shady terrorist groups, committing the worst human rights violations in their own country and keeping their women virtually under house arrest.

Now MBS allows women to work and drive, opens movie theatres, allows sale of alcohol to non muslims and permits Saudi women to participate in Miss Universe, and all of a sudden the country is going down the drain! Nice!
 
If one doesn't have a red blondish face then there is no need to slap yourself for it.
gani999 said:
So all these years the Saudis were doing very well while promoting the most regressive brand of Islam, funding all sorts of shady terrorist groups, committing the worst human rights violations in their own country and keeping their women virtually under house arrest.

Now MBS allows women to work and drive, opens movie theatres, allows sale of alcohol to non muslims and permits Saudi women to participate in Miss Universe, and all of a sudden the country is going down the drain! Nice!
Click to expand...
 
gani999 said:
So all these years the Saudis were doing very well while promoting the most regressive brand of Islam, funding all sorts of shady terrorist groups, committing the worst human rights violations in their own country and keeping their women virtually under house arrest.

Now MBS allows women to work and drive, opens movie theatres, allows sale of alcohol to non muslims and permits Saudi women to participate in Miss Universe, and all of a sudden the country is going down the drain! Nice!
Click to expand...
Won’t talk about this particular event, but MBS is definitely an extremely smart and practical man.
 
If anything he is diversifying his economy, having said that Miss universe serves no purpose imho, it to me seems degrading but that’s upto women to
decide.
 
Saudi Arab is turning more and more secular with every passing day. This is not a good sign TBH for a country like Saui Arab which is though to be the central point for Muslims.
 
Probably not much longer before Hajj and Umrah are no longer protected for Muslims only. There will be foreign tourists making tiktok videos in Makkah while enjoying the spa at the clock tower hotel.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Saudi Arab is turning more and more secular with every passing day. This is not a good sign TBH for a country like Saui Arab which is though to be the central point for Muslims.
Click to expand...
True secularism is terrible for muslim countries, only non Muslim countries should be secular
 
BouncerGuy said:
Saudi Arab is turning more and more secular with every passing day. This is not a good sign TBH for a country like Saui Arab which is though to be the central point for Muslims.
Click to expand...
Looks like the original founders of Islam is starting to move forward with the times.

It is up to the converts especially from the subcontinent to leave everything as it is and not move forward or possibly move backwards.

Keep up the fight bro, more power to you.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Saudi Arab is turning more and more secular with every passing day. This is not a good sign TBH for a country like Saui Arab which is though to be the central point for Muslims.
Click to expand...
Not every country is lucky enough to become a dream destination like Afghanistan. In the near future I foresee millions of Muslims throbbing to set their foot onto the Islamic-Wakanda aka Afghanistan.
 
Statpadder Inc said:
Islam is the state religion of the UAE, this is from article 7 of the constitution

Islam shall be the official religion of the Union. The Islamic Shari’ah shall be a principal source or legislation in the Union
Click to expand...

UAE Ministers and Sheikhs break Ramadan Fast at the BAPS Temple in UAE by taking the Prasad offered at the temple.

I am sure it is not Islamic and Sharia compliant.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Pakistan's hands are already full with various challenges, that's where people's priorities should be directed at. Saudi is capable and wealthy enough to take care of its own business and manage it's religious responsibilities as well. How does it make any sense to point fingers at others when one's own nation has been turned into a basket case? It's this nonsense that the illiterate mullah brigade implants in people's heads that's the bigger issue!
 

Manahel al-Otaibi: Saudi women's rights activist jailed for 11 years​


Two human rights groups have condemned an 11-year prison sentence handed to a Saudi fitness instructor and women's rights activist by a terrorism court.

Manahel al-Otaibi, 29, was convicted of charges related to her clothing choices and expression of her views online, Amnesty International and ALQST said.

These included calls for an end to the guardianship system and videos of her shopping without an abaya, they added.

Saudi diplomats told the UN she was found guilty of "terrorism offences".

A letter from the Sunni Muslim-ruled Gulf kingdom's mission in Geneva confirmed that Manahel al-Otaibi's trial had concluded with her conviction in January, but it provided no further details about the case.

Dozens of people, many of them women, have been have been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia in the past two years in connection with social media posts.

Amnesty International and ALQST, a London-based Saudi rights organisation, said Manahel al-Otaibi was an early supporter of the social and economic reforms enacted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after he was named heir to the throne in 2017 by his father King Salman.

Two years later, she told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that she felt free to wear what she liked and express her views. She also explained that her behaviour was "based on what the crown prince has said... that I have the right to choose what I want to wear, as long as it is respectable".

In November 2022, she was arrested on terrorism charges amid an intensified crackdown on online dissent.

ALQST said she was initially accused of violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Law, including "opposing the laws relating to women, such as the male guardianship system and the hijab law"; "participating in several hashtags opposing these laws"; "having several photos and video clips in indecent clothes on [social media] accounts", and "going to the shops without wearing an abaya, photographing this, and publishing it on Snapchat".

Her sister Fawzia faced similar charges, but fled Saudi Arabia that year after being summoned for questioning, ALQST added.

Three months after her arrest, Manahel al-Otaibi's case was referred to the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC). Rights groups say the terrorism tribunal has been used to prosecute peaceful dissidents and that it is notorious for violations of fair trial standards and handing out harsh sentences.

On 9 January, she was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison by the court, but the verdict was only publicly revealed in the Saudi mission's letter to the UN Human Rights Office, which was dated 25 January.

The letter said the court found her guilty of "terrorism offences" under articles 43 and 44 of the Counter-Terrorism Law. They outline sentences for "any person who creates, launches, or uses a website or a program on a computer or on an electronic device to commit [a terrorism offence]", and "any person who, by any means, broadcasts or publishes news, statements, false or malicious rumours, or the like for committing a terrorist crime".

The letter stressed that the court "verified all the evidence against her, while fully respecting the international obligations of Saudi Arabia".

"The government wishes to underscore the fact that the exercise and defence of rights is not a crime under Saudi law; however, justifying the actions of terrorists by describing them as exercising or defending rights is unacceptable and constitutes an attempt to legitimize terrorist crimes," the letter added.

ALQST's head of advocacy Lina al-Hathloul said Manahel al-Otaibi's "confidence that she could act with freedom could have been a positive advertisement for Mohammed bin Salman's much-touted narrative of leading women's rights reforms in the country".

"Instead, by arresting her and now imposing this outrageous sentence on her, the Saudi authorities have once again laid bare the arbitrary and contradictory nature of their so-called reforms, and their continuing determination to control Saudi Arabia's women," she said.

www.bbc.com

Manahel al-Otaibi: Saudi women's rights activist jailed for 11 years

Manahel al-Otaibi was convicted of "terrorism charges" reportedly related to her social media posts.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
Saudi crown prince likely to visit Pakistan this month

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to travel to Pakistan this month on a visit that Islamabad hopes will pave the way for much-needed investment from Riyadh.

The visit of the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia is long overdue, as the last time he travelled to Pakistan was in February 2019. In late 2022, the Saudi crown prince was scheduled to visit Islamabad, but the visit had to be cancelled since the dates were close to the change of army command.

The new schedule could not be finalised because of unfolding political uncertainty and the general elections in Pakistan.

However, the Saudi crown prince, according to sources, has now agreed to travel to Islamabad at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who visited Riyadh twice in a short span of time.


Tribune
 
'Historic': Saudi Stages First Swimwear Fashion Show

Saudi Arabia held its first fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, an envelope-pushing step in a country where less than a decade ago women were required to wear body-covering abaya robes.

The poolside show featuring the work of Moroccan designer Yasmina Qanzal included mostly one-piece suits in shades of red, beige and blue. Most models had exposed shoulders and some had their midriffs partially visible.

"It's true that this country is very conservative but we tried to show elegant swimsuits which represent the Arab world," Qanzal told AFP.

"When we came here, we understood that a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia is a historic moment, because it is the first time to have such event," she said, adding it was "an honour" to be involved.

The show took place on the second day of the inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week at the St Regis Red Sea Resort, situated off Saudi Arabia's western coast.

The resort is part of Red Sea Global, one of the so-called giga-projects at the heart of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 social and economic reform programme overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.


www.barrons.com

'Historic': Saudi Stages First Swimwear Fashion Show

Saudi Arabia held its first fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, an envelope-pushing step in a country where less than a decade ago women were required to wear body-covering abaya robes.
www.barrons.com www.barrons.com
 
Cricket Warrior said:
'Historic': Saudi Stages First Swimwear Fashion Show

Saudi Arabia held its first fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, an envelope-pushing step in a country where less than a decade ago women were required to wear body-covering abaya robes.

The poolside show featuring the work of Moroccan designer Yasmina Qanzal included mostly one-piece suits in shades of red, beige and blue. Most models had exposed shoulders and some had their midriffs partially visible.

"It's true that this country is very conservative but we tried to show elegant swimsuits which represent the Arab world," Qanzal told AFP.

"When we came here, we understood that a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia is a historic moment, because it is the first time to have such event," she said, adding it was "an honour" to be involved.

The show took place on the second day of the inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week at the St Regis Red Sea Resort, situated off Saudi Arabia's western coast.

The resort is part of Red Sea Global, one of the so-called giga-projects at the heart of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 social and economic reform programme overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.


www.barrons.com

'Historic': Saudi Stages First Swimwear Fashion Show

Saudi Arabia held its first fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, an envelope-pushing step in a country where less than a decade ago women were required to wear body-covering abaya robes.
www.barrons.com www.barrons.com
Click to expand...
Saw some clips on X. Thought not to post them over here since it wouldn't be appropriate.
 
So now Saudi Arabia is no less than the UAE

d9ddNPP.png


https://twitter.com/x/status/1791789400101396881
 
Saudis Arabia's de facto leadership is the United States of America
 
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First female band of Saudi nationals earns applauds at Riyadh show​


RIYADH (Web Desk) - Leaning into the microphone in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Nora let loose a primal scream. Guitars wailed and drums throbbed behind her as part of a set with her bandmates during a recent show.

The performance by Seera, an all-women psychedelic rock band that blends traditional Arabic melodies with the resurgent psychedelia of bands like Tame Impala, would have been unthinkable just years earlier in the kingdom.

“We didn’t know how people would react,” said Meesh, the band’s bassist, who like other members asked to be identified by their stage names. “We believe strongly in self-expression. To our surprise, they really had open arms for us.”

The band’s name, Seera, can mean “life” or “biography” in Arabic. Band members say they try to embrace the multiple meanings one can draw from a word in the language in its sound, whether through the driving drums and cymbals or the synthesizer backing the guitars.

Seera’s music style revolves around the life experiences of the four-member band, who are all Saudi nationals.

“I thought this would be great as a reflection of the culture, the heritage and the roots,” she said.

“At the same time it would be a cool representation between the traditional and the modern and the expression of it. That’s also within our sonic identity as well.”

Seera is quick to point out they aren’t the first female band in the kingdom. Instead, they say that goes to The Accolade, which formed in 2008 and could only play underground.

dunyanews.tv

First female band of Saudi nationals earns applauds at Riyadh show

To our surprise, they really had open arms for us
dunyanews.tv dunyanews.tv
 
Saudi Arabia approves granting citizenship to global experts under Vision 2030

Saudi Arabia has approved granting Saudi citizenship to scientists, doctors, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other individuals with rare skills, experience, and specializations.

According to a royal decree, the kingdom has offered citizenship to talented individuals in medical, scientific, cultural, sports, and technical fields to achieve its goals. The initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 programme to create an attractive environment for investing in human capital and attracting skilled labour.

This move is expected to help bolster the kingdom’s economic, health, cultural, sports, and innovation sectors by bringing in prominent experts and specialists.

In December 2021, Saudi leadership approved a similar initiative, granting citizenship to prominent individuals in these fields. This ongoing effort has underscored the kingdom’s commitment to enhancing its development across various sectors by leveraging global expertise.

In November 2023, Pakistan signed agreements with Saudi companies to bolster collaboration and facilitate the recruitment of Pakistani workers and professionals for various large-scale projects in Saudi Arabia.

The agreements outlined plans to establish training and orientation centres in Pakistan, which would cater to the skill development needs aligned with the demands of labour markets in Saudi Arabia.


Dawn News
 
Fresh scrutiny of free speech in Saudi Arabia after brothers’ convictions over tweets

Fresh questions have been raised about the suppression of free speech in Saudi Arabia after the brother of a man facing the death penalty for tweeting to 10 followers was handed a 20-year sentence for largely innocuous tweets.

The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, had said Mohammed al-Ghamdi was a victim of “bad laws” after being sentenced to death, yet the crown prince permitted the same laws to be used to sentence Ghamdi’s younger brother, Asaad al-Ghamdi.

Mohammed al-Ghamdi’s British-based lawyers have revealed that a UN special rapporteur on arbitrary detention judged in a recent report that their client was a victim of arbitrary detention and denial of an appropriate lawyer.

Mohammed al-Ghamdi was sentenced to death in July 2023 and has been given no notification of whether he is allowed to appeal, or when the sentence will be carried out. Prince Mohammed said in a Fox News interview in September that his death sentence was shameful for the judicial system.

A third, UK-based brother of the two Saudi-based Ghamdis is a human rights campaigner, and the arrest of his siblings is seen as a means by which Riyadh can threaten the political activities of dissidents based abroad.

Asaad al-Ghamdi was arrested by Saudi authorities in November 2022 in a night raid on his home in al-Hamdaniya, a neighbourhood of Jeddah, while his wife and children looked on. Security forces confiscated electronic devices and ransacked every room of the house.

He was not told of the reasons for his arrest or of the charges against him for at least 10 months and was denied a lawyer for 10 months. Nearly a third of that time was spent in solitary confinement. He suffers from epilepsy and had numerous bad falls in jail.

After eight hearings, he was convicted on 29 May this year, 10 months after his brother had been handed his death sentence.

Asked last September on Fox News about reports of Mohammed al-Ghamdi’s death sentence, Prince Mohammed said: “Shamely it is true. It is something we don’t like.”

Asked if he could change the laws, he replied: “We are doing our best to do that. We have changed tens of laws. I am trying to prioritise the change day by day, but we are not happy about that. The jail system has to follow the laws and I cannot tell the judge to do that and ignore the law because that is against the rule of law. But do we have bad laws? Yes. Are we changing that? Yes.”


www.theguardian.com

Fresh scrutiny of free speech in Saudi Arabia after brothers’ convictions over tweets

Crown prince criticised ‘bad laws’ for Mohammed al-Ghamdi’s death sentence months before second conviction
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 

The Saudi Crown Prince is Talking About An Assassination. His Own.​


Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, knows a thing or two about assassinations. Lately, he’s been telling U.S. lawmakers he’s at risk of one.

The Saudi royal has mentioned to members of Congress that he’s putting his life in danger by pursuing a grand bargain with the U.S. and Israel that includes normalizing Saudi-Israeli ties. On at least one occasion, he has invoked Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian leader slain after striking a peace deal with Israel, asking what the U.S. did to protect Sadat. He also has discussed the threats he faces in explaining why any such deal must include a true path to a Palestinian state — especially now that the war in Gaza has heightened Arab fury toward Israel.

The talks were described to me by a former U.S. official briefed on the conversations and two other people with knowledge of them. All of the people, like others quoted in this column, were granted anonymity to describe a high-stakes, sensitive topic. The discussions have been weighty and serious, but one takeaway, the people said, is that the crown prince, often referred to as MBS, appears intent on striking the mega-deal with the U.S. and Israel despite the risks involved. He sees it as crucial to his country’s future.

The broad contours of the largely secret and still-developing pact have emerged in various reports, including my own. It includes multiple U.S. commitments to the Saudis, including security guarantees via a treaty, aid on a civilian nuclear program and economic investment in areas such as technology. According to some reports, in exchange Saudi Arabia would limit its dealings with China. It also would establish diplomatic and other ties with Israel — a huge boon for the Israelis given Saudi Arabia’s importance among Muslim nations.

To MBS’ chagrin, however, the Israeli government has been unwilling to include a credible path to a Palestinian state in the pact.

“The way he put it was, ‘Saudis care very deeply about this, and the street throughout the Middle East cares deeply about this, and my tenure as the keeper of the holy sites of Islam will not be secure if I don’t address what is the most pressing issue of justice in our region,’” said one of the people with knowledge of conversations MBS has had with regional and American leaders.

When I first heard about the Saudi royal’s conversations, I was intrigued and skeptical.

 
The Bald Eagle said:

The Saudi Crown Prince is Talking About An Assassination. His Own.​


Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, knows a thing or two about assassinations. Lately, he’s been telling U.S. lawmakers he’s at risk of one.

The Saudi royal has mentioned to members of Congress that he’s putting his life in danger by pursuing a grand bargain with the U.S. and Israel that includes normalizing Saudi-Israeli ties. On at least one occasion, he has invoked Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian leader slain after striking a peace deal with Israel, asking what the U.S. did to protect Sadat. He also has discussed the threats he faces in explaining why any such deal must include a true path to a Palestinian state — especially now that the war in Gaza has heightened Arab fury toward Israel.

The talks were described to me by a former U.S. official briefed on the conversations and two other people with knowledge of them. All of the people, like others quoted in this column, were granted anonymity to describe a high-stakes, sensitive topic. The discussions have been weighty and serious, but one takeaway, the people said, is that the crown prince, often referred to as MBS, appears intent on striking the mega-deal with the U.S. and Israel despite the risks involved. He sees it as crucial to his country’s future.

The broad contours of the largely secret and still-developing pact have emerged in various reports, including my own. It includes multiple U.S. commitments to the Saudis, including security guarantees via a treaty, aid on a civilian nuclear program and economic investment in areas such as technology. According to some reports, in exchange Saudi Arabia would limit its dealings with China. It also would establish diplomatic and other ties with Israel — a huge boon for the Israelis given Saudi Arabia’s importance among Muslim nations.

To MBS’ chagrin, however, the Israeli government has been unwilling to include a credible path to a Palestinian state in the pact.

“The way he put it was, ‘Saudis care very deeply about this, and the street throughout the Middle East cares deeply about this, and my tenure as the keeper of the holy sites of Islam will not be secure if I don’t address what is the most pressing issue of justice in our region,’” said one of the people with knowledge of conversations MBS has had with regional and American leaders.

When I first heard about the Saudi royal’s conversations, I was intrigued and skeptical.

Click to expand...
Why MBS is afraid now? He has dug out the trench for himself now no need of complaining
 
BouncerGuy said:
The downfall of arab has started since they became liberal and forgot what ISLAM really is. This Swimming suit shows, cinemas etc are opposite to what Islam says and these arabs are liberal now.
Click to expand...
going along the lines of some the questions asked in the Intolerance in India thread
Stewie said:
Well it’s quite clear to me that the religious freedoms don’t mean much to them if they get full stomachs and bank balances and these Muslim majority states provide them with this security more than Hindu-Stan.

Let’s not again try shifting the goal posts. You cannot make the determination for these people what’s good for them and what’s bad. Let them do it. Just because you don’t like or agree with their choice, and it goes against the narrative you are trying to spread, does not make it factually incorrect.
Click to expand...
Given the number of muslims living as refugee many liberal countries like denmark (cartoons anyone?), which have little regard for islamic values, looks like many muslims will also gladly trade their religious pride for full stomachs and bank balances.

They also seem to cry about their religious feelings hurt by the freedom of speech in US.
 
rpant_gabba said:
going along the lines of some the questions asked in the Intolerance in India thread

Given the number of muslims living as refugee many liberal countries like denmark (cartoons anyone?), which have little regard for islamic values, looks like many muslims will also gladly trade their religious pride for full stomachs and bank balances.

They also seem to cry about their religious feelings hurt by the freedom of speech in US.
Click to expand...
Goal post shifting again. Thought you were better than this stuff. If this right here is not a clear indication of an agenda than what is?

I would like you to not fidget and react to any perceived slights by Muslims here and focus on topic. Is that perhaps remotely possible for you to do?
 
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Saudi Arabia launches artillery attack on Yemen territory

Saudi Arabia has targeted a part of Yemen’s territory.

Al-Masirah correspondent in Yemen’s Saada province reported that the artillery of the Saudi Arabian army shelled a part of the Yemeni territory.

According to the news sources, the border villages of Yemen's "Baqim" District were targeted by the artillery of the Saudi army.

More details on casualties and financial losses of Saudi Arabia’s artillery attack have not yet been reported


en.mehrnews.com

Saudi Arabia launches artillery attack on Yemen territory

TEHRAN, Sep. 09 (MNA) – Local media in Yemen announced on Monday that Saudi Arabia has launched artillery attacks on Yemen’s territories.
en.mehrnews.com en.mehrnews.com
 
Saudi's MbS will not attend Russia's BRICS summit

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not expected to attend a Russian-hosted BRICS summit later this month, according to the Kremlin, which said the world's biggest oil exporter would be represented by the kingdom's foreign minister.

The BRICS group originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and has expanded to include Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and others.

President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, said that nine of the 10 BRICS member states would send their leaders, though Saudi Arabia would send its foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, to the summit in the Russian city of Kazan.

He did not give a reason for the expected absence of the crown prince, known as MbS. Russia has invited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to attend the summit, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said last month.


 
Record 101 foreigners executed in Saudi Arabia so far in 2024, tally finds

Saudi Arabia has executed more than 100 foreigners this year, according to an AFP tally, indicating a sharp increase that a rights group said was unprecedented.

The latest execution, on Saturday in the southwestern region of Najran, was of a Yemeni national convicted of smuggling drugs into the Gulf kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

That brought to 101 the number of foreigners executed so far in 2024, according to the tally, which is compiled from state media reports.

This is almost triple the figures for 2023 and 2022, when Saudi authorities put to death 34 foreigners each year, according to AFP tallies.

The Berlin-based European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) said this year’s executions had already broken a record.


www.timesofisrael.com

Record 101 foreigners executed in Saudi Arabia so far in 2024, tally finds

Figure nearly triple the counts for 2022 and 2023; latest sentence carried out for Yemeni national convicted of drug smuggling; kingdom executed 274 people in total over past year
www.timesofisrael.com www.timesofisrael.com
 
Saudi Arabia hits JACKPOT, discovers ‘white gold’ in its oil fields; what it means for the kingdom’s oil-rich economy

Saudi Arabia, whose economy is based around its vast reserves of oil and natural gas, has found another source to diversify its oil-rich economy as the kingdom recently found lithium reserves in its oil fields near the sea. According to reports, Saudi Aramco aka Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned petroleum and natural gas company, extracted lithium under a pilot project from one of its oil fields.

Khalid bin Saleh Al-Mudaifer, Saudi Arabi’s Deputy Minister of Mining Affairs, announced that the kingdom will soon launch a commercial pilot program to promote the direct mining of lithium.

Lithium Infinity, also known as Lihytech, a start-up launched out of King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, will lead the extraction project with cooperation from Saudi mining company Ma’aden and Aramco, Reuters quoted Khalid al-Mudaifer as saying. “They are extracting lithium through their new technology they have developed in King Abdullah University for Science and Technology and they are in accelerated development in this regard,” the minister said.

“They’re building a commercial pilot at the oil fields. So the brines that come out of the field will feed into this commercial pilot on a continuous basis,” added Al-Mudaifer.


www.india.com

Saudi Arabia hits JACKPOT, discovers 'white gold' in its oil fields; what it means for the kingdom's oil-rich economy

Saudi Arabia, whose economy is based around its vast reserves of oil and natural gas, has found another source to diversify its oil-rich economy as the kingdom recently found lithium reserves in its oil fields near the sea.
www.india.com www.india.com
 

Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Passes Away, Key Figure in Eastern Saudi Development​

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Court announced on Tuesday the passing of Prince Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, the second son of the late King Fahd bin Abdulaziz. His mother was Princess Al-Anoud bint Abdulaziz bin Musaed Al Saud.

Prince Mohammed, the fourth governor of the Eastern Province, oversaw a period of significant development in the region, coinciding with the country’s economic boom.

Born in 1950 in Riyadh, he received his early education at the Model Capital Institute before earning a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His government career began as assistant deputy interior minister before his appointment as Eastern Province governor in 1985.

Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, home to the kingdom’s oil, gas, petrochemical, and manufacturing industries, witnessed extensive development under Prince Mohammed bin Fahd’s tenure. The region saw major advancements in industrial and tourism sectors, infrastructure, and essential services.

Source: MSN
 
Trump says US to lift Syria sanctions, secures $600 billion Saudi deal

The U.S. agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to the White House which called it the largest "defense cooperation agreement" Washington has ever done.

The end of sanctions on Syria would be a huge boost for a country that has been shattered by more than a decade of civil war. Rebels led by current President Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled President Bashar al-Assad last December.

Speaking at an investment forum in Riyadh at the start of a deals-focused trip that also brought a flurry of diplomacy, Trump said he was acting on a request to scrap the sanctions by Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"Oh what I do for the crown prince," Trump said, drawing laughs from the audience. He said the sanctions had served an important function but that it was now time for the country to move forward.

The move represents a major U.S. policy shift. The U.S. declared Syria a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979, added sanctions in 2004 and imposed further sanctions after the civil war broke out in 2011.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said on X that the planned move marked a "new start" in Syria's path to reconstruction. Trump has agreed to briefly greet Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a White House official said.
Trump and the Saudi crown prince signed an agreement covering energy, defense, mining and other areas. Trump has sought to strengthen relations with the Saudis to improve regional ties with Israel and act as a bulwark against Iran.

The agreement covers deals with more than a dozen U.S. defense companies for areas including air and missile defense, air force and space, maritime security and communications, a White House fact sheet said.

It was not clear whether the deal included Lockheed F-35 jets, which sources say have been discussed. The Saudi prince said the total package could reach $1 trillion when further agreements are reached in the months ahead.

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest customers for U.S. arms, and the two countries have maintained strong ties for decades based on an arrangement in which the kingdom delivers oil and the superpower provides security.

But relations were strained after the 2018 murder of U.S.-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul caused a global uproar. U.S. intelligence concluded that bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill Khashoggi, a prominent critic, but the Saudi government has denied any involvement.

Trump did not mention the incident during his visit and called bin Salman an "incredible man."

"I really believe we like each other a lot," Trump said.

Trump will go on from Riyadh to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday in a trip that is focused on investment rather than security matters in the Middle East.

Several U.S. business leaders attended the event, including Elon Musk, the Tesla chief who has led a government-downsizing effort for Trump in Washington; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman; BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman.

Trump was shown speaking with several Saudi officials, including sovereign wealth fund governor Yasir al-Rumayyan, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser and investment minister Khalid al-Falih as he viewed models for the kingdom’s flashy, multi-billion-dollar development projects.

Bin Salman has focused on diversifying the Saudi economy in a major reform program dubbed Vision 2030 that includes "Giga-projects" such as NEOM, a futuristic city the size of Belgium. Oil generated 62% of Saudi government revenue last year.

The kingdom has scaled back some of its ambitions as rising costs and falling oil prices weigh.

NO VISIT TO ISRAEL, WARNING TO IRAN

Trump has not scheduled a stop in Israel, raising questions about where the close ally stands in Washington's priorities as Trump presses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a new ceasefire deal in the 19-month-old Gaza war.
Israel's military operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its assassinations of the two Iran-allied groups' leaders, have at the same time given Trump more leverage by weakening Tehran and its regional allies.

Trump said it was his "fervent hope" that Saudi Arabia would soon normalize relations with Israel, following other Arab states that did so during his first 2017-2021 term. "But you'll do it in your own time," he said.

Netanyahu's opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state makes progress with the Saudis unlikely, sources told Reuters.
Trump on Tuesday called Iran "the most destructive force" in the Middle East and warned that the U.S. will never allow it to obtain a nuclear weapon. He said he was willing to strike a new deal with the Islamic Republic but only if its leaders changed course.

"I want to make a deal with Iran," he said. "But if Iran's leadership rejects this olive branch... we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure."

Source: Reuters
 
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