Saudi Arabia

09 Jan 2023; MEMO: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to discuss Israeli violations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu News Agency reports.

In a statement, the Jeddah-based organisation said the meeting comes "after the continuous Israeli escalation in the Occupied city of Al-Quds [Jerusalem] and the continuous violations against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque."

09 Jan 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia will remove COVID-19 restrictions for the 2023 Haj season and host pre-pandemic numbers of pilgrims, the Kingdom's Ministry of Haj and Umrah said on Monday, Reuters reports.

In 2019, the last year before the pandemic struck, some 2.6 million people performed the Haj. The Kingdom allowed only limited numbers from its residents in 2020 and 2021 before it welcomed back one million foreign pilgrims in 2022.

08 Jan 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is looking to bring Formula 1 racing teams to the region, with its sights set on McLaren and Aston Martin to relocate their headquarters to the kingdom.

Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al-Faisal, president of the Saudi Automobile and Motor Federation reportedly wants to compete with Britain by becoming a major motor racing hub and hosting some of the top F1 teams. Currently, Britain is home to seven of the 10 F1 teams.

31 Dec 2022; AA: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday welcomed the passage of a UN General Assembly resolution seeking opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

In a statement, the pan-Muslim group hailed the stances of the countries that backed the resolution which "affirm their commitment to the international law and in line with their historical stances" towards supporting Palestinian cause.

28 Dec 2022; MEMO: The former head of Saudi Arabia's Public Security agency has reportedly been sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment, in one of the latest anti-corruption cases ruled on in the kingdom.

According to Prisoners of Conscience, a Twitter account which tracks and observes the situation of Saudi detainees, Lieutenant General Khaled Bin Qarar Al-Harbi was handed a sentence of 25 years in prison on charges of corruption and abuse of power.

RIYADH, Dec 27 (APP): The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will organize the ‘Hajj Expo 2023’ conference and exhibition January 9-12, 2023.

The four-day event, being held under the patronage of Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Makkah Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, was part of the ministry’s ongoing efforts to build an innovative ecosystem of services and solutions to better serve pilgrims at the Two Holy Mosques, while enhancing their religious and cultural experiences, a ministry press release said.

Dec 25 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian stocks climbed on Sunday in response to Friday's rise in oil prices, while most other bourses in the Gulf were in the red on global economic concerns.

Oil prices settled about $3 per barrel higher on Friday for a second straight week of gains after Moscow said it could cut crude output in response to the G7 imposing a price cap on Russian exports.

Russia may cut oil output by 5% to 7% in early 2023 as it responds to price caps, the RIA news agency cited Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying on Friday.

22 Dec 2022; MEMO: The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has announced that the Kingdom's mineral wealth is now valued in excess of $1.3 trillion, including deposits of copper, zinc, phosphates, uranium and gold, the Saudi Press Agency has reported. The announcement was made in an online meeting organised by the ministry's Assistant Undersecretary for Investment Development, Turki Al-Babtain, with a group of British investors on Tuesday.

23 Dec 2022; MEMO: Egypt is stalling the implementation of an agreement to hand over two strategic Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, only a week before its intended date amid ongoing disagreements with the United States.

21 Dec 2022; MEMO: Saudi authorities have returned the endangered oryx to the desert in the kingdom's north-western NEOM region, after a century of their absence.

According to Saudi media outlets, oryx and the species of ibex, sand gazelles, and mountain gazelles were sent to the region by the Riyadh-based National Centre for Wildlife (NCW) in late October. After spending time in specially-designed pens to help them adapt to their new environment, the oryx were released into the region's much larger reserve.