Saudi Arabia

04 Mar 2021; MEMO: The US has called on Saudi Arabia to give up its status as a "developing" country at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which confers upon the Kingdom special treatment in economic negotiations.

"Saudi Arabia is a wealthy and influential player in the global economy," said Washington in a statement at the WTO. The Geneva-based organisation is carrying out its third review of the trade policies and practices of the Kingdom, a process due to end tomorrow.

RIYADH, Mar 3 (NNN-SPA) – The Saudi-led coalition, involved in a war in Yemen, intercepted yesterday, a bomb-laden-drone, launched by Houthis towards the Saudi southern region.

The coalition spokesperson, Turki Al-Malki, accused the Houthi militia of committing “war crimes.”

He said, the coalition will continue all necessary operational procedures, in accordance with the international law.

The coalition also intercepted, last Saturday, a missile launched towards the capital, Riyadh.

27 Feb 2021; MEMO: A Senior Iran-backed militia official in Baghdad has revealed that the January drone attack on the Saudi royal palace was launched from Iraq, Associated Press (AP) reported.

On Thursday, the militia official told AP that three drones were launched from Iraqi-Saudi border areas by a relatively unknown Iran-backed faction in Iraq, and crashed into Riyadh's royal complex on 23 January.

27 Feb 2021; MEMO: The National Assembly Party (NAAS) welcomes the decision of the US administration to release the unclassified CIA report on the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Congress.

25 Feb 2021; MEMO: Senior officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia have recently held a series of calls to discuss US President Joe Biden's administration's plans to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, Israeli media outlets reported.

20 Feb 2021; MEMO: Global Fire Power has ranked Saudi Arabia as the fifth-largest armoured power in the world, surpassing a number of regional and global powers, Al-Khaleej Online reported on Friday.

According to Al-Khaleej Online, Global Fire Power stated that Saudi Arabia has 12,500 armoured vehicles, surpassing the UK, Germany, France, Iran, Turkey and Israel.

20 Feb 2021; MEMO: A senior US military official has revealed that his country's army is seeking to use "fallback" Saudi military bases in order to avoid possible Iranian attacks, news agencies reported on Thursday.

18 Feb 2021; MEMO: Amnesty International has announced that the health of former Hamas representative in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr Mohammad Al-Khodari, who has been detained there since 4 April 2019, has deteriorated due to the lack of adequate healthcare.

The organisation reported that Al-Khodari, 83, partially lost the ability to move his right hand and is currently relying on his son, who is detained with him, to feed and help him.

18 Feb 2021; MEMO: The authorities in Saudi Arabia have arrested well-known scholar Aisha Al-Muhajiri, reportedly because she has continued to preach and teach the Qur'an at her home in the holy city of Makkah. The 65 year old was said to have been arrested by "20 members of the Saudi intelligence service."

17 Feb 2021; MEMO: A Saudi Arabian court adjourned on Monday before sentencing more than 60 Palestinian and Jordanian prisoners, the Chairman of the Jordanian Committee on Political Prisoners, Khader Al-Mashayekh, has revealed. The court will pronounce the sentences on 21 June.