Saudi Arabia

China's Li Qiang, Saudi crown prince discuss cooperation in several sectors

Li made his remarks in a meeting in Riyadh with GCC Secretary General Jasem al-Budaiwi, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince meets PM Modi at Hyderabad House in Delhi

Jaishankar arrives in Riyadh to attend India-GCC Foreign Ministers' Meeting

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday arrived in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, to attend the First India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting.Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs, Abdulmajeed Al Smari, welcomed Jaishankar in Riyadh. Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia from September 8-9.Upon arrival in Riyadh, Jaishankar, in a post on X stated, "Arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to take part in the First India - Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Thank Abdulmajeed Al Smari, Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs for the warm reception."During his visit to Riyadh, he is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from GCC member countries, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release.In its release, the MEA stated, "India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, in areas including political, trade & investment, energy cooperation, cultural and ...

EV maker Wardwizard Innovations to form joint venture in Saudi Arabia

The EV cell plant will be dedicated to manufacturing electric vehicle cells. The company did not disclose the cost associated with entering into the joint venture

VA Tech WABAG bags Rs 2,700 cr Saudi's sea water desalination plant order

Water treatment player VA Tech WABAG has secured an order from Saudi Water Authority worth USD 317 million (Rs 2,700 crore) for setting up a Mega Sea Water Desalination plant in Saudi Arabia, the company said on Friday. The Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) contract including design and supply of the 300 million litres per day mega desalination plant which would be developed on a greenfield site in the west coast of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Water Authority, formally known as the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, is responsible for regulating and monitoring water sector business and services to enhance water sustainability and achieve the objectives of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. The project is expected to be completed in 30 months and the plant would operate Dual Media Filters followed by a two-pass Reverse Osmosis process and re-mineralisation to produce clean potable water. The plant would be built with the state-of-the-art desalination

CAG, General Court of Audit of Saudi Arabia sign pact for mutual support

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has signed a pact with the General Court of Audit, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to strengthen cooperation and exchange of expertise between the two nations in the field of public sector auditing. The area of cooperation encompasses conducting joint training programmes on topics related to financial, performance and compliance audits and exchange of audit manuals and audit methodologies, the CAG said. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Thursday in Riyadh. "Our commitment to a strong bilateral relationship is a witness to the shared values and objectives of our institutions and will serve to reinforce bonds between our SAIs and our nations," CAG Girish Chandra Murmu said. The CAG stated that the support and cooperation between the two SAIs will energise their capacity development initiatives and encourage exchange of knowledge and information between the two Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). Hussam Abdulmohsen Alangari,

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund refinances $15 bn loan with banks

The PIF, as the fund is known, has spent much of the year hunting for new sources of cash as it looks to push ahead with a massive investment plan intended to help diversify the Saudi economy

Prince Mohammed forged king's sign on Yemen war decree: Ex-official

A former Saudi official alleged in a report that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman forged the signature of his father on the royal decree that launched the kingdom's yearslong, stalemated war against Yemen's Houthi rebels. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the allegations made without supporting evidence by Saad al-Jabri in an interview published Monday by the BBC, though the kingdom has described him as a discredited former government official." Al-Jabri, a former Saudi intelligence official who lives in exile in Canada, has been a yearslong dispute with the kingdom as his two children have been imprisoned in case he describes as trying to lure him back to Saudi Arabia. The allegation comes as Prince Mohammed now serves as the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, often meeting leaders in place of his father, the 88-year-old King Salman. His assertive behaviour, particularly at the start of his ascension to power around the beginning of

Saudi Crown Prince fears assassination amid talks to normalise Israel ties

Saudi Arabia has been in talks with US lawmakers since 2023 to officially recognise Israel's sovereignty and normalise ties

Saudi Arabia: MBS wants Hollywood's help to grow local film industry

Beyond attracting foreign producers, Saudi Arabia is hoping to plant the roots of its own industry, reflecting its values

Chinese investors pile into Saudi ETFs as two countries grow closer

The Saudi-focused ETFs enjoyed a bumper start when they debuted in Shanghai and Shenzhen on July 16 with both jumping by the daily 10 per cent limit on their first two trading days

Viral video: Hawai Chappal sold for 1 lakh in Saudi Arabia, netizens react

A video went viral on social media where a staff member of a footwear store could be seen selling Hawai sandals for Rs 1 lakh in Saudi Arabia. Watch the video here

Saudi ups imports of dirtiest oil to meet rising power demand amid heatwave

Shipments of fuel oil rose in June to the most since at least the end of 2020, and are expected to remain elevated this month, according to data from market researchers Kpler and Vortexa

Saudi Arabia raises $12.35 bn from Aramco share sale after increasing offer

Aramco's shares have risen 3.3 percent since the offering last month

Saudi Arabia to lure ultra-luxury travelers with Red Palace stays

The Red Palace was built in the 1940s for the then-crown prince. Now, the 9-acre, art-deco manse is being transformed into an ultra-luxury hotel designed to give guests a taste of the Saudi royal life

Bolsonaro embezzled $1.2 mn worth of jewellery from Saudi Arabia: Police

Brazil's Federal Police allege former president Jair Bolsonaro embezzled jewellery worth 6.8 million Brazilian reals (about USD 1.2 million) during his time in office, according to the investigative report unsealed on Monday by the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro was indicted last week charging embezzlement, asset laundering and criminal association in connection with the luxury jewellery from Saudi Arabia. The investigation adds pressure on the far-right leader who governed in 2019-2022 before losing his reelection bid to Luiz Incio Lula da Silva. He has already lost his political rights until 2030. Bolsonaro has not commented on the indictment, but has previously denied any wrongdoing involving the jewellery. The police report alleges there was "a criminal association for the embezzlement of high-value gifts that were received due to the position of former President Jair Bolsonaro". The jewellery included diamond-encrusted Rolex and Patek Phillipe watches, a necklace, rings and cufflinks

From Netflix fame to Saudi cell: Animator faces 13 yrs in prison for tweets

A Saudi court sentenced the Netflix animator to 13 years in prison and imposed a 30-year travel ban for tweets posted over a decade ago

Aramco signs over $25 bn of deals for main gas network, Jafurah gas field

Saudi Arabia is working on developing its unconventional gas reserves, which require advanced extraction methods such as those used in the shale gas industry

8.7 mn Indians employed in West Asia, mostly in blue-collar jobs: Report

UAE remains the largest hub, followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

Saudi Arabia to become world's biggest construction mkt with large inflows

Aimed at overhauling and diversifying the economy, the kingdom is making large investments in infrastructure