5 h. ago Missing Malaysian actress Nadia Kesuma dies of heart attack in Saudi Arabia

Malaysian actress Nadia Kesuma, who went missing upon arrival at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, was confirmed to have died of a heart attack. The news was announced by her daughter via social media, according to Astro Awani. “Assalamualaikum everyone, I would like to inform you that my mother, Nadiah Kasumawati Abdul Karim, has returned to Rahmatullah on January 15 at around 8.05am,” she said. “Thank you to all of you who have not stopped praying for Mama. Please pray that her...

Events

6 d. ago Chinese arms exporters may be the big winners in any Pakistan

Reported discussions between Riyadh and Islamabad over a potential deal involving fighter jets co-developed by China and Pakistan could be a “big win” for Beijing’s arms exports to the Gulf region, analysts said. However, doubts remained over whether such an agreement would actually proceed on the grounds that the JF-17 was in such marked contrast to Saudi Arabia’s Western-centric air force. A Reuters report on Thursday that cited two Pakistani sources said Islamabad and Riyadh were in talks for...

Politics

7 d. ago Hong Kong firm, Saudi partner aim to build 30,000 modular flats a year in Middle East

A Hong Kong-based modular construction leader is expanding into the Middle East, becoming the first such manufacturer from the city to set up a factory in Saudi Arabia, with plans to produce 30,000 prefabricated flats a year as early as 2027 to meet rising demand, the Post has learned. The expansion by AluHouse is being fuelled by large-scale transformation under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a plan to aggressively modernise the kingdom and diversify its economy beyond oil. Founded in 2014,...

Politics

1 week ago US allies Saudi Arabia, UAE risk a split in Middle East over competing visions

Washington’s allies in the Middle East and beyond are facing the prospects of joining rival blocs in alignment with the different visions of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following a rare clash between the two countries over war-torn Yemen. The Saudi bombing of an arms shipment reportedly provided by the UAE to separatists in southern Yemen last week has exposed the two Arab heavyweights’ divergent foreign policy approaches in the strategically important Red Sea and Horn of Africa,...

Events

2 w. ago Yemen’s separatists announce constitution, UAE withdraws all its troops

Yemen’s separatist movement on Friday announced a constitution for an independent nation in the south and demanded other factions in the war-torn country accept the move in an escalation of a confrontation that has pitted Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against each other. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council depicted the announcement as a declaration of independence for the south. But it was not immediately clear if the move could be implemented or was largely...

Politics

2 w. ago UAE to withdraw forces from Yemen after Saudi ultimatum over Mukalla air strike

The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it was pulling out its remaining forces in Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed a call for UAE forces to leave the country within 24 hours, in a major crisis between the two Gulf powers and oil producers. The UAE made its announcement hours after a Saudi-led coalition air strike on the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla. The attack on what Riyadh said was a UAE-linked weapons shipment marked the most significant escalation between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to date...

Events

2 w. ago UAE to withdraw forces from Yemen after Saudi strike and ultimatum

The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it was pulling its remaining forces out of Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed a call for UAE forces to leave within 24 hours, deepening a crisis between the two Gulf powers and oil producers. Hours earlier, Saudi-led coalition forces had attacked the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla. The air strike on what Riyadh said was a UAE-linked weapons shipment was the most significant escalation to date in a widening rift between the two Gulf monarchies. In...

Events

2 w. ago Saudi Arabia bombs port in Yemen over shipment of weapons for separatists from UAE

Saudi Arabia bombed the port city of Mukalla in Yemen on Tuesday over what it described as a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates. The UAE did not immediately acknowledge the strike. The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the Emirates. It also further strains ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing competing sides...

Events

2 w. ago Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen port over weapons shipment and warns UAE

Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday over what it described as a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates. The kingdom later directly linked the UAE to the separatists’ recent advances in Yemen and warned Abu Dhabi its actions were “extremely dangerous”. The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the Emirates. It...

Events

2 w. ago Why Saudi Arabia might not fulfil its US spending pledge, and the China factor

Saudi Arabia has pledged to boost investments in America to nearly US$1 trillion, but according to analysts Riyadh could struggle to meet that target. Rather, they said the pledge – announced when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Washington last month – was more about the “political display” than a binding commitment. It was an increase to the US$600 billion that was promised in May, when US President Donald Trump visited Riyadh. The latest pledge comes as the rivalry intensifies between...

Politics

2 w. ago Why Saudi Arabia might not fulfil spending pledge to US amid China

Saudi Arabia has pledged to boost investments in America to nearly US$1 trillion, but according to analysts Riyadh could struggle to meet that target. Rather, they said the pledge – announced when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Washington last month – was more about the “political display” than a binding commitment. It was an increase to the US$600 billion that was promised in May, when US President Donald Trump visited Riyadh. The latest pledge comes as the rivalry intensifies between...

Politics

3 w. ago Macron visits UAE for bilateral talks, aid fighting drug trafficking

President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to celebrate Christmas with French troops and to discuss bilateral ties with the Gulf state, as France hopes for more cooperation in its fight against drug trafficking. Macron is due to meet with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss “strengthening the strategic partnership” between the two countries, according to the French presidency, which stressed their cooperation on security and defence. The French...

Politics

4 w. ago Saudi Arabia’s discreet alcohol store opens doors to wealthy foreigners

Saudi Arabia has quietly expanded access to its only store that sells alcohol, allowing wealthy foreign residents to buy booze in the latest step in the once-ultraconservative kingdom’s experiment in liberalisation. There has been no official announcement of the decision, but word has got out, and long queues of cars and people can now be seen at the discreet, unmarked store in the Diplomatic Quarter of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The store opened in January 2024 for non-Muslim diplomats. The new...

Politics