Saudi Arabia

26 June 2019; MEMO: Saudi Aramco’s CEO Amin Nasser said the company has the expertise and infrastructure it needs to maintain the flow of crude oil in the event supply is disrupted through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We are increasing our readiness. We can supply through the Red Sea and we have the necessary pipelines and terminals,” Nasser said in an interview in the South Korean capital Seoul, published by Bloomberg yesterday.

24 June 2019; DW: Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, killing one person and injuring seven others, the kingdom's official media outlet SPA said Sunday.

Houthi rebels said earlier that they had launched drone attacks on airports in Abha and Jizan, both near the border with Yemen. Saudi media made no mention of an attack in Jizan. 

23 June 2019; MEMO: Saudi Arabia launched on Sunday their new special residency scheme similar to green card systems applicable in other countries, aimed at attracting wealthy and high-skilled expats, reports Reuters.

The residency scheme offers two types of residencies, a permanent one for 800,000 Saudi riyals ($213,321.96) and a one year but renewable residency for 100,000 Saudi riyals ($26,665.24).

20 June 2019; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has bought $300 million worth of spy software from Israel as part of a large scale military deal.

16 June 2019; DW: Saudi Arabia on Saturday called for a "swift and decisive" response to threats to energy supplies in the region following twin attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf.

On Twitter, Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih restated the importance of stability in the energy supply chain and oil trading markets, along with consumer confidence.

He described the twin attacks on tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman earlier this week as "terrorist acts."

15 June 2019; MEMO: Saudi General Amusement Committee has opened an investigation into the alleged Halal disco whose videos went viral on the internet, Al-Shorouq newspaper reported on Friday.

The Committee said that this event known as Protect X was held in Jeddah without a license and it was held in violation of the existing rules.

According to a statement posted on twitter, the Committee said that the organisers obtained a license for something else, but they carried out this “unacceptable” activity.

12 June 2019; MEMO: Visitors can obtain a tourist visa to Saudi Arabia within three minutes after purchasing an online ticket to the Jeddah Season festival, organisers of the 40-day long event have said. This online visa process aims to boost tourism to Saudi Arabia as part of the kingdom’s recent social and economic reforms.

Dubai, Jun 7 (PTI) A first of its kind 'Gandhi cycle rally for peace' was organised by the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia on Friday as part of the celebrations to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Over 150 participants from all walks of life, cultural and ethnic identities participated in the cycle rally organised in the Saudi capital Riyadh and remembered Mahatma Gandhi and relevance of his message of peace on the occasion, the Indian Embassy tweeted.

4 June 2019; MEMO: European Muslims have called on King Salman bin Abdulaziz to grant amnesty to three preachers currently awaiting execution. News reports suggest that the preachers, Salman Al-Awdah, Awad Al-Qarni, and Ali Al-Omari, could be put to death at the end of Ramadan.

The call came at the European Muslim Forum, held in the city of Sliema, in Malta, on Sunday.

1 June 2019; DW: The leaders of 56 Muslim-majority countries on Saturday opposed any Middle East peace plan that favors Israel and undermines Palestinians.

The Saudi-hosted summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca condemned countries that have made the "illegal and irresponsible decision" to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.