Women have been elected to municipal councils in Saudi Arabia for the first time. At least 4 women were elected in Mecca, Jawf and Tabuk, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report. The vote is being seen as a landmark in the conservative kingdom. However, the councils have limited powers. Women also won in several other regions in the ...

More than 900 women are campaigning for public office in Saudi Arabia — a first in the kingdom’s history. The December 12 municipal election will be the first opportunity for Saudi women to vote or run for office since a 2011 order by the now deceased King Abdullah that granted women some opportunities for political participation in the ultra-conservative Sunni ...

WRITTEN BY EDITOR KALAHAN DENG Saudi Arabia dominates the global oil market but according to one U.S. Energy Information Administration advisor that is all about to change. The Saudi’s 7.37 million barrel a day in export business is in jeopardy of disappearing thanks to a discovery that promises to unleash a massive supply of fuel… Enough fuel, in fact, to ...

Five Saudi suspects, including a member of the Saudi royal family, were detained at Beirut international airport after authorities had discovered two tons of drugs on a private jet preparing to fly out of Lebanon. The drugs are branded as Captagon found in suspects’ cases, which contains amphetamine and caffeine, are widely consumed in the Middle East, according to government officials. Captagon was originally the trade name for ...

Suicide bomb attack at Saudi mosque has killed at least one person and dozens injured. The bomb attack took place at a Shia mosque in the southern city of Najran, in Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. Police found a letter by the bomber addressed to his parents confirming his intention of the attack, according to an interior ministry statement. The Islamic ...

A Saudi prince has been arrested in Los Angeles on charges of sexual assault, false imprisonment and battery. Prince Majed Abdulaziz Al-Saud is accused of trying to force a woman to perform a sex act on him, Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison said. Police were called to a home in the city on Wednesday afternoon, where they interviewed numerous ...

More than 700 pilgrims from around the world were killed in a crush outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi authorities said, in the worst disaster to strike the annual hajj pilgrimage for 25 years. At least 863 others were injured at Mina, a few kilometers east of Mecca, when two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads ...

If Saudi Arabia’s reported interest in purchasing weapons and platforms from Russia materialises into firm orders, it would represent a major reorientation of the kingdom’s defence procurement policy. However, Riyadh’s requirement for Russian kit is questionable, raising the possibility that its overtures to Moscow are primarily designed to limit arms exports to Iran. Reports that Riyadh is interested in Russian ...

Arab-led air strikes Yemeni Houthi militias who clashed with pro-government fighters in the south on Sunday. The warplanes bombs targeted at the Iran-backed militias and their allies, forces loyal to deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Aden and Lahj provinces. The Arab-led coalition said earlier this week that they did not receive a request from Hadi’s government to stop attacks, ...