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Saudi Arabia

IMF lowers Saudi growth forecast to “close to zero”

The organisation said growth would in part be hit by a decline in oil GDP

Saudi king orders arrest of ‘abusive’ prince

Prince Saud and his associates were arrested in Riyadh for allegedly “abusing” people verbally and physically

Saudi executes national found guilty of smuggling narcotics

Hamed bin Salem Sulaiman Al-Huwaiti was executed in the Tabuk region on Wednesday

Saudi Aramco considers Zuluf oilfield expansion

Zuluf is one of the largest offshore oilfields in the world

Saudi woman briefly arrested for wearing short skirt in online video

The woman was released without charge and the case has been closed by the prosecutor

Saudi, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt reduce Qatar demands to six ‘principles’

The four states cut diplomatic ties and economic links with Qatar on June 5

Two Saudi teachers face trial for alleged Iran spying

The men face charges of gathering information on Saudi’s East-West Pipeline and plotting to blow it up

Saudia says laptop ban lifted on US flights

Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines have also been exempted from the ban

Saudi rejects 63% of work visa applications in 2016 ahead of Nitaqat changes

The kingdom will introduce stricter Saudisation requirements for businesses from September

Saudi dependents fee does not apply to visit visas

Some foreign workers were reportedly asked to pay the dependents fee on top of that for visa extension

Saudi warns against Venezuela travel after citizens arrested at Caracas airport

Ministry says several Saudi citizens have been arrested by authorities at the Caracas International Airport

Saudi Arabia crude exports fall in May

Exports in May fell to 6.924 million barrels per day from 7.006 million bpd in April

Saudi finance ministry says 13 banks qualify for domestic sukuk programme

A senior finance ministry official estimated in May that local debt issues would cover 25 to 35 per cent of the 2017 deficit

Saudi king pressured US to seek reopening of Al Aqsa Mosque – report

The Saudi Cabinet called the closure a “flagrant violation of the feelings of Muslims around the world”

More than 572,000 leave during Saudi amnesty

The figure suggests that the amnesty will fall short of the one million expected to leave during the period

Saudi Arabia’s KACST converts manned aircraft into drone

The drones can fly for up to 30 hours

Saudi sets aside $2.64bn for six tourism initiatives

The kingdom received 18 million visitors last year but the majority were pilgrims

Saudi court jails national, Yemeni and Pakistani for joining ISIL

The ruling comes days after the kingdom executed four nationals for terrorism offences

Saudi launches RFQ for 400MW wind project

The RFQ period for the project closes on August 10

Saudi bans import of poultry from Zimbabwe on bird flu fears

The kingdom has announced temporary poultry import bans from various countries

Saudi Aramco says first phase of energy industrial city to be complete in 2021

The city will be developed over 50-square km of land allocated for energy-related industries

Dubai’s Jumeirah to enter Saudi with new mega hotel in Makkah

The five-star property will feature four towers with 1,033 rooms and 93 villas

New female physical education degree coming to Saudi universities

The kingdom is introducing physical education classes at girls’ schools from September

Saudi soldier shot dead in Qatif as unrest continues

Qatif, home to the kingdom’s Shia minority, has been witness to rising tensions

French foreign minister visits Doha, Jeddah in attempts to ease GCC rift

Jean-Yves Le Drian is visiting the UAE and Kuwait on Sunday

WHO warns of cholera risk at haj, praises Saudi preparedness

The cholera epidemic in Yemen could spread to Saudi during the haj pilgrimage in September

Is Saudi Arabia ready for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index?

What Saudi Arabia needs to do to prepare for the shift

Saudi Royal Court announces death of prince

Prince Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud passed away on Thursday

Saudi Arabia ranked as world’s least active country in new study

People in the kingdom were found to take an average of 3,807 steps a day, compared to a global average of 4,916

Israel seeks directs flights to Saudi for pilgrims – report

Direct flights are a sensitive issue due to longstanding disagreements between the two states over Palestine