Saudi Arabia | DD News

September 16, 2024 6:37 PM

Jeddah-Makkah high-speed rail debuts for Indian pilgrims

In a historic first, around 32,000 Indian Hajis will travel by high-speed train directly from Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport to the holy city of Makkah this year. Traditionally, pilgrims arriving in Jeddah have taken buses provided by Saudi authorities to reach Makkah. However, the Consulate General of India in Jeddah has arranged special transportation on the newly launched Haramain High Speed Rail line in coordination with Saudi officials. On May 26th, Ambassador of India Dr....

May 24, 2024 2:57 PM

OPEC+ to hold June 2 output policy meeting online

The OPEC+ group of oil producers, comprising the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, has pushed back its output policy meeting by a day to June 2 and will convene online. The meeting was to have been in Vienna on June 1, but will now be held online a day later, OPEC said on Friday. OPEC+ oil producers are making voluntary output cuts totalling about 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) for the first half of 2024, led by Saudi Arabia rolling over an e...

April 29, 2024 11:08 AM

Blinken arrives in Saudi Arabia to discuss Israel normalization, post-war Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the first stop in a broader trip to the Middle East to discuss issues including the governance of Gaza once the war with Israel ends. The top U.S. diplomat heads to Israel later this week, where he is expected to press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take the concrete and tangible steps U.S. President Joe Biden demanded this month to improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. In Riyadh, Blinken is expe...

April 23, 2024 6:47 PM

Saudi Arabia to Host World Economic Forum Special Meeting

Saudi Arabia will host the World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development on 28th-29th April, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). This two-day event will bring together over 1,000 global leaders, including heads of state, government officials, and influential figures from various sectors, as well as representatives from international organizations, academic institutions, and NGOs. The goal is to address some of the most urgent globa...

April 22, 2024 1:25 PM

First Iran group in nine years heads to Saudi Arabia for umrah pilgrimage

The first group of Iranian pilgrims in nine years made its way to Saudi Arabia on Monday for the umrah, or minor pilgrimage, Iran's official news agency reported, as a result of improving ties between the two Middle Eastern powers. Iranian media had said in December that Saudi Arabia had lifted restrictions on Iranians wanting to perform umrah but flights were delayed until now due to what Tehran called "technical problems". In March 2023, China mediated an agreement under which Iran and Saudi...

April 9, 2024 8:48 AM

Saudi Arabia echoes India’s stance on Kashmir in joint statement with Pakistan

Saudi Arabia appears to have supported India's stance on Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement with Pakistan. It urged India and Pakistan to resolve their "outstanding issues" bilaterally. The two nations issued a joint statement after the meeting between Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The joint statement reads, "The two sides stressed the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve the outstanding issues be...