''Kaala'' an action drama film written and directed by Pa. Ranjith and produced by Dhanush under his banner Wunderbar Films, starring Rajinikanth in the lead role released in Saudi Arabia today.

The much-awaited gangster drama had earlier opened to an overwhelming response in India.

While the fans are excited that Kaala has released in three languages, according to reports, ''Kaala'' has now become the first Indian film to release in Saudi Arabia, which recently lifted its ban on movies.&nbsp;

Despite the Karnataka controversy and other issues, ''Kaala'' has hit screens worldwide.

Reports suggest that ''Kaala'' is Rajinikanth’s biggest release in the US till date.

''Kaala'' also premiered in Malaysia on June 6, followed by a release in 1,800 theatres in India on June 7.

The film is about the life of Nellai / Tirunelveli based Tamils who live in large numbers in Mumbai.

 
&nbsp;

The much-awaited gangster drama had earlier opened to an overwhelming response in India

''Kaala'' an action drama film written and directed by Pa. Ranjith and produced by Dhanush under his banner Wunderbar Films, starring Rajinikanth in the lead role released in Saudi Arabia today. The much-awaited gangster drama had earlier opened to an overwhelming response in India. While the fans are excited that Kaala has released in three languages, according to reports, ''Kaala'' has now become the first Indian film to release in Saudi Arabia, which recently lifted its ban on movies. Despite the Karnataka controversy and other issues, ''Kaala'' has hit screens worldwide. Reports suggest that ''Kaala'' is Rajinikanth’s biggest release in the US till date. ''Kaala'' also premiered in Malaysia on June 6, followed by a release in 1,800 theatres in India on June 7. The film is about the life of Nellai / Tirunelveli based Tamils who live in large numbers in Mumbai.

'Kaala' becomes first Indian film to release in Saudi Arabia

Rajinikanth's Kaala becomes the first Indian film to release in Saudi Arabia post the nation lifted the ban on cinema.&nbsp;

Kaala’s worldwide release today was marked by a lot of firsts apart from Saudi’s release as Indian fans geared up since the night to watch their <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-fans-excited-before-kaalas-release-142747">favourite superstar</a> 'Thalaiva'&nbsp;on screen. Many even posed with a 67-feet tall poster of Thalaivar as Rajinikanth is 67 years old in real life. Some served milk in front of the poster as a mark of respect and bringing in a new start. The custom is usually seen in temples when devotees serve milk and ghee to statues of Gods.&nbsp;

Over 50 women, dressed in traditional south Indian yellow sari, walked from a temple to the theatre to show their devotion for the actor.&nbsp;

While many fans geared up for the release in India, the film, however, failed to create its usual magic on the big screen as Kaala recorded the worst opening for any Rajinikanth’s film.&nbsp;

Kaala has been embroiled in controversy as Rajinikanth’s statement on Cauvery water issue was not taken lightly by pro-Kannada outfits that threatened to not let theatres show Kaala. Supreme Court, on Wednesday,<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-supreme-court-refuses-to-stall-release-of-rajinikanth-starrer-kaala-to-hit-screen-tomorrow-142548"> refused to stall the release </a>of the film and directed the state government to oversee the smooth release of the film.&nbsp;

On another note, the first film to ever release in Saudi Arabia was Marvel’s Black Panther that received rave reviews from an eager audience. 
&nbsp;

'Kaala' released worldwide today after a series of protests against its release in the state of Karnataka in India

Rajinikanth's Kaala becomes the first Indian film to release in Saudi Arabia post the nation lifted the ban on cinema. Kaala’s worldwide release today was marked by a lot of firsts apart from Saudi’s release as Indian fans geared up since the night to watch their favourite superstar 'Thalaiva' on screen. Many even posed with a 67-feet tall poster of Thalaivar as Rajinikanth is 67 years old in real life. Some served milk in front of the poster as a mark of respect and bringing in a new start. The custom is usually seen in temples when devotees serve milk and ghee to statues of Gods. Over 50 women, dressed in traditional south Indian yellow sari, walked from a temple to the theatre to show their devotion for the actor. While many fans geared up for the release in India, the film, however, failed to create its usual magic on the big screen as Kaala recorded the worst opening for any Rajinikanth’s film. Kaala has been embroiled in controversy as Rajinikanth’s statement on Cauvery water issue was not taken lightly by pro-Kannada outfits that threatened to not let theatres show Kaala. Supreme Court, on Wednesday, refused to stall the release of the film and directed the state government to oversee the smooth release of the film. On another note, the first film to ever release in Saudi Arabia was Marvel’s Black Panther that received rave reviews from an eager audience.

Rajinikanth's 'Kaala' becomes first Indian film to release in Saudi Arabia after it lifts ban on cinema

Union Minister for Health, JP Nadda on Tuesday downplayed the Nipah virus outbreak, assuring that the situation was under control.

"Within 12 hours of the Nipah virus outbreak, a team of doctors reached Kerala, discussed the disease's management and controlled it in a time-bound manner. Health Ministry and I are personally monitoring the situation. There is no need to panic," said Nadda.

Earlier, Nadda had claimed that the outbreak of the virus was a result of "tampering with nature".

Nadda further noted that scientists from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Safdarjung Hospital, National Institute of Virology in Pune and doctors from the National Centre for Disease Control are supporting health authorities in Kerala in managing the outbreak.

Eighteen people have so far contracted the Nipah virus in Kerala. Of them, 17 have died while two are recovering well.&nbsp;

Over 2,000 people who it is thought may have contracted the virus are currently being monitored in Kerala.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has banned frozen and processed fruit and vegetable imports from Kerala amid concerns over the deadly Nipah virus outbreak.

The Nipah virus itself can cause encephalitis - a dangerous swelling of the brain - and common symptoms vary from none to elevated fevers, cough, headache, shortness of breath and confusion, the Gulf News reported on Monday.

The UAE had on May 29 banned the import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Kerala. UAE officials announced that 100 tonnes of fruit, vegetables and fresh produce that was to be imported from Kerala was prohibited from entry.

He further noted that scientists from AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, National Institute of Virology in Pune and doctors from the National Centre for Disease Control are supporting health authorities in Kerala in managing the outbreak

Union Minister for Health, JP Nadda on Tuesday downplayed the Nipah virus outbreak, assuring that the situation was under control. "Within 12 hours of the Nipah virus outbreak, a team of doctors reached Kerala, discussed the disease's management and controlled it in a time-bound manner. Health Ministry and I are personally monitoring the situation. There is no need to panic," said Nadda. Earlier, Nadda had claimed that the outbreak of the virus was a result of "tampering with nature". Nadda further noted that scientists from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Safdarjung Hospital, National Institute of Virology in Pune and doctors from the National Centre for Disease Control are supporting health authorities in Kerala in managing the outbreak. Eighteen people have so far contracted the Nipah virus in Kerala. Of them, 17 have died while two are recovering well. Over 2,000 people who it is thought may have contracted the virus are currently being monitored in Kerala. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has banned frozen and processed fruit and vegetable imports from Kerala amid concerns over the deadly Nipah virus outbreak. The Nipah virus itself can cause encephalitis - a dangerous swelling of the brain - and common symptoms vary from none to elevated fevers, cough, headache, shortness of breath and confusion, the Gulf News reported on Monday. The UAE had on May 29 banned the import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Kerala. UAE officials announced that 100 tonnes of fruit, vegetables and fresh produce that was to be imported from Kerala was prohibited from entry.

Nipah virus controlled within 12 hours, no need to panic: Union Health Minister

Saudi Arabia has banned the import of frozen and processed fruits and vegetables from Kerala after the outbreak of the Nipah virus there, news reports said Tuesday.&nbsp

The UAE had on May 29 banned the import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Kerala.&nbsp

The Nipah virus can cause encephalitis — a dangerous swelling of the brain.

Symptoms of the virus vary from none to fever, cough, headache, shortness of breath, and confusion. This may worsen into a coma over a day or two.

The main host of the virus is said to be the fruit bat, with the virus passing from the bat to the fruits it touches.&nbsp

The virus can also be transmitted from animals to humans.&nbsp

Eighteen people have so far contracted the Nipah virus in Kerala. Of them, 16 have died while two are recovering well.&nbsp

Over 2,000 people who it is thought may have contracted the virus are currently being monitored in Kerala.&nbsp

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan meanwhile said on Monday that the spread of the virus has been contained, but that people should continue to be alert.

The UAE had on May 29 banned the import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Kerala. Sixteen people have so far died from the virus in Kerala

Saudi Arabia has banned the import of frozen and processed fruits and vegetables from Kerala after the outbreak of the Nipah virus there, news reports said Tuesday. The UAE had on May 29 banned the import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Kerala. The Nipah virus can cause encephalitis — a dangerous swelling of the brain. Symptoms of the virus vary from none to fever, cough, headache, shortness of breath, and confusion. This may worsen into a coma over a day or two. The main host of the virus is said to be the fruit bat, with the virus passing from the bat to the fruits it touches. The virus can also be transmitted from animals to humans. Eighteen people have so far contracted the Nipah virus in Kerala. Of them, 16 have died while two are recovering well. Over 2,000 people who it is thought may have contracted the virus are currently being monitored in Kerala. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan meanwhile said on Monday that the spread of the virus has been contained, but that people should continue to be alert.

Nipah virus scare: Saudi Arabia bans import of fruits, vegetables from Kerala

Saudi Arabia issued its first driving licences to women on Monday.

The official Saudi press agency stated that under the new law, women will be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia from June 24.

A statement released to&nbsp;the press said, "The general directorate of traffic today started replacing international driving licences recognised in the kingdom with Saudi licences, in preparation for allowing women to drive from June 24".

The kingdom had announced in September 2017 that it would lift the ban on women driving.

Women will now be allowed to drive cars, motorcycles and trucks.

Women drivers involved in road accidents and traffic violations will be dealt with at special centres established and run by women officials, noted an AFP report.

The lifting of the driving ban is part of Crown Prince Salman's Vision 2030, which looks to reduce the kingdom's dependence on oil, diversify the economy and also open up Saudi society.

Following the reforms, the first cinema hall opened recently in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The reforms have also allowed women to start their own businesses without taking permission from their husbands or guardians.

Women will also be&nbsp;allowed to join the military, but will not serve in combat roles.

(With inputs from AFP)

Women will be allowed to drive from June 24. The lifting of the driving ban is part of Crown Prince Salman's Vision 2030, which looks to reduce the kingdom's dependence on oil, diversify the economy and also open up Saudi society

Saudi Arabia issued its first driving licences to women on Monday. The official Saudi press agency stated that under the new law, women will be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia from June 24. A statement released to the press said, "The general directorate of traffic today started replacing international driving licences recognised in the kingdom with Saudi licences, in preparation for allowing women to drive from June 24". The kingdom had announced in September 2017 that it would lift the ban on women driving. Women will now be allowed to drive cars, motorcycles and trucks. Women drivers involved in road accidents and traffic violations will be dealt with at special centres established and run by women officials, noted an AFP report. The lifting of the driving ban is part of Crown Prince Salman's Vision 2030, which looks to reduce the kingdom's dependence on oil, diversify the economy and also open up Saudi society. Following the reforms, the first cinema hall opened recently in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The reforms have also allowed women to start their own businesses without taking permission from their husbands or guardians. Women will also be allowed to join the military, but will not serve in combat roles. (With inputs from AFP)

Saudi Arabia begins issuing driving licences to women

Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it detained 17 people for "undermining" the kingdom's security, in what campaigners have dubbed a sweeping crackdown against activists just weeks before a ban on women driving ends.

Rights groups earlier reported arrests of at least 11 people last month, mostly identified as women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system.

Without naming anyone, the public prosecutor's office said the number of detainees stood at 17, adding that eight of them had been "temporarily released" until the investigation is completed.

Nine suspects, including four women, remain in custody after they "confessed" to a slew of charges such as suspicious contact with "hostile" organisations and recruiting people in sensitive government positions, it said in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency.

The statement accused the detainees of "coordinated activity undermining the security and stability of the kingdom".

Previous reports in state-backed media branded some of the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies".

Campaigners have dismissed the reports as a "smear" campaign.

The crackdown has also sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24.

The European Parliament last week approved a resolution calling for the unconditional release of the detained activists and other human rights defenders, while urging a more vocal response from EU nations.

"The Saudi Arabian authorities' endless harassment of women's rights activists is entirely unjustifiable, and the world must not remain silent on the repression of human rights defenders in the country," Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns, said last week.

"Saudi Arabia's allies -- in particular the US, UK and France -- must push Saudi Arabian authorities to end their targeted repression of human rights activists in the country."

Rights groups earlier reported arrests of at least 11 people last month, mostly identified as women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system

Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it detained 17 people for "undermining" the kingdom's security, in what campaigners have dubbed a sweeping crackdown against activists just weeks before a ban on women driving ends. Rights groups earlier reported arrests of at least 11 people last month, mostly identified as women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system. Without naming anyone, the public prosecutor's office said the number of detainees stood at 17, adding that eight of them had been "temporarily released" until the investigation is completed. Nine suspects, including four women, remain in custody after they "confessed" to a slew of charges such as suspicious contact with "hostile" organisations and recruiting people in sensitive government positions, it said in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency. The statement accused the detainees of "coordinated activity undermining the security and stability of the kingdom". Previous reports in state-backed media branded some of the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies". Campaigners have dismissed the reports as a "smear" campaign. The crackdown has also sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24. The European Parliament last week approved a resolution calling for the unconditional release of the detained activists and other human rights defenders, while urging a more vocal response from EU nations. "The Saudi Arabian authorities' endless harassment of women's rights activists is entirely unjustifiable, and the world must not remain silent on the repression of human rights defenders in the country," Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns, said last week. "Saudi Arabia's allies -- in particular the US, UK and France -- must push Saudi Arabian authorities to end their targeted repression of human rights activists in the country."

Saudi Arabia says 17 detained in sweeping crackdown

Saudi Arabia announced another cabinet reshuffle&nbsp;Saturday&nbsp;with a heavy focus on culture and religion, as the kingdom undergoes a major image rehaul.&nbsp;

This is the second significant government change since the appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of the king, as heir to the region's most powerful throne. Prince Mohammed serves as deputy prime minister under his father, King Salman.&nbsp;

State news agency SPA announced King Salman had replaced the country's labour, Islamic affairs and culture ministers.&nbsp;

The kingdom also announced it had set up a royal commission for the holy city of Mecca, which is expected to welcome millions of Muslim pilgrims for the annual hajj in August, to be chaired by Prince Mohammed.&nbsp;

The powerful Prince Mohammed has consolidated his grip on power since sidelining his cousin as crown prince last June.&nbsp;

He has since spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive.&nbsp;

He was also seen as the driving force behind the detention of 200 royals and businessmen at the Ritz Carlton in November in what the government said was a crackdown on corruption. Most have since been released, after reaching settlements with the state.

On Friday, the crown prince earned a harsh warning from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the jihadist group's Yemen branch, over his "sinful projects", which AQAP said included a WWE wrestling event hosted by the kingdom in April.&nbsp;

State news agency SPA announced King Salman had replaced the country's labour, Islamic affairs and culture ministers

Saudi Arabia announced another cabinet reshuffle Saturday with a heavy focus on culture and religion, as the kingdom undergoes a major image rehaul. This is the second significant government change since the appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of the king, as heir to the region's most powerful throne. Prince Mohammed serves as deputy prime minister under his father, King Salman. State news agency SPA announced King Salman had replaced the country's labour, Islamic affairs and culture ministers. The kingdom also announced it had set up a royal commission for the holy city of Mecca, which is expected to welcome millions of Muslim pilgrims for the annual hajj in August, to be chaired by Prince Mohammed. The powerful Prince Mohammed has consolidated his grip on power since sidelining his cousin as crown prince last June. He has since spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive. He was also seen as the driving force behind the detention of 200 royals and businessmen at the Ritz Carlton in November in what the government said was a crackdown on corruption. Most have since been released, after reaching settlements with the state. On Friday, the crown prince earned a harsh warning from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the jihadist group's Yemen branch, over his "sinful projects", which AQAP said included a WWE wrestling event hosted by the kingdom in April.

Saudi Arabia reshuffles cabinet with eye on culture

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has threatened to take military action if Qatar installs a Russian air defence system, France's Le Monde newspaper reported.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar last year, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, which it denies.

Qatar and Russia signed an agreement on military and technical cooperation last year. Qatar's ambassador to Russia was quoted as saying in January that it was in talks to buy the Russian S-400 missile air defence systems.

Le Monde said that Saudi King Salman had written a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, expressing his profound concern over negotiations between Doha and Moscow and the possibility that Qatar could deploy the missiles.

"The kingdom would be ready to take all necessary measures to eliminate this defence system, including military action," Le Monde quoted the letter to Macron as saying. It said the letter had been sent "recently", but was not more specific.

Salman asked Macron for his assistance to prevent the sale of the missiles and preserve peace in the region, Le Monde said.

The French president's office and the Saudi government's communications office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar last year, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, which it denies

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has threatened to take military action if Qatar installs a Russian air defence system, France's Le Monde newspaper reported. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar last year, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, which it denies. Qatar and Russia signed an agreement on military and technical cooperation last year. Qatar's ambassador to Russia was quoted as saying in January that it was in talks to buy the Russian S-400 missile air defence systems. Le Monde said that Saudi King Salman had written a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, expressing his profound concern over negotiations between Doha and Moscow and the possibility that Qatar could deploy the missiles. "The kingdom would be ready to take all necessary measures to eliminate this defence system, including military action," Le Monde quoted the letter to Macron as saying. It said the letter had been sent "recently", but was not more specific. Salman asked Macron for his assistance to prevent the sale of the missiles and preserve peace in the region, Le Monde said. The French president's office and the Saudi government's communications office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia threatens military action if Qatar deploys Russian anti-aircraft missiles: Report

Newly-elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Mahathir is adopting policies that could reshape the Southeast Asian nation’s relations with powerful Gulf states.

A series of anti-corruption measures as well as statements by Mahathir and his defence minister, Mohamad (Mat) Sabu, since this month’s upset in elections that ousted Prime Minister Najib Razak from office, are sparking concern in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Mahathir, who has cautioned in recent years against widespread anti-Shiite sectarianism in Malaysia, has questioned together with Sabu Malaysia’s counterterrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Mahathir has also reinvigorated anti-corruption investigations of Razak, whom Qatari media have described as “Saudi-backed.”

Razak is suspected of having syphoned off billions of dollars from state-owned strategic development fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The fund as well as Saudi and UAE entities allegedly connected to the affair are under investigation in at least six countries, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.

Apparently anticipating a possible change in relations, political scientist Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, whose views are often seen as reflecting UAE government thinking, disparaged Mr. Mahathir and the Malaysian vote days after the results were announced.

Abdulla focused on Mahathir’s age. At 92, Mahathir is the world’s oldest-elected leader.

Abdulla also harped on the fact that Mahathir had been Razak’s mentor before defecting to the opposition and forging an alliance with Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir’s former deputy prime minister and an Islamist believed to be close to the Muslim Brotherhood, whom he helped put behind bars.

UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed is known for his intense opposition to political Islam, including the Brotherhood.

“Malaysia seems to lack wise men, leaders, statesmen and youth to elect a 92-year-old who suddenly turned against his own party and his own allies and made a suspicious deal with his own political opponent whom he previously imprisoned after fabricating the most heinous of charges against him. This is politics as a curse and democracy as wrath,” Abdulla said on Twitter, two days after the election.

Similarly, Malaysian officials have signalled changing attitudes towards the Gulf. Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull, Mahathir’s newly appointed anti-corruption czar, who resigned from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in 2016 as a result of pressure to drop plans to indict Razak, noted that “we have had difficulties dealing with Arab countries (such as) Qatar, Saudi Arabia, (and the) UAE.”

Those difficulties are likely to recur.

Sabu, the new defence minister, noted in a commentary late last year that Saudi (and UAE) wrath was directed “oddly, (at) Turkey, Qatar, and Iran…three countries that have undertaken some modicum of political and economic reforms. Instead of encouraging all sides to work together, Saudi Arabia has gone on an offensive in Yemen, too. Therein the danger posed to Malaysia: if Malaysia is too close to Saudi Arabia, Putrajaya would be asked to choose a side.”

Putrajaya, a city south of Kuala Lumpur, is home to the prime minister’s residence and a bridge with four minaret-type piers that is inspired by Iranian architecture.

Sabu went on to say that “Malaysia should not be too close to a country whose internal politics are getting toxic… For the lack of a better word, Saudi Arabia is a cesspool of constant rivalry among the princes. By this token, it is also a vortex that could suck any country into its black hole if one is not careful. Indeed, Saudi Arabia is governed by hyper-orthodox Salafi or Wahhabi ideology, where Islam is taken in a literal form. Yet true Islam requires understanding Islam, not merely in its Quranic form, but Quranic spirit.”

Since coming to office, Sabu has said that he was reviewing plans for a Saudi-funded anti-terrorism centre, the King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP), which was allocated 16 hectares of land in Putrajaya by the Razak government. Sabu was echoing statements by Mahathir before the election.

The opening of the centre was twice postponed because Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman cancelled his planned attendance. Malaysian officials said the kingdom had yet to contribute promised funds for the centre.

Shahriman Lockman, an analyst with the Kuala Lumpur-based Institute of Strategic and International Studies cautioned that Malaysia would have manoeuvre carefully.

“Whether we like it or not, whatever we think of them, Saudi Arabia is a major player in the Muslim world and in the Middle East. Their administration of the haj makes it crucial for Muslim-majority countries to get along with them,” Lockman said.

The fact that Mahathir’s election has sparked hopes that he will move Malaysia away from Razak’s embrace of Saudi-inspired ultra-conservative Islam as a political tool, despite the prime minister’s history of prejudice towards Jews and past anti-Shiite record, is likely to reinforce Saudi and UAE concern that his moves could favour Iran.

Mahathir has vacillated in his statements between banning Shiism to avert sectarianism and calling on Sunni Muslims in Malaysia to accept the country’s miniscule Shiite minority as a way of avoiding domestic strife.

What is likely to concern the Saudis most is the fact that Mahathir has said that accepting Shiites as fellow Muslims was necessary because of the growth of the Iranian expatriate community in Malaysia. Analysts say the presence has sparked a greater awareness of Shiism and Sunni animosity because of Razak’s divisive policies.

Saudi and UAE worries about the reinvigorated anti-corruption investigation are rooted in the potential implication in the scandal of a Saudi commercial company, members of the Saudi ruling family, and UAE state-owned entities and officials.

The investigation is likely to revisit 1MDB relationship’s with Saudi energy company PetroSaudi International Ltd, owned by Saudi businessman Tarek Essam Ahmad Obaid as well as prominent members of the kingdom’s ruling family who allegedly funded Razak.

It will not have been lost on Saudi Arabia and the UAE that Mahathir met with former PetroSaudi executive and whistle-blower Xavier Andre Justo less than two weeks after his election victory.

A three-part BBC documentary, The House of Saud: A Family at War, suggested that Razak had worked with Prince Turki bin Abdullah, the son of former Saudi King Abdullah, to syphon off funds from 1MDB.

UAE-owned, Swiss-based Falcon Bank has also been linked to the scandal while leaked emails documented a close relationship between Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE’s high-profile ambassador to the United States and confidante of Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, and controversial Malaysian financier Jho Low, a 27-year-old Wharton graduate who helped Razak run 1MDB.

The Wall Street Journal, citing not only emails, but also US court and investigative documents, reported last year that companies connected to Otaiba had received $66 million from entities investigators say acted as conduits for money allegedly stolen from 1MDB.

The UAE embassy in Washington declined to comment at the time but admitted that Oteiba had private business interests unrelated to his diplomatic role. The embassy charged that the leaked emails were part of an effort to tarnish his reputation.

Bank statements and financial documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal suggest that Khadem al Qubaisi, a director of an Abu Dhabi-owned investment company, who has also been implicated in the scandal, facilitated the purchase by UAE deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s brother of a $500 million yacht with 1MDB funds.

“The impact of this election will reverberate far beyond Malaysia's borders,” said Asia director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue Michael Vatikiotis.

Vatikiotis was looking primarily at the fallout of Mahathir’s victory in Southeast Asia and China. His analysis is however equally valid for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where it could also prove to be embarrassing.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed is known for his intense opposition to political Islam, including the Brotherhood.

Newly-elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Mahathir is adopting policies that could reshape the Southeast Asian nation’s relations with powerful Gulf states. A series of anti-corruption measures as well as statements by Mahathir and his defence minister, Mohamad (Mat) Sabu, since this month’s upset in elections that ousted Prime Minister Najib Razak from office, are sparking concern in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Mahathir, who has cautioned in recent years against widespread anti-Shiite sectarianism in Malaysia, has questioned together with Sabu Malaysia’s counterterrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia. Mahathir has also reinvigorated anti-corruption investigations of Razak, whom Qatari media have described as “Saudi-backed.” Razak is suspected of having syphoned off billions of dollars from state-owned strategic development fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The fund as well as Saudi and UAE entities allegedly connected to the affair are under investigation in at least six countries, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore. Apparently anticipating a possible change in relations, political scientist Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, whose views are often seen as reflecting UAE government thinking, disparaged Mr. Mahathir and the Malaysian vote days after the results were announced. Abdulla focused on Mahathir’s age. At 92, Mahathir is the world’s oldest-elected leader. Abdulla also harped on the fact that Mahathir had been Razak’s mentor before defecting to the opposition and forging an alliance with Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir’s former deputy prime minister and an Islamist believed to be close to the Muslim Brotherhood, whom he helped put behind bars. UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed is known for his intense opposition to political Islam, including the Brotherhood. “Malaysia seems to lack wise men, leaders, statesmen and youth to elect a 92-year-old who suddenly turned against his own party and his own allies and made a suspicious deal with his own political opponent whom he previously imprisoned after fabricating the most heinous of charges against him. This is politics as a curse and democracy as wrath,” Abdulla said on Twitter, two days after the election. Similarly, Malaysian officials have signalled changing attitudes towards the Gulf. Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull, Mahathir’s newly appointed anti-corruption czar, who resigned from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in 2016 as a result of pressure to drop plans to indict Razak, noted that “we have had difficulties dealing with Arab countries (such as) Qatar, Saudi Arabia, (and the) UAE.” Those difficulties are likely to recur. Sabu, the new defence minister, noted in a commentary late last year that Saudi (and UAE) wrath was directed “oddly, (at) Turkey, Qatar, and Iran…three countries that have undertaken some modicum of political and economic reforms. Instead of encouraging all sides to work together, Saudi Arabia has gone on an offensive in Yemen, too. Therein the danger posed to Malaysia: if Malaysia is too close to Saudi Arabia, Putrajaya would be asked to choose a side.” Putrajaya, a city south of Kuala Lumpur, is home to the prime minister’s residence and a bridge with four minaret-type piers that is inspired by Iranian architecture. Sabu went on to say that “Malaysia should not be too close to a country whose internal politics are getting toxic… For the lack of a better word, Saudi Arabia is a cesspool of constant rivalry among the princes. By this token, it is also a vortex that could suck any country into its black hole if one is not careful. Indeed, Saudi Arabia is governed by hyper-orthodox Salafi or Wahhabi ideology, where Islam is taken in a literal form. Yet true Islam requires understanding Islam, not merely in its Quranic form, but Quranic spirit.” Since coming to office, Sabu has said that he was reviewing plans for a Saudi-funded anti-terrorism centre, the King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP), which was allocated 16 hectares of land in Putrajaya by the Razak government. Sabu was echoing statements by Mahathir before the election. The opening of the centre was twice postponed because Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman cancelled his planned attendance. Malaysian officials said the kingdom had yet to contribute promised funds for the centre. Shahriman Lockman, an analyst with the Kuala Lumpur-based Institute of Strategic and International Studies cautioned that Malaysia would have manoeuvre carefully. “Whether we like it or not, whatever we think of them, Saudi Arabia is a major player in the Muslim world and in the Middle East. Their administration of the haj makes it crucial for Muslim-majority countries to get along with them,” Lockman said. The fact that Mahathir’s election has sparked hopes that he will move Malaysia away from Razak’s embrace of Saudi-inspired ultra-conservative Islam as a political tool, despite the prime minister’s history of prejudice towards Jews and past anti-Shiite record, is likely to reinforce Saudi and UAE concern that his moves could favour Iran. Mahathir has vacillated in his statements between banning Shiism to avert sectarianism and calling on Sunni Muslims in Malaysia to accept the country’s miniscule Shiite minority as a way of avoiding domestic strife. What is likely to concern the Saudis most is the fact that Mahathir has said that accepting Shiites as fellow Muslims was necessary because of the growth of the Iranian expatriate community in Malaysia. Analysts say the presence has sparked a greater awareness of Shiism and Sunni animosity because of Razak’s divisive policies. Saudi and UAE worries about the reinvigorated anti-corruption investigation are rooted in the potential implication in the scandal of a Saudi commercial company, members of the Saudi ruling family, and UAE state-owned entities and officials. The investigation is likely to revisit 1MDB relationship’s with Saudi energy company PetroSaudi International Ltd, owned by Saudi businessman Tarek Essam Ahmad Obaid as well as prominent members of the kingdom’s ruling family who allegedly funded Razak. It will not have been lost on Saudi Arabia and the UAE that Mahathir met with former PetroSaudi executive and whistle-blower Xavier Andre Justo less than two weeks after his election victory. A three-part BBC documentary, The House of Saud: A Family at War, suggested that Razak had worked with Prince Turki bin Abdullah, the son of former Saudi King Abdullah, to syphon off funds from 1MDB. UAE-owned, Swiss-based Falcon Bank has also been linked to the scandal while leaked emails documented a close relationship between Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE’s high-profile ambassador to the United States and confidante of Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, and controversial Malaysian financier Jho Low, a 27-year-old Wharton graduate who helped Razak run 1MDB. The Wall Street Journal, citing not only emails, but also US court and investigative documents, reported last year that companies connected to Otaiba had received $66 million from entities investigators say acted as conduits for money allegedly stolen from 1MDB. The UAE embassy in Washington declined to comment at the time but admitted that Oteiba had private business interests unrelated to his diplomatic role. The embassy charged that the leaked emails were part of an effort to tarnish his reputation. Bank statements and financial documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal suggest that Khadem al Qubaisi, a director of an Abu Dhabi-owned investment company, who has also been implicated in the scandal, facilitated the purchase by UAE deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s brother of a $500 million yacht with 1MDB funds. “The impact of this election will reverberate far beyond Malaysia's borders,” said Asia director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue Michael Vatikiotis. Vatikiotis was looking primarily at the fallout of Mahathir’s victory in Southeast Asia and China. His analysis is however equally valid for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where it could also prove to be embarrassing. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Mahathir's reforms could put Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the spot

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has warned Saudi Arabia's reformist Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his "sinful projects", in a bulletin released Friday.

Prince Mohammed has spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive.&nbsp;

"The new era of Bin Salman replaced mosques with movie theatres," the Yemen-based jihadist group said in its Madad news bulletin, picked up by the SITE Intelligence Group.&nbsp;

He "substituted books that belonged to the imams... with absurdities of the atheists and secularists from the east and the west and opened the door wide for corruption and moral degradation," it said.

The Sunni jihadist group AQAP has flourished amid a complex war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia heads a military alliance battling Shiite Huthi rebels.

In its statement, AQAP slammed April's WWE Royal Rumble event in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, near the Islam's most holy sites in Mecca.

"(Foreign) disbelieving wrestlers exposed their privates and on most of them was the sign of the cross, in front of a mixed gathering of young Muslim men and women," it said.&nbsp;

"The corruptors did not stop at that, for every night musical concerts are being announced, as well as movies and circus shows," SITE quoted it as saying.

AQAP in southern Yemen is the target of a long-running drone campaign by the United States, which regards it as the most dangerous branch of the extremist group.

Yemen's conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead, tens of thousands wounded, and millions on the brink of famine.&nbsp;

The United Nations has called Yemen world's worst humanitarian crisis.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the war between Yemen's Huthi rebels and the government of now-exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in 2015.

They have landed on a United Nations blacklist over the killing and maiming of children.&nbsp;

The Huthi rebels, linked to Iran, have also come under fire for neglecting to protect civilians and targeting the press and minorities.&nbsp;

The rebels have controlled the capital Sanaa since 2014.

Prince Mohammed has spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has warned Saudi Arabia's reformist Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his "sinful projects", in a bulletin released Friday. Prince Mohammed has spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive. "The new era of Bin Salman replaced mosques with movie theatres," the Yemen-based jihadist group said in its Madad news bulletin, picked up by the SITE Intelligence Group. He "substituted books that belonged to the imams... with absurdities of the atheists and secularists from the east and the west and opened the door wide for corruption and moral degradation," it said. The Sunni jihadist group AQAP has flourished amid a complex war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia heads a military alliance battling Shiite Huthi rebels. In its statement, AQAP slammed April's WWE Royal Rumble event in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, near the Islam's most holy sites in Mecca. "(Foreign) disbelieving wrestlers exposed their privates and on most of them was the sign of the cross, in front of a mixed gathering of young Muslim men and women," it said. "The corruptors did not stop at that, for every night musical concerts are being announced, as well as movies and circus shows," SITE quoted it as saying. AQAP in southern Yemen is the target of a long-running drone campaign by the United States, which regards it as the most dangerous branch of the extremist group. Yemen's conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead, tens of thousands wounded, and millions on the brink of famine. The United Nations has called Yemen world's worst humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the war between Yemen's Huthi rebels and the government of now-exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in 2015. They have landed on a United Nations blacklist over the killing and maiming of children. The Huthi rebels, linked to Iran, have also come under fire for neglecting to protect civilians and targeting the press and minorities. The rebels have controlled the capital Sanaa since 2014.

Al-Qaeda warns Saudi crown prince over 'sin'

Saudi Arabia is preparing to outlaw sexual harassment, officials said Tuesday, less than a month before the conservative kingdom lifts its decades-long ban on women driving.

The kingdom's Shura Council, which advises the cabinet, approved a draft law on Monday which would introduce a prison term of up to five years and a penalty of 300,000 riyals ($80,000).

The draft bill "is a very important addition to the history of regulations in the kingdom", Shura Council member Latifa al-Shaalan was quoted as saying in an information ministry statement.

"It fills a large legislative vacuum, and it is a deterrent," she added.

The kingdom's driving ban on women is slated to end June 24, as part of a highly publicised liberalisation drive launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who styles himself as a progressive reformer.

The prince has also lifted a decades-long ban on cinemas, allowed mixed-gender concerts and clipped the powers of the long-feared religious police.

But the social reforms appear overshadowed by the recent arrests of at least 11 activists, mostly identified by rights groups as veteran women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative country's male guardianship system.&nbsp;

Authorities have accused the activists of "suspicious contact with foreign parties", providing financial support to "enemies" and attempting to undermine the kingdom's "security and stability".

Reports in state-backed media branded some of the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies".

At least four detained activists were released last week, campaigners including Amnesty International said, but the fate of the others remains unclear.

"Given the significant loosening of certain restrictions on women's activities in Saudi Arabia... it is perplexing why both women and men engaged in campaigning for such positive developments are now being targeted by the authorities," the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement.

"If, as it appears, their detention is related solely to their work as human rights defenders and activists on women's issues, they should be released immediately."

Saudi authorities have so far not commented publicly on the detentions.

 
&nbsp;

But the social reforms appear overshadowed by the recent arrests of at least 11 activists

Saudi Arabia is preparing to outlaw sexual harassment, officials said Tuesday, less than a month before the conservative kingdom lifts its decades-long ban on women driving. The kingdom's Shura Council, which advises the cabinet, approved a draft law on Monday which would introduce a prison term of up to five years and a penalty of 300,000 riyals ($80,000). The draft bill "is a very important addition to the history of regulations in the kingdom", Shura Council member Latifa al-Shaalan was quoted as saying in an information ministry statement. "It fills a large legislative vacuum, and it is a deterrent," she added. The kingdom's driving ban on women is slated to end June 24, as part of a highly publicised liberalisation drive launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who styles himself as a progressive reformer. The prince has also lifted a decades-long ban on cinemas, allowed mixed-gender concerts and clipped the powers of the long-feared religious police. But the social reforms appear overshadowed by the recent arrests of at least 11 activists, mostly identified by rights groups as veteran women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative country's male guardianship system. Authorities have accused the activists of "suspicious contact with foreign parties", providing financial support to "enemies" and attempting to undermine the kingdom's "security and stability". Reports in state-backed media branded some of the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies". At least four detained activists were released last week, campaigners including Amnesty International said, but the fate of the others remains unclear. "Given the significant loosening of certain restrictions on women's activities in Saudi Arabia... it is perplexing why both women and men engaged in campaigning for such positive developments are now being targeted by the authorities," the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement. "If, as it appears, their detention is related solely to their work as human rights defenders and activists on women's issues, they should be released immediately." Saudi authorities have so far not commented publicly on the detentions.

Saudi Arabia seeks to criminalise sexual harassment

Qatar has ordered shops to remove goods originating from a group of Saudi Arabian-led countries which a year ago imposed a wide-ranging boycott on the emirate, Doha officials said Saturday.&nbsp

A directive from the economy ministry ordered shops to immediately strip shelves of products from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

Inspectors will visit stores to ensure they comply with the order, the ministry said.

The government will also try and stop products such as Saudi dairy goods from entering Qatar via a third country.

Qatar's Government Communications Office (GCO) said it was trying to "protect the safety of consumers".

"Products originating from blockading states, which as a result of the blockade cannot pass the GCC customs territory, has to undergo proper import inspections and customs procedures," the GCO said in a statement.&nbsp

"Qatar conducts its trade policy in accordance with all of its multilateral and bilateral agreements."

The order comes just days before the anniversary of a bitter Gulf crisis.

Since June 5 last year, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have cut all relations with Qatar, accusing it of financing terrorist groups and having close ties with Iran.

The countries subsequently imposed a trade and diplomatic boycott on Qatar, which rejects the charges and says the countries are seeking regime change in Doha.

The row has forced isolated Qatar, which previously relied on its Gulf neighbours, to look elsewhere for food imports, including Turkey, Morocco and Iran.&nbsp

Many such imports enter the country via ports such as Kuwait and Oman.

It is through these ports, and also via individuals, that goods from the boycotting countries manage to get in to Qatar, said a source with knowledge of the situation.

"Businessmen from the blockading countries are trying to go around the blockade... by using third parties," said the source. &nbspQatar has ordered shops to remove goods originating from a group of Saudi Arabian-led countries which a year ago imposed a wide-ranging boycott on the emirate, Doha officials said Saturday.&nbsp

A directive from the economy ministry ordered shops to immediately strip shelves of products from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

Inspectors will visit stores to ensure they comply with the order, the ministry said.

The government will also try and stop products such as Saudi dairy goods from entering Qatar via a third country.

Qatar's Government Communications Office (GCO) said it was trying to "protect the safety of consumers".

"Products originating from blockading states, which as a result of the blockade cannot pass the GCC customs territory, has to undergo proper import inspections and customs procedures," the GCO said in a statement.&nbsp

"Qatar conducts its trade policy in accordance with all of its multilateral and bilateral agreements."

The order comes just days before the anniversary of a bitter Gulf crisis.

Since June 5 last year, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have cut all relations with Qatar, accusing it of financing terrorist groups and having close ties with Iran.

The countries subsequently imposed a trade and diplomatic boycott on Qatar, which rejects the charges and says the countries are seeking regime change in Doha.

The row has forced isolated Qatar, which previously relied on its Gulf neighbours, to look elsewhere for food imports, including Turkey, Morocco and Iran.&nbsp

Many such imports enter the country via ports such as Kuwait and Oman.

It is through these ports, and also via individuals, that goods from the boycotting countries manage to get into Qatar, said a source with knowledge of the situation.

"Businessmen from the blockading countries are trying to go around the blockade... by using third parties," said the source. &nbsp

A directive from the economy ministry ordered shops to immediately strip shelves of products from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt

Qatar has ordered shops to remove goods originating from a group of Saudi Arabian-led countries which a year ago imposed a wide-ranging boycott on the emirate, Doha officials said Saturday. A directive from the economy ministry ordered shops to immediately strip shelves of products from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. Inspectors will visit stores to ensure they comply with the order, the ministry said. The government will also try and stop products such as Saudi dairy goods from entering Qatar via a third country. Qatar's Government Communications Office (GCO) said it was trying to "protect the safety of consumers". "Products originating from blockading states, which as a result of the blockade cannot pass the GCC customs territory, has to undergo proper import inspections and customs procedures," the GCO said in a statement. "Qatar conducts its trade policy in accordance with all of its multilateral and bilateral agreements." The order comes just days before the anniversary of a bitter Gulf crisis. Since June 5 last year, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have cut all relations with Qatar, accusing it of financing terrorist groups and having close ties with Iran. The countries subsequently imposed a trade and diplomatic boycott on Qatar, which rejects the charges and says the countries are seeking regime change in Doha. The row has forced isolated Qatar, which previously relied on its Gulf neighbours, to look elsewhere for food imports, including Turkey, Morocco and Iran. Many such imports enter the country via ports such as Kuwait and Oman. It is through these ports, and also via individuals, that goods from the boycotting countries manage to get in to Qatar, said a source with knowledge of the situation. "Businessmen from the blockading countries are trying to go around the blockade... by using third parties," said the source. &nbspQatar has ordered shops to remove goods originating from a group of Saudi Arabian-led countries which a year ago imposed a wide-ranging boycott on the emirate, Doha officials said Saturday. A directive from the economy ministry ordered shops to immediately strip shelves of products from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. Inspectors will visit stores to ensure they comply with the order, the ministry said. The government will also try and stop products such as Saudi dairy goods from entering Qatar via a third country. Qatar's Government Communications Office (GCO) said it was trying to "protect the safety of consumers". "Products originating from blockading states, which as a result of the blockade cannot pass the GCC customs territory, has to undergo proper import inspections and customs procedures," the GCO said in a statement. "Qatar conducts its trade policy in accordance with all of its multilateral and bilateral agreements." The order comes just days before the anniversary of a bitter Gulf crisis. Since June 5 last year, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have cut all relations with Qatar, accusing it of financing terrorist groups and having close ties with Iran. The countries subsequently imposed a trade and diplomatic boycott on Qatar, which rejects the charges and says the countries are seeking regime change in Doha. The row has forced isolated Qatar, which previously relied on its Gulf neighbours, to look elsewhere for food imports, including Turkey, Morocco and Iran. Many such imports enter the country via ports such as Kuwait and Oman. It is through these ports, and also via individuals, that goods from the boycotting countries manage to get into Qatar, said a source with knowledge of the situation. "Businessmen from the blockading countries are trying to go around the blockade... by using third parties," said the source.

Qatar bans Saudi, UAE goods from stores

Saudi Arabia has said that two of its soldiers were killed in fighting against Yemen's Huthi rebels as the kingdom reported foiling a drone attack on a southern airport.

The official SPA news agency reported late Saturday that two soldiers from the national guards have killed "during their participation on the southern border" -- a reference normally used for the fighting in Yemen against the Iran-backed Huthis.

SPA, however, did not provide details on when or how the two soldiers were killed but said senior officials took part in their funerals.

A Saudi-led Arab coalition has been fighting in Yemen since March 2015 against the Huthi rebels with the goal of reinstating the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

Colonel Turki al-Maleki, the spokesman for the coalition, meanwhile said Saudi air defences had intercepted and destroyed a Huthi drone that targeted the international airport in Abha in the south.

An examination of the debris showed the drone was manufactured by Iran and used by the Huthi rebels, Maleki said in a statement late Saturday cited by the SPA.

The three-year conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead and more than 55,000 wounded, according to the World Health Organization.

More than 2,200 others have died from cholera and millions are on the verge of famine in what the United Nations says is the world's gravest humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia has said that two of its soldiers were killed in fighting against Yemen's Huthi rebels as the kingdom reported foiling a drone attack on a southern airport

Saudi Arabia has said that two of its soldiers were killed in fighting against Yemen's Huthi rebels as the kingdom reported foiling a drone attack on a southern airport. The official SPA news agency reported late Saturday that two soldiers from the national guards have killed "during their participation on the southern border" -- a reference normally used for the fighting in Yemen against the Iran-backed Huthis. SPA, however, did not provide details on when or how the two soldiers were killed but said senior officials took part in their funerals. A Saudi-led Arab coalition has been fighting in Yemen since March 2015 against the Huthi rebels with the goal of reinstating the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. Colonel Turki al-Maleki, the spokesman for the coalition, meanwhile said Saudi air defences had intercepted and destroyed a Huthi drone that targeted the international airport in Abha in the south. An examination of the debris showed the drone was manufactured by Iran and used by the Huthi rebels, Maleki said in a statement late Saturday cited by the SPA. The three-year conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead and more than 55,000 wounded, according to the World Health Organization. More than 2,200 others have died from cholera and millions are on the verge of famine in what the United Nations says is the world's gravest humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia says 2 soldiers killed in Yemen fighting

Saudi authorities have released a fourth women's rights advocate following her detention in a sweeping crackdown against activists, a month before the kingdom lifts its ban on women drivers, campaigners said Friday.

Walaa al-Shubbar, said to be in her 20s, was among at least 11 activists arrested last week, mostly identified by rights groups as veteran women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system.

News of her freedom comes after campaigners including Amnesty International confirmed the release of Aisha al-Mana, Hessa al-Sheikh and Madeha al-Ajroush, elderly activists well-known for being part of a group that launched the first Saudi protest movement in 1990 for the right to drive.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials and campaigners said the terms of their release are not known.

"We call on Saudi authorities to release all other human rights defenders unconditionally and immediately," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns.

"This wave of repression in Saudi Arabia must end. These arrests are completely unjustified."

Without naming those detained, authorities last week accused the detainees of "suspicious contact with foreign parties", providing financial support to hostile nations and attempting to undermine the kingdom's "security and stability".

The names of the four released activists did not appear in reports of state-backed media that branded the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies".

The detainees include three generations of activists, among them 28-year-old Loujain al-Hathloul, also held in 2014 for more than 70 days for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia, and Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh's King Saud University.&nbsp

Their fate remains unclear.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights voiced concern that Hathloul, one of the most outspoken activists, was being held incommunicado, while other campaigners said the detainees had no access to lawyers and their whereabouts were unknown.

The crackdown has sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recently undertook a global tour aimed at reshaping his kingdom's austere image.

The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24.

"It seems Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman -- who presents himself as a 'reformer', having pledged to increase women’s employment and overseeing the royal decree allowing women to drive -- sees no irony in taking credit for the symbolic change, while targeting the women responsible for pushing for it," Amnesty said earlier this week.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252">Saudi Arabia detains seven activists ahead of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252">lifting</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252"> of driving ban</a>

Saudi authorities have released a fourth women's rights advocate following her detention in a sweeping crackdown against activists, a month before the kingdom lifts its ban on women drivers, campaigners said Friday

Saudi authorities have released a fourth women's rights advocate following her detention in a sweeping crackdown against activists, a month before the kingdom lifts its ban on women drivers, campaigners said Friday. Walaa al-Shubbar, said to be in her 20s, was among at least 11 activists arrested last week, mostly identified by rights groups as veteran women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system. News of her freedom comes after campaigners including Amnesty International confirmed the release of Aisha al-Mana, Hessa al-Sheikh and Madeha al-Ajroush, elderly activists well-known for being part of a group that launched the first Saudi protest movement in 1990 for the right to drive. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials and campaigners said the terms of their release are not known. "We call on Saudi authorities to release all other human rights defenders unconditionally and immediately," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns. "This wave of repression in Saudi Arabia must end. These arrests are completely unjustified." Without naming those detained, authorities last week accused the detainees of "suspicious contact with foreign parties", providing financial support to hostile nations and attempting to undermine the kingdom's "security and stability". The names of the four released activists did not appear in reports of state-backed media that branded the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies". The detainees include three generations of activists, among them 28-year-old Loujain al-Hathloul, also held in 2014 for more than 70 days for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia, and Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh's King Saud University. Their fate remains unclear. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights voiced concern that Hathloul, one of the most outspoken activists, was being held incommunicado, while other campaigners said the detainees had no access to lawyers and their whereabouts were unknown. The crackdown has sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recently undertook a global tour aimed at reshaping his kingdom's austere image. The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24. "It seems Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman -- who presents himself as a 'reformer', having pledged to increase women’s employment and overseeing the royal decree allowing women to drive -- sees no irony in taking credit for the symbolic change, while targeting the women responsible for pushing for it," Amnesty said earlier this week. Also read: Saudi Arabia detains seven activists ahead of lifting of driving ban

Saudi Arabia frees fourth activist after crackdown: Report

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/yeddyurappa-resigns-as-karnataka-cm-ahead-of-floor-test-bjp-fails-to-prove-majority-138218">Yeddyurappa resigns as Karnataka CM before trust vote, BJP fails to prove majority</a>

Two days after taking the oath Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa has resigned from his post on Saturday, ahead of the floor test in the Assembly.&nbsp

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252">Saudi Arabia detains seven activists ahead of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252">lifting</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252"> of driving ban</a>

Weeks ahead of Saudi Arabia is to lift the ban from women driving, seven women's rights activists were arrested on Saturday by the authorities.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/royal-wedding-live-updates-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-to-wed-at-windsor-castle-today-138144">As it happened: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married in a star-studded ceremony</a>

From Oprah Winfrey to Priyanka Chopra to Prince Harry's ex Chelsy Davy, the royal wedding saw Hollywood royalty rub shoulders with British aristocracy.&nbsp

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/every-stone-weapon-raised-by-misguided-youths-destabilises-kashmir-pm-modi-138229">Every stone, weapon raised by misguided youths destabilises Kashmir: PM Modi</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appealed to those Kashmiri youth who have joined violence to return to their homes and live a life of dignity and peace.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-wary-as-eu-presents-measures-to-save-nuclear-deal-138187">Iran wary as EU presents measures to save </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-wary-as-eu-presents-measures-to-save-nuclear-deal-138187">nuclear</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-wary-as-eu-presents-measures-to-save-nuclear-deal-138187"> deal</a>

Iran said Saturday it would wait to see whether Europe produces tangible results in overcoming US sanctions before deciding whether to stay in the nuclear deal, as a top EU official visited Tehran to present plans to maintain trade ties.

&nbsp

Yeddyurappa resigns as Karnataka CM before trust vote, BJP fails to prove majority Two days after taking the oath Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa has resigned from his post on Saturday, ahead of the floor test in the Assembly. Saudi Arabia detains seven activists ahead of lifting of driving ban Weeks ahead of Saudi Arabia is to lift the ban from women driving, seven women's rights activists were arrested on Saturday by the authorities. As it happened: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married in a star-studded ceremony From Oprah Winfrey to Priyanka Chopra to Prince Harry's ex Chelsy Davy, the royal wedding saw Hollywood royalty rub shoulders with British aristocracy. Every stone, weapon raised by misguided youths destabilises Kashmir: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appealed to those Kashmiri youth who have joined violence to return to their homes and live a life of dignity and peace. Iran wary as EU presents measures to save nuclear deal Iran said Saturday it would wait to see whether Europe produces tangible results in overcoming US sanctions before deciding whether to stay in the nuclear deal, as a top EU official visited Tehran to present plans to maintain trade ties.

News brief: Big stories of the day

The mega event hosted by Russia will be keenly followed by thousands of fans around the world

FIFA 2018: All you need to know about 21st edition of football World Cup

Saudi Arabia, the world's <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/oil-prices-push-higher-after-us-walks-away-from-iran-nuclear-deal-135594">largest oil exporter, has said it </a>will take all necessary measures to prevent supply shortages following the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

"The kingdom will work with major oil producers within and outside OPEC, and with major consumers as well to limit the impact of any shortages in supplies," the Saudi energy ministry said in a statement late Tuesday.

The kingdom's assurance came just hours after US President Donald Trump announced the United States was withdrawing from the landmark nuclear deal between world powers and Iran.

Trump also reinstated US sanctions which could curtail Iran's ability to export oil, its mainstay for public revenues.

Before international sanctions were lifted following the nuclear deal in late 2015, Iran's crude exports stood at just one million barrels per day, mostly to Asia and European countries.

That figure has since soared to 2.5 million bpd.

Saudi Arabia currently pumps around 10 million bpd, but has the&nbspcapacity of around 12 million bpd&nbsp- a surplus of two million bpd.

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to support the stability of the global oil markets to serve the interests of both producers and consumers and also the sustainability of global economic growth," the ministry statement said.

Major oil producers from OPEC and non-OPEC members including Russia, the world's top producer, are linked to a deal until the end of the year to cut output by 1.8 million bpd to support prices.

Oil prices made key gains after Trump's announcement with Brent crude rising 2.4 percent to over $76.5 a barrel and US crude trading above $70 early Wednesday. 
&nbsp

The kingdom's assurance came just hours after US President Donald Trump announced the United States was withdrawing from the landmark nuclear deal

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has said it will take all necessary measures to prevent supply shortages following the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. "The kingdom will work with major oil producers within and outside OPEC, and with major consumers as well to limit the impact of any shortages in supplies," the Saudi energy ministry said in a statement late Tuesday. The kingdom's assurance came just hours after US President Donald Trump announced the United States was withdrawing from the landmark nuclear deal between world powers and Iran. Trump also reinstated US sanctions which could curtail Iran's ability to export oil, its mainstay for public revenues. Before international sanctions were lifted following the nuclear deal in late 2015, Iran's crude exports stood at just one million barrels per day, mostly to Asia and European countries. That figure has since soared to 2.5 million bpd. Saudi Arabia currently pumps around 10 million bpd, but has the&nbspcapacity of around 12 million bpd - a surplus of two million bpd. "The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to support the stability of the global oil markets to serve the interests of both producers and consumers and also the sustainability of global economic growth," the ministry statement said. Major oil producers from OPEC and non-OPEC members including Russia, the world's top producer, are linked to a deal until the end of the year to cut output by 1.8 million bpd to support prices. Oil prices made key gains after Trump's announcement with Brent crude rising 2.4 percent to over $76.5 a barrel and US crude trading above $70 early Wednesday.

Will ensure no oil shortage: Saudi Arabia

As the world waits for US President Donald Trump’s decision on the Iran nuclear deal, the Gulf oil diplomacy is in full play.

Reports say the Saudi Arabia is backing sanctions on Iran as it wants to push crude prices to around $100 a barrel.

Analysts believe Saudi Arabia aims to see much higher oil prices to overcome its domestic financial difficulties and raise the valuation of state oil giant Aramco ahead of a planned five-per cent IPO.

Rising crude will give a high valuation to Aramco, thereby giving more money to Saudi government. Saudi Aramco had net income of $33.8 billion in the first six months of 2017 and cash flows of $52.1 billion. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has made the Aramco IPO a cornerstone of Saudi economic 2030 reform, wants to raise a record $100 billion by selling a five per cent stake in the company on local and foreign exchanges.

It would give Aramco a market capitalisation of $2 trillion, the biggest achieved by any company and dwarfing peers such as Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell.

After prices hit $70 a barrel, the kingdom "is thought to be unofficially gunning for $80 a barrel, with some even suggesting that it favours a return to $100 (a barrel) oil", Stephen Brennock of PVM Oil Associates said.

"As well as helping to reduce the Saudi government balance sheet, a further spike in prices would act as a boon for the impending Aramco IPO," Brennock said.

"This is why Saudi Arabia is intentionally keeping the supply of oil tight," German banking and financial services company Commerzbank said.

Iran, on the other hand, does not support the relentless rise in crude prices and has already signalled a sharp split with regional foe Saudi Arabia that wants high crude prices.

Iran believes that $60 to $65 a barrel constitutes a “suitable price” for oil. But its outlook contrasts sharply with the Saudi-led organization of the petroleum exporting countries or OPEC, which is targeting prices closer to $80 a barrel.

The OPEC, however, does not have a price target for oil. "We never have a price target ... Prices are determined by the market," said Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh who warned against the danger of price fluctuations, saying "volatility is our enemy."

OPEC and non-OPEC producers struck a deal in late 2016 to trim production by 1.8 million barrels per day to reduce a global glut that sent prices crashing.

The deal, which is due to run out at the end of this year, has helped boost oil prices to above $70 a barrel from below $30 in early 2016.

Iran does not support the relentless rise in crude prices.

As the world waits for US President Donald Trump’s decision on the Iran nuclear deal, the Gulf oil diplomacy is in full play. Reports say the Saudi Arabia is backing sanctions on Iran as it wants to push crude prices to around $100 a barrel. Analysts believe Saudi Arabia aims to see much higher oil prices to overcome its domestic financial difficulties and raise the valuation of state oil giant Aramco ahead of a planned five-per cent IPO. Rising crude will give a high valuation to Aramco, thereby giving more money to Saudi government. Saudi Aramco had net income of $33.8 billion in the first six months of 2017 and cash flows of $52.1 billion. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has made the Aramco IPO a cornerstone of Saudi economic 2030 reform, wants to raise a record $100 billion by selling a five per cent stake in the company on local and foreign exchanges. It would give Aramco a market capitalisation of $2 trillion, the biggest achieved by any company and dwarfing peers such as Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell. After prices hit $70 a barrel, the kingdom "is thought to be unofficially gunning for $80 a barrel, with some even suggesting that it favours a return to $100 (a barrel) oil", Stephen Brennock of PVM Oil Associates said. "As well as helping to reduce the Saudi government balance sheet, a further spike in prices would act as a boon for the impending Aramco IPO," Brennock said. "This is why Saudi Arabia is intentionally keeping the supply of oil tight," German banking and financial services company Commerzbank said. Iran, on the other hand, does not support the relentless rise in crude prices and has already signalled a sharp split with regional foe Saudi Arabia that wants high crude prices. Iran believes that $60 to $65 a barrel constitutes a “suitable price” for oil. But its outlook contrasts sharply with the Saudi-led organization of the petroleum exporting countries or OPEC, which is targeting prices closer to $80 a barrel. The OPEC, however, does not have a price target for oil. "We never have a price target ... Prices are determined by the market," said Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh who warned against the danger of price fluctuations, saying "volatility is our enemy." OPEC and non-OPEC producers struck a deal in late 2016 to trim production by 1.8 million barrels per day to reduce a global glut that sent prices crashing. The deal, which is due to run out at the end of this year, has helped boost oil prices to above $70 a barrel from below $30 in early 2016.

Ahead of US decision on Iran deal, a look at Gulf oil diplomacy

Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition bombed Yemen's presidential palace in the centre of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa early on Monday, killing at least six people, Houthi-run media reported.

The coalition, which entered Yemen's war in 2015 to push back Houthi fighters who had taken over large parts of the country, said it had meant to hit senior Houthi leaders.

"First and second rank Houthi leadership were targeted," coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki told reporters in Riyadh, without confirming any casualties.

Two air strikes damaged the palace as well as houses and businesses nearby in the city's central Tahrir district, the SABA news agency reported.

Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia said two Houthi leaders, including Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the group's supreme revolutionary committee, were inside the palace at the time, but did not say what happened to them.

The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said at least six people were killed and more than 30 wounded in the strikes.

Reuters could not independently confirm the reports.

Photos and television footage showed a building reduced to a pile of smashed concrete and twisted metal bars. An armed Houthi fighter tried to stop people approaching the site.

The two sides in Yemen have fought to a stalemate after more than three years of war.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have accused their rival Iran of arming and supporting the Houthis - an assertion dismissed by both the armed group and Tehran.

The Houthis say they are fighting for Yemen’s sovereignty against a Western-backed plot to dominate the country.

A Saudi-led coalition air strike last month killed the Houthis' top civilian leader in Yemen, Saleh al-Samad, the most senior official to be killed by the alliance.

Houthi-run media reported that at least six people were killed

Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition bombed Yemen's presidential palace in the centre of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa early on Monday, killing at least six people, Houthi-run media reported. The coalition, which entered Yemen's war in 2015 to push back Houthi fighters who had taken over large parts of the country, said it had meant to hit senior Houthi leaders. "First and second rank Houthi leadership were targeted," coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki told reporters in Riyadh, without confirming any casualties. Two air strikes damaged the palace as well as houses and businesses nearby in the city's central Tahrir district, the SABA news agency reported. Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia said two Houthi leaders, including Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the group's supreme revolutionary committee, were inside the palace at the time, but did not say what happened to them. The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said at least six people were killed and more than 30 wounded in the strikes. Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. Photos and television footage showed a building reduced to a pile of smashed concrete and twisted metal bars. An armed Houthi fighter tried to stop people approaching the site. The two sides in Yemen have fought to a stalemate after more than three years of war. Saudi Arabia and its allies have accused their rival Iran of arming and supporting the Houthis - an assertion dismissed by both the armed group and Tehran. The Houthis say they are fighting for Yemen’s sovereignty against a Western-backed plot to dominate the country. A Saudi-led coalition air strike last month killed the Houthis' top civilian leader in Yemen, Saleh al-Samad, the most senior official to be killed by the alliance.

Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemen presidential palace: Houthi media

India has emerged as one of the five biggest military spenders in 2017, a report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found.

With an expenditure of $ 63.9 billion on military in 2017, India marked a 5.5 per cent rise from the figures in 2016.

China made the biggest leap with an increase of 5.6 per cent ($12 billion) from 2016, and became the highest defence spender in Asia at $ 228 billion.

Military tension between India and China may have driven India's defence expense, as indicated by Senior Researcher with the SIPRI AMEX programme, Siemon Wezeman.Wezeman said, "Tensions between China and many of its neighbours continue to drive the growth in military spending in Asia.

"The United States retained the top spot at $ 610 billion, with unchanged military expenditure between 2016 and 2017.

Saudi Arabia emerged as the third biggest spender in 2017 at $ 69.4 billion, an increase of 9.2 per cent from 2016.

The report found a sharp drop in Russia's military expenditure that dropped by 20 per cent from 2016 to stand at $ 66.3 billion.Overall, the global military expenditure showed a rising trend as a marginal increase of 1.1 per cent in real terms from 2016, resulted in $ 1739 billion expenditure in 2017.

"The increases in world military expenditure in recent years have been largely due to the substantial growth in spending by countries in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East, such as China, India and Saudi Arabia," said Dr Nan Tian, Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure (AMEX) programme.&nbsp

Military tension between India and China may have driven India's defence expense, as indicated by Senior Researcher with the SIPRI AMEX programme, Siemon Wezeman.Wezeman said, "Tensions between China and many of its neighbours continue to drive the growth in military spending in Asia

India has emerged as one of the five biggest military spenders in 2017, a report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found. With an expenditure of $ 63.9 billion on military in 2017, India marked a 5.5 per cent rise from the figures in 2016. China made the biggest leap with an increase of 5.6 per cent ($12 billion) from 2016, and became the highest defence spender in Asia at $ 228 billion. Military tension between India and China may have driven India's defence expense, as indicated by Senior Researcher with the SIPRI AMEX programme, Siemon Wezeman.Wezeman said, "Tensions between China and many of its neighbours continue to drive the growth in military spending in Asia. "The United States retained the top spot at $ 610 billion, with unchanged military expenditure between 2016 and 2017. Saudi Arabia emerged as the third biggest spender in 2017 at $ 69.4 billion, an increase of 9.2 per cent from 2016. The report found a sharp drop in Russia's military expenditure that dropped by 20 per cent from 2016 to stand at $ 66.3 billion.Overall, the global military expenditure showed a rising trend as a marginal increase of 1.1 per cent in real terms from 2016, resulted in $ 1739 billion expenditure in 2017. "The increases in world military expenditure in recent years have been largely due to the substantial growth in spending by countries in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East, such as China, India and Saudi Arabia," said Dr Nan Tian, Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure (AMEX) programme.

India among top 5 military spenders: Report

The Gulf crisis that pits a United Arab Emirates-Saudi-led alliance against Qatar is escalating in discreet but no less worrisome ways that effect major third-party commercial interests and could increase international pressure for a resolution of the dispute.

In a major shift away from Saudi and UAE restraint in attempting to force the international community and multi-nationals from taking sides in the 11-month dispute, prominent financial institutions are being sucked into the dispute that erupted last June when the alliance declared a diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar.

Executives of JPMorgan and HSBC advised Qatar last month, according to The Wall Street Journal, that they would not be involved in the Gulf state's $12 billion bond issuance because it could jeopardise their relationship with Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom in April rushed a $11 billion bond sale of its own, its fourth international offering, to ensure that it went to market before Qatar did.

Qatar has responded to efforts to persuade financial institutions to reduce, if not halt, dealings with the Gulf state by refusing do business with some Dubai-based bankers and consultants. The Qatari response has forced several Western institutions to do business with the Gulf state through their London offices, according to the Journal.

Some bankers and financial executives have, moreover, reportedly been detained at UAE airports because they had Qatari visas in their passports before ultimately being granted entry into the country.

Saudi Arabia, in an unusual move, took the market by surprise when it launched its bond without embarking on a traditional roadshow to market the offering and sought to complete the transaction in one day. The issuance was oversubscribed almost five times.

The Saudi attempt to undermine Qatar failed given that the Gulf state's sale was similarly oversubscribed.

"This reflects the strength of the Qatari economy and the confidence of international investors," a Qatari official gloated.

HSBC was one of the Saudi bond's global coordinators while JPMorgan was one its lead managers. The two banks helped arrange Qatar's last sale in 2016 of a $9 billion bond. Neither was involved in the most recent Qatari sale which was arranged among others by Deutsche Bank, Barclays and Credit Suisse, banks in which Qatar has significant stakes.

In January, Doha Bank, Qatar's fifth-biggest lender, was forced to reduce the size of a two-year, $575 million bank loan that it had raised in December 2015 to $400 million, when it sought a one-year extension of the facility because Chinese, Hong Kong and Japanese banks opted not to participate.

The financial reverberations of the Gulf crisis contrast with failed attempts by the UAE-Saudi alliance in the immediate aftermath of the declaration of the boycott to strongarm African nations into supporting their punitive measures against Qatar.

Omar Ghobash, the UAE's ambassador to Russia, suggested at the time that the anti-Qatar alliance could "impose conditions on our own trading partners and say you want to work with us then you have got to make a commercial choice."

The quiet tit-for-tat between Qatar and international banks suggests that Saudi Arabia and the UAE, frustrated that Doha has proven to be resilient enough to resist surrendering to the alliance's demands, have decided to step up the pressure.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia accuse Qatar of supporting militants and political violence, maintaining close ties with Iran, and interfering in the domestic affairs of its neighbours - accusations Qatar denies. Accepting the alliance’s demands would effectively amount to Qatar compromising its sovereignty and ability to chart its own, independent course.

The Wall Street Journal's disclosure of the tit-for-tat with financial institutions comes days after newly appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his first overseas trip in his new job told Saudi leaders in Riyadh that "enough is enough" and that the Gulf crisis must be brought to an end.

Stopping the rot in its tracks and averting the potential impact of the crisis on multi-nationals is certainly not the only reason for Pompeo's stepped-up pressure on Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The United States wants to see a united front among its Middle Eastern allies as President Donald Trump gears up for a possible withdrawal on May 12 from the 2015 international agreement that curbs Iran's nuclear program.

Nevertheless, forcing financial institutions to take sides in the Gulf crisis challenges Trump's 'America First' approach to policy and the interests of major US corporations - a move the president is unlikely to view kindly.

If financial institutions are continuously forced to take sides, Saudi Arabia and the UAE could decide to target other economic sectors as well as Asian nations that depend on the export of labour to the Gulf.

Countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan, two of the most populous Muslim states, as well as India, home to the world's fourth largest Muslim population, fear that Saudi Arabia could threaten to expel millions of migrant workers and expatriates in a bid to force them to join the boycott of Qatar.

Saudi Arabia has a history of using as leverage migrant workers, whose remittances constitute the backbone of foreign currency liquidity of many supplier countries and whose Gulf jobs reduce pressure on domestic labour markets.

Thousands of foreign workers in the kingdom have in recent years already lost their jobs as a result of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to replace them with Saudi nationals and financial difficulties encountered by major corporations like the Saudi Bin Laden Group and Saudi Oger.

Speaking to the BBC last June, former Bangladesh ambassador to Saudi Arabia Abdul Momen Chowdhury warned that "nothing is impossible" in how the kingdom might seek to build support for its campaign against Qatar. "If anyone obstructs what they want or does not agree with their opinions, they are never hesitant to act," Chowdhury said.

Potential Saudi and UAE efforts to increase pressure on Qatar would reflect the fact that the two countries have boxed themselves into a corner by refusing to negotiate with the Gulf state unless it first accepts their demands.

The Gulf stalemate is reinforced by the fact that the international community has by and large refused to back the Saudi-UAE position and repeatedly called for a negotiated solution.

So far, the tit-for-tat with financial institutions has not forced any of the banks and financial majors to close offices on one side or the other of the Gulf divide.

Nonetheless, in a sign of the times, JP Morgan remains the region's top merger and acquisition advisor, but no longer ranks among the top five banks in Qatar in terms of revenue. For the first time in nearly a decade, it doesn't even rank among the Gulf state's top 10.

Said a private equity firm executive in the Gulf: "If this continues, international banks will increasingly be forced to choose sides. That would take the Gulf crisis to a new and dangerous level."

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Some bankers and financial executives have, moreover, reportedly been detained at UAE airports because they had Qatari visas.

The Gulf crisis that pits a United Arab Emirates-Saudi-led alliance against Qatar is escalating in discreet but no less worrisome ways that effect major third-party commercial interests and could increase international pressure for a resolution of the dispute. In a major shift away from Saudi and UAE restraint in attempting to force the international community and multi-nationals from taking sides in the 11-month dispute, prominent financial institutions are being sucked into the dispute that erupted last June when the alliance declared a diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar. Executives of JPMorgan and HSBC advised Qatar last month, according to The Wall Street Journal, that they would not be involved in the Gulf state's $12 billion bond issuance because it could jeopardise their relationship with Saudi Arabia. The kingdom in April rushed a $11 billion bond sale of its own, its fourth international offering, to ensure that it went to market before Qatar did. Qatar has responded to efforts to persuade financial institutions to reduce, if not halt, dealings with the Gulf state by refusing do business with some Dubai-based bankers and consultants. The Qatari response has forced several Western institutions to do business with the Gulf state through their London offices, according to the Journal. Some bankers and financial executives have, moreover, reportedly been detained at UAE airports because they had Qatari visas in their passports before ultimately being granted entry into the country. Saudi Arabia, in an unusual move, took the market by surprise when it launched its bond without embarking on a traditional roadshow to market the offering and sought to complete the transaction in one day. The issuance was oversubscribed almost five times. The Saudi attempt to undermine Qatar failed given that the Gulf state's sale was similarly oversubscribed. "This reflects the strength of the Qatari economy and the confidence of international investors," a Qatari official gloated. HSBC was one of the Saudi bond's global coordinators while JPMorgan was one its lead managers. The two banks helped arrange Qatar's last sale in 2016 of a $9 billion bond. Neither was involved in the most recent Qatari sale which was arranged among others by Deutsche Bank, Barclays and Credit Suisse, banks in which Qatar has significant stakes. In January, Doha Bank, Qatar's fifth-biggest lender, was forced to reduce the size of a two-year, $575 million bank loan that it had raised in December 2015 to $400 million, when it sought a one-year extension of the facility because Chinese, Hong Kong and Japanese banks opted not to participate. The financial reverberations of the Gulf crisis contrast with failed attempts by the UAE-Saudi alliance in the immediate aftermath of the declaration of the boycott to strongarm African nations into supporting their punitive measures against Qatar. Omar Ghobash, the UAE's ambassador to Russia, suggested at the time that the anti-Qatar alliance could "impose conditions on our own trading partners and say you want to work with us then you have got to make a commercial choice." The quiet tit-for-tat between Qatar and international banks suggests that Saudi Arabia and the UAE, frustrated that Doha has proven to be resilient enough to resist surrendering to the alliance's demands, have decided to step up the pressure. The UAE and Saudi Arabia accuse Qatar of supporting militants and political violence, maintaining close ties with Iran, and interfering in the domestic affairs of its neighbours - accusations Qatar denies. Accepting the alliance’s demands would effectively amount to Qatar compromising its sovereignty and ability to chart its own, independent course. The Wall Street Journal's disclosure of the tit-for-tat with financial institutions comes days after newly appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his first overseas trip in his new job told Saudi leaders in Riyadh that "enough is enough" and that the Gulf crisis must be brought to an end. Stopping the rot in its tracks and averting the potential impact of the crisis on multi-nationals is certainly not the only reason for Pompeo's stepped-up pressure on Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The United States wants to see a united front among its Middle Eastern allies as President Donald Trump gears up for a possible withdrawal on May 12 from the 2015 international agreement that curbs Iran's nuclear program. Nevertheless, forcing financial institutions to take sides in the Gulf crisis challenges Trump's 'America First' approach to policy and the interests of major US corporations - a move the president is unlikely to view kindly. If financial institutions are continuously forced to take sides, Saudi Arabia and the UAE could decide to target other economic sectors as well as Asian nations that depend on the export of labour to the Gulf. Countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan, two of the most populous Muslim states, as well as India, home to the world's fourth largest Muslim population, fear that Saudi Arabia could threaten to expel millions of migrant workers and expatriates in a bid to force them to join the boycott of Qatar. Saudi Arabia has a history of using as leverage migrant workers, whose remittances constitute the backbone of foreign currency liquidity of many supplier countries and whose Gulf jobs reduce pressure on domestic labour markets. Thousands of foreign workers in the kingdom have in recent years already lost their jobs as a result of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to replace them with Saudi nationals and financial difficulties encountered by major corporations like the Saudi Bin Laden Group and Saudi Oger. Speaking to the BBC last June, former Bangladesh ambassador to Saudi Arabia Abdul Momen Chowdhury warned that "nothing is impossible" in how the kingdom might seek to build support for its campaign against Qatar. "If anyone obstructs what they want or does not agree with their opinions, they are never hesitant to act," Chowdhury said. Potential Saudi and UAE efforts to increase pressure on Qatar would reflect the fact that the two countries have boxed themselves into a corner by refusing to negotiate with the Gulf state unless it first accepts their demands. The Gulf stalemate is reinforced by the fact that the international community has by and large refused to back the Saudi-UAE position and repeatedly called for a negotiated solution. So far, the tit-for-tat with financial institutions has not forced any of the banks and financial majors to close offices on one side or the other of the Gulf divide. Nonetheless, in a sign of the times, JP Morgan remains the region's top merger and acquisition advisor, but no longer ranks among the top five banks in Qatar in terms of revenue. For the first time in nearly a decade, it doesn't even rank among the Gulf state's top 10. Said a private equity firm executive in the Gulf: "If this continues, international banks will increasingly be forced to choose sides. That would take the Gulf crisis to a new and dangerous level." (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Gulf crisis escalates as major corporations are forced to take sides

US&nbspSecretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the Saudi capital on Saturday&nbspfor the first leg of his trip to the Middle East where Iran is likely to be on the agenda.

The former CIA director who was sworn in as Rex Tillerson's replacement on Thursday was greeted by Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and other Saudi officials at King Salman Air Base in Riyadh.

The State Department says Pompeo will also visit Jordan and Israel during the weekend after attending a NATO meeting on Friday in Brussels.

Pompeo picked those three Middle East stops "because of all that is going on," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters.

US&nbspPresident Donald Trump will decide by May 12 whether to restore US&nbspeconomic sanctions on Tehran, which would be a severe blow to the 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six major powers.

The former CIA director who was sworn in as Rex Tillerson's replacement on Thursday was greeted by Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and other Saudi officials at King Salman Air Base in Riyadh

US&nbspSecretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the Saudi capital on Saturday&nbspfor the first leg of his trip to the Middle East where Iran is likely to be on the agenda. The former CIA director who was sworn in as Rex Tillerson's replacement on Thursday was greeted by Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and other Saudi officials at King Salman Air Base in Riyadh. The State Department says Pompeo will also visit Jordan and Israel during the weekend after attending a NATO meeting on Friday in Brussels. Pompeo picked those three Middle East stops "because of all that is going on," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. US&nbspPresident Donald Trump will decide by May 12 whether to restore US&nbspeconomic sanctions on Tehran, which would be a severe blow to the 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six major powers.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets Saudi leaders on first leg of Mideast trip

A Houthi leader on Saturday said that&nbspkilling of a top official of the movement would not cause divisions.&nbsp

In a televised speech, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi vowed that Samad's death would not split its ranks.

Saleh al-Samad, the president of the political body that runs Houthi-controlled northern Yemen, was killed in a Saudi-led air strike last week.

Samad was a relative moderate who helped oversee political and administrative duties while the Houthi military wing pursued fighting.

On Saturday, thousands of people attended Samad's funeral in the capital Sanaa. Eyewitnesses reported Saudi-led air raids near the downtown rally for the burial.

In a televised speech, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi vowed that Samad's death would not split its ranks.

A Houthi leader on Saturday said that&nbspkilling of a top official of the movement would not cause divisions. In a televised speech, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi vowed that Samad's death would not split its ranks. Saleh al-Samad, the president of the political body that runs Houthi-controlled northern Yemen, was killed in a Saudi-led air strike last week. Samad was a relative moderate who helped oversee political and administrative duties while the Houthi military wing pursued fighting. On Saturday, thousands of people attended Samad's funeral in the capital Sanaa. Eyewitnesses reported Saudi-led air raids near the downtown rally for the burial.

Houthi leader says top official's death will not split the movement

State-run Saudi Aramco, the world's top oil company, said on Sunday it has appointed five new members to its board including a female executive, a milestone for Saudi Arabia and the oil industry where there are few women executives.

The appointments come as the Saudi government plans to float around 5 per cent of Aramco in an initial public offering (IPO) later this year or early 2019.

Saudi Arabian Minister of Finance Mohammed al-Jadaan and Minister of Economy and Planning Mohammed al-Tuwaijri were appointed as members of the board of directors, Aramco said in a statement.&nbsp

They are joined by Lynn Laverty Elsenhans, the former chairwoman, president and CEO of US&nbspoil refiner Sunoco Inc&nbspfrom 2008 to 2012.

Elsenhans was named by Forbes as one of the world`s most powerful women in 2008. Prior to her role at Sunoco, Elsenhans was the executive vice president of global manufacturing for Royal Dutch Shell, where she worked for more than 28 years.

She also served on Baker Hughes's board of directors from 2012 to July 2017 and sits on the board of GlaxoSmithKline.&nbsp

The five new members of Aramco's board will join six returning members including Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, who is also Aramco's chairman, and Amin Nasser, Aramco's chief executive.

Appointments to the 11-member board of directors are made by the Saudi cabinet.

The outgoing board members are Majid Al-Moneef, advisor to the Saudi Royal Court Khaled al-Sultan, Rector of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Peter Woicke, former managing director of the World Bank and former vice president of the International Finance Corporation

The appointments come as the Saudi government plans to float around 5 per cent of Aramco in an initial public offering (IPO) later this year or early 2019

State-run Saudi Aramco, the world's top oil company, said on Sunday it has appointed five new members to its board including a female executive, a milestone for Saudi Arabia and the oil industry where there are few women executives. The appointments come as the Saudi government plans to float around 5 per cent of Aramco in an initial public offering (IPO) later this year or early 2019. Saudi Arabian Minister of Finance Mohammed al-Jadaan and Minister of Economy and Planning Mohammed al-Tuwaijri were appointed as members of the board of directors, Aramco said in a statement. They are joined by Lynn Laverty Elsenhans, the former chairwoman, president and CEO of US&nbspoil refiner Sunoco Inc&nbspfrom 2008 to 2012. Elsenhans was named by Forbes as one of the world`s most powerful women in 2008. Prior to her role at Sunoco, Elsenhans was the executive vice president of global manufacturing for Royal Dutch Shell, where she worked for more than 28 years. She also served on Baker Hughes's board of directors from 2012 to July 2017 and sits on the board of GlaxoSmithKline. The five new members of Aramco's board will join six returning members including Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, who is also Aramco's chairman, and Amin Nasser, Aramco's chief executive. Appointments to the 11-member board of directors are made by the Saudi cabinet. The outgoing board members are Majid Al-Moneef, advisor to the Saudi Royal Court Khaled al-Sultan, Rector of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Peter Woicke, former managing director of the World Bank and former vice president of the International Finance Corporation

Saudi Aramco appoints first woman to the board

As oil prices touched a new high today,<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/petrol-rises-to-55-month-high-diesel-costliest-ever-131582"> US President tweeted saying it was </a>"very high" and "will not be accepted", after the president's tweet, Brent and WTI crude prices turned "negative".

"Looks like OPEC is at it again," Trump said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/987284041304100864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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OPEC-linked countries have been curbing production since last year in order to push up prices. Both Brent crude oil futures and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) were in trading in positive before Trump's tweet but fell after the president's remark.

"With record amounts of oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, oil prices are artificially&nbspvery high! No good and will not be accepted," the president said in his tweet.

OPEC nations headed by Saudia Arabia will meet in June in Vienna to review the oil prices, ahead of the meeting Saudi oil minister Khalid al-Falih said OPEC and its allies were still far away from reaching their target, there are no indication yet that the group will increase production to&nbspbring prices down.

Reuters quoting Saudi sources said it would be happy to see crude rise to $80 or even $100 a barrel.

Joint Technical Committee (JTC) in a report said a global oil glut has been virtually eliminated.

"Global oil demand data so far in 2018 has come in line with our optimistic expectations, with Q1 2018 likely to post the strongest year-on-year growth since Q4 2010 at 2.55 million barrels per day," US bank Goldman Sachs said.

The rise in global oil prices has also been supported by fears of US reintroducing sanctions on Iran which is a key OPEC member. Despite Trump's tweet oil prices are set to close at a record high this week.

Despite Trump's tweet oil prices are set to close at a record high this week.

As oil prices touched a new high today, US President tweeted saying it was "very high" and "will not be accepted", after the president's tweet, Brent and WTI crude prices turned "negative". "Looks like OPEC is at it again," Trump said. Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 20, 2018 × OPEC-linked countries have been curbing production since last year in order to push up prices. Both Brent crude oil futures and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) were in trading in positive before Trump's tweet but fell after the president's remark. "With record amounts of oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, oil prices are artificially&nbspvery high! No good and will not be accepted," the president said in his tweet. OPEC nations headed by Saudia Arabia will meet in June in Vienna to review the oil prices, ahead of the meeting Saudi oil minister Khalid al-Falih said OPEC and its allies were still far away from reaching their target, there are no indication yet that the group will increase production to&nbspbring prices down. Reuters quoting Saudi sources said it would be happy to see crude rise to $80 or even $100 a barrel. Joint Technical Committee (JTC) in a report said a global oil glut has been virtually eliminated. "Global oil demand data so far in 2018 has come in line with our optimistic expectations, with Q1 2018 likely to post the strongest year-on-year growth since Q4 2010 at 2.55 million barrels per day," US bank Goldman Sachs said. The rise in global oil prices has also been supported by fears of US reintroducing sanctions on Iran which is a key OPEC member. Despite Trump's tweet oil prices are set to close at a record high this week.

'Will not be accepted': After Trump's tweet on oil, prices dip

Saudi Arabia’s first cinema in more than 35 years will open today in Riyadh, the capital, the authorities said&nbsp;after agreeing with AMC Entertainment Holdings to open up to 40 theatres over the next five years.

The deeply conservative Muslim kingdom had some cinemas in the 1970s but its powerful clerics managed to force them to close.&nbsp;

The move to reopen cinemas is part of a modernization drive by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is seeking to boost domestic spending in an era of low oil prices.

Movie theatres will not be segregated by gender like most other public places in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabians are avid consumers of Western media and culture. Despite the cinema ban, Hollywood films and recent television series are widely watched at home and discussed.

To serve a population of more than 32 million, the majority of whom are under the age of 30, Saudi Arabia wants to set up around 350 movie theatres with more than 2,500 screens by 2030, which it hopes will attract nearly $1 billion in annual box office sales.

(With inputs from Agencies)

The deeply conservative Muslim kingdom had some cinemas in the 1970s but its powerful clerics managed to force them to close.

Saudi Arabia’s first cinema in more than 35 years will open today in Riyadh, the capital, the authorities said after agreeing with AMC Entertainment Holdings to open up to 40 theatres over the next five years. The deeply conservative Muslim kingdom had some cinemas in the 1970s but its powerful clerics managed to force them to close. The move to reopen cinemas is part of a modernization drive by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is seeking to boost domestic spending in an era of low oil prices. Movie theatres will not be segregated by gender like most other public places in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabians are avid consumers of Western media and culture. Despite the cinema ban, Hollywood films and recent television series are widely watched at home and discussed. To serve a population of more than 32 million, the majority of whom are under the age of 30, Saudi Arabia wants to set up around 350 movie theatres with more than 2,500 screens by 2030, which it hopes will attract nearly $1 billion in annual box office sales. (With inputs from Agencies)

Saudi Arabia: First cinema in 35 years to open today

Saudi Arabia would be prepared to send troops into Syria as part of the US-led coalition if a decision was taken to widen it, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday.

"We are in discussion with the US and have been since the beginning of the Syrian crisis about sending forces into Syria," Jubeir told a news conference in Riyadh with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.&nbsp

He said Riyadh had expressed its readiness while Barack Obama was US President to send ground forces into Syria if the United States were to add an on-the-ground component to the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State insurgents.&nbsp

Jubeir was responding to a question about a Wall Street Journal report that the administration of US President Donald Trump is seeking to assemble an Arab force to replace the US military contingent in Syria.

"There are discussions regarding ... what kind of force needs to remain in eastern Syria and where that force would come from, and those discussions are ongoing," Jubeir said.

Trump wants to bring US troops home from Syria but has not set a timeline, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Monday, two days after Western allies bombed Syrian targets over a suspected chemical weapons attack.

One US official told Reuters the United States is looking at what forces might be able to follow on in areas of Syria formerly under Islamic State control, should the United States leave or reduce its force dramatically. But no decisions have been made to do this.

Before the Western military strikes took place, Saudi Arabia`s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had said that the kingdom, a key US ally, could take part in military action in Syria.

While some commentators have assumed that Saudi Arabia is fully preoccupied with a three-year-old war in Yemen, Riyadh has suggested it could help counter-terrorism operations in some other theatres of conflict as part of a wider Muslim alliance.

For example, a Saudi-backed Islamic military coalition will provide logistical, intelligence and training to a new West African counter-terrorism force, Jubeir said in December.&nbsp

About 40 Muslim-majority nations met in Riyadh at the end of November to flesh out details of an alliance first conceived two years ago by Prince Mohammed that is widely seen as a vehicle for countering the growing influence of Riyadh’s rival.Iran.&nbsp

Saudi Arabia would be prepared to send troops into Syria as part of the US-led coalition if a decision was taken to widen it, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday

Saudi Arabia would be prepared to send troops into Syria as part of the US-led coalition if a decision was taken to widen it, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday. "We are in discussion with the US and have been since the beginning of the Syrian crisis about sending forces into Syria," Jubeir told a news conference in Riyadh with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He said Riyadh had expressed its readiness while Barack Obama was US President to send ground forces into Syria if the United States were to add an on-the-ground component to the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State insurgents. Jubeir was responding to a question about a Wall Street Journal report that the administration of US President Donald Trump is seeking to assemble an Arab force to replace the US military contingent in Syria. "There are discussions regarding ... what kind of force needs to remain in eastern Syria and where that force would come from, and those discussions are ongoing," Jubeir said. Trump wants to bring US troops home from Syria but has not set a timeline, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Monday, two days after Western allies bombed Syrian targets over a suspected chemical weapons attack. One US official told Reuters the United States is looking at what forces might be able to follow on in areas of Syria formerly under Islamic State control, should the United States leave or reduce its force dramatically. But no decisions have been made to do this. Before the Western military strikes took place, Saudi Arabia`s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had said that the kingdom, a key US ally, could take part in military action in Syria. While some commentators have assumed that Saudi Arabia is fully preoccupied with a three-year-old war in Yemen, Riyadh has suggested it could help counter-terrorism operations in some other theatres of conflict as part of a wider Muslim alliance. For example, a Saudi-backed Islamic military coalition will provide logistical, intelligence and training to a new West African counter-terrorism force, Jubeir said in December. About 40 Muslim-majority nations met in Riyadh at the end of November to flesh out details of an alliance first conceived two years ago by Prince Mohammed that is widely seen as a vehicle for countering the growing influence of Riyadh’s rival.Iran.

Saudi Arabia says open to sending troops to Syria under wider coalition

Saudi Arabia`s King Salman opened a summit of Arab leaders on Sunday by condemning an old foe, Iran, without making any reference to missile strikes by Western powers on Syrian government targets over a suspected gas attack a week ago.

Regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iran have been locked in a decades-long struggle for supremacy that is being waged in proxy wars in several countries, including Yemen and Syria.

"We renew our strong condemnation of terrorist acts carried out by Iran in the Arab region, and we reject its blatant interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries," King Salman said in the eastern Saudi city of Dhahran, without giving specifics. Iran denies the charges.

There was no mention in King Salman`s remarks nor in the summit`s closing statement of Saturday`s missile launch by the United States, Britain and France against three alleged chemical weapons facilities in Syria. The Syrian government denies using - or possessing - chemical weapons and said the strikes were an act of aggression.

Saudi Arabia and allies expressed support for the strikes on Saturday, but Iraq and Lebanon have condemned them. Other countries like Jordan and Kuwait refrained from taking a position, instead renewing calls for a political solution to the multi-sided war which has killed at least half a million people in the past seven years.

Military help over the past three years from Russia and Iran, which also backs Lebanon`s Hezbollah group and Shi`ite Muslim militias in Iraq, has allowed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to crush the rebel threat to topple him.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed cooperating with the Arab League on regional security, specifically in Iraq and Syria following the defeat of Islamic State militants there, according to Russian news agencies.

Saudi Arabia, which takes over the rotating chair of the Arab summit from Jordan, announced that the current gathering would be named the "Quds (Jerusalem) Summit", a reference to US President Donald Trump`s decision last year to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel which Arab states condemned.

Delegates pledged in the closing statement to support the Palestinians and ensure regional security with a call for regional actors to respect Arab sovereignty and for militias to disarm. They provided few details.

King Salman said Saudi Arabia was donating $200 million to support the Palestinians, including $50 million for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Gulf Rift

Qatar did not send a senior official in a sign that its 10-month dispute with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt is still a long way from being resolved.

The four countries severed diplomatic and transport ties with Doha in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges and says the boycott is an attempt to impinge on its sovereignty.

The Qatari delegation is being headed by Doha`s permanent representative to the Arab League, Saif bin Muqaddam al-Buainain, Qatar`s state news agency said, without elaborating.

Most of the 22 other countries are represented by heads of state or government. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani headed Qatar`s delegation at last year`s summit in Jordan.

Sheikh Tamim returned to Doha on Saturday from a US trip where he met Trump. Trump publicly sided with the Saudis and Emiratis early in the crisis but is now pushing for a resolution to restore Gulf Arab unity and maintain a united front against Iran.

Ahead of the summit, the four boycotting nations said their demands - including closing the Al Jazeera television station and reducing ties with Iran - were "a necessary basis" for a resolution to the crisis with Qatar.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday the crisis would not be discussed at the meeting, Al Arabiya TV reported.

&nbsp

Regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iran have been locked in a decades-long struggle for supremacy that is being waged in proxy wars in several countries, including Yemen and Syria

Saudi Arabia`s King Salman opened a summit of Arab leaders on Sunday by condemning an old foe, Iran, without making any reference to missile strikes by Western powers on Syrian government targets over a suspected gas attack a week ago. Regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iran have been locked in a decades-long struggle for supremacy that is being waged in proxy wars in several countries, including Yemen and Syria. "We renew our strong condemnation of terrorist acts carried out by Iran in the Arab region, and we reject its blatant interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries," King Salman said in the eastern Saudi city of Dhahran, without giving specifics. Iran denies the charges. There was no mention in King Salman`s remarks nor in the summit`s closing statement of Saturday`s missile launch by the United States, Britain and France against three alleged chemical weapons facilities in Syria. The Syrian government denies using - or possessing - chemical weapons and said the strikes were an act of aggression. Saudi Arabia and allies expressed support for the strikes on Saturday, but Iraq and Lebanon have condemned them. Other countries like Jordan and Kuwait refrained from taking a position, instead renewing calls for a political solution to the multi-sided war which has killed at least half a million people in the past seven years. Military help over the past three years from Russia and Iran, which also backs Lebanon`s Hezbollah group and Shi`ite Muslim militias in Iraq, has allowed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to crush the rebel threat to topple him. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed cooperating with the Arab League on regional security, specifically in Iraq and Syria following the defeat of Islamic State militants there, according to Russian news agencies. Saudi Arabia, which takes over the rotating chair of the Arab summit from Jordan, announced that the current gathering would be named the "Quds (Jerusalem) Summit", a reference to US President Donald Trump`s decision last year to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel which Arab states condemned. Delegates pledged in the closing statement to support the Palestinians and ensure regional security with a call for regional actors to respect Arab sovereignty and for militias to disarm. They provided few details. King Salman said Saudi Arabia was donating $200 million to support the Palestinians, including $50 million for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Gulf Rift Qatar did not send a senior official in a sign that its 10-month dispute with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt is still a long way from being resolved. The four countries severed diplomatic and transport ties with Doha in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges and says the boycott is an attempt to impinge on its sovereignty. The Qatari delegation is being headed by Doha`s permanent representative to the Arab League, Saif bin Muqaddam al-Buainain, Qatar`s state news agency said, without elaborating. Most of the 22 other countries are represented by heads of state or government. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani headed Qatar`s delegation at last year`s summit in Jordan. Sheikh Tamim returned to Doha on Saturday from a US trip where he met Trump. Trump publicly sided with the Saudis and Emiratis early in the crisis but is now pushing for a resolution to restore Gulf Arab unity and maintain a united front against Iran. Ahead of the summit, the four boycotting nations said their demands - including closing the Al Jazeera television station and reducing ties with Iran - were "a necessary basis" for a resolution to the crisis with Qatar. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday the crisis would not be discussed at the meeting, Al Arabiya TV reported.

Saudi condemns Iran amid Arab divisions over Syria strikes

Bangladesh, in a twist of irony, is looking to Saudi Arabia to fund a $ 1 billion plan to build hundreds of mosques and religious centres to counter militant Islam that for much of the past decade traced its roots to ultra-conservative strands of the faith promoted by a multi-billion dollar Saudi campaign.

The Bangladeshi plan constitutes the first effort by a Muslim country to enlist the kingdom whose crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has vowed to return Saudi Arabia to an undefined form of 'moderate Islam,' in reverse engineering.

The plan would attempt to roll back the fallout of Saudi Arabia's global investment of up to $100 billion over a period of four decades in support of ultra-conservative mosques, religious centres, and groups as an antidote to post-1979 Iranian revolutionary zeal.

Cooperation with Saudi Arabia and various countries, including Malaysia, has focused until now on countering extremism in cooperation with defense and security authorities rather than as a religious initiative.

Saudi religious authorities and Islamic scholars have long issued fatwas or religious opinions condemning political violence and extremism and accused jihadists of deviating from the true path of Islam.

The Saudi campaign, the largest public diplomacy effort in history was, nevertheless, long abetted by opportunistic governments who played politics with religion as well as widespread discontent fuelled by the failure of governments to deliver public goods and services.

The Bangladeshi plan raises multiple questions, including whether the counter-narrative industry can produce results in the absence of effective government policies that address social, economic and political grievances.

It also begs the question whether a change in Saudi Arabia has advanced to a stage in which the kingdom can claim that it has put its ultra-conservative and militant roots truly behind it. The answer to both questions is probably no.

In many ways, Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism and militancy, violent and non-violent, despite sharing common roots with the kingdom's long-standing theological thinking and benefitting directly or indirectly from Saudi financial largess, has created a life of its own that no longer looks to the kingdom for guidance and support and is critical of the path on which Prince Mohammed has embarked.

The fallout of the Saudi campaign is evident in Asia not only in the rise of militancy in Bangladesh but also the degree to which concepts of supremacism and intolerance have taken root in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan. Those concepts are often expressed in discrimination, if not persecution of minorities like Shia Muslims and Ahmadis, and draconic anti-blasphemy measures by authorities, militants and vigilantes.

Bangladesh in past years witnessed a series of brutal killings of bloggers and intellectuals whom jihadists accused of atheism.

Moreover, basic freedoms in Bangladesh are being officially and unofficially curtailed in various forms as a result of domestic struggles originally enabled by successful Saudi pressure to amend the country's secular constitution in 1975 to recognise Islam as its official religion.

Saudi Arabia withheld recognition of the new state as well as financial support until the amendment was adopted four years after Bangladeshi independence.

In Indonesia, hard-line Islamic groups, led by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), earlier this month filed a blasphemy complaint against politician Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, a daughter of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno and the younger sister of Megawati Sukarnoputri, who leads President Joko Widodo’s ruling party.

The hardliners accuse Ms Sukarnoputri of reciting a poem that allegedly insults Islam. The groups last year accused Basuki Tjahaja Purnama aka Ahok, Jakarta’s former Christian governor, of blasphemy and spearheaded mass rallies that led to his ouster and jailing, a ruling that many believed was politicised and unjust.

Pakistan's draconic anti-blasphemy law has created an environment that has allowed Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatives and powerful political forces to whip up popular emotion in pursuit of political objectives. The environment is symbolised by graffiti in the corridor of a courthouse in Islamabad that demanded that blasphemers be beheaded.

Pakistan last month designated Islamabad as a pilot project to regulate Friday prayer sermons in the city's 1,003 mosques, of which only 86 are state-controlled, in a bid to curb hate speech, extremism and demonisation of religions and communities.

The government has drafted a list of subjects that should be the focus of weekly Friday prayer sermons in a bid to prevent mosques being abused "to stir up sectarian hatred, demonise other religions and communities and promote extremism." The subjects include women rights Islamic principles of trade, cleanliness and health and the importance of hard work, tolerance, and honesty.

However, they do not address legally enshrined discrimination of minorities like Ahmadis, who are viewed as heretics by orthodox Muslims. The list risked reinforcing supremacist and intolerant militancy by including the concept of the finality of the Prophet Mohammed that is often used as a whip to discriminate against minorities.

Raising questions about the degree of moderation that Saudi-funded mosques and religious centres in Bangladesh would propagate, Prince Mohammed, in his effort to saw off the rough edges of Saudi ultra-conservatism, has given no indication that he intends to repeal a law that defines atheists as terrorists.

A Saudi court last year condemned a man to death on charges of blasphemy and atheism. Another Saudi was a year earlier sentenced to ten years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing atheist sentiments on social media.

Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations have long lobbied for the criminalisation of blasphemy in international law in moves that would legitimise curbs on free speech and growing Muslim intolerance towards any open discussion of their faith.

To be sure, Saudi Arabia cannot be held directly liable for much of the expression of supremacism, intolerance and anti-pluralism in the Muslim world. Yet, by the same token, there is little doubt that Saudi propagation of ultra-conservatism frequently contributed to an enabling environment.

Prince Mohammed is at the beginning of his effort to moderate Saudi Islam and has yet to spell out in detail his vision of religious change. Beyond the issue of defining atheism as terrorism, Saudi Arabia also has yet to put an end to multiple ultra-conservative practices, including the principle of male guardianship that forces women to get the approval of a male relative for major decisions in their life.

Prince Mohammed has so far forced the country's ultra-conservative religious establishment into subservience. That raises the question whether there has been real change in the establishment's thinking or whether it is kowtowing to an autocratic leader.

In December, King Salman fired a government official for organising a mixed-gender fashion show after ultra-conservatives criticised the event on Twitter. The kingdom this week hosted its first ever Arab Fashion Week, for women only. Designers were obliged to adhere to strict dress codes banning transparent fabrics and the display of cleavages or clothing that bared knees.

In February, Saudi Arabia agreed to surrender control of the Great Mosque in Brussels after its efforts to install a more moderate administration failed to counter mounting Belgian criticism of alleged intolerance and supremacism propagated by mosque executives.

Efforts to moderate Islam in Saudi Arabia as well as Qatar, the world’s only other Wahhabi state that traces its ultra-conservatism to the teachings of 18th-century preacher Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahhab, but has long interpreted them more liberally than the kingdom, have proven to be easier said than done.

Saudi King Abdullah, King Salman’s predecessor, positioned himself as a champion of interfaith dialogue and reached out to various groups in society including Shiites and women.

Yet, more than a decade of Saudi efforts to cleanse textbooks used at home and abroad have made significant progress but have yet to completely erase descriptions of alternative strands of Islam such as Shiism and Sufism in derogatory terms or eliminate advise to Muslims not to associate with Jews and Christians who are labelled kaffirs or unbelievers.

Raising questions about Saudi involvement in the Bangladeshi plan, a Human Rights Watch survey of religion textbooks produced by the Saudi education ministry for the 2016-2017 school year concluded that “as early as first grade, students in Saudi schools are being taught hatred toward all those perceived to be of a different faith or school of thought.”

Human Rights Watch researcher Adam Coogle noted that Prince Mohammed has remained conspicuously silent about hate speech in textbooks as well as its use by officials and Islamic scholars connected to the government.

The New York-based Anti-Defamation League last year documented hate speech in Qatari mosques that were disseminated in Qatari media despite Qatar’s propagation of religious tolerance and outreach to American Jews as part of its effort to counter a United Arab Emirates-Saudi-led economic and diplomatic boycott of the Gulf state.

In one instance in December, Qatari preacher Muhammed al-Muraikhi described Jews in a sermon in Doha’s Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque as “your deceitful, lying, treacherous, fornicating, intransigent enemy” who have “despoiled, corrupted, ruined, and killed, and will not stop.”

No doubt, Saudi Arabia, like Qatar, which much earlier moved away from Puritan and literal Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, is sincere in its intention to adopt more tolerant and pluralistic worldviews.

Getting from A to B, however, is a lengthy process. The question remains whether the kingdom has progressed to a degree that it can credibly help countries like Bangladesh deal with their demons even before having successfully put its own house in order.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Bangladesh is looking to Saudi Arabia for funds to build mosques and religious centres to counter militant Islam

Bangladesh, in a twist of irony, is looking to Saudi Arabia to fund a $ 1 billion plan to build hundreds of mosques and religious centres to counter militant Islam that for much of the past decade traced its roots to ultra-conservative strands of the faith promoted by a multi-billion dollar Saudi campaign. The Bangladeshi plan constitutes the first effort by a Muslim country to enlist the kingdom whose crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has vowed to return Saudi Arabia to an undefined form of 'moderate Islam,' in reverse engineering. The plan would attempt to roll back the fallout of Saudi Arabia's global investment of up to $100 billion over a period of four decades in support of ultra-conservative mosques, religious centres, and groups as an antidote to post-1979 Iranian revolutionary zeal. Cooperation with Saudi Arabia and various countries, including Malaysia, has focused until now on countering extremism in cooperation with defense and security authorities rather than as a religious initiative. Saudi religious authorities and Islamic scholars have long issued fatwas or religious opinions condemning political violence and extremism and accused jihadists of deviating from the true path of Islam. The Saudi campaign, the largest public diplomacy effort in history was, nevertheless, long abetted by opportunistic governments who played politics with religion as well as widespread discontent fuelled by the failure of governments to deliver public goods and services. The Bangladeshi plan raises multiple questions, including whether the counter-narrative industry can produce results in the absence of effective government policies that address social, economic and political grievances. It also begs the question whether a change in Saudi Arabia has advanced to a stage in which the kingdom can claim that it has put its ultra-conservative and militant roots truly behind it. The answer to both questions is probably no. In many ways, Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism and militancy, violent and non-violent, despite sharing common roots with the kingdom's long-standing theological thinking and benefitting directly or indirectly from Saudi financial largess, has created a life of its own that no longer looks to the kingdom for guidance and support and is critical of the path on which Prince Mohammed has embarked. The fallout of the Saudi campaign is evident in Asia not only in the rise of militancy in Bangladesh but also the degree to which concepts of supremacism and intolerance have taken root in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan. Those concepts are often expressed in discrimination, if not persecution of minorities like Shia Muslims and Ahmadis, and draconic anti-blasphemy measures by authorities, militants and vigilantes. Bangladesh in past years witnessed a series of brutal killings of bloggers and intellectuals whom jihadists accused of atheism. Moreover, basic freedoms in Bangladesh are being officially and unofficially curtailed in various forms as a result of domestic struggles originally enabled by successful Saudi pressure to amend the country's secular constitution in 1975 to recognise Islam as its official religion. Saudi Arabia withheld recognition of the new state as well as financial support until the amendment was adopted four years after Bangladeshi independence. In Indonesia, hard-line Islamic groups, led by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), earlier this month filed a blasphemy complaint against politician Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, a daughter of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno and the younger sister of Megawati Sukarnoputri, who leads President Joko Widodo’s ruling party. The hardliners accuse Ms Sukarnoputri of reciting a poem that allegedly insults Islam. The groups last year accused Basuki Tjahaja Purnama aka Ahok, Jakarta’s former Christian governor, of blasphemy and spearheaded mass rallies that led to his ouster and jailing, a ruling that many believed was politicised and unjust. Pakistan's draconic anti-blasphemy law has created an environment that has allowed Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatives and powerful political forces to whip up popular emotion in pursuit of political objectives. The environment is symbolised by graffiti in the corridor of a courthouse in Islamabad that demanded that blasphemers be beheaded. Pakistan last month designated Islamabad as a pilot project to regulate Friday prayer sermons in the city's 1,003 mosques, of which only 86 are state-controlled, in a bid to curb hate speech, extremism and demonisation of religions and communities. The government has drafted a list of subjects that should be the focus of weekly Friday prayer sermons in a bid to prevent mosques being abused "to stir up sectarian hatred, demonise other religions and communities and promote extremism." The subjects include women rights Islamic principles of trade, cleanliness and health and the importance of hard work, tolerance, and honesty. However, they do not address legally enshrined discrimination of minorities like Ahmadis, who are viewed as heretics by orthodox Muslims. The list risked reinforcing supremacist and intolerant militancy by including the concept of the finality of the Prophet Mohammed that is often used as a whip to discriminate against minorities. Raising questions about the degree of moderation that Saudi-funded mosques and religious centres in Bangladesh would propagate, Prince Mohammed, in his effort to saw off the rough edges of Saudi ultra-conservatism, has given no indication that he intends to repeal a law that defines atheists as terrorists. A Saudi court last year condemned a man to death on charges of blasphemy and atheism. Another Saudi was a year earlier sentenced to ten years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing atheist sentiments on social media. Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations have long lobbied for the criminalisation of blasphemy in international law in moves that would legitimise curbs on free speech and growing Muslim intolerance towards any open discussion of their faith. To be sure, Saudi Arabia cannot be held directly liable for much of the expression of supremacism, intolerance and anti-pluralism in the Muslim world. Yet, by the same token, there is little doubt that Saudi propagation of ultra-conservatism frequently contributed to an enabling environment. Prince Mohammed is at the beginning of his effort to moderate Saudi Islam and has yet to spell out in detail his vision of religious change. Beyond the issue of defining atheism as terrorism, Saudi Arabia also has yet to put an end to multiple ultra-conservative practices, including the principle of male guardianship that forces women to get the approval of a male relative for major decisions in their life. Prince Mohammed has so far forced the country's ultra-conservative religious establishment into subservience. That raises the question whether there has been real change in the establishment's thinking or whether it is kowtowing to an autocratic leader. In December, King Salman fired a government official for organising a mixed-gender fashion show after ultra-conservatives criticised the event on Twitter. The kingdom this week hosted its first ever Arab Fashion Week, for women only. Designers were obliged to adhere to strict dress codes banning transparent fabrics and the display of cleavages or clothing that bared knees. In February, Saudi Arabia agreed to surrender control of the Great Mosque in Brussels after its efforts to install a more moderate administration failed to counter mounting Belgian criticism of alleged intolerance and supremacism propagated by mosque executives. Efforts to moderate Islam in Saudi Arabia as well as Qatar, the world’s only other Wahhabi state that traces its ultra-conservatism to the teachings of 18th-century preacher Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahhab, but has long interpreted them more liberally than the kingdom, have proven to be easier said than done. Saudi King Abdullah, King Salman’s predecessor, positioned himself as a champion of interfaith dialogue and reached out to various groups in society including Shiites and women. Yet, more than a decade of Saudi efforts to cleanse textbooks used at home and abroad have made significant progress but have yet to completely erase descriptions of alternative strands of Islam such as Shiism and Sufism in derogatory terms or eliminate advise to Muslims not to associate with Jews and Christians who are labelled kaffirs or unbelievers. Raising questions about Saudi involvement in the Bangladeshi plan, a Human Rights Watch survey of religion textbooks produced by the Saudi education ministry for the 2016-2017 school year concluded that “as early as first grade, students in Saudi schools are being taught hatred toward all those perceived to be of a different faith or school of thought.” Human Rights Watch researcher Adam Coogle noted that Prince Mohammed has remained conspicuously silent about hate speech in textbooks as well as its use by officials and Islamic scholars connected to the government. The New York-based Anti-Defamation League last year documented hate speech in Qatari mosques that were disseminated in Qatari media despite Qatar’s propagation of religious tolerance and outreach to American Jews as part of its effort to counter a United Arab Emirates-Saudi-led economic and diplomatic boycott of the Gulf state. In one instance in December, Qatari preacher Muhammed al-Muraikhi described Jews in a sermon in Doha’s Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque as “your deceitful, lying, treacherous, fornicating, intransigent enemy” who have “despoiled, corrupted, ruined, and killed, and will not stop.” No doubt, Saudi Arabia, like Qatar, which much earlier moved away from Puritan and literal Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, is sincere in its intention to adopt more tolerant and pluralistic worldviews. Getting from A to B, however, is a lengthy process. The question remains whether the kingdom has progressed to a degree that it can credibly help countries like Bangladesh deal with their demons even before having successfully put its own house in order. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Can Saudi help Bangladesh in rolling back militancy?

Fashionable women, dark-haired&nbsp;Saudis and blonde Eastern Europeans alike, fill the gold-trimmed halls of Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton Hotel, marking the start of&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia's first-ever fashion week.

Models and makeup artists preparing for the inaugural&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;episode of Arab Fashion Week said they were surprised the event was taking place in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom.

"We are so excited because this is the first fashion week in&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, so we are making history," model Anita Dmycroska said.

Strict social restrictions have eased dramatically under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has reined in religious police, introduced public concerts and lifted bans on cinemas and women driving.

Yet, restrictions persist. Tuesday's reception was open to men and cameras, but only women are permitted at catwalk events and outside photography is barred.

Women in public places in&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, wear abayas -- loose-fitting, full-length robes symbolic of piety.

With recent reforms, women in some cities have begun to don more colourful abayas, sometimes trimmed with lace and velvet or left open to reveal long skirts or jeans.

No abayas will feature on the catwalk. The event hosts invitation-only fashion viewings and a Harvey Nichols pop-up store in a tent that was still being erected hours before the first show.

Another tent holds the catwalk, featuring designers from Brazil, Lebanon, Russia,&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

&nbsp;

MAKING THE KINGDOM FASHIONABLE

The event, initially scheduled for last month, was postponed because of delays in issuing visas. Industry figures from Italy, Russia and Lebanon flocked to Riyadh, many for the first time, to admire the work of local and international designers.

Layla Issa Abouzeid,&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&nbsp;country director for the Dubai-based Arab Fashion Council (AFC) organising the event, said 1,500 people were expected to attend, including 400 from abroad.

She hopes the event will bring revenue into the kingdom and highlight local talent.

"[When] people go to Paris on the Paris Fashion week, the hotels are completely fully booked," she said. "I want to create the same demand in&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, twice a year. I want to create a platform for the local designers to go worldwide."

Lebanese designer Naja Saade came to Riyadh to display his couture collection.

"I'm very proud to participate in this first edition of Arab Fashion Week in&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, because it's a part of the revolution of the women in this country," he said.

By bringing talent from Europe and placing international brands on the same catwalk as Arab brands, he hopes to elevate local fashion designers.

AFC wants to introduce fashion courses, internships and scholarships to&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&nbsp;and develop a fashion district in Riyadh.

Jacob Abrian, AFC founder and chief executive, said many Arabs have had to leave their countries to have fashion careers, but this recurring event allows them to stay in the region.

"I was always asking myself, why do us Arabs have to travel abroad to find our future? Why can’t we find our future in our own countries?"

Women in public places in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, wear abayas -- loose-fitting, full-length robes symbolic of piety.

Fashionable women, dark-haired Saudis and blonde Eastern Europeans alike, fill the gold-trimmed halls of Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton Hotel, marking the start of Saudi Arabia's first-ever fashion week. Models and makeup artists preparing for the inaugural Saudi episode of Arab Fashion Week said they were surprised the event was taking place in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom. "We are so excited because this is the first fashion week in Saudi Arabia, so we are making history," model Anita Dmycroska said. Strict social restrictions have eased dramatically under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has reined in religious police, introduced public concerts and lifted bans on cinemas and women driving. Yet, restrictions persist. Tuesday's reception was open to men and cameras, but only women are permitted at catwalk events and outside photography is barred. Women in public places in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, wear abayas -- loose-fitting, full-length robes symbolic of piety. With recent reforms, women in some cities have begun to don more colourful abayas, sometimes trimmed with lace and velvet or left open to reveal long skirts or jeans. No abayas will feature on the catwalk. The event hosts invitation-only fashion viewings and a Harvey Nichols pop-up store in a tent that was still being erected hours before the first show. Another tent holds the catwalk, featuring designers from Brazil, Lebanon, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. MAKING THE KINGDOM FASHIONABLE The event, initially scheduled for last month, was postponed because of delays in issuing visas. Industry figures from Italy, Russia and Lebanon flocked to Riyadh, many for the first time, to admire the work of local and international designers. Layla Issa Abouzeid, Saudi Arabia country director for the Dubai-based Arab Fashion Council (AFC) organising the event, said 1,500 people were expected to attend, including 400 from abroad. She hopes the event will bring revenue into the kingdom and highlight local talent. "[When] people go to Paris on the Paris Fashion week, the hotels are completely fully booked," she said. "I want to create the same demand in Saudi Arabia, twice a year. I want to create a platform for the local designers to go worldwide." Lebanese designer Naja Saade came to Riyadh to display his couture collection. "I'm very proud to participate in this first edition of Arab Fashion Week in Saudi Arabia, because it's a part of the revolution of the women in this country," he said. By bringing talent from Europe and placing international brands on the same catwalk as Arab brands, he hopes to elevate local fashion designers. AFC wants to introduce fashion courses, internships and scholarships to Saudi Arabia and develop a fashion district in Riyadh. Jacob Abrian, AFC founder and chief executive, said many Arabs have had to leave their countries to have fashion careers, but this recurring event allows them to stay in the region. "I was always asking myself, why do us Arabs have to travel abroad to find our future? Why can’t we find our future in our own countries?"

Fashionably late: Saudi Arabia hosts its first-ever fashion week

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will be participating in the Cannes Film Festival this year. The film festival will take place in Cannes, France from 8-19 May.&nbsp 
 
A total of nine short films by young local filmmakers will be screened at the Short Film Corner during the festival on May 14 and 15, reported Variety. 
 
Saudi Film Council, which was recently launched by the country's General Culture Authority (GCA) after the lifting of 35-year-old ban on the films, will also set up a pavilion in order to enable the guests to participate in roundtable discussions with Saudi industry representatives and to understand the Kingdom's industry ambitions through its various initiatives and programmes. 
 
"The kingdom looks forward to its debut presence at the festival, celebrating and supporting the diversity of talent and opportunities within the Saudi film industry,"&nbspSaudi culture minister and chairman of GCA's board Awwad Alawwad said in the statement. 
 
"Saudi Arabia is embarking on the development of a sustainable and dynamic industry that supports and encourages all stages of a film cycle and offers an incredible range of locations for the world's filmmakers to discover," he added.&nbsp

A total of nine short films by young local filmmakers will be screened at the Short Film Corner during the festival

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will be participating in the Cannes Film Festival this year. The film festival will take place in Cannes, France from 8-19 May. A total of nine short films by young local filmmakers will be screened at the Short Film Corner during the festival on May 14 and 15, reported Variety. Saudi Film Council, which was recently launched by the country's General Culture Authority (GCA) after the lifting of 35-year-old ban on the films, will also set up a pavilion in order to enable the guests to participate in roundtable discussions with Saudi industry representatives and to understand the Kingdom's industry ambitions through its various initiatives and programmes. "The kingdom looks forward to its debut presence at the festival, celebrating and supporting the diversity of talent and opportunities within the Saudi film industry,"&nbspSaudi culture minister and chairman of GCA's board Awwad Alawwad said in the statement. "Saudi Arabia is embarking on the development of a sustainable and dynamic industry that supports and encourages all stages of a film cycle and offers an incredible range of locations for the world's filmmakers to discover," he added.

Saudi Arabia to participate in Cannes Film Festival this year

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