Special to WorldTribune.com By Yossef Bodansky, Senior Editor, Global Information System / Defense & Foreign Affairs Jihad is escalating into Europe. The mid-November 2015 jihadist strike at the heart of Paris, the late-March 2016 jihadist strike at the heart of Brussels, as well as the host of smaller “incidents” such as the mid-May 2016 stabbing […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Iranian officials accused Saudi Arabia of “sabotage” after talks broke down on a deal that would have enabled Iranians to make the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. “The arrangements have not been put together and it’s now too late,” Iranian Culture Minister Ali Jannati told the official IRNA news agency on May […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Militants affiliated with Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) killed a Saudi soldier during a gunbattle on May 8 in a mountain village outside of Mecca. Saudi troops also found an explosive vest and bomb-making material after the jihadists retreated from the village of Thaqeef in the western Taif region, state […]
Special to WorldTribune.com An Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) terror cell that was planning to attack a nearby military base was busted by Saudi security forces on May 5. A group of five ISIL jihadists was found hiding in Jawal Watani, a suburb of Mecca. Two terrorists were killed by security forces in […]
Special to WorldTribune.com The termination of 50,000 workers for the Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) sparked a wave of protests that included the torching several buses in Mecca. The job cuts were mostly foreign workers who were given permanent exit visas to leave Saudi Arabia, the Saudi-based newspaper al-Watan reported. SBG, a massive construction company, was […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Muslims should be prohibited from gaining citizenship in non-Muslim states unless it is a “life or death” situation, a Saudi scholar said. Furthermore, they should be banned from visiting the West as tourists, he said. Sheikh Muhammad Al-Habdan, a member of the Muslim Scholars Association, said travel to Western nations by Muslims […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has unveiled a plan aimed at kicking the kingdom’s “addiction” to oil. The 31-year-old prince believes his recently-unveiled “Vision 2030” would transform the world’s top oil exporter into a global investment powerhouse. Paving the way, Mohammed said, would be the initial public offering (IPO) of […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Saudi Arabia has taken out a $10 billion loan from several major banks to plug a growing budget deficit caused by falling crude oil prices. The five-year loan is Saudi Arabia’s first international debt issuance in 25 years, Financial Times reported on April 20. Participating lenders include U.S. banks JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Leaders of Gulf Arab states have pledged solidarity with Morocco in its dispute with the UN over the fate of Western Sahara. Morocco expelled dozens of UN staff from the mission in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, last month after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon referred to Morocco’s 1975 annexation of the region […]
Special to WorldTribune.com U.S. President Barack Obama, who has a habit of bowing to Saudi royalty, flew into Riyadh on April 20. This time, though, there was no one on hand for Obama to bow to. The royal family gave Obama the royal snub. Saudi King Salman didn’t greet the president at King Khalid International Airport, nor […]
