Saudi Arabia hosts Chiefs of Staff from 43 countries, EU to discuss Riyadh’s initiative to establish a Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance

Do not involve your countries in a war that is not yours — Yemeni Armed Forces issues warning to the Saudi Coalition members 

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Friday hosted a meeting of Chiefs of Staff and representatives from 43 countries and the European Union to discuss Riyadh’s initiative to establish a Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance.

The Saudi initiative aims to protect international maritime routes and counter threats targeting global commercial shipping and navigation.

The meeting discussed the alliance’s founding arrangements, including Saudi Arabia serving as the founding and leading nation.

Fourteen participating countries, including Egypt and Turkey, expressed support for the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance initiative

Yemeni Armed Forces issues warning to the Saudi Coalition members 

To the countries that have declared their alliance with the Saudi enemy and whose names were mentioned within the coalition and aggression against Yemen:

We clarify that the decision to impose a transit ban only included Saudi ships, in response to the brutal aggression that targeted our country.

Accordingly, we warn these countries against engaging in or participating in protecting Saudi ships or supporting their operations, and against dragging their countries into a confrontation that has nothing to do with them.

Any direct participation in protecting or supporting Saudi ships, as stated in the statement, will render the ships of those countries subject to the expansion of the ban decision to include them.

This is a final warning and a clear message: Do not involve your countries in a war that is not yours.

The Red Sea is not an open arena for those who wish to escalate, and any new step will be met with corresponding steps.

Trump: No deal, no mercy as Iran's Ballistic Missiles Hit American Military Base in Jordan

United States President Donald Trump has again declared that if there is no deal with Iran, there will be no mercy with Tehran.

Iran has ended it's retaliatory break and resumes ballistic missiles strikes against US military base in Jordan.

Trump warns Iran that if negotiations fail, America's next targets will be bridges and power plants. The pressure campaign is no longer about words—it's about overwhelming leverage.

The world is now watching Tehran's next move

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched multiple ballistic missiles toward US forces in the Middle East on Tuesday in what US Central Command described as an attempted surprise attack, adding that all missiles were intercepted.


“At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness,” CENTCOM posted on X.


Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted a US air base and Central Command center in Jordan with ballistic missiles on Tuesday, according to IRGC-affiliated Fars News.


IRGC's Aerospace Force launched several ballistic missiles at the facilities in response to what it described as US actions against Iran, the report said.


"As long as threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran continue and the illegal and hostile actions of US forces against our interests persist, resistance will continue. The threats by US officials and illegal interventions against our interests must stop,” IRGC said.

Iran attacks on the Muwaffaq Salti Airbase in Jordan, with local media footage showing direct impacts.

CENTCOM claims all missiles were intercepted — but social media video shows smoke rising from alleged impact sites.


Though no US strikes in recent days, Iran has not agreed to any ceasefire since the US withdrew from talks. Iran says it retains the right to target US assets in the region.


It is believed that Iran resumed attacks against the US as the CENTCOM and Saudi Arabia are in the joint coalition strikes against the Tehran backed militias in Iraq.

CENTCOM and the Saudi Armed Forces conducted precision strikes in eastern Iraq, targeting what they described as "Iran-aligned terrorists" directed by the IRGC.

US and Saudi fighter aircrafts targeted logistics and weapons sites, CENTCOM announced. According to the CENTCOM, there have been over 30 drone attacks against the US forces in the last 72 hours.

Yemen's Houthis Struck Saudi Arabia's Southern Yanbu, uses to Bypass Strait of Hormuz by the Kingdom

Yemen's Houthis have Struck Saudi Arabia's Southern Yanbu Terminal, which the Kingdom uses to Bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Fuel Depots can be seen Burning from King Fahd Road 

Saudi Arabia still has the Northern Yanbu Terminal for its Oil Exports

In another report, Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed drones coming from Iraq, the Kingdom’s defense ministry says in a statement


The drones attempted to target oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region and Riyadh, according to the ministry


The ministry says the drones were launched from Iraqi territory by Iran-backed militias

Houthis have claimed responsibility for the drones  attacks.

On Monday, Yemen's Houthis announce multiple drone strikes on several targets and sensitive points in the supply and transport of crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Yanbu port, in response to Saudi drones breaching Yemeni airspace, per Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree.

This comes after today’s drone attacks on the Abqaiq oil refinery.

Both Jordan and Qatar have separately condemned the drone attacks against the Saudi Kingdom.

Qatar on Monday strongly condemned attempted drone attacks targeting oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and Riyadh regions, saying the drones were launched from Iraqi territory.

The attacks were a “flagrant violation of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to its security and stability and the safety of its lands,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry also described them as a breach of international law, the UN Charter and the principles of good neighborliness.

It said Qatar stood in full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and supported all legitimate measures taken by the kingdom to protect its sovereignty, security and territory.

According to a report, over the past 48 hours, the Yemeni armed forces have struck three Saudi oil tankers." 

Sixteen Saudi vessels had turned back, unable to transit the Houthi-controlled Bab al-Mandab Strait in the past six days, beginning July 20, it added

"Since Yemen imposed the blockade, not a single Saudi oil tanker has passed through the Strait in either direction," the source stated

The ban on Saudi shipping, imposed on July 20, remains in effect, according to the source

The Houthis announced the blockade in response to Saudi control over Yemen's airspace for 12 years, and after Sanaa airport was shelled as an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation was landing

Yemen's Houthis have launched a Ballistic Missile Strike on Saudi Arabia's Jazan region

 

Smoke is rising over Jazan, Saudi Arabia right now. There is a Big Oil Refinery in the Area

The ballistic missiles were reportedly launched from Yemen, though the Houthis have yet to formally claim the attack.

Iranian state media claims the target was a Saudi Aramco oil facility. Saudi authorities have not confirmed. If verified, this would be another direct hit on critical energy infrastructure in one of the most strategically vital regions on Earth says Val, Daniel

According to reports, Houthis have recently warned Saudi actions “will not go unanswered” 

The Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement warned that recent Saudi actions will not go unanswered, Tasnim reported, citing the group’s political bureau.

Below is a footage reportedly showing an oil terminal in ARAMCO oil refinery in Jazan, Saudi Arabia burning after Yemeni missile strikes.

Ansar Allah said the deterrence equation set by Yemen’s people, leadership and armed forces remains “clear and fixed.”

“Siege for siege, ports for ports, escalation for escalation,” the movement said, warning that continued aggression would only bring further losses for the aggressors.

According to Reuters citing Greek security sources, Saudi air defenses, reportedly operated by Greek personnel, intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen toward oil facilities in Yanbu.

The incident has drawn renewed attention to the role of foreign military personnel supporting Gulf air-defense operations, as Riyadh continues relying on international partnerships to protect key energy infrastructure from regional missile threats.

Earlier the Saudi led Coalition Joint Forces Command said the coalition carried out a “proportionate military response operation” in Yemen’s Hodeidah, adding that it will continue to take the necessary measures to protect ships.

United States is correctly pressuring Iran to stop the Houthisfrom further attacks against Saudi Arabia. US has not carried out strikes against Iran in the last 24 hours for the first time 

The US next attacks may be be the start of large scale strikes against Tehran or continue diplomacy through Pakistan to minimize exclamation in the region as Saudi is no longer exception.

Spoke's person of Terrorists And Bandits in Nigeria Sheikh Gumi Barred from performing Hajj, deports him back to Nigeria by Saudi Authorities

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have stopped Nigerian Sheikh Gumi from performing Hajj, deports him back to Nigeria

Gumi 

Saudi Arabia has stopped Kaduna-based Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi from performing the 2025 Hajj and deported him back to Nigeria.

Sheikh Gumi confirmed this in a post made on Monday, May 26, 2025, via his Facebook page.

He said the Saudi government had granted him a visa to enter the country for Hajj, but he was not allowed to enter Medina to begin his religious duties.

According to him, “Due to some reasons related to my views on world politics, the authorities in Saudi Arabia do not want me to be present at Hajj even though they have granted me a visa,” Sheikh Gumi said in a post on his Facebook page.

He added, “I am grateful to the authorities in Nigeria who have pledged to engage with the Saudi authorities on this matter.”

 

Sheikh Gumi is part of a delegation of scholars sponsored by the Nigerian Hajj Commission (NAHCON) to travel to Saudi Arabia for religious services.

Gumi arrived in Medina with other clerics last Saturday at around 10:30pm on an Umza Air flight, but upon arrival at the city’s airport, Saudi immigration officials prevented the cleric from entering the country.

Reports revealed that Sheikh Gumi has now returned to Nigeria to continue his daily activities, especially teaching.

It is note worthy to state that the Islamic Scholar has be the mouth piece of the terrorists, Bandits and kidnappers who have caused a lot of havock to the people of Southern Kaduna and beyond.

The APC led Federal government of Nigeria usually give him police security to move around as the spokeman of the bandits. The government through the Nigerian Army rehabilitates terrorists while they abandon their victims. 

There were claims of terrorists been absorbed into the Nigerian Army. Many of the Nigerian youths especially of the southern origins are jettisoning joining the army currently.

No serious country will tolerate terrorists and their sympathizers but under the APC governed Nigeria since 2015 till date, like fiction, the level of insecurities have been aggravated and compounded, lives of the law abiding citizens have become miserable and short due to reasons of insecurities.

Order countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE have arrested Nigerian terrorists and sponsors of terrorism in their country who worked freely here.

VIDEO: Can you believe that it has gone this bad! Doctors leaving Nigeria for Mideast

Our political leaders awaiting internal judgements from the masses

The problems in Nigeria are critical, and affecting all fields, not only doctors.

Ask the market women’s if they want to live in Nigeria if they have the opportunity to travel out of the country?


There is health care crisis in Nigeria, why can’t federal government not put 10billions of the Paris money to health care system in Nigeria to alleviate the problems we are facing right now?


In US, and other developed countries, it is the government that is indirectly financing the hospitals for patients to have quality healthcare treatments.

The issues on health care system is a national crisis, that can only be solved by the government that is ready to take up the challenges, and put the country in the right tracks.


If government did not put things in order, quality professionals will continue to leave Nigeria for better pastures.


If our leaders are sick in Nigeria, they will be running to overseas for treatment, and we have more than enough resources to put things in other in Nigeria. This is very unfortunate, that we are still at this level, where most leaders are thinking for their own pockets, and forget about the masses that they are ruling.

At time is coming in Nigeria, that there will no be a save place for political leaders in Nigeria, and the time is fast approaching, if nothing is done.


Unfortunately, l don’t think we have government at the federal level, who can put the country at the right tracks.


We have to realize that endurance as a limit, when the masses will fight back. The political leaders are going to see internal judgements from the masses, that the properties and the families will not be saved.

Watch out, the time is approaching very fast.

Saudi Price for Ties With Israel Is Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital, Says Saudi Royal

Saudi Arabia's price for normalising relations with Israel is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, a senior member of the Saudi royal family reaffirmed on Friday, Haaretz reported. 

According to the report, Prince Turki al-Faisal said this in an apparent response to U.S. President Donald Trump who said on Wednesday he expected Saudi Arabia to join a deal announced last week by Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalise diplomatic ties.

Notwithstanding, the former ambassador to Washington and ex-intelligence chief  opined that UAE's decision, noting that Riyadh's close ally had secured a key condition - a halt to Israeli annexation plans.

The UAE is only the third Arab state in more than 70 years to forge full relations with Israel. 

Under the U.S.-brokered deal, Israel shelved plans to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, which Palestinians seek as part of a future state.

The UAE said Israel's commitment had kept alive the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel hitherto had no formal ties with Gulf Arab states but shared concerns with the UAE about Iran's regional influence and actions, along with the UAE's role as a regional business hub, led to a limited thaw and discreet contacts in recent years.

The deal raised speculation that other U.S.-backed Gulf Arab countries might follow. But Prince Turki said Saudi Arabia, the biggest Gulf Arab power which has traditionally guided policy towards Israel, expected a higher return from Israel.

"Any Arab state that is considering following the UAE should demand in return a price, and it should be an expensive price," he wrote in the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has set a price for concluding peace between Israel and the Arabs - it is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as capital, as provided for by the initiative of the late King Abdullah."

That 2002 Arab League plan offered Israel normalised ties in return for Israeli withdrawal from all territories - the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem - captured in the 1967 Middle East war, and a Palestinian state there.

In the first Saudi reaction to the UAE-Israeli deal, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said on Wednesday Riyadh remained committed to the Arab peace initiative.

Prince Turki currently holds no government office but remains influential as current chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.

Pakistan will not recognise Israel until there is a Palestinian state: PM Khan

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said his country will not recognise Israel until there is a Palestinian state acceptable to the Palestinians.

In an interview with local broadcaster Dunya News, Khan said on Tuesday Islamabad would not follow suit in recognising Israel as a state, in a thinly veiled reference to the United Arab Emirates which struck a United States-brokered deal last week to normalise ties with Israel.

"Our stance is very clear; as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said, Pakistan will never recognise Israel until Palestinians are given their right of a just settlement."

- Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI #PMImranKhanonDunyaNews pic.twitter.com/7oahWSuj8E

— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) August 18, 2020

"Whatever any country does, our position is very clear. And our position was made clear by [Pakistan's founder] Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah ... in 1948: that we cannot ever accept Israel as long as Palestinians are not given their rights and there is no just settlement," Khan said.

The UAE on August 13 became the first Gulf Arab country - and third in the Middle East after Egypt and Jordan - to reach a deal on normalising relations with Israel, capping years of discreet contacts between the two countries in commerce and technology.

Khan said if Pakistan accepted Israel and ignored the oppression of the Palestinians, "we will have to give up Kashmir as well then", adding that this was not something Pakistan could do.

"When you talk of Israel and Palestine, we need to think, will we be able to answer [God] if we abandon those people who have faced every kind of injustice and whose rights were taken away? My own conscience will never allow me to do this, I can never accept it," Khan said.

The Palestinian embassy in Islamabad thanked Khan for his stance, according to Pakistani media outlet Dawn.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it would not follow the UAE in establishing diplomatic ties with Israel until it had signed an internationally recognised peace accord with the Palestinians.

"Peace must be achieved with the Palestinians on the basis of international agreements as a pre-condition for any normalisation of relations," Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters during a visit to Germany's capital, Berlin.

"Once that is achieved all things are possible," he added.

Sources: Aljazeera and News Agencies

King of Bahrain Congratulates the UAE on Deal With Israel, Iran daily says the deal makes UAE ‘legitimate target’

Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has "congratulated" the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) de-facto ruler, Mohammed bin Zayed, on his deal to normalize ties with Israel, calling it "historic," Bahrain's state news agency said on Saturday.

In a sharp contrast, an ultraconservative Iranian newspaper said today that the UAE’ decision to normalise ties with Israel has made it a “legitimate target” for pro-Tehran forces. The Kayhan daily, considered to be the mouthpiece of ultraconservatives in Iran, said the agreement was a “betrayal” of the Palestinian cause.

According to the daily: “The UAE’s great betrayal of the Palestinian people and its signing of an agreement to normalise relations with the Zionist regime, if it has only one result, it will be to turn this small, rich country heavily dependent on security into a legitimate and easy target for the resistance,” Kayhan said in a front-page commentary.

Iran’s government has strongly condemned the agreement. The move was an act of “strategic stupidity from Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv which will undoubtedly strengthen the resistance axis in the region,” the foreign ministry said yesterday.

The UAE and Israel announced on Thursday a US-brokered agreement to establish full diplomatic ties in return for Israel suspending a controversial plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

The deal makes the UAE the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan and the first Arab Gulf state to have diplomatic links with Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed and US President Donald Trump hailed the agreement as "historic," while the Palestinians and some countries including Iran and Turkey decried it as a "betrayal."

In a telephone call, the Bahraini monarch described the UAE-Israeli pact as a "historic step for peace," saying it will boost peace efforts and stability in the Middle East, according to the agency.
King Hamad also said the deal preserves a two-state formula that envisages a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

On Thursday, Bahrain was the first in a six-nation energy-rich Gulf bloc allied with the US to hail the deal. Bahrain is home to the US 5th Fleet.

At a White House press briefing on Thursday, officials said that Oman and Bahrain would be the next countries to normalize relations with Israel.

Sources: Malaymail, Haaretz

End of Ramadan fast: Khashoggi family announces PARDON for slain journalist's killers

The family of  journalist Jamal Khashoggi has declared “forgiveness” for his killers, extending pardons to the accused, who faced execution in Saudi Arabia, as Muslims gear to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan, RT reported.

One of the Washington Post columnist’s two sons, Salah Khashoggi, announced amnesty for the murderers in a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday. Five men were sentenced to death in the case last year in a Saudi court, while three others were given 24 years in prison for their role in the murder plot.

Sons of Jamal Khashoggi say they have decided to pardon the killers of their father - #saudihttps://t.co/nk29glHBno— Mohamad Ali Harissi (@aleeharissi) May 22, 2020

Under Saudi law, which is heavily influenced by Islamic legal traditions, the families of murder victims have the option to grant clemency to perpetrators, often in exchange for a monetary payment known as “diyah.” Some convicts are spared without an exchange of money, however, and it's unclear whether the Khashoggi family has requested any compensation.

“In this blessed night of the blessed month (of Ramadan) we remember God’s saying: If a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah,” the family wrote.

Therefore we the sons of the Martyr’s Jamal Khashoggi announce pardoning those who killed our father, seeking reward God almighty.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

United States to withdraw Patriot missiles from Saudi Arabia, reduces military presence - Media

U.S. media on Thursday reported that the United States is preparing to withdraw Patriot missile defense systems from Saudi Arabia in addition to reducing its military presence in the Kingdom. The Wall Street Journal quoted unnamed U.S. officials as saying that the United States will withdraw 4 Patriot batteries from Saudi Arabia, in addition to dozens of military personnel who were sent there after the missile attacks on oil installations last year.

"The U.S. is removing Patriot antimissile systems from Saudi Arabia and is considering reductions to other military capabilities—marking the end, for now, of a large-scale military buildup to counter Iran, according to U.S. officials" the media reported.

"The U.S. is removing two Patriot missile batteries from Saudi Arabia and two others from the Middle East, along with dozens of military personnel who were deployed to the region following a series of attacks on the Saudi oil facilities last year, according to several U.S. officials."
The officials added that the United States has withdrawn two squadrons of combat aircraft, and will also consider reducing the U.S. naval presence in the Gulf. According to the newspaper’s sources, the reduction of the American military capabilities in Saudi Arabia is based on assessments that Iran no longer represents a direct threat to the strategic interests of the United States in the region.

For its part, sources said to the American media “The Hill” that the United States will reduce the number of Patriot batteries in Saudi Arabia from 4 to 2, and two other batteries will be removed from another country in the region. Some media indicated that the withdrawal process is still going on, as a U.S. official told Bloomberg, that the United States has withdrawn two Patriot batteries from Saudi Arabia and two others from the region.

According to the official, the battery withdrawal was due to take place last March, but was postponed due to the missile attacks on the Taji camp in Iraq, which the United States blames for pro-Iranian groups. The official added that the Patriot systems of the Saudi forces will replace the two American batteries in the Kingdom. He stressed that 12 batteries of Patriot missiles and one of the Thaad air defense missiles will remain in the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump declined to comment on the withdrawal of weapons and troops from the Middle East, saying: “I don’t want to talk about that but we are taking some steps … and we are taking many steps in the Middle East and elsewhere, and many measures in the military field around the world.”

3 IRGC members, several militants Killed along Iran’s western border

Three IRGC members, including Colonel Shakiba Salimi, were killed during a fiers clashes with militants along the Persian western border.

According to Fars News, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a successful operation in the Kurdistan province in western Iran on Wednesday, killing a number of militants who were planning to infiltrate the Islamic Republic’s border.

“Several terrorists were killed during clashes in Divandarreh County on Tuesday,” A statement by the IRGC’s Hamzeh Seyed al-Shohada Base said. The statement added that three IRGC members, including Colonel Shakiba Salimi, were killed in the clashes.

The statement praised Colonel Salimi for dedicating his life in maintaining security and also making the effort to fight the coronavirus illness.

The IRGC is actively engaged in security operations against anti-Iran terrorist groups and accordingly is attacked by entities and terrorist groups which hold grudges against Tehran.



Source: Fars News

US threatens to withdraw military from Saudi Arabia over oil crisis: report

The United States is putting pressure on Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to cut its oil production as the  U.S. President Donald Trump threatened the Arab country, in the absence of a response, to withdraw military support.

According to the Reuters News Agency, citing four sources, the agency said that Trump called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on April 2 and told him that if OPEC countries did not start cutting oil production, he would be unable to stop U.S. lawmakers from passing a law to withdraw U.S. forces from the Gulf Kingdom.

The agency said that this threat to end a 75-year strategic alliance represented a focal point in the American pressure campaign that led to a prominent global deal to reduce oil supplies, in conjunction with the collapse of demand for it in light of the spread of coronavirus, and was considered a diplomatic victory for the White House.

According to the agency, Trump sent his message to the Crown Prince ten days before the announcement of production cuts, and MBS was surprised by the threat that he ordered his aides to leave the room so that he could continue the discussion separately.

A senior U.S. official told the agency that the administration informed Saudi leaders that “without production cuts,” there would be no way to prevent the U.S. Congress from imposing restrictions that might lead to the withdrawal of US forces. ”

It is reported that Trump, in his response to the agency’s question whether he had told the Crown Prince that the United States may withdraw its forces from Saudi Arabia, said that he “should not have told him.”

Source

China boosts oil imports from Russia, while slashing purchases from Saudi Arabia

Shipments of Russian crude oil to China increased by more than 30 percent in March compared to a year earlier while Saudi imports of the commodity sank, Reuters reported, citing Chinese customs data.

As crumbling demand for crude and lack of storage space have been wreaking havoc on the oil market, China has been boosting oil exports in a move seen as taking advantage of record low oil prices. Covid-19 has severely cut the demand of one of the top global importers, but in March China purchased 9.68 million barrels per day (bpd), that is 4.5 percent more than it did during the same period in 2019.

Russia and Saudi Arabia supplied almost equal amounts of oil to the country last month, with shipments standing at 7.02 million tonnes (1.66 million bpd) and 7.21 million tonnes (1.7 million bpd) respectively. However, the data released by the General Administration of Customs shows that purchases from Riyadh fell 1.6 percent, while Russian crude imports rose 31 percent, according to Reuters calculations.

The increased imports come as the Chinese economy is slowly getting back to normal, with most enterprises resuming operations after weeks-long quarantine. China became the first country to be hit by the deadly virus at the end of last year. Since then the outbreak shifted from Asia to Europe and the US, which has become the new epicenter of the epidemic. 

As of Sunday, over 939,000 people were infected in the US, while 53,934 were killed by the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The pandemic has sapped global demand for crude which might fall by around 30 percent, according to some gruesome estimates. As both onshore and offshore storage facilities have been running out of space, oil prices tumbled to record lows earlier this week, with WTI futures for May delivery entering negative territory. Prices for the international benchmark Brent also fell to multi-year lows.

In a bid to help the market rebound, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), as well as allied producers led by Russia, agreed on historic output cuts earlier this month. Starting in May, the signatories will have to slash production by 9.7 million barrels per day. 

However, many fear that the cuts came too late and will be not enough to ramp up the prices as demand will not rebound any time soon. 

Saudi Arabia abolishes flogging as a punishment

Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia has abolished flogging as a punishment, the state human rights commission said Saturday, hailing a "major step forward" in the reform programme launched by the king and his powerful son.

Court-ordered floggings in Saudi Arabia -- sometimes extending to hundreds of lashes -- have long drawn condemnation from human rights groups.

But they say the headline legal reforms overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have brought no let-up in the conservative Islamic kingdom's crushing of dissent, including through the use of the death penalty.

The state human rights commission said that the latest reform, which was reported by Saudi media including the pro-government Okaz newspaper, would ensure that no more convicts were sentenced to flogging.

"This decision guarantees that convicts who would previously have been sentenced to the lash will from now on receive fines or prison terms instead," its chairman, Awad al-Awad, said.

Previously, the courts had powers to order the flogging of convicts found guilty of offences ranging from extramarital sex and breach of the peace to murder.

In future, judges will have to choose between fines and/or jail sentences, or non-custodial alternatives like community service.

- Blogger flogging -

The most high-profile instance of flogging in recent years was the case of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes in 2014 on charges of "insulting" Islam.

He was awarded the European parliament's Sakharov human rights prize the following year.

The abolition of corporal punishment in Saudi Arabia comes just days after the kingdom's human rights record was again in the spotlight following news of the death from a stroke in custody of leading activist Abullah al-Hamid, 69.

Hamid was a founding member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) and was sentenced to 11 years in jail in March 2013, campaigners said.

He was convicted on multiple charges, including "breaking allegiance" to the Saudi ruler, "inciting disorder" and seeking to disrupt state security, Amnesty International said.

Criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record has grown since King Salman named his son Prince Mohammed crown prince and heir to the throne in June 2017.

The king has launched ambitious economic and social reforms, allowing women to drive and for sports and entertainment events to be staged in the kingdom.

However, the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 and the increased repression of dissidents at home have overshadowed the prince's pledge to modernise the economy and society.

The Saudi authorities put a record 184 people to death last year, according to figures released by Amnesty International on Tuesday.

"Saudi Arabia's growing use of the death penalty, including as a weapon against political dissidents, is an alarming development," the human rights group said.

A bid by a Saudi-backed consortium that involves Prince Mohammed to take over English Premier League football club Newcastle United has also brought renewed international scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights record.

The Premier League must decide if the new owners meet the criteria in its owners and directors test.

Amnesty International warned that unless the league provides thorough justification for its decision to approve the takeover, it risks damaging its own reputation.

Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of "sports washing", saying the government uses sport as a way of distracting attention from its human rights record.

Source

COVID-19: Saudi Arabia’s virus cases top 10,000

The doctors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have identified 1,122 new coronavirus cases, the Saudi health ministry reported via Twitter, adding that the total number of infections reached 10,484.

According to the ministry, 24 people died over the past 24 hours, while 92 patients recovered. The country reported 103 fatalities in the pandemic and 1,490 recoveries. Currently, 8,891 people are being treated across the country.

Saudi Arabia is still ranked first among the Arab countries in coronavirus cases.

According to the latest statistics, over 2,414,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 165,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 629,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

Screening in Makkah and Madinah identifies new coronavirus cases, Kingdom’s total hits 7,000

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s health ministry announced on Friday 762 new coronavirus cases, meaning the total number of infections in the Kingdom now stands at 7,142.

There were also four new deaths from the COVID-19 virus announced, taking the total fatalities in Saudi Arabia to 87, as well as 59 recoveries, meaning there have been more than 1,000 people to have recovered from the virus in the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Health said it was actively conducting screening for the virus in Makkah and Madinah neighborhoods, adding that the procedures had helped to detect almost 50 percent of the new cases announced on Friday.

Photos tweeted by the ministry showed medical professionals in personal protective equipment (PPE) checking temperatures of residents and taking swab tests for the virus in their homes.

Because Saudi Arabia has recorded a larger number of confirmed cases in crowded residential areas, the spokesman said ministry medical teams are working in high-density areas — including those with an increased number of residential complexes for laborers.

During Friday’s briefing, the ministry also said it had been circulating information handouts in different languages to better communicate the virus restrictions and procedures to residents in the Kingdom.

Also on Friday, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia said communal Taraweeh and Eid prayers during Ramadan will be performed at home if the coronavirus pandemic continues.

His announcement comes a week before the Holy month is estimated to begin.

Telephone Conversation: Moscow, Riyadh confident that OPEC+ countries will fulfill their commitments — ministry

Russia and Saudi Arabia are firmly committed to fulfilling the OPEC+ deal on cutting oil output, the Russian Energy Ministry said on Thursday after a telephone conversation between Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud.

"Both countries are firmly committed to fulfilling the coordinated target cuts, they will continue to closely monitor the oil market and, if needed, they are ready to take any necessary measures together with OPEC+ and other producers. Russia and Saudi Arabia are also confident that their partners in OPEC+ and other producers will fulfill the undertaken commitments," the ministry said.

The ministry added that after the talks, both sides noted that Russia and Saudi Arabia have done a lot for reaching a historical agreement with OPEC+ countries and several other producers on the stabilization of the oil market.

Source

Russian, US and Saudi leaders support OPEC+ deal

The Russian, US and Saudi leaders have supported the OPEC+ agreement on gradual voluntary reduction of oil production that has come into forces, the Kremlin press service said on Sunday after their telephone conversation.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The leaders supported the agreement reached within OPEC+ on gradual voluntary reduction of oil production geared to stabilize the global markets and ensure sustainability of the world economy in general. This agreement is coming into force," it said.

The leaders agreed to continue contacts, the press service added.

According to earlier reports, the 23 OPEC+ nations who held an extraordinary online meeting on April 12 agreed on oil production cuts in each of them. However they failed to agree a daily production cuts by at least ten million barrels and arrived at a consensus to reduced production by 9.7 million barrels a day as they failed to talk Mexico into accepting its quota of 400,000 barrels a day.

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COVID-19: OPEC+ countries discussing oil production cuts from May to end of July, say sources

According to Russia's news agency TASS, citing two sources in OPEC on Tuesday, OPEC+ countries are discussing production cuts within the new deal framework from May to the end of July 2020 at the least.

A high-ranking source in the organization hinted that the deal may start from May and lasted for at least three months.

  "Three months. I believe the deal can be made from May because April deliveries have already been scheduled," it said. 

No clear deadline has been set so far "but it will be definitely longer than until June," another source added.

The OPEC+ oil production reduction deal ended on March 31, 2020. The reason was disagreements between Russia and Saudi Arabia on terms of its extension after March.  The withdrawal from the agreement became the cause for production growth in OPEC countries, coupled with the unprecedented demand drop because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The oil prices fell to $22 per barrel due to a combination of these factors for the first time in twenty years. 

The partners decided to resume consultations and involve other producers from G20 countries, especially US whivh is the largest oil producer in the joint actions. 

Negotiations will be held on April 9 in a videoconference format.