DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ China foreign minister seeks stronger economic ties with Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Jan 31 (Reuters) - China's new foreign minister Qin Gang wants to build stronger ties with Saudi Arabia and set up a China-Gulf free trade zone "as soon as possible", according to a ministry statement published late on Monday. In addition, Qin pressed for continuously strengthening the China-Gulf strategic partnership and building "the China-Gulf Free Trade Zone as soon as possible". Prince Faisal said that Saudi Arabia regards relations with China as an important cornerstone of foreign relations, and that Saudi Arabia fully adheres to the one-China principle, according to the statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. Qin, who just wrapped up a tour to several African countries, also had telephone conversations with Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra and Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafierro, according to state media. Reporting by Liz Lee; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Davos 2023: Saudi-US partnership is crucial for global security, says Saudi envoy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States said on Wednesday that maintaining the long-standing strategic partnership between Riyadh and Washington was "beyond critically necessary" for global stability. "Yes there was a moment of conflict and disagreement, but that doesn't take away from the fact that we are both strategic allies and we are friends, and this relationship is critical for the world," envoy Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud said at a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Reporting by Maha El Dahan; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Why Egypt is asking its people to eat chicken feet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —Egypt’s economic situation is so dire that the government is asking people to eat chicken feet. In Egypt, chicken feet are seen as the cheapest of meat items, considered by most as animal waste rather than food. After the recommendation to switch to chicken feet, the price of one kilogram of the product reportedly doubled to 20 Egyptian pounds ($0.67). But those firms don’t operate like private companies, enjoying special privileges without disclosing their financial data to the public. Experts have questioned why international creditors had not leveraged their loans to drive Egypt’s military out of the economy.

☆ Davos 2023: Saudi FM says Riyadh trying to find path to dialogue with Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the kingdom was trying to find a path to dialogue with Iran as the best way to resolve differences. "This is complex question, but we will have to talk about how we find a pathway to ending the conflict," he said. Netanyahu has pledged to pursue formal Israeli ties with Riyadh to build on normalisation pacts signed with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020 under his leadership. Gulf powerhouse Saudi Arabia blessed the U.S.-brokered pacts but stopped short of formally recognising Israel in the absence of a resolution to Palestinian statehood goals. Reporting by Maha El Dahan; writing by Ghaida Ghantous; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ronaldo-Messi rivalry set for new chapter in Riyadh
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Manasi Pathak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The highly anticipated showdown, which will take place at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, reportedly had more than two million online ticket requests. The bidding for a VIP "Beyond Imagination" ticket to the match has already topped 10 million riyals ($2.66 million) in an auction that is set to end later on Tuesday. While Thursday's friendly will be Ronaldo's first in Saudi Arabia, the 37-year-old's first competitive appearance will come in the Saudi Pro League on Sunday when Al Nassr host Al Ettifaq. French newspaper L'Equipe reported on Monday that PSG will earn just over 10 million euros for the game. ($1 = 3.7556 riyals)($1 = 0.9247 euros)Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ronaldo to make Saudi debut in friendly against PSG
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - Al Nassr unveil new signing Cristiano Ronaldo - Mrsool Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2023 New Al Nassr signing Cristiano Ronaldo during training REUTERS/Ahmed YosriJan 16 (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in Saudi Arabia for the first time since joining Al Nassr after he was named as captain of Riyadh ST XI for an exhibition match against Lionel Messi's Paris St Germain, officials announced on Monday. The 37-year-old Portuguese will lead the team made up of players from Saudi sides Al Hilal and Al Nassr against Messi's PSG in what will be the latest chapter of the celebrated global soccer rivalry. The highly anticipated showdown, which reportedly had more than 2 million online ticket requests, will take place in Riyadh on Thursday. Ronaldo missed the first two domestic games for Al Nassr after being suspended by England's Football Association for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand in April. Ronaldo is set to make his first competitive appearance in the Saudi Pro League on Sunday when Al Nassr host Al Ettifaq.

☆ A VIP Boeing 747 Jumbo jet that spent just 42 hours in the air is being scrapped, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Boeing 747-8 that spent just 42 hours in the air is being dismantled, a report says. The $280 million jet was ordered for a Saudi prince, who died before it was delivered. Boeing repurchased the plane in April, but failed to find a new buyer and decided to scrap it. But when the crown prince died, no other member of the Saudi royal family expressed interest in taking on the jet. However, no buyer emerged for the jet and it is now be scrapped at the Arizona "boneyard".

☆ Pakistan suicide car bombing kills one police official, injures others
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Asif Shahzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Police officers and rescue workers gather at the site of a suicide car bombing in Islamabad, Pakistan December 23, 2022. "Our initial information says that there was a man and a woman in the car," Islamabad operations police chief, Sohail Zafar, told reporters. "Had the car reached its target, it would have caused heavy losses," Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told Geo News TV. Pakistani Taliban claimed the car bombing, saying it was revenge for the killing of one of their leaders. The bombing came two days after a Pakistani military operation killed 25 TTP militants after a standoff at a counter-terrorism facility.

DUBAI, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday he spoke with his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of a conference in Jordan the previous day, the highest-level encounter reported between officials from the rival states since they cut ties in 2016. The Middle East's leading Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran have been on opposing sides of conflicts across the region including in Syria and Yemen. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, tweeting in Arabic, on Wednesday listed his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, as one of several foreign ministers with whom he had the chance to hold "friendly talks" on the sidelines of the Jordan conference. "My Saudi counterpart assured me of his country's willingness to continue the dialogue with Iran," Amirabdollahian wrote. The Saudi foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One hostage, a security official, died during the raid , he said. The army spokesman's comments provided the first detailed official account of the standoff, in which two security personnel were killed when the militants first took over the compound, and two commandoes killed in the ensuing raid. Later other militants at the centre broke into a storeroom where confiscated weapons had been stored. STANDOFFAfter talks failed to resolve a two-day standoff, army commandos stormed the centre on Tuesday. Earlier, residents said they heard explosions coming from the vicinity of the centre on Tuesday as helicopters hovered overhead.

Pakistani Taliban militants detained at the centre had snatched interrogators' weapons and taken them captive on Sunday. Asif did not say how many militants were killed or how many hostages they had held. Residents said they heard explosions coming from the vicinity of the centre on Tuesday as helicopters hovered overhead. The army operations forced the militants and their leaders to flee to neighbouring Afghan districts. There, Islamabad says, they set up training centres to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Afghan authorities deny.

According to a provincial government spokesman, the militants were demanding safe passage to Afghanistan. "We are in negotiations with the central leaders of the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan," Mohammad Ali Saif, a spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, said. He said the authorities were yet to receive a response from the Pakistani Taliban, adding that relatives of the militants and area tribal elders had also been involved in initiating talks with the Islamists inside the facility. The militants in control of the interrogation facility had demanded a safe passage to Afghanistan, a TTP statement sent to a Reuters reporter said. It added the TTP had also conveyed the demand to Pakistani authorities, but hadn't heard back any "positive" response.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Islamist militants seized a counter-terrorism centre in the northwestern Pakistani area of Bannu on Sunday and took hostages to negotiate with government authorities, officials said. One said about 15 militants took control of the centre after overpowering interrogators inside, grabbing their weapons and taking five or six of them hostage. Pakistan has been fighting an insurgency by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. A spokesman for the TTP did not immediately confirm or deny a link with the militants in the compound. Reporting Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Jibran Ahmad in Peshawar; Writing by Gibran PeshimamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Elon Musk reinstates journalists who were suspended from Twitter after conducting a poll about how to handle accounts that 'doxxed' his location
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter on Thursday suspended accounts belonging to several journalists who cover Elon Musk. As of Friday evening, accounts belonging to several journalists had been reinstated. A day prior, the company had suspended accounts run by college student Jack Sweeney — including one that tracked Musk's private jet — and announced new privacy rules. Musk conducted a Twitter poll Thursday asking his followers when he should "Unsuspend accounts who doxxed my exact location in real-time," with the options being "Now" or "In 7 days." At the time of publication, accounts belonging to O'Sullivan, Rupar, Mac, Harwell, and Webster had all been reinstated.

☆ Saudi energy minister sees no clear results yet from Russia price cap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud speaks at the Future Investment Initiative conference, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 25, 2022. "These tools were created for political purposes and it is not clear yet whether they can achieve these political purposes," he said, referring to the price cap. The OPEC+ alliance decision to cut production by 2 million barrels per day on Oct. 5 was proven to be the correct one when recent developments are taken into consideration, he said. Prince Abdulaziz said the alliance would continue to focus on market stability in the year ahead. He also said he insisted that every OPEC+ alliance member take part in decision-making.

☆ Saudi foreign minister: 'All bets off' if Iran gets nuclear weapon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Sunday that Iran's Gulf Arab neighbours would act to shore up their security if Tehran were to obtain nuclear weapons. Indirect U.S.-Iranian talks to salvage a 2015 nuclear pact between global powers and Iran, which Washington exited in 2018, stalled in September. "If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off," Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said in an on-stage interview at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi when asked about such a scenario. "The signs right now are not very positive unfortunately," Prince Faisal said. "We hear from the Iranians that they have no interest in a nuclear weapons programme, it would be very comforting to be able to believe that.

☆ 5 key takeaways from Xi’s trip to Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Here are five key takeaways from Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Press Agency//ReutersDuring Xi’s visit, Saudi Arabia and China released a nearly 4,000-word joint statement outlining their alignment on a swathe of political issues, and promising deeper cooperation on scores of others. China is the world’s biggest buyer of oil, with Saudi Arabia being its top supplier. China is also keen to cooperate with Saudi Arabia on security and defense, an important field once reserved for the kingdom’s American ally. Saudi Arabia was, however, keen to reject notions of polarization, deeming it unhelpful.

☆ Saudi Arabia wants ties with both China and U.S., says foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

RIYADH, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Thursday after a China-Arab summit hosted by Riyadh that the kingdom wants to cooperate with both the United States and China - economic rivals - and that while competition was good, polarisation was not. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, asked in a news conference about Washington's denial of Saudi mediation efforts in a Russia-U.S. prisoner swap - said he was aware of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "personal mediation efforts" to release U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner. Reporting by Maha El Dahan and Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Saudi Arabia and China will align on everything from security to oil, but agree not to interfere on domestic issues
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Riyadh and Beijing were keen to stress “the importance of stability in the world oil markets,” noting that Saudi Arabia is a reliable exporter of crude oil to its Chinese partner. China also affirmed its “opposition to any actions that would interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” without adding more details. On Friday, Xi invited Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud to visit China, according to Saudi state TV. President Xi was given a warm welcome in Saudi Arabia with ceremonies on Thursday. Saudi Arabia “is pursuing a multipolar strategy of strong strategic ties,” added Shihabi.

☆ China, Saudi Arabia stress importance of oil market stability as Xi visits Riyadh
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese President, Xi Jinping (L) is welcomed by Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 8, 2022. China and Saudi Arabia stressed the importance of global oil market stability and Riyadh's role in achieving this balance, following a three-day Saudi visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. China is the world's largest crude oil importer, while Saudi Arabia is the greatest exporter of such resources and chairs the influential OPEC+ producers' alliance. Xi met both King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud and his heir, Crown Prince and Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, according to Chinese official news agency Xinhua. The Chinese head of state has extended an invitation for King Salman to visit China "at a mutually convenient time," the statement said.

☆ England scent victory after bold declaration
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Having taken a 78-run lead in the runfest, England declared their second innings on 264-7 to set Pakistan an improbable victory target of 343 with four sessions to go. Opener Imam-ul-Haq (43) and debutant Saud Shakeel (24) were resisting England's victory march when bad light stopped play. Agha Salman's breezy 53 frustrated England who had to toil for about 75 minutes to claim the last three Pakistan wickets. England were rattled early in their second innings with Naseem Shah in the thick of things. Naseem dismissed Ben Duckett, one of four century-makers in England's first innings, for a first-ball duck with the second delivery of the innings.

☆ Analysis: Saudi prince seeks Mideast leadership, independence with Xi's visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Saudi government did not respond to requests for comment on Xi's visit and its agenda. It is China's top oil supplier, although fellow OPEC+ producer Russia has increased its Chinese market share with lower-priced fuel. The Chinese delegation is expected to sign dozens of agreements with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states covering energy, security and investments, diplomats have told Reuters. U.S. officials have declined to comment when asked about Saudi-China bilateral relations ahead of Xi's visit. "The relationships with China pale versus those with the United States in terms of both complexity and intimacy," he said.

"It is unlikely there will be any change to the policy," an OPEC+ source said. Talks begin on Saturday when OPEC ministers hold a virtual meeting at 1100 GMT. Some OPEC+ delegates and analysts are not ruling out a surprise at Sunday's meeting. JPMorgan, in a report this week, said OPEC+ was likely to hold the line at the meeting while leaving the door open to a cut of more than 500,000 bpd if demand deteriorates further. Reporting by Alex Lawler, Maha El Dahan, Ahmad Ghaddar and Rowena Edwards; Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pakistan suicide blast targeting police kills 3, wounds 28
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Gul Yousafzai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

QUETTA, Pakistan, Nov 30 (Reuters) - A suicide bomb blast in Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta targeted a police patrol on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding 28, police said. "A bomb blast that targeted a police patrol wounded more than 30 people, including 15 police," a police official, Abdul Haq, told Reuters. The patrol had been guarding a polio vaccination team at the time of the suicide blast, he added. Islamist militants in Pakistan often target polio vaccination teams, in the belief that the immunisation effort is a Western tool to spy on them. Quetta is the capital of Pakistan's province of Balochistan bordering Afghanistan and Iran, where both Islamist and separatist insurgents operate.

☆ Taliban militants in Pakistan end ceasefire with government - spokesman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Taliban militants in Pakistan will no longer abide by a months-long ceasefire with the Pakistani government, a spokesman for the militant group said on Monday. The Afghan Taliban have been facilitating peace talks between local militants and the government since late last year. The end of the ceasefire comes ahead of a visit by a Pakistani delegation, led by state minister for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, to Kabul on Tuesday. Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) told Reuters in a text message that its leadership had decided to end the ceasefire with Pakistan. The Pakistani military has carried out several offensives against the militants in their strongholds in remote lawless districts bordering Afghanistan.

Search resuls for: "Saud"

25 mentions found