Topic: Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia suspends flights to and from India amid surge in Covid cases
Saudi Arabia's aviation authority said it was suspending travel to and from India, Brazil & Argentina including any person who has been in any of these countries in last 14 days.
China and IAEA are helping Saudi Arabia achieve its nuclear ambitions
Although Saudi Arabia has pledged that its nuclear program is strictly peaceful, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said the kingdom would develop a bomb if Iran did so.
For UAE, Saudi Arabia & Egypt, recovery from Covid is taking the ‘W’ shape
Between aftershocks of the oil-market rout and the pandemic, the path to recovery has further stumbled over region specific issues such as austerity measures in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli plane makes historic first flight over Saudi skies
The opening up of Saudi air space gives Emirates and Etihad an opportunity to route Israelis through airports hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and connect them to more destinations.
Pakistan’s Saudi marriage not over. But with China on its side, MBS mood swings won’t work
Pakistan sent Qureshi to China and Bajwa to Riyadh. Its design of the new Middle East policy is likely to be made in Rawalpindi not Islamabad.
Israel-UAE deal can boost India’s PoK plans. Modi just needs to keep the balancing act on
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s refusal to allow a stand-alone meeting on Kashmir issue signals a new era of understanding of New Delhi’s position.
Arab states aren’t backing Trump’s Iran snapback strategy
There was never going to be any help from Iraq and Lebanon. Iran exerts decisive influence in Baghdad and Beirut through its control of powerful Shiite militias and political parties.
Saudis expected to join historic Israel-UAE peace deal, Trump says
Despite US policy on providing Israel 'qualitative military advantage' over its Arab rivals, Trump hints at selling UAE one of the most advanced fighters in the world.
India is good in the Arab world now. But Delhi must quickly move to contain Turkey’s Erdogan
UAE-Israel deal signals a realignment in the Middle East that will have wider ripples, which will reach India soon.
UAE is the ‘Sparta’ of Middle-East. It needed Israel on its side to punch above weight
While lip service will be paid to the Palestinian cause, it will be a distant concern when compared to the need by the Gulf states to contain Iranian influence.
Why we’ll need masks even with a coronavirus vaccine
One study has shown that if everyone wears masks that are only 75% effective, the number of people infected by each coronavirus carrier will shrink fourfold.
Investors continue to flock Mukesh Ambani, now KKR to invest $754 million in Reliance Retail
US private equity group KKR will hold a 1.28% stake in Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail, valuing India’s biggest retailer at Rs 4.2 lakh crore or $57 billion.
Defence
CAG report flags vendors’ ‘dilly-dallying’ on offsets deals, cites Rafale as example
The CAG made the observations in its latest report, which was tabled in Parliament Wednesday.
Suspect all, fix all? Is that the motto of our new ‘National Suspicion State’?
It’s not just Modi government or BJP, but even state governments, judiciary are getting caught in a ‘we suspect all’ mindset. Is India becoming a National Suspicion State?