Saudi Arabia

London-based satirist hails ‘amazing’ ruling that found Gulf state targeted and attacked him for his criticismA London-based Saudi dissident who a judge decided should receive more than £3m in damages from the kingdom for assault and the hacking of his phone has insisted that it must pay up or face enforcement action.Mr Justice Saini ruled that the […]

High court finds kingdom responsible for hacking phones of Ghanem al-Masarir and for physical attack on himA judge has ordered Saudi Arabia to pay more than £3m in damages to a London-based dissident whose phones were targeted with Pegasus spyware.In a judgment handed down on Monday, Judge Pushpinder Saini ruled that Ghanem al-Masarir was entitled to […]

Essam al-Shazly is the latest foreign national to die in a ‘horrifying’ surge in capital punishment under the rule of Mohammed bin SalmanIn his four years on death row, Essam al-Shazly’s mother was his only contact with the outside world. During their daily calls she would calm his fears, control her own tears and listen to his hopes of returning […]

It was supposed to give Gaza a future, but the US president is using it to attack the UN, international law and multilateralismOne glance at the logo of the Board of Peace tells you all you need to know. It is the globe and laurels of the UN – only gold, because this is Donald Trump’s initiative, and showing little of the world beyond North America.The […]

US allies’ lobbying appears to have helped persuade president to hold off for now on military assaultSaudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Oman urged Donald Trump not to launch airstrikes against Iran in a last-minute lobbying campaign prompted by fears that an attack by Washington would lead to a major and intractable conflict across the Middle East.The […]

Exclusive: Chris Bowen says key to next UN climate summit will be ‘engagement, engagement, engagement’ with countries such as Saudi ArabiaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChris Bowen wants to use his stint as the world’s chief climate negotiator to lobby Saudi Arabia and […]

When I went to Saudi Arabia in the 1980s to see my Dad it felt like visiting another planet. But beyond the scale and shininess of the country was the feeling of my family finally being togetherIn the 1980s, the British construction industry was hit hard by recession. At the same time, Saudi Arabia had the opposite problem; lots of money and a desire to […]

Riyadh says Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, was helped to flee YemenSaudi Arabia has accused the United Arab Emirates of smuggling a UAE-backed separatist leader out of Yemen after he failed to turn up for crisis talks in Riyadh on Wednesday.The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Aidarous al-Zubaidi had fled the […]

Saudi airstrikes hit Aidarous al-Zubaidi’s military camps after he defies a demand to travel to Riyadh for talksThe leader of Yemen’s routed southern separatist movement, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, has decided to make a defiant last stand in Aden, his supporters say, rejecting a Saudi ultimatum to travel to Riyadh for talks and – for now – a plan to flee […]

Thousands have blown down in storms and tents from China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia found to be not waterproofThousands of tents supplied by China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to shelter displaced Palestinians in Gaza offer only limited protection against rain and wind, an assessment compiled by shelter specialists in the devastated territory has revealed.The […]

Southern Transitional Council wants to form a breakaway state, which would split the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest state in twoSaudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has called for Yemen’s southern factions to attend a “dialogue” in Riyadh, after a surprise independence bid and the United Arab Emirates declaring it had withdrawn all troops from Yemen.In a […]

Analysts attribute increase to kingdom’s ‘war on drugs’ as authorities kill 356 people by death penaltySaudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, setting a new record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year.Analysts have largely attributed the increase in executions to Riyadh’s “war on drugs”, with some of […]

From datacenters to AI, we’ll be keeping our eye on the technology that will be shaping your life in the coming yearHello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, wishing you a happy New Year’s Eve filled with cheer, champagne and Mariah Carey’s comically awful rendition of Auld Lang Syne.Today, we’re looking forward to the next […]

Dispute has potential to create civil war in south of Yemen and spill over into neighbouring countriesTensions between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia over the future of Yemen and the imminent possibility of the declaration of an independent southern state have reached boiling point with Saudi Arabia in effect accusing the UAE of threatening its […]

Attack was aimed at what Riyadh called a shipment of weapons for separatists backed by UAEThe United Arab Emirates has said it will withdraw its remaining forces in Yemen after tensions with Saudi Arabia escalated over a sweeping offensive by UAE-backed separatists.The Emirati defence ministry announced the withdrawal on Tuesday, hours after Saudi Arabia […]

In today’s newsletter: As Trump’s business and diplomacy fuse, critics warn that his approach risks trading stability – and US democracy – for leverageGood morning. There are two Donald Trumps: the candidate, and the president.Donald Trump the candidate spent much of his campaign presenting himself as a champion of peace, arguing that his opponents […]

Alleged strikes close to UAE-backed forces follow Riyadh’s call for STC to withdraw from newly seized provincesA separatist group in southern Yemen that this month seized two oil-rich provinces has claimed that Saudi Arabia has fired warning airstrikes directed at its forces.Videos issued on Friday by media linked to the United Arab Emirates-backed […]

Southern Transitional Council, backed by UAE, told it could face airstrikes after its recent huge territorial gainsAs many as 20,000 Saudi-backed forces are gathering on the border of Yemen as the separatist Southern Transitional Council comes under pressure to withdraw from the huge territorial gains it has made in the last month in the vast, oil-rich […]

Senior commanders accused of atrocities against civilians face asset freezes – but no action against key backer UAE The UK has placed sanctions on four senior commanders of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces suspected of involvement in “heinous” violence against civilians in the city of El Fasher, but decided not to take any action against […]

The president’s son-in-law is once again at the center of an international business deal that will require administration approvalOn Monday, Paramount Skydance launched a $108bn takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery, the entertainment giant that owns Hollywood movie studios, along with CNN, HBO and other media businesses. The bid is led by David Ellison, […]