teleSUR (2020-03-04). Saudi Arabia Suspends Umrah Over Coronavirus Outbreak. telesurenglish.net The Saudi Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday temporary suspension of Umrah for citizens and residents, as part of preventative measures against novel coronavirus outbreak. | RELATED: | The ministry in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency said the decision will be cancelled if the virus risks pass. | Saudi Arabia registered this week the first coronavirus case of a Saudi national who came back fr…
yenisafak (2020-03-04). S.Arabia suspends Umrah pilgrimage for Saudi citizens, residents. yenisafak.com Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended Umrah pilgrimages to the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina for Saudi citizens and the kingdom's other residents due to coronavirus concerns, the state news agency SPA said on Wednesday.The decision will be reviewed regularly and reversed when the situation changes, SPA said, citing an official source in the Saudi interior ministry.
sputniknews (2020-03-04). Saudi Arabia Suspends Mecca Pilgrimage for Citizens, Residents Due to Coronavirus Concerns. sputniknews.com The Saudi news agency SPA reported on 28 February that the country's Tourism Ministry had temporarily suspended visas for seven countries, including China, Italy, and South Korea, where spikes in cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) were registered.
Ahmed Abdulkareem (2020-02-28). Once Saudi Allies, Tribes in Eastern Yemen's Al-Mahrah Are Now Battling Saudi Forces. mintpressnews.com Saudi Arabia has long sought control over eastern Yemen for its unfettered access to the Arabian Sea. Now, after decades of exploitation and betrayal by Saudi forces, local tribesmen in the area have run out of patience.
Vijay Prashad (2020-02-28). Witnessing the hell that a migrant can face. mronline.org The Saudi-UAE war on Yemen has been going on for five years. Despite recent peace talks leading to an improvement in aid distribution, the violence has escalated in certain key districts of Yemen over the past two weeks. Since January, 35,000 Yemenis have been displaced from their homes, an indicator of the dangerous situation in […] |
Alan Macleod (2020-02-28). US Military Building Presence in Saudi Arabia for First Time in 17 Years. mintpressnews.com Amid rising tensions with Iran, the United States is increasing its military presence in Saudi Arabia- separated from the Islamic Republic by only the Persian Gulf. Some 2,500 troops have arrived at their new home, the Prince Sultan Air Base, some 60 km southeast of Riyadh. On Iran, General John Walker, commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing at the base, said: "We face a thinking enemy that is playing a real regional conflict for keeps, and they're very good." | While the U.S. government has not given any indication of how long it expects its forces to be there, temporary structures are being replaced with…
Zero Hedge (2020-02-27). Thousands Of US Troops Return To Saudi Base After 17-Year Absence To "Deter Iran" iranian.com After a nearly 17 year absence, US troops have returned Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base. The last time the base, which lies about 60 miles outside of Riyadh, saw an American presence was in 2003, after which the troops moved to Qatar. The American troop surge into the gulf region to curtail Iran continues even as the world …