Saudi Arabia government
FILE - This April 11, 2021 file photo from the Royal Court twitter account, shows Jordan's King Abdullah II, center, Prince Prince Hamzah, second left, and others during a visit to the tomb of the late King Hussein, in Amman Jordan. Jordan's version of a trial of the century gets under way as early as Monday, June 21, 2021. A relative of King Abdullah II and a former chief of the royal court will be ushered into the defendants’ cage at the state security court to face sedition charges. They are accused of conspiring with Prince Hamzah, a half-brother of the king, to foment unrest against the monarch. (Royal Court Twitter Account via AP, File)
Jordan's unprecedented palace drama moves to the courtroom

By Karin Laub Jun. 20, 2021 07:21 AM EDT

Residents wait in line for the coronavirus test in a district in Guangzhou in southern China's Guangdong province on Sunday, May 30, 2021. The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou shut down a neighborhood and ordered residents to stay home Saturday to be tested for the coronavirus following an upsurge in infections that has rattled authorities. (AP Photo)
The Latest: Germany hunts down possible fraud in virus tests

By The Associated Press May. 30, 2021 07:12 AM EDT

People with COVID-19 symptoms wait to be assisted outside a hospital that is at full capacity in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Friday, May 28, 2021. The city imposed strict shutdown measures this week to stop the spread of the virus, halting public transportation for the first time and closing supermarkets. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
The Latest: Two-thirds of NY adults have at least one shot

By The Associated Press May. 29, 2021 01:03 AM EDT

Members of a civil society group burn representations of Israeli, U.S. and Indian flags during a demonstration in support of Palestinians during the latest round of violence in Jerusalem, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
The Latest: Israeli aircraft strike another building in Gaza

May. 11, 2021 09:22 AM EDT

FILE- In this Dec. 12, 2019, file photo, a trader talks to others in front of a screen displaying Saudi stock market values at the Arab National Bank in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Aramco said Tuesday, May 4, 2021, it's profits soared by 30% for the first-quarter of the year, compared to last year, riding on the back of higher crude oil prices as some of the world's biggest economies claw their way out of recession and ease restrictions amid vaccine roll-outs against COVID-19.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
Saudi oil firm Aramco's first-quarter profits up by 30%

By Aya Batrawy May. 04, 2021 02:58 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 20, 2021, file photo, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wears a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus as he attends the Saudi Cup award ceremony during the final race of the $20 million, the Saudi Cup, at King Abdul Aziz race track in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The crown prince laid out a vigorous defense of his domestic policies and the thinking behind his push to transform Saudi Arabia economically and socially during a wide-ranging interview broadcast across Saudi television channels late Tuesday, April 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
Saudi crown prince defends austerity steps, social loosening

By Aya Batrawy Apr. 27, 2021 08:32 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2006, file photo, Prince Hamzah Bin Al-Hussein, right, and Prince Hashem Bin Al-Hussein, left, half brothers of King Abdullah II of Jordan, attend the opening of the parliament in Amman, Jordan. A new audio recording that circulated online Tuesday, April 6, 2021, seems to capture an explosive meeting between Prince Hamzah and the army chief of staff that triggered a rare public rift at the highest levels of the royal family. (AP Photo/Mohammad abu Ghosh, File)
Jordan issues gag order as new audio backs prince's claims

Apr. 06, 2021 04:14 AM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo, Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Aramco and stock market officials celebrate the debut of Aramco's initial public offering on the Riyadh Stock Market, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Aramco paid the Saudi government 30% less in taxes in 2020, the company reported Monday, March 22, 2021, as the region’s largest economy grapples with the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic and low oil prices. Despite Aramco’s steep losses, the company managed to keep its dividend pledge to shareholders by taking on a ballooning amount of debt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
Saudi oil giant Aramco reports 30% drop in payments to state

By Isabel Debre Mar. 22, 2021 07:45 AM EDT

Editorial Roundup: US

By The Associated Press Mar. 03, 2021 06:48 PM EST
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: ___ March 2 The Fort Worth Star...

Saudi journalists watch a large display screen in a media center, showing Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting, in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. Qatar’s ruling emir arrived in Saudi Arabia to attend the high-level summit of Arab leaders, following an announcement that the kingdom would end its yearslong embargo on the tiny Gulf state. The Qatari emir's arrival in the kingdom’s ancient desert city of Al-Ula on Tuesday was broadcast live on Saudi TV. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Qatar ruler lands in Saudi Arabia for summit to end blockade

By Aya Batrawy, Isabel Debre And Amr Nabil Jan. 05, 2021 06:19 AM EST

In this photo released by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi King Salman signs the 2021 state budget following a virtual cabinet meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, late Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)
Saudi Arabia plans spending cuts to trim deficit amid virus

By Isabel Debre Dec. 16, 2020 05:17 AM EST

FILE - In this June 28, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump talks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a group photo at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan. The Nov. 21-22, 2020, Group of 20 summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia, will be held online this year because of the coronavirus. The gathering of leaders of the world’s preeminent rich and developing nations will not be an opportunity for kings, presidents and prime ministers to conduct the intimate diplomacy of closed-door meetings or pose for memorable photo-ops. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Online G-20 summit lacks glam, and maybe results, amid virus

By Aya Batrawy Nov. 19, 2020 01:03 AM EST

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2019 file photo, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan speaks during a news conference to announce Saudi Arabia's annual budget at the finance ministry, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Group of 20 nations, representing the world’s biggest economies, announced Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, that low-income countries hardest hit by the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic could potentially get an extension on their debt payments beyond mid-2021, and in the most severe cases, a debt write-off. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
G-20 agrees on framework for more debt relief amid COVID-19

By Isabel Debre Nov. 13, 2020 10:17 AM EST

FILE - In this photo released by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi King Salman, chairs a video call of world leaders from the Group of 20 and other international bodies and organizations, from his office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 26, 2020. Saudi King Salman is expected to speak Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in an annual (virtual) address he gives to the nation about policy priorities for the coming year. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)
Saudi king points to Iran as top threat in policy speech

By Aya Batrawy Nov. 11, 2020 11:58 PM EST

CLARIFIES THAT THE UMRAH PILGRIMAGE CAN BE UNDERTAKEN AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR -- In this photo released by Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Muslims practice social distancing while praying around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque during the first day umrah pilgrimages were allowed to restart, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. The umrah pilgrimage, or smaller pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. A very small, limited number of people donning the white terrycloth garment symbolic of the Muslim pilgrimage circled Islam's holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. (Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah via AP)
Pilgrims return to Mecca as Saudi eases virus restrictions

Oct. 04, 2020 02:23 AM EDT

An adult helps hold a child as his nasal swab sample is taken by a health worker at a COVID-19 testing center in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. India has crossed 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, putting the country's toll at nearly 10% of the global fatalities and behind only the United States and Brazil. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
The Latest: S. Korea reports virus numbers trending lower

By The Associated Press Oct. 04, 2020 01:11 AM EDT

A woman walks past a banner showing Saudi King Salman, right, and his Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, outside a mall in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Monday, June 15, 2020. This was supposed to be Saudi Arabia's year to shine as host of the prestigious G20 gathering of world leaders. Instead, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the gathering this November will likely be a virtual meet-up, stripping its host of the pomp that would have accompanied televised arrivals on Riyadh's tarmac. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Saudi Arabia: G-20 gathering of world leaders to be virtual

By Aya Batrawy Sep. 28, 2020 02:27 AM EDT

The captain of the El Al airliner which will carry US and Israeli delegations to the United Arab Emirates waves to spectators as the plane prepares to take off on the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the UAE, at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. (Menahem Kahana/Pool via AP)
El Al flight LY971 to Abu Dhabi was no typical air journey

By Aron Heller Aug. 31, 2020 12:28 PM EDT

Muslim pilgrims line up as they leave after they circle the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, as they keep social destination to protect themselves against Coronavirus a ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. During the first rites of hajj, Muslims circle the Kaaba counter-clockwise seven times while reciting supplications to God, then walk between two hills where Ibrahim's wife, Hagar, is believed to have run as she searched for water for her dying son before God brought forth a well that runs to this day. (AP Photo)
Very different, symbolic hajj in Saudi Arabia amid virus

By Aya Batrawy Jul. 29, 2020 02:27 AM EDT

In this Dec.10, 2019, file photo, Saudi King Salman talks during the 40th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. King Salman has been admitted to a hospital in the capital, Riyadh, for medical tests due to inflammation of the gallbladder, the kingdom's Royal Court said Monday in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Saudi Arabia's King Salman admitted to hospital for tests

By Aya Batrawy Jul. 20, 2020 01:57 AM EDT