Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is due to arrive in France on Sunday, where his host President Emmanuel Macron is under pressure to halt lucrative weapons sales to the oil-rich kingdom because of its bombing campaign in Yemen. The two-day official visit comes after the prince’s weeks-long tour of the United States, Britain and Egypt, where the prince has courted business leaders and signed a host of multimillion dollar deals. The prince's agenda for the visit to France has not been made public - apart from his dinner with Mr Macron on Tuesday - and there was speculation as to whether he would stay in a chateau he owns that has been dubbed the “world’s most expensive home.” The property contains 10 bedroom suites, a grand reception room with a 52ft-high frescoed dome ceiling, a library, a wine cellar with space for 3,000 bottles, and a “meditation room” under the moat circled by an aquarium with huge sturgeon inside. The buyer was not … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman to meet Emmanuel Macron in France
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Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman toured Hollywood, Harvard and Silicon Valley on US visit
He talked about the movie business with Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Dwayne Johnson over dinner at Rupert Murdoch’s house. He discussed space travel with Richard Branson in the California desert, and philanthropy with Bill Gates and technology with Jeff Bezos in Seattle. He visited Harvard and MIT, brokered arms deals with President Donald Trump and sat down with Wall Street financiers. He even met with Oprah Winfrey. For nearly three weeks, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old heir to the Saudi throne, has crisscrossed the United States, on an ambitious, choreographed journey through modern American life, while under heavy guard because of his many enemies in the Middle East. The prince, who arrived in the United States with a reputation as an aggressive consolidator of power back home and a zealous interventionist abroad, is seeking to change the perception of Saudi Arabia from an opaque and conservative kingdom, where mosques promote extremist … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman toured Hollywood, Harvard and Silicon Valley on US visit
Iran Blames Saudi Arabia for Paying Billions to US, Israel
Iran's state-run news agency Press TV has cited Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi as saying that "the recent Saudi policies are a very sad strategy, because a Muslim country with all its ostentatious claims is stooping to the level of a sycophant of the [Israeli] regime occupying al-Quds [Jerusalem]." READ MORE: Iran Reveals 2 Conditions for Restoring 'Good Relations' With Saudi Arabia He also accused Bin Salman of knowing nothing about the suffering of Muslim nations, including the Palestinians. In an apparent nod to Iran, Bin Salman told Time magazine earlier this week that Saudi Arabia and Israel have a "common enemy" and that the two countries also have many "potential areas" for bilateral economic cooperation. READ MORE: Palestine Doubtful About US Future Mideast Peace Plan Likely Favoring Israel In a separate interview with the Atlantic, he included Iran in the so-called "triangle of evil," … [Read more...] about Iran Blames Saudi Arabia for Paying Billions to US, Israel
Saudi Arabia Plans to Cut Qatar Off … Literally Amid Diplomatic Standoff
The channel will make the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia continuous, which will simplify trade and tourism, "refresh the region". It is noted that construction is not hindered by any natural and social features of the territory. There are no mountain chains, no settlements and villages or agricultural lands. READ MORE: Qatar Continues Spending Spree to Bolster Military Against Saudi-Led Bloc According to reports, five hotels and holiday resorts, as well as two new harbors, have also been planned along new channel. © Sputnik/ Taras LitvinenkoSaudi Arabia Turning Its Back on Oil? Riyadh Building World's Largest Solar Power PlantThe width of the canal will be 200 meters, the depth 15-20 meters. It can take all types of cargo and passenger ships. The initial cost of the project is estimated at about $750 million. The publication emphasizes that the channel will legally belong exclusively to Saudi Arabia. The move comes … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia Plans to Cut Qatar Off … Literally Amid Diplomatic Standoff
Saudi Arabia’s Rating Affirmed by S&P
By and April 6, 2018, 4:32 PM EDT Saudi Arabia’s credit rating was affirmed by S&P Global Ratings as its heir to the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is on a three-week tour of the U.S. in search of deals that would diversify his country’s oil-dependent economy.S&P affirmed Saudi Arabia’s rating at A- and kept the outlook stable. “We expect Saudi Arabia will experience modest economic growth from 2018, supported by rising government investment and, later in our forecast period, a gradual increase in oil production,” the agency said in a statement Friday.Saudi Arabia’s economy contracted 0.5 percent last year after lower oil prices led to a ballooning budget deficit and shrinking reserves. The Crown Prince’s ambitious development plan -- Vision 2030 -- seeks to wean the country off oil while privatizing state-owned companies, including the sale of a stake of up to 5 percent in oil giant Aramco.S&P last altered its … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia’s Rating Affirmed by S&P