Saudi Crown Prince Begins Asia Tour in South Korea

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz received by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in Seoul (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz received by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in Seoul (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince Begins Asia Tour in South Korea

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz received by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in Seoul (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz received by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in Seoul (SPA)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz has held talks with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in Seoul. Discussions focused on bilateral relations, prospects for cooperation, and ways to develop and enhance them.

The Crown Prince began on Wednesday an official visit to South Korea, arriving from Indonesia, as part of his Asian tour that includes several countries.

An official reception ceremony was held for the Crown Prince, and the South Korean Prime Minister received him.

The talks were attended by Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of State Prince Turki bin Mohammed, Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, Minister of National Guard Prince Abdullah bin Bandar, Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

The talks were also attended by State Minister and Adviser of National Security Musaed al-Aiban, Minister of Commerce and Acting Minister of Media Majid al-Qasabi, Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih, Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal al-Ibrahim, the Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Yasir al-Rumayyan, the Secretary of the Crown Prince, Bandar al-Rasheed, Saudi Ambassador to Korea, Sami al-Sadhan, and the official Korean delegation.

The Crown Prince concluded his visit to Indonesia after chairing the Saudi delegation at the G20 Leaders Summit held in Bali. He was seen off at the Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport by Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan, Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Essam bin Abed al-Thaqafi, and several officials.

After his departure, Prince Mohammed cabled Indonesian President Joko Widodo, appreciating the warm reception and generous hospitality he and the accompanying delegation received.

He congratulated the President for the success of hosting the summit and the positive outcomes reached during Indonesia's presidency, stressing the importance of the reached decisions that "we hope to greatly contribute to supporting cooperation among G20 countries and boosting the rates of global economic growth."

The Crown Prince announced that Saudi Arabia would sponsor the restoration of the Islamic Center in Jakarta after large parts of it were damaged by a fire last month.

His announcement affirms his keenness and interest in Islamic centers in all brotherly and friendly countries because of their significant role in raising young generations and spreading Islam's tolerance and message based on peace, moderation, and dialogue.

The Center covers an area of 109,435 square meters and consists of many facilities, including a mosque with an area of 2,200 square meters, which accommodates more than 20,000 worshipers, a research studies center, and a conference hall.

The Muslim World League (MWL) appreciated the Crown Prince's announcement on restoring the Islamic Center.

MWL Sec-Gen Mohammad al-Issa, on behalf of the League and its international academies, bodies, and councils, thanked the Saudi leadership.



Saudi, Bahraini FMs Discuss Regional Developments

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
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Saudi, Bahraini FMs Discuss Regional Developments

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a phone call from his Bahraini counterpart, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Tuesday.

During the call, the two sides discussed the latest developments in the region, and the continuation of bilateral coordination and consultation to promote security and stability, SPA said.


Bahrain Sentences 12 to Prison for Supporting Iran’s ‘Terrorist’ Acts

A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)
A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)
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Bahrain Sentences 12 to Prison for Supporting Iran’s ‘Terrorist’ Acts

A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)
A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)

Bahrain’s High Criminal Court sentenced on Monday 12 people to ten years in jail for “supporting and endorsing Iran's terrorist attacks against the kingdom”.

They were also accused of “obtaining and disseminating prohibited sensitive data, capturing images of restricted sites, and spreading false news and rumors through social media platforms during the Iranian aggression against the kingdom,” reported Bahrain’s state news agency BNA.

The court also imposed fines of BD2,000 on some of the accused and ordered the confiscation of seized materials.

“The Public Prosecution had received several reports from the Cyber Crime Directorate regarding social media accounts containing images, videos and comments expressing support for the Iranian terrorist attacks targeting Bahrain”, added the report.

The content also included the publication of sensitive data, the capturing images of restricted sites, and the dissemination of false news and rumors “intended to undermine public morale, spread panic among the public, and harm public security during the Iranian aggression against the kingdom”.

Investigations led to the identification of the individuals behind the accounts. Upon receiving the reports, the Public Prosecution immediately launched investigations, questioning the defendants, hearing witness testimony, and assigning technical experts to examine the seized digital devices. The examinations confirmed the defendants' involvement in the offences attributed to them.

Accordingly, the Public Prosecution referred the defendants to the High Criminal Court. The cases were heard over several sessions during which all legal guarantees were observed, including the attendance of defense counsel and the defendants' right to present their defense, culminating in the issuance of Monday’s rulings.


Kuwait Court Sentences Former Interior Minister to 3 Years in Prison

Former Interior Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
Former Interior Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
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Kuwait Court Sentences Former Interior Minister to 3 Years in Prison

Former Interior Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
Former Interior Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. (KUNA)

Kuwait's Court of Cassation on Monday sentenced former Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to three years in prison.

The court also fined him 3,000 dinars ($9,700) after convicting him of incidents related to secret expenditures.

Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, 59, served as First Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Interior from October 16, 2022, to January 17, 2024. Prior to that, he held the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense from March 9, 2022, to October 16, 2022.

On January 14, 2025, Kuwait's Ministers Court sentenced Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled to 14 years in prison for embezzlement of expenditures from both the Ministries of Defense and Interior, ordering him to return around 10 million dinars and fining him 20 million dinars.

In the first case, concerning Ministry of Defense expenditures, Sheikh Talal was sentenced to seven years in jail, ordered to return 500,000 dinars, fined one million dinars, and dismissed from his post. An expatriate that was also charged with him, was sentenced to four years, fined 294,000 dinars and expelled from Kuwait.

In the second case, related to Ministry of Interior expenditures, Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled was sentenced to seven years in prison, ordered to return 9 million dinars, and fined 19 million dinars.