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Prince Khalid bin Salman Appointed Deputy Defense Minister, Princess Reema Ambassador to US

Prince Khaled bin Salman and Princess Reema bint Bandar
Prince Khaled bin Salman and Princess Reema bint Bandar
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Prince Khalid bin Salman Appointed Deputy Defense Minister, Princess Reema Ambassador to US

Prince Khaled bin Salman and Princess Reema bint Bandar
Prince Khaled bin Salman and Princess Reema bint Bandar

Deputy King Prince Mohammed bin Salman issued two royal decrees on Saturday appointing Prince Khaled bin Salman as the Kingdom’s deputy defense minister and Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States.

A separate royal decree ordered a one-month salary bonus for frontline military officials on the kingdom's southern border.

Earlier in the day, Saudi King Salman issued a royal order deputizing Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman “to steer the state’s affairs” throughout the period of the King’s absence during his visit to Egypt to take part in the first joint Arab League-European Union summit.

Becoming the first woman ambassador in the Kingdom's history, Princess Reema replaced Prince Khalid bin Salman, the younger brother of the powerful crown prince.

Prince Khalid was appointed as Saudi ambassador to the United States of America on April 22, 2017. He presented his credentials to US President Donald Trump and took office on July 21, 2017.

He graduated from the King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).

He received his initial training at Randolph Air Base in San Antonio, Texas, and received advanced training at the Columbus Air Base in Columbus, Mississippi. He also studied advanced electronic warfare in France.

Prior to his appointment as the Kingdom's ambassador to Washington, he served as an advisor at the Office of the Minister of Defense and then as an advisor to the Kingdom's embassy in Washington.

During his tenure as advisor at the Office of the Minister of Defense, he was appointed by HRH the Crown Prince with various portfolios and responsibilities.

Prince Khalid has been close to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for a long time, and has been able during this period to accommodate the vision of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to develop the Ministry of Defense to be in the ranks of developed countries militarily.

Before a back injury ended his flying career, Prince Khaled flew more than 50 combat missions as part of the international coalition campaign against Daesh in Syria and as part of Operations Decisive Storm and Renewal of Hope in Yemen.

As for the new envoy, she is the daughter of a former long-time ambassador to the United States.

Princess Reema had a career in the private sector before joining the kingdom’s General Sports Authority where she championed women’s participation in sports and focused on increasing women’s empowerment.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Vernon College at George Washington University in the United States in 1999 and became the first woman to hold a multi-sport federation in the Kingdom through her position as President of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports.

Among her achievements is working alongside the Ministry of Education to establish sports education for girls in schools and the participation of women in many sports competitions.

She also played a great role in promoting awareness on breast cancer. She launched the 10ksa initiative, which was able to access the Guinness World Records after making the world's largest pink ribbon, which symbolizes the fight against breast cancer.

She has served as CEO of Alpha International / Harvey Nichols, as she entered the Fast Company of America magazine for the most creative people in 2014.

Princess Rima was chosen as 16th in the Forbes Middle East magazine for the 200 most powerful Arab women.

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Gulf

Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic States Strongly Condemn the Continued Settler Violence in Occupied West Bank

Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic States Strongly Condemn the Continued Settler Violence in Occupied West Bank
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Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic States Strongly Condemn the Continued Settler Violence in Occupied West Bank

Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic States Strongly Condemn the Continued Settler Violence in Occupied West Bank

The foreign ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Türkiye issued a statement condemning the continued and escalating settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The statement carried out by SPA reads as follows:

"The foreign ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Türkiye condemn in the strongest terms the continued and escalating settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including recent attacks on the Grand Mosque in the village of Jiljilya and Al-Farouq Mosque in the village of Mazar’a al-Nubani, north of Ramallah. They stress that these attacks constitute a clear violation of the sanctity of places of worship and religious sites, international law, including international humanitarian law, and relevant United Nations resolutions.

The ministers affirm their absolute rejection of these deplorable attacks by Israeli settlers, as well as the continued illegal Israeli measures in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which fuel instability, violence and extremism and undermine international efforts to achieve peace. They hold Israel, the occupying Power, responsible for these attacks.

The ministers reiterated their call for the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities and compel Israel to halt its dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank, end its illegal practices, halt settler violence, hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable, and ensure that they do not enjoy impunity.

The foreign ministers reaffirm their unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their steadfast support for the realization of their legitimate and inalienable national rights, foremost among them their right to self-determination and the realization of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They further reaffirm their support for all efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on the two-State solution in accordance with international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative."

Gulf

Saudi Medical Team Successfully Separates Filipino Conjoined Twins after Six-Hour Surgery

The procedure was carried out with the participation of 22 consultants - SPA
The procedure was carried out with the participation of 22 consultants - SPA
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Saudi Medical Team Successfully Separates Filipino Conjoined Twins after Six-Hour Surgery

The procedure was carried out with the participation of 22 consultants - SPA
The procedure was carried out with the participation of 22 consultants - SPA

The specialized medical and surgical team of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme (SCTP) achieved a new medical milestone today with the successful separation of Filipino conjoined twins Olivia and Gianna. The operation was performed at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (KASCH) at King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh.

Advisor to the Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) and head of the surgical team for the SCTP Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah said: "Thanks to Allah Almighty and the efforts of my colleagues on the medical and surgical team, the separation of the Filipino twins Olivia and Gianna was successfully completed six hours after the operation began."

He added that the procedure was carried out with the participation of 22 consultants, specialists, and nursing and technical staff members to ensure the highest levels of precision and safety throughout all stages of the operation, SPA reported.

Dr. Al Rabeeah noted that the twins were joined at the chest and abdomen and shared a liver and possibly part of the intestines, pointing out that one of the twins also suffered from congenital heart defects that posed a significant health risk.

He said that this operation marks the fourth separation of conjoined twins from the Philippines and the 72nd procedure performed under SCTP, which has a 35-year history spanning 28 countries across five continents and has evaluated 158 cases from around the world.

Dr. Al Rabeeah noted that this medical achievement reflects the humanitarian commitment of the Kingdom's leadership and its dedication to providing assistance to people wherever they may be. He added that it also demonstrates Saudi Arabia's medical excellence, in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 to develop the Kingdom's healthcare sector and enhance its quality and efficiency.

On behalf of himself and all members of the medical and surgical team, Dr. Al Rabeeah expressed his gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their continued support and patronage of SCTP, which has enabled the Saudi medical team to provide the highest standards of specialized healthcare, improve the quality of life of beneficiary children and their families, and enhance the Kingdom's position in humanitarian and medical work.

The twins' family expressed their gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince for the high-quality medical care provided to the twins and praised the extensive efforts made by the medical team to ensure the success of the operation.

Gulf

UAE Announces Social Media Ban for under-15s

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Twitch, Threads app icons are seen in this illustration taken June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Twitch, Threads app icons are seen in this illustration taken June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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UAE Announces Social Media Ban for under-15s

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Twitch, Threads app icons are seen in this illustration taken June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Twitch, Threads app icons are seen in this illustration taken June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

The United Arab Emirates announced a social media ban for children under 15 on Thursday, joining a growing group of countries including Australia, Britain and Canada to take similar measures.

Social media platforms will have to monitor and disable accounts created by under-15s or risk being blocked, a cabinet resolution said, giving them a 12-month transition period.

"The resolution sets the minimum age for social media use at 15 years," the official WAM news agency said, citing the cabinet resolution.

"Children below this age are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms."

After Australia began a world-first social media bar for under-16s in December, a number of countries have followed suit including Britain, which announced its ban this week.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Türkiye and several European countries have also cracked down on teen use of social media, although the UAE is the first in the Arab world.

The bans were inspired by concerns over mental health, cyber-bullying and a lack of physical activity, as well as online predators and addictive behavior.

Critics say they are hard to enforce, deprive kids of social connection and can force undesirable behavior into darker digital spaces where monitoring is difficult.

The UAE's resolution is "closely aligned with leading global trends in digital child protection", WAM said.

It bars children from "accessing the full features of (social media) platforms, including social interaction, publishing, commenting, sharing, joining public groups, open channels, or any large-scale interactive spaces".

Children aged 15-16 are allowed to use social media, but with "enhanced protective measures" such as content restrictions and time limits on usage.

Bodies controlling media and telecommunications have "authority to take all necessary measures (against social media platforms) in the event of non-compliance", WAM said.

These include "warning or partial or full blocking of platforms or the imposition of applicable administrative penalties".

Parents and caregivers are also responsible for stopping children using social media or getting round age checks, the resolution said, adding: "Parental consent shall not constitute a valid exemption."