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King Salman to Deliver Annual Royal Speech Before Shura Council

King Salman bin Abdulaziz. SPA
King Salman bin Abdulaziz. SPA
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King Salman to Deliver Annual Royal Speech Before Shura Council

King Salman bin Abdulaziz. SPA
King Salman bin Abdulaziz. SPA

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, is set to give the annual royal speech before the Saudi Shura Council on Sunday.

In his speech, which marks the launch of the third year of the eighth session of the Shura Council, the monarch will tackle the Kingdom’s internal and foreign policies.

King Salman will deliver a virtual speech to address Saudi Arabia’s internal and external policies, said Shura Council Speaker Sheikh Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh.

Al-Sheikh stressed that the annual royal speech is a source of pride for the Council. He also highlighted the importance of messages carried by the royal speech in terms of renewing the Council’s consultative process and enhancing its work.

According to Al-Sheikh, the speech reinforces the Council’s approach of discussing and revising all subjects under its jurisdiction.

King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continuously support the Council, said Al-Sheikh, noting that this reaffirms the Saudi leadership’s confidence in the body and its role as a partner in the Kingdom’s decision-making process.

The Council enjoys the expertise needed for strengthening the work of state agencies and is considered an important station in enacting regulations and legislation.

Through its 15 committees, the Council worked on meeting officials to discuss the annual performance reports of their bodies, Al-Sheikh added.

During the second year of the Council’s eighth session, the Council held 53 meetings.

Those meetings yielded 396 decisions and had reviewed 210 reports prepared by state agencies.

In the second year of the Council’s eighth session, more than 34 official visits and participations have highlighted the Kingdom’s achievements in parliamentary diplomacy.

Parliamentary Friendship Groups from around the world held 44 meetings with their counterparts in Saudi Arabia. These meetings helped clarify the Kingdom’s viewpoint on many regional and international issues.

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Gulf

Saudi Arabia Condemns RSF Attacks on Civilians and Aid Convoys in Sudan

An elderly man picks up his food aid ration at the Umdulu Camp, in Engpung County, Sudan, January 30, 2026. (Karl Schembri/Norweigan Refugee Council/Handout via Reuters)
An elderly man picks up his food aid ration at the Umdulu Camp, in Engpung County, Sudan, January 30, 2026. (Karl Schembri/Norweigan Refugee Council/Handout via Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns RSF Attacks on Civilians and Aid Convoys in Sudan

An elderly man picks up his food aid ration at the Umdulu Camp, in Engpung County, Sudan, January 30, 2026. (Karl Schembri/Norweigan Refugee Council/Handout via Reuters)
An elderly man picks up his food aid ration at the Umdulu Camp, in Engpung County, Sudan, January 30, 2026. (Karl Schembri/Norweigan Refugee Council/Handout via Reuters)

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Saturday the Rapid Support Forces’ attack against a humanitarian aid convoy in Sudan’s Kordofan.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the Kingdom expressed its strong condemnation of the attack against Al-Kuweik Military Hospital, a humanitarian aid convoy affiliated with the World Food Program, and a vehicle transporting displaced civilians.

“These acts are unjustifiable under any circumstances and are flagrant violations of all humanitarian norms and relevant international agreements,” it stressed.

“The Kingdom called on the RSF to immediately cease these violations and to fulfill their moral and humanitarian obligations by ensuring the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need, in accordance with international humanitarian law and the Jeddah Declaration signed on May 11, 2023,” it added.

The Kingdom reiterated its firm position in support of Sudan’s unity, security, and stability, the need to preserve its legitimate institutions.

It voiced its rejection of “foreign interference and the continued actions of certain parties in supplying illicit weapons, mercenaries, and foreign fighters, despite their stated support for a political solution,” saying such “conduct is a primary factor in prolonging the conflict and exacerbating the suffering of the Sudanese people.”

A drone attack by the RSF hit a vehicle carrying displaced families in central Sudan Saturday, killing at least 24 people, including eight children, a doctors’ group said, a day after a World Food Program aid convoy was targeted.

The attack occurred close to the city of Rahad in North Kordofan province, said the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country’s ongoing war. The vehicle was transporting displaced people who fled fighting in the Dubeiker area, the group said in a statement. Among the dead children were two infants.

Gulf

OIC Condemns Terrorist Bombing of Mosque in Islamabad

A Pakistani man reacts as people attend a protest against the suicide bomb blast that killed dozens of people, in Peshawar, Pakistan, 07 February 2026. (EPA)
A Pakistani man reacts as people attend a protest against the suicide bomb blast that killed dozens of people, in Peshawar, Pakistan, 07 February 2026. (EPA)
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OIC Condemns Terrorist Bombing of Mosque in Islamabad

A Pakistani man reacts as people attend a protest against the suicide bomb blast that killed dozens of people, in Peshawar, Pakistan, 07 February 2026. (EPA)
A Pakistani man reacts as people attend a protest against the suicide bomb blast that killed dozens of people, in Peshawar, Pakistan, 07 February 2026. (EPA)

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) General Secretariat strongly condemned on Saturday the terrorist bombing that targeted a mosque in Islamabad.

The secretariat stressed its categorical rejection of terrorism in all its forms, especially those targeting places of worship.

It underlined its firm stance in condemning these criminal acts, which are contrary to human values and religious principles.

The OIC offered its sincere condolences to the government and people of Pakistan and to the families of the victims.

It also reiterated its full solidarity with Pakistan in its efforts to combat terrorism and boost its security and stability.

At least 30 people killed in a suicide bombing at a Muslim mosque during Friday prayers.

Gulf

Bahrain, France Sign Defense Cooperation Agreement

Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Junior Minister at the Ministry of Defense, Alice Rufo, pose after signing a bilateral agreement at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, February 6, 2026. (Thibault Camus/Pool via Reuter)
Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Junior Minister at the Ministry of Defense, Alice Rufo, pose after signing a bilateral agreement at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, February 6, 2026. (Thibault Camus/Pool via Reuter)
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Bahrain, France Sign Defense Cooperation Agreement

Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Junior Minister at the Ministry of Defense, Alice Rufo, pose after signing a bilateral agreement at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, February 6, 2026. (Thibault Camus/Pool via Reuter)
Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Junior Minister at the Ministry of Defense, Alice Rufo, pose after signing a bilateral agreement at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, February 6, 2026. (Thibault Camus/Pool via Reuter)

Bahrain and France signed on Friday a joint defense cooperation agreement during talks between King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa met with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

The French presidency said the agreement consolidates cooperation in the field of defense, training and exchange of strategic information.

“This agreement will ⁠also open ‌up ‍new ‍opportunities for industrial ‍cooperation in defense, and strengthen solidarity between our two countries in a ⁠global and regional geopolitical context marked by increasing tensions,” it added.

The agreement was signed by Bahrain’s National Security Adviser and Secretary General of the Supreme Defense Council Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and France’s Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Alice Rufo.

Macron highlighted the depth of the historical relations between Bahrain and France, as well as the progress achieved across various domains in support of common interests, reported Bahrain’s state news agency (BNA).

For his part, King Hamad commended the French president’s keenness to strengthen relations between the two countries.

The talks also addressed means to bolster bilateral relations across all sectors to achieve shared interests.

Both sides commended the efforts of the Joint Bahraini-French High Committee. They highlighted the positive outcomes achieved in advancing cooperation and underlined the importance of continuing the committee’s work to expand cooperation across various domains.

The talks addressed regional and international developments, and efforts aimed at resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomatic solutions and reducing tensions.