Mohammed bin Salman

A tweet by a pro-government Saudi account on August 6, 2018 (Twitter photo)

August 7, 2018, 12:24 am

Saudi Twitter account axed after seeming to threaten 9/11-style attack on Canada

Pro-government account apologizes for photo of plane flying toward Toronto skyline, says it was intended to symbolize Canadian envoy's return after expulsion

By TOI staff and Agencies

The Saudi Arabian Embassy is shown in Ottawa, Canada, on August. 5, 2018. Saudi Arabia has ordered Canadian Ambassador Dennis Horak to leave the ultraconservative kingdom within 24 hours after his nation criticized the recent arrests of women's rights activists. The Saudi Foreign Ministry also said it would freeze "all new business" between the kingdom and Canada. (David Kawai/The Canadian Press via AP)

August 6, 2018, 8:38 pm

Abbas condemns ‘Canadian intervention’ in internal Saudi Affairs

Analysts say the dispute between Riyadh and Ottawa shows Saudi Arabia won’t accept any outside criticism and will continue flexing its muscles abroad

By AP and TOI staff

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif holds talks with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse in Beijing on May 13, 2018. (AFP Photo/Pool/Thomas Peter)

August 6, 2018, 2:43 pm

Iran: It’s Trump, Netanyahu and Saudi prince who are ‘isolated,’ not us

Hours before US sanctions to be re-imposed on Islamic Republic, Foreign Minister Zarif accuses Washington of 'bullying and political pressure'

By Agencies and TOI staff

In this file photo taken on March 8, 2012 political activist Samar Badawi of Saudi Arabia is presented with an International Women of Courage Award by the US Secretary of State and the first lady during a ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC. (AFP PHOTO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / ALEX WONG)

August 6, 2018, 5:41 am

Saudi Arabia expels envoy after Canada calls for release of jailed activists

Kingdom also freezes trade after Ottowa says it is 'gravely concerned' over a new wave of arrests of women and human rights campaigners

By Anuj Chopra

In this image from video released by the CIA, Hamza bin Laden is seen at his wedding. The never-before-seen video of Osama bin Laden's son and potential successor was released November 1, 2017, by the CIA in a trove of material recovered during the May 2011 raid that killed the al-Qaeda leader at his compound in Pakistan.. (CIA via AP)

August 3, 2018, 5:21 pm

Osama bin Laden’s family in first interview: Now we worry about his son

Hamza bin Laden has vowed to avenge his father, the arch terrorist who his mother describes as a shy boy who was led astray

By TOI staff

Protesters, some dressed as United States President Donald Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, stand on the steps of City Hall in New York, March 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

July 30, 2018, 3:56 pm

Let’s not make a deal: 8 things to know for July 30

The Saudi crown prince is forced to mute his support for Trump's peace push thanks to the US taking Jerusalem off the table; and the nation-state debate gets even more polarized

By Joshua Davidovich

Saudi King Salman, right, receives Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after he arrives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 20, 2017. (Al-Ekhbariya via AP)

July 29, 2018, 5:21 pm

Saudi king backs Palestinian stance on Trump’s peace plan

'We will not abandon you,' King Salman said to tell PA's Abbas, rebuffing Arab fears Riyadh is aligning with Israel, US

By Michael Bachner and Agencies

Daniah al-Ghalbi, a newly-licensed Saudi woman driver, sits in her car during a test-drive in the Red Sea resort of Jeddah on June 23, 2018, a day before the lifting of a ban on women driving in the conservative Arab kingdom. (AFP / Amer HILABI)

June 24, 2018, 12:52 am

Saudi women take the wheel for first time as driving ban expires

Female drivers hit the streets minutes after ban ends at midnight, with many more expected to celebrate historic reform Sunday by taking moms for ice cream

By AFP

Illustrative: This November 30, 2014 image made from video released by Loujain al-Hathloul, shows her driving toward the United Arab Emirates - Saudi Arabia border before her arrest on December 1, 2014, in Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Loujain al-Hathloul, File)

June 21, 2018, 6:01 pm

In Saudi Arabia, men still drive gender policy

Reforms instituted by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, including one allowing women behind the wheel, only chip at surface of a system, and society, that many say has far to go

By Natacha Yazbeck

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington, March 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

June 21, 2018, 2:51 pm

Saudi Arabia: A year of change with a new crown prince

32-year-old Mohammed bin Salman is reshaping the ultra-conservative kingdom with a series of reforms that include allowing women to drive and a softened stance on Israel

By AFP

Jared Kushner alongside a member of the Saudi delegation at a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, March 20, 2018. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool/Getty Images via JTA)

June 21, 2018, 3:10 am

Saudis meet with Kushner, Greenblatt to discuss Gaza, peace push

US envoys make second stop on regional tour as tensions with Palestinians continue to rise

By AFP and TOI staff

A Saudi woman, "Noura," preparing for a training session at the Bikers Skills Institute, a motorcycle driving school on the outskirts of Riyadh, June 3, 2018. (AFP Photo/Fayez Nureldine)

June 12, 2018, 4:33 pm

Saudi women rev up motorbikes, as end to driving ban nears

Lifting of decades-old prohibition slated for June 24, but celebrations are muted as government detains well-known women's rights activists

By Anuj Chopra

US President Donald Trump, left, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas pose for a photograph during a joint press conference at the presidential palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on May 23, 2017. (AFP/Mandel Ngan)

June 11, 2018, 8:42 pm

As Trump-Abbas ties soured, a bad phone line epitomized their broken connection

New Yorker article on interactions between the US, Israel, PA and Gulf states describes a critical call curtailed by tech issues; also reveals Israel-UAE link dating to Clinton era

By TOI staff

US President Donald Trump (r) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, March 5, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

From the WebJune 11, 2018, 6:38 pm

Trump, Israel and Saudi Arabia said to join forces against Iran, Palestinians

Netanyahu and Riyadh's powerful Mohammed Bin Salman enjoy US support after years of feeling abandoned by Obama administration, New Yorker says

Illustrative: A Saudi woman tours a car showroom for women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on January 11, 2018. (AFP/Amer Hilabi)

June 4, 2018, 8:28 pm

First Saudi women get driver’s licenses

Kingdom detains 17 activists, including campaigners for women's right to drive, despite lifting of ban set for June 24

By AFP