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Gulf Arab Region

Saudi Arabia arrests prominent cleric: social media

A prominent Saudi religious leader has been arrested, according to social media postings on Sunday, in what appears to be a crackdown on Islamists seen as critics of the conservative kingdom’s absolute rulers. Sheikh Salman al-Awdah, an influential cleric who was imprisoned from...

Trump offers to mediate talks on Qatar crisis

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would be willing to step in and mediate the worst dispute in decades among the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states and Qatar, and said that he thinks a deal could come quickly. “If I can help mediate between Qatar and, in particular, the UAE...

For first time, Saudi women step into haj emergency role

Seven women sit in front of computer screens fielding distress calls from across Mecca ahead of the annual haj pilgrimage this week, in a first for Saudi Arabia as it tries to expand participation in the workforce. The seven, almost all wearing the black niqab over their faces, form the...

'Unsung heroes' winning Yemen cholera battle: UNICEF

The cholera epidemic that has ravaged war-torn Yemen has been declining for the past two months because of an unprecedented response by "unsung local heroes," the United Nations said Tuesday. A UNICEF statement said that because of the efforts of thousands of local volunteers backed up...