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Shenzhen, China - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has arrived in China where he will meet President Xi Jinping in hopes of bolstering an image tarnished internationally over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey last year. The two-day visit in Beijing is expected to focus on energy deals for resource-hungry China and regional economic agreements that align with Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative [BRI], Xi's signature infrastructure initiative spanning across Southeast, South and Central Asia to the Horn of Africa. "The leadership in Riyadh and Beijing probably realise the strategic importance of their relationship on the energy front and most recent attempts have

Meghan Markle headed to Ralph Lauren's The Polo Bar in Midtown Manhattan for dinner with friends on Tuesday night. Photo: AP The Duchess of Sussex - who is expecting a baby with her husband Prince Harry - looked happy to be with her friends as they sat down for dinner at Ralph Lauren's The Polo Bar in Midtown Manhattan following her baby shower. Meghan dined with tennis ace Serena Williams, designer Misha Nonoo, 'Suits' actress Sarah Rafferty, brand consultant Benita Litt and her college friend Lindsay Roth. Photo: Reuters The 37-year-old royal had marked her baby's impending arrival with her friends on Tuesday at a hotel on New York's Upper East Side. Photo: Reuters An insider told the Daily

DUBAI/DOHA (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has eased a ban on the shipping of goods between it and Qatar enforced under a political and economic boycott of Doha, according to port circulars and an industry source. An Abu Dhabi Ports circular dated Feb. 12 canceled previous directives that banned cargoes of Qatar origin from UAE waters and ports and those of UAE origin from Qatar. It maintained a ban on vessels flying the Qatar flag, owned by Qatari shipping firms or nationals.  An industry source told Reuters the circular applied to all ports in the UAE. Government authorities in both Gulf Arab states were not immediately available to comment. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain severed

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a letter of thanks to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his departure from India on Wednesday. In the letter, the crown prince expressed “gratitude and appreciation” for Modi's hospitality during his visit with the Saudi delegation.   “The talks we had confirmed the strength of the strategic relations between our countries, and the importance of improving cooperation in all fields, in a way that would serve the best interests of our states and nations,” the letter said. After his visit to India, the crown prince arrived in China on Thursday, on the third leg of his Asia tour that started in Pakistan. Here is the letter

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) says it has "modernised" its dress code with the rollout of a new rule, allowing leggings and mid-thigh length compression shorts to be worn without a skirt or dress during matches. Although there was no prior rule prohibiting a player from wearing leggings without a skirt, the WTA said it "approved language to make its position explicitly clear". "We wanted to be progressive and make sure that we were current with where fashion is going and competitive-wear may be going," WTA CEO Steve Simon said in an interview, explaining the changes. Top female players, who are often seen wearing leggings or three-quarter length tights during practise, have welcomed the change.

Egypt's Minister of Agriculture Ezz Eddin Abostait denied that Egyptian onions that were exported to Saudi Arabia had pesticide residues. He explained that there are a number of justifications that confirm his statement. Onions are harvested in May, so it had been exported eight months after harvest, which rules out the possibility of still containing pesticide residues, he added. The quantities of onions where pesticide residues were detected were collected from the Saudi markets and were not from the exported packages received from Egypt. Abostait added, in his speech during the celebration held by the Egyptian Businessmen Association, that Egypt did not receive official letters with the rejected

MOSCOW: Russia will respond to any deployment of intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe by targeting not only the countries where those missiles are stationed, but the United States itself, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. In his annual address to parliament, Putin said Russia was not seeking confrontation and would not take the first step to deploy missiles in response to the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. But he said that Russia's reaction to any deployment would be resolute and that US policy-makers should calculate the risks before taking any steps.