US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth met Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the Pentagon on Monday to discuss security measures against Iran.
Asked if the US would help defend Saudi Arabia against an attack by Iran, Mr Hegseth said the two allies were discussing the issue.
“That's a topic we're going to talk about today. Iran is a big concern in the region,” he said alongside Prince Khalid at the Pentagon. “Saudi Arabia has been a great partner and that's something we're going to discuss.”
The US earlier on Monday imposed a new round of sanctions against Iran's oil industry, hitting more than 30 brokers, tanker operators and shipping companies for their role in selling and moving Iranian petroleum, the Treasury Department said.
Saudi Arabia is playing an important role in negotiations between the US and Russia aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. But President Donald Trump's plan to “take over” Gaza has angered Riyadh, which supports a Palestinian state.
Prince Khalid wrote in a post on X after the meeting with Mr Hegseth that the pair discussed ways to bolster defence cooperation as well as regional and international developments.
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
