Saudi King Salman shakes hands with the US House speaker Paul Ryan, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Saudi Press Agency via AP
Saudi King Salman shakes hands with the US House speaker Paul Ryan, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Saudi Press Agency via AP

US House speaker meets Saudi king in regional security talks



US House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday to kick off a trip to the Middle East.

Mr Ryan met with Saudi King Salman in the first regional stop for talks centred on security.

They discussed "bilateral co-operation" between the longtime allies, the official Saudi Press Agency reported without elaborating.

A statement by his office said his meetings in the Middle East "will focus on regional stability, the campaign against ISIS and terrorism, and Iranian aggression."

Mr Ryan is scheduled to visit the UAE on Thursday.

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Saudi Arabia is a member of the US-led coalition fighting ISIL in Iraq and Syria. The kingdom and the US also cooperate on intelligence sharing related to extremist groups like Al Qaeda.

Riyadh's relations with Washington were strained under president Barack Obama, whose administration helped negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.

Saudi-US ties have since improved under president Donald Trump, whose first overseas visit as president was to the kingdom in May. The two sides oversaw the signing of more than US$100 billion (Dh367bn) in military sales to Saudi Arabia during that visit.

State-run Saudi media showed Mr Ryan meeting with King Salman after he was received at the airport in Riyadh by the head of Saudi Arabia's Shura Council, a consultative body that is appointed by the monarch.

Mr Ryan's visit follows US vice president Mike Pence's delayed trip to the region.

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

How to apply for a drone permit
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What are the regulations?
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BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.

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