Follow the latest news from the Sudan crisis here
Iran has thanked Saudi Arabia for helping its citizens escape the conflict in Sudan after dozens arrived by boat in Jeddah.
The 65 Iranians were among about 1,900 people ferried to safety from Port Sudan on Saturday as fighting between rival Sudanese forces entered a third week.
"We have seen effective co-operation and assistance from Saudi Arabia that deserves appreciation and gratitude," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.
Mr Kanaani said the ministry had been pursuing plans since the violence broke out on April 15 to bring back the 65 citizens living in Sudan.
After the necessary arrangements, the Iranians were evacuated safely from Sudan’s capital Khartoum and transferred to Port Sudan, from where they sailed to Jeddah, he said.
He said plans had been made to bring the Iranians home from Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed last month to restore ties seven years after breaking off diplomatic relations. They are working to reopen their respective embassies and to resume flights between the two countries.
Hassan Zarnegar Abarghoui, one of four Iranian diplomats waiting to receive the citizens at the King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah, said his government was grateful for the "humanitarian co-operation" shown by the Saudi authorities.
Merhdad Malekzadh, a 28-year-old Iranian who had lived in Khartoum since he was a child, said no one had expected the fighting to become so intense, and his escape had also been a surprise.
"Because of our nationality, we had never imagined we would come to Saudi Arabia when we were evacuated," said Mr Malekzadh, whose family runs an oil lubricant business in the Sudanese capital.
"Fortunately, they really helped us. They put their differences aside and worked together. They saved lives."
With Saturday's evacuation, Saudi Arabia has brought nearly 4,900 people from Sudan, the official Saudi Press Agency said. They include 139 citizens of the kingdom and 4,738 people from 96 other countries.
With reporting from AFP
Skewed figures
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
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