Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to Washington in February this year. Getty Images via AFP
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to Washington in February this year. Getty Images via AFP
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to Washington in February this year. Getty Images via AFP
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to Washington in February this year. Getty Images via AFP

Saudi Defence Minister meets senior US officials at White House ahead of Crown Prince's visit


Fatima Al Mahmoud
  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met senior US officials at the White House on Tuesday, ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s official visit to Washington this month.

Also attending Tuesday's meeting were US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The high-level gathering in Washington tackled Saudi-US relations and strategic co-operation between the two nations. The officials also discussed regional and international developments, SPA said.

The meeting came as Prince Mohammed approved an agreement for judicial co-operation between the Saudi Ministry of Justice and the US Department of Justice at a cabinet session on Tuesday, the press agency reported.

US President Donald Trump is reportedly set to host Prince Mohammed at the White House next week in a bid to deepen security, trade and diplomatic relations.

US media reported that that meeting − their first in the US since Mr Trump took office for a second term in January − will take place on November 18. The White House has not yet confirmed the date.

The leaders last met in Riyadh in May, during the US President's historic Gulf tour that took him to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar on his first official state visits since returning to the White House for a second term.

Prince Mohammed's Washington trip is expected to focus on negotiating a formal security pact, similar to that reached between the US and Qatar in the aftermath of Israel's deadly strike on Doha in September. The leaders are also expected to announce expanded partnerships in artificial intelligence, energy and infrastructure.

Princess Reema bint Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the US, who attended the White House meetings with the Defence Minister, has said US-Saudi relations are at their strongest. While ties in previous decades were based on energy and defence, the modern relationship is "built on technology and innovation", she told attendees at a business forum in Miami.

Prince Mohammed's visit will come after a fragile ceasefire was reached in Gaza last month. This could create an opening for discussions on establishing ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as the Trump administration seeks to expand the Abraham Accords, a series of US-brokered agreements that established diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. Kazakhstan is also expected to join.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said establishing relations with Israel hinges on the creation of a Palestinian state.

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

Britain's travel restrictions
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  • Complete passenger locator form
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Always use only regulated platforms

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Warn others to prevent further harm

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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

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Credit Score explained

What is a credit score?

In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.

Why is it important?

Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.

How is it calculated?

The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.

How can I improve my score?

By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.

How do I know if my score is low or high?

By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.

How much does it cost?

A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.

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Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km

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Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

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Torque: 390Nm

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While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

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1.

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2.

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3.

UAE

4.

Japan

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Canada

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Saudi Arabia

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Updated: November 12, 2025, 10:44 AM