A military base deep inside Saudi Arabia appears to be testing and possibly manufacturing ballistic missiles, experts and satellite images suggest, evidence of the type of weapons programme it has long criticised its arch-rival Iran for possessing.

The pervasiveness of state-sponsored killings is no excuse for treating murder as acceptable, ever, writes Jeffrey D Sachs.

The agencies employed by the government in Saudi Arabia to keep a lookout for people who might be the kingdom’s new best friends in the West will have been delighted this week to see this name popping up on their screens: Britain’s Prince Andrew, also known as the duke of York and un-affectionately as Air Miles Andy, given his taste for global air travel funded by taxpayers.

Last year, at age 31, Mohammed bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s crown prince.

According to the Irish Embassy in Riyadh, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a welcoming and hospitable country with many unique traditions.”

Almost €17m in taxpayers’ money is being spent every year to keep ambassadors and high-ranking officials in the lap of luxury, including €4.5m alone on lavish diplomatic residences.

State-owned airport operator DAA has tabled bids for the running of a number of international airports, after having seen a successful first full year operating part of the King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.

Donald Trump has threatened to pull out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, unless it is ‘fixed’ by May 12. He would be right to follow through, according to Michael Makovsky.

Saudi women have been allowed into a sports stadium for the first time to watch a football match between two local teams.

French president Emmanuel Macron is using instability in the Middle East to cast himself in the role of honest broker and position France as Europe’s top player, says Maysam Behravesh.

Lebanon's prime minister Saad Hariri has said he is returning to the country and confirmed he is resigning amid political tensions.

An estimated 130 children or more die every day in war-torn Yemen from extreme hunger and disease, an international aid group has said.

What happens to the price of oil in the coming months will be critical to the global inflation outlook, and, of course, to the monetary policy of the world’s major central banks.

Saudi Arabia aims to sell about 5% of state oil company Saudi Aramco in an IPO next year, and stock exchanges from the UK to Japan are vying for what may be the world’s richest IPO.

The ban on laptops in the cabins of planes flying from the Middle East to the US is over, with federal officials saying that large airports in the region have taken other steps to increase security.

The Saudi king has bucked tradition by naming his successor without consulting the extended royal family. Bernard Haykel looks at the heir apparent who has a plan for when the oil runs out.

More than 40 others were wounded in the attacks which have been claimed by the Islamic State.

US president Donald Trump has said Israel's Arab neighbours are realising they share a "common cause" with Israel over the threat from Iran.

US president Donald Trump has cast the elusive pursuit of peace between Israelis and Palestinians as the "ultimate deal" as he continues his tour of the Middle East.

President Donald Trump said the first day of his maiden international trip has been "tremendous".

Accompanying her husband on his first international trip, Mrs Trump stepped off Air Force One conservatively dressed in long sleeves and trousers to conform to the strict dress code that Saudi Arabia enforces for its female citizens.

Teagasc has won an award for the new technology it has licensed to Ornua Co-operative Ltd, that enables Ornua to manufacture cheese in countries with a shortage of fresh milk.

Minsters are at odds about revealing if Ireland helped Saudi Arabia get on a UN body protecting women, amid concerns the Government is turning a blind eye to human rights violations.

An Egyptian court has ruled against the government's decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia - a landmark verdict likely to deepen tensions with the kingdom.

Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan has pledged to underline the country's commitment to the European Union during a visit to the Middle East.

The anti-Israel propaganda being spouted by the likes of Zoe Lawlor of Gaza Action Ireland would be funny were it not so one-sided and unjust.

Ambitions for Irish-Iranian agri-food trade growth have been boosted by a successful business networking event hosted by the Irish Exporters Association (IEA).

The Obama administration will likely soon release at least part of a 28-page secret chapter from a congressional inquiry into 9/11 that may shed light on possible Saudi connections to the attackers.

Farmers can hope to see milk prices improve in early 2017, by which time Ireland will have increased dairy sales into China, Africa, and the Middle East, says Ornua chief executive Kevin Lane.

Ornua is to invest €250m in overseas acquisitions from now to 2020 developing markets for Ireland’s soaring post-quota milk output.

Pioneering technology developed at the Teagasc food research centre in Moorepark, Co Cork, is underpinning a new €20m cheese manufacturing facility for Ornua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Iran plans to boost its output of crude oil to 4 million barrels a day before it will consider joining other suppliers in seeking ways to rebalance the global oil market.

Saudi Arabia has often counted on having the oil market’s equivalent of a nuclear option.

Saudi Arabia says it has broken off diplomatic ties with Iran, amid a row over the Saudi execution of a prominent Shi’ite Muslim cleric.

Behind its strategic manipulations and sham alliance to tackle the likes of IS, a purported ally of the West’s official ideology forms the heart of the terrorist creed, writes Brahma Chellaney

German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier believes changing the way we live in fear of terrorist attacks would be giving them exactly what they wanted

Amid the plunge in oil prices, Saudi Arabia expects to post a budget deficit of 367 billion riyals (€89.1bn) and Russia’s economy teeters on the brink of a deeper recession, while Iran wants to swiftly boost its oil exports, it emerged yesterday.

Saudi Arabia is leading a new anti-terror military alliance of 34 Muslim-majority nations, with a joint operations centre based in the kingdom’s capital Riyadh.

Saudi voters have elected 20 women for local government seats, according to early results, a day after women voted and ran in elections for the first time in the country’s history.