The Bush administration officially notified Congress Monday of its intention to sell sophisticated precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia. The action, coinciding with President Bush's visit to Saudi Arabia, is part of a broader U.S. effort to bolster Gulf allies in the face of a more assertive Iran. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The president of the United States of America George W. Bush is in Saudi Arabia for talks with King Abdullah. The White House correspondent of Voice of America Paula Wolfson reports Mr. Bush is seeking support from Saudi Arabia for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and his tough stance on Iran.

More than two million Muslims from across the world, including Indians, on Wednesday marked the climax of the annual Haj pilgrimage by participating in the symbolic stoning of the devil in the Saudi holy city of Mina.

Saudi Arabia announced today that it has arrested 208 people with suspected ties to Al Qaeda over the last several months, with suspects belonging to as many as six different terrorist cells.

Wild baboons have invaded a district in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, making the residents life a misery, the Al-Watan newspaper said Wednesday.

A Pakistani man was beheaded on Friday. He was convicted of smuggling heroin into Saudi Arabia. In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, the ministry said that Aslam Shahbaz Khan was executed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia's state oil company officials stated on Tuesday that the death toll from a national gas pipeline blast last weekend has now reached more than 40 people.

Pope Benedict XVI in the first meeting ever between a pope and reigning Saudi king lauded the contributions of Christians in Saudi Arabia - a country that embraces a strict version of Islam.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and King Abdullah met on Wednesday to discuss Iranian nuclear program, terrorism and the Middle East peace talks.

The first visit to Britain by the Saudi King in two decades has barely begun, but it has already caused controversy. The King has accused the British Government of covering up warnings about the July 7 bombings in London in 2005.

First lady Laura Bush is headed for the Middle East this month, the White House announced Monday, to promote awareness on breast cancer treatment and screening.

A leading Saudi cleric has publicly denounced Osama bin Laden, a rare move among clerics in his native Saudi Arabia who have avoided direct criticism of the Al Qaeda leader.