US Defence Secretary Robert Gates flew into the Saudi capital on Wednesday for talks expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme and Washington's push for tough sanctions against Tehran. Gates was due to meet King Abdullah as the Obama administration kept up a concerted effort to rally international support for punitive sanctions against Iran, despite misgivings by China ...

RIYADH (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to discuss efforts to put pressure on Iran, stabilize Yemen and to urge the Saudis to engage with Iraq ahead of the U.S. withdrawal. Gates, fresh from a three-day visit to Afghanistan, also may discuss Kabul's attempts to pursue reconciliation with Taliban insurgents. U.S. defense ...

Sunni Islam's top cleric, Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, died on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia of a heart attack suffered while boarding a plane, Egyptian officials and state media said. Tantawi, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar -- Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning -- was in Riyadh to attend the King Faisal awards ceremony, the official MENA news agency said. Tantawi ...