Sec. Pompeo meets with King Salman

The US Secretary of State's arrival follows the Trump administration's announcement of an ambitious Arab-Israeli peace plan. He will also visit several Gulf Arab states and Sudan this week.

During a joint press conference with Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo encourages Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel, in what would be a massive boost for the Jewish state amid normalization by two other Gulf Arab kingdoms.

Hatice Cengiz and US-based group DAWN have filed a civil suit, pursuing the Saudi prince and 28 others for damages. Khashoggi was murdered two years ago when he entered the Saudi consulate to obtain marriage papers.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with negotiators from the Afghan government and the Taliban separately in Doha. A senior official said negotiators were "very close" to breaking a longstanding deadlock.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Iran is the "number one threat" to Gulf security and thanks Bahrain for its support in exerting pressure on Tehran as he meets virtually with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani. The meeting comes as a 40-strong Bahraini delegation visits Israel for two days of talks on boosting economic cooperation and tourism after the two countries normalised relations in September.

After a more than three-year quarrel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are back on track. Political common sense has prevailed, says Kersten Knipp.

The top US diplomat has claimed, without evidence, that the Islamist militant group has established a new base of operations in Iran, moving away from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Witnesses have reported hearing a loud explosion over Riyadh, three days after a missile was intercepted on its way to the city.

US President Joe Biden has spoken with Saudi Arabia's King Salman, but there was apparently no mention of the upcoming publication of a sensitive US intelligence report on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Hanan El Atr, an Egyptian woman who said she married Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi months before he was killed, told DW she had come forward to deliver his message.

In a nonofficial visit to Taiwan, former US diplomat Mike Pompeo said Washington should take steps to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation. China described his comments as "nonsense."

The Saudi capital is changing, as demonstrated by the MDLBeast Soundstorm festival, an electronic dance music event held late last year on the outskirts of Riyadh. After trying to diversify its oil-dependent economy, Saudi authorities are now looking to develop the entertainment industry. Partying legally in Riyadh is rare, but is now possible. However, human rights groups are warning that this change, however welcome, should not overshadow the kingdom's crackdown on free speech. Our regional correspondent reports.