Saudi Arabia banned film for 35 years. The Red Sea festival is just one sign of the industry's rise

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — “My Driver and I” was supposed to be made in 2016, but was scuttled amid Saudi Arabia's decades-long cinema ban. Eight years later, the landscape for film in the kingdom looks much different — and the star of “My Driver and I” now has an award. ...

Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. But when exactly?

ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia scored a major win in its campaign to attract major sports events to the kingdom when it was formally appointed as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday. Still, many questions remain about the tournament as well as the 2030 World Cup, which will be...

Hollywood and the Middle East mix at Red Sea International Film Festival

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — One of the Middle East’s fastest-growing film festivals opened Thursday in Saudi Arabia, attracting filmmakers and stars from around the world, to present over 120 films from 81 countries in Jeddah’s historic Al-Balad district. The Red Sea...

5 more have been rescued after tourist yacht sank in Egypt's Red Sea

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian naval forces rescued five people Tuesday and recovered four bodies, a day after a tourist yacht carrying 44 passengers sank in the Red Sea coastal town of Marsa Alam, officials said, after facing rough weather. This brings the total to 33 survivors while...

Egyptian officials say 16 people are missing after a tourist yacht sank in high waves on the Red Sea

CAIRO (AP) — A tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea on Monday after warnings of rough waters and 16 people were missing, Egyptian officials said. The governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafy, said rescuers saved 28 people from the vessel south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam, and...

Officials in Egypt say over a dozen people are missing after a tourist vessel sank in the Red Sea

Suspected attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen target a ship in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Suspected attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a Panama-flagged bulk carrier traveling through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, though no damage or injuries were reported, authorities said Monday. The attacks come as the rebels continue their...

Yemen's Houthi rebels target ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Red Sea

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship traveling through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea on Monday, though it escaped undamaged, authorities said. The attack ended an 18-day lull in reported assaults attributed to the Houthis, who...

The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into deep, turbulent waters, according to a military investigation into...

Yemen’s Houthi rebels attack a Liberian-flagged ship in the Red Sea

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker on Thursday in the Red Sea, authorities said. The attack comes as the rebels continue to threaten ships moving through the Red Sea, a waterway that once saw $1 trillion in goods...