Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Apr. 15 : A court in the Saudi Arabian town of Unaiza has upheld the marriage of an eight-year-old girl to the much older man, on the condition that he does not have sex with her until she reaches puberty.

Outraged human rights groups have termed the decision by the court a clear case of human trafficking.

Organizations like the UNICEF have expressed concern over the ruling, calling it an abuse of the child''s rights.

"UNICEF is deeply concerned by reports that Saudi Arabian tribunals have decided not to annul the marriage of an 8-year-old girl," Fox News quoted the agency as saying in a statement on its web site.

Riyadh - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Riyadh on Sunday for a one-day visit to discuss with Saudi King Abdullah ways to deal with the new Israeli government, diplomatic sources said. Abbas will coordinate with the Saudi monarch a strategy to approach the new right-wing government under Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejects a "two-state solution" to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, diplomatic sources in the Palestinian embassy in Riyadh told the German Press Agency dpa.

Riyadh - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on Wednesday called on Israel "to take a position" on peace with Arab states if it wished to keep an Arab peace initiative on the table.

In a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in Riyadh on Wednesday, al-Faisal said the Israeli government had brought the peace process "to naught."

Riyadh  - The Saudi Interior Ministry announced Tuesday the capture of 11 members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, al-Arabiya news channel reported.

The cell was arrested on the Kingdom's southern borders with Yemen, the report said. The group had been carrying several weapons.

The detainees, who were hiding near the border, were suspected of planning kidnapping and attack operations against Saudi security personnel, the Dubai-based channel said.

Riyadh - In his fifth trip abroad since an international court issued a warrant for his arrest, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's official press agency reported.

The Sudanese president will perform the Omrah, a form of Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. The trip is the latest in a regional tour al-Bashir began soon after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of crimes against humanity on March 4.

Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Mar. 27 : One of the world''s most influential jihadi theologians has reportedly been criticised by some of his former followers for allegedly moderating his views, a claim he denies.