British PM, Saudi CP hold talks in Riyadh

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

The UK leader is attempting to rein in oil prices, which soared to nearly $140 a barrel before dropping below $100, and help end the West's dependency on Russian oil following the invasion of Ukraine.

Johnson said before leaving that the impact of Putin's "brutal and unprovoked" assault will be felt far beyond Europe.

He said that as Western sanctions begin to bite, a new international coalition was needed to offset their impact on consumers already feeling the pinch from rising inflation.

"The world must wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons and starve Putin's addiction to oil and gas," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, British-Iranians Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released after years in detention in Iran on charges of plotting to overthrow the government and spying for Israel, respectively.

The families of both believe they were being held as political prisoners until the UK settled a £400-million ($520-million, 475-million-euro) debt for defence equipment.

Agencies