Saudi Arabia has appointed General Hussein bin Abdullah Al Qubail as the new chief of the Kingdom's armed forces, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

General Saleh Al Mohaya has been retired and his deputy, General Hussein will succeed him, the agency said in a statement on Friday. The report added that General Khaled bin Bander bin Abdelaziz Al Saud has been promoted to head the army.

In another development, the government dismissed the president of the administrative court, Shaikh Ibrahim Al Haqil, and the deputy minister of higher education, Ali Al Attiya, without giving reasons.-TradeArabia News Service