|
QUOTED
“One of Saudi Arabia’s leading goals is attracting a new type of tourist. Ruiz is a dual national, with a large fan base in both the US and Mexico; together with Anthony Joshua’s home the UK, tourists from these three countries accounted for 4.4 percent of the total number of incoming tourists in Saudi Arabia in 2017. A world championship fight could help boost this number and attract affluent visitors who can market the country to their affluent friends on social media and when they get back home.”
–Al Arabiya’s Omar Al-Ubaydli on this weekend’s ‘Clash on the Dunes’ world heavyweight boxing title rematch in Riyadh between Britain’s Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr of the United States. [Al Arabiya]
|
|
|
|
TOP STORY
In a bid to attract top talent and spark innovation in the Kingdom, Saudi Arabia has announced that it would grant full citizenship to “scientists, intellectuals, and innovators” from key sectors and focuses, according to reports. [more]
|
|
TOP STORY
Tiger Woods has declined to play in the upcoming Saudi Invitational golf tournament early next year, citing one of the busiest tour schedules for the Master’s champ in recent years, and defended the decision by Phil Mickelson and others to play.
Woods said that he understood that the decision could be difficult for some athletes, but noted that sports have a way of bringing people together and to help “heal.”
“I understand the politics behind it,” Woods said at a news conference. “But also the game of golf can help heal a lot of that, too. It can help grow it. And also a lot of top players are going to be playing there that particular week.”
“It’s traditionally not a golf hotbed, the Middle East,” Woods said. “But it has grown quite a bit. I remember going to Dubai for my very first time and seeing maybe two or three buildings in the skyline. Now there is a New York City skyline. Again, golf has grown. There were only a few courses when I went to Dubai and now they’re everywhere. Same with Abu Dhabi, and maybe eventually in Saudi Arabia.”
|
|
TOP STORY
Qatar defeated the United Arab Emirates, 4-2, in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Cup being played in Doha, Qatar on Monday. The win advances the host country’s team to a semifinal match against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
The match between the two teams has extra intrigue as the two nations play each other for the first time since several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, have boycotted Qatar over disagreements on several issues.
However, evidence that the diplomatic standoff is thawing continues to mount. [more]
|
|
TOP STORY
Saudi Arabia has assumed the presidency of the Group of 20 nations (G20) for the year as it gears up to host the annual G20 meeting in Riyadh in 2020.
The Kingdom launched a promotional video that has been widely shared on Twitter and other social platforms. [more]
|
|
MORE TOP STORYLINES
Via Marwa Rashad, Hadeel Al Sayegh and Saeed Azhar in reuters.com : Two sources said the firm could exercise a 15% “greenshoe” option, offering more shares to meet high demand from institutional investors. If exercised, it would mean the stake sale could increase from 1.5% to 1.725%.
|
Via Omar Al-Ubaydli in alarabiya.net : There is a massive potential for growing the Kingdom’s tourism industry: Out of the total 18 million people who visited Saudi Arabia in 2017, fewer than one million were tourists on holiday. This implies a ratio of less than 0.03 recreational tourists per inhabitant, compared to 1.2 for France, and 3 for Singapore. The “Clash on the Dunes” is an ideal event at an ideal time to help boost this number.
|
in arabnews.com : Today, Spotify released its list of the most-streamed artists and songs in the world this year, and — to no ones surprise — Iraqi singing sensation Aseel Hameem is the most-streamed female artist in Saudi Arabia in 2019.
|
|
|
|
|
|
MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND
|
|
|
|
|
The Saudi Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, discussed the significant growth in investments between Saudi Arabia and Spain....[By Elias Al Helou via economymiddleeast.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production reached in February 2024 a seven-month high of 9.01 million barrels per day (bpd), according to data from the...[By Elias Al Helou via economymiddleeast.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
GlobalData predicts that, at its current pace, Saudi Arabia’s renewable power capacity could increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.1% between 2023...[By Patrick Jowett via pv-magazine.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasuries reached $130.5 billion in February 2024, down $3.2 million month-on-month, new data released by the US Treasury showed.
Accordingly, the...[via argaam.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The General Department of Traffic (GDT) started today, April 18, reducing the payment of accumulated traffic fines by 50%.
The decision applies traffic violations committed by Saudi nationals,...[via argaam.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Rising Saudi Star Mohammed Elshehri has been announced as master of ceremonies at the 10th edition Saudi...[By Melanie Goodfellow via deadline.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC) released today its recent “Impact Report”, which revealed SVC’s contribution to achieving record growth rates. The report highlighted the impact...[via maaal.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Pakistan’s foreign office said on Friday the South Asian country would continue its “constructive engagement” with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to enhance economic and...[via arabnews.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The United States has completed its military pullback in northeastern Syria, settling into a more stable posture of about 600 troops in the rest of...[By Phil Stewart via reuters.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
“To be clear, the reporting is wrong. The US is not considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East,” spokeswoman Alyssa Farah tweeted....[via timesofisrael.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
An arsenal of missiles outside its borders gives advantages to the Iranian government, military and paramilitary in any standoff with the United States and its...[By Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt via nytimes.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
A U.S. Navy warship seized advanced missile parts believed to be linked to Iran from a boat it had stopped in the Arabian Sea, U.S....[By Idrees Ali via reuters.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
The new plan requires that drivers sell their tuk-tuks for scrap and take loans to buy new minivans — or risk fines and even prosecution....[By Isabel Debre and Mohamed Salah via apnews.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Khalilzad arrived in Kabul earlier on Wednesday to follow up on U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Afghanistan last week and to discuss with Afghan...[By Jonathan Landay via reuters.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
The push comes as Congress has increased its oversight of Chinese influence operations amid concerns that Beijing’s ubiquitous Confucius Institutes have stifled debate on US...[By Aaron Schaffer via al-monitor.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
“Strategic partnerships are a winning proposition,” he said. “In the Middle East, 55 percent of total chemical capacities are run in partnership mode, significantly higher...[via arabnews.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee on Thursday endorsed a controversial deal on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean reached between Turkey and Libya’s U.N.-supported government.
The...[By AP via voanews.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
The threat from locusts in the Horn of Africa and on the India-Pakistan border is “extremely serious,” the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said....[By Samuel Gebre via bloomberg.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Security researchers have spotted a new destructive malware that attempts to wipe hard disks on computer systems at Middle Eastern energy companies, and believe it...[By Juha Saarinen via itnews.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
