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QUOTED
“The economic factor is important, but for women here this is also an opportunity to live alone and be independent from their families and they are really eager to have such an experience. Some girls have sacrificed really good jobs in their local areas to move to Riyadh and be on their own.”
–Mona al-Sheddi, assistant professor at the psychology department of King Saud University, in an article from the Financial Times on how Saudi women are embracing new freedoms as gradual reforms take hold. [ft.com]
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TOP STORY
Oil demand growth is set to trend higher this year compared with 2019, a recent report from Jadwa Investment finds, citing OPEC forecasts and other global economic factors. [more]
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TOP STORY
The Saudi Heritage Preservation Society has called on UNESCO to protect traditional Khawlani coffee cultivation techniques in Saudi Arabia in a press release, noting that the Arabian tradition “has been passed down for generations by the ancient tribes of Khawlan who have grown and processed Khawlani coffee beans in the verdant valleys of Jazan, a region in the southern-most tip of Arabia, for over 300 years.” [more]
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MORE TOP STORYLINES
Via Davide Barbuscia in reuters.com : Of Saudi Arabia’s total planned debt issuance this year, almost $12 billion will be used to refinance existing local debt and will also be raised locally, a finance ministry official told Reuters last month. International debt is expected to account for 45% of the remaining $20 billion-worth of new funds that Riyadh plans to raise.
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Via Ed Whelan in ancient-origins.net : The Nabateans occupied the city in the 1st century BC. They were originally nomads who established a powerful kingdom in the Sinai and parts of modern Jordan in north-west Arabia. Under the Nabateans, the settlement of Madain Saleh became a true city. They developed a system for irrigation based on the collection of rainwater in tanks which helped agriculture to flourish.
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in weforum.org : The global economy is facing an increased risk of stagnation, climate change is striking harder and more rapidly than expected, and a fragmented cyber space threatens the full potential of next generation technologies — all while citizens worldwide protest political and economic conditions, and voice concerns about systems that exacerbate inequality.
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MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND
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Saudi Arabia and Lebanon's installations at the Venice Biennale seek to redress the balance by questioning masculine views and Western myths surrounding the portrayal...[By Rebecca Ann Hughes via euronews.com]
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Middle East countries spent 4.2 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in 2023, the highest rate globally, as ...[By Deena Kamel via thenationalnews.com]
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Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund agreed to buy a majority stake in Saudi Telecom Co.’s tower unit for 8.7 billion riyals ($2.3 billion)...[By Dana Khraiche via ]
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The Schengen Area, which includes 29 European countries, was expanded last February to include Bulgaria and Romania, eliminating all air and maritime...[By Mona Farag via thenationalnews.com]
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Saudi Arabia is pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of more aid into the territory amid Israel’s war...[via alarabiya.net]
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The institute noted that three largest spenders in the region — Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey — all increased military spending last year. Saudi Arabia...[By Adam Lucente via al-monitor.com]
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The head of Saudi Arabia’s state oil company praised China’s exports of green technology, echoing Beijing’s talking points in what appeared to be a deliberate...[via semafor.com]
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Startups are a critical component of the 21st-century economy, driving innovation, creating jobs, and fostering national economic growth. In Saudi Arabia, venture...[By Sharif Almadani via linkedin.com]
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Saudi oil giant Aramco said on Monday it is in talks to acquire a 10% stake in...[By Yousef Saba via reuters.com]
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The Ministry of Tourism has shut down as many as 67 tourism hospitality facilities, including hotels and residential apartments, across the Kingdom during the first...[via zawya.com]
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Saudi Arabia’s cinema industry has generated revenue of SAR3.7 billion ($986.42 million) just six years after the opening of its first cinemas.
According to government data...[By Elias Al Helou via economymiddleeast.com]
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Blinken is expected to participate at a special...[By Barak Ravid via axios.com]
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Iran has confirmed two missiles were fired at a Ukrainian airliner brought down this month, in a catastrophic error that killed all 176 people on...[via france24.com]
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The death toll from a suspected Houthi rebel missile attack on Yemeni government forces has risen to at least 116, making it one of the...[By Bethan McKernan via theguardian.com]
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Trump administration officials say they aren’t seeking regime change, just a dramatic shift in Tehran’s approach to military and foreign affairs. But some U.S. officials...[By Dion Nissenbaum, Benoit Faucon and Felicia Schwartz via wsj.com]
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As world powers back a cease-fire in Libya to end months of fighting, a recent injection of mercenaries by rival foreign backers threatens to unravel...[By Jared Malsin in Berlin and Raja Abdulrahim in Beirut via wsj.com]
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Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal backed the new force, they said in a "political statement" issued by France's Foreign Ministry...[via radiofarda.com]
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After the killing of Iran’s Quds Force commander, Qasem Soleimani, and the deputy commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), Abul Mahdi al-Muhandis, Iraq...[By James Durso via thehill.com]
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Egypt expects its domestic reforms to spur private investment whether or not it agrees on a non-financial International Monetary Fund program, a decision that will...[By Marc Champion via bloomberg.com]
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The entire US peace team – Jared Kushner, Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook – are headed to Israel and expected to meet Prime Minister Benjamin...[via jpost.com]
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Among the leaders he will meet with include Iraqi President Barham Salih, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Swiss Confederation President Simonetta Sommaruga and Nechirvan Barzani, the...[By Alexandra Alper via reuters.com]
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For now, international student training is still on pause, as the Army, Navy and Air Force departments receive guidance from the Pentagon and implement their...[By Meghann Myers via militarytimes.com]
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Many European nations have refused to heed calls to repatriate suspected Islamic State fighters and their children from Syria. In some cases, their reluctance drew...[By Rick Noack via washingtonpost.com]
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BP has pulled out of Iraq's giant Kirkuk oilfield after its $100 million exploration contract expired with no agreement on the field's expansion, dealing a...[By Dmitry Zhdannikov and Ahmed Rasheed via yahoo.com]
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