MUST-READS

• Saudi Arabia: Workers entitled to wages in lieu of unused leave
  Saudi Arabia, home to a large community of expat workers, has stressed that employees are entitled to receive wages for the days of due leave if he/she quits work before using them under the kingdom’s labour system. The Saudi labour law also stipulates that the worker has the right to get paid leave of not less than 10 days and a maximum of 15 days, including the Muslim Eid Al Adha holiday, to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage in and around Mecca once during the time of his service if he/she has not performed the obligatory Islamic duty before. To obtain the Hajj leave, the worker should spend at least two consecutive years working for the same employer, who may determine the number of workers granted this leave annually according to the requirements of the work.

• From Riyadh Metro to flying taxis: Saudi Arabia’s transport revolution easing commutes

  The Riyadh Metro is opening in three phases. The Blue Line, which is 38 kilometers (24 miles) long, was one of the first lines to partially open, alongside the Yellow and Purple Lines, and runs north to south through Downtown Riyadh. The Red and Green Lines launched on December 15, while the Orange Line is scheduled to open by January 5, 2025. “Alternative means of transport outside of cars are necessary. Riyadh is gridlocked,” Nazar Musa, CEO at Sovereign PPG KSA, told Al Arabiya English. “Public transport solutions are crucial to ease traffic flow around the city.” The entire project features six color-coded lines spanning 176 kilometers with 85 stations, making it one of the largest urban transport projects currently operational in the world. Forty percent of the tracks run underground, facilitating smoother journey times across the Kingdom. The system features 183 train rakes manufactured by Siemens, Bombardier, and Alstom, establishing itself as the world’s longest driverless metro network. The fully automated operation represents a significant technological leap for the region’s public transportation infrastructure.

• Saudi: Diriyah opens new 157-key Marriott luxury collection hotel

  Diriyah Company announced the opening of Bab Samhan, a luxury collection hotel by Marriott International located on the outskirts of Saudi capital Riyadh. The hotel will feature 134 rooms and 23 suites all conveniently located near the Unesco world heritage site of At Turaif. Announcing the launch, Diriyah said Bab Samhan is the third major landmark asset to be opened in Diriyah, following At-Turaif and Bujairi Terrace. This is a first-of- its-kind hotel in the historic destination developed by the company, with over 40 more planned.

• US lifts bounty on Syrian rebel leader who helped oust Assad

  American diplomats, on their first visit to the Syrian capital in 12 years, met with a Syrian rebel leader in Damascus today, two weeks after his group ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. They said they were lifting a $10 million U.S. bounty on Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Turkish-backed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and now Syria’s de facto interim ruler, after he committed to Syria not being a host for terrorist groups. “Based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offer that has been in effect for some years,” Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf told journalists from Amman, Jordan today, after returning from Damascus with a delegation that included US hostage envoy Roger Carstens and senior State Department Syria advisor Daniel Rubinstein. “The US is committed to working with the Syria people to help seize this historic opportunity,” Leaf said of her meeting with al-Sharaa. “We also discussed the critical need to ensure terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside of Syria or externally, including to the US and our partners in the region.”

• Iran’s political map shifts as crises erupt at home, abroad

  Sidelined under conservative Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency (2021-24), Iran’s pro-reform camp is gaining momentum under Masoud Pezeshkian. Amid growing domestic and foreign policy challenges—including an economic crisis and a society on edge over a new hijab law—Reformists are joined by centrists and pragmatic conservatives in pushing back against hardliners. This comes as the question of leadership succession continues to loom large.

• Saudi Arabia ready to mine the future as it looks beyond oil

  The kingdom remains heavily reliant on oil revenues to fund government spending and push forward with large infrastructure projects planned under its Vision 2030 strategy, announced in 2016 and aimed at refocusing its economy away from oil. However, the kingdom is about to make a substantial investment in its mining sector, banking on growing demand for energy transition minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, as well as gold and some rare earth metals. “Mining is a small industry now, but we are looking to quadruple the size of the sector by 2030, and we are already hitting the targets we set for 2025,” said Khalid Saleh Al-Mudaifer, His Excellency Vice-Minister for Mining Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Industrial and Mining Information, the country’s mineral wealth was estimated at SR9.4trn as of April 2024. Its non-oil sectors accounted for more than 50% of GDP for the first time in 2023, up from 47.4% in 2015.

• The Emirati defense gambit in Brazil

  Already the largest trade counterpart of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in South America, Brazil is emerging as a key security partner and a promising destination for Abu Dhabi's defense industry and arms exports. This trend has been epitomized in the recent letter of intent signed between the Emirati EDGE Group and the Management and Operational Centre of the Amazon Protection System (CENSIPAM).

• Saudi delegation led by Royal Court advisor meets with Syria’s Al-Sharaa

  A Saudi delegation headed by an advisor from the Royal Court met with the head of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, at the People’s Palace in Syria on Sunday, according to an Al Arabiya report. Earlier this week, Al-Sharaa praised progress made by Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf countries in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat. “We admire the development in Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia’s bold plans and vision, and we aspire to achieve similar progress for Syria,” he told the newspaper’s Bissane El-Cheikh during an interview the the Presidential Palace in Damascus. “There are many opportunities for cooperation, especially in economic and developmental areas, where we can align our goals,” he added.

• As Iran’s top council pauses new hijab law, some warn of ‘tyranny’

  The implementation of a controversial new law which mandates stricter enforcement of the Islamic dress code has been put on hold by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). The move—which has raised eyebrows—comes after widespread criticism of the legislation. Many have credited Reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who chairs the top decision-making council, for the feat. At the same time, the maneuver has raised questions among critics who say it makes a mockery of the legislative process in Iran.

• Deception and Betrayal: Inside the Final Days of the Assad Regime

  As rebels advanced toward the Syrian capital of Damascus on Dec. 7, the staff in the hilltop Presidential Palace prepared for a speech they hoped would lead to a peaceful end to the 13-year civil war. Aides to President Bashar al-Assad were brainstorming messaging ideas. A film crew had set up cameras and lights nearby. Syria’s state-run television station was ready to broadcast the finished product: an address by Mr. al-Assad announcing a plan to share power with members of the political opposition, according to three people who were involved in the preparation. Working from the palace, Mr. al-Assad, who had wielded fear and force to maintain his authoritarian rule over Syria for more than two decades, had betrayed no sense of alarm to his staff, according to a palace insider whose office was near the president’s. The capital’s defenses had been bolstered, Mr. al-Assad’s aides were told, including by the powerful 4th Armored Division of the Syrian Army, led by the president’s brother Maher al-Assad, the insider said.

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