MUST-READS

• Meet Ali from Saudi Arabia, a Nursing Student at the University of South Carolina

  Ali from Saudi Arabia has been passionate about pursuing a career in nursing since middle school. He completed one year of his undergraduate education in Australia, then transferred through the International Accelerator Program (IAP) to the University of South Carolina (USC) to explore opportunities in the US.“The total nursing program is two years lower division [pre-nursing] and two years upper division,” Ali said. Lower division students take core general education classes including English, history, math, and basic sciences. The curriculum also includes courses in nursing that focus on health and wellness, the history of nursing, pathophysiology, and more. Once students complete the prescribed number of lower division courses, they can then apply to the upper division level.

• Iranians debate leak of US docs on Israeli attack plans

  A fringe pro-Iranian channel on the messaging app Telegram has published highly classified US intelligence documents detailing how Israel is preparing for an attack on Iran. US media have confirmed the authenticity of the documents, but the source of the leak and the possible motives remain unclear. The reaction in Tehran has been muted. However, some speculate that the leak is deliberate and meant to delay or reduce the scale of Israel’s pledged response to Iran’s Oct. 1 missile barrage.

• Syria: Iran and Hezbollah’s Savior and Achilles’ Heel

  As the Netanyahu government engages in wars throughout the Middle East to degrade Iran and its allied militias, Biden administration officials are reportedly calling these military victories a “history-defining moment.” But is this moment history-defining in the way that White House officials seem to hope it is? Without a political solution that accommodates the millions yearning for peace and justice in the Middle East including Palestinians, Lebanese, and Syrians, it’s likely not. Israel’s tactical victories and Iran’s losses will be ephemeral.

• In Photos: Novak Djokovic embraces Saudi culture during 6 Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh

  The Serbian tennis star donned the traditional Saudi attire and was seen sitting on a carpet alongside sand dunes and mountains captured in the background in pictures posted on his Instagram page. Djokovic posted a series of images from his time in Riyadh with captions such as “Sand slam” and “Kingdom style.”

• Construction starts on world’s largest building in Saudi Arabia

  Construction has begun on the 400-metre-high, cube-shaped Mukaab supertall skyscraper in Riyadh designed by AtkinsRéalis, which will be the world's largest building when it completes. Designed as the centrepiece of the 19-square-kilometre New Murabba development in northwest Riyadh, Mukaab is now officially under construction with excavations underway, according to its development company. The developer, named New Murabba Development Company and funded by Saudi Arabia's central Public Investment Fund (PIF), said groundworks at the site are now 86 per cent complete.

• Cabinet hails inclusion of 11 states in Middle East Green Initiative

  The Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, praised the inclusion of 11 new countries in the Middle East Green Initiative during its session in Riyadh today, Oct. 22, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The Cabinet expressed hope that more nations would join the initiative launched by the Crown Prince as a global model to achieve its ambitious environmental goal of combating climate change.

• Is Saudi Arabia a Brics member or not? A curious case of invitation, acceptance and a delay

  The original Brics members —Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa— approved the joining of Saudi Arabia and four other nations at the Brics Summit 2023 in South Africa. The Saudi membership was set to start in February 2024 but the monarchy said at the last minute that it is not yet joining the group." Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to the invitation to join BRICS. It is still under consideration,” the Saudi official source said in a statement to Reuters.

• Saudi Banks’ Credit Quality May Weaken Due to External Funding Reliance

  The Saudi banking sector’s increasing reliance on external funding and resulting decline in net foreign assets (NFAs) could lead to lower funding and liquidity scores for some banks, Fitch Ratings says. A one-notch reduction in a bank’s funding and liquidity score would be unlikely, on its own, to directly affect the bank’s Viability Rating (VR) as the score’s weight is only 10%. However, weaker liquidity could eventually undermine other VR factors.

• Saudi Arabia offers 7 mineral exploration licenses

  Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources announced today, Oct. 22, opening bidding to local and international investors for seven new mineral exploration licenses in Makkah and Riyadh on an area of nearly 1,070 km2, the state-owned SPA reported. The offered exploration sites include quality mineral resources and precious metals, including base metals, such as gold, copper, zinc, lead and silver across several sites. Four sites are situated in Makkah.

• Women footballers call on FIFA to end partnership with Saudi Aramco
  A group of over 100 professional women's soccer players on Monday sent an open letter to FIFA urging the world governing body to end its partnership with oil and gas conglomerate Saudi Aramco. In April, FIFA signed a four-year deal which will see Aramco become a worldwide partner, including in major tournaments such as the 2026 World Cup and the Women's World Cup the following year. Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sports like soccer, Formula One and golf in the last few years while critics, including women's rights groups and members of the LGBTQ community, accuse the kingdom of using its Public Investment Fund (PIF) to "sportswash" its human rights record.

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