MUST-READS

• Saudi Arabia assumes presidency of global anti-corruption network

  Saudi Arabia, through its Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, or Nazaha, has assumed the presidency of the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities. Spain handed over the leadership of the GlobE Network during a ceremony at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. Nasser Nasser Abaalkhail, Nazaha’s deputy for international collaboration, was installed as chairman of the committee, with Boni de Moraes Soares, Brazil’s national solicitor for international affairs, as vice chair.

• Saudi educator known for charity and prisoner work wins $1 million Global Teacher Prize

  Al-Mansour, a teacher at the Prince Saud bin Jalawi School in al-Ahsa, is also an author and is known for work in his community, including a program that helped ensure people had access to air conditioning maintenance during Saudi Arabia’s scorching summer months. He also works with orphans and hopes to use the prize to build a school for them.

• Italy-Saudi ties strengthen with $10bn energy deals

  The Italian move highlights the strengthening ties between the two countries and signals the growing relevance of the Middle East for Italy, amid a tenser relationship between Europe and the U.S. as Donald Trump took office for a second presidential mandate last month. The deals were part of a strategic partnership that involved energy as well as other sectors such as defence and infrastructure, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said after meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Reuters reported. Among the deals, Italy’s credit export agency SACE said it would provide loan guarantees worth $3 billion for Saudi Arabia’s NEOM real estate project.

• Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East reveals how the US secured Marc Fogel’s release

  U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said some things were still up in the air when he hopped on his jet to Russia to discuss the potential release of American school teacher Marc Fogel.  Witkoff, a longtime friend of President Donald Trump, said Wednesday on "Hannity" that someone who is an intermediary between the United States and Russian governments reached out with an opportunity to bring Fogel back. A plan was presented to the president and members of his Cabinet, including national security advisor Mike Waltz and CIA director John Ratcliffe, who deemed the information "credible" and "actionable."

• These top-10 LPGA players headline the $5 million PIF Saudi Ladies International

  One of the largest purses in women's golf is up for grabs this week. The $5 million PIF Saudi Ladies International takes place Feb. 13-15 at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia. The event, which is part of the Ladies European Tour, is headlined by No. 3 Ruoning Yin, No. 4 Jeeno Thitikul, ninth-ranked Charley Hull and defending champion Patty Tavatanakit, who ranks 25th. This year's tournament – which features a new title sponsor in PIF – features 112 players and a new team format. The teams, which are drafted ahead of the event, will compete over the first two days for a $500,000 prize. A cut is then made to the top 60 and ties to compete for the remaining $4.5 million purse.

• Senior Arab officials warn that Trump Gaza plan would inflame Middle East

  Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned the World Government Summit in Dubai that if Trump pressed ahead with his plan, he would lead the Middle East into a new cycle of crises with a “damaging effect on peace and stability.” Jasem Al-Budaiwi, who heads the oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council political and economic alliance, called on Trump to remember the strong ties between the region and Washington. “But there has to be give and take, he says his opinion and Arab world should say theirs; what he is saying won’t be accepted by the Arab world.”

• Saudi Arabia spearheads Arab scramble for alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan

  Draft ideas will be discussed at a meeting in Riyadh this month of countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Proposals may involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal to sideline Hamas, five of the people said. Reuters spoke to 15 sources in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere to build a picture of the hurried efforts by Arab states to pull together existing proposals into a new plan they can sell to the U.S. president - even potentially calling it a "Trump plan" to win his approval. One Arab government source said at least four proposals had already been drafted for Gaza's future, but an Egyptian proposal was now emerging as central to the Arab push for an alternative to Trump's idea. The latest Egyptian proposal involves forming a national Palestinian committee to govern Gaza without Hamas involvement, international participation in reconstruction without displacing Palestinians abroad, and movement towards a two-state solution, three Egyptian security sources said.

• Spending pushes Saudi fiscal deficit to $31bn in 2024

  Saudi Arabia’s fiscal deficit reached SAR116 billion ($31 billion) in 2024, driven by a 6 percent rise in expenditure, according to the ministry of finance. The deficit was in line with revised predictions made in September but roughly 50 percent higher than the SAR79 billion ($21 billion) projected at the start of the fiscal year. Increased expenditure comes at a time of high spending across the kingdom on infrastructure giga-projects in support of Saudi Vision 2030 diversification targets. The economy minister, Faisal Alibrahim, speaking at an event in Riyadh on Thursday, said that infrastructure investments are expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030. Oil revenues rose marginally to SAR757 billion last year, while non-oil revenues rose 10 percent year on year to SAR502 billion, the ministry said.

• EDF and TAQA Geothermal Sign Landmark MoU to Advance Geothermal Energy in Saudi Arabia

  EDF Saudi Arabia and TAQA Geothermal Energy Company have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on geothermal energy technologies including power generation and HVAC applications as well as Compressed Air Energy Storage in Saudi Arabia. The agreement was formalized during the third edition of the PIF Private Sector Forum, held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

• Ceer supercharges Saudi EV industry with $1.4bn in deals, gearing up for 2026 launch

  Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown electric vehicle brand, Ceer, signed 11 deals worth SR5.5 billion ($1.4 billion) at a Public Investment Fund event ahead of its model launch in 2026. More than 80 percent of these agreements involve Saudi companies, reinforcing Ceer’s commitment to its 45 percent localization target and advancing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030’s economic diversification goals. Among the key memorandums of understanding signed at the PIF Private Sector Forum are agreements related to heating and air conditioning, portable EV chargers and various manufacturing aspects, such as plastic injection parts. DeLuca highlighted that Ceer is the only company in Saudi Arabia managing the entire process — from designing and engineering to manufacturing, selling, and servicing a portfolio of battery electric vehicles.

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