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  • How Swizz Beatz Climbed to the Top of Saudi Arabia’s Camel Racing Scene

    He now travels to Saudi Arabia so often that he considers it a second home. He is a co-founder of a roller-skating rink in the desert retreat of AlUla, where the camel race was held, and keeps an apartment in the capital, Riyadh; a few years ago, he was granted Saudi citizenship.

  • Saudi Arabia Tops Edelman’s Trust Index for National Leadership

    Saudi Arabia has topped the global trust rankings in Edelman’s 2024 Annual Trust Barometer. The report from the global consulting and PR firm shows that 86% of Saudi citizens trust their government to make key decisions for the country’s goals. The 24th edition of the report also finds that 78% of respondents trust the Saudi business sector, and over 80% have strong confidence in the nation's leaders and scientists to manage innovation.

  • Who were granted Saudi citizenship?

    A Royal Decree was issued to grant Saudi citizenship to a number of scientists, physicians, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and distinguished talents with unique expertise and specializations.

  • A new esports tournament in Saudi Arabia promises to be a game-changer – but it’s also caused division in the industry

    The Esports World Cup (EWC) – which began on July 3 – has brought together professional gamers, publishers and fans from across the world for an eight-week competitive gaming bonanza. Its record-breaking prize pool of more than $60 million has raised eyebrows and Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation which is organizing the event, told CNN Sport that the spectacle will help unite the industry.

  • Saudi King, Crown Prince congratulate new Iran president on election win

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated the new president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, on his election victory. “On the occasion of your victory in the presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran, we are pleased to send you our sincere congratulations and best wishes for success, looking forward to continuing to develop relations between our two brotherly countries and peoples, and continuing coordination and consultation in order to enhance regional and international peace and security.”

  • Abu Dhabi International Book Fair Expands Access to Literature

    From April 29 to May 5, thousands of people filled the vast halls of Abu Dhabi’s largest conference center to attend the 33rd annual Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. While the event itself was founded in 1981, the scale and impact of the fair have grown tremendously. In 2020, for example, the fair took place over two days at a small cultural center on Saadiyat Island, an artificial island home to the United Arab Emirates’ Cultural District. Three years later, the fair had grown into a weeklong vibrant and expansive festival, providing a platform for more than 1,350 exhibitors from 90 countries – almost 150 more than the 2023 fair and including 12 additional countries. More than 230,000 visitors enjoyed free access to a wide variety of talks, book signings, and exhibitions. At the fair’s conclusion, more than 160,000 books were sold.

  • Will Iran’s new president pursue dialogue with the west?

    Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has beaten hardliner Saeed Jalili in the Iranian presidential race. The July 5 runoff drew some six million more voters than the first round of polling on June 28, pushing up turnout to just under 50%. While President-elect Pezeshkian will begin receiving calls and hold discussions with foreign counterparts from July 8, he will not be sworn in before the parliament until early August. This has not, however, stopped Iranian veteran diplomats from immediately backing any effort by Pezeshkian to engage the west and revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

  • Riyadh among top 15 fastest-growing cities: Report

    Riyadh has emerged as one of the top 15 fastest-growing cities by 2033, according to the Savills Growth Hubs Index. The report, part of Savills’ global thought leadership programme Impacts, highlights Riyadh as the only non-Asian city in the top 15 list. The city’s growth potential is linked to a projected 26 percent population increase, expected to reach 9.2 million from the current 5.9 million over the next decade.

  • 2024 could be world’s hottest year as June breaks records

    Last month was the hottest June on record, the EU's climate change monitoring service said on Monday, continuing a streak of exceptional temperatures that some scientists said puts 2024 on track to be the world's hottest recorded year. Every month since June 2023 - 13 months in a row - has ranked as the planet's hottest since records began, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a monthly bulletin.

  • Netanyahu: Gaza deal must let Israel resume fighting until war goals met

    Any Gaza ceasefire deal must allow Israel to resume fighting until its objectives are met, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, as talks over a U.S. plan aimed at ending the nine-month-old war were expected to restart. Five days after Hamas accepted a key part of the plan, two officials from the Palestinian militant group said the group was awaiting Israel's response to its latest proposal.