MUST-READS

• Biden warns Netanyahu against major Rafah offensive as divide between the 2 leaders grows

  President Joe Biden on Monday urgently warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against launching an offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as the divide between the two leaders continues to grow along with the mounting Palestinian death toll. The call between Biden and Netanyahu came as Israel appeared to be moving closer to a major military operation to root out Hamas militants in Rafah — something that Biden and his top aides have repeatedly told Israeli officials will only lead to more death and worsen the despair in the war-ravaged territory.

• Hamas responds to ceasefire deal; Israel strikes in eastern Rafah

  While Hamas today said it had accepted a three-phase ceasefire/hostage release deal, Israel called Hamas’ proposal insufficient and said that it was proceeding with targeted military operations in eastern Rafah. It said it would, however, send a low-level delegation to Cairo to continue negotiations. A White House official said that Hamas had proposed some amendments to an April 26 draft negotiated by Egypt, the United States, Israel, and Qatar.

• Israeli military takes control of vital Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt
  The Israeli military seized control of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Tuesday and its tanks pushed into the southern Gazan town of Rafah after a night of air strikes on the Palestinian enclave.
  The Israeli offensive took place as mediators struggled to secure a ceasefire agreement between Israel and its Hamas foes and as the conflict entered its 8th month.
  The Palestinian militant group said late on Monday it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands.
  • Reuters - Gaza ceasefire uncertain, Israel vows to continue Rafah operation
• Gulf Artists Make a Splash at the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale

  The second Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, which opened in Riyadh February 20, comes to a close in late May after a busy and popular run. Featuring 177 works by 100 international artists, the show, “After Rain,” reflects “a sense of revitalization and renewal, calling to mind the refreshing scent of the air when rain has fallen,” according to the print catalogue. Metaphorically echoing ideas of regeneration and change in Saudi Arabia’s social and cultural developments, the show’s theme also more literally contemplates the necessity of water for all life on Earth and the relationship of this resource to the desert environment of Saudi Arabia and other countries.

• F-15EX ‘Dogfights’ Eurofighter, Rafale Aircraft For Big, Fat Saudi Deal; Can Boeing Outdo Airbus & Dassault?

  With three options on the table, there is also conjecture that the kingdom might take the Qatar route and make its fleet more diverse by adding Rafales to the mix of its existing fleet comprising the F-15SA and the Eurofighter Typhoons. Although the officials in the kingdom have not officially acknowledged their interest in the French Rafale or the Airbus Eurofighter, a potential acquisition of either of these fighters may come as yet another setback to the US arms industry, which is believed to be steadily losing ground to European and even Chinese and Russian arms manufacturers in the Middle Eastern region.

• Saudi Arabia’s private sector workers grow to 11.3M in April

  The total number of workers in the Saudi private sector reached 11.27 million in April 2024, the National Labor Observatory said. The total number of nationals working in private-sector entities stood at 2.36 million in the same month, of which male and female workers accounted for 1.39 million and 970,240, respectively. Meanwhile, the number of expats working in the private sector reached 8.92 million. Meanwhile, a total of 18,540 Saudis joined the private sector workforce for the first time.

• U.S. Shuffles Military Assets in Middle East After Gulf Pushback

  The U.A.E. informed the U.S. in February that it would no longer permit American warplanes and drones based at Al Dhafra air base in Abu Dhabi to carry out strikes in Yemen and Iraq without notifying Emirati officials ahead of time. That has prompted U.S. commanders to send the additional aircraft to Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the small Persian Gulf monarchy that hasn’t imposed similar restrictions, U.S. officials said.

• Cristiano Ronaldo closes in on Saudi record after scoring perfect hat-trick for Al Nassr

  Cristiano Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick on Saturday evening to continue his prolific season as Al Nassr thrashed Al Wehda 6-0 in the Saudi Pro League.

  Already clear in the SPL's top scorer standings, Ronaldo took his tally to 32 goals in 31 games – and 41 in 40 matches in all competitions – with his 66th career hat-trick.

  Ronaldo opened the scoring at Al Awwal Stadium in the fifth minute when Wehda goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi's poor clearance found the Nassr captain on the edge of the area. The Portuguese forward brought the ball into the box and curled a right-footed effort into the bottom corner.

• Saudi Arabia’s Flyadeal considering new Airbus jet order amid route expansion plans

  Saudi Arabia's budget airline Flyadeal is considering placing an order for more single-aisle Airbus aircraft and upgrading its existing order of 50 narrow-body jets, as it seeks to grow its international route network.

  Flyadeal, an all-Airbus fleet operator, is looking into converting its existing order of A320 Neos and A321 Neos to higher specification aircraft, Steven Greenway, the new boss of the no-frills carrier, told The National.

  The potential modification will increase the maximum take-off weight, improve the performance of the jet engines and secure the so-called ETOPS certification that allows for longer flights over water.

• Saudi students among global winners in Apple’s developer program

  Two students from Saudi Arabia are among the global winners in Apple’s developer programme, highlighting the region's potential in the growing technology segment.

  Jawaher Shaman, the creator of the My Child app that assists people with speech conditions, is among the top three “distinguished winners” of the Swift Student Challenge, joining Elena Galluzzo from Canada and US-based Dezmond Blair.

  A total of 50 distinguished winners were chosen, from a pool of 350 winning submissions, and they have been invited to attend Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference, which runs from June 10 to 14 at its headquarters in California.

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