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  • Saudi Arabia logs SAR 1.3B in mining exploration spending in 5 yrs

    Saudi Arabia invested SAR 1.3 billion in mineral exploration over the past five years, a significant sum in the sector, according to Abdulrahman Al-Balooshi, Deputy Minister for Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources. Drilling activity in the Kingdom exceeded 500,000 meters in 2023 alone, Al-Balooshi told CNBC Arabia. The number of exploration companies surged from six to 133 between 2018 and 2023, driven by improved geological data access and ministry incentives such as financial support and land allocations.

  • Groq opens EMEA’s largest AI computer centre in Saudi Arabia

    Jonathan Ross, CEO of Groq today announced the opening of the AI inference leader’s second GroqCloud region and Europe, Middle East and Africa’s largest AI inferencing center in Dammam, backed by $1.5 billion investment in Saudi Arabia. Speaking on the main stage of LEAP 2025 in the company of Tareq Amin, former CEO of Aramco Digital and H.E. Abdullah Alswaha Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Ross confirmed that the GroqCloud is now live running on 19,000 Groq LPUs (language processing units). The new AI infrastructure hub was built in partnership with Aramco Digital and with the financial backing of Aramco . Amin emphasised that the GroqCloud service was not being priced at a premium and Saudi Arabia now has the lowest cost for inferencing AI models in the world.

  • Hajj 2025: Saudi Arabia bans children from accompanying pilgrims; registration opens for citizens, residents

    Saudi Arabia has banned children from accompanying pilgrims during the 2025 Hajj season, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced. The decision aims to protect children from the risks associated with the intense crowding that occurs every year, the ministry said. “This measure is taken to ensure the safety and well-being of children and to avoid exposing them to any harm during the pilgrimage,” the ministry stated. The ministry also added that priority for Hajj participation this year will be given as always to those who have not performed the pilgrimage before. Registration for the 2025 Hajj season has officially opened for Saudi citizens and residents through the Nusuk app and the official online portal. Pilgrims are required to verify their information, add companions, and submit any requests for exemptions, including those related to accompanying mahrams.

  • Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s ‘extremist, occupying mentality’ in growing row over housing Palestinians

    Saudi Arabia has accused the Israeli government of pursuing an 'extremist, occupying mentality' amid a growing row over the claim it could house millions of Palestinians on its land. In a strongly worded statement on Sunday, its Foreign Ministry accused Israel of "continuous crimes" and "ethnic cleansing" of the Palestinian people. It followed comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to an Israeli TV channel, saying: “The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there." The Saudi statement on Sunday mentioned Mr Netanyahu's name but did not directly refer to the comments about establishing a Palestinian state in Saudi territory. The UAE and Egypt are among the Arab states to condemn Mr Netanyahu's suggestion. "The kingdom stresses its categorical rejection to such statements that aim to divert attention from the continuous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian brothers in Gaza, including the ethnic cleansing they are subjected to," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.

  • Jordan condemns Netanyahu’s ‘incendiary calls’ for establishing Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia

    Jordan condemned on Sunday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements about establishing a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia, deeming them “incendiary calls” and a “violation of international law”, Anadolu news agency reported. “The Israeli government continues its provocative policies and statements that undermine the sovereignty of nations and the principles of international law,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufian al-Qudah said in a statement. He stressed Jordan’s “absolute rejection of these provocative statements, which reflect an exclusionary and inciting ideology hostile to peace and contribute to further escalation in the region.”

  • Arab states slam Netanyahu over suggestion to move Palestinians to Saudi Arabia

    Arab governments have slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks that a Palestinian state should be established in Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu – wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza – suggested earlier this week that Palestinians should be moved to Saudi Arabia which has "a lot of land," calling a Palestinian state a "security threat" to Israel. Riyadh quickly rebuffed the Israeli leader's comments in a foreign ministry statement, reiterating that normalisation with Israel would only be possible if an independent Palestinian state was established. Netanyahu and his far-right government have outright rejected a Palestinian state, which many Palestinians want to see include the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital. The comments came amid Netanyahu's visit to Washington this week, where he appeared alongside US President Donald Trump, who unveiled a controversial plan to "take over" Gaza and displace millions of Palestinians

  • Saudi’s Red Palace hotel hits 60% construction milestone, says Boutique Group CEO

    Saudi Arabia’s Boutique Group is ahead of schedule on its flagship Red Palace hotel project, with construction more than 60 per cent complete as the ultra-luxury hospitality company prepares to set new service standards in the Kingdom. The Public Investment Fund-owned company is targeting completion slightly earlier than its planned April 2026 opening date, according to Chief Executive Officer Christoph Mares. The project, which will transform one of Riyadh’s historic landmarks into an ultra-luxury hotel, will boast what the company claims will be the highest staff-to-guest ratio in global luxury hospitality.

  • Saudi’s BRKZ closes $17M Series A for its construction tech platform

    Construction procurement is highly fragmented, manual, and opaque, forcing contractors to juggle multiple suppliers, endure lengthy negotiations, and deal with delayed payments. In Saudi Arabia, where trillion-dollar infrastructure and real estate projects are underway, these inefficiencies are even more pronounced.

  • Be remembered as the peacemaker, Saudi prince tells Trump

    A letter to Donald J. Trump from Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, a Saudi prince and former government official who served as the head of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Presidency from 1979 to 2001. He is a grandson of Saudi's founder King Abdulaziz and son of King Faisal. He is the chairman of the King Faisal Foundation's Centre for Research and Islamic Studies.

  • UN accused of censoring criticism of Saudi Arabia at flagship internet conference

    The UN removed criticism of the Saudi government from the official transcript of a key UN conference and threatened to eject a Saudi researcher from the gathering held in Riyadh in December, Human Rights Watch has said. The organisation described the fallout from the UN Internet Governance Forum (UN IGF) as “the latest example” of a repressive government hosting a major UN conference which saw civil society representatives censored and intimidated. Deborah Brown, HRW’s deputy technology, rights and investigations director, said: "The UN and its member states should put an end to a climate of intimidation and censorship toward diplomats, journalists, human rights advocates, and other civil society representatives at UN conferences." "Restricting participants’ ability to speak freely about internet policy issues, including issues relevant in the host country, undermines the IGF’s purpose," she said.