MUST-READS

• Iran and Saudi Arabia reap benefits of rapprochement, one year on

  The landmark agreement raised expectations for enhanced stability in the Middle East and beyond.

  Saudi Ambassador to Iran, Abdullah bin Saud Al Anzi, arrived in Tehran last September to start his new mission, before the Iranian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, submitted his credentials in Riyadh shortly after.

  “An Iran-Saudi detente has proved useful to both parties,” Bader Alsaif, an assistant professor of history at Kuwait University, told The National.

  It enabled “focus on more pressing domestic agendas, whether it is meeting the development needs of Vision 2030 for KSA or quelling unrest and internal strife in Iran”, he added.

• Saudi Aramco boosts dividends despite profit fall

  Saudi Aramco has reported a steep decline in profits, after the energy giant cut production and oil prices fell sharply in 2023.

  Its profits fell 25% to $121bn (£91bn) profits after a record-smashing year in 2022.

  But the figure is still the second-highest profit ever for the state-backed company.

  The firm said it was boosting its payments to shareholders and looking for opportunities to invest in China.

• Veteran Saudi diplomat warns of consequences of Israel’s Gaza war, regional spillover risk

  “We hope that a ceasefire will take place in Gaza. Ramadan is coming. And the brutality that we have seen will not make anyone happy, any human being happy, especially in the Muslim world.” Asked about the risks of a regional spillover, he said the war was already contributing to tensions in the north of Israel and in the south of Lebanon. “There’s tit-for-tat ongoing between Hezbollah and Israel.”

• Max Verstappen cruises to victory at Saudi Arabian GP to extend dominant start to F1 title defense

  Max Verstappen stayed firmly on course for another season of dominance in Formula 1 on Saturday by winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Even after just two races, and despite turmoil at Red Bull, Verstappen seems in near-total control on the track as he aims for a fourth consecutive title this year. Still, he had to share the attention with 18-year-old Oliver Bearman, who was a surprise seventh in his first F1 race as a Ferrari stand-in

• Verstappen continues winning streak in Saudi Arabia
  Max Verstappen won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from pole position on Saturday as Red Bull continued their dominant start to the Formula One season with a second one-two in as many races.
  Sergio Perez was runner-up under the Jeddah Corniche floodlights, last year's winner taking the chequered flag 13.643 seconds behind his triple world champion team mate who now has a 15 point lead in the standings.
  • The Race - Winners And Losers From F1's 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
• Alicia Keys criticised for Women’s Day event in ‘misogynist’ Saudi Arabia

  “I am thrilled to be back on stage, this time in Jeddah, performing in a place I have never performed in before, and in a way I never have in this region,” Keys said. “I’m also so inspired to connect in a meaningful way with the amazing women there to discuss cultural, creative and boundary-pushing narratives we are collectively and individually leading. In light of International Women’s Day, it’s the perfect time to discuss important issues affecting us.”

• Saudi authorities shut down 39 petrol stations for tampering with pump meter readings

  Saudi authorities have shut down 39 petrol stations in different cities across the Kingdom after they were found to be tampering with pump meter readings, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Officials discovered upon inspection that refilling stations in 19 governorates had installed illegal devices that reduced the quantities of pumped fuel sold to motorists. Individuals involved in those incidents have been referred to the Public Prosecution and legal procedures are to be taken against them in accordance with the anti-commercial fraud system and the measurement and calibration law.

• Saudi Aramco launches its first marine fueling station at Jeddah Yacht Club

  Saudi Aramco, a global leader in energy and chemicals, Saturday announced the inauguration of "Aramco Marina," its first marine fueling station in the Kingdom, situated at the Jeddah Yacht Club on the Red Sea coast.

  This initiative aligns with the company's commitment to supporting the Kingdom's tourism sector development and coincides with the commencement of the Formula 1 Saudi Grand Prix. Boasting an annual capacity exceeding 65 million liters, the station will serve both local and international clientele, offering diesel and gasoline.

• Israeli settlements expand by record amount, UN rights chief says

  Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories have expanded by a record amount and risk eliminating any practical possibly of a Palestinian state, the U.N. human rights chief said on Friday. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that the growth of Israeli settlements amounted to the transfer by Israel of its own population, which he reiterated was a war crime. The U.S. Biden administration said last month the settlements were "inconsistent" with international law after Israel announced new housing plans in the occupied West Bank.

• Sweden joins NATO as war in Ukraine prompts security rethink

  Sweden joined NATO in Washington on Thursday, two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced it to rethink its national security policy and conclude that support for the alliance was the Scandinavian nation's best guarantee of safety. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed over the final documentation to the U.S. government on Thursday, the last step in a drawn-out process to secure the backing of all members to join the military alliance.

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