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  • GCC targets $188bn tourist spending as visitor numbers boom

    68.1m international tourists visited the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries by the end of 2023, according to data issued by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) in December 2024. This represents an increase of 42.8 per cent compared to the figures recorded in 2019 it said. The data mentioned in the “Travel and Tourism in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries” newsletter issued by the centre indicate that the GCC countries have achieved 52.9 per cent of the first strategic objective mentioned in the joint tourism strategy (2023-2030), related to gradually increasing the number of incoming trips to reach 128.7m tourists.

  • US ambitions are a fork in the road for GCC crypto

    After years of regulatory uncertainty under both Democratic and Republican administrations, Trump has pledged to protect bitcoin ownership and encourage blockchain innovation. If these promises materialise into tangible policy the US could become a global centre for digital assets. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have been at the forefront of crypto regulation, creating regulatory sandboxes that have attracted international players. Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority has positioned itself as a global leader by balancing innovation with investor protection.

  • Film and beyond: Leapfrogging into the global screen industry

    Ongoing transformation in the global screen industry has created an opportunity for GCC countries to establish themselves as prominent players. As the industry grapples with the future of content creation and the demands of a global audience, the combination of an appetite for investment in state-of-the-art technologies and media hubs, a focus on attracting investors and producers, a young and digitally-savvy workforce, and a culture rich with stories and landscapes could enable the GCC region to become a center of cinematic innovation. Success in this endeavor will require a collaborative effort between governments and the private sector to bridge the silos of geography, technology, and media industry verticals.

  • CNN to expand its Middle East presence with new operation in Media City Qatar

    CNN is expanding its footprint in the Middle East through the creation of a new operation in the State of Qatar as part of CNN’s broader strategy to deepen its global and regional content creation capabilities. The presence in Qatar will complement CNN’s existing Middle East programming and newsgathering hubs: the flagship regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi, home to Connect the World with Becky Anderson; Dubai, the base for CNN Arabic; and CNN’s bureaus across the region. The new CNN operation based in Media City Qatar, a leading hub for global media and technology companies that fosters innovation and collaboration in Qatar’s vibrant media landscape, will go live in the second half of 2025. Its focus will be the development of multi-platform content about trending stories driving the global zeitgeist. A team of CNN content creators will be publishing on digital and social platforms and producing an innovative weekly show for CNN International.

  • Saudi state mining giant steps up search for copper

    Saudi Arabia’s state mining giant is ramping up its domestic search for copper — a key ingredient for the energy transition — soon after announcing plans to explore the country for lithium, the company’s chief executive told Semafor. Ma’aden, officially known as the Saudi Arabian Mining Co., plans to spend $2.5 billion a year for the next five to six years to expand its phosphate and gold mining operations and to develop new mines, but will pivot its metals exploration at home from gold to copper, spending 72% of its budget on copper, Bob Wilt said in an interview.

  • Syria leader says Saudis want to help rebuild war-torn country

    Accompanied by his foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, Sharaa was greeted by Saudi officials on arrival in Riyadh, images from state television outlet Al-Ekhbariya showed. Sharaa was later received by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the official Saudi news agency reported. "We held a long meeting during which we felt and heard a genuine desire to support Syria in building its future," Sharaa was quoted as saying in a statement on Telegram. The official Saudi Press Agency, meanwhile, said that Prince Mohammed and Sharaa discussed "ways to support the security and stability of sisterly Syria", as well as "ways to strengthen bilateral relations". Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, was named Syria's interim president on Wednesday.

  • US to announce progress in Saudi-Israel normalisation talks: report

    US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to announce progress in talks aimed at normalising relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel during their meeting in Washington on Tuesday, according to a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz on Sunday. The report came after US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was reportedly working to finalise the exact wording of the agreement between the two countries. Last week, Witkoff visited Riyadh on a trip that was followed by a stop Tel Aviv to reportedly finalise the details. The US envoy also report Palestinian Authority Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein Al-Sheikh, as well as another Palestinian figure described by the newspaper as "acceptable to the West".

  • Netanyahu leaves for Washington looking to deepen ties with Trump

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to leave Israel on Sunday for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, looking to strengthen ties with Washington after tensions with the previous White House administration over the war in Gaza. Netanyahu, the first foreign leader to visit Trump since his inauguration last month, leaves with the ceasefire in Gaza still holding and negotiations aimed at a second phase expected to begin this week.

  • Saudi crown prince discusses ways to support Syrian Arab Republic with president during trip to Riyadh

    The crown prince congratulated Al-Sharaa on his recent appointment and wished him success in achieving the hopes and aspirations of the Syrian people. The interim president said Saudi Arabia was committed to supporting his country after meeting Prince Mohammed: “We held a long meeting during which we felt and heard a genuine desire to support Syria in building its future,” Al-Sharaa said in a statement on Telegram. Military commanders appointed Al-Sharaa interim president weeks after militant forces overran Damascus. Last month, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, visited Damascus and said the Kingdom was engaged in talks with the US and European partners to help lift economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian Arab Republic that have left the country’s economy decimated.

  • 10,295 illegal residents deported in a week

    The Saudi security forces have arrested a total of 21,564 illegal residents from various regions of the Kingdom during the last week. The arrests were made during the joint field security campaigns that were carried out in collaboration with the relevant government agencies during the period between Jan. 23 and 29, the Ministry of Interior revealed on Saturday. Those who were arrested included 13,883 violators of the Residency Law, 4,668 violators of the Border Security Law, and 3,013 violators of the Labor Law. A total of 27,127 violators were referred to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents while 2317 violators were referred to complete their travel reservations whereas 10,295 violators were deported.