MUST-READS

• Saudi Arabia carries out arrests over sex work and ‘immoral acts’

  Saudi Arabia has carried out dozens of arrests in connection with sex work, street begging and human trafficking, days after a new unit was set up to tackle such issues. Last month, the interior ministry announced the creation of the General Department for Community Security and Combating Human Trafficking Crimes. Over 50 arrests have been made thus far, with the unit targeting mostly non-Saudi nationals. Three foreigners were arrested by police in Riyadh over allegations of “practising prostitution” in a hotel. Elsewhere in the Saudi capital, 14 Yemenis were arrested for “exploiting 27 children of the same nationality in begging”.  The interior ministry said that the remit of the unit was to combat crimes “that violate personal rights, degrade fundamental freedoms guaranteed by Sharia and the law, or violate the dignity of individuals in any way”.

• Dougie Freedman leaves Crystal Palace role for move to Saudi Arabia second tier

  Crystal Palace have confirmed that Dougie Freedman has left his role as sporting director, with the former Scotland forward expected to join a club that has just been promoted from Saudi Arabia’s third tier. In a surprise turn of events, Palace announced on Monday evening that Freedman would be leaving with immediate effect “to take up a role overseas”. It is understood that he is poised to become sporting director of Al-Diriyah, who have been playing in Saudi Arabia’s second division but have been promoted as champions after the season finished at the weekend. Their ownership was transferred to Diriyah Company, owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in July, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman named as chair.

• What does Saudi Arabia’s credit upgrade signal?

  Standard & Poor's upgraded Saudi Arabia's credit rating to “A+” from “A”, with a “Stable” outlook. The three global rating agencies (Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch) have reiterated the creditworthiness of the Kingdom's sovereign debt. Moody's earlier assigned the Kingdom an “Aa3” rating, while S&P and Fitch rated “A+”, which reflects the improved confidence in the Saudi economy, especially in light of the success of the Kingdom's strategy to diversify sources of income and enhance fiscal sustainability. A higher credit rating is especially important for determining the interest an issuer must pay, as the higher the rating, the lower the interest rate, and vice versa.

• Saudi Arabia’s SURJ ready to invest ‘US$500m’ in new global T20 cricket league

  Saudi Arabia’s SURJ Sports Investment is backing a new global Twenty20 cricket league and is prepared to pump US$500 million into the project, according to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH). The upstart competition would reportedly consist of eight teams and be modelled on tennis and its Grand Slams, with teams to assemble and play matches in four different locations during the year.  Discussions are purportedly underway with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the concept is the brainchild of Neil Maxwell, a former first-class cricketer who manages Australian captain Pat Cummins. The SMH adds that the new league has been developed in partnership with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), which represents current and former players. SURJ, which is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), would be the largest backer in a consortium of investors.  

• Israeli strikes kill over 400 in Gaza, say Palestinians, ceasefire on brink
  Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza, killing more than 400 people, Palestinian health authorities said on Tuesday, threatening the complete collapse of a two-month ceasefire as Israel vowed to use more force to free hostages held by Hamas. The Palestinian militant group, which still holds 59 of the 250 or so hostages seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire and jeopardising efforts by mediators to secure a permanent truce. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had told the military to take "strong action" against Hamas in response to the group's refusal to release the remaining hostages and because of their rejection of ceasefire proposals.

• Can Saudi Arabia’s Oil Sustain Its Dominance Amid Global Push for Renewables?

  Saudi Arabia aims to solidify its position as the world’s top oil supplier, with Aramco planning to boost production. The state-owned giant will increase output to 13 million barrels daily by 2030 to meet rising global demand. On March 18, 2025, Aramco outlined its production target as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a strategy to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on oil revenues. Analysts highlight how Aramco’s move aligns with growing global tensions and demand, which push oil prices higher. Alongside Aramco, other major Saudi companies like Sabic, Rabigh Refining, and Petrochemicals advance projects that align with the country’s energy goals. These companies focus on developing technologies to boost efficiency and sustainability.

• SMEs struggle as skills shortages drive up Saudi salaries

  Saudi Arabia‘s non-oil economy is expanding at more than four times the rate of the oil sector, with the capital enjoying the lion’s share of that growth.  What this means for Elaify is that his 12-person team does not have the manpower to manage all the requests from would-be clients for auditing, certification and bookkeeping. Ideally, the company would bring in new workers to meet this rising demand, but a growing skills shortage, made worse by strict policies about employing more Saudi nationals, makes that easier said than done.  “There is so much work with everything that’s happening,” Elaify says. “Finding people to do it – experienced people – that’s the hard bit.”

• Trump sees the ‘Big Three’ as the coming force in global oil markets

  At last week’s CERAWeek conference of energy leaders in Houston, he caused a stir at one panel session by suggesting that Saudi Arabia, the US and Russia, which between them hold a commanding 40 per cent of world crude markets, may be privately thinking of an alliance that would rip up conventional thinking on oil. Burkhard’s comments were a distillation of a presentation he made recently to S&P clients. “In a potentially paradigm-shattering move”, he wrote, “the Big Three are pursuing shared interests in oil and geopolitical matters.” Houston oil people familiar with Washington thinking confirmed that the US administration is indeed contemplating an initiative along those lines, even if its deliberations have not yet crystallised into hard policy proposals.

• Dar Global targets Saudi expansion after land deals

  Dar Global, the international development arm of Saudi-listed Dar Al Arkan, has purchased two land plots in Jeddah and Riyadh for $390 million, advancing expansion plans in the kingdom, according to a statement to the London stock exchange. The acquisitions follow the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah and Neptune villa project in Riyadh, the London-listed developer said. The Jeddah segment, which includes 243 fully developed plots, was purchased for $93 million from a local Saudi landowner within a master-planned community. The second deal involves the acquisition of 190 plots in Riyadh, spread over 466,877 sq m, for $297 million. The land was bought from its parent company, with the project’s GDV estimated at $800 million, the company said.

• ‘Bad Boys 3’ Directors Shooting Saudi Blockbuster ‘The Seven Dogs,’ First-Look Image Revealed

  “Bad Boys 3” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are shooting Saudi blockbuster “The Seven Dogs,” featuring Egyptian stars Karim Abdel-Aziz and Ahmed Ezz and involving the fight against a dangerous new drug called Pink Lady that is flooding the Middle East. Turki Al-Sheikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia‘s General Entertainment Authority, conceived the story of the $40 million action movie, the screenplay for which is written by Mohamed El Dabbah. Sheikh has previously dabbled as a screenwriter, having penned Saudi TV series “The Eight” and supernatural thriller “Cello,” directed by “Saw” helmer Darren Lynn Bousman and starring Jeremy Irons.

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