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  • Israelis, scarred and battling on multiple fronts, mark a year since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack

    The war in Gaza rages on and Israel is fighting a new war against Hezbollah. There is also an escalating conflict with Iran — which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah — that threatens to drag the region into an even more dangerous conflagration. No formal commemorative event is planned in Gaza, where fighting is still underway, huge areas have been completely destroyed and most of the population have been driven from their homes.

  • Saudi HQ rules force firms to scramble for loopholes

    Getting the license — often announced with much fanfare — and actually opening a regional headquarters are distinct, though. Firms have six months from the time a license is issued to establish a regional HQ and many now find themselves against the clock, sorting through a lot of red tape: Having a managing director based in Saudi Arabia and hosting board meetings from Riyadh are some of the requirements. At stake is the shot at lucrative contracts in the world’s biggest construction market and with the $925 billion Public Investment Fund.

  • Kushner has discussed U.S.-Saudi diplomacy with Saudi crown prince

    Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, has discussed U.S.-Saudi diplomatic negotiations involving Israel with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman multiple times since leaving the Trump White House, said a source familiar with the discussions. The source did not identify when the talks took place and whether they occurred before or after the start of the Gaza conflict. But they included discussions on the process of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a key diplomatic objective of both the Biden and Trump administrations, the source said.

  • Saudi foreign minister and Iranian president discuss regional developments

    Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan met Iran's President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian in Doha on Wednesday. During the meeting, they discussed the latest regional and international developments. Prince Faisal conveyed the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to the Iranian president. On his part, the Iranian president extended his greetings and appreciation to King Salman and the Crown Prince. Saudi Ambassador to Qatar Prince Mansour bin Khalid and Director General of Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulrahman Aldawood attended the meeting.

  • Peter Schwartzstein: Climate Violence in the Middle East

    But as that drought intensified and continued through the years in the run-up to 2011, these farmers' willingness and ability to put up with those bribe-seeking demands decreased. At a time when their harvests were failing and crop yields were shrinking, officials were coming back demanding the same sums of cash that farmers were now even less capable of providing and hampering farmers with lower quality seeds and fertilizers at a time of their greatest need. This meant that the degree of rage at that corruption was even higher. When I try and look at how climate change contributes to other drivers of instability, such as corruption or inequality, that's really what I'm driving at.

  • Will contest over gas field derail Iran-GCC rapprochement?

    Iran is expressing renewed concern over a Kuwaiti-Saudi project to extract gas from a contested offshore natural gas field. Meanwhile, some in Tehran are urging a parallel endeavor to also explore the field. Given the ongoing normalization of relations between Iran and Gulf Arab states, the contention has given rise to the question of how the Islamic Republic may approach the matter without forfeiting its claim.

  • Billboard Arabia Uses AI to Create Performance Honoring Late Saudi Arabian Music Icon Etab

    Billboard Arabia‘s special edition “Jalsat” (session) stands out in form and purpose. The exclusive video series “Jalsat Billboard Arabia” was launched in February 2024 and featured some of the region’s most groundbreaking artists, from Ahmed Saad to Siilawy and Saint Levant. This time, in celebration of Saudi National Day, Billboard Arabia traveled back to the 1980s to revive the voice of an icon—a trailblazer who made music history in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Etab. Released on the 94th Saudi National Day (Sept. 23), Billboard Arabia deployed AI technology to bring Etab’s iconic voice and performance back, with a fresh take on her tribute to Saudi in the song, “Ya Saudi” (Hey Saudi).

  • SAMA issues compliance and internal audit principles for finance and re-finance companies​​​​​​​

    The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced on Wednesday that it issued the Compliance Principles and Internal Audit Principles for finance and real estate refinance companies, as part of its supervisory role and endeavor to maintain the financial sector's stability and development. These principles set a more comprehensive regulatory framework to define finance and real estate refinance companies' main functions and outline the responsibilities of boards of directors and executive management regarding compliance and internal audit functions.

  • Saudi FM: Regional tensions threaten flow of investments and economic cooperation

    Prince Faisal stressed the importance of resolving regional conflicts by peaceful and diplomatic means to ensure the region's prosperity. "We thank the countries of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue for their support for the two-state solution and their recognition of the State of Palestine, and we urge the rest of the world to follow suit, which prompted us to contribute with brothers and friends in the establishment of the international coalition to implement the two-state solution," he said.

  • Qiddiya awards SAR 4B stadium project contract to Saudi-Spanish consortium: Report

    Qiddiya Investment Co. (QIC) awarded the construction contract for the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium project to a Saudi-Spanish consortium of Nesma & Partners Contracting Co. and FCC Construcción, at an estimated value of SAR 4 billion, MEED reported.  The contract covers the construction of a multi-purpose stadium in the sports and entertainment zone of Qiddiya City, with a capacity of 45,000 spectators. US architectural design firm Populous is the project’s consultant.