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  • French, Saudi officials meet in Paris to advance AlUla development initiative

    The AlUla Committee, a joint initiative established under an intergovernmental agreement signed in April 2018, is the coordinating body for a range of ambitious projects being carried out by the Kingdom and France. The projects focus on cultural preservation, tourism enhancement, economic growth, and environmental sustainability in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla region. The committee’s mandate includes overseeing the implementation and monitoring of the comprehensive 2018 accord, aimed at fostering broad-based progress in the area.

  • Saudi Arabia Seeks to Balance Relations with Iran and Israel

    The first signs of a thaw came in March 2023, when Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations after more than seven years following a surprise Chinese-brokered agreement. But it was Israel's invasion of Gaza in October 2023 -- soon after the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel -- that gave real impetus to Iran-Saudi rapprochement efforts. Since the war erupted, Iran and Israel have traded direct aerial attacks for the first time. The tit-for-tat assaults have brought the region to the brink of a full-blown conflict. Saudi Arabia is "concerned that these escalating tensions between Israel and Iran could spiral out of control and lead to a broader regional conflict that may impact their interests," said Hamidreza Azizi, fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

  • Trump inherits new region as Iran, Saudi Arabia eye closer ties

    Iran and Saudi Arabia are stepping up their pace of engagement. Over the past week, the Kingdom has sent a high-ranking military delegation to Tehran for talks on potential collaboration. Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) has directly engaged with Iran’s president, vice president, and foreign minister. However, the dialogue has yet to result in the economic dividends some in Iran anticipated from normalization with Saudi Arabia. Moreover, questions linger about how the regional chessboard may change when Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.

  • Trump Will Encounter a Very Different Middle East in His Second Term

    Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was one of those moments that divides history into “before” and “after.” In the attack, Hamas massacred civilians in Israel and took others back to Gaza as hostages. As my colleague Steven Erlanger wrote just two weeks later, the assaults shattered longstanding assumptions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ushering in a period of violent uncertainty.

  • Céline Dion performs two of her classic hits at Elie Saab fashion show in Saudi Arabia

    On Nov. 13, she performed in Saudi Arabia at 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab, a fashion show celebrating the Lebanese designer’s 45-year career. Céline sang her 1993 classic “The Power of Love,” as well as her 2002 song “I’m Alive.” The show was livestreamed and archived on YouTube. According to the U.K. paper The Standard, the appearance marked Céline’s first-ever performance in Saudi Arabia. According to the paper, Céline said on the red carpet ahead of the show, “Being here for the first time is kind of a dream come true, and Monsieur Elie Saab and his entourage and his beautiful family has welcomed us here. … I’ve been wearing his dresses, his talent for many, many years.”

  • Infection, prevention and control excellence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: reducing central line-associated bloodstream infections

    In 2021, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) faced a significant public health challenge: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) were alarmingly prevalent, particularly in adult intensive care units (ICUs). Through a comprehensive initiative led by the Ministry of Health and involving facility managers and clinicians Saudi Arabia has seen a reduction of 48.8% in the occurrence of CLABSI compared to 2021.

  • Saudi’s evolving consumer landscape and how AI can help

    In Saudi Arabia, a fascinating shift is under way in consumer behaviour as the country experiences rapid development and transformation. To better understand consumer trends in Saudi Arabia, Google conducted research in partnership with Ipsos and performed an internal analysis. The findings were presented at Google’s Accelerate Saudi event earlier this year.

  • Saudi Arabia opens the GCC’s first Dark Sky Park to boost astrotourism

    TheAlUla Manara and AlGharameel Nature Reserves officially named as Saudi Arabia’s and GCC’s first-ever Dark Sky Park. Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is dedicated to sharing the stunning beauty and deep history of AlUla with the world. By carefully curating experiences that cater to a wide array of interests, RCU ensures that AlUla is a destination poised to astonish every visitor, regardless of their journey’s purpose. The RCU’s efforts to showcase the stunning beauty and rich history of this region have paid off, with the “AlUla Lighthouse” and “Al Gharamil Reserve” recognized as the “First Certified Dark Sky Reserve in the Kingdom and the Gulf” by the “International Dark-Sky Association” (IDA) that is dedicated to eliminating the light pollution in both rural and urban areas.

  • Saudi-based company to build largest pet food factory in Middle East

    Delicious Food Factory (DFF), based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, announced it will construct what it said is the largest pet food factory in the Middle East. The new facility, spanning a total area of 55,000 square meters (592,015 square feet), will have a production capacity of 60,000 tons of dry food and 40,000 tons of wet food annually. Being built north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the factory is expected to be completed by late 2026.

  • BlackRock Gets Abu Dhabi License Weeks After Nod for Saudi HQ

    BlackRock Inc. received a commercial license to operate in Abu Dhabi, the latest sign that the asset manager is looking to deepen its ties across the region. BlackRock received approval from Saudi Arabia last month to set up its regional headquarters in Riyadh. The $11.5 trillion asset manager has been intensifying its efforts to grow in the kingdom and earlier this year announced it would get as much as $5 billion from the Public Investment Fund to invest in the Middle East and build a Riyadh-based investments team.