MUST-READS

• Will Saudi Arabia’s sports investment trigger an athleisure boom?

  By 2030, the government aims to increase the ratio of individuals exercising at least once a week to 40 percent. With an expanding base of sports practitioners, the country’s sportswear and athleisure apparel market is set to boom. In 2022, the category generated $1.3 billion (SAR 4.9 billion) in sales, and by 2027, it is expected to reach $1.5 billion. Could Saudi Arabia be the next frontier for sportswear?

• Continued Fighting in Gaza and Ongoing Peace Talks

  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are continuing to push further into Rafah, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared his intention to eliminate four Hamas battalions operating from the area. Israel reports that in parts of eastern Rafah, its troops have been dismantling tunnel shafts and rocket launchers belonging to Hamas.

• Secret Hamas Files Show How It Spied on Everyday Palestinians

  The Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has for years overseen a secret police force in Gaza that conducted surveillance on everyday Palestinians and built files on young people, journalists and those who questioned the government, according to intelligence officials and a trove of internal documents reviewed by The New York Times.

• The A.I. Kingdom Rises: Inside Saudi Arabia’s Ambitious Journey to Reshape the Global Tech Landscape

  Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City is a testament to Saudi Arabia's commitment to diversifying its economy and becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence and innovation. By investing in cutting-edge facilities, fostering partnerships, and empowering the youth, the city is poised to play a significant role in reshaping the global tech landscape in line with the kingdom's Vision 2030 blueprint.

• Why are So Many Iranians Seemingly Indifferent to the War in Gaza?

  Forty-five years after the revolution that saw the Shah dethroned, there has been a significant shift in Iranian public opinion. While the Islamic Republic is considered the primary state enemy of Israel, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict does not appear to be a priority for the Iranian public, including various opposition groups, students, and intellectuals. This is reflected in the slogan “No to Lebanon, no to Palestine, my life only for Iran,” which appeared in 2009 during the Green Movement that followed fraud-tainted Iranian elections.

• Independent UN experts say radical Saudi Arabia scholar held for years should be tried or released

  Al-Hawali, now in his mid-70s, was cited specifically by bin Laden in his 1996 declaration of war on the United States as one of the clerics detained by the kingdom purportedly on the order of the Americans.

  The U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities called for al-Hawali's release, saying ailments from strokes he suffered in 2005 and 2006 have made it difficult for him to speak or care for himself.

• Al-Jadaan: Saudi Arabia is approaching goals of Vision 2030 in job creation

  “Our non-oil revenues exceeded our expectations. We aim to increase the role of the private sector in the employment process,” he said while noting that the Kingdom’s gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by more than 15 percent since the launch of Vision 2030. Al-Jadaan said that the global economy faces serious challenges. He noted that spending at a time of global inflation results in increased costs of projects, saying that this further fuels inflation and overheats the economy. The minister said that Saudi Arabia is in a position to reshape the Gulf region’s overall economy.

• Al-Khateeb: Saudi Arabia has become a global hub for innovations with SR800 billion investments

  Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said that Saudi Arabia has become a hub for innovations around the world with investments reaching SR800 billion. In his speech at the inaugural session of the GREAT FUTURES initiative conference at King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh on Tuesday, he said that the Kingdom has witnessed a robust growth with regard to the issuance of tourist licenses by about 90 percent. “This vital sector contributes 5 percent of the gross domestic product,” he said. GREAT FUTURES is one of the initiatives of the Saudi-UK Strategic Partnership Council, co-chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

• Commentary: Divergent Saudi-Emirati Agendas Cripple Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council

  The PLC was established in April 2022 with a dual mandate: to lead the internationally recognized government of Yemen and to unify anti-Houthi factions against their common adversary. The eight-member council is chaired by former interior minister and deputy prime minister Rashad al-Alimi. The UAE and  KSA are the PLC’s main backers, but their different agendas and approaches constrain the council’s operations.

• Saudi FM: Israel’s war on Gaza has weakened credibility of international bodies

  Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that the Israeli occupation forces’ ongoing aggression and violation of all international laws and norms in the Gaza Strip has exacerbated the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe and weakened the credibility of the rules of the international law and its institutions.

  He made the remarks while chairing the meeting of the Arab foreign ministers, preparatory for the 33rd Summit of the Arab League, which will be held in Manama, Bahrain on Thursday.

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