MUST-READS

• US Senator Graham says Saudi Crown Prince has clear vision that will change Mideast

  Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has a clear vision that will change the face of the Middle East and help achieve peace in the region, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Al Arabiya in an exclusive interview.

  Noting that he traveled to the Kingdom and Israel four times since Oct 7, Graham said the purpose of his visits was not only “to find a way to end the war, but [also] create peace.”

• Saudi Wealth Fund Slashes Reported Holdings of US Equities

  Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund slashed the number of US stocks it reported owning at the end of the first quarter, roughly halving its direct holdings in those equities.

  The Riyadh-based Public Investment Fund held US-traded stocks with a market value of about $18 billion as of March 31, down from $35 billion at year-end, according to an analysis of a Form 13F filed Wednesday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

• Saudi Arabia launches digital identity service, new passport stamp for Hajj pilgrims

  Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior on Wednesday launched the digital identity service for pilgrims arriving from outside the Kingdom on Hajj visas for this season, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

  The ministry also launched a special passport stamp for pilgrims benefiting from the Mecca Route Initiative.

• Princess Nourah University Organizes Scientific Conference on Conveying Saudi Identity across Languages, Cultures

  The conference aimed to contribute to achieving the first goal of the Saudi Vision 2030 related to enhancing Islamic values and national identity by conveying Saudi identity across languages and cultures and conveying the Kingdom's cultural, literary, historical, and civilizational heritage to the world. It also sought to raise awareness of the importance of languages, translation, and cultural studies in promoting and conveying the national identity to others, ultimately creating a competitive atmosphere among university students in the Kingdom to introduce their national identity through different languages and cultures.

• Shamoon virus returns in Saudi computer attacks after four-year hiatus
  Shamoon, the destructive computer virus that four years ago crippled tens of thousands of computers at Middle Eastern energy companies, was used two weeks ago to attack computers in Saudi Arabia, according to several U.S. cyber security firms.
  CrowdStrike, FireEye Inc, Intel Corp's McAfee security unit, Palo Alto Networks Inc and Symantec Corp warned of the attacks, though they did not name any victims. They did not say how much damage had been caused or identify the hackers using Shamoon, which cripples computers by wiping drives used to start machines.

• Saudi women are learning financial literacy and it’s helping the country grow

  While economic growth might be the overarching national motivation, international organizations are building programs that seek to empower individuals as well. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank have worked with individual countries to enhance financial literacy at the population level through targeted national programs, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has developed guidelines to support participating countries in improving financial literacy.

• Dubai Advisory Setting Up Shop in Saudi Arabia Upbeat on FDI

  In a sign of the need for more capital, executives from so-called giga projects like Neom and Qiddiya were out in force this week at events in the capital city of Riyadh to pitch themselves to potential partners and investors. Neom also recently held a show-and-tell for bankers.

• Saudi Interior Ministry launches digital ID service for Hajj pilgrims

  The Ministry of Interior launched the digital identity service for the Hajj pilgrims, who are arriving in the Kingdom from all over the world to perform the pilgrimage this year. The launch of the service is part of the efforts of the Saudi government to tap the potential of digital transformation and harness technology to serve the guests of God in a way achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

• Harvard students end protest as university agrees to discuss Middle East conflict

  Protesters against the war between Israel and Hamas were voluntarily taking down their tents in Harvard Yard on Tuesday after university officials agreed to discuss their questions about the endowment, bringing a peaceful end to the kinds of demonstrations that were broken up by police on other campuses. The student protest group Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine said in a statement that the encampment “outlasted its utility with respect to our demands.” Meanwhile, Harvard University interim President Alan Garber agreed to pursue a meeting between protesters and university officials regarding the students’ questions.

• UN says Gaza death toll still over 35,000 but not all bodies identified
  The death toll in the Gaza Strip from the Israel-Hamas war is still more than 35,000, but the enclave's Ministry of Health has updated its breakdown of the fatalities, the United Nations said on Monday after Israel questioned a sudden change in numbers.
  U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said the ministry's figures - cited regularly by the U.N. its reporting on the seven-month-long conflict - now reflected a breakdown of the 24,686 deaths of "people who have been fully identified."

• 10 of 61239 results<< 1 … 340 341 342 … 6,124 >>