MUST-READS

• Staff at France’s EDF question involvement in futuristic Saudi city

  Some employees of French energy giant EDF want the company to reconsider its involvement in a hydro-electric plant in the Saudi desert that would power Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's futuristic megacity Neom, following concerns over the project's sustainability and alleged human rights abuses. Neom is being built in the Tabuk region in northeast Saudi Arabia on some 26,000km2 of land, an area the size of Belgium.

• Eid Al Fitr 2024: Shawwal moon not sighted in Saudi Arabia

  The moon sighting committee in Saudi Arabia declared that the Shawwal crescent could not be sighted in the Kingdom today. As a result, the holy month of Ramadan will continue until April 9, lasting 30 days. Eid Al Fitr will, therefore, be observed on April 10. The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia had called on all Muslims across the Kingdom to sight the Shawwal crescent on the evening of Monday, Ramadan 29. The sighting of the Shawwal moon marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid Al Fitr.

• Etihad Expands To 76 Destinations With Airbus A320s To Saudi Arabia’s Al Qassim

  In most parts of the world, Etihad Airways is known for its ultra-luxurious long-haul flights across continents, but it also has a thriving short-haul network served mainly by Airbus A320 Family aircraft. Last Friday, the full-service carrier announced adding a new route from Abu Dhabi to Al Qassim in Saudi Arabia, which will commence in June.

• ‘Reef Saudi’ Invests USD16.2 Million to Elevate Saudi Arabia’s Coffee Production

  The ‘Reef Saudi’ initiative, focused on Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development, is revolutionizing the Kingdom’s coffee industry. Since 2020, an initial investment of SR61 million has empowered 3,718 individuals engaged in coffee cultivation and production. This commitment signals a transformative surge in Saudi Arabia’s coffee output, soaring from 800 tons in 2020 to 1,485 tons in 2023, marking a remarkable 37% increase.

• Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification: Driving growth beyond oil

  Saudi Arabia’s non-oil sector is experiencing a surge in activity, signaling a pivotal turning point in the Kingdom’s economic diversification efforts. With recent data indicating a growth trajectory, the country stands poised to redefine its economic landscape beyond its traditional reliance on oil revenues.

• Princess Reema, Saudi Ambassador, Navigates Rough Waters in Washington

  In the five tumultuous years since her arrival, Saudi Arabia’s fortunes in Washington, and Princess Reema’s, have turned. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the need for Saudi support in the oil markets led Mr. Biden to a diplomatic fist-bump with the crown prince in Jeddah in the summer of 2022. Princess Reema, with the assistance of her kingdom’s multimillion-dollar lobbying and publicity machine, has been a high-profile part of the grudging détente.

• Opinion: Premier Tour proposals signify Saudi influence and a tipping point for tennis

  For decades, the length of the season has put a strain on players and it is one of numerous complaints that have gone unresolved. Players outside the top 100 also still struggle to break even, with inflation devouring the modest prize money on the ITF World Tennis Tour. The calendar is fractured and illogical, failing to minimise travel distances between tournaments along with the sport’s carbon footprint.

• Saudi Aramco Suspends Two Oil Contractors

  Aramco has served notices of temporary suspension to two oilfield service contractors, Zawya has reported, citing the companies. According to one of them, Borr Drilling Limited, the suspension will begin this month and last for a year, the report said. Borr Drilling operates the Arabia I rig in Saudi Arabia and said it would look to move the rig elsewhere for the duration of the suspension. The other company, Valaris, has also received a suspension for one rig, out of a fleet of 19 that its Saudi subsidiary operates in the kingdom. The contract for the rig was ending at the end of this year, the report noted.

• Aramco and GCT Semiconductor sign 5G, AI deal in Saudi Arabia

  Saudi Arabian state-owned Oil Group Aramco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with chip company GCT Semiconductor to bolster the country’s 4G and 5G ecosystem through the development of mission-critical and public safety networks. While financial terms and the length of the MoU were not disclosed, GCT shared in a press statement that the pair will design and co-develop chipsets and modules for LTE, 5G and NTN spectrum in order to “support the localization of wireless end-user devices and IoT manufacturing.”

• Solar Spider Targets Saudi Arabia Banks via New Malware

  The sophisticated threat group behind a complex JavaScript remote access Trojan (RAT) known as JSOutProx has released a new version of the malware to target organizations in the Middle East. Cybersecurity services firm Resecurity analyzed technical details of multiple incidents involving the JSOutProx malware targeting financial customers and delivering either a fake SWIFT payment notification if targeting an enterprise, or a MoneyGram template when targeting private citizens, the company wrote in a report published this week. The threat group has targeted government organizations in India and Taiwan, as well as financial organizations in the Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, India — and now Saudi Arabia.

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