MUST-READS

• SAFF officials open world football’s first dedicated Football Research Institute in Riyadh

  The Saudi Arabian Football Federation [SAFF] has officially launched the Saudi Arabian Football Federation Institute of Research [SAFFIR], marking the world's first dedicated Research Institute for Football operated by a Football Federation. ‘SAFFIR’ - translated from Arabic as ambassador – is a symbol for the Institute’s aim to act as a connecting point between researchers, scholars, policy makers and the wider football community as a source of knowledge and insights for the game beyond the pitch. The first-of-its-kind institute in Riyadh will welcome its first researchers, scholars, football policy makers and lecturers to the site this week, with international researchers from all over the world arriving to begin ground-breaking projects on football and its impact - on and off the pitch.

• Energy and Climate Issues During the Trump Administration’s First 100 Days

  President Donald Trump has made energy a clear focus for his second term in the White House. Having campaigned on an “America First” platform that highlighted domestic fossil fuel growth, the reversal of climate policies and clean energy incentives advanced by the Biden administration, and substantial tariffs on key US trading partners, he declared an “energy emergency” on his first day in office. How Trump’s platform will be transformed into action remains uncertain, as are the associated energy, environmental, economic, and geopolitical implications. In this series, scholars at the Center on Global Energy Policy examine central energy questions and issues facing the Trump administration in its first 100 days as it works to realize the energy vision outlined during the presidential race and consider the domestic and global outcomes of the decisions it may make.

• Steven Gerrard: Al Ettifaq manager leaves role at Saudi Pro League side by mutual consent

  Ex-Liverpool and England midfielder Gerrard, who joined Al Ettifaq in July 2023, signed a two-year contract extension in January 2024 that was due to keep him at the club until 2027. But the 44-year-old leaves the role with Al Ettifaq sitting 12th in the 18-team Saudi Pro League, just five points above the relegation zone. Al Ettifaq have won just five of their 17 league games this season under the ex-Rangers boss, most recently drawing 2-2 with second-bottom side Al Wehda FC.

• SFDA chief rules out plan to ban sale of cigarettes or vapes

  Saudi Arabia has no plan to ban the sale of traditional or electronic cigarettes, according to Dr. Hisham Al-Jadhey, CEO of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). His remarks came amid growing international discussions on tobacco regulations, with countries like Belgium opting for stricter measures, including bans on vaping products. Speaking on Rotana Khalejia’s program “Fi Al-Soura” on Monday, Dr. Al-Jadhey clarified that electronic cigarettes are subject to different regulations worldwide. He emphasized that e-cigarettes are not a safer alternative to traditional smoking, countering common misconceptions. Dr. Al-Jadhey highlighted the SFDA's overarching goal to encourage smokers to quit smoking entirely. “Our primary aim is to support smokers in transitioning away from tobacco use,” he said, while explaining that the authority works to ensure tobacco companies comply with established standards and regulations while actively monitoring potential violations.

• Israel delays prisoner release after chaotic hostage handover
  Hamas handed over three Israelis and five Thai hostages in Gaza on Thursday, but Israel delayed the expected release of Palestinian prisoners after chaotic scenes at one of the handover points, where large crowds swarmed around the captives. Arbel Yehud, 29, abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz in the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, looked fearful and struggled to walk through a surging crowd as armed militants handed her to the Red Cross in a tense scene in the southern city of Khan Younis. Another Israeli hostage, Gadi Moses, 80, was also released along with five Thai nationals working on Israeli farms near Gaza when the militants burst through the border fence, the Israeli military said. The mother of one of the Thais watched a livestream of the scene anxiously from her home in the northeastern Udon Thani province.

• Saudi Arabia says GDP grew 1.3% in 2024, lifted by non oil sector
  Saudi Arabia's economy returned to growth in 2024, with real gross domestic product increasing 1.3% compared to the previous year, preliminary government data released on Thursday showed, with non-oil sector activities lifting overall GDP. GDP growth surged 4.4% in the fourth quarter versus the same period a year earlier, estimates from the General Authority for Statistics showed, the highest quarterly growth rate in two years, with non-oil activity increasing 4.6%. Non-oil growth vastly outperformed overall GDP in 2024 as well, increasing 4.3% while oil activities declined 4.5% and government activities grew 2.6%. The Saudi economy contracted 0.8% in 2023 as oil production cuts and lower oil prices hit growth in the world's biggest crude exporter.

• GCC weighs impact of Trump’s global corporate tax moves

  Tax professionals in the Gulf are assessing how President Donald Trump’s pull-back of US support for an international corporate tax framework might affect GCC states’ implementation of it. In a day-one executive order last week, the returning US president repudiated “any commitment” made by the previous Biden administration toward the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s global minimum tax. The so-called “Pillar Two” of the OECD regime has about 140 participating jurisdictions around the world. It aims to ensure that large multinationals – those with a consolidated revenue of more than €750 million ($780 million) – pay at least a 15 percent rate regardless of where they operate.

• Commentary: Historical GCC-Lebanon partnership should be restored

  Several high-level Gulf Cooperation Council officials have visited Lebanon recently to show support for newly elected President Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam, his pick for prime minister. Last Thursday, Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Beirut, becoming the first Saudi foreign minister to do so in some 15 years. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya and GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi were in Beirut last Friday. They delivered similar messages to Lebanon’s new leadership. Kuwait holds the current rotating presidency of the GCC and has been keenly interested in restoring Lebanon’s close relations with the Gulf countries. Over the past two decades, Lebanon and the GCC countries became estranged as Hezbollah came to dominate Lebanon’s political, security and economic systems, including its foreign policy, which became aligned with Iran’s. It also dominated law enforcement and parts of the judiciary, frustrating investigations into its members and shielding them from accountability.

• Saudi Arabia set to become a key wheat flour exporter if government controls relax further

  Flour mills across the Middle East are bracing for intensified competition from Saudi Arabia in the export market as expectations grow that the government will loosen its control over wheat procurement. "It's quite a concern for us," a UAE flour mill said. "Once public organizations have slowly been turning into the private realm, which means they'll be better managed for profit moving forward." Flour mills in Saudi Arabia procure all their wheat from the government body responsible for food security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the General Authority for Food Security (GFSA). However, 2025 is expected to be the year when the government's control over wheat purchases comes to an end, which means mills would take charge of imports themselves rather than buying from the GFSA, according to the source.

• King & Spalding’s Strategic Expansion: Merging with Al Fahad & Partners in Saudi Arabia

  In a landmark move to solidify its presence in the Middle East, King & Spalding, ranked 17th in the 2023 Am Law 100 with a gross revenue of $2.14 billion, has merged with Abdulaziz H. Al Fahad & Partners, one of Saudi Arabia’s most esteemed law firms. The newly formed entity, King & Spalding Al Fahad, is poised to deliver an expansive suite of legal services, aligning with the region’s evolving needs and the ambitious economic transformation under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

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