MUST-READS

• Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 Opens in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  The second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale, titled And All That Is In Between, has officially opened in Jeddah. Organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the Biennale takes place at the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport, a site that holds profound significance for millions of Muslim pilgrims traveling for Hajj and Umrah. The exhibition scenography is designed by the international architecture firm OMA, enhancing the experience with a thoughtful spatial narrative. The exhibition, which runs until May 25, 2025, explores how faith is experienced, expressed, and celebrated through feeling, thinking, and making.

• Saudi Moves Closer To 6th-Gen Fighter Aircraft. Italian PM Meloni Ready To Welcome Riyadh Into GCAP

  The GCAP, launched in 2022, is a collaborative initiative that seeks to design, manufacture, and deliver a next-generation crewed combat aircraft. The member states of the GCAP grouping seek to induct the first aircraft developed under this program by 2035. Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Italy’s Leonardo, and Britain’s BAE Systems are leading the project as system integrators. On the question of whether the grouping will welcome the entry of Saudi Arabia, Meloni said, “We are in favor of the Saudis entering, but clearly this… will not be immediate,” emphasizing that the details of the GCAP still need to be worked out between the three founding nations. The Italian Prime Minister further added that opening up the multibillion-euro scheme to a fourth country will take time, without giving a tentative deadline.

• Saudi Arabia Set to Hike Oil Prices to Asia to 14-Month High

  Refiners in Asia expect Saudi Arabia to hike its official selling prices (OSPs) to Asia for March to the highest against benchmarks since January 2024, a Reuters survey found on Monday, as Middle East’s key benchmarks are rallying on tightened Russian supply to China and India after the latest U.S. sanctions. Saudi Aramco, the world’s top crude oil exporter, is expected to raise the price of its flagship Arab Light grade to Asia loading in March by up to $2.50 per barrel over the Oman and Dubai benchmarks, three refiners in the Reuters poll said. Another refinery source expects Aramco to hike its OSPs for all grades by $3 per barrel.

• Turkey exploits post-9/11 counterterrorism model to target critics in exile

  The abductions were the latest of more than 118 “renditions” that Turkey’s intelligence service, MIT, has orchestrated over the past decade, according to the spy agency’s website, making it one of the most aggressive practitioners of such extralegal operations. In Nairobi, MIT relied on Kenyan government operatives to carry out the abductions and was able to bypass Kenyan courts, according to the Western security officials who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation.

• How Will Saudi Arabia Respond to Trump’s $1 Trillion Demand?: Video

  US President Donald Trump’s push for $1 trillion of investments from Saudi Arabia is “completely unrealistic,” according to Karen Young, a senior research scholar at Columbia University. But, the kingdom might make promises of defense purchases and service contracts over a long period, she told Jennifer Zabasajja on Bloomberg TV’s Horizons Middle East and Africa.

• Saudi Arabia approves Matternet drone delivery system

  Matternet has been approved by The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to operate its M2 drone within the region. The approval, which Matternet says is a first for the country, was granted by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) after the agency determined that the M2’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certification issued by the United States met GACA airworthiness standards. Matternet’s M2 drone delivery system achieved FAA Type Certification in September 2022. Andreas Raptopoulos, Founder and CEO of Matternet, said the Middle East is a promising region for drone delivery. “Riyadh will have autonomous drone delivery as a new layer of city infrastructure, enabling ultra-fast, cost-efficient, zero-emissions delivery for its businesses and residents.” Matternet first entered the Middle East market in 2021 through a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Health to provide city-wide medical delivery.

• ‘Things are really changing for them’: Why explorer known as ‘Indiana Jones for girls’ is walking across Saudi Arabia

  She’s been described as the “Indiana Jones for girls,” and after becoming the first woman to walk the full length of the Draa River in Morocco, UK explorer Alice Morrison is embarking on a new challenge — walking across Saudi Arabia. Accompanied by camels and local guides, Morrison will traverse through deserts and mountains during the 2,500-kilometer journey, which will take around five months in total. “It’s a massive adventure,” Morrison, who has been walking around 25 kilometers (15 miles) a day, tells CNN Travel via Zoom. “I seek challenge, knowledge and connection. And I think you get all of those doing what I do.” Morrison, who speaks fluent Arabic, concedes that she isn’t necessarily a typical explorer, and was actually working as a CEO of a media development company up until 2011.

• Saudi, other OPEC+ ministers meet after Trump calls for lower oil price
  Saudi Arabia's energy minister and several of his OPEC+ counterparts have held talks following U.S. President Donald Trump's call for lower oil prices and ahead of a meeting next week of OPEC+ oil-producing countries, according to official statements and sources. Trump last week called on Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower oil prices. OPEC+ has yet to respond, but five OPEC+ delegates said a meeting of the group's top ministers on Feb. 3 is unlikely to adjust its current plan to start raising output from April. On Monday, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman held talks with Iraq's Hayan Abdel-Ghani and Libya's Khalifa Abdulsadek in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

• Will Trump Trigger a New Oil Price War Between OPEC and The West?

  One thing will have become extremely clear to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the lead-up to Donald Trump beginning his second stint as U.S. President. This is because he wants oil prices lower. He aims to achieve this by dramatically increasing oil exploration and production at home and by pressuring OPEC and its effective leader Saudi Arabia to lower their oil prices too, however they can. Surrounding this are various carrots and sticks that are part of the usual rough and tumble of dealmaking as Trump likes to practice it.

• Decarbonizing Saudi Arabia Energy and Industrial Sectors: Assessment of Carbon Capture Cost

  Saudi Arabia has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060. However, the economic implications of deploying CCUS within the Kingdom remain insufficiently explored. This work provides updated estimates of CO₂ emissions across key sectors in Saudi Arabia, including electricity, petrochemicals, refineries, cement, steel, ammonia production, and desalination, based on 2022 data.

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