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  • Walking a Tightrope: How Gulf States are Navigating the Iran-Israel Conflict

    While Washington and Tel Aviv often present their partnerships with the Gulf as a success, the reality is more complex. Since 2021—and particularly after the March 2023 reconciliation agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia—the GCC states have increasingly prioritized diplomacy over confrontation, engagement over isolation, and regional dialogue over military escalation. This is a major shift from the time of the Donald Trump administration, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates openly supported the U.S. “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, hoping to contain Tehran’s influence through U.S. and Israeli security guarantees.

  • FIFA urged to put more human rights scrutiny into 2034 World Cup deal with Saudi Arabia

    Two months before FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host, the soccer body was urged again Friday to allow independent scrutiny of the kingdom’s human rights obligations for the tournament.  A group of law and human rights experts plus Saudi activists abroad want FIFA to mandate ongoing reviews — and a potential termination clause — into the 2034 World Cup hosting contract.

  • Riyadh Air and foreign airlines: Transforming Saudi Arabia’s global connectivity

    The country’s current network faces a significant absence in direct routes between Riyadh and major global cities. The carrier plans to address this issue. While Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia continues to serve regional destinations from Jeddah, Riyadh Air will provide more direct links between the capital and major international cities.

  • Iran’s intra-generational divide is widening

    Recent research by Dr Mansour Saei, a prominent Iranian communication scholar, unveils a society where parents and children increasingly inhabit parallel universes. The generation born between 1995 and 2010, dubbed Gen Z, is forging an identity that not only diverges from but often collides with the values and expectations of their elders.

  • Secret Documents Show Hamas Tried to Persuade Iran to Join Its Oct. 7 Attack

    Minutes of Hamas’s secret meetings, seized by the Israeli military and obtained by The New York Times, provide a detailed record of the planning for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, as well as Mr. Sinwar’s determination to persuade Hamas’s allies, Iran and Hezbollah, to join the assault or at least commit to a broader fight with Israel if Hamas staged a surprise cross-border raid.

  • Saudi media ministry launches initiative to showcase diverse lives of residents

    The Global Harmony initiative aims to showcase the diverse lives of residents in the Kingdom, highlighting their professional and family life, social and recreational activities, contributions to the economy, success stories, and cultural integration in Saudi society, according to the Ministry of Media. It will also highlight government and private sector efforts to improve the quality of life in Saudi cities.

  • Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia spends SR 200 billion out of the planned SR1 trillion to implement National Transport Strategy

    Inaugurating the first edition of the Global Logistics Forum at the King Abdullah Financial Center in Riyadh on Saturday, the minister said that the Kingdom's huge spending on transport and logistics sector has enabled Saudi Arabia to advance 17 places in global rankings on the “Logistics Performance Index” issued by the World Bank, and 14 places on the “Global Connectivity Index” of International Air Transport Association (IATA).

  • Saudi Arabia launches e-karting racing tracks in 6 cities

    Six cities in Saudi Arabia are set to get Hot Wheels e-karting racing tracks. The indoor e-karts will be a venture between Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven), part of Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), and US toy maker Mattel. The Hot Wheels e-karting will be available in entertainment complexes such as Riyadh, Makkah, Taif, Al Madinah, Tabuk, and Jazan. In January, Seven and London-headquartered Formula E announced the building of four Formula E-branded indoor karting venues across the kingdom. These will come up in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Abha.

  • Saudi reserve celebrates Green List recognition

    The recognition came after a comprehensive assessment of the reserve by IUCN experts, who evaluated its environmental and developmental accomplishments, as well as its community engagement and preservation efforts. The authority has planted 2.4 million native seedlings and 4 tonnes of seeds, including yarrow, artemisia and haloxylon, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

  • Conor McGregor says he’s fighting Dan Hooker in Saudi Arabia, Hooker confirms plan

    And in that time, after presumably healing a broken leg he suffered in a second straight TKO loss to Dustin Poirier, McGregor has promised his return seemingly countless times. A fight against Michael Chandler had been presumed for the better part of two years – including a booked headliner that led to the UFC's new all-time gate record, only for McGregor to pull out.