“Spanning 2,430 meters from north to south beneath the expansive King Salman Park, the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Road Tunnel stands as one of the longest in the Middle East. Its completion is a testament to the ambitious infrastructure development underway, including the construction of additional tunnels on Al-Oruba Road. Specifically, a new 1,590-meter tunnel will link with the existing 840-meter tunnel along Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Road, creating a unified pathway designed to streamline vehicle movement.” King Salman Park inaugurates Middle East’s longest tunnel in Riyadh [Saudi Gazette]
“I don’t think Israelis or the Biden administration fully appreciate the rage that is bubbling up around the world, fueled by social media and TV footage, over the deaths of so many thousands of Palestinian civilians, particularly children, with U.S.-supplied weapons in Israel’s war in Gaza. Hamas has much to answer for in triggering this human tragedy, but Israel and the U.S. are seen as driving events now and getting most of the blame.”
Thomas L. Friedman, Israel Is Losing Its Greatest Asset: Acceptance [New York Times]
With inflation cooling and economies better placed to absorb a tighter fiscal stance, the time has come for a renewed focus to rebuild buffers against future shocks, curb the rise of public debt, and create space for new spending priorities. Waiting could force a painful adjustment later. But, for the benefits to be durable, tightening should proceed at a carefully calibrated pace. Kristalina Georgieva, How the G20 Can Build on the World Economy’s Recent Resilience [IMF]
“The question of what happens next is really a function of whether people in this room, and people in rooms like this, are learning more and trying to understand what’s happening (in the Kingdom). Personally, I’m optimistic, I think there’s a growing awareness of the opportunities being created.” Jerry Todd, head of the National Development Division at the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Transformation of Saudi economy creates opportunities, Public Investment Fund official tells investors [Arab News]
“Fourteen Arabian oryxes and 40 Arabian sand gazelles have been released into the Gharameel nature reserve by the the National Center for Wildlife.
The conservation effort at Gharameel, located 60 km north of AlUla, took place with cooperation from the Royal Commission for AlUla.
The reserve features unique biodiversity throughout its rock and sand formations, and hillsides.
Resettlement of endangered native species is a key target of the center, as well as restoring biodiversity and environmental balance as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.” Endangered native animals released in Saudi reserve [Arab News]
“We are fairly well positioned to be an AI hub outside of the U.S. AI will consume a lot of energy and we are the global leader when it comes to fossil fuel energy and when it comes to renewable energy.” Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Saudi sovereign wealth fund pitches kingdom as AI hub [Reuters]
“The development of the Saudi league over the past two years has been incredible, both in terms of players and clubs and in terms of the quality of the game. I have watched several matches on television and have been impressed by the level of play and the passion of the fans; the stadiums are always packed. Additionally, many of my national team colleagues speak very highly of it. But right now, I play for Roma and see myself in Rome. The Saudi league is undoubtedly one of the major leagues, along with MLS and the European leagues.”
“We’ve been clear with our public statements, and we’ve been clear with our American friends that a pathway toward recognition [of Israel] requires two things: It requires an end to the fighting in Gaza and a withdrawal of all Israeli forces, and a Palestinian state. Without that, we’re not even able to consider this issue.” Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister, speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 19, 2024 [Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs]
“The longer the conflict in Gaza goes on, the more danger there is for miscalculation, the more danger there is for escalation… We have said from the beginning that we need a ceasefire, and we need a ceasefire now more than ever.” Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister [Saudi Gazette]
“Today’s announcement [of Alat’s partnership with SoftBank] marks a historic milestone for how future manufacturing will take place.”
-Masayoshi Son, SoftBank Chairman. [Bloomberg]
