|
QUOTED
“There is complete synergy and coordination among all government sectors to ensure the success of our bid to host this global event. We will deliver the best edition in the history of the World Cup on Saudi soil in 2034.” Saudi Football Federation president Yasser Al-Misehal, Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Bid Conference Highlights Key Aspects of the Largest World Cup [Saudi Press Agency]
|
|
|
|
TOP STORY
Saudi Arabia has been confirmed in a virtual meeting of 200 FIFA member federations as the host of the 2034 World Cup. [more]
|
|
MORE TOP STORYLINES
Via David Watkinson in bbc.com: Saudi Arabia has invested around £5bn in sports since 2021, when the countrys crown prince Mohammed bin Salman made it a key part of his strategy to diversify the economy, with a host of major sporting events brought to the kingdom, including high-profile boxing and Formula 1. The countrys domestic football league now includes world stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar Jr, and the countrys Public Investment Fund owns Newcastle United and launched the breakaway LIV golf series. However, the country has been accused of sportswashing – using its unprecedented spending on sport to improve the oil-producing kingdoms reputation over its human rights record and environmental impact. So what will a World Cup in Saudi Arabia look like?
|
Via Barak Ravid in axios.com: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to travel to Israel, Egypt and Qatar this week in a last ditch effort to reach a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal before President-elect Trumps inauguration in six weeks, two sources with knowledge of the trip told Axios. Sullivan will meet with Israeli leaders to discuss a number of issues, including a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal, the latest developments in Syria, as well as Lebanon and Iran, White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett told Axios in a statement. He’s then planning to travel to Cairo and Doha to meet Egyptian and Qatari leaders and discuss their mediation efforts.
|
Via Sean Mathews in middleeasteye.net: Gulf states who spent years trying to crush Islamic political movements viewed as a threat to their rule are now reconciling, potentially working with a government in Syria headed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that is backed by rival Turkey and courting the US. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt have been caught off guard by what one Egyptian diplomat characterised to Middle East Eye as the “quick rebranding” of HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate. The UAE has also been unnerved by the US’s manoeuvring to open backchannels of communication to HTS via Turkey, according to a senior western official.
|
|
|
|
|
|
MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND
|
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia has finalised an arrangement for securing a shariah-compliant revolving credit facility worth $2.5 billion, the...[By Enas Alashray and Ahmed Tolba via reuters.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Dakar Rally drivers and riders recount Stage 2 of the event, where competitors took two days to traverse nearly 1000 km....[via youtube.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund plans to raise $7 billion from its first murabaha credit facility, as the fund diversifies its funding...[By Aarti Nagraj via thenationalnews.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia raised $12 billion from global debt markets in a three-part bond sale, attracting strong investor...[By Rachna Uppal and Enas Alashray via reuters.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the provisions of the “Use of Security Surveillance Cameras” law prohibit the transfer or publication of security surveillance camera...[via arabnews.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Among the venues announced Tuesday for the 24-team regional competition were the 70,000-capacity King Fahd Sports City Stadium and King Saud University Stadium, both in...[via france24.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
That the Gulf’s various sovereign wealth funds have become some of the most dominant players in global dealmaking has rarely been in...[By Matthew Martin via bloomberg.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia’s water sector witnessed significant shifts in 2023, with a 31 percent increase in desalinated seawater production, now comprising 50 percent of the country’s...[via azernews.az]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia will need estimated funding of SAR139 billion ($37.02 billion) in 2025 to cover the potential budget deficit. Finance minister Mohammed Al Jadaan has approved...[By Pramod Kumar via agbi.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Coffee Company has launched its second annual Saudi Sip of Excellence Competition in partnership with the global nonprofit Alliance for Coffee Excellence. Designed...[By April Hawksworth via gcrmag.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia, one of the largest bond issuers in emerging markets last year, has started 2025 with a funding spree as the country fuels its...[By Abeer Abu Omar and Matthew Martin via yahoo.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport and Riyadh King Khalid International Airport each posted record passenger traffic in 2024, reflecting the continuing strong performance of aviation...[By Dermot Davitt via moodiedavittreport.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The world’s top crude oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, has raised the price of its crude loading for Asia in February by more than expected...[By Tsvetana Paraskova via oilprice.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) have announced that the first mandatory phase of the...[By Aayushya Ranjan via techafricanews.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Photos from the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday showed the surreal scene of the intransigent Assad’s former ministers sitting at a huge table with representatives...[By Laura Rozen via substack.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Israel's arrest of almost 30 mostly Jewish citizens who allegedly spied for Iran in nine covert cells...[By Jonathan Saul via reuters.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Bahrain’s Investcorp Capital has announced investments exceeded $280 million across various asset classes in the last six months. These potential growth sectors included real estate, infrastructure...[By Pramod Kumar via agbi.com]
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
