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QUOTED
“Cruise Saudi’s new ship is the 1,099-foot-long Aroya, boasting 1,678 cabins and carrying up to 3,362 passengers. In terms of length it is only slightly shorter than Royal Caribbean International’s Icon- and Oasis-class ships which are the biggest at sea and have roughly double Aroya’s capacity (at 6,700 to 7,600 passengers).” Biggest Retail Footprint At Sea Opens On Saudi Arabian Cruise Ship [Forbes]
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TOP STORY
AROYA Cruises’ flagship vessel, AROYA, has embarked on its inaugural journey across the Red Sea, marking a significant milestone for Cruise Saudi, a Public Investment Fund company, as it expands Saudi Arabia’s cruise tourism sector. [more]
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MORE TOP STORYLINES
in al-monitor.com: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday voiced hope that President-elect Donald Trump will pick up his work to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, acknowledging a historic deal will not happen under Joe Bidens administration. Blinken until recently was still voicing hope at reaching an agreement, which he had dangled as an incentive for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show moderation in the Gaza war. The work that weve done on putting in place the elements of that deal, including what we and Saudi Arabia would do together, what they would do with Israel, all of that is now there, Blinken said in an interview with MSNBC. My hope is well move as far as we can, but it wont be complete, he said. But well be able to hand it over, and then the next administration can decide how it wants to proceed.
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Via Humeyra Pamuk and Amina Ismail in voanews.com: Top diplomats from the Biden administration are in Damascus on Friday to meet new Syrian authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a State Department spokesperson said, the first in-person and official meeting between Washington and Syrias de-facto new rulers. The State Departments top Middle East diplomat, Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and newly appointed Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, who is now tasked with leading the Departments Syria engagement, are the first U.S. diplomats to travel to Damascus since Syrias opposition militias overthrew oppressive President Bashar al-Assad. The visit comes as Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and start debating whether or not to remove the terrorist designation on the group. The U.S. delegations travel follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.
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in thearabweekly.com: Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission has registered 13,040 new urban sites, increasing the total number of documented sites with cultural and historical importance to 17,495 in various regions. The commission’s National Urban Heritage Register includes a list of urban sites that manifest a “lasting testament to the kingdom’s historical narratives for future generations,” the Saudi Press Agency reported. According to SPA, the most recent registered sites are 1,950 in Riyadh, 3,273 in Madinah, 1,531 in Al-Baha, 1,525 in Hail, 1,400 in Qassim, 972 in Aseer, 571 in Makkah, 363 in Al-Jouf, 351 in Jazan, 200 in Najran, 107 in Tabuk, 35 in the Northern Borders, and 762 in the Eastern Region.
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MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND
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Dakar Rally drivers and riders recount Stage 2 of the event, where competitors took two days to traverse nearly 1000 km....[via youtube.com]
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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]
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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]
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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]
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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]
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On Dec. 8, 2024, Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell. This is a fact, but it woefully understates the enormity, speed, and consequences of what has transpired....[By Munqeth Othman Agha via mei.edu]
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Nine Palestinian Americans sued the U.S. government on Thursday, alleging that it had failed to rescue them...[By Kanishka Singh via reuters.com]
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Turkey's central bank is expected to start a cycle of interest rate cuts next week after eight...[By Ezgi Erkoyun and Susobhan Sarkar via reuters.com]
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