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QUOTED
“Having been lucky enough to experience first-hand the incredible filmmaking, atmosphere and creativity at the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2022, it’s a privilege to be returning this year as president of the jury. Alongside creating a melting pot for cultures to come together in celebration of our important art-form, it’s vital to continue to platform young and emerging filmmakers who are finding their voice in the industry, and it’s exciting to see first-time directors from across the Arab region, Asia and Africa as part of the competition lineup this year.” Spike Lee, Spike Lee to Head Jury of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival [Variety]
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TOP STORY
Spike Lee will preside over the jury of the fourth edition of Saudi Arabia‘s Red Sea International Film Festival to be held December 5-14 in Jeddah. [more]
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MORE TOP STORYLINES
Via Faisal J. Abbas in arabnews.com: Just to be clear, entertainment, like fashion, is a matter of personal taste. For example, while I would be unlikely to go to events on the MDLBEAST calendar of rave music festivals, I would happily attend a performance at AlUla by the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Others will have other musical interests, or none at all. That is absolutely fine: the beauty of the Vision 2030 reforms is, each to his own. A more profound example is what Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told CBS in a 2018 interview: “The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear” — this is why women across the kingdom today are free to be veiled, don a headscarf, or wear no abaya at all.
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in arabianbusiness.com: Riyadh’s premium office space has reached near-full occupancy at 98 per cent amid an influx of international companies, driving rental values up by 19 per cent year-on-year as Saudi Arabia’s capital cements its position as a regional business hub, according to Savills. More than 120 foreign companies, including Goldman Sachs and Frost & Sullivan, have relocated their regional headquarters to Riyadh this year, fuelling a surge in demand for high-end office space, the property consultant said in its Q3 2024 market report. Technology, media and telecommunications firms led the leasing activity, accounting for 40 per cent of new occupancies, followed by consulting and consumer goods companies at 20 per cent each, the report showed.
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Via Nina Trentmann in yahoo.com: Distributions by the state-owned company are a key element of the kingdom’s finances, which have wobbled this year as Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman pushes his ambitious economic transformation plan. The company has strained its balance sheet in 2024, flipping to a net-debt position for the first time in two years, as it pays out a massive dividend. “You’ll see us do a couple of things. One is just take on more debt compared to use of equity,” Chief Financial Officer Ziad Al-Murshed said in an interview in Boston. “It’s nothing to do with the dividend, it is optimizing our capital structure so that we end up with a lower weighted average cost of capital.”
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MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND
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The study mapped 910 sponsorships in different sports and 1,412 positions in 207 Saudi entities, noting that the kingdom has significantly expanded its web of...[By Ed Dixon via sportspro.com]
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TotalEnergies will build an 0.3 gigawatt (GW) solar park in Saudi Arabia, while EDF Renewables will build...[By America Hernandez via reuters.com]
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The MoU outlines a roadmap to assess the deployment of new DAC systems in the Kingdom, focusing on availability of natural resources including subsurface CO₂...[via climeworks.com]
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The World Bank Group–Saudi Arabia Knowledge Hub (K-Hub) will serve as a platform for knowledge generation and exchange to drive greater development impact for countries....[via worldbank.org]
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Saudi Arabia today is synonymous with megaprojects. Since the launch of the Vision 2030 reform agenda, the Kingdom has rolled out a range of major...[By Zeina Zbibo via arabnews.com]
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Saudi Arabia unveiled five new initiatives, valued at $60 million (SR 225 million), reinforcing the Kingdom's leading role on climate and environment efforts. The initiatives were...[via saudigazette.com]
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A separate power purchase agreement for the Kingdom’s Al Masa’a solar power plant project was signed between the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC), French state-owned...[via alarabiya.net]
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Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman inaugurated the “One Water Summit” in Riyadh on Tuesday evening in the presence of several presidents and...[via argaam.com]
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As FIFA approaches its December 11 vote to appoint the 2034 World Cup host, the football association is once again under fire for allegedly...[By Dario Sabaghi via law.com]
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Efforts to integrate carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies into construction in Saudi Arabia’s futuristic Neom city have taken a major step forward as CarbonCure...[By Anthony Wright via gasworld.com]
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Saudi Arabia accounts for nearly 75 percent of Middle East investment in climate technology start-ups worldwide, according to a 2023 report by auditor PwC. But its...[via phys.org]
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Saudi Arabia’s Neo Space Group (NSG) is making an acquisition in the Earth observation space, acquiring UP42 from Airbus Defence and Space. Terms of the deal were not disclosed in...[By Rachel Jewett via satellitetoday.com]
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The development of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure presents a promising pathway to reduce transportation emissions, particularly when integrated with low-carbon...[By Ryan Alyamani and Thomas Gertin via kapsarc.org]
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In October 2023, FIFA made a surprising move that effectively set the stage for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host a future FIFA World Cup...[via playthegame.org]
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Saudi Aramco is not only the largest oil producer globally but also the most profitable business, surpassing tech giants like Apple and...[By John Calabrese via agsiw.org]
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During a three-day official state visit focused on boosting business ties, Mr Macron told a Saudi-French business forum in Riyadh that one of...[By Sunniva Rose via thenationalnews.com]
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French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday, December 3, that he and Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, would...[via lemonde.fr]
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More Saudi commercial deals are expected after the 2034 World Cup decision, either for the 2026 edition being played in North America or the revamped...[By Graham Dunbar via apnews.com]
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The Israeli military bombed at least five crowded homes in northern ...[By Nidal Al-Mughrabi via reuters.com]
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The head of the UN atomic watchdog agency said today that Iran had agreed to his proposal to cap its stockpile of uranium enriched to...[By Laura Rozen via substack.com]
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The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution aimed at calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, marking the fourth time that...[via middleeasteye.net]
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Division and discontent spilled into the open on Thursday at a U.N. climate summit in Baku, sparked...[By William James, Gloria Dickie and Kate Abnett via reuters.com]
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Japan’s recent export performance offers a glimmer of hope amid broader economic uncertainties. In October 2024, Japan’s exports rose by 3.1% compared with the same...[By Nigel Green via asiatimes.com]
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