QUOTED

Quoted

“The Saudi Arabians are learning to play the game of sports politics more carefully… Rather than becoming entangled in a hostile takeover, it will look to do things through evolution rather than revolution. It was an outsider looking to enter the global sport industry and taking a position as a disruptor. Now it’s much more part of the orthodoxy, looking to work within existing structures.” Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy at Skema Business School in Paris, Saudi Arabia dipping its toes into cricket might be the start of something big [ESPN]

TOP STORY

First three lines of Riyadh Metro to open this week

Bechtel, Riyadh Metro

The long awaited Riyadh Metro is expected to launch the first phase of operations on three of its six lines this week (November 27). [more]

  

MORE TOP STORYLINES

Saudi Arabia Gets First Moody’s Upgrade On Economic Advance

Via Abeer Abu Omar in yahoo.com: Saudi Arabia’s sovereign rating was upgraded by Moody’s Investors Service for the first time since the company initially assessed it in 2016, driven by continued progress in the kingdom’s economic diversification and a better outlook for the non-oil sector. The agency moved Saudi Arabia’s rating up a notch, to Aa3 from A1, its fourth-highest grade, according to a statement late Friday. The Moody’s rating is now above those of Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings. The Gulf country now stands on par with the likes of Hong Kong and Belguim, according to Moody’s, which changed its outlook for the kingdom to stable from positive.

Riyadh’s New Dealmakers Show Women Rising in $1 Trillion Economy

Via Christine Burke in bloomberg.com: But in 2018, there were some winds of change. Saudi Arabia became the world’s last country to permit female motorists. It later announced reforms allowing women to set up businesses without male consent, hold a job while being pregnant and travel independently. In four years, the female labor participation rate nearly doubled to about 37%. Today Albassam scouts for deals for Silicon Valley venture capital firm Graphene Ventures as a principal in Riyadh and other women like her are climbing the ranks of business and finance — trading stocks, forging mergers and running companies. Rare interviews with almost a dozen senior female leaders in Saudi Arabia show a dramatic about turn in a country that had few women workers a decade ago. Some who had never spoken publicly before agreed to interviews on the record because they were keen to highlight the advances. Others asked not to be named because they didn’t want to discuss their lives publicly, but even they were deeply optimistic about the prospects for local women in the workplace.

Saudi Arabia dipping its toes into cricket might be the start of something big

Via Matt Roller in espn.com: The auction marks Saudi Arabia’s first major play in cricket, though the foundations have been laid gradually. Prince Mishal bin Saud Al-Saud, chairman of the Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation (SACF), was pictured with BCCI secretary Jay Shah at the opening match of IPL 2023, while state-backed Saudi companies have signed lucrative sponsorship deals in the past. Visit Saudi, the state tourism arm, and Aramco, the state-owned oil giant, have both been prominent IPL sponsors. Aramco has also signed a long-term agreement as a premier partner of the ICC, including securing naming rights for match awards at World Cups. This year Rajasthan Royals wore the logo of Neom, a futuristic city being built on the Saudi coast, on their shirts.
 

MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND

Saudi Arabia hits 900+ sports sponsorships in quest for influence

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]
 

France’s EDF, TotalEnergies awarded Saudi solar tenders during Macron visit

TotalEnergies will build an 0.3 gigawatt (GW) solar park in Saudi Arabia, while EDF Renewables will build...[By America Hernandez via reuters.com]
 

KAPSARC and Climeworks to explore feasibility of Direct Air Capture solutions in Saudi Arabia

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]
 

Saudi Arabia and World Bank Group to Establish a Global Knowledge Hub in Riyadh

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]
 

How French and Saudi architects are redesigning the cities of tomorrow

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]
 

Saudi Arabia announces 5 new initiatives worth $60 million at SGI Forum

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]
 

Saudi Arabia signs solar deals with France’s TotalEnergies

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]
 

Crown Prince: Saudi Arabia provides $6B funding for 200 water projects

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]
 

FIFA, Clifford Chance Accused of ‘Whitewashing’ Saudi Human Rights Record in World Cup Bid

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]
 

Saudi NEOM partners with CarbonCure and Gulf Cryo on low-carbon concrete push

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]
 

Saudi Arabia bets on tech to make deserts bloom

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]
 

Saudi Arabia’s Neo Space Group to Acquire UP42 from Airbus

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]
 

Locating EV Charging Stations to Enable Intercity Travel in Saudi Arabia

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]
 

How FIFA helped pave the way for Saudi 2034

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]
 

Aramco’s Diversification Strategy: Fueling Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030

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]
 

France targets Saudi PIF’s ‘colossal’ investment power

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]
 

Macron announces France-Saudi partnership to co-host conference on creating Palestinian state

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]
 

Saudi Arabia’s network of spending and influence detailed before getting 2034 World Cup from FIFA

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]
 

Saudi energy minister sees net zero as scenario that ‘can never happen’

The minister said at the Saudi Green Initiative Forum in Riyadh that the world is currently going through a "reality check" on net zero...[By Rosemary Griffin via spglobal.com]
 

Macron: France, Saudi Arabia will co-chair conference on creating Palestinian state

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that he and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would co-chair a conference...[via alarabiya.net]
 

Mohammed bin Salman’s Style Shift Sets Up a New World Order Strategy

For many Saudis, especially the youth who make up 70% of the population, these changes represent unprecedented opportunities. The burgeoning entertainment and tourism sectors...[By Bradley Hope via msn.com]
 

Commentary: For Saudi Arabia, There’s a Dealmaking Opportunity With Trump

Instead, Trump may see a new agreement with Saudi Arabia as the most achievable, and potentially meaningful, of his three dealmaking opportunities in the Middle...[By Hussein Ibish via agsiw.org]
 

Hezbollah fires about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel in heaviest barrage in weeks

Hezbollah fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on Sunday, wounding seven people in one of the militant group’s heaviest barrages in months,...[By Kareem Chehayeb and Tia Goldenberg via apnews.com]
 

Beirut strike ‘so powerful it was felt across the city’

A massive Israeli strike has flattened a residential building in centre of the Lebanese capital Beirut. The eight-storey structure was completely destroyed without warning,...[via bbc.com]
 

Contentious COP29 deal shows climate cooperation fraying at edges

One of the sources - a person in the COP29 presidency - told Reuters that they worked...[By Valerie Volcovici, Richard Valdmanis and Karin Strohecker via reuters.com]
 

A testy meeting with rich countries, a $300B take-it-or-leave-it climate offer — and a day of drama

Negotiators from several of the world’s most powerful economies held a contentious meeting in Saturday’s wee hours as they sought to push through a $300...[By Karl Mathiesen, Zia Weise, Sara Schonhardt and Zack Colman via politico.eu]
 

With Trump back, Israeli settlers revive goal of full control of West Bank

After a record expansion of Israeli settlement activity, some settler advocates in the occupied West Bank are...[By Jonathan Saul and James Mackenzie via reuters.com]
 

Middle East tension seen as greater risk to US financial system than inflation, Fed survey shows

According to the Fed's financial stability report, 46 per cent of contacts cited Middle East tension as a salient risk to the financial...[By Kyle Fitzgerald via thenationalnews.com]
 

UK suggests it would comply with ICC warrant and arrest Netanyahu

The British government has said it will comply with its obligations under domestic and international law after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest...[By Imran Mulla and Rayhan Uddin via middleeasteye.net]
 

Iran’s delicate balancing act as it hails ICC warrant for Netanyahu

The ICC on Nov. 21 issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu alongside his former defense minister Yoav Gallant. In addition, the court seeks the detention...[via amwaj.media]
 
 

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