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QUOTED
“We admire the development in Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia’s bold plans and vision, and we aspire to achieve similar progress for Syria. There are many opportunities for cooperation, especially in economic and developmental areas, where we can align our goals.” Ahmed Al-Sharaa, head of the new Syrian administration, Saudi delegation led by Royal Court advisor meets with Syria’s Al-Sharaa [Arab News]
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TOP STORY
The 2024 King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival, which featured a prize pool of more than $9.6 million, the largest in the history of the event, concluded on Thursday. [more]
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MORE TOP STORYLINES
Via Aziz Alghashian in mei.edu: The Saudis have taken an important step by establishing and leading a global alliance devoted to implementing the two-state solution. What Saudi Arabia has done is create a new focal point and generate momentum upon which other states can gradually build. Notably, the alliance held its first meeting in Riyadh, lending a great deal of symbolic authority to this push for peace. With that said, the world has been here before. There have been peace initiatives and “pushes” toward resolution before, but none has reached the desired end goal. While there are many reasons for this, one is a lack of sustained effort to maintain the momentum moving in the direction of a two-state solution. This then raises the question of how a coalition supporting the establishment a two-state solution or any other peace process can be sustained — what is missing? One element that may be absent is diversification within the processes leading to the two-state solution.
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Via Laura Rozen in substack.com: American diplomats, on their first visit to the Syrian capital in 12 years, met with a Syrian rebel leader in Damascus today, two weeks after his group ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. They said they were lifting a $10 million U.S. bounty on Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Turkish-backed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and now Syria’s de facto interim ruler, after he committed to Syria not being a host for terrorist groups. “Based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offer that has been in effect for some years,” Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf told journalists from Amman, Jordan today, after returning from Damascus with a delegation that included US hostage envoy Roger Carstens and senior State Department Syria advisor Daniel Rubinstein. “The US is committed to working with the Syria people to help seize this historic opportunity,” Leaf said of her meeting with al-Sharaa. “We also discussed the critical need to ensure terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside of Syria or externally, including to the US and our partners in the region.”
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Via Jennifer Bell in alarabiya.net: The Riyadh Metro is opening in three phases. The Blue Line, which is 38 kilometers (24 miles) long, was one of the first lines to partially open, alongside the Yellow and Purple Lines, and runs north to south through Downtown Riyadh. The Red and Green Lines launched on December 15, while the Orange Line is scheduled to open by January 5, 2025. “Alternative means of transport outside of cars are necessary. Riyadh is gridlocked,” Nazar Musa, CEO at Sovereign PPG KSA, told Al Arabiya English. “Public transport solutions are crucial to ease traffic flow around the city.” The entire project features six color-coded lines spanning 176 kilometers with 85 stations, making it one of the largest urban transport projects currently operational in the world. Forty percent of the tracks run underground, facilitating smoother journey times across the Kingdom. The system features 183 train rakes manufactured by Siemens, Bombardier, and Alstom, establishing itself as the world’s longest driverless metro network. The fully automated operation represents a significant technological leap for the region’s public transportation infrastructure.
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MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND
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Saudi Arabia's national teams who competed in international science and academic contests had tremendous success, winning 107 global awards across 25 events held between September...[via mawhiba.org]
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The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) has launched the Next Saudi Generation Program to support and develop Saudi talent in motorsports. The program, conducted in...[via spa.gov]
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Speaking in an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Araghchi said that the newly restored Iranian-Saudi ties have a lot of potential that haven’t been...[via alarabiya.net]
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Milan forward Tammy Abraham has hailed the impact of the support in Riyadh as his side booked their place in the Supercoppa Italiana final. The Englishman...[via yahoo.com]
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The Saudi Arabian group SAVOLA has sold all its assets in Iran for 705 million Saudi riyals (approximately $188 million) and is exiting the country. SAVOLA,...[via iranfocus.com]
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Since Ronaldo's arrival in the SPL, the league has grown leaps and bounds. Players like Karim Benzema, Neymar, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, and...[By Apratim Banerjee via si.com]
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The Line 3 (Orange Line) covering Madinah Road would connect the east of Riyadh to its west, and extends from Jeddah Road in the west...[via saudigazette.com]
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On the back of the busiest sporting year Saudi Arabia has ever had, punctuated by news of the nation’s successful 2034 FIFA...[By Mark Lomas via alarabiya.net]
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The State Department approves the possible sale of 20 MK 54 MOD 0 Lightweight Torpedoes to Saudi Arabia for $78.5 million, according...[via alarabiya.net]
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Prince Faisal reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity while emphasizing efforts to achieve security, stability, and prosperity for the...[via eurasiareview.com]
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The Saudi Ministry of Interior’s Absher Business platform has introduced updated fees for seven services offered to establishments, according to Okaz newspaper. Among the changes,...[via gulfnews.com]
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Rising sea levels driven by the climate crisis will overwhelm many of the world’s biggest oil ports, analysis indicates. Thirteen of the ports with the...[By Damian Carrington via theguardian.com]
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Saudi officials have signed a preliminary deal this week to issue residential mortgage-backed securities, a first for the Gulf. The Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC),...[By Valentina Pasquali via agbi.com]
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Government employees were among 145 people arrested in Saudi Arabia over corruption charges last month. The country’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) conducted 1,462 “oversight visits”...[By Gavin Gibbon via agbi.com]
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South Africa’s strong legacy at the Dakar Rally continues in 2025, with more than half of the vehicles at the event in Saudi Arabia being...[via youtube.com]
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Wages for Saudis in the private sector rose by 45 per cent in 2024, as Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development...[By Khitam Al Amir via gulfnews.com]
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As rebels advanced toward the Syrian capital of Damascus on Dec. 7, the staff in the hilltop Presidential Palace...[By Ben Hubbard, Farnaz Fassihi, Christina Goldbaum and Hwaida Saad via nytimes.com]
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Sidelined under conservative Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency (2021-24), Iran’s pro-reform camp is gaining momentum under Masoud Pezeshkian. Amid growing domestic and foreign policy challenges—including an economic...[via amwaj.media]
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The implementation of a controversial new law which mandates stricter enforcement of the Islamic dress code has been put on hold by Iran’s Supreme National...[via amwaj.media]
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Already the largest trade counterpart of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in South America, Brazil is emerging as a key security partner and a promising...[By Francesco Salesio Schiavi via amwaj.media]
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