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  • Riyadh leads Saudi Arabia’s hot property market

    Strong population and employment growth in Riyadh is driving a surge in real estate transactions as new properties cannot come on the market fast enough. A dramatic rise in the number of deals in the 12 months to the end of June was also visible in Jeddah and Dammam, according to a report this week by real estate consultancy CBRE. Authorities are trying to raise the national home ownership rate to 70 percent under Vision 2030. An estimate shared with AGBI by the Sico Bank research team last month found that Saudi Arabia has already hit a “fairly strong” 62 to 65 percent of citizens owning their home.

  • Saudi Arabia to set up $186m concrete factory to supply 170km-long city

    Plans have been announced to build a $186m concrete plant as part of the huge Neom development programme in Saudi Arabia’s northwestern Tabuk Province. Saudi building materials company Asas Al-Mohileb is to develop and operate the facility, which will be able to produce over 20,000 cubic metres of ready-mix a day. The multi-plant facility will incorporate carbon capture and utilisation technology.

  • U.S. approves weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE valued up to $2.2B

    The U.S. State Department approved the sale of billions of dollars in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two important allies against Iran as tensions rise in the Middle East. The Biden administration told Congress that it approved the sale of dozens of Hellfire and Sidewinder missiles to Saudi Arabia. The more than $1 billion sale also includes artillery, tank and machine gun ammunition.

  • FIFA urged to put more human rights scrutiny into 2034 World Cup deal with Saudi Arabia

    Two months before FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host, the soccer body was urged again Friday to allow independent scrutiny of the kingdom’s human rights obligations for the tournament.  A group of law and human rights experts plus Saudi activists abroad want FIFA to mandate ongoing reviews — and a potential termination clause — into the 2034 World Cup hosting contract.

  • Riyadh Air and foreign airlines: Transforming Saudi Arabia’s global connectivity

    The country’s current network faces a significant absence in direct routes between Riyadh and major global cities. The carrier plans to address this issue. While Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia continues to serve regional destinations from Jeddah, Riyadh Air will provide more direct links between the capital and major international cities.

  • Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia spends SR 200 billion out of the planned SR1 trillion to implement National Transport Strategy

    Inaugurating the first edition of the Global Logistics Forum at the King Abdullah Financial Center in Riyadh on Saturday, the minister said that the Kingdom's huge spending on transport and logistics sector has enabled Saudi Arabia to advance 17 places in global rankings on the “Logistics Performance Index” issued by the World Bank, and 14 places on the “Global Connectivity Index” of International Air Transport Association (IATA).

  • Saudi Arabia launches e-karting racing tracks in 6 cities

    Six cities in Saudi Arabia are set to get Hot Wheels e-karting racing tracks. The indoor e-karts will be a venture between Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven), part of Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), and US toy maker Mattel. The Hot Wheels e-karting will be available in entertainment complexes such as Riyadh, Makkah, Taif, Al Madinah, Tabuk, and Jazan. In January, Seven and London-headquartered Formula E announced the building of four Formula E-branded indoor karting venues across the kingdom. These will come up in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Abha.

  • Conor McGregor says he’s fighting Dan Hooker in Saudi Arabia, Hooker confirms plan

    And in that time, after presumably healing a broken leg he suffered in a second straight TKO loss to Dustin Poirier, McGregor has promised his return seemingly countless times. A fight against Michael Chandler had been presumed for the better part of two years – including a booked headliner that led to the UFC's new all-time gate record, only for McGregor to pull out.

  • Saudi Arabia expands cloud seeding for water security

    Ayman Ghulam, CEO of the National Center of Meteorology and general supervisor of the program, stressed that the program is crucial for water security and natural resource sustainability by utilizing global technologies to improve climate conditions and rainfall.  Ghulam noted significant milestones, including the first rain-seeking flight in April 2022, and ongoing research to optimize weather elements in Saudi Arabia, complementing the Saudi and Middle East Green initiatives.

  • Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s decision to seize UNRWA headquarters land in Jerusalem

    The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to confiscate the land on which the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is located in occupied Jerusalem, with the intent to transform it into a settlement outpost.