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  • School break sets price records for Riyadh hotels

    Millions of students are currently enjoying a vacation at the end of the first semester, which runs through November 17. The holiday, which began on Thursday, has given a significant boost to the hotel business in Riyadh, where an annual entertainment and tourist festival is underway. Room costs have reached SR7,000 per night, especially at five-star hotels in central Riyadh, according to the Saudi news portal Sabq, citing booking websites. Occupancy rates at some central Riyadh hotels and those near the airport have reached 100%, while overall citywide occupancy is at 76%.

  • Saudi Arabia to increase renewable energy capacity

    The Saudi Energy Procurement Company (SPPC) has begun selecting bidders for the construction of four energy storage systems with a total capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW). The winners will have to commission grid-scale batteries in three regions located in the western (Mecca), northern (Hail) and central parts of the country (Al-Qassim). The four complexes will need to store a total of 8 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity, equivalent to 15% of Saudi Arabia's hourly electricity consumption.

  • Four Arabic originals coming to Netflix, from Saudi Pro League documentary to Sand Castle

    Netflix continues to ramp up its Arabic originals, with a string of productions due to be released in the next few months. From a thriller reuniting Nadine Labaki with her Capernaum star Zain Al Rafeea to a documentary series that pulls the curtain back on the Saudi Pro League, here are four to add to your Netflix watchlist.

  • Saudi Crown Prince Reached Out to Trump in Late-Night Phone Call

    Trump strengthened US ties with Saudi Arabia during his previous term. The bi-lateral relationship during the administration of President Joe Biden was initially soured by Biden’s criticism of the kingdom over the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia’s 39-year old de facto ruler placed the call shortly after Trump delivered his victory speech in Palm Beach, Florida, said the two individuals, who did not wish to be identified because they were discussing a private matter.

  • Saudi Tourism Authority Launches AI Beta Version of SARA, the Smart Guide for Saudi Tourism

    The Saudi Tourism Authority has launched the beta version of "SARA," an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered smart guide for Saudi tourism. Designed as a young Saudi woman, SARA is depicted as a travel enthusiast deeply knowledgeable about her country. She shares insights on Saudi Arabia's unique tourist destinations, historical landmarks, archaeological sites, cultural diversity, and international events—everything a traveler might need to know.

  • GCC Railways Project: Connecting Gulf Nations with a Unified Railway Network by 2030

    Chaired by Qatar, the 26th Meeting of GCC Transport Ministers showcased the importance of the GCC Railways Project. Held on November 7, 2024, it brought together transport leaders to discuss future transportation goals. The meeting also discussed unified regulations for land transport among GCC nations. These rules aim to streamline travel, offering improved consistency and safety for Gulf citizens and visitors.

  • Sotheby’s Will Host Saudi Arabia’s First-Ever International Auction in 2025

    Sotheby’s will host the first-ever international auction in Saudi Arabia on February 8 2025. The exact location of the two-part evening sale has not yet been disclosed but it will be somewhere in the historic town of Diriyah on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh. Diriyah is the original home of the Saudi royal family and has a UNESCO heritage site. Artworks by international and Saudi artists – including a diptych from Ahmed Mater’s The Illumination Series – Islamic objects, jewelry, watches, cars, sports memorabilia, and handbags will go under the hammer for the sale, titled “Origins.” It will coincide with Sotheby’s opening an office in the Al Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh, which is the first skyscraper in the country and designed by Norman Foster.

  • Rory McIlroy says Donald Trump’s election ‘clears the way’ for PGA Tour-PIF deal

    “Given today’s news with what’s happened in America, I think that clears the way a little bit,” McIlroy told reporters at the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Trump told the Sirius XM podcast “Let’s Go!” with Jim Gray and Bill Belichick earlier this week that he believes “it would take me the better part of 15 minutes to get that deal done” between the PGA Tour and the PIF, the Saudi Arabia sovereign fund that owns and operates LIV Golf.

  • Beyond oil: Google’s big bet on Saudi Arabia’s AI future

    In a landmark move signaling the growing importance of the Middle East in the global tech landscape, Google has entered into a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. Google Cloud and PIF announced the agreement, which would see the establishment of a new artificial intelligence (AI) hub in Saudi Arabia, on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative 8th Edition (FII8) conference in Riyadh. The hub, to be located near Dammam in the Eastern Province, will feature the latest Google Cloud infrastructure, including tensor processing units (TPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs). The partnership aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global AI leader, drive advancements in Arabic language AI models, and create thousands of jobs in the technology sector. The partnership underscores the “growing interlink” between AI and energy, as Saudi Arabia — along with the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states — uses its energy surplus to power data centers, a critical pillar of AI infrastructure. This energy advantage makes the region increasingly attractive to tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Amazon.

  • How Donald Trump might tackle the Middle East in 2025

    When asked if he would re-negotiate a deal with Iran if he was re-elected, Trump said “Sure, I would do that” and that “we have to make a deal because the consequences are impossible.” He also asserted that Iran would have made a deal because “[he] gave them a country that wanted to make a deal. They had to. There was no money to Hamas. There was no money to Hezbollah.”