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  • Saudi Arabia Continues Extremist Crackdown: 88 Arrested ‘On the Verge of Carrying Out Operations’
     

    The government of Saudi Arabia has arrested 88 it says were “on the verge of carrying out operations,” news agencies are reporting. The move is the latest in an ongoing crackdown on extremism. The arrests follow remarks made by King Abdullah over the weekend to foreign Ambassadors to Saudi Arabia in which the Custodian of […]

     
  • King Abdullah’s Message to the World: Destroy the Islamic State Before It Spreads to the West
     

    At a meeting for new diplomats in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah warned that the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) may spread to Europe and the United States if it is not first destroyed in Iraq and Syria. According to the AFP/Yahoo, King Abdullah made the blunt remarks at a welcoming ceremony on Friday for […]

     
  • 5 Things to Know about the TASI Opening
     

    Last month’s announcement that the Saudi Arabian stock market, known as the Tadawul or TASI, would open to foreign investment has created waves of optimism from news outlets to seasoned investors. Most think the opening of the market will be great for investors and provide extra liquidity and capital into the market, but the Saudi […]

     
  • A Tadawul Opening Road Map
     

    Jadwa Investments is a well respected Shariah-compliant investment bank based in Saudi Arabia.  Jadwa’s market studies and regular updates can be counted on to be highly informed and concise analyses of the topic at hand. Their monthly ‘Chartbooks,’ quarterly GDP updates, annual budget report and specific sector analysis are regular features on the Saudi-US Trade […]

     
  • Formidable
     

    Although many in the intelligence community assert that American (at least) foreign policy leaders had been alerted to the threat of re-emerging Sunni extremism in Iraq, the seemingly sudden appearance of ISIS (also Islamic State, IS, ISIL or Da’ish) in June 2014 has forced the United States along with its regional allies, Europe and even […]

     
  • FocusKSA Video: Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Smith on the King Abdullah Scholarship Program
     

    The number of students participating in Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Scholarship Program has skyrocketed over the past decade from around 2,000 students in 2002 to over 80,000 today, comments former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James B. Smith. In a recent FocusKSA (a joint Saudi-US Trade Group/SUSRIS.com initiative) interview with Pat Ryan, SUSRIS Editor-in-Chief, former U.S. […]

     
  • ‘A New Page’ for Diplomacy between Saudi Arabia and Iran?
     

    In what may be another step in a growing thaw in Saudi-Iranian relations, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian visited Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and met with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al Faisal. In remarks to Reuters following the meeting, Abdollahian said that both countries agreed that “a new page” was […]

     
  • Where are U.S. Airstrikes Bombing Islamic State Locations in Iraq From?
     

    Craig Whitlock in the Washington Post reports that recent U.S. airstrikes into Iraq on Islamic State targets are taking off from bases in Qatar and the UAE in addition to aircraft carriers in the Arabian Gulf, but neither government is directly admitting it at this time. That the U.S. is using Gulf allies as their […]

     
  • How Chairman and Owner of the Atlantic David Bradley Played a Key Role in Journalist’s Release
     

    Adam Goldman and Karen DeYoung detail in the Washington Post the role of David Bradley, Chairman and Owner of the Atlantic Media Group, and how the executive worked with an unnamed FBI Agent and Ghanim Khalifa al-Kubaisi, the chief of Qatar’s intelligence service, to free Peter Theo Curtis from captivity in Syria. The article draws […]

     
  • Sfakianakis: Now is the Time for Energy Subsidy Reform in Saudi Arabia
     

    Annual energy subsidies in Saudi Arabia amount to $120 billion; roughly a quarter of all global energy subsidies combined. As with subsidies worldwide, those in Saudi Arabia are in place primarily for political and social reasons. Unfortunately, energy subsidies result in numerous and profound economic distortions that ultimately do not benefit the poor in particular […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Saudi Arabia spending $800m on Riyadh road projects

    The road sector in Riyadh region is witnessing a significant transformation. The region’s total length of roads is approximately 15,000km, and efforts are currently underway to implement new road projects and other maintenance projects in all governorates of the region at a total cost of approximately SR3bn ($799m). The Roads General Authority (RGA) stated that it has executed 23 road projects in the Riyadh region. These projects include 20 preventive maintenance projects spanning 215 km, which cost SR170m ($45m), and three projects to enhance traffic safety, which cost more than SR171m ($45m).

  • $5,300-a-Night Hotel Showcases Saudi Push to Become Tourism Hub

    Just six years ago, it would have been unfathomable for hotel operators to be jockeying to deepen their foothold in the kingdom. But Saudi Arabia has since flung open its doors to tourism — making it easier for visitors to secure necessary visas, loosening dress codes for women and ditching a requirement that males and females prove they’re related before allowing them to share a hotel room. Analysts now expect the number of hotel rooms to more than double by 2030 as developers pour $110 billion into hospitality projects across the country — giving Saudi Arabia one of the biggest hotel pipelines on the planet.

  • Saudi fashion market cutting its cloth to new measurements thanks to e-commerce boom

    The fashion market in Saudi Arabia is expected to generate $4.37 billion in revenue in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 11.62 percent from 2024 to 2029, according to Statista. This will lead to a market volume of $7.57 billion in the next five years, underscoring the rising demand for fashion products, fueled by a growing population, increased disposable income, and the government's strategic focus on fostering non-oil industries.

  • 4,000-year-old ancient settlement discovered in Saudi Arabia’s Khaybar Oasis, sheds light on early urban life

    The town, named al-Natah, was found within Khaybar’s walled oasis, a lush region surrounded by desert. Led by French archaeologist Guillaume Charloux, the team discovered a 14.5-kilometer wall enclosing the residential area. This discovery, published in the journal PLOS One, provides tangible evidence of organized occupancy. Dating back to around 2400 BC during the early Bronze Age, al-Natah is believed to have supported up to 500 residents. This highlights its importance in the region’s historical landscape and enhances our understanding of social and architectural developments of the time.

  • India eyes fintech, clean hydrogen cooperation with Saudi Arabia

    “This visit marks a significant milestone in strengthening the strategic partnership between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement on Friday. “Both countries are also exploring collaboration in emerging fields like fintech, new technologies, energy efficiency, clean hydrogen, textiles, mining, etc. The Committee Meeting reviewed these developments and reaffirmed their commitment to advancing cooperation across various areas of shared interest.” The SPC was established in 2019. Its first meeting took place in New Delhi last year, during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s state visit to India.

  • Saudi Arabia condemns latest violence in Sudan, urges conflict parties to respect laws

    War has raged in Sudan since April 2023 between the army under the country’s de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. At least 124 people have been killed and dozens wounded in the fighting in al-Jazira state over the past 10 days, according to the United Nations. Saudi Arabia also called on the warring parties to respect the Treaty of Jeddah and urged them to agree on a ceasefire and facilitate the delivery of human aid to those affected in the war-torn country.

  • Saudi Arabia ranks 12th globally in international visitor spending in 2023

    Saudi Arabia advanced 15 spots to the 12th rank globally in international visitor spending in 2023, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). This achievement marks the highest rise among the top 50 countries compared to 2019. The Kingdom led the G20 nations in international visitor growth, recording a 73% increase, alongside a remarkable 207% rise in international tourism revenue from January to July 2024, compared to the same period in 2019.

  • WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia can help ‘open doors’, says Gauff

    "I would be lying to you if I said I had no reservations. You guys know who I am and the things I speak about. I was pretty much on every player call I could make with WTA," Gauff said. "One of the things I said: 'If we come here, we can't just come here and play our tournament and leave. We have to have a real program, a real plan in place.' "We spoke with a lot of women here in Saudi, and one of them was Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud [the first female Saudi ambassador to the U.S.]. ... One of the questions that I brought up was about LGBTQ issues and women's rights issues and how we can help with that." The world No. 3 said she wanted to see for herself if progress had been made, adding: "If I felt uncomfortable or it felt like nothing's happening, then maybe, I probably wouldn't come back."

  • Saudi Arabia Moves Closer To 2027 Carbon Market Launch

    RVCMC was established in 2022 when the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund partnered with the Tadawul Group – the holding group developing country’s capital market – to lay the foundation of a carbon market. During FII 2024 Saudi Arabia’s energy minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman shared that there is a gradual approach to establishing the market with a pilot phase being prepared for the next “two to three years”, according to a report in The National. This would mean the launch of the Saudi Arabia carbon market could be in late 2026 or 2027 but will have to be in line with the country’s economy which is still heavily reliant on oil and gas production.

  • Saudi’s Desert Technologies to establish largest solar panel and cell manufacturing plants

    Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones, (Modon) signed a contract with Desert Technologies, a leader in renewable energy solutions and the one of the first Saudi company to manufacture and export solar panels, to establish an industrial complex in Jeddah’s third industrial city. The facility will produce solar panels and cells with an annual production capacity of up to five gigawatts (GW) at a total investment of SAR 750 million. It will span an area of 170,000 square meters on a land provided by Modon. The complex includes advanced production lines with a capacity of two GW for solar panels and three GW for solar cells. This makes it one of the largest photovoltaic production centers in the Kingdom.