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  • Top 10 Salaries In Saudi Arabia
     

    The 2013 Gulf Business Salary Survey suggests it is good to be a CEO or managing director in Saudi Arabia; especially if you are a banking professional.  The Survey also examines trends with regard to Arab, Western and Asian professionals and the impact of Nitaqat on small and medium sized companies.

     
  • Saudi Youth Filmmaking on the Rise
     

    Social media continues to catalyze Saudi Arabia in unpredictable ways.  Fatima Al-Arjan takes a look at the rise of video blogging ‘vloggers.’  Short videos – some 36 seconds at maximum – have proliferated.  While sometimes a platform for controversial posts, like many on-line communities, this one seems to be maturing. In a related item, female […]

     
  • Saudi Prince Alwaleed Joins Twitter
     

    HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has joined Twitter, the microblogging social network in which the Prince holds a 3% stake. In an announcement in both Arabic and English on his official handle, @Alwaleed_Talal, Alwaleed’s office noted that the businessman will soon be active on Twitter:   The Private Office of HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal […]

     
  • Lockheed Nets $253 Million Training Contract
     

    US-based Lockheed Martin will provide Virtual Training Technologies in support of Saudi Arabia’s F-15SA Modernization Program. The news comes on the heels of a recent announcement that the company had set up a branch in Riyadh on February 8th.  — According to a Press Release, Lockheed Martin, the Bethesda, Maryland-based aerospace company, has received a contract […]

     
  • Keystone: Saudi Arabia’s First Idea Translation Lab
     

    Many people are familiar with the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) and it’s glittering $20 billion endowment.  Founded in 2009 and sited north of Jeddah on the Red Sea, KAUST intends to be a global caliber research university as well as an educational and social bellwether that allows co-ed education.  The KAUST […]

     
  • Saudi youth, the issue of unemployment and work ethic
     

    Abdulateef Al-Mulhim is a well-known Saudi commentator who is appreciated – at least here at SUSTG – for his willingness to take on sensitive topics and provide his particular perspective.  In this item he addresses the work ethic of young Saudis, a subject of much debate.  Not surprisingly, there are numerous facets to the discussion […]

     
  • Instagramming Riyadh
     

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is a beautiful city – one that is growing and changing at an impressive speed. Yet much of the Kingdom’s capital remains as it has for years. Traditional style housing and buildings, most of which are no higher than two stories, still dominate this sprawling city, but the gargantuan and glitzy new […]

     
  • Women Transforming the Middle East
     

    In this thoughtful interview with SUSRIS, Dr. Isobel Coleman, Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow, characterizes King Abdullah as a ‘committed incrementalist.’ An accurate description based on his steady push of reforms that are meaningful but are not, as some critics point out, decisive. Why doesn’t the King just declare that it is legal for […]

     
  • US most preferred destination for Saudi students
     

    According to an article in Arab News, the Ministry of Higher Education “recently issued a statement revealing that most of the students selected for the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program preferred to go the United States of America to pursue their higher studies, while the least number of students chose Holland. The ministry’s statement provides figures […]

     
  • New President for KAUST in Saudi Arabia
     

    In a press release today, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, announced a new president in Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau, who will be the second to serve in that post since the university’s inception. Dr. Chameau previously served as President of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

     

MUST-READS

  • Commentary: Nasrallah’s death is a wake-up call for the Arab world

    This pattern of inaction extends beyond Hezbollah. In the broader Arab world, there is a growing awareness that Iran’s promises of “resistance” have only deepened regional instability, resulting in endless cycles of conflict and devastation, particularly in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Nasrallah’s incendiary speeches painted a picture of eventual triumph over Israel, but on the ground Hezbollah’s actions yielded little progress in the Palestinian cause, only further isolating Lebanon in its perpetual state of conflict.

  • Saudi executes 198 in 2024, most in over 30 years: AFP

    The latest tally surpassed its previous highs of 196 in 2022 and 192 in 1995, according to the London-based human rights group, which began recording the annual data in 1990. The 198 executions this year compare with 170 in 2023, according to tallies compiled by AFP from official media reports.

  • Commentary: A view from Israel – Pezeshkian’s Israel stance could undermine his domestic priorities and nuclear diplomacy

    Masoud Pezeshkian’s victory in Iran’s July presidential elections gained little attention or enthusiasm in Israel. The elections took place amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October attack last year. It is Israel’s longest war. Israel has also been involved in a simultaneous war against Hezbollah, which started after the latter’s unilateral attack on 8 October and has escalated significantly in recent weeks. These conflicts, coupled with the ongoing hostage crisis, have taken up most of the news cycle in Israel.

  • GCC airports in expansion race as UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman spend billions of dollars on upgrades

    Even until the mid-1990s, most airlines viewed the Middle East airports as nothing more than technical stops. What started with Dubai’s ambitions to become the world’s largest travel hub with the launch of Emirates Airline in 1985, has now spread across the Middle East. Countries want to take advantage of their strategic location and capture a bigger share of the long-haul market.

  • Hezbollah says it is ready for any Israeli land invasion in Lebanon

    Hezbollah fighters are ready to confront any Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon, the group's, deputy leader Naim Qassem said on Monday in his first public address since Israel killed its chief Hassan Nasrallah last week. Israel will not achieve its goals, he said. "We will face any possibility and we are ready if the Israelis decide to enter by land and the resistance forces are ready for a ground engagement," he said in an address from an undisclosed location.

  • Saudi Arabia secures funds for 5.5GW solar projects

    The developers of solar power projects worth SAR12 billion ($3.2 billion) with a combined output of 5.5 gigawatts (GW) in Saudi Arabia have secured financing for their projects. Saudi-listed Acwa Power, Water and Electricity Holding Co (Badeel), a Public Investment Fund (PIF)-owned company, and Saudi Aramco Power Co (Sapco), a wholly-owned subsidiary of energy major Aramco, have reached financial close for the Haden, Muwayh and Al Khushaybi projects.

  • Iran condemns killing of Nasrallah, but avoids vow of revenge

    Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has been widely condemned in Iran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has charged that the ‘Axis of Resistance’ will intensify attacks on Israel, but stopped short of vowing any direct revenge by the Islamic Republic. This comes as some Iranians are calling for a review of nuclear policy, arguing that a nuclear deterrent is necessary to stave off an attack by Israel.

  • Social media influencers go dark on TikTok after promoting futuristic Saudi megacity

    At least five influencers who had been posting videos from Neom, the multiyear project launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to build a high-tech megacity, have either closed their social media accounts or gone private after one video faced a wave of mockery on social media. A handful of smaller accounts within this small community of Neom-based content creators remain active, with their videos still viewable.

  • Saudi Arabia urges G20 nations to address Israel’s violations and support Palestinian statehood

    Saudi Arabia has called on G20 countries to intensify joint efforts to address the international community's failure in confronting Israel’s serious violations of international laws and norms. The Kingdom emphasized the need for a ceasefire and a path toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan made the remarks on Wednesday during the second meeting of the G20 Foreign Ministers, chaired by Brazil, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

  • Pakistan wins more financing assurances from China, UAE, Saudi IMF official says

    Pakistan has received "significant financing assurances" from China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates linked to a new International Monetary Fund program that go beyond a deal to roll over $12 billion in bilateral loans owed to them by Islamabad, an IMF official said on Thursday. IMF Pakistan Mission Chief Nathan Porter declined to provide details of additional financing amounts committed by the three countries but said they would come on top of the debt rollover.