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  • Iran FM says ties with Saudi Arabia are progressing despite gradual pace

    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 exploited yet. The interview was conducted late last month in Beijing, but was aired on January 4. Araghchi added that the biggest achievement was reaching the decision to revive the relations that remained frozen for years, adding that both sides have benefited from the revival of ties.

  • ‘Next Saudi Generation Program’ Launched to Support Saudi Talent in Motorsports

    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 collaboration with the Saudi Motorsport Company and under the supervision of the Ministry of Sport, aims to empower Saudi youth and provide opportunities for future champions—both men and women—to explore rally racing and integrate into the world of motorsports. As part of this initiative, five drivers and their co-drivers were selected: Fahd Al-Marmash with co-driver Hossam Al-Zahrani, Hamza Bakhshab with co-driver Fahd Al-Omar, Abdullah Al-Shaqawi with co-driver Raed Al-Assaf, Merihan Al-Baz with co-driver Waleed Al-Sheqawi, and Fatima Banaz. These participants will compete for the first time in the Saudi Rally 2025, the Kingdom’s most prestigious and challenging motorsports event, hosted by Saudi Arabia for the sixth consecutive year. The selection of these competitors occurred during the Qassim Rally, a key round of the Saudi Rally Championship.

  • How Artificial Intelligence Will Affect Asia’s Economies

    Asia-Pacific’s economies are likely to experience labor market shifts because of artificial intelligence, with advanced economies being affected more. About half of all jobs in the region’s advanced economies are exposed to AI, compared to only about a quarter in emerging market and developing economies. However, as we show in our latest Asia-Pacific Regional Economic Outlook, there are also more jobs in the region’s advanced economies that can be complemented by AI, meaning that the technology will likely enhance productivity rather than replace these roles altogether. The concentration of such jobs in Asia’s advanced economies could worsen inequality between countries over time. While about 40 percent of jobs in Singapore are rated as highly complementary to AI, the share is just 3 percent in Laos.

  • In a year, Saudi gifted students get 107 global awards, with over 582,000 students competing nationally.

    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 2023 and September 2024. This milestone brings the Kingdom's total, as represented by King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), to 842 global awards. Domestically, over 582,000 students participated in national competitions organized by Mawhiba during the same period. A Mawhiba report, released in conjunction with the Saudi National Day, revealed that 37,720 students took part in the Mawhoob Competition, while 42,702 students joined the Kangaroo Mawhiba Math Competition. Additionally, 32,094 students participated in the Bebras Mawhiba for Informatics, and the National Olympiad for Programming and AI (ATHKA) attracted 260,308 participants.

  • Saudi Arabia’s first ‘recycled road’ built in Al-Ahsa

    The project, a collaboration with Al-Ahsa municipality and the National Center for Waste Management, incorporated waste material into the asphalt layers of a road in the Al-Ahsa governorate, following research by the authority to assess the performance of asphalt and gravel layers made from aggregates sourced from the municipality’s environmental landfill. Using recycled material in infrastructure projects supports the Kingdom’s goal of transitioning to a circular economy. The target is a 60 percent recycling rate for such waste by 2035, which “highlights the Kingdom’s commitment to environmental sustainability and efficient infrastructure development,” the SPA said.

  • Texas man who backed Islamic State acted alone in New Orleans attack, FBI says

    A U.S. Army veteran who killed 14 people by ramming a truck into a crowd of New Year's Day revelers in New Orleans had pledged allegiance to Islamic State and appeared to have made recordings in which he condemned music, drugs and alcohol. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texas native who once served in Afghanistan, acted alone in the attack, the FBI said on Thursday, reversing an earlier assessment that he may have had accomplices. He was killed in a shootout with police after the rampage, which also injured dozens of people and has been labeled by the FBI as an act of terrorism. "It was premeditated and an evil act," FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia told a press conference on Thursday, reaffirming the bureau's conclusion that Jabbar was inspired by Islamic State, the militant group with fighters in Iraq and Syria.

  • Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport named world’s most on-time large and global airport

    Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has been named winner in both the ‘Large’ and ‘Global’ Airport categories in Cirium’s 2024 On-Time Performance report. It was a double celebration for Saudi Arabia as Saudia was a close runner-up with 86.35 per cent among the airlines. Saudi was second only to Aeromexico, Mexico’s flag carrier, which was named the most On-Time ‘Global Airline’ in 2024 with a 86.7 per cent on-time rate. American giant Delta Air Lines secured third place with 83.46 per cent. Qatar Airways, with 82.83 per cent on-time arrivals and 82.56 per cent on-time departure, was placed fifth globally, one place behind LATAM Airlines at fourth.

  • Senior Saudi officials meet new Syrian counterparts in Riyadh

    Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met their new Syrian counterparts during a trip to Riyadh. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani met Prince Faisal at the Saudi Foreign Ministry before the pair joined a larger meeting with Prince Khalid. “We discussed developments in Syria and explored ways to support the transitional political process in achieving the Syrian people’s aspirations for security, stability, and unity,” Prince Khalid said after their meeting.

  • More young footballers interested in Middle East move ahead of Saudi Arabia World Cup

    Birmingham-born Brad Young now lives and plays football in Saudi. The 21-year-old left the Welsh first tier to join Saudi Pro League (SPL) side Al-Orobah in September and said the league is among the world's top five. "All the big players are starting to come here," Brad told Sky News. "The league is growing and obviously it's good for me to get that learning experience off the experienced players." "These players are all experienced and they know their stuff like when you make runs off the back of defenders, they block you, they've got that experience. "So, you have to regroup and learn how to play against them. You've got to think smart and think better."

  • Saudi Al Qadsiah sign Brazilian teenager Gabriel Carvalho

    Saudi Pro League's Al Qadsiah announced on Thursday the signing of 17-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder Gabriel Carvalho from Internacional. Carvalho, the latest transfer into a lucrative league featuring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, is set to join his new team in the summer. “Gabriel Carvalho signed for Al Qadsiah. He will join in August during the summer transfer window,” the third-placed club said on the X social media platform.