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  • Joy Awards 2025 captivates Saudi capital with star-studded ceremony

    Regional and global stars got together at a mesmerizing awards ceremony in Saudi Arabia to honor Arab and international talents at the 2025 edition of the annual Joy Awards on Saturday. The Kingdom’s capital, Riyadh, embraced numerous A-listers, who graced the lavender carpet before the event kicked off with a breathtaking performance by American singer Christina Aguilera.

  • New traffic law: Driving with expired registration in Saudi Arabia now a major offence

    Saudi Arabia has amended its traffic law to include a new violation for driving with an expired vehicle registration, as reported by the government gazette Umm Al Qura. The amendments, approved by the Saudi Cabinet, aim to enhance road safety and modernise the regulatory framework. A royal decree (No. M/140) outlined the changes, including the repeal of Article 71 of the Traffic Law and the modification of the second schedule of violations to include "driving a vehicle with an expired licence" as an offence. The decree also requires the Ministry of Interior to update the executive regulations of the Traffic Law to reflect these amendments.

  • Riyadh’s property boom puts home ownership beyond reach of many Saudis

    Saudi Arabia’s housing minister has acknowledged that soaring property prices in Riyadh have become a “concern” for the government, highlighting the difficulties facing officials desperate to turn home ownership into a reality for the vast majority of its citizens in the capital. Property prices in Riyadh have surged since the pandemic, with the cost of a house now almost 81 per cent higher than in 2020, according to real estate researchers Knight Frank. Apartment prices in the city, meanwhile, have increased 56 per cent over the same period. The surge in prices is complicating Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s attempts to hit a 70 per cent goal for owner-occupancy by 2030. At the moment, 63 per cent of Saudis own their own home, up from 47 per cent in 2016, when the Crown Prince’s ambitious reforms of the Saudi economy were first unveiled. But the figure in Riyadh, where 4.4mn of 18.8mn Saudis live, is far lower at 53.2 per cent, according to the latest census data, taken from 2022.

  • Christina Aguilera, Michael Buble perform at Riyadh’s Joy Awards

    The annual Joy Awards honored Arab talent with musical performances that serenaded a star-studded guest list at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on Saturday. The award show opened with a concert by Christina Aguilera, who performed “The Voice Within” and her hit song “Genie in a Bottle.” Musical icons Mohammed Abdo and Andrea Bocelli performed together, blending Gulf and Italian sounds. Lebanese singer Wael Kfoury and Canadian artist Michael Buble collaborated on a striking rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” performed in both English and Arabic. Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman and Matthew McConaughey were among the international and local celebrities who showcased their dazzling ensembles on the ceremony’s iconic lavender carpet on Saturday.

  • Anthony Hopkins Attends Joy Awards Alongside Matthew McConaughey

    Anthony Hopkins made his first public appearance over the weekend since recently losing his home in the Pacific Palisades fire by traveling to Saudi Arabia. The legendary Oscar-winning actor, who is also a composer, hosted a gala concert featuring his pieces played by Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. “The theme of this concert is that life is a long farewell to the bitter,” Hopkins, 87, said at the start of the concert, after being introduced by Morgan Freeman. “During this time, and after all the efforts made, whether in Wales or California, we believe that music can be a path to inner peace,” the two-time Oscar winner – for “The Silence of the Lambs” and “The Father” – added.

  • New Honeywell centre cements Saudi Arabia’s position in global cybersecurity market

    Honeywell recently launched a new centre in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail to provide localised cybersecurity services for critical industrial sectors in the Kingdom, according to a press release. Honeywell Himaya Center, which was announced at the In-Kingdom Total Value Add (iktva) Forum and Exhibition 2025 in Dhahran, will support Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation and strengthen its position as a key player in the global cybersecurity market.

  • Sotheby’s Reveals Linup For Saudi Auction

    Titled “Origins“, the two-day evening auction will open on February 8th. It will occur at the historic town of Diriyah, a UNESCO heritage site – though the exact location hasn’t been shared. Over 100 works would be sold in the auction. Before it, between February 1st and 8th, the works would be on public display at both enclosed spaces and open sites around Diriyah.  The artworks include works by Picasso and Warhol. There would be installations like one by James Turrell (est. $120k -$180k) and Sidle by Antony Gormley (est. 700k -$800k). Sotheby’s is also paying special focus to surrealist art. These include L’État de veille by Rene Magritte (est. $1 million -$1.5 million) and La Légende égyptienne by Paul Delvaux (est. 700k).

  • Saudi Arabia Advances Lithium Plans, Looks Beyond Oil For Commodity Diversification

    Saudi Arabia has unveiled a joint venture between the state oil company Aramco and the state mining company Ma'aden. The collaboration focuses on extracting lithium, a vital component in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy storage, and electronics. Commercial production is expected by 2027. "We expect that this partnership will leverage the world's leading upstream enterprise to apply significant low-cost advantages, industry experience, technological innovation, and an integrated supply chain ecosystem," said Nasir K. Al-Naimi, Aramco's upstream president.

  • Zambia says Saudi’s Manara interested in its copper assets

    Saudi Arabia's Manara Minerals is looking for critical minerals projects in Zambia to invest in, the southern African country's mines minister Paul Kabuswe told Reuters on Thursday. Manara and Africa's second-largest copper producer held talks on Wednesday after the signing the previous day of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Arabia to cooperate on exploration for new minerals. "They (Manara) are interested, but we do not know which ones yet," he said on the sidelines of a mining conference in Riyadh, adding that an announcement on a potential mining deal between Zambia and Saudi Arabia is likely this year.

  • China and Saudi Arabia: A Deepening Strategic Partnership

    Increasing political, strategic, and economic engagements with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been a notable feature of Chinese foreign policy, especially since the launch of its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013. One of the key countries with which China has strengthened its engagement is Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is an important regional power, with influence in the Arab-Islamic world as well as in the global energy market. In December 2022, during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Riyadh, the two countries signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that underlined the growing Chinese inroads into a region that has traditionally been regarded as an American sphere of influence.[1] The China-Saudi Arabia strategic partnership has the potential to impact the geopolitical makeup of the entire region, which is part of India’s extended neighbourhood.