Recent stories from sustg

MUST-READS

  • Why Saudi Arabia is emerging as key exit market for start-ups

    In the first half of this year, Saudi Arabia's share of exits rose to 20 per cent, compared with 12 per cent in 2021, says Philip Bahoshy, chief executive of data platform Magnitt. Last year, the kingdom witnessed a total of nine exits, accounting for 21 per cent of the Mena region's M&A transactions and ranking second after the UAE. Start-ups usually take an average of seven years to exit, he adds.

  • 14th Saudi Relief Plane Departs for Lebanon with Essential Aid Supplies

    The 14th relief plane of the Saudi air bridge, operated by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), left King Khalid International Airport for Lebanon today, carrying food, shelter, and medical supplies.

  • Safeya Binzagr, a Saudi Artist Celebrated but Long Unseen, Dies at 84

    The Saudi Arabian artist Safeya Binzagr’s groundbreaking moment came in 1968, when she had her debut exhibit, at a girls’ school in the coastal city of Jeddah. It was the first time a woman had shown her art publicly in the country, and the distinguished group of attendees included Saudi royals, diplomats and intellectuals. Despite the restrictions of Saudi society, though, Ms. Binzagr celebrated her heritage — advancing women’s role in Saudi Arabian art, starting classes and opening one of the first art museums in the country.

  • Saudi Prince’s Beach Party Looks to Show Neom Dream Is Real

    An exclusive group of financiers, entertainers and influencers from around the world will this week descend upon Sindalah Island, the first project to open its doors at the planned city of Neom. The resort is now home to ultra-luxury hotels and unspoilt beaches, plus an 86-berth marina where the uber rich can dock their yachts and dive into the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea.

  • Eleventh Saudi Relief Plane Departs for Lebanon with Essential Aid Supplies

    An eleventh relief plane of the Saudi air bridge, operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), left King Khalid International Airport for Lebanon today, carrying food, shelter, and medical supplies.

  • Saudi Surgeon Honored for Performing the World’s First Fully Robotic Heart Transplant

    The award also commemorates his successful completion of the world’s first robotic heart transplant on a 16-year-old patient suffering from end-stage (Class IV) heart failure. This achievement represents a turning point in heart transplant surgery practices, with a medical approach that relies on minimal surgical intervention, thereby reducing pain, shortening recovery times, and minimizing the risks of complications.

  • Construction starts on world’s largest building in Saudi Arabia

    Construction has begun on the 400-metre-high, cube-shaped Mukaab supertall skyscraper in Riyadh designed by AtkinsRéalis, which will be the world's largest building when it completes. Designed as the centrepiece of the 19-square-kilometre New Murabba development in northwest Riyadh, Mukaab is now officially under construction with excavations underway, according to its development company. The developer, named New Murabba Development Company and funded by Saudi Arabia's central Public Investment Fund (PIF), said groundworks at the site are now 86 per cent complete.

  • Women footballers call on FIFA to end partnership with Saudi Aramco

    A group of over 100 professional women's soccer players on Monday sent an open letter to FIFA urging the world governing body to end its partnership with oil and gas conglomerate Saudi Aramco. In April, FIFA signed a four-year deal which will see Aramco become a worldwide partner, including in major tournaments such as the 2026 World Cup and the Women's World Cup the following year. Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sports like soccer, Formula One and golf in the last few years while critics, including women's rights groups and members of the LGBTQ community, accuse the kingdom of using its Public Investment Fund (PIF) to "sportswash" its human rights record.

  • Carrefour probes Saudi partner’s work practices after Amnesty report

    French supermarket retailer Carrefour has initiated a review of employment practices at its Saudi Arabia franchise partner, Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), in response to concerns raised by Amnesty International, Reuters has reported A report by the human rights organisation, published on 21 October 2024, levelled allegations of underpayment and excessive working hours among employees, particularly migrants, at Carrefour/Majid Al Futtaim stores in Saudi Arabia.

  • Saudi Arabia pumps funding into startups as it vies for Mena No 1

    The VC market across the Middle East and North Africa raised $1.3 billion from January to September 2024 – and Saudi Arabia “led the region”, said startup analyst Magnitt. The kingdom secured “39 percent of Mena’s total funding” and activity was driven by $100 million-plus “deals like SallaApp’s $130 million round” in March, according to Magnitt’s Q3 report. The UAE was the region’s “most active market”, Magnitt added, “with a 12 percent increase in deal volume, accounting for 38 percent of all deals”