MUST-READS

• Saudi Arabia to play in 2025 and 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cups

  Saudi Arabia was announced Thursday as an invited guest for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2025 and 2027, eight days after it was selected to host the 2034 World Cup. The 16-nation Gold Cup, soccer's championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, will be played next year at 14 sites in 11 areas in the U.S. and Canada from June 14 to July 6. Previous guests included Brazil (1996, 1998, 2003), Colombia (2000, 2003, 2005), Ecuador (2002), Peru (2000), Qatar (2021, 2023), South Africa (2005) and South Korea (2000, 2002).

• Saudi’s Seven unveils $350m entertainment destination in Jazan

  Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven) has unveiled its new $350 million entertainment destination in the Jazan region. Seven, part of Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), has awarded the development contract to Alfanar Projects. The venue will be designed by Gensler, a global architecture and planning firm. Located close to North Corniche Park along Jazan’s waterfront, the attraction will offer 73,000 square metres of entertainment and leisure facilities. Highlights in the new Jazan destination include an indoor golf course, a state-of-the-art cinema complex with multiple theatres, a Hot Wheels-themed electric karting rack, and an entertainment district housing world-class thrill rides.

• From Riyadh to the world: How Turki Al-Sheikh is transforming Saudi Arabia into a global entertainment hub
  Al-Sheikh has revitalised boxing in ways once thought impossible. He bankrolled high-profile fights and broke through negotiation stalemates between the various boxing promoters who control the sport by offering unprecedented sums of money thanks to the deep pockets of the Saudi state. He was even able to secure a heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk – the first undisputed heavyweight title bout of this century. Riyadh has now been the site of several major boxing events that have reshaped the sport. The British newspaper 'The Telegraph' crowned al-Sheikh as "the most influential man in boxing," and fans and media have affectionately dubbed him "His Excellency."

• Newly appointed Saudi consuls general take oath before foreign minister

  The newly appointed Saudi consuls general who took the oath of office are the following: Mohammed Al-Otaibi (Mashhad, Iran); Mazen Al-Hamli (Hong Kong); Mohammed Al-Subaie (Karachi, Pakistan); and Majed Al-Zuwaimel (Frankfurt, Germany). They will assume office as heads of the Saudi consulates general in the respective countries. They took the oath by saying: “I swear by God Almighty to be loyal to my religion, then my King, and my country, not to divulge any of the State’s secrets, to preserve its interests and regulations at home and abroad, and to perform my duties with honesty, integrity, and sincerity.”

• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discusses Syria and Gaza with Iraqi PM

  The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral ties between the nations, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Mr Al Sudani stressed the importance of maintaining the unity of Syrian territory, adding that any future governance should include all Syrian people. He said Iraq was willing to work with neighbours to help establish security and stability, the Prime Minister's office announced on Facebook. Gaza was also a point of discussion, with the leaders highlighting the importance of efforts to reach a ceasefire and the need to strengthen relief work, the Iraqi statement said. It said they talked about “the need to uphold and sustain the ceasefire in Lebanon, and working to ensure adherence to the agreed terms”.

• Saudi Arabia airports introduces the world’s largest passenger flow technology rollout

  Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and airport operator MATARAT are rolling out an advanced LiDAR and passenger flow management solution across the country’s 27 airports, the world’s largest implementation of its kind, as part of the Kingdom’s vision to lead the region in airport technology and innovation.  SAMI Advanced Electronics, a leading Saudi ICT provider, has partnered with DTP to deliver the solution, which uses Veovo’s Queue and Flow Management system alongside DTP’s tNexus smart mobile platform. This collaboration provides insights into passenger movement, dwell times, and queuing patterns within terminals. With millions of travellers passing through Saudi airports each year, this system will help GACA and MATARAT proactively address bottlenecks in critical areas such as check-in, immigration, security, and transfer zones, thus reducing delays and enhancing the passenger experience

• Commentary: With new presidents and a changed Middle East, what are the chances of a US-Iran reset?

  US president-elect Donald Trump is inheriting a golden opportunity from President Joe Biden to finally prove to be the great international "dealmaker” of his ambitions. Mr Trump will enter office facing a profoundly weakened Iran that was already suing for talks with Washington a year ago and is now perfectly positioned to have to accept a deal that is highly advantageous for the Americans. The stars are so perfectly aligned that it would take considerable clumsiness for anyone to fail. Now, however, Mr Trump will find Iran profoundly diminished and probably desperate to make a deal. He is unlikely to give any credit to Mr Biden, but it is during the past 14 months that Tehran's national security strategy has fallen to pieces in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel. This has been partly because of Israel's actions in Gaza and Lebanon, extreme miscalculations by Hezbollah and Iran itself and, worst of all, the indirect consequence of the downfall of the Assad government in Syria.

• Blinken hopes Trump picks up work on Saudi-Israel deal

  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday voiced hope that President-elect Donald Trump will pick up his work to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, acknowledging a historic deal will not happen under Joe Biden's administration. Blinken until recently was still voicing hope at reaching an agreement, which he had dangled as an incentive for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show moderation in the Gaza war. "The work that we've done on putting in place the elements of that deal, including what we and Saudi Arabia would do together, what they would do with Israel, all of that is now there," Blinken said in an interview with MSNBC. "My hope is we'll move as far as we can, but it won't be complete," he said. "But we'll be able to hand it over, and then the next administration can decide how it wants to proceed."

• Final Real Estate Transaction Tax Law Published in Saudi Arabia

  On 11 October 2024, the Real Estate Transaction Tax (RETT) Law in Saudi Arabia (RETT Law) was published in the official gazette. The RETT Law will take effect in 180 days from the publication date. New implementing regulations are also expected to be issued within this timeframe to replace the existing implementing regulations. RETT was introduced in Saudi Arabia in October 2020, through implementing regulations and applies on the sale or transfer of real estate property in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) at the rate of 5%. Notwithstanding applicable exemptions, all real estate property transfers, including indirect transfers, should fall within the scope of RETT, regardless of the form or use of the real estate property.

• Governing the day after in Syria

  On Dec. 8, 2024, Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell. This is a fact, but it woefully understates the enormity, speed, and consequences of what has transpired. The brutal dictatorship that ruled Syria for more than 50 years disintegrated in fewer than 10 days. Celebrations erupted across public squares, thousands of Syrian refugees lined up at the borders of Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon eager to return, and the release of political prisoners fueled hope for a new era after decades of despotism and conflict. However, concerns about Syria’s political future and territorial integrity quickly surfaced. These fears are entirely legitimate: Assad has left a country in ruins, with shattered infrastructure, a bankrupt economy, a fragmented territory, a corrupt political system, and compromised sovereignty, while the exact nature of the alternative now taking shape is still ambiguous.

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