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  • FocusKSA Video: Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Smith on the King Abdullah Scholarship Program
     

    The number of students participating in Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Scholarship Program has skyrocketed over the past decade from around 2,000 students in 2002 to over 80,000 today, comments former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James B. Smith. In a recent FocusKSA (a joint Saudi-US Trade Group/SUSRIS.com initiative) interview with Pat Ryan, SUSRIS Editor-in-Chief, former U.S. […]

     
  • ‘A New Page’ for Diplomacy between Saudi Arabia and Iran?
     

    In what may be another step in a growing thaw in Saudi-Iranian relations, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian visited Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and met with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al Faisal. In remarks to Reuters following the meeting, Abdollahian said that both countries agreed that “a new page” was […]

     
  • Where are U.S. Airstrikes Bombing Islamic State Locations in Iraq From?
     

    Craig Whitlock in the Washington Post reports that recent U.S. airstrikes into Iraq on Islamic State targets are taking off from bases in Qatar and the UAE in addition to aircraft carriers in the Arabian Gulf, but neither government is directly admitting it at this time. That the U.S. is using Gulf allies as their […]

     
  • Sfakianakis: Now is the Time for Energy Subsidy Reform in Saudi Arabia
     

    Annual energy subsidies in Saudi Arabia amount to $120 billion; roughly a quarter of all global energy subsidies combined. As with subsidies worldwide, those in Saudi Arabia are in place primarily for political and social reasons. Unfortunately, energy subsidies result in numerous and profound economic distortions that ultimately do not benefit the poor in particular […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia’s Timely Push for Solar to Reduce Oil Consumption
     

    It’s no secret that Saudi Arabia’s energy consumption is soaring, and that to meet increasing demand, the Kingdom is siphoning off more and more of its crude to power the booming Saudi economy. Although Saudi Arabia has plenty of oil, what is consumed to meet domestic power demand cannot be sold on the market. Writing […]

     
  • Why Saudi Arabia is ‘The Next Big Thing’ for Global Investors
     

    Leone Lakhani and Alanna Petroff write in CNN Money that Saudi Arabia is the “next big emerging market” following the announcement of the TASI opening to foreign investors. That report cited Saleem Khokhar, head of equities at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi’s asset management group, as saying that the market is “deeply liquid…with lots […]

     
  • Saudi Women’s Share in the Kingdom’s Commercial Activity Records a Sharp Increase
     

    According to a recent report in the Saudi Gazette, the Kingdom’s women are increasing their share in Saudi Arabia’s private sector commercial activity, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in an annual report: The latest in an uptick in female involvement in the workplace, the news follows another report in the Saudi Arabic-daily OKAZ […]

     
  • Stanford, KACST Team Up for Six Year Collaborative Partnership on Aerospace Research
    • August 5,2014
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    Stanford University and Saudi Arabia’s KACST have launched a new six-year collaborative research partnership to establish a center to develop new liquid rocket fuels for satellite applications, according to the Northern California-based university.

     
  • Turning the Corner on MERS
     

    When the spread of the deadly coronavirus MERS started making headlines on a daily basis in the Spring, international concern began to mount that the Saudi government wasn’t doing enough to contain the virus. New confirmed cases started emerging in other countries in the region, even reaching the United States. As the death toll mounted, […]

     
  • Over 43% of the World’s Natural Gas is in the Middle East, According to BP
     

    43% of the world’s natural gas reserves are in the Middle East region, a June 2014 report by energy company BP found. The BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2014 found that 80.3 trillion cu/m of natural gas sits under countries in the Middle East. The annual report by BP published every June noted […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Saudi Arabia Bets $10B on Green Hydrogen

    “Green hydrogen is currently more expensive,” said the chief executive of Emsteel Group,  Masdar’s partner in the green hydrogen venture in comments on the news. “This highlights the need for alignment with regulators, suppliers, steel producers and customers,” Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi added. When a business executive talks about the cost of a technology and “alignment with regulators,” he most probably means state fund support, also known as subsidies. Indeed, green hydrogen is several times as expensive to produce as the cheaper versions of the element that feature natural gas. This appears to be an obstacle that is increasingly looking insurmountable.

  • Saudi crown prince receives medical team that performed world’s first fully robotic heart transplant

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday received the Saudi medical team that successfully performed the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant. The transplant was performed at Riyadh’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in September on a 16-year-old patient suffering from end-stage heart failure. The crown prince congratulated the medical team and the leadership of the hospital on the historic achievement, praising the efforts of Saudi personnel and their ability to innovate and achieve a global precedent in the medical field.

  • Saudi Arabia’s grain output hits 1.7M tons in 2023

    Production of grain crops in the Kingdom amounted to 1.75 million tons in 2023, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) revealed in its recently issued report on agricultural statistics. According to the report, the total area planted with grain crops in 2023 amounted to about 331,000 hectares, of which around 323,000 hectares in harvested area. The wheat crop topped the list with 63.4% of the total area planted with grains, with a production volume of 1.31 million tons.

  • Google’s new AI hub in Saudi Arabia aims to add $71 billion to local economy

    The establishment of the hub is anticipated to contribute as much as $71 billion to Saudi Arabia’s economy. This projection underscores the significant economic potential tied to embracing advanced AI applications. The agreement is anticipated to speed up the integration of AI—specifically in Arabic—within major sectors such as healthcare, retail, and financial services across Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, Africa, and “around the world,” Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Google and Alphabet, stated. “As part of Saudi Arabia’s rich technology ecosystem, we aim to create highly skilled jobs for Saudis and opportunities for global businesses to fuel growth through cloud adoption,” she added.

  • Sotheby’s Plans Its First-Ever Auction in Saudi Arabia

    The sale will take place on February 8, 2025, and is titled “Origins.” It will feature art by both Saudi artists and internationally known names, as well as a range of luxury items, including jewelry, watches, cars, sports memorabilia, and handbags. The auction and a related pre-sale exhibition will be held in the historic Diriyah, where the First Saudi State was inaugurated in 1727. Sotheby’s leaders said the company was officially incorporated in the country at the end of last year. The auction house plans to open an office in the Riyadh landmark Al Faisaliah Tower, which was designed by Norman Foster.

  • What links have Trump and his allies maintained with Gulf states?

    Donald Trump, who won a second term in office with his victory in Tuesday's U.S. presidential election, and several of his allies continued to engage with the most powerful and wealthy Gulf countries after his first term ended in 2020. They have forged multi-million dollar business deals and engaged in quiet, behind-the-scenes diplomacy. Trump hosted Qatar's ruling emir and the UAE president separately at his Mar-a-Lago residence and private club in September on the sidelines of their official visits. *Several times since Trump left the White House, Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, discussed U.S.-Saudi diplomacy with Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de-facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS. Kushner attended the 2022 soccer World Cup in Qatar.

  • Gulf States See Trump as Ally They Can Do Business With

    “Obviously, we worked with President Trump before, so we know him and we can find a way to work with him very well,” the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, told CNN last week during the kingdom’s annual investment forum nicknamed “Davos in the Desert.” During his last presidency, Mr. Trump fostered personal relationships with Gulf leaders, offered strong defense support for their countries while steering away from criticizing their human rights records. This time around, the Gulf states will likely look to the new Trump administration for help in ending the devastating war in the Middle East, firm security guarantees and American investment as they try to diversify the region’s economic base away from almost total reliance on energy.

  • Ford is the fastest-growing auto brand in Saudi Arabia ahead of upcoming overseas EV push

    More people are buying Ford’s vehicles in The Middle East than ever. “2024 has been an exceptional year for Ford in the Middle East, with sales having doubled since 2022,” president of Ford Middle East, Ravi Ravichandran, said Thursday. Ford’s success is being driven by “strong market share gains by our distributors,” Ravichandran explained.  The “Mustang Mach E represents a landmark moment for us,” Ford’s president of International Markets Group, Kay Hart, said. “It’s our first fully electric vehicle for the region and is truly one of the most exciting vehicles Ford has ever produced.” Ford will launch the 2025 Mustang Mach-E in the region next year. It will be available in two battery options with an estimated range of 350 to 450 km (217 to 280 miles).

  • ​​New Report Highlights Saudi Arabia’s Wellness Economy

    The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has released new insights into Saudi Arabia’s $19.8 billion wellness economy, as part of its Geography of Wellness research initiative. Highlighted by the UN for surpassing its milestone of over 100 million tourists in 2023—seven years ahead of target—the Kingdom’s tourism sector has expanded rapidly under Vision 2030. Since the government program’s launch, tourism’s contribution to GDP has risen from 3 to 7 percent and is on track to reach 10 percent by 2030. GWI’s data underscores this momentum, showing a 66 percent average annual growth in Saudi Arabia’s wellness tourism sector from 2020 to 2022.

  • Snow falls for the first time ever in desert in Saudi Arabia: Video

    Snow accumulates on roads as it falls for the first time in desert in Saudi Arabia. Bizarre weather brought thunderstorms, hail, and rainfall across Saudi Arabia, and led to the snow accumulation.