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  • Red Sea Coastal Cities May Soon be Connected by Rail as SRO Chief Criticized for ‘Endless Promises’
     

    Saudi Arabia’s coastal cities Jeddah and Jazan may soon be connected by rail as the Saudi Railways Organization completed the first phase of a feasibility study, according to a report in Arab News.  P.K. Abdul Ghafour reports that businessmen and officials are welcoming the plan for a railway that would run alongside roads connecting the two coastal cities […]

     
  • Google on a Camel
     

    Google’s Street View has provided 360-degree views of locations around the globe since 2007.   Street View cameras have been deployed on boats, underwater and now, Raffia, a 10-year old camel. Writing for The National, Lindsay Carroll reports on Raffia’s walk in the desert around the Liwa Oasis carrying a specialized camera. The Liwa Desert […]

     
  • Saudi Aramco: Not Your Ordinary NOC
     

    Last month Saudi Aramco opened a 50,000 square foot, state-of-the-art research center in Houston that Saudi Aramco President and CEO, Khalid Al-Falih called, “an upstream research center like no other.”  It will be an extension of Saudi Aramco’s Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Center’s Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC) and it’s Research and Development Center both […]

     
  • Central bank’s record reserves ‘show strength of Saudi economy’
     

    The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA)’s reserve assets soared to another historic level in August, official data show, to over $757.3 billion. The jump in August, an increase of $10.4 billion, shows the strength of the Saudi economy, Asharq Alawsat reports, citing economist Abdulaziz Al-Fahad. Asharq Alawsat: “SAMA itself attributed the rise in reserves to […]

     
  • At C3 US-Arab Business Summit in New York, Experts Discuss Opportunities
     

    On Monday, business and government officials gathered in New York City for the C3 U.S.-Arab Business Summit to discuss opportunities and key issues to the region. In his Keynote address, UAE Businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, discussed his path to success and how he built his business empire over […]

     
  • ‘Sigh of Relief’ as Saudi Arabia Secures Hajj from Disease, Violence
     

    Saudi Arabia’s management of the largest annual human migration on the planet is closely watched due to the importance of the rite in the Islamic religion, the participation of Muslims from around the globe and the immense logistical complexities of the event. This year’s Hajj was exceptionally challenging for authorities with a trifecta of serious threats […]

     
  • Lockheed, Raytheon Sell ‘Worlds Most Advanced’ Patriot Missile System to Saudi Arabia for $1.7b
     

    U.S. defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are the lead contractors in the proposed $1.7b sale of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile system to Saudi Arabia, following a request for approval by the Pentagon.  The development is the latest in recent weeks indicating a strengthening of U.S.-Saudi ties as the two countries coordinate security efforts to counter […]

     
  • Why MNCs Must Localize their Saudi Business
     

    Saudi Arabia is one of Europe, Middle East and Africa’s (EMEA) top emerging markets, but it is on an unsustainable growth path that threatens long-term prosperity. In addressing this problem through economic diversification, the government will increasingly push multi-national corporations (MNC) to localize their presence or risk being shut out of the market. Success for […]

     
  • The New Face of Mecca: As Hajj Begins, 1.3 Million Pilgrims will Find a Changing Holy City in Saudi Arabia
     

    The 2014 Hajj begins today as 1.3 million followers of Islam descend on Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca. But visiting Muslims will find a holy place that is rapidly changing and developing. Through the lens of the Saudi Press Agency’s high-quality images, the city of Mecca is shown mid-transformation, with construction cranes and unfinished […]

     
  • In First Weekly for Ashmore, Sfakianakis Highlights ‘Wall Street’s Retreat from EM Market-Making’
     

    In his first weekly for the London-based Ashmore Investments, John Sfakianakis and co-author Jan Dehn write that emerging markets are playing a larger role in international finance, and recent political and economic developments around the globe “illustrate Wall Street’s decline as market-maker for Emerging Markets (EM) assets.”   The full analysis, available here and used by […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Mystery shopper program helps uncover IP violations across Saudi Arabia

    The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property has issued its annual report for preserving intellectual property rights for 2023, showing that it received over 2,680 complaints related to copyrights, including trademarks. The growing awareness of the need to adhere to laws and regulations that govern the ownership, use and protection of intellectual property contributed to a 50 percent increase in the total number of complaints in 2023, the authority said.

  • A look at market share of major Saudi perfume companies

    The prospectus for the initial public offering (IPO) of Almajed for Oud Co. on the Main Market (TASI) revealed the market shares of companies operating in the Saudi perfume market in 2022. According to the prospectus, the top five frontrunners in the Saudi perfume market accounted for 36.9% of the total market shares in 2022, as the sector was relatively fragmented at the time. The remaining competitors took 64.3% of the total.

  • MEPCO to commence $91.94mln project backed by PIF

    The board of Middle East Paper Company (MEPCO) approved the investment in the Tissue Paper Production Line 6 project (TM6), which is estimated at SAR 345 million. The project aims to boost the production capacity of the Juthor factory located in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) by 60,000 tonnes, according to a bourse disclosure.

  • Incoming RIBA president defends work on Neom

    Weston Williamson + Partners co-founder Williamson will officially become RIBA president-elect next month after winning an election in July. According to the Architects' Journal, his studio is believed to have worked on the high-speed railway that will run under the 170-kilometre-long The Line mega city. The Line is the centre piece of the controversial Neom project in northwestern Saudi Arabia, which has been criticised on environmental and human rights grounds, particularly following reports that three men among communities evicted from the site have been sentenced to death. Saudi Arabia's government has claimed the men are convicted terrorists.

  • Blinken says Israel accepts Gaza proposal, urges Hamas to do same

    U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a "bridging proposal" presented by Washington to tackle disagreements blocking a ceasefire deal in Gaza, and urged Hamas to do the same. Blinken spoke to journalists after a day of meetings with Israeli officials, including a 2-1/2-hour meeting with Netanyahu. The top U.S. diplomat had said earlier that this push was probably the best and possibly last opportunity for a deal.

  • How prepared is Saudi Arabia to handle mpox?

    An international outbreak of a milder variant of mpox occurred between July 2022 and May 2023. The first cluster of cases was reported in the UK, followed soon after by more in other parts of the world, including Europe and North America. It was the first time that a transmission chain had been reported outside of Africa without any known epidemiological links to West or Central Africa. In all, 87,000 cases were reported in 111 countries, and 140 people died.

  • Tawakkalna tops government platforms in digital experience maturity index

     Tawakkalna app, affiliated with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), topped the government platforms in the Digital Experience Maturity Index for 2024 in Saudi Arabia, with a rate of 91.29%. This is among 39 digital platforms that were evaluated according to 4 main perspectives, under which 20 axes were included: measuring beneficiary satisfaction through the participation of more than 175,000 beneficiaries in evaluating their satisfaction with their digital experience and dealing with their complaints and evaluating the digital technologies and tools that enable these platforms.

  • Rare blue supermoon to light up Saudi Arabia’s skies

    The first supermoon of 2024 is set to light up the night skies of Saudi Arabia on Monday night, a rare event during which the moon is closer to Earth and thus appears larger and brighter than usual.

  • Saudi Arabia’s premier auction event brings together global falcon breeders to Riyadh

    The event, running through August 24th, features 35 breeding farms representing more than 16 countries. Its significance is underscored by impressive sales figures, including a record-breaking falcon sold for 1.75 million Saudi Riyals in 2021. The auction has generated more than 18 million Riyals in total sales since its launch.

  • Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup™ 2034 Bid. One of the fastest and most exciting growth stories in world football

    In 2034, Saudi Arabia hopes to become the first single country to host a 48-team FIFA World Cup™. Almost two-thirds of Saudis who live in the Kingdom are under 30 years old. Football is one of the most powerful examples of the country's rapid transformation, with tens of thousands of young boys, girls, men and women taking up the sport.