MUST-READS

• Saudis Said to Hand About 60% of Aramco Offer to Foreigners

  Foreign investors were allocated about 60% of the shares on offer in Saudi Aramco’s $11.2 billion stock sale, people familiar with the matter said, marking a turnaround from the oil giant’s 2019 listing that ended up as a largely local affair.

• Saudi Arabia committed to cooperate in global efforts to protect marine resources, says climate affairs envoy

  Saudi Arabia’s climate envoy, Adel Al-Jubeir, on Saturday said the Kingdom is committed to cooperate with the international community in enhancing efforts to protect oceans and marine resources. Al-Jubeir, who is also minister of state for foreign affairs and a member of the Council of Ministers, reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment in a speech at Ocean Action: Immersed in Change, a high-level event in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

• Saudi Arabia’s automotive market surges amid shifting consumer preferences

  The Kingdom imported 93,300 cars in 2023, marking a significant increase from the previous year’s 66,900, as revealed by Hamoud Al-Harbi, spokesperson for the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority. This surge brings the total number of cars imported in 2022 and 2023 to 160,000, with major contributors including Japan, India, South Korea, the US, and Thailand.

• Saudi Arabia’s private sector workforce surges to 11.3 million
  The number of employees in the Saudi private sector soared to 11.37 million last month, indicating significant job growth, according to an official labour agency.
  The Saudi National Labour Observatory (NLO) reported in a monthly publication that the workforce comprises 9 million expatriates and 2.3 million Saudis, including 971,323 female citizens.

• PGA Tour reports ‘progress’ without details in meeting with Saudi wealth fund leaders

  The PGA Tour reported progress without details from a face-to-face meeting between its negotiating committee and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia as it tries to work toward a deal. “We want to get this right, and we are approaching discussions with careful consideration for our players, our fans, our partners and the game's future,” the tour said in a statement released Saturday morning.

• Saudi minister says no place for ‘political slogans’ during Hajj in apparent Gaza reference

  The Saudi government has reiterated its stance that the annual Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj is strictly a religious event for worship only, rather than a venue for political expression.

  According to multiple reports, Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabia said, "Hajj is for worship, not for any political slogans", adding that the leadership was committed to ensuring the pilgrimage “embodies the highest levels of devotion, tranquillity and spirituality."

  The statement was in response to a journalist who had asked the minister about the rules and punitive measures regarding the display of "political and sectarian slogans".

• How Saudi Arabia Outbound Travel Surging Tourism In 59 Country With Visa Free Access Including Turkey, Egypt, Kazakhstan And Georgia?

  The Saudi Arabian passport continues to enhance its global presence by granting its holders visa-free access to an impressive list of 59 countries and territories. Currently ranked as the 46th most powerful passport globally, it allows Saudi citizens to travel widely and effortlessly. Additionally, Saudis can visit GCC countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE using just their national ID, streamlining travel within the region.

• Israel’s centrist minister Benny Gantz quits Netanyahu government
  Israeli minister Benny Gantz announced his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government on Sunday, withdrawing the only centrist power in the embattled leader's far-right coalition amid a months-long war in Gaza.
  The departure of Gantz's centrist party will not pose an immediate threat to the government. But it could have a serious impact nonetheless, leaving Netanyahu reliant on hardliners, with no end in sight to the Gaza war and a possible escalation in fighting with Lebanese Hezbollah.

• Hamas official urges US to pressure Israel to end Gaza war
  A senior Hamas official urged the United States on Monday to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza, ahead of the planned visit on Monday by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region to push forward ceasefire efforts.
  Blinken is set to visit Egypt and Israel on Monday. He also aims to ensure the war does not expand into Lebanon.
  "We call upon the U.S. administration to put pressure on the occupation to stop the war on Gaza and the Hamas movement is ready to deal positively with any initiative that secures an end to the war," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said.

• Fighting between central Somalia clans kills at least 55, residents say
  A violent clash over the weekend between two clans in central Somalia has killed at least 55 people and injured another 155, residents and medical officials said on Monday.
  Somalia's federal government is not only struggling to contain violence unleashed by the Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group, but is also facing clan-based clashes over control of land and water in the Horn of Africa nation.

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