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  • Saudi Arabia to raise localization rates in 269 professions

    The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) announced the issuance of a series of decisions aimed to raise the Saudization rates in as many as 269 professions across various sectors. According to the decision, it is mandatory to implement 55 percent Saudization in pharmacy activities and 65 percent Saudization in pharmacy activities associated with hospitals effective from July 27, 2025. The Saudization drive will be implemented in partnership with a number of supervisory bodies such as the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing. The decisions included localizing the professions of dentistry, pharmacy, accounting, and engineering technical professions. These decisions come within the framework of efforts aimed at providing more stimulating and productive job opportunities for male and female citizens in various regions of the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

  • Italy, Saudi Arabia ink $10 billion cooperation and industrial deals

    "There is enormous potential in our cooperation and my wish is that this visit can open a completely new phase in our partnership," Meloni said. "This is what the joint declaration we signed today foresees. It declares that our two nations can broaden their horizons and explore many new opportunities together". Meloni said Italy and Saudi Arabia had signed "many agreements at government level but also supporting MoUs signed by public and private entities during the visit". She cited infrastructure, energy, defence, sport, entertainment and tourism as areas where cooperation between the two countries could become "stronger, more effective and deeper".

  • Saudi Arabia condemns deadly attack on healthcare facility in Sudan

    Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Sunday the drone attack on a Saudi-run hospital in El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region. A drone attack on Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital in the besieged town in western Sudan has killed 70 people and wounded 19 others, the World Health Organization said. The Kingdom described the attack as a “violation of international law and international humanitarian law.” “The Kingdom reiterated its rejection of these violations and emphasized the critical need to protect health and humanitarian workers,” read the foreign ministry statement.

  • Husein Alireza Curates Sotheby’s First Auction in Saudi Arabia

    A co-founder of the Saudi Rowing Federation, Alireza’s international recognition reflects a wider mood of positivity and optimism across the Kingdom – with confident, passionate and supremely optimistic young Saudis innovating and representing in sports and culture on a global platform. Having ascended the heights of sporting success, Alireza now has set his sights on rekindling one of his deepest passions – for art. An art lover since his childhood spent at Charterhouse, Edinburgh and Cambridge, Husein Alireza credits his late mother as a key motivator in his love of creative expression. “My mother loved art, and she loved that I was into art from an early age,” he tells Sotheby’s, as we discuss the forthcoming Origins auction in Diriyah, Sotheby’s inaugural presentation of fine art, jewellery and sporting memorabilia, on February 8, 2025.

  • Saudi Arabia Achieves Record Number of Venture Capital Deals, Maintains First Rank Across MENA

    The 2024 Saudi Arabia Venture Capital Report revealed that Saudi Arabia achieved a record number of 178 venture capital (VC) deals in 2024, accounting for 31% of the MENA region’s total number of deals. The Kingdom also maintained its first rank across the MENA region in terms of VC funding for the second year in a row. The report published today by the venture data platform MAGNiTT and sponsored by SVC also reveals a 34% increase in funding for VC deals in the Kingdom valued at less than $100 million (SAR375 million) in 2024 compared to 2023. This growth indicates a positive trend towards supporting early-stage startups, enhancing the opportunities for the Kingdom’s VC ecosystem to progress to later stages.

  • Hans Zimmer to reimagine Saudi Arabia’s national anthem

    Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is working on a new interpretation of the Saudi national anthem. Turki Al Sheikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, said talks had also been held with Zimmer over a concert and an original composition called Arabia, inspired by the kingdom’s culture and heritage. In a post shared on X, Al Sheikh called Zimmer “one of the greatest musicians of the modern age” and said they discussed several projects that could see the light of day soon. Zimmer was also offered the chance to create the soundtrack for coming Saudi film, The Battle of Yarmouk. Zimmer is a 12-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner, taking home the golden statuette for his work on The Lion King and Dune. Earlier this month, Zimmer performed at Dubai Opera alongside the Limitless Orchestra.

  • Trump holds first foreign leader call with Saudi crown prince

    President Trump held his first official call with a foreign leader since being sworn in for his second term with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a controversial figure who Trump on Thursday praised as a “fantastic guy.” Trump spoke with the crown prince Wednesday, according to a readout from the White House. The two discussed security concerns in the Middle East and stabilizing the region, as well as planned investments by Saudi Arabia in the United States.  The president, addressing political and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, highlighted reports that Saudi Arabia plans to invest at least $600 billion in the U.S. in the coming years.  “I’ll be asking the crown prince, who’s a fantastic guy, to round it out to around $1 trillion,” Trump said. “I think they’ll do that, because we’ve been very good to them.”

  • Saudi Arabia weighs global mining deals as sector consolidates

    Saudi Arabia is looking for mining deals in a push to secure supplies of critical minerals for its industrialization plan, just as a wave of attempted consolidation sweeps the sector. Joining the consolidation drive “could be a good way of entering the market or getting at least access to different assets in a more structured way,” Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He didn’t elaborate whether this would be buying stakes in assets or buying companies outright. Deals have been on Saudi Arabia’s radar for a while as it pushes through with an ambitious economic transformation plan. The overseas drive has had limited results so far with just one major completed deal and another in the works in Pakistan, but recent dealmaking efforts by major companies may give the Saudis an opportunity to deploy their cash.

  • Saudi women’s football sees 195 percent surge in professional players: NEOM report

    Women’s football in Saudi Arabia has experienced “remarkable transformation” since 2018, with over 70,000 girls now participating at the grassroots level, more than 1,500 registered players nationwide and the number of professional female players surging by 195 percent, according to a new report. The report, “Pioneering Change: Women’s Football in Saudi Arabia,” published by the Kingdom’s mega project NEOM in partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), details the rapid development of women’s football in the Kingdom as part of its Vision 2030 reform agenda. The most significant growth has occurred at the grassroots level, with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s (SAFF) Girls’ Schools League seeing participation surge 46 percent year-on-year to reach more than 70,000 players in 2023.

  • Saudi Arabia Joins Hague System for International Registration of Industrial Designs

    Saudi Arabia has become the 99th country to join the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs, the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) announced. The Hague System provides a streamlined process for securing design protection across multiple countries or regions. The system is intended to assist creative individuals in promoting and marketing their designs while ensuring regional and international protection. This accession highlights the Kingdom's commitment to fostering creativity and innovation, which are essential for strengthening the national economy.