MUST-READS

• Saudi Industrial Production Index up 2.1% in December
  Saudi Arabia’s Industrial Production Index (IPI) added 2.1% year-on-year (YoY) in December 2024, data issued by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) showed. The IPI rose to 104.23 points in December, according to the base year 2021, compared to 102.13 points in December 2023. GASTAT attributed the growth to higher activity in manufacturing, water supply, sanitation, waste management and treatment sectors. The IPI measures the relative change in production quantities of materials and goods, tracking their transformation from raw materials to final consumable products for economic returns.

• Saudi Neom, DataVolt sign agreement for $5 billion AI project
  Saudi Arabia's NEOM, a Red Sea urban and industrial development, has signed a deal with DataVolt to develop a 1.5 gigawatt (GW) net zero artificial intelligence project in its Oxagon industrial zone, the Saudi state news agency reported on Monday.
  The project, which will operate as an integrated data centre, would see investment worth $5 billion in the first phase, SPA reported, adding it is set to be operational in 2028. It comes as the kingdom races to become an artificial intelligence hub, amid regional competition from the UAE and Qatar, capitalising on booming demand for generative AI technology, which requires vast amounts of processing power. Last year, the governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) Yasir Al-Rumayyan pitched the kingdom as a prospective hub for artificial intelligence activity outside the United States, citing its energy resources and funding capacity.

• Anti-Patriarchy Saudi Drama ‘Hobal’ Beats Hollywood Titles, Becoming Standout Local Hit

  Saudi filmmaker Abdulaziz Alshlahei’s drama “Hobal” about clashes between tradition and modernity within a Saudi family during the early 1990s is scoring mightily at the Saudi Arabian box office, outperfoming Hollywood titles such as “Mufasa: The Lion King,” “Flight Risk” and “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.” The timely film in which a Saudi family is forced by its grandfather to live in isolation in the desert at the outbreak of the 1990 Gulf War, when a young girl falls ill, prompting her mother to fight the patriarchy to try and save her child, is striking a deep chord with Saudi audiences. “Hobal” has now pulled more than 500,000 admissions since its Jan. 2 release via distributor Qanwat Group, racking up a handsome roughly $5.7 million take to date, according to figures from the Saudi Film Commission which compiles Saudi box office numbers.

• A Blueprint For The Future: Global Lessons In Sustainability From Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030

  My team and I had our eyes on Saudi Arabia with a clear purpose: to meet the people and organizations leading the charge in conservation and sustainability. Our goal was to experience the Kingdom’s top-down approach, where leadership drives businesses and communities alike toward ambitious environmental objectives. From urban planning to marine conservation initiatives, we sought to explore how the country is positioning itself as a global model for integrating advanced science and sustainability into every layer of its rapid development.

• The Terror Designation: Houthis Scramble While Dismissing Its Impact

  President Donald J.Trump’s decision to re-designate Yemen’s Houthi movement a foreign terrorist organization marks a full-circle moment in Washington’s oscillating approach to the Iran-backed militia. The January 22 announcement effectively resurrects Trump’s eleventh-hour 2021 designation, which former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.‘s team swiftly reversed because of its potential impact on the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemen. But this time, the designation arrives amid a dramatically different regional landscape caused by the Houthis’ emboldened activities against Israel and disruption of Red Sea maritime security.

• Records set for Arab artists at Sotheby’s debut Saudi Arabia auction

  Sotheby’s reported a full house for the “Origins” sale, which was held in a 250-seat outdoor amphitheater and featured participants from 45 countries. The sale totaled $17.28m with a sell-through rate of 67% by lot and 74% by value. Almost a third of the buyers were from Saudi Arabia. The auction offered an eclectic mix of around 120 objects. Approximately half were works of art and a quarter watches and jewelry, while there were also 17 designer handbags and several items of sports memorabilia.

• Sotheby’s ‘Origins’ auction in Diriyah achieves more than $17 million in sales, with Saudi artists shining

  Sotheby’s inaugural auction in Saudi Arabia, titled “Origins,” concluded on Saturday with a total of $17,283,840 in sales in the fine art and luxury categories. The historic event at Diriyah’s Bujairi Terrace was a turning point for the Kingdom’s art and luxury scene, with Saudi artists garnering significant attention. Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of Diriyah Company, highlighted the significance of the collaboration between Diriyah and Sotheby’s. “A few years ago, we decided that Sotheby’s, as a 277-year-old brand, had to match up with Diriyah because the value systems were the same, and you can’t be Sotheby’s without being in Diriyah,” he said in his opening remarks. The modern and contemporary art section featured works by Saudi artists that collectively realized $1.1 million in sales.

• Meet your sole mate at Sneaker Con in Riyadh

  Billed as “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth,” Sneaker Con is one of the world’s largest sneaker conventions, which has previously been held in cities across North America, Europe, and Asia. Its Riyadh edition — the first in Saudi Arabia — runs until Feb. 19 at ANB Arena. One visitor, Fares Indejani, highlighted the growing sneaker culture in Riyadh, pointing out that sneakers have become an integral part of personal style and expression. He told Arab News about the impact of the event on the local sneaker community. “These sneaker communities are micro-communities that are often isolated and don’t really have a dedicated space,” he said. “But this event changes that … you can just walk in and meet others like you.

• Iran at standstill on talks with Trump

  Flummoxed by mixed messages coming from the Trump administration, historic deep distrust of the U.S. especially after Trump in 2018 quit the Iran nuclear deal, and the lack of a new US Iran envoy, Iran has retreated in the past days from earlier expressions of cautious interest in direct talks with the United States. “The US violated the very agreement itself… and withdrew from it,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei told Iranian air force commanders Feb. 8, referring to the 2016 Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). “Therefore, negotiating with such a government is neither rational, wise, nor honorable, and should not be pursued.”

• Opinion: Saudi Arabia should consider regional leadership as an alternative to normalisation with Israel

  Looking at the issue objectively, Saudi Arabia does not need to normalise relations with the occupation state of Israel after the collapse of the Iranian axis in the region, the end of Tehran’s influence in Syria in particular and its significant decline in Lebanon. The US and other right-wing Zionist lobbies that were pushing Saudi Arabia to normalisation no longer have an argument to continue to do so. These lobbies, successive US administrations, Netanyahu and Israeli governments are the ones begging for normalisation with Saudi Arabia, because all would benefit from it, but the biggest loser would be Saudi Arabia itself. However, policy and statements issued by Riyadh, especially in the wake of the crazy statements by the man in the White House, all indicate a firmness in the Saudi position that has strengthened the Arab position as a whole, whether about calling for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, or on the issue of the Palestinian state.

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