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  • As the LPGA surges with Rose Zhang, Saudi Arabia’s PIF could help itself by forging a partnership

    In less than a month on the professional golf scene, Zhang has placed a spotlight on the women’s game and the LPGA Tour as the PGA Tour considers a new relationship with the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund that is backing LIV Golf. Since its inception in 1950, the LPGA Tour has operated in the shadow of the men’s game and the economic and popularity disparities between the two organizations are certain to widen with the infusion of PIF money.

  • Hajj pilgrimage starts in Saudi Arabia, with 2 million expected after lifting of COVID measures

    Some 2 million Muslim pilgrims officially began the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Monday, making their way out of Mecca after circling Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba, and converging on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert for a day and night of prayer. One of the largest religious gatherings in the world has returned to full capacity this year for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago. The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do it.

  • Aston Martin turns to US EV company Lucid for high-tech help

    Aston Martin (AML.L) has reached a deal that will give U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Lucid Group (LCID.O) a 3.7% stake in return for access to its "high performance" technology, the British company said on Monday, sending its shares up nearly 15%. Under the agreement, Aston Martin will make cash payments and issue 28.4 million new ordinary shares to Lucid, worth together about $232 million. The shift to electric is phenomenally costly, with carmakers globally committing around $1.2 trillion to the low-emission technology. Smaller carmakers like Aston Martin are more reliant on partnerships to make the transition.

  • Arbitration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Part 3 – The SCCA Arbitration Rules 2023

    Following Mayer Brown and Al Akeel & Partners’ alliance in May 2022, we are delighted to launch this joint series about arbitration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

  • Qatar says ‘hot competition’ for $30 billion North Field East partnership

    Qatar’s state owned energy giant, QatarEnergy, has engaged in talks with several Asian nations to take an equity stake in Qatar’s massive $30 billion North Field East expansion project. “There is a hot competition to associate with the prestigious North Field expansion project,” al-Kaabi told Gulf Times at a media event at the QatarEnergy headquarters.

  • Biden adviser in Saudi Arabia as part of Israel normalization push

    Amos Hochstein, President Biden's senior adviser for energy and infrastructure, is visiting Saudi Arabia this week for talks with senior Saudi officials, two sources familiar with the trip tell Axios. Why it matters: Hochstein’s trip is part of the diplomatic push by the White House to try to reach a set of agreements that would upgrade U.S.-Saudi relations and include a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

  • Saudi Arabia charts the first-ever coastal tourism map of Red Sea  

    Tourists traveling to The Red Sea Project can expect better mobility and accessibility options as Saudi authorities are developing the Kingdom’s first geographical navigation map that charts the scope of marine tourism in the coastal area. The Saudi Red Sea Authority and the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information have partnered with 19 government agencies to develop the first-ever coastal tourism map of the Red Sea.

  • Who’s Who: Hadeel Biyari, first Saudi Indirect Tax Partner at Deloitte Middle East

    Hadeel Biyari is the first Saudi Indirect Tax Partner at Deloitte Middle East, where she also serves as the firm’s KSA Indirect Tax Controversy and Litigation Leader. In these prominent roles, Biyari's responsibilities are multifaceted. She drives business development initiatives, identifies opportunities for revenue expansion, keeps abreast of the ever-evolving indirect tax laws and regulations, and imparts thought leadership to clients seeking expert guidance.

  • Saudi artist Ahmed Mater talks to Christie’s about his art

    Ahmed Mater was born in Tabuk in the northwest of Saudi Arabia in 1979, and grew up near the city of Abha in the southwest of the country. His father was a sergeant in the army and his mother was a calligrapher and artist. After training as a doctor, Mater studied at the Al-Meftaha Arts Village, where he began using discarded X-rays from the local hospital to make art. The culmination of this practice was the powerful installation Evolution of Man (2010), in which an X-ray of a man holding a gun is transformed into a petrol pump.

  • Justice Department looking into PGA Tour deal with LIV’s Saudi backers, AP source says

    The Justice Department has begun to examine an agreement between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabian backers of LIV Golf to determine whether it violates federal antitrust statutes, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The inquiry is in its early stages, and it isn’t clear yet whether the Justice Department would take any enforcement action, the person said. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the inquiry and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The Wall Street Journal first reported the Justice Department’s involvement.