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  • Women take part in changing of Kaaba’s kiswa in Saudi Arabia for first time in history

    According to the General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques, female employees took part in the ceremonial changing of the Kaaba’s kiswa – the black cloth decorated with gold and silver threads which adorns the monument – on Sunday by carrying some of its components and handing them over to other workers, who then loaded them into a vehicle for transport to the Makkah’s Grand Mosque.

  • Saudi Arabia set to participate in 2024 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

    The Saudi delegation, headed by His Excellency Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal F. Alibrahim, will include representatives from 13 entities from the government. The delegation includes the Ministry of Economy and Planning, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, National Center for Vegetation Coverage and Combatting Desertification, National Center for Environmental Compliance, General Food Security Authority (GFSA), Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Royal Commission for Al-Ula, Al Madinah Region Development Authority, Quality of Life Program, and Qassim Urban Observatory.

  • Saudi Arabia’s net foreign direct investment rises 5.6% in first quarter

    Net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to Saudi Arabia rose 5.6% to 9.5 billion riyals ($2.53 billion) in the first quarter of 2024, government data showed on Sunday. Inflows were up 0.6% to 17 billion riyals in the first three months compared with a year earlier, while outflows fell by 5.1% to about 7.5 billion riyals.
    The kingdom hopes to attract $100 billion in FDI by 2030 to boost non-oil gross domestic product as part of a wider strategy by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to diversify the economy away from its reliance on crude oil exports.

  • Christie’s celebrates Saudi artist Ahmed Mater and poetic power of art

    “This was the first language of art that told me that art is symbolic, that art is telling a story, that art is your voice,” Mater tells The National. “Here, art is from society, it's part of the family. Art was not inside a frame. It's art for life. It's coming out of the frame to be part of the walls, part of our lifestyle.”

  • Aramco and Sempra announce Heads of Agreement for equity and offtake from Port Arthur LNG Phase 2

    Aramco, one of the world's leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, and Sempra (NYSE: SRE) (BMV: SRE), one of North America's leading energy infrastructure companies, today announce that their respective subsidiaries have executed a non-binding Heads of Agreement (HoA) for a 20-year sale and purchase agreement (SPA) for liquefied natural gas (LNG) offtake of 5.0 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) from the Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 expansion project. The HoA further contemplates Aramco's 25% participation in the project-level equity of Phase 2.

  • Transforming the future of Saudi aquaculture through KAUST’s partnership with MEWA

    In a world facing climate change and a rapidly growing population, food security is emerging as one of the most pressing global challenges. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recognized food security as one of the key objectives of its Vision 2030 program and has launched ambitious projects to address this issue. Among the flagship initiatives is the Aquaculture Development Program (ADP), a joint effort coordinated by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), aimed at transforming the nation’s food economy.

  • After Gantz’s resignation, the far right reasserts dominance over the Israeli government at a particularly sensitive time

    Following the June 9 resignation of Benny Gantz and his National Unity party from Benjamin Netanyahu’s war government, Israel is once again led by a coalition that relies on far-right parties and extremists. This is happening at a particularly sensitive time for the country: Israel faces an additional risk of escalation along its northern border, needs a realistic “day after” plan for the Gaza Strip, has been offered the prospect of normalization with Saudi Arabia, and is on the receiving end of growing international criticism.

  • U.S. Saudi Academic Partnerships (Cooperative Agreement)

    The Saudi Ministry of Education (MOE) has undertaken an ambitious effort to strengthen partnerships between U.S. and Saudi HEIs, including in STEM, the arts, space, energy, and health care, among other topics.  This program will facilitate such linkages by establishing an international academic partnership program that would connect Saudi and U.S. HEIs, selected by the U.S. Embassy and the MOE with the guidance of the award recipient (the Recipient); provide tools to facilitate active bilateral educational exchange and research partnerships; and bring a delegation from the U.S. HEIs to Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran for engagements with the MOE and Saudi HEIs 

  • Saudi Foreign Minister arrives in Russia to participate in BRICS meeting

    Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, on Monday to participate in the BRICS ministerial meeting to be held on Tuesday. The Saudi minister's visit comes at the invitation of the Russian Foreign Minister. Saudi Arabia is attending the meeting as an invited country to join the group. During the meeting, the Foreign Minister will discuss with the BRICS countries issues and priorities of mutual interest, international developments, and global challenges. He will also hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference.

  • Celebrating World Environment Day in Saudi Arabia with two KAUST startups

     King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is celebrating Saudi Arabia hosting World Environment Day 2024 by highlighting two of its innovative local startups that are developing solutions for greening Saudi Arabia.
    Saudi Arabia is hosting World Environment Day on June 5 with a focus on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience. One of the most effective ways to restore degraded land, halt desertification and build drought resilience is through ecosystem restoration.