QUOTED

Quoted

“When it comes to laws affecting women’s decisions to work, laws affecting women’s pay, constraints on women starting and running a business, and laws affecting the size of a woman’s pension, Saudi Arabia gets a perfect score of 100.”

-A conclusion from the recent World Bank report, Women, Business and the Law 2024. [DW.com]

TOP STORY

OPEC and IEA Agree on Something

IEA

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), two of the leading global energy forecasters, have long disagreed on demand growth.  They agree on this however.

[more]

 

MORE TOP STORYLINES

Saudi Wealth Fund Is in Talks to Acquire National Airline

Via Leen Al-Rashdan and Matthew Martin in bloomberg.com: The Public Investment Fund is considering a deal that would see it add the 80-year old Saudia to its growing portfolio of aviation assets as soon as next year, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. The PIF would be taking over ownership of the airline from the government with a view to improving efficiency and profitability, the people said. The carrier could then be privatized or merged with Riyadh Air, which the wealth fund is currently setting up, they said.

Rory McIlroy explains what he wants PGA Tour players to learn from Saudi PIF meeting

Via Adam Woodard in usatoday.com: Patrick Cantlay confirmed a Golfweek report that a group of PGA Tour players are planning to meet with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, on Monday in an effort to continue towards a deal that would seemingly reunite men’s professional golf. The original report stated the meeting was tentatively scheduled at a private residence in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, following the conclusion of the Players Championship at nearby TPC Sawgrass.

Americans Still See China as Nation's Top Foe, Russia Second

Via Lydia Saad in gallup.com: Forty-one percent of Americans name China as the United States’ greatest enemy today, making it the top perceived U.S. adversary for the fourth straight year. Russia ranks second, cited by 26%, followed by Iran at 9%. Five percent of national adults now name the United States itself, edging out North Korea at 4%.

 

MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND

‘To the Future’: Saudi Arabia Spends Big to Become an A.I. Superpower

More than 200,000 people converged at the conference, including Adam Selipsky, chief executive of Amazon’s cloud computing division, who ...[By Adam Satariano and Paul Mozur via nytimes.com]

 

Saudi giga-project Diriyah Gate targets 2027 completion

Diriyah Gate, one of the first Saudi giga-projects, said this week that it was on target for completion by late 2027. The opening of the project’s...[By Andrew Hammond via agbi.com]

 

Greg Norman ‘open-minded’ to altering LIV’s signature 54-hole format

His comment is significant because, like LIV Golf’s team competition and shotgun starts, the...[By Cindy Boren via washingtonpost.com]

 

Book Review: The Conflicts Shaping the Middle East

The recently released book “Battleground – 10 Conflicts that Explain the New Middle East” by historian Christopher Phillips provides a useful overview of ten ongoing conflicts...[By Christopher Phillips via thecipherbrief.com]

 

Oil price could exceed $100 a barrel if Middle East conflict worsens, World Bank warns

A serious escalation of tensions in the Middle East would push the price of oil above $100 (£80) a barrel and reverse...[By Larry Elliott via theguardian.com]

 

GCC’s project awards jump 20% to $45b despite geopolitical headwinds

The regional upswing also defies oil production cutbacks which have all weighed on economic growth in the region as seen from International Monetary Fund’s latest...[By Issac John via khaleejtimes.com]

 

Saudi economy witnessing a fundamental shift, says minister

Speaking at the event titled “Industrial policies to promote economic diversification,” the top official said there have been fundamental changes in the legislative and economic regulations to...[via arabnews.com]

 

Saudi Arabia Makes Strides In Global Energy Discourse At 26th World Energy Congress

From April 22 to 25, 2024, the 26th World Energy Congress convened in the Netherlands, drawing participation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s energy industry....[By Pooja Chandak via solarquarter.com]

 

Henning Larsen Architects Reveals Jeddah Opera House in Saudi Arabia

Henning Larsen Architect has just revealed the designs for The Jeddah Opera House, a new local landmark in Saudi Arabia. Drawing inspiration from the historical...[By Nour Fakharany via archdaily.com]

 

‘World’s largest’ coral-restoration project unveiled in Saudi Arabia

One of Saudi Arabia's top universities has announced a Red Sea project described as the world’s largest coral reef restoration. ...[By Daniel Bardsley via thenationalnews.com]

 

NDMC closes the April 2024 Issuance under the Saudi Arabian Government SAR-denominated Sukuk Program

The National Debt Management Center announces the closure of April 2024 issuance under the Saudi Arabian Government SAR-denominated Sukuk Program. The total amount allocated was...[via mof.gov]

 

India’s oil imports from Russia drops 19% in February, Saudi Arabia 2nd largest supplier

The month-on-month decline in imports from Russia comes amid lower discounts offered by Russia. Russia has been the largest source of crude for...[By Rituraj Baruah via livemint.com]

 

Two US law firms push into Saudi Arabia under new attorney rules

Two major U.S. law firms are opening offices in Saudi Arabia following a change last year in...[By David Thomas via reuters.com]

 

IDC expects Saudi Arabia’s ICT spending to hit $37.4B by 2024-end

Spending on the information and communication technology (ICT) market in Saudi Arabia is expected to reach about $37.4 billion by the end of 2024, showing...[via argaam.com]

 

Saudi Arabia Makes It Clear They’re Taking Design Seriously

Set within the landmark Mediateca Santa Teresa library in Milan’s Brera district, Design Space AlUla presented a smattering of projects...[By Ryan Waddoups via surfacemag.com]

 

Saudi Arabia marks Vision 2030’s 8-year anniversary

Today marks the eight-year anniversary of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, an ambitious blueprint aimed at transforming the Kingdom into a...[via arabianbusiness.com]

 

Vision 2030: 87% of initiatives on track or completed

More than halfway through its "Saudi Vision 2030" journey, Saudi Arabia has demonstrated notable progress, with 87% of the 1,064 initiatives either completed or advancing...[via saudigazette.com]

 

Saudi fund PIF’s managed assets hit $749bln in 2023

Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund PIF's managed assets reached 2.81 trillion riyals ($749.2 billion) in 2023, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday. The kingdom's non-oil...[By Jana Choukeir and Nayera Abdallah via zawya.com]

 

Shock and confusion as Turkey seizes earthquake survivors’ homes

Habip Yapar felt lucky that his home in southern Turkey withstood last year's devastating earthquake. Then a text message appeared on his phone in October...[By Ceyda Caglayan and Burcu Karakas via reuters.com]

 

Israeli troops raid Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital

Israeli troops raided the compound of Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital early on Monday in an operation that Palestinian health authorities said caused multiple casualties and...[By James Mackenzie and Nidal Al-Mughrabi via reuters.com]

 
 

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