QUOTED

Quoted

“Saudi Arabia’s public debt is low (26.5% of GDP in 2023, compared with 65% in Germany and 112% in France), and its fiscal room for maneuver is substantial.” Saudi Arabia takes on debt to finance its megaprojects [Le Monde]

TOP STORY

FIFA Series 2024 Friendly Matches Kick Off in Jeddah

Prince_Abdullah_Al-Faisal_Sports_City

The FIFA Series: Saudi Arabia A will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from March 21–26, 2024The event will feature two groups, including Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, and Cape Verde. The series is designed to help national teams that do not often play teams from other confederations, and FIFA will cover the teams’ travel costs. There will be no trophies or prize money.

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MORE TOP STORYLINES

Saudi consumers spend $3.11 billion during first week of Ramadan

in saudigazette.com: The number of point-of-sale operations in Saudi Arabia during the first week of Ramadan (March 10-16) reached 168,615,000, with a value of SR11,688,154,000. According to the weekly bulletin for points of sale, issued by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the number of operations in clothing and shoes reached 6,283,000 with a value of SR914,909,000 while the number of operations in construction materials stood at 1,522,000, with a value of SR307,596,000.

The four Grand Slams, the two tours and Saudi Arabia are all hoping to revamp tennis

Via Howard Fendrich in go.com: Tennis could be on the verge of massive structural change if one of two separate proposals formulated by the four Grand Slam tournaments and the WTA and ATP professional tours ends up moving forward

Gaza Heads Into Famine as Gulf Countries Scramble to Respond

Via William Roebuck in agsiw.org: As Israel’s military action in Gaza stretches into its seventh month, the humanitarian situation has descended to levels that aid experts and officials struggle to convey. The head of the United Nations World Food Program has warned that Gaza faces the “real prospect of famine by May, with over 500,000 people at risk.” The European Union Parliament rang the alarm in mid-March of the “looming risk of mass starvation in Gaza.” Shortly afterward, UNICEF warned that rates of acute malnutrition have doubled in one month, a “staggering escalation” according to aid experts, with one in three children in Gaza now suffering from acute malnutrition.

 

MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND

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

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Saudi giga-project Diriyah Gate targets 2027 completion

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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

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

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

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

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Henning Larsen Architects Reveals Jeddah Opera House in Saudi Arabia

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‘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

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

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

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

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Saudi Arabia Makes It Clear They’re Taking Design Seriously

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Saudi Arabia marks Vision 2030’s 8-year anniversary

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Vision 2030: 87% of initiatives on track or completed

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

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FIFA seals closer ties to Saudi Arabia with World Cup sponsor deal for oil firm Aramco

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Gulf States at the Venice Biennale: Balancing Social Transformation and Cultural Representation

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Blinken adds Israel stop to latest Mideast tour as tensions rise over Gaza war

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Yemen’s Houthis Tell China, Russia Their Ships Won’t Be Targeted

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U.S. to review Israeli assurances it is not violating international law

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Netanyahu tells Republicans Gaza war will continue, days after Schumer speech

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