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QUOTED
“African players are doing well in the Pro League because the climate is similar. We are used to the heat. There are often big spaces in games which gives us an opportunity to show our athletic abilities – the power, the speed. Saudi Arabia is, in general, quite an easy place to adapt, especially from a place like Nigeria where half the population is Muslim.” 31-year-old Troost-Ekong, captain of Al-Kholood, Africa’s growing ‘brotherhood’ in Saudi Pro League [BBC]
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TOP STORY
Despite a global downtrend in key trust measurements, Saudi citizens scored an 87% in trust in government in the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer to lead the globe and surpass Saudi Arabia’s rating of 86% last year. [more]
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MORE TOP STORYLINES
Via Tamara Abueish in alarabiya.net: Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has called on Muslims to sight the crescent moon of Ramadan on the evening of Friday, February 28. The date corresponds with the 29th of Shaaban 1446 in the Islamic Hijri calendar. “The Supreme Court requests that anyone who sees it (the moon) with the naked eye or through binoculars informs the nearest court and registers their testimony, or contacts the nearest center to assist them in reaching the nearest court,” the authority said in its statement. If the moon is spotted on Friday evening after the Maghrib, or sunset, prayer, then Ramadan will commence on March 1. However, if the crescent moon is not spotted, then the holy month will begin on March 2.
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Via Polly Thompson in msn.com: According to Source Global, a UK-based research firm that tracks the consulting industry, the GCC consulting market grew 13.2% in 2023. Source Globals research found that in the more mature US and British markets, growth in 2023 slowed to 5.2% and 4.7%, respectively. In previous years, growth in both countries had been in double digits. Dane Albertelli, a senior analyst at Source Global, told Business Insider that the scale of growth in the GCC advisory market is unprecedented and that it has become the place for opportunity and the place where these companies can make a lot of money. Albertelli said that data for 2024 has yet to be finalized but that the GCC market was expected to have accelerated by more than 15%.
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Via Sumanta Sen in reuters.com: The U.S. Agency for International Development, Washingtons primary humanitarian aid agency, has been a top target of a government reduction program spearheaded by billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk since President Donald Trump took office on January 20. Hours after he was sworn in, Trump ordered a 90-day pause to all U.S. foreign assistance pending assessments of efficiencies and consistency with his foreign policy. Four days later, on January 24, the U.S. State Department issued a stop-work order for all existing foreign assistance and paused new aid with the exception of waivers for military financing for Israel and Egypt. While the government gave an exemption for emergency food assistance and issued waivers for certain life-saving aid, uncertainty around most other programs has put thousands of jobs and millions of dollars’ worth of aid material in jeopardy. The effects of shutting foreign aid down permanently could have impacts globally, especially for countries in Africa and the Middle East. The U.S. has contributed the largest foreign assistance among countries, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The majority of USAID programs across the world are non-military in nature. Nearly one-third of all disbursements were for programs in the health sector. Aiding communities living with HIV or AIDS, providing sustainable access to drinking water and sanitation services, improving maternal and child health were among the top programs.
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MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND
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Saudi Arabia ranked as the most trusted government worldwide, with a remarkable 87 percent trust rate, according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer. This reflects...[via saudigazette.com]
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Since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine three years ago as of February 24, the Saudi crown prince has found himself under enormous...[By David Ottaway via wilsoncenter.org]
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Saudi Arabia overtook the UAE in 2023, accounting for 41 percent of transactions, driven by Vision 2030 and increased sovereign wealth fund activity. Together, both...[via pe-insights.com]
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Saudi Arabia sold a €1.5 billion ($1.58 billion) debut green euro bond after drawing in €7.25 billion of investor bids, as the country seeks to...[By Mirette Magdy and Olga Voitova via yahoo.com]
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Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the UAE have produced more than half of the 490 Islamic fintech firms present globally, a new report has revealed. A total...[via salaamgateway.com]
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A mobile training team of U.S. Airmen assigned to Air Forces Central (AFCENT) led the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) in completing its inaugural Chief...[By David Sherman via dvidshub.net]
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Saudi chemicals giant SABIC plans to cut costs and find new investment opportunities, it said on Wednesday after reporting worse than expected fourth-quarter results against...[By Pesha Magid and Yousef Saba via zawya.com]
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The launch of the first phase marks a milestone in one of Riyadh’s major development projects, which was unveiled by King Salman bin Abdulaziz on...[via argaam.com]
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African footballers will play an important role as the Saudi Pro League season moves towards its climax in May, with more than 50 talents from...[By John Duerden via bbc.com]
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TKO, the parent company of the UFC and WWE, is nearing an agreement with the Saudi Arabian public wealth fund to create a new boxing...[By Ben Fowlkes via yahoo.com]
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Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is reportedly in preliminary discussions to acquire a stake in the aerostructures unit of Leonardo SpA, Italy’s prominent aerospace and...[via msn.com]
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On the edge of NEOM stands Jebel Safina, or Ship Rock, a 50-meter-high sandstone and limestone formation that resembles a vessel stranded...[By Jennifer Bell via alarabiya.net]
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Jadwa Investment, a leading investment management and advisory firm in the Middle East, was awarded Asset Manager of the Year for 2024 as part of...[via argaam.com]
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Some senior figures in the Saudi royal family have played the role of firefighter- diplomats. A number of such people are still active today. These...[By Haitham El-Zobaidi via thearabweekly.com]
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Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind Saudi regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and AMAALA, announced a deal to bring Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)...[via arabianbusiness.com]
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Militant group Hamas said on Thursday it was ready to begin talks on the second phase of...[By Rami Amichay, Nafisa Eltahir, Yomna Ehab, Maayan Lubell, Ali Sawafta, Nidal al-Mughrabi, Ahmed Tolba and Alexander Cornwell via reuters.com]
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More than 1,000 Syrians died in detention at a military airport on the outskirts of Damascus, killed...[By Reade Levinson and Feras Dalatey via reuters.com]
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US President Donald Trump appears to have finally accepted that his scheme to expel all 2.2 million Palestinians permanently from Gaza and have...[By Hussein Ibish via thenationalnews.com]
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