#Saudi Arabia

Trade between UAE, GCC worth Dhs229bn in 2019

Saudi Arabia is the UAE’s top trading partner, with a total of Dhs113.2bn in trade exchange in 2019

Saudi’s Haramain Railway to resume operations from March 31

The railway line’s services were suspended in March 2020 to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic

Saudi’s labour reforms take effect with expats now having greater rights

The new initiative offers expatriate workers labour mobility and amends existing exit procedures

Saudi Arabia vows to protect oil facilities after drone attack

The attack on the kingdom’s Ras Tanura port on Sunday caused a brief spike in oil prices

Oil slides amid broader commodity rout as volatility returns

A rising currency wiped out a solid surge following an attack on a major Saudi Arabian export crude terminal

Desert X Prix electric motor race kicks off in April in Saudi’s AlUla

Five-race Extreme E series seeks to highlight the impact of climate change

Abu-Dhabi-International-Airport-1

Abu Dhabi amends ‘green list’ destinations, Saudi back in

The new list, effective from March 8, includes 13 countries, up from 10 in the previous update

Saudi Aramco makes second highest profit on surging oil prices

Key Saudi Arabian oil site attacked, sending crude prices surging above $71

A storage tank in the Ras Tanura terminal was attacked by a drone while a missile also landed near a residential compound for Saudi Aramco employees in Dhahran

Saudi diary company Almarai appoints new CEO

Abdullah Al Bader was the executive vice president of Almarai’s bakery business since 2015

Yemen: 13 soldiers killed and wounded in a drone attack in Taiz

This attack comes after the rebels said earlier today they attacked King khalid military base in southern Saudi Arabia with two bomb-laden drones

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia lifts restrictions on cinemas, gyms and restaurants

Most of the Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted starting Sunday, March 7

Why mixed-use developments represent the future of the community

Mixed-use developments have the power to add immense value to all stakeholders

Saudi’s King Salman Energy Park signs tenant agreements with TAQA and AMCO

TAQA to expand its industrial park; AMCO to set up new manufacturing facilities

Saudi Arabia to ship gas to South Korea and take CO2 back

The state-run energy company already uses carbon dioxide to pump more crude out of the ground in a process known as enhanced oil recovery

Saudi wealth fund may close its biggest-ever loan deal this week

The Public Investment Fund is raising about $15bn from a group of international banks to finance new investments

Whats On Saudi

UAE-based lifestyle brand What’s On launches new website for the Saudi market

The site will focus on food, news, travel and local culture in Riyadh and Jeddah – with expansion to more cities towards Q4 2021

Revealed: Top TikTok influencers in the GCC

TikTok’s approbation in the region continues to gain momentum

NCB, Samba shareholders approve merger to create Saudi National Bank, kingdom’s biggest lender

Operations under the new name and structure are planned to start on April 1, 2021

Jamal Khashoggi

Khashoggi: Saudi Arabia ‘completely rejects’ report; UAE supports kingdom

Saudi Arabia said that the US intelligence committee report, which believed that the crown prince was responsible for Khashoggi murder, contained “inaccurate information and conclusions”

Video: Saudi forces destroy missile targeting ‘civilians’ in Riyadh, debris damages house

The kingdom also intercepted and destroyed six armed drones targeting the southern region, Jazan and Khamis Mushait

Saudi wealth fund commits $3bn to build mega mountain resort project, Soudah

Soudah Development will build 2,700 hotel rooms and 1,300 homes in an area that includes Soudah, the tallest peak in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Crown Prince undergoes surgery, discharged

The procedure to treat appendicitis was undertaken at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia turns to Euro-bond amid near record-low yields

The kingdom is planning a two-part, benchmark-sized deal with a three-year and nine-year offering

Abu Dhabi removes Saudi Arabia from ‘green list’, destinations cut to 10

Passengers arriving from the green list are exempt from mandatory quarantine measures

Lucid Motors

Lucid Motors agrees to go public with $24bn valuation

Lucid will now start production of its debut EV, a luxury sedan called the Air, in the second half of this year

Saudi issues weather warnings, with possibility of snow, heavy rains in certain parts

Saudi Arabia has been seeing many incidents of snowfall this year

Saudi Arabia opens military recruitment to women

Saudi female applicants must be between 21 and 40 years old, have a height of 155 cm or taller, and must not be a government employee

Saudi-backed UK health app Babylon ends deal with Tencent

A $550m cash infusion led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2019 valued the company at about $2bn

Saudi Arabia Oxford-AstraZeneca

Saudi Arabia approves use of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Other GCC countries including the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain have already approved the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine 

Saudi opens new Arar airport with the capacity to serve one million passengers annually

The project, built at a cost of SAR382m, has the capacity to handle more than 10,000 flights per year