Saudi Arabia - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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Saudi Arabia

June 29, 2026

Riyadh 1:38 pm

41°C

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

Around 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is 35 years old or younger, according to the kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics, providing ample opportunity for an educated and technology-savvy national workforce in the coming decades.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Gulf states push incentives for investors, expats after war dents image

Several Gulf states are working to recover their images as global havens of stability in the wake of the Iran war.

United Arab Emirates

French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

Interview

Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French investors are reallocating capital toward strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and technology rather than pulling out of the region altogether.

Axel Baroux

France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

Latest News

Saudi Aramco's VC arm sees boom in emerging technologies, retail

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Who is Fahd Al-Dosari, Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Lebanon?

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji meets with Fahd bin Abdulrahman bin Hathloul Al-Dosari, the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut on June 17, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Saudi mine

Saudi Arabia's mining sector sees boost after UK and domestic fund deals

The agreement with Saudi Arabia will help the United Kingdom reduce dependence on China, according to the British government.

Former Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo leaves with his Spanish girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez after attending a court hearing for tax evasion in Madrid on Jan. 22, 2019.

Culture

Can Ronaldo live with girlfriend in conservative Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia does not allow non-married couples to live together, though laws and customs have relaxed in some respects.

Participants attend the launch of the new tourism visa in Ad Diriyah, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 27, 2019.

Saudi Public Investment Fund announces new tourism project in Diriyah

The sovereign wealth fund is seeking to boost tourism to the kingdom per the Vision 2030 initiative.

LIV golf

Culture

Explainer: Saudi-funded LIV Golf’s legal battle with PGA

LIV Golf is accused of tracking 9/11 victims who have been protesting the breakaway league. The leader of 9/11 Justice called the accusation “bone-chilling,” and LIV has yet to comment.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Uber Travel now available in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt

The American ride-hailing giant faces significant competition in the Middle East and North Africa, but continues to expand in the region.

This picture taken from the Mount of Olives shows a view of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its Dome of the Rock, Old City, Jerusalem, Jan. 2, 2023.

UAE, Saudi, others condemn Israeli minister’s visit to Jerusalem holy site

Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif could hurt the new far-right Israeli government's relations with Arab states and Turkey.

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Saudi soccer team reported to sign Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly sign with Riyadh's Al Nassr Football Club, for which landing the Portuguese superstar is a major win.

Nishimura

Japan strengthens energy ties to Saudi Arabia, Oman

Oman wants to increase its natural gas exports, and Saudi Arabia continues to show interest in clean energy and carbon capture technology.

Sunset shot showing a row of electricity pylons in the desert, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Getty Images)

Analysis

2022 in review: Saudi-China, Qatar-Germany deals cap Middle East's energy developments

Hydrogen power, oil price fluctuations and electric vehicles could feature prominently in the region in 2023.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Dignitaries pose together in a photo at the start of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership.

Iranian, Saudi FMs meet in Jordan after months of stalled dialogue

The Iranian-Saudi dialogue stalled earlier this year amid the protests in Iran and political tensions in Iraq.

A picture taken on Nov. 3, 2019, shows a sign of Saudi Aramco's initial public offering.

Saudi Arabia sends blue ammonia to South Korea

Saudi-South Korean energy and economic cooperation is increasing. Other Gulf states are also exploring blue ammonia, and the energy source has both benefits and downsides.

ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images

Despite loss, Saudi Arabia scores big at World Cup

In Qatar, a sprawling 18,000 square-meter Saudi House — a large exhibition pavilion erected on Doha’s waterfront — seems to flex the kingdom’s soft-power muscles, as Saudi tries to shake off its ultra-conservative image.