Technology

People attend the international esports gamers Next World Forum in Riyadh, Sept. 7, 2022.

Culture

Iran war hits Saudi gaming drive as Esports Nations Cup pushed to 2027

The postponement is a blow for the kingdom, which has made growing its esports sector one of the main priorities under its Vision 2030.

A ship sails off the coast of Ajman on July 10, 2026.

Interview

Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF

The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock.

Jihad Azour

Jihad Azour

Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund

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

This photo illustration taken in Damascus on May 20, 2026, shows the X account of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on a smartphone displaying his tweet to President Donald Trump.

Syria reports sabotage of undersea internet cable between Tartous and Alexandria: What to know

The affected cable connects Syria to Egypt and is one of four cables that link to the coastal city of Tartous.

Latest News

Explainer

Saudi investors could emerge as key winners from SpaceX’s historic IPO

The headquarters of SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, with a Falcon 9 booster in March 2024.

Iran partially restores internet after 88-day blackout: What to know

An Iranian woman walks past a mobile phone shop at the Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Oman enters Gulf AI race with new special economic zone in Muscat

Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI / AFP via Getty Images

Who is Handala, the hacktivist group US ties to Iranian intelligence?

Flag of Iran on a computer binary codes falling from the top and fading away.

UAE center unveils Falcon LLM, 'better, faster' ChatGPT rival

The model claims to use only 75 percent of GPT-3’s training compute time, and 40 and 80 percent of DeepMind’s Chinchilla NLP and Google’s PaLM-62B compute times, respectively.

This picture taken on May 11, 2022 shows a view of the main headquarters of Qatari news broadcaster Al Jazeera in the capital Doha.

UAE unblocks several Qatar news sites as ties between two nations warm

Several Qatari-owned news websites had been inaccessible to UAE residents since relations worsened in 2016 over Doha's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, but at least four are now unblocked.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secured. The tweet was found to be false and cost shareholders billions of dollars when Tesla's stock price began to fluctuate wildly allegedly based on the tweet. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Turkey fines Elon Musk over Twitter purchase

The decision follows the implementation of a controversial social media law in Turkey that prompted Twitter to open an office in the country.

People watch the lauching of NASA and SpaceX Dragon Crew-6 mission to International Space Station, at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai on March 2, 2023. - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off to the International Space Station carrying two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and the second Emirati to voyage to space. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE sends second astronaut to space on longest Arab mission

Sultan Saif AlNeyadi will collaborate with NASA and other international space agencies to conduct 19 scientific studies in a wide array of fields.

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attend the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit (SCIS) of the UNFCCC COP27 climate conference on November 07, 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain sign 12 industrial agreements worth $2 billion

The third Higher Committee Meeting of the Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development wrapped up in Amman with 12 new agreements on industrial projects.

The Dubai metro track is seen along Dubai's Shiekh Zayed road on September 09, 2009, as the UAE opens its new metro network in a bid to cut dependency on cars and ease congestion. Dubai is the first city in the oil-rich Gulf to introduce rail as a commuting option. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

New rail network on track to bring billions into UAE economy

The railway will serve the UAE’s sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions in the road transportation sector.

Russia's Rosoboronexport displayed more than 200 combat-tested weapons at an isolated pavilion.

UAE's IDEX weapons fair brings in Russia, China, and billion-dollar deals

The United Arab Emirates’ defense expenditure amounted to $22.5 billion last year and is expected to reach $28.6 billion by 2027.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Saint Petersburg on October 11, 2022. (Photo by PAVEL BEDNYAKOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Ukraine war at year 1: Has Gulf's neutrality on Russia invasion paid off?

Gulf countries — mainly the United Arab Emirates, then Qatar — as well as Turkey have been major recipients of Russian real estate investment in addition to direct financial injections.

By Salim A. Essaid

The Mukaab plan

Saudi Arabia plans for ‘world’s largest downtown’ in Riyadh

The project's centerpiece, a 400-meter cube, will feature both traditional Arabic design elements and futuristic technology.

Doosan Mobility Innovation's DS30W hydrogen fuel cell drone is displayed at CES 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 6, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

How Israel’s HevenDrones latest hydrogen-powered drone can help UAE

The lightweight aerial vehicle for defense or commercial use is the latest fruit of diplomatic normalization between the two countries, and will be featured at IDEX next week.

UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber speaks during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibion and Conference at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 13, 2017.

COP-28 head Sultan Al Jaber: UAE ‘running toward’ energy transition

As the climate summit president continues to face criticism for his role as head of the UAE's state oil producer, Sultan Al Jaber argued that his position will serve more as an asset than an obstacle to energy transition.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 17, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

IMF director credits Gulf, India in boosting global economy

The World Government Summit highlighted critical issues with the global economy and announced flying taxis in Dubai.