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Saudi Arabia

February 24, 2026

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Archaeologists work at Ra’s Qurayyah Port in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Eastern province. (Saudi Heritage Commission)

Culture

Ancient wells, Abbasid coin: Saudi Arabia unveils archaeological finds

The kingdom presented a collection of objects discovered during excavations in the east as it ramps up preservation and promotion of its heritage in line with Vision 2030.

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

How did FIFA become part of Trump’s Gaza reconstruction effort?

FIFA signed a deal on Thursday that marks the global soccer association's most significant postwar intervention in the Middle East yet.

Outbound passengers arrive with their luggage at the Emirates check-in counter at the Iranian capital Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, on July 17, 2020.

Airlines cancel flights amid fears of US military action in Iran: What to know

Arrivals at Tehran's airport this week mainly indicated Iranian and Middle Eastern airlines were flying to the Persian country amid heightened tensions with Washington.

Latest News

Interview

Huckabee confirms US-Israel alignment on Iran, says Hamas will disarm 'sooner or later'

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, March 25, 2025.

Unfazed by Saudi pressure, UAE unveils solar investment in Somaliland

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

UAE’s MBZ appears with Lindsey Graham, dismissing health rumors

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today received Lindsey Graham, member of the US Senate. During the meeting at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi,

United Arab Emirates

Saudi-UAE rift complicates Israel's counter-Iran efforts, normalization

This photograph taken on Jan. 20, 2026, organized by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, shows Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in the city of Mukalla in Yemen's coastal southern Hadhramaut province.

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 and foreign journalists are pictured at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) badge collection centre.

Saudi Arabia opens four special economic zones with eye on foreign investment

The special economic zones offer incentives such as competitive corporate tax rates, 100% ownership of companies and flexibility in employing foreign labor.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi crown prince calls China’s Xi following Iran, energy deals

The call marked the first time the two leaders spoke since the Saudi-Iran rapprochement deal brokered by China.

An undated image of Saad Ibrahim Almadi.

Saudi Arabia releases US citizen Almadi jailed over tweets

Saad Ibrahim Almadi was released after 16 months in prison but remains in Riyadh under a travel ban, according to his son.

murabba

Saudi Arabia's New Murabba project to lure global investors, but at what cost?

Ambitious project announcements are becoming an increasingly common feature of Saudi Arabia’s developmental aspirations.

Robert Mogielnicki

Robert Mogielnicki

Passengers are seen at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, the day S7 Airlines canceled all its international flights due to sanctions imposed on Russia over the country's invasion of Ukraine, March 5, 2022.

Russia to add Gulf countries to visa-free travel list

Russia stated that it was preparing visa-free travel agreements with a total of 17 countries, which include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Syria.

HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia invests $51 billion in first wave of Shareek diversification

The Shareek investment and diversification strategy is set to create more than 64,000 jobs by 2040.

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.

Officers of the Directorate of Narcotics Control of the Interior Ministry sort through tablets of Captagon seized during a special operation and presented before AFP afterward, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 1, 2022.

UAE busts 4.5 million Captagon pills in food cans after smuggler arrest

Amphetamine fenethylline, known by its brand name Captagon, has increasingly become the drug of choice among youth in Gulf Arab states.

United Arab Emirates

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

LEAP technology conference, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 6, 2023.

China, US deals and robots headline Saudi Arabia's LEAP tech event

China's Huawei, Hectar, Lenovo were among major deals reached at Saudi's flagship technology event.

ERIC PIERMONT/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia announces vertical farming venture with US AeroFarms

Vertical farming is on the rise in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi traders work at a bank in Riyadh on March 19, 2008. Asian stocks soared today after a big bounce on Wall Street as the US Federal Reserve slashed interest rates in a bid to contain a spiraling financial crisis and risk of recession. (Photo credit should read HASSAN AMMAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar stays put after US, Saudi Arabia, UAE raise interest rates

The Gulf central banks’ moves followed the US Federal Reserve raising its rates. Inflation increased in both Qatar and Saudi Arabia at the end of 2022.