The Houthis said on Telegram that a "Yemeni missile strike" had sparked fires in Jizan. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm the claim, although the kingdom's civil defence agency issued alerts for residents in Jizan and Yanbu.

The latest attack comes after US President Donald Trump warned that Washington would strike Iran's civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, every time Tehran attacked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Dubai, UAE --  Qiddiya City launched "Powered by Play," a long-term initiative aimed at promoting play as a driver of human potential across Saudi Arabia, alongside research showing Saudis lead respondents in several countries in recognizing the benefits of play. Research commissioned by Qiddiya City and conducted with Toluna and...

Dubai, UAE -- Assets of Saudi Arabia's public investment funds rose 20 percent year-on-year to SAR231.7 billion ($61.8 billion) in the first quarter of 2026, driven by growth in both local and foreign funds, financial news website Argaam reported, citing data from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). Assets of local...

Dubai, UAE -- Saudi Arabia has updated the executive regulations of its Anti-Money Laundering Law, introducing stricter disclosure requirements for travellers and enhanced risk-assessment obligations for financial institutions and designated businesses. The amendments, published in the Official Gazette and effective June 26, 2026, state that money-laundering provisions apply to anyone...

Dubai, UAE -- Saudi Arabia's tourism authority has launched a digital platform bringing together travel offers and tourism packages from more than 50 private-sector partners as part of its summer tourism campaign. The platform, launched under the slogan "Offers Now and Later", is designed to attract visitors from within the...

Domestic travel helped sustain Saudi Arabia's tourism sector in the first quarter, with total visitor numbers rising to 37.2 million and hotel performance strengthening in key religious destinations.

Dubai, UAE -- Saudi Arabia reduced its holdings of U.S. Treasury securities by $9.5 billion in April to $140.1 billion, according to U.S. Treasury data, as the kingdom trimmed short-term debt holdings while retaining its position as the world's 17th-largest foreign holder of U.S. government debt. The decline followed a...

The growth was driven primarily by domestic travel, which reached 93.3 million tourists, up 8.3% from 2024, while inbound visitor numbers declined 1.6% to 29.3 million.

The Kingdom ranked 13th out of 70 economies assessed in the annual report, improving from 17th place a year earlier and placing third among G20 countries, behind the United States and China.

Hormuz disruption and weakening policy commitment dragged down Middle East transition readiness in 2026. Saudi Arabia bucked the trend with accelerated renewables and battery storage investment, WEF's Energy Transition Index said.

The slowdown was most pronounced in Riyadh, where transaction volumes and values dropped 82% from a year earlier. Activity also weakened in Jeddah, the Dammam Metropolitan Area, Makkah and Madinah.

Dubai, UAE -- Saudi Arabia’s annual inflation rate rose to 1.8% in May 2026, up from April, as higher housing, transport and hospitality costs pushed consumer prices higher, according to data released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The cost-of-living index increased to 105.3 points in May from 103.5...

Saudi Arabia was represented by intella, which develops Arabic-language speech recognition and analytics tools, and Nommas Technologies, which provides AI-powered visual inspection systems for manufacturers.

According to the latest Vision 2030 annual report, the real non-oil GDP reached $892 billion against a target of $904 billion, while foreign direct investment accounted for 2.8% of GDP, below the government's 3.4% objective.

According to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), all major economic sectors recorded positive annual growth during the quarter, reflecting continued momentum in the kingdom's economic diversification drive.

The expansion marks an early test of Saudi Arabia's ambition to build Riyadh into a major international aviation hub.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has launched five new logistics routes designed to enhance supply chain efficiency and integrate various transport modes.These routes link Arabian Gulf ports with the Kingdom’s central and northern regions, extending to the Red Sea and northern neighboring countries. By utilizing a multimodal...

Higher land plot sales boost revenue and operating income.

The petrochemicals' company's revenue also fell 17.7 percent.

Saudi Arabia’s low-cost carrier flynas posted a net loss of SAR 527 million in 2025, compared with a net profit of SAR 433.5 million a year earlier, according to financial data reported by Argaam. Revenue rose 3.8 percent year-on-year to SAR 7.84 billion in 2025 from SAR 7.56 billion in...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- Saudi Arabia secured a place for three hospitals in Newsweek’s list of the World’s Best Hospitals 2026 (Top 250). The achievement highlights the Kingdom’s continued progress in strengthening its healthcare system under Vision 2030. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre ranked 153rd globally. The hospital advanced...

Arar, Saudi Arabia - The proliferation of flower flies, also known as hoverflies, has been observed across several natural and urban locations in Northern Borders Region, a positive indicator of improved ecological balance and enhanced biodiversity in the area. Flower flies of the Syrphidae family play a vital role in...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen its global leadership in open data through a comprehensive national ecosystem led by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA). Since its establishment, SDAIA has worked to develop the regulatory framework for data and build an advanced digital ecosystem that...

The mahmas is typically made of thick iron or copper and consists of a hollow cylindrical disc with a long handle used to stir coffee beans during roasting.

Capital investment during Q3 2025 $12.9bn on investments in energy projects.

In an interview with TRENDS, Josh Lerner says Gulf economies pursuing diversification must recognize that transformation takes time, patience, and resilience through inevitable ups and downs.

The GCC has quickly moved from passive capital allocation into active ecosystem building, spurred on by heavy sovereign capital and large infrastructure bets, setting the region apart from Europe and US markets. 

The Pakistan-Saudi pact was signed just months after Pakistan and India fought an intense four-day conflict in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides in missile, drone and artillery fire

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading the gaming surge with world-class ecosystems and youth-driven expansion. Across the region, governments increasingly recognize gaming and esports as key drivers of future economies.

The United Arab Emirates is "investing in chaos and supporting secessionists" from Libya to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia's Al-Ekhbariya TV charged in a report this week.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to leverage changes in global trade and supply chains to position itself as a “connector economy,” linking Africa, Europe and Asia, senior Saudi ministers said during discussions at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's Humain artificial intelligence company has secured up to $1.2 billion in financing to expand digital infrastructure, a statement said, as the kingdom bolsters its investment in AI. The non-binding framework agreement with Saudi Arabia's National Infrastructure Fund outlines the development of up to 250...

Saudi Arabia and seven Muslim-majority countries including Gaza mediators Qatar and Turkey have agreed to join US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace", the Saudi foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

The government has successfully implemented more than 900 reforms, including restructuring legal and labor frameworks, establishing new public authorities, and significantly expanding women’s participation in the workforce.

Two diplomatic sources told AFP on Thursday that the security posture at Qatar's Al-Udeid Airbase had been lowered after a number of personnel had been told to leave on Wednesday over the regional tensions.

For a region long shaped by sovereign balance sheets and state-owned champions, the Gulf is quietly rewiring its financial plumbing, with governments relaxing ownership rules, rewriting regulators’ mandates.

The announcement comes a few days after Yemeni forces supported by Saudi Arabia recaptured large swathes of territory from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatists.

A Saudi-led coalition struck the home province of Yemen's UAE-backed separatist leader on Wednesday, after he failed to show up for talks in Riyadh and was kicked out of the country's presidential body.

At least 152 members of the UAE-backed STC forces were wounded and 130 were taken captive, a military official from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) said.

Yemen's UAE-backed separatists on Friday announced the start of a two-year transitional period towards declaring an independent state after their forces seized large areas of the country's south.

Following the strikes, a military spokesman for the STC said it was in a "decisive and existential" war with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, characterizing it as a fight against radical Islamism -- a longtime preoccupation of the UAE.

Riyadh also backed a demand from Yemen's presidential council for Emirati forces to withdraw from the country within 24 hours, and urged Abu Dhabi to cut off support for Yemeni groups.

The statements came a day after reported Saudi airstrikes on separatist positions in Yemen's Hadramawt province — and after Washington called for restraint in the rapidly escalating conflict.

Moving forward, lower oil revenues will continue to pose challenges to the Saudi economy and its overall targets. Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that Saudi Arabia faces a new test: how to sustain reform momentum in an era of potentially lower oil revenues without slipping back...

A Yemeni military official said around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters were amassed near the Saudi border -- but were not given orders to advance on separatist-held territory.

The Kingdom said the military movements in the governorates of (Hadramawt and Al-Mahra), recently conducted by the Southern Transitional Council, were carried out unilaterally.

The train would reach speeds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour and the trip would take roughly two hours between Riyadh and Doha.

The Arab world's largest economy is overseeing a major push to slash its dependence on oil revenues, with officials pouring billions into projects to attract investment and tourism.

Saudi Arabia greenlit its 2026 budget Tuesday, projecting a deficit of 165 billion riyals ($44 billion) as the kingdom presses on with an ambitious spending drive to diversify its oil-dependent economy.