RYAN BYRNE WRITES – Last week, after more than a year of trading barbs and lawsuits, the world’s preeminent golf circuit, the PGA Tour, announced that it, along with the European-based DP World Tour, would merge with the Saudi-backed LIV Tour. The LIV Tour, then, managed to leverage the enormous coffers…
NASER ALMESHARI WRITES – China’s success in brokering the Saudi Arabia-Iran peace treaty signifies the possibility of its expanding role in the Middle East. Beijing’s initiative in mediating the discussion between the two conflicting countries marks its first significant attempt at establishing a prominent position in the region. China successfully…
ANYA CHINAPPI WRITES – On Friday, Mar. 10, after seven years of tension, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by China. The agreement was reached in Beijing after four days of previously undisclosed talks between the rival countries. With the current strain in…
MOHAMMED ALKANDARI WRITES – We celebrate the Saudi Arabian National team’s biggest upset in World Cup history in its extraordinary 2-1 triumph over Lionel Messi’s Argentina in their first match-day of the World Cup. The world’s bookies had Argentina as heavy favorites, and Saudi Arabia as all but certain losers…
ABDULLAH AL HAJERI WRITES – A vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation-these are the three pillars of Saudi Arabia’s mapped-out expansion of its 2030 Vision, a vision increasingly under world scrutiny. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman’s 2030 vision, which includes reduced carbon…
RYAN BYRNE WRITES – The June kick off of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund-backed LIV Golf Tour has torn the golf world apart. Some have derided the tour, and the players who defected to it, for being bankrolled by a nation with a poor human rights record, while others…
AHMAD ALSADHAN WRITES — The World Expo, held every five years for a duration of six months, is an event that gathers nations into one venue as a way of presenting solutions to current global challenges. Expo 2020, which was postponed by the pandemic, is currently being hosted by Dubai,…
MILES WHITTINGHAM WRITES — In October 2021, the majority of the well-known English Premier League club Newcastle United was purchased by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The move has been met with widespread skepticism by fans and executives alike. This isn’t the first time that something like this…
ABEER ABUNAYYAN WRITES — In 2018, Prince Mohammed bin Salman lifted the ban on theaters that had been in place for 35 years. The ban had originally been in place due to social pressure from conservative Islamists to limit public entertainment, particularly theaters that had mixing between men and women. However,…
ABDULAZIZ ALABDULRAZZAQ WRITES – The persistent decline in oil prices has led many oil-producing countries to think of ways to reinvent their economies. Saudi Arabia is one of them, with its Vision 2030, first introduced in 2016. Vision 2030 will be built on three pillars: a vibrant society, a thriving economy…
LORI DEMIRJIAN WRITES- For the first time, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is allowing 49 countries, including the US, entry for non-religious tourism purposes with the use of a new e-Visa program. In the past, Saudi Arabia only issued visas for religious pilgrimage and business purposes. This reform is one…
ANNALISA DEL VECCHIO WRITES – It could well become the most noticed new archaeological site in the world. Imagine an open air museum, a tourist site and a display of ancient history rolled into one. This is the future Al-Ula, a project that France and Saudi Arabia agreed jointly to develop last year. Al-Ula, an archaeological site located about 1100 kilometers from Riyadh, will contain ancient cultural artifacts dating back a thousand years, towering sandstone mountains and a lush oasis…
DHARI ALDURAIBI WRITES – When people talk about Saudi Arabia, they often focus on the country’s conservative elements, such as restrictions on women’s rights and the ongoing military campaign in Yemen. Now, though, a series of political, social, and economic reforms aimed at liberalizing the Saudi economy and society are…
By Asia Media Staff — Rapper Nicki Minaj is a humanitarian. Did you know that? She didn’t, until recently. After “careful reflection,” Minaj told the Associated Press, she has pulled out of her much anticipated headline appearance at the Jeddah World Fest in Saudi Arabia July 18. “While I want…
NAWAF AL SABAH WRITES– Islam, soon to become the most followed religion worldwide, currently second to Christianity, garners some of the most devout followers. Muslims are committed to daily prayers (salat) on schedule. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, Muslims are mandated to close businesses during prayer time. Unfortunately, this practice…
NAWAF Al-SABAH WRITES– Rahaf Al-Qunun captured international attention at the beginning of the year as she sought to escape her allegedly abusive family. Rahaf, who is Arabian, barricaded herself in a Bangkok airport hotel room to prevent Thai authorities from deporting her. She had been detained at the Bangkok airport…
