Saudi

Saudi Arabia wants to invest 38 billion dollars to be the capital of gaming. The Iran war is going to ruin everything

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First it was footballafter video games. Saudi Arabia wants to become the world capital of entertainment at the stroke of a checkbook (and at the same time whitewash his authoritarian regime). Now their plans are in jeopardy because of the war in Iran. 38,000 million. This is what Saudi Arabia plans Invest to become a gaming powerhouse. However, the conflict in the region and Iran’s attacks have put their plans in check. In an interview during the Game Developers Conference echoed by Bloombergthe CEO of Savvy Games has said that “This escalation clearly does not benefit the region and will likely change or cool the perception of it as a stable and calm place where people want to go.” He hopes that the war will end soon and they can continue with their business plans. Entertainment capital. Savvy Games Group, subsidiary of the Saudi Sovereign Fund (the same as bought Electronic Arts for 50,000 million), has very ambitious plans for the region, such as the esports district in Qiddiya Citya megaproject focused on entertainment where there is giant amusement parksstadiums for video game competitions and much more. Their plans go beyond buying companies, they want to hold events that attract gaming enthusiasts. In 2025, Rihyad hosted the Esports World Cup, an event that lasted seven weeks and featured events related to up to 25 esports. They also want to attract foreign investment and large video game companies to move there. It sounds great, until the threat of Iranian drones appears and the dream is shattered. Vision 2030. All this is part of a long term plan promoted by Prince Mohamed bin Salmán since 2016, whose main objective is to diversify its wealth beyond oil and turn the country into an attractive destination for investors. This serves another purpose: to project a more moderate image beyond its borders. Iran attacks. Iran has targeted key infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, such as the Ras Tanura refinery and the Shaybah sitemilitary bases with American presence such as Prince Sultan and, on the rebound, even residential neighborhoods and diplomatic areas of Riyadh. Several of these attacks were intercepted, but it is clear that Saudi Arabia is a target for Iran. There are other companies concerned, such as Wynn Resorts, which is building the country’s first casino on the artificial island Al Marjan. They had to stop the works a few days ago due to the conflict, but They have already resumed work. Image | Wikipedia In Xataka | The US has turned off the tap on satellite images of the Iran war. A Chinese startup has left it open

Saudi Arabia’s ace in the hole to break the Iranian blockade in Hormuz

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Iran’s survival strategy in this war is based on a tactic of geopolitical suffocation: strangling the Strait of Hormuz to impose an unbearable economic cost on the West. However, while the financial market blindly speculates with express truces and the price of fuel follows its own dynamics at the pumps, the physical reality on the ground is about to change. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have a logistical “antidote” capable of rescuing up to 7 million of those barrels, radically changing the equation and breaking Iranian blackmail. The “antidote” in the desert. This lifeline was not improvised yesterday. Known as the East-West Pipeline (or Petroline), It began to be built in the 80s for fear that the war between Iran and Iraq will paralyze the Persian Gulf. According to Middle East Eye, It is a pharaonic artery of some 1,200 kilometers that winds through the Arabian desert, connecting the gigantic extraction fields in the east directly with the port terminal of Yanbu, bathed by the waters of the Red Sea. In this way, the crude oil can go out into the world without coming into the range of the Iranian missiles in Hormuz. As confirmed by the CEO of Saudi Aramco, Amin Nasser, in Financial Timesthe company is working around the clock to raise pumping to the pipeline’s maximum capacity: 7 million barrels per day. Before the crisis, only 2.8 million barrels circulated there. Nasser detailed that about 2 million barrels will remain to feed its refineries on the west coast, leaving the not inconsiderable figure of 5 million barrels per day ready for the global market. The machinery in motion. Saudi Arabia has stepped on the accelerator. “We should reach maximum capacity in a couple of days,” said the head of Aramco, according to statements collected by Reuters. If Riyadh manages to consolidate this route, the kingdom will be able to export close to 70% of its usual shipments. The energy analyst Javier Blas underlines in your column for Bloomberg that right now the critical thing is to look at the flow export outside of Hormuz, and not so much in wellhead production. And shipping data supports this frenetic activity: Bloomberg has detailed as an “armada” of at least 25 supertankers (known as VLCCs) have changed course and are sailing towards the port of Yanbu to load this lifesaving crude oil. Adding to this ball of oxygen is the effort of the United Arab Emirates. Through their Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, which also bypasses the dangerous strait to exit the Gulf of Oman, they are providing between 1.5 and 2 million additional barrels per day, according to the data of Wall Street Journal. The small print. However, as with any large-scale emergency logistics operation, there is no magic wand. Experts warn of several blind spots in this strategy: The port funnel: According to the agency Argus MediaAlthough the Saudi pipeline manages to transport 5 million barrels for export, the port of Yanbu has its own limits. Its nominal loading capacity is about 4.5 million barrels per day in two terminals, but market sources place the proven effective capacity closer to 4 million. The fuel crisis (distillates): As Arne Lohmann Rasmussen warns, analyst cited by Middle East Eyethe current problem goes beyond crude oil; It is a diesel and aviation fuel crisis. The pipeline East-West It transports crude oil, not refined products. This leaves markets such as Europe, which were highly dependent on Middle Eastern refineries (such as the gigantic Emirati Ruwais plant, recently hit by a drone). The Houthi threat and the collapse of the tanks: Moving the oil outlet to the Red Sea returns the spotlight to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. As Greg Priddy points outships loading in Yanbu bound for Asia will have to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, exposing themselves to drone attacks. Added to this is that, faced with the inability to remove ships through Hormuz, the Gulf countries are filling their storage reserves to the limit, forcing Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq to drastically cut extraction from their wells, as it has progressed Bloomberg. Buying time in the “Battle of the pipelines”. Nobody in the oil industry deceives anyone. Aramco’s own CEO admitted the “catastrophic consequences” What would a prolongation of this scenario have for the world economy? As Blas concludesthese alternative pipelines do not replace the opening of the Strait of Hormuz permanently. Its main mission is another: to buy valuable time. If the Saudi-Emirati duo manages to get this enormous pipeline to spit millions of barrels into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman, they will stop the panic at the Western pumps and take away Iran’s main negotiating asset. Far from the political and stock market noise, the resolution of this crisis is being fought in the logistical desert. Image | Aramco Xataka | Light and gas have become luxury items. Europe’s plan is to intervene in prices no matter what the cost

UAE and Saudi Arabia seek to be the new strength of AI

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Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have been engaged in a particular war: that of burning money. While in other parts of the world that means bringing AI into the conversationin this battle we are talking about two countries that compete to see who builds the tallest skyscraper… wave most ostentatiously unnecessary megaconstruction. Now they have engaged in another fight: that of hyperconnecting. And, curiously, they share the goal of being the hub between East and West in the age of artificial intelligence. SilkLink. It’s funny how things work. If one of the countries announced a skyscraper, the other unveiled a larger one. Both countries have the money for punishment and are focusing efforts on improving their digital infrastructure. Saudi Arabia made its move first by revealing the project SilkLink next to Syria. This is a 4,500-kilometer-long fiber optic network worth about $1 billion that will aim to position Syria as the ideal route for data to cross between Asia and Europe. The name is a nod to the Silk Road, that historic ‘silk road’ that China is reviving with another objective: dominate the world market. WorldLink. But of course, if Saudi Arabia opted for the homage name with SilkLink, the Arab Emirates directly pursues its ambition with its project. Something more humble in costs, “only” 700 million dollars, but ambitious in name: WorldLink. Like its neighbors’ project, it is a fiber cable that will have two phases: a submarine one from the United Arab Emirates to the Iraqi peninsula of Al-Faw, and then another land section to Iraq. The money comes from private entities and it is estimated that it will take about four or five years to complete. Once done, it will be one of the arguments for the UAE to become one of the most important centers of AI and digital infrastructure in the Middle East. The same thing that Saudi Arabia is looking for, wow. An unexpected actor. These cables also share something: they will alleviate the load that already built cables support because, in this excessive rise of AI and data centerscomputing power is as important as the speed at which everything is transmitted. And something curious is that Iraq, with these facilities, is positioning itself as a stable corridor after decades of conflict. If until then the most famous road was the ‘highway of death‘, they are now building one to connect Al-Faw with Türkiye. In a development plan of more than 17 billion dollars are also other efforts to improve connections, such as the Al Faw port which will allow the country to increase its loading and unloading capacity in the Persian Gulf. Middle East 🤝🏼 AI. The project website itself emphasizes the benefits that WorldLink they will have as much for Iraq as for the region and for the world. The improvement in regional integration stands out, but above all being a tool to attract investment. What investment? The one you are imagining: OTT platforms, hyperscalers and… data centers. If a region has space and energy to unleash plans to build gigantic data centers (apart from China, of course) is the Middle East region. It is a goal that is not new and it has already been spoken of billion-dollar investments by companies like NVIDIA or AMD, and this commitment to new transmission cables is one more step to build that future. Middle East 🤝🏼 all. But it is no longer just artificial intelligence: it is anything. WorldLink’s ambition is to be the catalyst for other segments such as cloud servicesthe digital economy and entertainment. In fact, like almost everything in the technology sector, there is no stitches here and an improvement in communications in this regard is in line with what Emirates is following. What are we referring to? For example, the billion-dollar purchases they are making recently to position itself as a major player in video games. First it was Electronic Arts for 50,000 million, now they negotiate by the creators of one of the most successful MOBAs for mobile phones for another 7,000 million. We will see if they achieve their goal, but as we said a few lines ago, in the competition to burn money, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have no competition. And on the cables, the two shake hands pointing that all the investment made in this sense will be beneficial for both. Images | Maritime, Francesco Bini In Xataka | 99% of the internet travels through submarine cables. Now there is a much more ambitious plan underway: linking the electrical grid

Saudi Arabia already knows the real price of Neom and it is not measured in billions, but in barrels of oil at $90

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Saudi Arabia is mired in a paradox that revolves around barrels of oil. Years ago the kingdom launched an ambitious program to reduce its dependence on ‘black gold’, a key element in its accounts and public treasury. Under the name of ‘Vision 2030’ basically proposed to diversify its economy with a rosary of projects which included large urban developments such as Oxagon, Trojena or the famous The Line. The problem is that the swings in the price of crude oil (the same one from which he wants to get away) is complicating the things. So much so that the kingdom has already been forced to moderate its expectations. What has happened? We told you a few days ago: Saudi Arabia has had to rethink the Neom megaprojects, the program with which the kingdom wants to promote works such as Trojena or The Line, a futuristic city 170 km long, 500 m high and 200 meters wide built from scratch in the middle of the desert. According to Financial TimesNeom’s president, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is now considering a “much smaller” scale. In fact, there is already talk of a drastic cut in The Line and changes also in Trojena. Is it a novelty? Half. Despite the efforts of Saudi Arabia for showing how the works were progressing, the international press has been warning for some time the difficulties (technical, but especially financial) that the kingdom has encountered to carry out its projects. own FT posted a few months ago a report in which he talked about how Neom’s dream is “unraveling.” His last article It goes further however and helps to understand the context. The cuts come after Neom officials commissioned an audit of the project. And although its final conclusions are not yet known, they seem to be strong enough that there are already architects working on the redesign of The Line. Their goal: to turn it into a “modest” project that can take advantage of the infrastructure built in recent years. There is talk of a change in concept, of a Neom that (without giving up the diversification of the Saudi economy) stops focusing on the “cities of the future” to focus on something much more concrete: data centers. The kingdom insists in any case that Neom is a bet that “aims to span generations” and its discourse (at least the public) is far from being defeatist. What is the problem? Beyond the scale and enormous ambition of the projects (only The Line involves building a 170 km city), Riyadh has encountered a perfect storm. Not even her years of waste (or precisely because of them) have prevented her from being forced to rethink some milestones in her initial schedule. The clearest example Trojena leaves it. There, in its ambitious ski resort, the 2029 edition of the Winter Games was going to be held. A few days ago, however, the Asian Olympic Council and its Saudi counterpart announced that the appointment will have to be postponed indefinitely. Financial Times remember that in the medium term the kingdom also has important commitments that will require it to step on the accelerator. The first will arrive with the international fair Expo 2030. The second, with the 2034 World Cup. Click on the image to go to the tweet. And what does the oil look like? If something they usually repeat analysts trying to explain the development of Vision 2030 (and more specifically Neom) is how the price of crude oil is influencing it. The reason is very simple. Although the financing of Vision 2030 does not fall directly into the budget of Saudi Arabia, its implementation does depend on large projects funded by the State. And it receives a large part of its income through oil. Saudi Arabia is the main exporter of crude oil on the planet, which explains that in 2024 this will represent 60% of public income. In general, oil and natural gas accounted for more than 20% of its entire GDP that year. A few months ago Arab Gulg States Institute (AGSI) I remembered that the weight of the oil business in the Government’s tax revenue is today much lower than a decade ago, when it reached 88%, but it has still accounted for close to 63% in recent years. Not only that. Its technicians recognize that the health of Aramco (the Saudi national oil company) is “vital for the health” of the public coffers and the country. Why is it important? By a simple rule of three. The implementation of Vision 2030 depends largely on the Saudi kingdom and its PIF (the Public Investment Fund), sovereign in nature and chaired by Mohammed bin Salman. And the money they receive is closely linked to the progress of the global oil business. In April of last year, in a complicated context, marked by fear of the trade war and differences within OPEC, Reuters warned of how the fall in the price of crude oil would be reflected in Aramco’s dividends… and these, in turn, in the money that would enter the coffers of the Government and the PIF. “The Government and the PIF will receive 32 billion dollars and 6 billion dollars less, respectively,” collected the chronicle signed by Yousef Saba. Already at that time there were experts who pointed out that this snip would take its toll on some of the projects that the kingdom had in its hands. “Saudi Arabia is likely to depend on debt financing and will have to delay or reduce some planned contract awards,” insisted Karen Young of Columbia University, recalling the nation’s deficit. Is there more? Yes. A key fact that in recent months have slipped several analysts and in which affected these days Brad Setser, CFR researcher, following the latest news about Neom and The Line. It is not just a matter of the price of oil rising or falling in the market, it is that Saudi Arabia needs the barrel of Brent to remain at certain … Read more

The Line and Trojana were the jewels of the new Saudi Arabia. They will also be the first to face reality: they are very expensive

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Saudi Arabia imagined an almost dystopian future based on futuristic ski resorts, 170 km linear skyscrapers and paradise islands for millionaires. Reality has forced the Saudi authorities to wake up from their reverie and face serious cost overruns in the construction of their pharaonic projects and lack of budget to cover them. He Financial Times uncover in an article that an internal report in which auditors propose cutting the NEOM project in half, reusing what has already been built, but reorienting its objectives and, above all, its budgets. However, this cut is conditioned by the commitments that Riyadh has already adopted, organizing the 2030 World Expo and the 2034 World Cup. Oil gives no respite: we must cut back. According to Financial Times sources, the audit of the project that is about to conclude leaves no room for maneuver and forces Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to rethink the NEOM project. applying new cuts and changes in construction plans to a “much smaller” project. The reason for the cut is found in oil priceswho have not recovered from their downward trendseriously damaging the solvency of the nearly $1 trillion Saudi Public Investment Fund that finances NEOM. With a fund that does not grow at the rate it used to and huge investmentsPrince Mohammed has been forced to lower expectations and achieve short-term profitability from what has already been built. Put your feet on the ground. The NEOM project was born in 2017 as the flagship to transform the Saudi economy, moving from a model focused on the exploitation of natural gas and oil resources to one based on attracting investments, tourism and renewable energy. NEOM consisted of different big-budget projects to build infrastructure in a territory the size of Belgium on the Red Sea coast. The Line, the crown jewelpromised a linear city 170 kilometers long flanked by two 500-meter-high buildings, without cars or streets, and powered 100% by renewable energy. It was estimated that by 2030 this project would house 1.5 million people, at an approximate cost of 500 billion dollars. In 2024, the first phase of The Line has already suffered an important snip reducing its length 2.4 kilometers away. The Line was going to be a city, now your data will live. FT sources point out that Riyadh finally admits the initial design flaws, prioritizing what has already been built. Thus, The Line would go from being a futuristic megalopolis to reusing its foundations to become a data center hub to put Saudi Arabia in the AI ​​race. This shift reflects a change in strategy aimed at achieving more specific goals that provide a short-term return on invested capital, leaving behind the vision of infinite skyscrapers in the desert. Other cuts already announced include $8 billion less from the Public Investment Fund for the five main megaprojects, representing 12.4% of their total valuation. A ski resort in the desert. The cuts also seriously affect the construction of Trojena, the ski resort futuristic project that was to serve as the venue for the 2029 Asian Winter Games. However, the Asian Olympic Council that organizes this sporting event has announced in a statement “confirming the postponement of the 2029 edition to a later date that will be announced in due course”, and that experts link directly to cuts in its budget. According to published Bloombergthe project was initially budgeted at around 19 billion dollars and was going to offer 30 km of ski slopes that ran on the roof of the resort itself and different luxury hotels, in a desert area with little snowfall during the year, which added an added challenge to keep the artificial snow necessary for the operation of the station in good condition. This first postponement sows uncertainty about the future of other competitions to which it has already committed, such as the football stadium that was going to be built. on the roof of The Line. In Xataka | Siranna: the new luxury destination for the super-rich is a spa that looks like Minas Tirith and only ships arrive Image | NEOM

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates import millions of tons of sand every year despite living on immense deserts

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The story is striking in itself: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two countries closely associated with the desert, import tons and tons of sand every year. So striking, in fact, that the first intuition is that it is false. But, as soon as you get closer to it, you discover that not only is it true, but it is more interesting than it seems. Because yes, these countries import a lot of sand. In 2023, only the United Arab Emirates bought more than six million tons. And it is surprising, of course, because these are two countries located on enormous deserts. The explanation, however, is simple: the sand they have is not suitable for certain things. At a technical level, what is known as “eolian sand” (that which the wind accumulates in dunes) is very fine, very uniform and very rounded. That makes it a poor sand for making glass, concrete or other industrial products. It is not that it cannot be used, but it requires adjusting the mixtures, controlling the granulometry and impurities (fines), and carefully balancing the manufacturing processes. That is to say, the process ends up becoming so expensive that it is cheaper to import sand that is more suitable for standardized processes. And this, ultimately, should not surprise us. Sand is, today, the second most exploited resource in the world (only after water). The United Nations Environment Program estimates that every year 50,000 million tons of sand and gravel are used. What’s more, the lack of sand is so obvious that there are criminal networks that traffic with her internationally. However, we are not talking about just any sand. There are, as is evident, many types of sand. For what is not interesting today we can distinguish natural sand (HS 250590) and siliceous/quartz sand (HS 250510). The Gulf countries import, above all, the second. Emirates, to give an example, is spent half a million a year in the first and 87 million in the second. That is to say, although they are countries ‘rich’ in sand, they do not have the sand they need. A sand, moreover, with very specific specifications (granulometry, purity, humidity, fines, contaminants, consistency of supply) and that are basic for glass, foundry, filtration or the chemical industry. However, they also import natural sand. And this is interesting because, as they point out in the UNthis only makes clear the significance of the problem of governance and externalities. Despite having usable sand, in many cases it is preferred to buy from other countries (such as Oman) to avoid the negative externalities of draining sand from their coasts and deserts. Something that can alter livelihoods (fishing, agriculture due to salinization, coastal tourism) and increase vulnerability to storms. In the summer of 2019, the couple who became famous was arrested in Sardinia for hiding 40 kilos of sand in his trunk. That was the anecdote, the problem was another: that beyond mass tourism, the tensions on the sand are increasingly greater. It is something that has only grown and is normal. The world is not here to do without one of its most valuable resources. Image | Lars Portjanow In Xataka | We are running out of sand. And there are already traffickers who negotiate with it in India or Morocco

Saudi Arabia just opened a $1 billion theme park with a 4.2 km roller coaster and 160 m drop

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The Formula Rossa of the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, has just been dethroned a few days ago. podium of the most spectacular roller coasters in the worldand with a drop of 127 meters and up to 240 kilometers/hour as top speed, these were shocking figures. But you don’t have to go far to find the new queen: it’s called Falcon’s Flight and it’s the jewel in the crown of the astronomical amusement park in Qiddiya City, in Saudi Arabia, which has just opened its doors. The first Six Flags outside North America. Six Flags Qiddiya City is a massive 320,000 square meter amusement park located on a mountainous desert cliff just outside Riyadh. It has 28 attractions, of which five break records as we will see. Likewise, it is the first of the franchise outside the United States, Canada and Mexico, but despite the distance from the parent company, it is a full-fledged Six Flags respect to brand standards. The person who has provided the more than one billion dollars necessary to pay for the project is the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the kingdom’s sovereign investment fund. Behind him, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with a very specific goal: diversify the country’s economy, thus reducing the weight of oil. The park It is one of the five gigaprojects of Saudi Vision 2030its roadmap for diversification into emerging sectors such as tourism and entertainment. Falcon’s Flight shatters all records. The technical sheet of the Six Flags attractions in Riyadh leaves milestones such as the Sirocco Tower, the tallest free fall tower (145 meters); the Gyrospin, which by rising 53 meters has become the highest pendulum in the world or the Iron Rattler, the type roller coaster. tilt highest on the planet (63.4 meters), but if there is one that leaves your mouth open, it is Falcon’s Flight. We are facing the highest, fastest and longest roller coaster in the world. It is capable of reaching 250 km/h, rises up to 195 meters high and uses the edge of the Tuwaiq cliff to achieve a vertical drop of 158 meters. 4.2 kilometers long to trigger the adrenaline during the almost four minutes it lasts. This is the awesome Falcon’s Flight. Grantime, Wikimedia The impressive figures of Six Flags Qiddiya City. As Abdullah al-Dawood, CEO of Qiddiya Investment Company, explained, in a local programthey expect the project to generate 7,000 jobs and provide some $686 million to the kingdom’s GDP this year. According to its forecasts, these figures will increase to 85,000 employees and 11,733 million US dollars (at the exchange rate) and will attract 48 million visitors a year by 2030, as the project moves through phases. Much more than an amusement park. Literal. The Six Flags Qiddiya City opened on December 31, 2025 for the New Year, at which time it opened its doors to the general public who came and shelled out the $87 adult admission fee. Although the park is already open, from now until 2030 the project will expand to the environment by building transport infrastructure, the imminent Aquarabia water park, large-scale sports facilities such as a Formula 1 circuit, a stadium for the World Cup, cultural areas such as a performing arts center and residential areas. The amusement park is just the tip of the iceberg. With the fall in oil prices in recent years, the Saudi authorities have had to recalibrate plans and review their budgetary priorities, with unavoidable events on the horizon such as the Expo 2030 or the 2034 FIFA World Cup. In addition, several gigaprojects such as the futuristic city of Neom have suffered delays and cost overruns. Qiddiya has also suffered delays, but with the Six Flags Qiddiya City as the first operational asset in the macrocity, those responsible they are optimistic in its objective of attracting tourists. In Xataka | Saudi Arabia wants to become a world tourism power. First you have to fix something: the alcohol In Xataka | Saudi Arabia’s impossible bridge to join Africa and Asia: a 32-kilometer megastructure over the Red Sea Cover | Quiddiya

Saudi Arabia has realized that to attract wealthy expats and Western tourists it needs something: alcohol

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Maybe the Spanish we are moving away little by little from alcohol, but beer, wine and spirits continue to be a pillar of Western leisure. Saudi Arabia knows this well, as in its efforts to modernize and gain appeal to Westerners (both expats wealthy as tourists) has decided to make more flexible access to the drink in the country, where its purchase has been radically restricted for more than 70 years. The change is being made timidly, silently, almost underground; but it tells us a lot about how the kingdom is transforming. The news that they are coming in drops to the West they leave a resounding reading: foreigners will be able to buy alcohol in Saudi Arabia… as long as they meet a series of requirements that focus in your wallet. Looking to the 20th century. If you like to share a few beers with friends, have dinner with a glass of wine or drink a cocktail when you go out, Saudi Arabia is not your country. Or it hasn’t been at least for the last seven decades. The kingdom is governed by shariawhich vetoes alcohol. Even Foreign Affairs reminds Spaniards traveling to the country that public consumption “is strictly prohibited” and landing with bottles can lead to “severe fines” and an accusation of smuggling. Saudi Arabia’s zeal to ban the drink dates back to at least the mid-20th century. And not only because of Koranic law and the fact that the kingdom claims to be the guardian of the sacred places of Islam. In the early 1950s, King Abdul Aziz banned the sale of alcohol after one of his sons, Prince Mishari, assassinate a diplomat British drunk. For diplomats. Although getting alcohol in Saudi Arabia is much (very much) more difficult than in Europe or even in Dubaisomething is changing in the Islamic kingdom. The first sign came just two years ago, beginning of 2024when the Saudis saw the first liquor store in more than 70 years. Of course, the business was launched with certain limitations. To begin with, the establishment only sold alcohol to non-Muslim diplomats. In fact, it opened precisely in the neighborhood of the city where they work. At least at first The Executive also intended that customers would have to register through an app, obtain an authorization code and respect certain quotas. A small (big) step. That first store may not look anything like the liquor stores of Europe, but its debut marked a milestone in Saudi Arabia and began to break the long taboo that prevailed in the kingdom around alcohol. Last November that opening was confirmed when agencies such as Reuters either Bloomberg revealed that the country planned to open two new liquor stores: one in Dhrahan, in a complex owned by the oil company Aramco, and another in Jeddah. The first would be designed for non-Muslim employees of the company. The second would be located again in an area frequented by diplomats. Expanding the market. In November, both Reuters and Bloomberg reported another relevant news that is now has confirmed The Wall Street Journal: The Riyadh liquor store that was theoretically intended for foreign diplomats will also sell bottles to certain residents of Saudi Arabia. To whom? Especially non-Muslim foreigners with Premium Residence. These residence permits are basically granted to businessmen, large investors, wealthy foreigners and qualified professionals who work in strategic sectors or for the Government. In December Bloomberg needed In fact, customers who want to buy wine or spirits in Riyadh have to prove that they earn at least 50,000 riyals per month, about $13,300. Reporter Vivian Nereim, from The New York Times, came in person outside the Riyadh liquor store and spoke with customers of the business who (among other issues) confirmed that one price is applied to diplomats and another, higher price, to the rest of the buyers. A bottle of mid-priced white wine cost about $85, about five times the US price. “Something was coming”. Against this backdrop, recently TWSJ public a chronicle which goes one step further. According to the American newspaper, Saudi Arabia plans to continue making its relationship with alcohol more flexible with another historic decision: allowing its consumption in luxury hotels and resorts in the Red Sea. “We always knew it was going to happen, that Saudi Arabia was preparing for something,” explains Michael Ratneyformer US ambassador, who speaks of “physical signs” that have been seen for years: “You went into restaurants and they all had bars. They didn’t offer alcohol, but the infrastructure was emerging.” The example of Dubai. The objective is clear: to reinforce the country’s attractiveness for expats, investors and tourists as part of the policy promoted by Prince Mohammed bin Salman to modernize the nation, diversify its economy and reduce your fiscal deficit. In recent years the kingdom has already taken several steps in that direction in different areas (in 2018 allowed women get behind the wheel of a car and in 2034 will host the World Cup) and there are those who point that in terms of leisure and alcohol will look to the United Arab Emirates. Especially to Dubai. In part of the UAE, access to alcohol is limited, but it is relatively easy to obtain in Dubai, a city that has stood out for its ability to attract tourists and wealthy foreigners. For years, those who wanted to access alcohol in Saudi Arabia had to resort to the diplomatic courierartisanal manufacturing at home or the black market, with the risks that it entails. The question is to what extent the kingdom is willing to change that to attract foreign assets. Images | سيف الظاهر (Unsplash), Ambitious Studio*-Rick Barrett (Unsplash) In Xataka | There is an age at which we should stop drinking alcohol forever. Neuroscience is clear why

one with the supercars of Saudi millionaires parked badly

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One of the most important tasks of the traffic police of any big city. Cars in double rows, speeding, parking in wrong places, etc. However, as how they collect British media, this task has intensified especially in the wealthiest area of ​​London, where the great Saudi sheikhs and magnates notice the insignificant amount of a parking fine, less than the tip they leave for the waiter who parks their car. In this context, the recent scene of a Saudi Rolls-Royce raised on a crane and that of a convoy of hypercars blocking the sidewalk in front of a luxury hotel summarizes well the fight that is being fought between the Westminster authorities and an elite that uses the street almost as a private garage. London and the problem of Saudi supercars In the Mayfair neighborhood, near the former US embassy, ​​Westminster City Council has begun to act more harshly against luxury cars parked directly on the sidewalk next to The Chancery Rosewood five-star hotel. “The vehicles are registered abroad (the ones we photographed have Saudi registration plates), so the chances of recovering the costs are practically nil. The owners of the vehicles, which include Rolls Royces and Lamborghinis, are so rich that the fines have little effect,” said a spokesperson for Westminster City Council. According to they explained sources from the council to the British The Standardneighbors complained about wealthy guests parking their luxury cars on sidewalks “Pedestrians should not have to face a sea of ​​illegally and selfishly parked supercars when trying to walk through Westminster.” The response of the authorities has gone one step further and instead of continuing to accumulate fines that many millionaires do not even pay, they have chosen to remove the vehicles with a tow truck when they block the path of pedestrians. Source: Westminster City Council Recently, a Saudi Rolls-Royce valued at about $330,000 was removed with a crane and moved a few streets further, a scene that became for a few minutes an unprecedented urban spectacle, while serving as a warning to navigators of those who decide to park their luxury cars in inappropriate places. The hypercar “sandwich” in front of the hotel However, the joy was short-lived for traffic authorities. A few hours after that withdrawal, the sidewalk opposite the one where the Rolls-Royce retreat took place was once again filled with raised mobile phones, this time to photograph a convoy of four very special cars. Two Bugatti Chirons parked in front of the door of the luxury hotel, flanked by a huge Mercedes-AMG G 63 6×6 and a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Tap on the image to go to the original message The set, which occupied practically the entire pedestrian space, easily raised more than 9 million dollars on the pavement if the base prices of each model are added. The Bugatti Chiron is announced with a starting price of $2.5 million, including no customization, more than doubling its initial price. For his part, the Mercedes‑AMG G63 6×6 It hardly goes below a million dollars in the most exclusive second-hand market and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan starts at around $325,000 in its basic version. Faced with such a display of supercars (and millions of them), the authorities preferred not to move and, this time, the tow truck did not appear. A luxury that goes beyond the car: the “1 V” license plate Beyond the value of the cars, there was a detail that went unnoticed by many pedestrians who could not help but raise their cell phones to capture the unprecedented moment to upload it. to your social networks: the Saudi license plates, and in particular that of the white Bugatti Chiron that was part of that convoy of supercars. Only a number and a letter were read on its plate, “1 V”, an extremely rare format in Saudi Arabia and which is part of a lucrative market for personalized license plates managed by the Saudi General Directorate of Traffic through electronic auctions. As and how he published Gulf Newsin one of those auctions held on the government platform Absher, the “1 V” license plate reached a bid of more than 10 million Saudi riyals, equivalent to approximately 2.3 million euros at the exchange rate, becoming one of the most expensive license plates that have been auctioned. Tap on the image to go to the original message Behind this bid is Yazeed bin Mohammed Al Rajhi who, in addition to being businessman and rally championis the son of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Al-Rajhi, co-founder of Al Rajhi Bankone of the largest Islamic banks in the world. Thus, the cost of that small metal rectangle is close to the price of the car, turning this license plate into a symbol of wealth, luxury and exclusivity almost as powerful as the Bugatti Chiron itself. In Xataka | The richest king in the world: his empire covers 17,000 properties, 38 private jets and a collection of 300 luxury cars Image | Westminster City Council, Bugatti

Saudi Arabia is looking for someone to build its new high-speed train. And a battalion of Spanish giants are going to compete

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Saudi Arabia has put one of the most ambitious railway projects in the Middle East on the table, and the response from the global industry has been especially strong: 145 international companies have officially expressed their interest for participating in the new high-speed line that will connect Riyadh with Qiddiya, a newly created city dedicated to tourism and entertainment. And as it could not be otherwise, among the candidates stand out several Spanish companies with great experience when it comes to cooperating in Saudi projects. What exactly is this project. It is about the Qiddiya High-Speed ​​Railalso known as Q-Express, a high-speed rail line that will link King Salman International Airport and the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh with Qiddiya City, according to the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC). The trains will reach speeds of up to 250 km/h and the intention is for them to complete the journey in about 30 minutes. Qiddiya is one of Saudi Arabia’s five official mass tourism-oriented gigaprojects and is expected to occupy some 376 square kilometers. The city will include 12 amusement parksa Formula 1 circuit and is projected to house 500,000 inhabitants. Several Spanish companies interested. Between companies that have shown interest There are Spanish names with weight in the railway sector. CAF and Talgo appear in the category of manufacturers of rolling stock and railway systems, where they compete with giants such as Alstom, Siemens Mobility, Hitachi Rail or Stadler Rail. Renfe and Alsa, for their part, are among the 12 interested railway operators, along with Deutsche Bahn, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane or SNCF. In construction, FCC Construction and Copasa stand out, while in technical consulting, Sener, Ayesa, Idom and Typsa are present, competing with international firms such as Aecom, AtkinsRéalis or Systra. Previous experience in the country. Several of these Spanish companies are not new to Saudi Arabia. Some were part of the consortium that developed the well-known AVE to Mecca (Haramain train), which connects the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Currently, Renfe operates precisely that high-speed line. The president of the company, Álvaro Fernández de Heredia, visited Saudi Arabia just a few weeks ago to participate in an international railway meeting, and where reaffirmed the company’s commitment to collaborate with Saudi Arabia Railways on new projects. For its part, Alsa It already has a guaranteed presence in Qiddiya: a €500 million contract was recently awarded to operate the city’s future buses. Fierce world-class competition. He complete list of interested parties gives clues to the magnitude of the project. The 68 main contractors include companies from China (eight companies, including China Railway Construction Corporation and Aviation Industry Corporation of China), Turkey (with Gülermak, Kalyon or Yapı Merkezi), Italy (Webuild and Saipem), South Korea (Hyundai Engineering and Samsung C&T), France (Bouygues Travaux Publics), India (Larsen & Toubro) and Portugal (Mota-Engil), among other countries. 16 capital investors and 23 design and project management consultancies have also shown interest. How it is going to develop. The project will be executed under a public-private partnership model (PPP), as announced by the RCRC in collaboration with the National Center for Privatization and the QIC. The registration period where companies could show interest in the project opened on September 12 and closed on October 12. Although it was initially planned to be developed under a conventional model, the Saudi authorities finally opted for a public-private collaboration scheme. What comes next. The development includes two phases. The first will connect Qiddiya with KAFD and King Khalid International Airport. The second phase will extend from a development known as North Pole, which includes the Public Investment Fund’s two-kilometre-high tower, to New Murabba, King Salman Park, central Riyadh and the Industrial City south of Riyadh. In addition, the 65-kilometer Riyadh metro line 7 will also connect the capital with Qiddiya City in the future. With so many high-level companies competing for this megaproject, now it’s time to find out which consortiums manage to position themselves as favorites in the bidding. Cover image | HE In Xataka | The electrification of the railway passes through Valencia: the Stadler plant will be in charge of building 200 hybrid locomotives

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