Ahmed Al Omran

  • 🚨 New by me: Weak oil prices are adding to pressure on Saudi Arabia’s vast spending programme as Riyadh prepares to unwind crude production cuts starting tomorrow.

  • Quick reminder that the word “tariff” originally comes from Arabic.

  • 🚨 Saudi crown prince orders authorities to provide more land for affordable housing in Riyadh and monitor real estate prices in the city. Earlier this year I wrote about how the property boom in the capital is making house and apartment prices unaffordable for many citizens.

  • Detained British bank analyst awaiting verdict in Saudi Arabia.

  • 🚨 New by me: Saudi Arabia establishes new “community security” unit to crack down on “immoral acts”.

  • đź“ş Big budget Saudi TV series stirs controversy in Middle East.

  • Searching for a moment of peace in Mecca

    Is there a way to let as many pilgrims as possible visit Mecca while at the same time ensure they can perform their rituals in a graceful, spiritual atmosphere?

    I’ve been pondering this question after taking my mother to perform umrah a few weeks ago, and decided to write about it for the newspaper.

    Now I am fully aware that I speak from a position of privilege. I live next door to Mecca and I can visit basically anytime I want, while millions of Muslims around the world sometimes have to wait for years and save money for life just to make the journey once.

    Saudi Arabia has faced criticism for the perceived over commercialisation of Mecca. But both the government and the population of the kingdom take immense pride in welcoming and serving the pilgrims, and that includes making Mecca more accessible.

    There are religious and economic motivations to increase the number of umrah pilgrims, but the rapid growth poses questions about the experience, safety and infrastructure. Officials hope the use of AI and other technologies would help tackle those questions.

    This is particularly relevant during the holy month of Ramadan, which traditionally has been peak umrah season. Just last week authorities said that half a million pilgrims performed umrah in one day, a new record.

  • Saudi-owned Scopely buys PokĂ©mon Go in $3.5 billion gaming deal.

  • Also new from Chloe Cornish and me 🇰🇼 Kuwait’s government defends the policy of revoking citizenship from more than 42,000 people after suspending the region’s only parliament last year. “Only God knows where Kuwait would be if we waited any longer,” interior minister said.

  • 🚨 New from me: Saudi box office earnings appear to have plateaued since 2022, but filmmakers are hopeful that local movies still have room to grow.

  • PIF and PwC clashed over the firm’s attempt to hire Neom’s chief internal audit officer.

  • 🚨 Saudi Aramco profits down 12% in 2024. Company to pay total dividend of just over $85 billion, compared with $124 billion in the previous year.

  • 🚨 New by me: Saudi Arabia quietly steps up releases of political prisoners.

  • Investors told of golden age of US-Saudi co-operation at Miami conference.

  • 🚨 New from me — Saudi Arabia launches ferocious state media attack on Netanyahu

  • 🚨 My latest — Syria’s new leader visits Saudi Arabia in sign of regional power shift.

  • My latest: Saudi Arabia aims to invest $600 billion in the US, crown prince tells Trump during congratulatory phone call.

  • 🚨 My latest story: Saud housing minister acknowledges that soaring property prices in Riyadh have become a “concern” for the government, but says more supply is coming into the market to address the issue.

  • 🚨 Saudi Aramco to expand investments in lithium production in the race to build a supply chain for the metal vital for batteries to power electric cars as the kingdom seeks to become an EV manufacturing hub.

  • Around the Syrian capital Damascus, stores are now lined with Turkish bottled water, Saudi-produced bouillon cubes, Lebanese powdered milk and western chocolate brands such as Twix and Snickers. In one supermarket, an entire wall was dedicated to Pringles.

  • Rainy weather across the kingdom this week (SPA)

  • 🚨 My latest story: 2034 World Cup award adds more pressure to Saudi Arabia’s construction challenge.

  • “As viewers are funnelled towards content they will like, fame has been atomised. It is possible to have a hundred million online fans and still be unrecognisable to people in your home town.”

  • 🚨 My latest: Syrian delegation visits Saudi Arabia for first foreign trip since ousting of Bashar al-Assad.

  • Afghanistan welcomes Saudi Arabia’s decision to reopen its embassy in Kabul.

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