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RIYADH, February 5, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Riyadh Air and Mastercard unveiled an alliance on Thursday linking payments, travel and technology, with both sides positioning the partnership as a platform for consumer payments, premium airport services and next-generation B2B travel payments. A Riyadh Air press release described the partnership as part of a broader plan to build an integrated financial and payment ecosystem tied to the airline’s digital-first operati

SPA JEDDAH, February 5, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Aroya Cruises, the first Arab cruise line and a unit of Cruise Saudi wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, announced the launch of its first Gulf season in February. Operations in the Gulf are scheduled to run from February 21, 2026, to May 8, 2026. The company positioned the season around its “Remarkably Arabian” concept, combining Saudi cultural identity with international cruise standards through food offeri

RIYADH, February 5, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) called on establishments subject to withholding tax in the Kingdom to submit January 2026 withholding tax returns no later than February 10, 2026. ZATCA urged taxpayers to file returns promptly through its official portal and warned that late payment triggers a penalty of 1% of unpaid tax for every 30 days of delay from the due date. The authority said business taxpayers seeki

SPA MUSCAT, February 4, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Princess Sarah bint Bandar bin Abdulaziz, executive director of the International Dates Council, met Omani Minister of Agricultural, Fisheries and Water Resources Dr. Saud bin Hamoud Al-Habsi in Muscat on Wednesday. The meeting reviewed cooperation in the dates sector and discussed coordination frameworks aimed at increasing added value and improving the competitiveness of dates in regional and international markets,

SPA RIYADH, February 4, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The 35th edition of the Restatex Real Estate Exhibition 2026 will be held from February 11 to February 14 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center. The event will be held under the patronage of Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed Al-Hogail and is expected to host government agencies, real estate companies, developers and investors. Restatex 2026 will also feature the first PropNext forum,

WAM DUBAI, February 4, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Guillaume Faury said the scale of modern aircraft manufacturing and recent supply chain disruptions are increasing pressure on the aviation industry, calling for stronger global collaboration during remarks at World Governments Summit 2026. Speaking in a session titled “How Do We Keep the World Connected?”, moderated by Richard Quest of CNN, the Airbus chief executive said a single aircraft includes around three milli

WAM DUBAI, February 4, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended the main address delivered by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on the opening day of the World Governments Summit 2026, which runs for three days under the theme “Shaping Future Governments,” according to summit organisers. In his remarks, Sanchez outlined five measures Spain plans to implement to curb harms linked to social media and protect minors, inclu

WAM Riyadh, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Aldar added several strategic land plots across Abu Dhabi with a combined gross development value of about AED23 billion, expanding its landbank and building a pipeline for long-term growth across key development corridors. The sites span more than 2.3 million square metres and are expected to deliver around 3,000 new homes across plots on Saadiyat Island, Yas Island and areas adjacent to Yas Island. Aldar said the p

SPA RIYADH, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Fashion Commission and Kering on Tuesday launched the second edition of the Kering Generation Award in the Middle East and North Africa for 2026, during the opening ceremony of a global retail sector leaders forum hosted at the Embassy of France in Saudi Arabia. The new edition follows the 2025 programme, which drew more than 500 applications, shortlisted 21 projects for the final round and produced three winne

SPA JEDDAH, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – King Abdulaziz International Airport recorded 5.45 million passengers in January, up 7.3% from the same month in 2025, as the airport posted what it described as record operational results since the start of 2026. The airport handled 29,200 flights during the month, an 11% increase year-on-year, while total baggage reached 6.6 million items, up 8% compared with January last year. The airport registered its highest op

SPA RIYADH, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed an agreement on renewable energy power plant projects during the official visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Kingdom, covering solar power projects in Türkiye with total installed capacity of up to 5,000 megawatts, SPA reported. The agreement was signed in Riyadh by Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Turkish Energy and Natura

Riyadh, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector continued to expand in January, but at a slower pace than the previous month, as rising input costs added pressure despite firm demand, a purchasing managers’ survey showed. The seasonally adjusted Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 56.3 in January from 57.4 in December, its lowest level in six months, while remaining firmly in expansion territory. A reading a

SPA Riyadh, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – A discussion session at the fifth Saudi Media Forum examined trends in travel-media production and its role in reinforcing national identity and raising the competitiveness of tourism destinations in Saudi Arabia. The session, titled “Travel Media Industry: Strategies and Trends,” brought together Abdullah Al-Dakhil, spokesperson for the Saudi Tourism Authority; Noirin Higarty, editor-in-chief of Lest Noire magazine;

Dhahran, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Aramco completed a $4 billion international bond issue across four tranches under its international medium-term note programme, the company announced on Tuesday. The first tranche was $500 million of senior notes due 2029 with a yield of 4.0%. The second was $1.5 billion of senior notes due 2031 with a yield of 4.375%. The third was $1.25 billion of senior notes due 2036 with a yield of 5.0%. The fourth was $750 m

WAM Riyadh, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department reported Kuwaiti real estate investment of 1.049 billion dirhams ($286 million) in Sharjah in 2025, alongside higher trading activity and a larger investor base. The figures were released during “UAE and Kuwait: Brothers Forever” week, highlighting the expansion of Kuwaiti participation in Sharjah’s property market. Kuwaiti nationals owned 5,660 properties in Sharjah, and K

WAM Dubai, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Dubai Design District (d3), part of TECOM Group, is hosting Dubai Fashion Week from February 1 to 6 in collaboration with the Arab Fashion Council, organisers said. The event opened with a runway show by Italian fashion house Alberta Ferretti, which presented its Autumn/Winter 2026–2027 collection in the region for the first time, titled “Portrait of a Lady.” The collection travelled directly from Milan to Dubai, posi

SPA Riyadh, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Princess Reem bint Saif Al-Islam bin Saud, deputy vice president for strategy and empowerment at the General Authority of Media Regulation, highlighted the role of statistics and market data in shaping the media sector during a panel at the fifth edition of the Saudi Media Forum on Monday. The session, titled “Media and Investment: A Partnership for Creating Value,” also included Alhassan Humaid Aldin, director gener

SPA Riyadh, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Ministry of Media (Saudi Arabia), in partnership with Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), launched the Saudi Media Innovation Bootcamp (Saudi MIB) and issued a set of Artificial Intelligence Principles in Media during the fifth Saudi Media Forum. The announcements were made in remarks by Media Minister Salman Al-Dossary, delivered in the presence of SDAIA President Abdullah Al-Ghamdi. The bootca

SPA Riyadh, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia hosted the 21st session of the Saudi-German Joint Commission for Economic and Technical Cooperation on Monday, chaired by Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katharina Reiche, with government representatives from both countries attending. The meeting reviewed ways to expand cooperation in energy, industry and investment,

SPA Riyadh, February 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – A session titled “Strategies for building digital encyclopedias according to global standards” was held on Monday at the Saudi Media Forum, led by Hamed Al-Shehri, chief executive of Saudipedia. The session reviewed approaches to building modern digital encyclopedias and the importance of aligning documentation, editing and knowledge-management processes with international standards. It also covered digital-content g