Author: Editorial Team

RIYADH — Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) President Yasser Al Misehal announced early Monday that he will not seek to continue in his position, accepting responsibility for the Green Falcons’ failure to advance to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after seven years at the helm of Saudi football. In a statement, Al Misehal said he bears “full responsibility” for the national team’s World Cup campaign, acknowledging that the result fell short of expectations and offering an apology to Saudi fans. He said his belief that accountability requires opening the door to a new phase led him…

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Stephen Eustáquio struck deep into stoppage time to send co-host Canada into the FIFA World Cup round of 16 for the first time with a dramatic 1-0 victory over South Africa on Sunday. The midfielder, who plays professionally for Los Angeles FC, unleashed a superb volley from outside the penalty area in the second minute of second-half stoppage time to finally break the deadlock at SoFi Stadium after a tense, evenly contested knockout clash. The historic victory gives Canada its first-ever win in the knockout stage of a men’s World Cup and books a round-of-16 meeting with…

Saudi Arabia recorded a trade surplus of SAR90.5 billion during the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, marking a year-on-year increase of 43.7%. The surplus increased by more than SAR27 billion compared with the same period in 2025, when it stood at approximately SAR63 billion, according to the General Authority for Statistics’ International Trade Bulletin for March.  The data showed that the trade surplus increased by 60% on a quarterly basis. It rose by more than SAR33.9 billion compared with the fourth quarter of 2025, when the surplus totaled approximately SAR56.5 billion. On a monthly basis, the trade surplus continued to…

BERLIN — France recorded about 1,000 excess deaths during last week’s record-breaking heatwave, health authorities said Sunday. The World Health Organization warned that Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and called for stronger action to protect vulnerable populations. Public Health France said mortality surged sharply during the peak of the heatwave, with more than 1,200 deaths recorded on Wednesday and over 1,400 deaths on each of the following two days, compared with the usual daily average of 900 to 1,000 deaths before the extreme temperatures. The agency estimated that at least 1,000 additional deaths occurred during the three-day period, warning…

Saudi Arabia is preparing to host four global events in under a decade: the Esports World Cup 2026, the AFC Asian Cup 2027, Riyadh Expo 2030, and the FIFA World Cup 2034. A new report from KPMG Middle East argues that delivering them successfully will depend as much on the fan experience as on the stadiums and infrastructure behind them. KPMG’s latest report, Blueprint for the fan experience: Mega sporting events in Saudi Arabia, sets out a practical framework for designing those experiences — the accumulated moments between a fan buying a ticket and sharing their final photo home that…

WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran have agreed to halt hostilities and meet in Qatar on Tuesday for talks aimed at resolving their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported on Sunday, citing senior US officials. According to the report, the latest round of fighting was triggered by differing interpretations of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that ended the recent conflict, particularly provisions governing navigation through the strategic waterway. “We decided to stop all the kinetic activity,” a senior US official told Axios, referring to military strikes and other combat operations. Under the MOU, Iran committed to making…

RIYADH — The Ministry of Tourism announced the launch of the AI Tourism Vision, a strategic step toward shaping the future of tourism through digital transformation and artificial intelligence. The vision aims to elevate tourism experiences, enhance operational productivity, empower investors and professionals, and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as a global hub for tourism innovation. The launch builds on the Kingdom’s broader efforts to harness advanced technologies to support economic growth and enhance the competitiveness of key sectors. It also builds on the Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism, adopted by the 26th General Assembly of UN Tourism, which…

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) launched the enhanced Regulatory Sandbox Service through its e-services portal, as part of its ongoing efforts to support the financial sector and innovators in developing advanced financial solutions.  The enhanced service aims to improve applicant experience by offering fully integrated, automated processes, along with an advanced system for submitting and tracking applications. This enables a more streamlined and flexible onboarding process.  SAMA emphasized that the launch reflects its continued commitment to strengthening a regulatory environment that fosters innovation in the financial sector, enabling companies and financial institutions to access the Regulatory Sandbox more efficiently, while…

RIYADH — Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef attended the extraordinary joint meeting of the GCC Ministers of Trade and Industry on Sunday. The meeting was held virtually under the chairmanship of Bahrain. The meeting discussed the implementation of the directives issued by the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) during their 19th Consultative Meeting in Jeddah. The directives focus on strengthening Gulf economic integration and advancing cooperation in the trade and industrial sectors. Participants also reviewed the efforts undertaken by the Supreme Committee at the GCC General Secretariat, along with the future action plan to…

RIYADH — The Saudi national artificial intelligence team has won six international awards at the inaugural Asia-Pacific Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (APOAI) 2026, organized virtually by China. A total of 129 students representing 18 countries participated in the Olympiad, and this featured the Kingdom’s first participation in the emerging international competition. Saudi Arabia’s achievements included one gold medal, three silver medals, and two certificates of appreciation. Qusai Emad Jadallah from the Jeddah Education Department bagged the gold medal, while Laith Suwaid Al-Zahrani from Riyadh Education, Yousef Farid Al-Khalawi from Jeddah Education, and Ali Ayman Al-Khabbaz from Eastern Region Education received…