Saudi Arabia

House of Saud
- three saudi states (refer to history) hkej 12jul17 shum article
- interactive family tree http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/27c2476a-9291-11e4-b213-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3Pi7O6SB0
- photos of various kings http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170622/PDF/a10_screen.pdf
- http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21638134-generational-change-looms-ail-king
- https://global.udn.com/global_vision/story/8663/2538241 在沙烏地開國征伐的過程中，立國君主——阿不都阿齊茲國王（King Abdulaziz，1876-1953，又稱ibn Saud）——為了統一阿拉伯半島，長年透過姻親結盟的方式，拉攏各地豪族。而在阿不都阿齊茲逝世之後，為了平衡各部落氏族間的權力關係，沙烏地王室也發展出了一套複雜的繼承系統，並透過王族合議來決定每一代的權力順序。阿不都阿齊茲的數十段政治婚姻，一共留下了36位成年王子。之中，由內志（Najid，阿拉伯半島的內陸地區）豪族之女——胡薩．蘇代里（Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi）——所生的7個兒子，更是王族中最有實力的權力集團。活躍於內志的蘇代里家族，不僅是沙烏地王國最早期的支持者（阿不都阿齊茲的媽媽就來自蘇代里家族），胡薩本人更深受阿不都阿齊茲寵愛。兩人一連生下7個王子（眾妻妾中最多），而「多產多子」的祝福，也胡薩成為沙烏地後宮最有權勢的女性，7個王子日後在王族中更是極有聲量，因而被外界稱為「蘇代里七子」（Sudairi Seven）。蘇代里七子在王室的權力，自1970年代開始全面抬頭，但其勢力卻遭到其他兄弟刻意制衡，雖然後來胡薩的大兒子法哈德（King Fahd，1921-2005）如願繼承了王位，但在一連串的權力斡旋下，法哈德也只能接受王族「平衡權力」的建議，立異母弟弟阿不都拉（King Abdullah，1924-2015）為王儲，確立了沙國王位傳弟不傳子、母系血脈不遞傳（同母兄弟不能繼位）的同代默契。法哈德國王在1995年因中風倒下，儘管保住一命但自此不能理事，統治王國的責任，也因此由王儲阿不都拉接管。之後，法哈德國王逝世於2005年病逝，接位登基的阿布都拉也依照協議，冊立蘇代里七子中的次子蘇丹王子（Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud）為王儲。但蘇丹後來卻因癌症於2011年病逝，王儲才傳給蘇代里第四子納伊夫（Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud）。沒想到8個月後，納伊夫也因癌症過世，阿布都拉國王只好在把王儲一位，交給了蘇代里第六子——也就是當今聖上，國王薩爾曼。
- king faisal

• The King Faisal Foundation was established in 1976 by the sons of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Prince Mohammed is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Faisal Foundation. Managing Director of the Foundation is Prince Khalid Al-Faisal.The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies was established in 1983. Based in Riyadh, the centre is an independent, not-for-profit institution financed by the King Faisal Foundation. The center studies issues affecting the Arab and Muslim worlds, and organizes a number of conferences each year.

- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30945324 Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was the fifth of his brothers to take the throne and became king in 2005, reports Caroline Hawley. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died, royal officials have announced, weeks after he was admitted to hospital. King Abdullah, who was said to be aged about 90, had been suffering from a lung infection. A statement early on Friday said his 79-year-old half brother, Salman, had become king. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/22/saudi-arabia-king-abdullah-dies, http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/22/middleeast/saudi-arabia-king-abdullah-dies/
- old and new king and next successor hkej 24jan15 a21
- http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9f401eb4-a2f1-11e4-9c06-00144feab7de.html Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s new king, moved swiftly to end speculation about future succession on Friday, designating a powerful nephew as second in line to the throne. As he pledged to continue on the path of Abdullah, who died on Thursday, the new ruler appointed Mohammed bin Nayef, the interior minister, as deputy crown prince, the first of a younger generation who will eventually take power in the oil-rich kingdom.
- http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/14dc0636-a295-11e4-aba2-00144feab7de.html Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman moved quickly to reassure markets and allies by pledging to continue with the policies of his predecessor, Abdullah, who died overnight at a time of turmoil in the wider Arab world.

- http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/23/five-facts-saudi-arabia-future-king-abdullah-death
- hkej 28may15 a23 shum yuk fai article on the country's likely moves in diplomacy
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20151002/00180_025.html 沙特政壇傳出地震，沙特一名匿名王子早前發公開信，號召叔伯推翻現任國王薩勒曼，聲言八成皇室成員都支持這提議。信中稱在薩勒曼統治下，沙特皇室和公眾都處於不安之中，又指薩勒曼的身體狀況不穩定，實際掌權的是其兒子。
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20160118/00180_004.html美國一份研究報告指，沙特阿拉伯皇室去年撤換王儲人選後，現任國王薩勒曼又打算繞過姪兒納伊夫這名新王儲，改由他的兒子穆罕默德‧薩勒曼繼位。消息指事件引起華府警惕，擔憂中東局勢陷入新的動盪。根據波斯灣研究院（Gulf Institute）上周發表的報告，指現年八十歲的國王薩勒曼，打算繞過五十六歲的副首相兼內政部長納伊夫，直接讓位予兒子穆罕默德‧薩勒曼。美國外交部官員指，「假如納伊夫成為國王，穆罕默德‧薩勒曼二十年內也無法登位。」波斯灣研究院由沙特異見人士支持而組成，總部設於美國華盛頓。報告更認為薩勒曼會在數星期內宣布退位。美方官員則相信，計劃在夏季才會落實。沙特出兵也門，與伊朗關係緊張之際，華府擔憂沙特宮廷鬥爭令中東局勢更緊張。
- http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21707546-crown-prince-stands-between-king-and-his-favoured-successor-real-game
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20160930/00180_010.html 法國傳媒報道，沙特阿拉伯一名公主早前在法國巴黎一間住宅，懷疑一名裝修工拍攝她的照片出售，叫保鏢綁起工人狂毆，並命工人跪地吻她的雙足。工人事後向公主追討約十六萬港元的裝修費及索回工具。
- Anointment of ‘MBS’ as crown prince is biggest shake-up in ruling family for 50 years 22jun17 https://www.ft.com/content/c8f084b6-5685-11e7-9fed-c19e2700005f沙特皇室繁衍百多年來，成員超過五千人，老國王所有的子嗣中，有七名兄弟來自他最寵愛的妻子西薩‧蘇德里。在位時間長達二十三年的法赫德國王就是「蘇德里七兄弟」中的老大，而目前擔任國王的薩勒曼則是老七。沙特近四十年的皇室權鬥史就是圍繞着以「蘇德里七兄弟」為一派、包括阿卜杜拉在內的其他王子為另一派的鬥爭展開的。沙特的兄終弟及制度，你方唱罷我登場，雖然照顧了皇室各派系的利益，但也產生了嚴重問題。一是國王高齡化嚴重，薩勒曼和阿卜杜拉上任時就已風燭殘年，無法集中精力執政，在當前沙特內憂外患之際，國王身老體衰，易引發政局危機，無法有效應對各方挑戰。二是國王輪流做，易使各派系坐地成山，形成尾大不掉之勢。事實上，沙特的軍權、警權及情治部門就被皇室各派系所瓜分，倘若國王弱勢，極易被實力派系所架空。從某種意義上說，薩勒曼接連發動自上而下的政變，是對兄終弟及制度的撥亂反正，但問題是包括其蘇里德系的兄弟子姪及阿卜杜拉派系的王子們，怎麼可能輕易臣服？當年費薩爾親王發動政變逼退兄長、自己上位，最後慘遭姪兒暗殺。沙特宮廷今次會否再現腥風血雨，不妨拭目以待。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20170622/00192_001.html
- Three senior members of Saudi Arabia's royal family, including the king's brother, have been arrested for unexplained reasons.Two of the men were among the kingdom's most influential figures. The detentions are seen as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tightening his grip on power.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51778781
- mohammed bin salmon

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/21/mohammed-bin-salman-31-year-old-future-king-saudi-arabia/ Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saudi Arabia’s 31-year-old new heir to the throne, is an ambitious and aggressive reformer who hopes to transform his country’s economy and lead it to a more assertive position on the world stage. Widely known by his initials “MbS”, Prince Mohammed is the youngest son of the current monarch King Salman and a favourite among his 13 children.He has been groomed for leadership ever since his father King Salman took the throne in 2015.
• 穆罕默德過去兩年擔任副王儲兼國防大臣，活躍於國際舞台，包括去年9月到中國杭州出席20國集團(G20)峰會，以及今年3月訪美，與總統特朗普會面。西方外交官表示，穆罕默德非常聰明，對81歲國王薩勒曼的決策有很大影響力。據報穆罕默德每天工作16小時，喜歡閱讀英國戰時首相邱吉爾著作及中國《孫子兵法》，希望為施政帶來啟發。穆罕默德畢業於沙特國王大學法律系，育有兩子兩女，與其他王室成員不同，他只有一名妻子。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2017/06/22/a22-0622.pdf

- 瑞玛·班达尔·沙特公主  Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (born 1975) is a Saudi Arabian princess and the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, appointed on 23 February 2019 becoming the first female envoy in the country’s history .Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to Bandar bin Sultan and Haifa bint Faisal, Princess Reema spent many years in the United States, where her father Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud was the ambassador from 1983-2005.^[6] She attended George Washington University graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Museum studies and, after graduation, returned to Riyadh.Princess Reema was married to Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. They got divorced in 2012 and they have two children (a son, Turki; and a daughter, Sarah) together.
- 沙特阿拉伯王儲穆罕默德的姐姐、四十二歲哈薩公主（Hassa bint Salman）因三年前涉嫌指使保鏢，毆打及侮辱維修其巴黎豪宅的一名法籍水電工，周四被巴黎法庭宣判罪成，處以十個月緩刑和罰款一萬歐元（約八萬六千港元）；公主代表律師揚言上訴。事發二○一六年九月，埃及裔受害人艾德（Ashraf Eid）前往由沙特國王薩勒曼擁有、位於福煦大街(added by me - foch avenue)的豪宅修理洗手盆，因工作需要而拍下洗手盆情況參考，惟洗手盆的鏡子映照出哈薩的容貌。公主大發雷霆，命令保鏢賽爾迪（Rani Saidi）搶走手機。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190914/00180_024.html- government posts

• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/08/saudi-king-names-son-abdulaziz-to-key-post-of-energy-minister Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has replaced the country’s energy minister with one of his sons, naming Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman to one of the most important positions in the kingdom. The new energy minister is an older half-brother to the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and an experienced oil industry figure in Saudi Arabia. He has been minister of state for energy affairs since 2017. The two brothers are not known to be close. It is the first time a member of the ruling Al Saud family has held the energy minister post in the world’s top oil exporter.

- 沙特阿拉伯王室周二表示，國王薩勒曼解除六名高官職務，當中包括兩名王室人員，分別是王子法哈德（Prince Fahad bin Turki）及其兒子阿卜杜勒阿齊茲（Abdulaziz bin Fahad），作為反貪腐調查的一部分。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20200902/00180_014.html


Government
- reshuffle

• http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0a8bd756-15c6-11e6-b197-a4af20d5575e.html, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-reshuffle-idUSKCN0XY0DX
• http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20161103/00192_001.html 沙特國王兼首相薩勒曼發布王令，任命沙特資本市場管理局局長穆罕默德阿喬丹為財政部長，接替任財政部長十多年的阿沙法。這宗人事更迭是沙特皇室宮鬥的繼續，老國王為了給兒子的接班鋪路大力削藩。

- saudi information ministry

• https://www.ft.com/content/c7d57f8e-96ca-11e7-a652-cde3f882dd7b Saudi Arabia is planning to set up public relations hubs in Europe and Asia as part of a new offensive to counter negative media coverage of the kingdom. The move comes as Riyadh leads an extraordinary regional embargo of Qatar. It has also faced criticism over its role in a devastating war in Yemen, where it has been accused of bombing civilian targets. The Saudi information ministry could set up “hubs” in London, Berlin, Paris and Moscow as early as this month, according to a document seen by the Financial Times.

- https://www.saudiexports.sa/en/ saudi export development authority
- https://scth.gov.sa/en/Pages/default.aspx saudi commission tourism & antiquities
- The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA; Arabic: مؤسسة النقد العربي السعودي‎), established in 1952, is the central bank of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Previously, it was known as Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency.Prior to the establishment of the Saudi Monetary Authority, the Saudi Hollandi Bank, a branch of the Netherlands Trading Societyfrom 1926 acted as a de facto central bank. It kept the Kingdom's gold reserves and received oil revenues on behalf of the Saudi Arabian government.^[3] In 1928 it assisted in the establishment of a new Saudi silver coin, commissioned by King Abdulaziz which became the Kingdom's first independent currency. The Saudi Hollandia Bank handed over its responsibilities to the SAMA when it was established in 1952^[4] and became a model for other foreign banks in the kingdom.^[5] The modern authority operates through regulatory infrastructure developed by Irish firm Vizor.
- saudi general investment agency www.investsaudi.sa

• tayseer program to stimulate growth and investment in private sector

- The King Fahd National Library is the legal deposit and copyright library for Saudi Arabia. KFNL was established in 1983 in response to an initiative made by the people of Riyadh when King Fahd ascended the throne. The project was announced in 1983 and the implementation started in 1986. https://kfnl.gov.sa/En/Pages/default.aspx
- http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-economy-idUSKCN11W1VS?il=0 Saudi Arabia will cut ministers' salaries by 20 percent and scale back financial perks for public sector employees in one of the most drastic measures yet by the energy-rich kingdom to save money at a time of low oil prices.
The measures, disclosed in a cabinet statement and royal decree broadcast on state-run Ekhbariya TV on Monday, constitute the first pay cuts for government employees, who make up about two-thirds of working Saudis. "The cabinet has decided to stop and cancel some bonuses and financial benefits," read a line of text on Ekhbariya, as a minister read to assembled ministers and royals, including King Salman, a list of cuts in various grades in the civil service.
- Governorates (Arabic: محافظات‎; muhafazat, sing. muhafazah) are the second level of regional administration within Saudi Arabia. Each of Saudi Arabia's 13 regions is sub-divided into governorates.  Governorates are further sub-divided into sub-governorates (marakiz, sing. markaz), though some sub-governorates report directly to the provincial capital rather than to one of the governorates. Regional capitals themselves are not included within any governorate but are instead governed by "municipalities" (amanah), with each municipality being headed by a mayor (amin). Governorates in Saudi Arabia can be either "Category A" or "Category B", depending on population size.

阿拉法特山  Mount Arafat or Mount Arafah (Arabic: جبل عرفات‎‎ transliterated Jabal ‘Arafāt) is a granite hill east of Makkah in the plain of Arafat. Arafat is a plain about 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Makkah.^[1] Mount Arafat reaches about 70 m (230 ft) in height and is also known as the Mount of Mercy(Jabal ar-Rahmah). According to Islamic tradition, the hill is the place where the Islamic prophet Muhammed stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon to the Muslims who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life. Muslims also say that it is also the place where the Adam and Eve landed on earth after falling from Heaven. It is the place where Adam was forgiven, hence it is also known as Jabl-ar-Rahmah (the Mount of Mercy). A pillar is erected to show the place where the aforementioned took place. On the 9th of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah pilgrims go to Arafat from Mina, for the most important part of the Hajj. The Khutbah of Hajj is narrated and Zuhr prayer and Asr prayer are prayed together. The pilgrims spend the whole day on the mountain to supplicate to Allah to forgive their sins and to pray for personal strength in the future.

al-baha region
- Zee Ain is an archaeological village located in Tehamat Zahran about 20 kilometers from Al-Makhwat province and 24 kilometers from the Al-Baha, it was developed in the 10th century AH/8th century CE making it more than 400 years old. The village was built on the summit of a White Mountain famous for the cultivation of banana, lemon, pepper, basil and Kadi, and handicrafts. The village has many two to four floors houses and a small mosque and many forts used to defend and survey the village. The village was named after a water spring continuously flowing from the nearby mountains to several reservoirs and each particular pond has its own name. There is a local legend that talks about a man lost his cane in one of the valleys, and to retrieve it he tracked it until he reached the village, he gathered its inhabitants and retrieved his cane after digging the spring.The village has 49 dwellings, 9 of which are composed of one floor, 19 from two floors, 11 from three floors and 10 from four floors. The village was constructed using load bearing walls system "Medamik" and the thickness of the walls are between 0.7 to almost 0.9 meters, structures are roofed using Sider wood. The big rooms are roofed using columns known as "Al-zafer", and above the Sedir wood there is a kind of stones known as "Salat" and the stones are covered with mud. The lower floors are used for reception and living, the upper floors for sleeping, and some of the buildings still exist since the establishment of the village and some are partially run-down and some are completely demolished. The village witnessed many tribal battles before the Kingdom’s unification by King Abdul Aziz. The most important of these battles suffered by the region is when the tribes of Zahran and Ghamd met with the Turkish army lead by Muhammad Ali Pasha that ended with the defeat of the Turks; their burial place is known as "the Turks graves".https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6031/
al birk islands
- known for coral reefs, white sand, mangrove trees
- http://www.arabnews.com/node/1078366/saudi-arabia


Diriyah (Arabic: الدرعية‎), formerly romanized asDereyeh and Dariyya, is a town in Saudi Arabia located on the north-western outskirts of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Diriyah was the original home of theSaudi royal family, and served as the capital of theEmirate of Diriyah under the first Saudi dynasty from 1744 to 1818. Today, the town is the seat of the Diriyah Governorate, which also includes the villages of Uyayna, Jubayla, and Al-Ammariyyah, among others, and is part of Ar Riyad Province. During the Islamic Prophet Muhammad's era the Expedition of Muhammad ibn Maslamahtook place here in July, 627AD in Muharram, 6AH.

吉贊  Jizan (Arabic: جازان‎ jazān), also spelled Jazan, Gizan or Gazan, is a port city and the capital of Jizan Region, which lies in the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia and directly north of the border with Yemen. Jazan City is situated on the coast of the Red Sea and serves a large agricultural heartland that has a population of 1.5 million, according to a 2010 census. As the city is the capital of the region, it has the regional airport as well as Jizan seaport. The area is noted for its high-quality production of tropical fruits like mango, figs, and papaya.^{[citation needed]} Jazan has one of the largest mega projects market in the kingdom with significant infrastructure projects worth many billions of dollars. Saudi Aramco is building a 400,000 bpd refinery with associated terminal facilities on the Red Sea near Jazan, scheduled for completion in late 2018.The inhabitants of Jazan are Arab and entirely Sunni Muslim, except for some foreign residents and workers.In the early 20th century, Jazan was a major site for pearl fishing. When World War I began, trade declined at Jazan, moving to Al Hudaydah.

Mada'in Saleh (Arabic: مـدائـن صـالـح‎‎, madāʼin Ṣāliḥ, "Cities of Saleh"), also called "Al-Hijr" or "Hegra", is an archaeological site located in the Sector of Al-`Ula sector, within the Province of Al-Madinah in the Region of the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. A majority of the vestiges date from the Nabatean kingdom (1st century AD). The site constitutes the kingdom's southernmost and largest settlement after Petra, its capital. Traces of Lihyanite and Roman occupation before and after the Nabatean rule, respectively, can also be found. The Qur’an places settlement of the area by the Thamudi people during the days of Saleh, between those of Noah and Moses. 

Medina (/məˈdiːnə/; Arabic: المدينة المنورة‎, al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah, "the radiant city"; or المدينة, al-Madīnah (Hejazi pronunciation: [almaˈdiːna]), "the city"), also transliterated as Madīnah, is a city in the Hejaz region of the Arabian Peninsula and administrative headquarters of the Al-Madinah Region of Saudi Arabia. At the city's heart is al-Masjid an-Nabawi ("the Prophet's Mosque"), which is the burial place of the Islamic prophetMuhammad, and is the second-holiest city in Islam after Mecca. In the beginning of the 20th century, during World War I, Medina witnessed one of the longest sieges in history. Medina was a city of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Local rule was in the hands of the Hashemite clan as Sharifs or Emirs of Mecca. Fakhri Pasha was the Ottoman governor of Medina. Ali bin Hussein, the Sharif of Mecca and leader of the Hashemite clan, revolted against the Caliph in Constantinople (Istanbul) and sided with Great Britain. The city of Medina was besieged by the Sharif's forces, and Fakhri Pasha tenaciously held on during the Siege of Medina from 1916 till 10 January 1919. He refused to surrender and held on another 72 days after the Armistice of Moudros, until he was arrested by his own men. In anticipation of the plunder and destruction to follow, Fakhri Pasha secretly sent the Sacred Relics of Medina to Istanbul. As of 1920, the British described Medina as "much more self-supporting than Mecca." After the First World War, the Hashemite Sayyid Hussein bin Ali was proclaimed King of an independent Hejaz. Soon after, in 1924, he was defeated by Ibn Saud, who integrated Medina and the whole of the Hejaz into the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Today, Medina ("Madinah" officially in Saudi documents), in addition to being the second most important Islamic pilgrimage destination after Mecca, is an important regional capital of the western Saudi Arabian province of Al Madinah. In addition to the sacred core of the old city, which is off limits to non-Muslims, Medina is a modern, multi-ethnic city inhabited by Saudi Arabs and an increasing number of Muslim and non-Muslim expatriate workers: other Arab nationalities (Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese, etc.), South Asians (Bangladeshis, Indians, Pakistanis, etc.), and Filipinos.


Mecca (/ˈmɛkə/) or Makkah (Arabic: مكة‎ Makkah (Hejazi pronunciation: [ˈmakːa,ˈmäkːä]) is a city in The Hejaz region of the Arabian Peninsula which is a part of the Tihamah plain in Saudi Arabia and is also the capital and administrative headquarters of the Makkah Region."Mecca" is the familiar form of the English transliteration for the Arabic name of the city, although the official transliteration used by the Saudi government is Makkah, which is closer to the Arabic pronunciation.^[13][14] The word "Mecca" in English has come to be used to refer to any place that draws large numbers of people, and because of this some English speaking Muslims have come to regard the use of this spelling for the city as offensive.^[13]The Saudi government adopted Makkah as the official spelling in the 1980s, but is not universally known or used worldwide.^[13] The full official name is Makkah al-Mukarramah or Makkatu l-Mukarramah (مكة المكرمة, [ˈmæk.kæl mʊkarˈrama, ˈmæk.kætʊl-]), which means "Mecca the Honored", but is also loosely translated as "The Holy City of Mecca". The ancient or early name for the site of Mecca is Bakkah (also transliterated Baca, Baka, Bakah, Bakka, Becca, Bekka, etc.). An Arabic language word, its etymology, like that of Mecca, is obscure.^[18] Widely believed to be a synonym for Mecca, it is said to be more specifically the early name for the valley located therein, while Muslim scholars generally use it to refer to the sacred area of the city that immediately surrounds and includes the Kaaba. The form Bakkah is used for the name Mecca in the Quran in 3:96, while the form Mecca is used in 48:24.^[18][20] In South Arabic, the language in use in the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of Muhammad, the b and m were interchangeable^{[citation needed]}. Other references to Mecca in the Quran (6:92, 42:5) call it Umm al-Qurā (أم القرى), meaning "mother of all settlements"^[20]/"mother of villages". Another name of Mecca is Tihamah. Another name for Mecca, or the wilderness and mountains surrounding it, according to Arab and Islamic tradition, is Faran or Pharan, referring to the Desert of Paran mentioned in the Old Testament at Genesis 21:21.^[22] Arab and Islamic tradition holds that the wilderness of Paran, broadly speaking, is the Tihamah and the site where Ishmael settled was Mecca.^[22] Yaqut al-Hamawi, the 12th century Syrian geographer, wrote that Fārān was "an arabized Hebrew word, one of the names of Mecca mentioned in the Torah."
- The conquest of Mecca (Arabic: فتح مكة‎ fatḥ makkah) is claimed by the Muslim traditional narrative of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's life to be a historical event, when Mecca was conquered by Muslims led by Muhammad on 11 January 630,^[3] (Julian), 20 Ramadan, 8 AH. Muhammad started the journey on 6 Ramadan, entered Mecca on 18 Ramadan.It is claimed by the Muslim traditional accounts, that in 628 CE, the Meccan tribe of Quraysh and the Muslim community in Medina signed a 10-year truce called the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. According to the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Arab tribes were given the option of joining either of the parties, the Muslims or Quraysh. Should any of these tribes face aggression, the party to which it was allied would have the right to retaliate. As a consequence, Banu Bakr joined Quraysh, and Khuza'ah joined Muhammad. They thus lived in peace for some time; but ulterior motives stretching back to the pre-Islamic period, ignited by unabated fire of revenge, triggered fresh hostilities. Banu Bakr, without concern for the provisions of the treaty, attacked Banu Khuza'a in a place called Al-Wateer in Sha'ban, in 8 AH. Quraysh helped Banu Bakr with men and arms, taking advantage of the dark night. Pressed by their enemies, the tribesmen of Khuza'ah sought the Holy Sanctuary, but here too, their lives were not spared, and, contrary to all accepted traditions, Nawfal, the chief of Banu Bakr, chased them in the sanctified area — where no blood should be shed — and massacred his adversaries. Khuza'ah at once sent a delegation to Medina to inform Muhammad, of this breach of truce and to seek help from Muslims of Medina being their allies. After the incident, Quraysh sent a delegation to Muhammad, petitioning to maintain the treaty with the Muslims and offering material compensation. The Muslim forces had gathered in strength to settle account with Quraysh and for the final attack and the opening of Mecca.
- The Battle of Mecca occurred in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in June and July 1916. On June 10, the Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali, the leader of the Banu Hashim clan, started a revolt against the OttomanCaliphate from this city. The Battle of Mecca was part of the Arab Revolt of World War I.It was the beginning of the end of the Ottoman Empire and it was the beginning of a Hashemite kingdom whose capital was Mecca. Gradually it expanded northward. This battle left deep scars on the Middle East. Arab states came under strong European influence. The Ottoman caliphate ended and Palestine came under British rule, leading to the eventual installment of the state of Israel. The Sharif of Mecca was himself deposed by the rival Ibn Saud and his dream of an Arabian state stretching from Yemen to Syria remained unrealized.
- Battle of Mecca took place in Mecca, in what is now known today as Saudi Arabia, following the fall of Ta'if to King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud in his campaign to conquer the Kingdom of Hejaz. King Hussein bin Ali fled from Mecca to Jeddah, leaving behind a cache of weapons in the Qishla of Mecca which were recovered by Saudi forces. The battle in Mecca resulted in Hashemite defeat to Saudis and the allied Ikhwan. Hussein fled again, first to Aqaba and later to Cyprus, declaring his son Ali bin Hussein as the King of Hejaz.
- The Grand Mosque seizure occurred during November and December 1979 when extremist insurgents calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud took over Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The insurgents declared that the Mahdi (the "redeemer of Islam") had arrived in the form of one of their leaders – Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani – and called on Muslims to obey him. For nearly two weeks Saudi Special Forces, assisted by Pakistani and French commandos, fought battles to reclaim the compound. The seizure of Islam's holiest site, the taking of hostages from among the worshippers and the deaths of hundreds of militants, security forces and hostages caught in the crossfire in the ensuing battles for control of the site, shocked the Islamic world. The siege ended two weeks after the takeover began and the mosque was cleared. Al-Qahtani was killed in the recapture of the mosque but Juhayman and 67 of his fellow rebels who survived the assault were captured and later beheaded. Following the attack, the Saudi King Khaled implemented a stricter enforcement of Shariah (Islamic law) and he gave the ulama and religious conservatives more power over the next decade, and religious police became more assertive.
- The 1987 Mecca incident was a clash between Shia pilgrim demonstrators and the Saudi Arabian security forces, during the Hajj pilgrimage; it occurred in Mecca on 31 July 1987 and led to the deaths of over 400 people. The event has been variously described as a "riot" or a "massacre". It arose from escalating tensions between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia. Since 1981, Iranian pilgrims had held an annual political demonstration against Israel and the United States, but in 1987, a cordon of Saudi police and the Saudi Arabian National Guard had sealed part of the planned demonstration route, leading to a confrontation between them and the pilgrims. This escalated into a violent clash, followed by a deadly stampede. 
- The Sharif of Mecca (Arabic: شريف مكة‎, Sharīf Makkah) or Hejaz (Arabic: شريف الحجاز‎, Sharīf al-Ḥijāz) was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the surrounding Hejaz. The term sharif is Arabic for "noble", and is used to describe the descendants of Prophet Muhammad's grandson al-Hassan ibn Ali. The Sharif was charged with protecting the cities and their environs and ensuring the safety of pilgrims performing the Hajj. The title is sometimes spelled Sheriff or Sherif, with the latter variant used, for example, by T. E. Lawrence in Seven Pillars of Wisdom. The office of the Sharifate of Mecca dates back to the late Abbasid era. Until 1200, the Sharifate was held by a member of the Hawashim clan,^{[1][circular reference][2]} not to be confused with the larger clan of Banu Hashimfrom which all Sharifs claim descent. Descendants of the Banu Hashim continued to hold the position until the 20th century on behalf of various Muslim powers including the Ayyubids and the Mamluks. In 1517, the Sharif acknowledged the supremacy of the Ottoman Caliph, but maintained a great degree of local autonomy. During the Ottoman era, the Sharifate expanded its authority northwards to include Medina, and southwards to the frontiers of 'Asir, and regularly raided Nejd. The Sharifate came to an end shortly after the reign of Hussein bin Ali, ruled from 1908, who rebelled against the Ottoman rule during the Arab Revolt of 1916. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and its subsequent dissolution in 1923, Hussein declared himself Caliph. The British granted control over the newly formed states of Iraq and Transjordan to his sons Faisal and Abdullah. In 1924, however, in the face of increasing attacks by Ibn Saud, Hussein abdicated his secular titles to his eldest son, Ali bin Hussein, who was to become the last Grand Sharif. At the end of 1925, Ibn Saud conquered the Hejaz and expelled the Hashemites. The House of Saud has ruled the holy cities and the Hajj since that time.
- in arts

• https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/arts-of-the-islamic-world-india-including-fine-rugs-carpets/a-view-of-mecca-signed-by-kuleqabulu-seyyid-yahya

内志   Najd (Arabic: نَجْد‎, pronounced [nad͡ʒd]) or Nejd is a geographical central region of Saudi Arabia that accounts for about a third of the population of the country.^[1] Najd consists of the modern administrative regions of Riyadh, Al-Qassim, and Ha'il.
- In ancient times, the region of Najd was settled by many tribes like the Kindites, Tayy and many others. Led by Usma bin Luai, the Tayy invaded the mountains of Aja and Samra from Banu Tamim in northern Arabia in their exodus from Yemen in CE 115. These mountains are now known as Jabal Shammar. The Tayy became nomadic camel herders and horse breeders in northern Najd for centuries. In the 5th century AD, the tribes of North Arabia became a major threat to the trade line between Yemen and Syria. The Ḥimyaritesdecided to establish a vassal state that controlled Central and North Arabia. The Kindites gained strength and numbers to play that role, and in AD 425 the Ḥimyarite king Ḥasan ibn 'Amr ibn Tubba’ made Ḥujr 'Akīl al-Murār ibn 'Amr the first King (Ḥujr) of Kindah. The Kindites established a kingdom in Najd in central Arabia unlike the organized states of Yemen; its kings exercised an influence over a number of associated tribes more by personal prestige than by coercive settled authority. Their first capital was Qaryat Dhāt Kāhil, today known as Qaryat al-Fāw. The Ghassānids, Lakhmids and Kindites were all Kahlānī and Qaḥṭānī vassal kingdoms appointed by the Byzantines, Persians and Ḥimyarites to protect their borders and imperial interests from the raids of the then-rising threat of the 'Adnānī tribes. In the 5th and 6th centuries AD, the Kindites made the first real concerted effort to unite all the tribes of Central Arabia through alliances, and focused on wars with the Lakhmids. Al-Ḥārith ibn 'Amr, the most famous of their kings, finally succeeded in capturing the Lakhmid capital of al-Ḥirah in southern modern-day Iraq. Later however in about 529, al-Mundhir recaptured the city and put King Ḥārith and about fifty members of his family to death. In 525, the Aksumites invaded Ḥimyar, and this Kindites, had a knock-on effect with the Kindites who lost the support of the Ḥimyarites. Within three years the Kindite kingdom had split into four groups: Asad, Taghlib, Qays and Kinānah, each led by a prince of Kindah. These small principalities were then overthrown in the 530s and 540s in a series of uprisings of the 'Adnānī tribes of Najd and Ḥijāz. In 540, the Lakhmids destroyed all the Kindite settlements in Nejd, forcing the majority of them to move to Yemen. The Kindites and most of the Arab tribes switched their alliances to the Lakhmids.

奈季蘭省Najran (Arabic: نجران‎ Najrān) is a region of Saudi Arabia, located in the south of the country along the border with Yemen.  Its capital is Najran. Najran is inhabited by the powerful Yam tribe, who have lived in the region for hundreds of years.The name of Najran means "the piece of wood in which the hinge of the door goes around". The word "Najran" also means thirsty. Another explanation is that the name was attributed to Najran Ibn Zaidan Ibn Sabaa Ibn Yashgab Ibn Yareb Ibn Qahtan because he was the first person to come to Najran and inhabit it.

- Najran is known for an ancient settlement of Christians in the Arabian peninsula. They signed the Najran Pact in the 7th century with the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, promising them fair treatment as 'protected' subjects (dhimmi) of the newly conquered territories. The village is now abandoned.

umm al-qamari islands
- name associated with large number of qamari birds (check what that is)
- two small islands with surrounding fringing reefs

Al-Qarah or Al-Garah (Arabic: القارة‎) is a village in Al-Ahsa in Saudi Arabia. Al-Qarah is well known for its small mountain Jabl Al-Qarah. Al-Qarah is one of Al-Ahsa's eastern villages and is located about 10 km from Al-Hofuf,^[1] city center, 140 km Southwest of Dammam and 300 km East of Riyadh.Jabl Al-Qarah (Arabic = جبل القارة, which means mountain of Al-Qarah) is a mesa that stands about 75 metres (246 ft) high,^[1] with a maximum elevation of 225 meter above sea level^[3]. It has many caves with very cool air inside. Unlike many caves, these were formed by subaerial weathering rather than dissolution, and as a result have a highly distinctive shape.The caves, which include 28 tall linear passageways totaling 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) in length, have long been a site of commerce.
- Historically,  胡富夫 Hofuf made textiles out of wool, silk, and cotton. The town was also renowned for its fruit of the date palm, the Arabs considering the khalasi variety of dates, grown in Hofuf, as also the fardh variety of Oman, among the best.^[3] As of 1920, the city was known for making coffee pots from silver and brass.

Ras Al-Khair (Also called Ras Az-Zour, Ras Azzour) is a town and port currently under development^[1] on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia 60 km north of Jubail. It is also known under its project name of "Minerals Industrial City".The new city, RAZMIC (Ras Al Zour Mineral Industrial City), is planned to exploit the mineral deposites of phosphate and bauxite found within Saudi Arabia.^[2] Therefore, a di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) plant will be built, an aluminium smelter, an aluminium rolling mill, an ammonia plant, an alumina refinery and facilities to produce phosphoric and sulphuric acid. Power will be supplied by the 2,400 MW Ras Al-Khair Power and Desalination Plant.The official ground breaking for the aluminium project by the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (MA'ADEN) and Alcoa was on 19 June 2010.^[5] The project was scheduled to be completed by 2014. Among other projects a residential village for the MAADEN employees was built with 500 housing units.The King Salman Global Maritime Industries Complex is under construction in Ras Al-Khair, and will be the largest shipyard in the world when it is completed.In July 2011, King Abdullah changed the name of Ras Az-Zour to Ras Al-Khair (with Khair meaning light or bright to have a more positive naming), according to a statement by President of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Thunayan to the Saudi Press Agency on 6 July 2011.

Sela (Arabic: سلع‎) is a mountain in Medina in modern Saudi Arabia. Mount selae in the "District of the Seven Mosques" in city of Medina Municipality in Saudi Arabia. Sela' means "sliced", because the mountain looks as if it is sliced several times. "The Prophet Muhammad in the "Battle of the Trench" prayed to God for victory on Mount Sela'. Mount Sela was mentioned by several Hadith of the stories of the Prophet such as The Prayer for Rain, The forgiveness of Ka'b b. malik. Sela is mentioned by Al-Hamdani in his book Geography of Arabian Peninsula as part of Medina city in his time 150 years after Muhammad.^[6][7] His name and his companions Umar and Ali are inscribed on a stone on top of the mountain.

Mount Uhud is a mountain north of Medina, Saudi Arabia. 
- 武侯德山又譯為吳侯德山 The Battle of Uhud (Arabic: غزوة أحد‎ Ġazwat ‘Uḥud) was fought on March 19, 625 AD (3 Shawwal 3 AH in the Islamic calendar) at the valley located in front of Mount Uhud, in what is now northwestern Arabia.^[1] It occurred between a force from the Muslim community of Medina led by the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and a force led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb from Mecca, the town from which many of the Muslims had previously emigrated. The Battle of ‘Uḥud was the second military encounter between the Meccans and the Muslims, preceded by the Battle of Badr in 624 AD, where a small Muslim army had defeated the much larger Meccan army.


al ula
- Al-ʿUla (also Al Ola, Arabic العلا al-ʿulā; Also Dedan), is a city  southwest of Tayma (north of Medina) in north-western Saudi Arabia. Al-Ula was historically located on the Incense route. It was the capital of the ancient Lihyanites(Dedanites). It is well known for archaeological remnants, some over 2000 years old.

• The older history of the oasis has been divided into several phases. The Dedanite kingdom spans to the seventh and sixth century BC. Dedan is mentioned in the "Harran Inscriptions". In these it is told how Nabonidus the king of Babylonia made a military campaign to northern Arabia in 552 BC or somewhat later, conquering Tayma, Dedan and Yathrib, the old Medina. It is thought that around the turn to the fifth century BC the kingdom became hereditary. The next four hundred years, until around 100 BC, were the time of the Kingdom of Lihyan. The Nabataeans were the lords of the region at least until 106 AD when the Romansconquered their capital Petra. The Nabataeans made Hegra, the modern Mada'in Saleh, their second capital. The power center of the region thus shifted to Hegra some 22 km to the north of Al-`Ula. Muhammad passed through Al-`Ula in 630 on his campaign to Tabuk. Al-Mabiyat some 20 km away near Mughaira became the next commercial center of the region. It thrived from around 650 until it declined at some time before 1230.
• Jabal Al-Fil (elephant rock) - sandstone outcrop in al ula, also name (elephant) of other rock formation of the same name in many places 

*******沃季赫Al Wajh (Arabic: الوجه‎), also written Al Wejh, is a coastal city in north-western Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Red Sea. The city is located in the Tabuk Province. It is one of the largest cities in Tabuk region, with a population of 50,000 as of 2013. Al Wajh played a pivotal role during the Arab Revolt in World War I. In 1917, Al Wajh was taken by Prince Faisal's forces and used as a base of operations for a series of attacks on the Hejaz Railway.Al Wajh is a comparatively big city, inhabited mainly by citizens from Al Balawi, Bedaiwi-Alali, Al Huety and Al Johani tribes. Fishing is a primary activity of the city's residents and the port is the central location where this occurs - the Al Wajh port used to be one of the main shipping centres in the region 50 years ago.
-  Lawrence d'Arabie prend la ville en janvier 1917, pendant la Grande révolte arabe de 1916-1918. Le port, à mi-chemin d'Aqaba, sert ensuite de principale base pour Faiçal, dans la campagne contre les Ottomans. 


wej valley
- in taif province
- over 40 gardens and orchards, cultivation of grapes, pomegrantes and figs
- spelling similar to wei river of china

Association
- national competitiveness centre http://www.saudincc.org.sa/About-NCC/About-NCC.aspx
- Council for Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry http://www.csc.org.sa
- Organization of Islamic Cooperation http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/home/?lan=en

• https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya/suu-kyi-to-contest-rohingya-genocide-case-at-world-court-idUSKBN1XU1WR More than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar’s military, which U.N. investigators say was carried out with “genocidal intent”. Buddhist majority Myanmar denies accusations of genocide.Gambia, a tiny, mainly Muslim West African state, lodged its lawsuit after winning the support of the 57-nation Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Only a state can file a case against another state at the ICJ.“Myanmar has retained prominent international lawyers to contest the case submitted by Gambia,” the ministry for state counselor Suu Kyi’s office said in a Facebook post.“The State Counselor, in her capacity as Union Minister for Foreign Affairs, will lead a team to the Hague, Netherlands, to defend the national interest of Myanmar at the ICJ,” it said, giving no further details.Military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told Reuters the decision was made after the army consulted with the government. “We, the military, will fully cooperate with the government and we will follow the instruction of the government,” he said.A spokesman for Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, said she had decided to take on the case herself.“They accused () Aung San Suu Kyi of failing to speak out about human rights violations,” spokesman Myo Nyunt said. “She decided to face the lawsuit by herself.”Both Gambia and Myanmar are signatories to the 1948 Genocide Convention, which not only prohibits states from committing genocide but also compels all signatory states to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.The ICJ has said it will hold the first public hearings in the case on Dec. 10 to 12. The court has no means to enforce any of its rulings.

- gulf cooperation council standardisation organisation http://www.gso.org.sa/


Company
- The Kingdom Holding Company (Arabic: شركة المملكة القابضة‎) is a Saudi conglomerate holding company based in Riyadh. The Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) is a publicly listed company on the Tadawul (Saudi Stock Exchange). The KHC consists of a select team of experienced investment specialists directed by its founder and chairman, HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Talal Ibrahim Al Maiman. The company describes itself as a diversified investment company, whose main interests are financial services, real estate, tourism and hospitality, media, entertainment, petrochemicals, aviation and technology.
- conglomerate

• http://www.economist.com/news/business/21653619-deal-creditors-collapsed-saudi-conglomerate-looks-possible-edging-towardsAhmad Hamad Algosaibi & Brothers Company (AHAB), whose interests range from industrial products to fast food, defaulted in 2009, amid claims—still untested in court—that it had suffered a huge fraud. Attempts to reach a settlement with creditors got nowhere until April this year, when AHAB agreed terms with a steering committee representing foreign creditors. This week it presented the plan to all the 95 international banks and hedge funds concerned, which between them are owed $4 billion. Their response was “encouraging”, says an adviser to AHAB, who is confident that “the vast majority” would have voted for the plan if asked to do so after the meeting (in practice it is the firms’ credit committees that must decide).

- Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation

• http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2016-01/20/content_23157923.htm SABIC, which is among the top producers of polyethylene, polypropylene, advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers, is also one of largest producers of steel in the Middle East.
• http://www.chinadailyasia.com/business/2016-03/24/content_15405934.html SABIC, the Middle East's largest petrochemical company, said on Wednesday that it will continue to invest in China despite the economic slowdown in the world's second-largest economy. "There are some signs showing the Chinese economy is slowing down, but it is still our fastest-growing market, so we will keep our investment here, especially in research and development," Yousef Abdullah Al-Benyan, vice-chairman and chief executive officer of the Saudi company, told China Daily. He said while some industries are suffering as a result of overcapacity in the past few years, China's petrochemical industry, on the other hand, plays a key role in driving the global market. "We have seen growing demand for petrochemical products from many sectors including construction, healthcare, electronics and packaging," he said, adding that innovation and low efficiency are bigger issues for the industry than overcapacity. China's petrochemical sector will grow by 8.8 percent this year, according to estimates by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association, much higher than the global rate of just 3 percent. To promote innovation in the sector, SABIC has signed a cooperation agreement with Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, a research institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Petroleum Corp, for the research of catalyst and 

- Saudi Binladin Group (SBG; Arabic: مجموعة بن لادن السعودية‎ Maǧmūʿat Bin Lādin al-Saʿūdiyyah) is a multinational construction conglomerate and is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Binladin Group were during 2011 signed to a US$1.23 billion contractual agreement to construct the tallest building in the world, Jeddah Tower in Jeddah, and in addition are bound to a US$3.4 billion agreement to construct the Doha Metro located at Doha. The SBG was founded in 1931 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Laden Sayyid, father of Osama bin Laden, whose relationship with the country's founder, Abdel Aziz al Saud, led to important government contracts such as refurbishing the mosques at Mecca and Medina. In 1964, Mohammed bin Laden was commissioned to work on the third Holy sanctuary of Islam, recladding the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. After the death of Sheikh Mohammed in 1967, the group was headed by Mohammed Bahareth, brother of Mohammed's first wife and uncle of his oldest children. In 1972, Salem bin Laden, the eldest son of Mohammed bin Laden, took over as his father's successor, with the assistance of several brothers. Upon Salem's death in a plane crash in 1988, the leadership of the group passed to one of Salem's brothers, Bakr, the current chairman, along with thirteen other brothers who make up the board of the bin Laden group, the most important of these being Hassan, Yeslam and Yehia.

• http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-king-sanctions-binladin-group-deadly-crane-collapse-163643600.html , http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/11866854/Mecca-crane-collapse-Saudi-king-sanctions-Binladin-Group-after-deadly-accident.html The construction firm belongs to the family of the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. According to the official Saudi Press Agency, executives in the firm are forbidden from leaving the kingdom pending the completion of judicial action against it following the collapse at Islam's holiest site. All public projects by the group are also to be suspended pending a review. An investigative committee blamed the accident on "the strong winds while the crane was in a wrong position," which constituted a "violation of operating instructions" and negligence in the application of safety protocols. Poor communication with safety officials on the construction site with regards to crane operation and weather conditions were also an issue, the report added. The Saudi royal court announced it would offer 1 million riyals (£174,000) in compensation to those victims who were killed or permanently disabled in the accident. Other individuals who were injured would be given 500,000 Saudi riyals. The Binladin group, founded in 1931 by the father of Osama bin Laden, is a mainstay of the Saudi construction industry. It was commissioned to undertake the $21 billion expansion to Mecca's Grand Mosque as well as another to the al-Nabawi mosque in Medina.

- bank

• SABB (Arabic: ساب‎) (The Saudi British Bank, البنك السعودي البريطاني) is a Saudi Joint Stock Company and is an associated company of the HSBCGroup.^[1] SABB has a branch in London.

- Saudi Stock Exchange (Arabic: السوق المالية السعودية‎) or Tadawul (Arabic: تداول‎) is the only stock exchange in Saudi Arabia. It is supervised by the Capital Market Authority.  
- oil

• Saudi Aramco

• http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0RZ2LG20151005 Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer, has hired Deutsche Bank to explore buying some of the marketing, retail and refining assets of China National Petroleum Corp, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The deal could be worth several billion dollars, although talks are at an early stage and may fail, Bloomberg said. Saudi Aramco has been seeking to make inroads into more advanced chemicals to diversify away from its oil and basic petrochemicals businesses. Chief Executive Khalid al-Falih told a conference in Riyadh in January that it was "even more committed today to diversifying and investing in new sectors" despite the impact of oil price declines.
•  http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/finance/20160212/00202_018.html 外電引述消息人士指，中方官員正游說沙特阿美（Aramco）在沙特及本港兩地上市，以換取中資基金認購該石油巨擘新股的支持。

•  立法會議員張華峰直指，「新股通」較難爭取，建議爭取先讓沙特阿美納入港股通名單，會相對較容易。orientaldaily 21aug17

•  http://www.reuters.com/article/us-norinco-saudi-refinery-idUSKCN18C18S Chinese defense conglomerate China North Industries Group Corp (Norinco) has signed a framework agreement with state-run oil company Saudi Aramco [IPO-ARMO.SE] to build a refinery and chemicals complex in northeast China, industry and government officials said on Tuesday. The planned projects -- including a 300,000 barrels per day refinery and an ethylene complex with annual capacity of 1 million tonnes -- are to be built at an estimated cost of 69.5 billion yuan ($10.09 billion), according to one industry official with knowledge of the agreement. The framework pact, which follows a memorandum of understanding in March, marks one of the high-profile agreements signed during China's Belt and Road Forum, the first summit under President Xi Jinping's ambitious plan to promote global trade and investment.
•  https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-aramco-is-in-talks-to-buy-petrochina-refinery-stake-1501833251
•  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco/saudi-arabia-converts-aramco-into-joint-stock-company-ahead-of-historic-ipo-idUSKBN1EU09O Saudi Arabia has changed the status of its national oil giant Aramco to a joint-stock company as of Jan. 1, in a key step for an initial public offering (IPO) planned for later this year.
•  近日更有消息指，沙特阿美有意收購當地上市的沙特基礎工業公司（SABIC）部分股份，或令其上市計劃再度推延。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/finance/20180723/00202_018.html
•  https://www.ft.com/content/7da3864a-377c-11ea-a6d3-9a26f8c3cba4Morgan Stanley has slapped an “underweight” rating on Saudi Aramco, as the bulk of the Wall Street banks that advised on its initial public offering stopped short of recommending investors load up on the shares in their first published research on the state-owned oil company. Analysts at Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Bank of America Merrill Lynch — among the nine banks that advised on the record IPO — kicked off their research with a “neutral” rating on the shares, implying they expect the stock to do no better than sector rivals.In contrast to Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, another leading bank on the IPO, handed the company an “overweight” rating, a price target of SR37 a share and a valuation of $2tn. The bank, which has deep links to Saudi Aramco and the kingdom, said its estimate of the company’s valuation was underpinned by “unparalleled” production growth outlook and “impressive” ability to scale-up its refining and petrochemicals business. Alongside its “neutral” rating, Citi gave the shares a price target of SR34.1. Saudi Aramco’s deep base of reserves means it was “better suited to an environment of low oil prices”, the report said. Goldman Sachs, another of the global co-ordinators on the IPO, handed the shares a 12-month price target of SR41 a share, implying a potential 18 per cent upside. Meanwhile, analysts at BofA said that while Saudi Aramco is “unique”, most of the “outstanding fundamental factors are already priced in”. The majority of global co-ordinators on the IPO were international banks, but when Saudi officials decided to sell shares on their domestic exchange, most of these advisers faced the prospect of lower fees. Analysts at HSBC, whose large franchise in Saudi Arabia meant it played an outsized role in the domestic IPO, started coverage with a price target of SR36.8. Saudi Aramco’s guidance that it would pay $75bn in dividends this year comes with a commitment to sustain those levels to non-government shareholders through 2024 and ambitions to increase the payouts, the report said. The bank’s analysts forecast strong growth for Saudi Aramco, emphasising domestic natural gas demand and expansion into petrochemicals and refining. Several banks that did not work on the IPO, including Bernstein and Jefferies, published notes last month with a negative outlook on the stock, citing corporate governance risks and dividend yields that were lower than international rivals.

• india

•  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-12/reliance-to-sell-20-of-refining-to-saudis-at-75-billion-value 

• korea

•  Saudi Aramco says it has reached an agreement to acquire a US$1.25 billion stake in South Korean refiner Hyundai Oilbank that would provide Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil company with a dedicated outlet for its crude to South Korea. Aramco says the deal, announced on Monday, amounts to a 17 per cent stake in Hyundai Oilbank, a private oil refining company that is a subsidiary of the publicly traded Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings. The refinery complex in the western coastal city of Daesan, where Hyundai Oilbank’s major facilities are located, has a processing capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190416/00178_017.html

- aviation

• flyadeal (Arabic: طيران أديل‎) is a Saudi low-cost airline based at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. It is owned by Saudi flag carrier Saudia. The airline began operation on 23 September 2017 serving domestic destinations. Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, announced the creation of flyadeal on 17 April 2016.^[1][2][3] The venture is part of Saudia Group's SV2020 Transformation Strategy, which aims to elevate the group's units into world-class status by 2020. flyadeal targeted domestic travellers, Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and the rising number of tourists, among other groups.^[4] The airline launched flights on 23 September 2017, linking Jeddah to Riyadh.

• 據《沙特公報》報道，沙特廉航Flyadeal撤回了購 買波音737MAX飛機價值59億美元(約460億港元)的 臨時訂單。Flyadeal 還表示，公司已訂購 30 架空巴 A320 Neo 飛機，並擁有 20 架 A320 Neo 系列飛機購 買選擇權，飛機將於 2021 年開始交付。http://hk.hkcd.com/pdf/201907/0709/HA12709CGBA_HKCD.pdf

- railway

• The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) (Arabic: المؤسسة العامة للخطوط الحديدية‎) is one of two state-owned companies that operates Saudi Arabia's rail network.The first railway in modern Saudi Arabiawas the Hejaz Railway, from the border of Jordan to Medina. This 1,050 mm(3 ft 5 ¹¹⁄₃₂ in) narrow gauge railwayopened in 1908, but closed in 1920.Modern railways were introduced in Saudi Arabia after World War II, to facilitate the transport of goods for the Arabian American Oil Company, or Aramco (now Saudi Aramco), from ports located on the coast of the Persian Gulf to warehouses in Dhahran. Construction began in September 1947, and the first line was inaugurated on 20 October 1951. It was initially run by Aramco, but subsequently transferred to the Ministry of Finance, during which time it was known as the Railway Department. On 13 May 1966, the Saudi government issued a royal decree establishing the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) to operate the railway system.
• The Saudi Railway Company (SAR; Arabic: الشركة السعودية للخطوط الحديدية‎) is one of two state-owned companies that operates Saudi Arabia's rail network.SAR operate the 2750 km. north-south railway line and a passenger line from Riyadh to Hai'l, Saudi Arabia, nearby the Jordanian border.^[3] SAR was established in 2006 to build, operate, and manage the north-south railway project.

- electronics

• alfanar group

• http://www.saudiarabianews.net/index.php/sid/242402271 Saudi Arabia’s leading electrical product manufacturer, Alfanar Group has announced that it is close to finalising the procedures for the acquisition of Germany-based Heinrich Kopp.

• Hesham elsewedy trading

• Buyer of 2015 hktdc lighting fair

- lighting

• elyarmouk international establishment

• exhibited at oct2019 tdc lighting fr 

- poultry

• www.tayibatastra.com (quails and quail eggs)

• exhibited at 2019 tdc food fr

- toy

• Ntional for toys 

Participated in 2016 hktdc toy fair

- communications

• http://www.alefinternational.com

- confectionery

• www.lusine.com

• subsidiary of almarai
• exhibited at 2019 tdc food fr 

universities
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) (Arabic: جامعة الملك عبد الله للعلوم و التقنية ‎‎ jāmiʿat al-malik ʿabd al-Lāh li-l-ʿulūm wa-t-teqniyya) is a private research university located in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 2009 and provides research and graduate training programs using English as the official language of instruction. The University's core campus, located on the Red Sea at Thuwal, is sited on more than 36 square kilometres (14 sq mi), encompassing a marine sanctuary, museum, and research facility. KAUST is the first mixed-gender university campus in Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities hope the mixed-gender center will help modernize the Kingdom's deeply conservative society. The religious police do not operate on-site. Women are allowed to mix freely with men and to drive on campus, and they are not required to wear veils in the coeducational classes. KAUST was Saudi Arabia's first LEED certified project and is the world's largest LEED Platinum campus. Designed by international architecture firm HOK, it was also chosen by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) as one of the 2010 Top Ten Green Projects.

Trade
- http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1732903/saudi-arabia-becomes-worlds-biggest-arms-importer Saudi Arabia has passed India to become the world's biggest arms importer last year as concerns about Iran's ambitions increase tensions in the Middle East.

Saudi spending rose 54 per cent to US$6.5 billion last year, while India imported US$5.8 billion, according to data released yesterday by IHS, a leading analyst of the global arms trade. Imports will increase 52 per cent to US$9.8 billion this year, accounting for US$1 of every US$7 spent globally, IHS estimated, based on planned deliveries. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31786824

investment environment
- private sector

• ft 10jun19 "saudi business feels reform pain"

- logistics

• On 25 July 2019, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) presented the first Integrated Logistics Bonded Zone (ILBZ) adjacent to the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, KSA. http://www.systematica.net/news/first-integrated-logistics-bonded-zone-in-riyadh/

- cinema

• Saudi Arabia is to allow cinemas to open for the first time in 35 years as it continues a push to overhaul its society and image after decades of hardline rule. The first movie theatres will be opened by March and it is intended that up to 2,000 screens will be in place within 12 years.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/11/saudi-arabia-to-lift-35-year-ban-on-cinemas

Industry
- defense

• https://www.ft.com/content/88427260-2765-11e8-b27e-cc62a39d57a0 Mr Bakhsh leads the aeronautics unit at state-owned Taqnia, which has just spent more than $44m on advanced equipment to manufacture aircraft parts and assemble Black Hawk helicopters in Saudi Arabia in partnership with Lockheed Martin, the US defence contractor. Mr Bakhsh, who worked for more than two decades in the US as an engineer for companies such as Boeing and Gulfstream, and his colleagues are part of a mission to establish a domestic defence industry in a country that is one of the world’s biggest arms buyers. These plans are an integral part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to help the kingdom diversify its economy away from oil revenues.

- financial

• https://www.economist.com/business/2010/02/18/a-mystery-in-the-gulf The bizarre mechanics of a huge financial scandal
• ft 20sep19 saudi arabia bullies weathy families to pump cash into oil IPO

- textile

• Economic recession has led 35 percent of textile merchants to shut down their business and leave the market and 65 percent of them had to sell off their products on discounts reaching up to 70 percent. Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Textile and Ready-To-Wear Business Committee Head Mohammad Al-Shihry said textile merchants are facing a difficult time at the moment.http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/514186/SAUDI-ARABIA/Textile

Politics
- anti corruption

• Saudi Arabia's newly formed anti-corruption committee has arrested at least 17 princes and top officials, according to a list obtained by CNN and cited by a senior royal court official. The list includes Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the billionaire businessman who owns 95% of Kingdom Holding, which holds stakes in global companies such as Citigroup, Twitter, Apple and News Corp. At least 38 former, current, and deputy ministers, have been arrested on accusations of corruption. CNN has obtained the names of 17 people on the list including formal head of the royal court Khaled Al-Tuwaijri, Saudi media mogul Waleed Al-Ibrahim and Prince Turki bin Nasser. Badr Asaker, the bureau manager of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, tweeted the list of arrested businessmen, princes and officials early Sunday. The list was also independently obtained by CNN. In addition, three ministers were removed from their positions, and tens of former ministers were detained as part of the new anti-corruption campaign initiated by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, according to Saudi-backed broadcaster Al-Arabiya.
• 沙特阿拉伯三名高級王室成員早前涉嫌密謀推翻王儲穆罕默德‧薩勒曼被捕，掀起新一輪權力鬥爭。沙特國家反貪腐委員會前日拘捕二百九十八名政府官員，包括高層將領及國安官員，他們涉嫌賄賂、侵吞公款及濫權等罪行，涉款達三億七千九百萬里亞爾（約七億八千萬港元）。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20200317/00180_034.html

Stock market
- http://online.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabia-plans-to-open-stock-market-to-foreign-investors-1406009865, http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28419978, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d946b7a2-1170-11e4-b356-00144feabdc0.html#axzz38GenxN4T, http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1557351/saudi-stock-market-be-opened-foreigners

currency peg
- http://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/29/will-saudi-arabia-now-abandon-its-dollar-peg.html While abandoning a peg and effectively devaluing a currency can help exports by making them more attractive versus competitors—which could help major oil exporter Saudi Arabia—such a move could be dangerous. Saudi is also a large importer of equipment, cereals and consumer goods and a weaker currency means these would be more expensive. Abandoning a peg, or re-pegging at a lower value, can also damage investor confidence, capital flight and volatility. A few weeks ago, Azerbaijan unpegged its manat from the dollar and the currency lost more than half its value against the greenback. Countries looking at abandoning fixed exchange rates should proceed with caution and despite speculation over the future of the riyal, analysts do not think that Saudi Arabia is at the point where it was ready to abandon its peg for the uncertainty of a floating exchange rate. 

Sovereign fund
- http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-fund-oil-idUSKCN0US2UE20160114
Saudi Arabia plans to create a new sovereign fund to manage part of its oil wealth and diversify its investments, and has asked investment banks and consultancies to submit proposals for the project, according to people familiar with the matter.Plunging oil prices have strained Saudi Arabia's finances. The kingdom's state budget deficit is at a record high and net foreign assets dived more than $100 billion in 15 months. The new fund could change the way tens of billions of dollars are invested and affect some of the world's leading asset managers, particularly in the United States, where the bulk of Saudi Arabia's foreign assets are managed.
- Tesla founder Elon Musk declared on Monday that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund had expressed repeated interest in funding a deal to take the electric car company private.https://www.ft.com/content/eac285cc-9ef9-11e8-85da-eeb7a9ce36e4

Saudization
- Minister of Labor Mufrej Al-Haqbani has directed the launching of a new Saudization program called “Guided Localization” under the minister’s direct supervision. Al-Haqbani urged leaders in the employment sector to extend all types of support to this program that aims at tackling hurdles in achieving Saudization and realizing total or partial Saudization in some sectors, especially the retail sector. There are four stages under this program. The first pertains to sectoral planning under which the ministry will work in coordination with the targeted sectors in working out plan for Saudization and training with the objective of phased replacement of foreigners with Saudis in highly skilled and semi-skilled jobs in the private sector. The second is regional intervention, which aims at strengthening work with the provincial governorates to support Saudization program for each province in accordance with the types of activities in those regions with the support of the emirs. The third is total Saudization of some trades in cooperation with other ministries, and these will start with Saudization of the sale and maintenance sector of mobile phones. The fourth is linking the “Balanced Nitaqat” Program, which will be launched by the ministry soon, with the “Guided Localization” Program.http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/new-saudization-program-unveiled/

Civil service
- It is a phenomenon that has bred a reluctance to take on private sector work, which entails longer hours and fewer perks. The result is that expatriates — who account for a third of Saudi Arabia’s 30m population — fill about 85 per cent of private sector jobs. But Mohammed bin Salman, the ambitious deputy crown prince, wants that to change. If he succeeds, millions of Saudis face a rude wake-up as the young prince attempts to implement a bold transformation plan that envisages shrinking the civil service and having half of all Saudis seeking work in the private sector by 2020.  While analysts agree that radical reform is needed to modernise the sclerotic, oil-dependent economy, the risk is it that forging ahead with social change could spark popular resentment. “This is the point at which the commitment of the leadership to the adjustment process will be really tested,” said Simon Williams, HSBC’s chief economist for the Middle East. “The resistance to change this implies is likely to increase before it recedes as social and economic losses accumulate and reform fatigue sets in.”  A central tenet of Prince Mohammed’s “National Transformation Plan,” which was unveiled last month, is to reduce unemployment from 11.7 per cent down to 9 per cent by 2020 and 7 per cent over the following decade. Estimates of youth unemployment run as high as 30 per cent.
https://next.ft.com/content/ecb1e098-3e03-11e6-8716-a4a71e8140b0
-  
Saudi Arabia reinstated financial allowances for civil servants and military personnel on Saturday after better-than-expected budget figures, ending unpopular cuts to a key perk triggered by low oil prices and cheering the stock market. The king issued a royal decree restoring "all allowances, financial benefits, and bonuses" following calls for protests in four Saudi cities over the weekend, adding a two-month salary bonus for forces fighting in the kingdom's intervention in Yemen.
The Saudi share index .TASI gained 1.0 percent on Sunday, buoyed by expectations of a positive impact from higher disposable incomes on consumer sectors like retail and food. In September, Saudi Arabia cut ministers' salaries by 20 percent and scaled back perks for public sector employees in one of the energy-rich kingdom's most drastic measures to save money after tumbling oil prices. The measures were the first pay cuts for government employees, who make up about two-thirds of working Saudis, and prompted complaints about the impact of austerity on ordinary Saudis. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-economy-idUSKBN17O0NL

Saudi 2030
- announced in apr 16

National transformation
- announced in jun16

entertainment city
- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39538528 Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans for an entertainment city on the edge of Riyadh which will be 50 times the size of Gibraltar once complete. The 334 sq km (129 sq mile) attraction - about the same as Las Vegas - will offer cultural, sporting and entertainment activities - including a Six Flags park and a safari park.

Tuwaiq Palace or Towaiq Palace is a building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which hosts government functions, state receptions, and cultural festivals that introduce Saudi arts and customs to the international community, and vice versa. It was built in 1985 by OHO Joint Venture, made up of Frei Otto and Buro Happold. Buro Happold won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the design in 1998.


Media
- http://www.saudivoyager.com



People
- Alwaleed Bin Talal

• Al-Waleed Bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al Saud (Arabic: الوليد بن طلال بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود‎‎, born 7 March 1955) is a Saudi business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is a member of the Saudi royal family. Waleed was listed as one of Time magazine's Time 100, an annual list of the hundred most influential people in the world in 2008. Waleed is a nephew of the late Saudi King Abdullah, a grandson of Ibn Saud, the first Saudi king, and a grandson of Riad Al Solh, Lebanon's first Prime Minister. Al-Waleed is the founder, the chief executive officer and 95 percent-owner of the Kingdom Holding Company, a Forbes Global 2000 company with investments in companies within various sectors such as financial services, tourism and hospitality, mass media, entertainment, retail, agriculture, petrochemicals, aviation, technology, and real estate.^[7] The company has a market capitalization of over $18 billion in 2013.^[8]Waleed is also Citigroup's largest individual shareholder, the second-largest voting shareholder in 21st Century Fox, and owns Paris' Four Seasons Hotel George V and part of the Plaza Hotel.^[9][10] His business acumen and shrewd entrepreneurial prowess have earned him comparisons to American investor and business magnate Warren Buffett. Due to his prominence as a businessman, he was acknowledged byTime, who labeled the Prince as the "Arabian Warren Buffett".^[11] In March 2016 Forbes listed Al-Waleed as the 41st richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$17.3 billion.^[12] In 2015 Al-Waleed announced that he would donate his entire fortune to charity at an unspecified date. Some of the reasons cited were fostering cultural understanding and empowering women.
  

  • hkej 16nov17 shum article
• http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-01/alwaleed-s-kingdom-holding-planning-to-ipo-investments-next-year Kingdom Holding Co., the investment company owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, is planning to sell shares in a “significant” number of assets. The firm, through which Prince Alwaleed holds stakes in companies including Citigroup Inc. and Twitter Inc., is considering offerings on the Saudi stock exchange and internationally, Chief Financial Officer Mohammed Fahmy said in an interview in Riyadh. Flynas LLC, the Saudi budget airline in which it holds a 34 percent stake, is among companies planning share sales, he said, declining to identify others. hkej 2feb15 a23

- Prince Saud al-Faisal

• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33472742 Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud al-Faisal - who was the world's longest-serving foreign minister - has died aged 75. There is no official word on the cause of death. The prince had had a number of surgeries in recent years. He was the kingdom's foreign minister for 40 years, before retiring in April. Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said the world had lost a "noble" diplomat. Analysts say he was widely respected, and navigated through decades of turbulence in the Middle East. He was regarded as the public face and voice of a country that preferred to conduct its diplomacy discreetly. "Prince Saud al Faisal was a man of great humanity, compassion and wisdom," former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a statement. "He worked tirelessly for peace." Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman Osama Nugali said: "The eye tears, the heart saddens." The son of King Faisal, Prince Saud was born in 1940, and was among the first generation to receive both a traditional and a Western education. Prince Saud studied economics at Princeton University in the US in the 1960s. In 1970, he became deputy governor of the former state-owned natural resources company, Petromin, and the following year was appointed deputy minister of petroleum and mineral resources. He was was appointed foreign minister in 1975.

Industry
- manufacturing

• http://www.economist.com/news/business/21637399-factory-building-may-not-be-best-way-diversify-economy-making-it-desert

- financial

• http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21689615-if-you-build-it-they-may-not-come-castles-air?zid=308&ah=e21d923f9b263c5548d5615da3d30f4d

- solar energy

• http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2015-01/22/content_19373246.htm Saudi Arabia is delaying by eight years its target to complete a clean-energy program including$109 billion in solar power, saying it needs more time to assess what technologies it will use. The project was originally intended to produce one-third of the nation's electricity from solarpanels by 2032 and more from wind, geothermal and nuclear reactors. The ambition was to savemore crude oil for export. "We have revised the outlook to focus on 2040 as the major milestone for long-term energyplanning in Saudi Arabia," said Hashim Yamani, president of the King Abdullah City for Atomicand Renewable Energy, the royal agency established to oversee renewable energy policy.

- entertainment

• http://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2071740/comic-con-brings-anime-characters-and-superheroes 

Trade and investment environment
- tourism

• 沙特阿拉伯旅遊部周五宣布首次提供旅遊簽證，全球四十九個國家及地區的民眾可在網上申請。當局希望推動旅遊業實現經濟多元化，擺脫對石油的依賴。這是王儲穆罕默德‧薩勒曼的「願景二○三○」計劃一個組成部分，但區內局勢不穩降低對遊客的吸引力。美媒報道，沙特政府周六起向指定國家及地區的民眾開放網上申請簽證，受惠國及地區暫時有二十六個歐洲成員國的神根公約地區、澳洲、汶萊、日本、馬來西亞、新加坡、南非、南韓、台灣及美國。旅遊部長哈提卜形容，向國際遊客開放國家是歷史時刻。阿拉伯地區社會風氣相對保守，哈提卜則大派定心丸，表示當局對旅客放寬嚴格的穿着要求，不須外國女性穿上包裹身體的阿巴亞長袍，但仍須穿着「端莊適度」，他未有詳細解釋。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190928/00180_010.html

- wholesale/retail

• http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/foreigners-can-now-100-wholesale-retail-businesses/

- pharmaceutical

• http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/588184 saudization

- beauty sector

• The Ministry of Labor and Social Development was criticized for regulating recruitment of workers in beauty salons. Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Women Beauty Salons Committee Head Shuaa Al-Duhailan said the regulations of the Labor and Social Development on the recruitment of workers in beauty salons are an obstacle in the sector, especially that there are businesswomen and businessmen operating entirely on social media and are exempt from the ministry’s regulations due to the platform they chose. http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/mol-hampers-beauty-sector-unrealistic-regulations/

- tobacco

• https://www.thenational.ae/world/gcc/saudi-arabia-imposes-new-100-per-cent-shisha-tax-1.926851 Saudi Arabia's has imposed a 100 per cent tax on all bills at restaurants which serve shisha.The government's official gazette said earlier this month that the tax will apply to all tobacco products, but confusion is rife over how to apply it.The ruling from the ministry of rural and municipal affairs said it will apply "to the total invoice of the business serving tobacco products".The decision sparked debate in the kingdom.Many people posted photos of their restaurant bills, with totals of more than double the initial amount when taking into account the new 100 per cent tax and a still-unpopular five per cent VAT which went into effect last year.

king abdullah economic city http://www.kaec.net/

Fiscal policy
- http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/21ad2096-ac6a-11e4-9d32-00144feab7de.html When King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud became Saudi Arabia’s king last month, he followed family tradition by showering his people with money. Bonuses were given to state employees and pensioners, and big investments in infrastructure were announced. The handouts, worth an estimated $32bn, are a political necessity in his nation, where the royal family provides services and benefits in return for loyalty.

- sweeteners by new king hket 27feb15 a26

- austerity

• https://www.ft.com/content/5495b282-d7f8-11e6-944b-e7eb37a6aa8e Saudi Arabia is planning to cull billions of dollars of projects as part of its latest cost-cutting measures to narrow a gaping budget deficit and balance the books by 2020.

Privatisation
- http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-to-start-privatizing-airports-next-year/  Saudi Arabia will begin privatizing its airports and related services in the first quarter of 2016, the country’s civil aviation authority said on Sunday. “The privatization program comes in line with the Kingdom’s plan to improve the productive efficiency of airport systems and ease the financial burden on (the) state budget,” Sulaiman Al-Hamdan, chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), said in the statement. King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh will be the first asset to be privatized in the first quarter next year. Air traffic control and information technology units will follow in the second and third quarters respectively, the statement said.

Tax
- http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a0198402-2d46-11e6-a18d-a96ab29e3c95.html

Saudi Arabia’s finance minister confirmed that the kingdom was considering imposing income tax on foreign residents as it seeks to raise non-oil revenues and cut spending to fund its $72bn plan to diversify the economy. Riyadh, which is scrambling to raise funds needed for wide-ranging reforms from fiscal and investment policy to social initiatives, is taking the unprecedented step of tapping global bond markets and reprioritising domestic spending.

Education
- International Schools Group (ISG), formerly Saudi Arabian International Schools (SAIS – Dhahran Academy) consists of three divisions: the American Division based on a U.S. model curriculum; the British Division delivering the British National curriculum; and the International Division patterned after a U.S. curriculum with the addition of a National Languages Program offering Arabic, Hindi, Filipino, and Urdu. ISG currently operates seven individual schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. http://www.isgdh.org/
- higher education

• http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21695893-snapshot-regions-higher-education-kingdom-king 

calendar
- http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21711938-hauling-saudi-arabia-21st-century-saudi-arabia-adopts-gregorian



Women
- http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1635203/saudi-king-advised-lift-conditionally-ban-women-drivers

Case of blogger Raif
- http://www.economist.com/news/international/21640325-international-outrage-halts-saudi-punishmentbut-how-long-victim-hypocrites

christianity
- "hosanna in the sand" economist 4aug18


“Islamic Alliance” of 34 countries- http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-security-idUSKBN0TX2PG20151215, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-assembles-coalition-of-34-muslim-countries-to-fight-terrorism-but-there-s-no-mention-of-a6773546.html Saudi Arabia has declared the formation of a global “Islamic Alliance” of 34 countries to combat terrorism, following months of pressure for Gulf States to do more to tackle militancy within the Middle East. The new coalition was announced at a rare press conference in Riyadh, where its centre of operations will be based, but faced immediate criticism for a failure to denounce and target the Isis militant group specifically. A statement issued via the state news agency SPA said a long list of Arab and largely Islamic countries had committed their support, including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia and Nigeria.Saudi Arabia’s main regional rivals, Iran, were not included in the list, nor was the Shia-dominated government of Iraq or the embattled regime of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

country profile
- http://info.hktdc.com/infographic/SaudiArabia/en/index.html


History
- The Emirate of Diriyah was the first Saudi state. It was established in the year 1744 (1157 A.H.) when Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Prince Muhammad bin Saud formed an alliance to establish a new religious sect and political sovereignty against orthodox Sunni Islam as they understood it. In 1744, both Muhammed bin Abd Al Wahhab and Muhammad bin Saud took an oath to achieve their goal. Marriage between Muhammad bin Saud's son, Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad, and the daughter of the Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab helped to seal the pact between their families which has lasted through the centuries to present day.

• note that the flag of diriyah is a crescent

- The Emirate of Nejd was the second Saudi state, existing between 1824 and 1891 in Nejd, the regions of Riyadh and Ha'il of what is now Saudi Arabia. Saudi rule was restored to central and eastern Arabia after the Emirate of Diriyah, the First Saudi State, having previously been brought down by the Ottoman Empire's Egypt Eyalet in the Ottoman–Wahhabi War (1811–1818). The second Saudi period was marked by less territorial expansion and less religious zeal, although the Saudi leaders continued to be called Imam and still employed Wahhabist religious scholars. Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad's reconquest of Riyadh from Egyptian forces in 1824 is generally regarded as the beginning of the Second Saudi State. Severe internal conflicts within the House of Saudeventually led to the dynasty's downfall at the Battle of Mulayda in 1891, between the forces loyal to the last Saudi imam, Abdul Rahman ibn Faisal ibn Turki, and the Rashidi dynasty of Ha'il.
-   The Emirate of Nejd and Hasa was the first iteration of the third Saudi state from 1902 to 1921. It has also been referred to by historians as the Emirate of Riyadh. It was a monarchy led by the House of Saud. The state was formed after Saudi forces seized Riyadh from the control of the Emirate of Ha'il, led by the House of Rashid, during the Battle of Riyadh. It is a direct antecedent of the modern-day Saudi Arabia.
-内志与汉志王国   The Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd (Arabic: مملكة الحجاز ونجد‎, Mamlakat al-Ḥijāz wa-Najd), initially the Kingdom of Hejaz and Sultanate of Nejd (مملكة الحجاز وسلطنة نجد, Mamlakat al-Ḥijāz wa-Salṭanat Najd), was a dual monarchy ruled by Ibn Saud following the victory of the Saudi Sultanate of Nejd over the Hashemite Kingdom of the Hejaz in 1925. It was the third iteration of the Saudi state. In 1932 the two kingdoms were unified as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• The Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd could pursue its expansionist policy by British arms supplies because of its close relations with the United Kingdom. Under Ibn Saud, the Hejaz withdrew from the League of Nations. In 1926, the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd was recognised by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, followed by the United States of America in 1931. By 1932, the United Kingdom, the USSR, Turkey, the Imperial State of Iran and The Netherlands maintained legations in Jeddah; The French Third Republic, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Egypt maintained unofficial consular representatives.

- The Grand Mosque seizure occurred during November and December 1979 when extremist insurgents calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud took over Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The insurgents declared that the Mahdi(the "redeemer of Islam") had arrived in the form of one of their leaders – Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani – and called on Muslims to obey him. For nearly two weeks Saudi Special Forces, assisted by Pakistani and French commandos,^[8] fought battles to reclaim the compound. The seizure of Islam's holiest site, the taking of hostages from among the worshippers and the deaths of hundreds of militants, security forces and hostages caught in the crossfire in the ensuing battles for control of the site, shocked the Islamic world. The siege ended two weeks after the takeover began and the mosque was cleared.^[10] Al-Qahtani was killed in the recapture of the mosque but Juhayman and 67 of his fellow rebels who survived the assault were captured and later beheaded. Following the attack, the Saudi King Khaled implemented a stricter enforcement of Shariah (Islamic law) and he gave the ulama and religious conservatives more power over the next decade, and religious police became more assertive.

• La famille Ben Laden et ses entreprises sont impliquées dans cette opération. Le Docteur Daly, un professeur au Middle East Institute de Washington ayant publié dans la revue sur le monde du renseignement Jane's, écrit : « Il a été dit qu'un des demi-frères d'Oussama fut arrêté en tant que sympathisant à la prise mais il fut blanchi par la suite ».

Ancient remains
- jubbah rock carving http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1472


Opec
- At the same time, Russia and Saudi continue to give indications of a possible OPEC 2.0 scenario, in which a possible Russian membership is on the table. This would confront the market with a renewed and stronger oil cartel, although the overall strategies need to be adjusted. At the same time, Saudi Arabia, via its oil giant Aramco has openly stated to be interested in global gas investment opportunities, starting in Russia’s Siberian region. While the media still looks at the current discussions as a pure crude oil cooperation strategy, some see another development on the horizon. The real power of OPEC, non-OPEC cooperation would increase if they would not only include a crude oil production cut, but also integrate the other (hidden) cartel, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). An OPEC 2.1, including gas exporters, would really block any negative developments in the market, even shale oil and gas. At present, international analysts and media sources are hyping the story about Saudi Arabia’s multi-billion dollar investments in Russia’s oil and gas sectors. Statements made by Saudi minister of petroleum Khalid Al Falih are only making headlines at present if he indicates that oil giant Aramco will be targeting natural gas projects and even LNG in future.https://www.rt.com/business/393062-russia-natural-gas-saudi-arabia/


USA
- diplomatic relations

• http://www.cfr.org/saudi-arabia/us-saudi-relations/p36524 The United States, first through its oil industry and then via government contacts, established a relationship with Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz, and his successors that evolved into a close alliance, despite a stark clash in values. U.S. businesses have been involved in Saudi Arabia's oil industry since 1933, when Standard Oil of California (now Chevron) won a concession to explore in eastern Saudi Arabia and discovered oil in 1938. U.S. companies were preferred to European drillers operating in Iraq and Iran because Saudi Arabia's founder was wary of colonial powers that controlled much of the region at the time.

- http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21640352-america-should-reconsider-its-cosy-relationship-saudi-arabia-hugging-saudi
- leaders visit

• http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/32e3f338-a645-11e4-9bd3-00144feab7de.html The president led a large and hastily-assembled American delegation to offer condolences for the death last week of King Abdullah, with whom Mr Obama often had a tense relationship over Iran, Syria and political reform.
• http://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-receives-royal-welcome-honors-from-saudi-leader/ S President Donald Trump received Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honor from Saudi King Salman Saturday and was greeted with a royal welcome by the Arab nation’s ruler, as he began his first trip abroad.

- http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/10/politics/saudi-arabia-meetings-us-gulf-allies/index.html 
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will no longer be in attendance at President Barack Obama's meetings with Arab leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council this week. The late change of plans, could be seen as a snub to Obama, coming just four days before the start of two days of sessions beginning Wednesday and culminating in a Camp David summit on Thursday.
- oil

• https://www.ft.com/content/c0ff2e20-ab49-11e6-ba7d-76378e4fef24 audi Arabia has warned Donald Trump that the incoming US president will risk the health of his country’s economy if he acts on his election promises to block oil imports

- financial

• https://www.ft.com/content/e4a02844-3d6f-11e7-82b6-896b95f30f58Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund plans to invest $65bn with foreign asset managers, underscoring the dramatic transformation under the leadership of Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s powerful deputy crown prince. Saudi’s Public Investment Fund is to place $20bn with Blackstone, the alternative asset manager, becoming the anchor investor in a new $40bn infrastructure fund that will focus on upgrading US assets.

canada
- https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/06/middleeast/saudi-arabia-canada-intl/index.html Amid escalating tensions that are damaging economic and diplomatic ties between the countries, Saudi Arabia said Monday that it would relocate about 7,000 Saudi scholarship recipients studying in Canada. The move is in response to Canadian officials accusing Saudi Arabia of human rights violations and demanding the release of activists imprisoned in the kingdom, Saudi Education Ministry spokesman Mubarak al-Osaimi wrote on Twitter. The Saudi government has said it considers the Canadian position an assault on its sovereignty. "We will be able to accommodate this number of students in excellent countries such as the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand," Jasser bin Sulaiman Al Harbash, Saudi Arabia's deputy minister of education for scholarship, told state-run television.Saudi Arabia has already frozen all new trade and investment deals. State airline Saudia said it is suspending flights to and from Toronto starting August 13.

• It actually began when Saudi authorities arrested Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah. Samar Badawi is a human rights activist who campaigned for giving women the right to drive and vote, as well as the sister of Raif Badawi, who is currently sitting in Saudi prison on apostasy charges. Nassima al-Sadah is another, unrelated human rights advocate.https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Saudi-Arabia-so-upset-with-Canada
• 沙特繼凍結在加國投資和驅逐加國大使後，昨日宣佈暫停在加國的醫療計劃，安排所有在當地治病的沙特病人轉往其他國家，並指示在加國的沙特醫科生於4周內離開。由於沙特實習醫生在當地免費承擔醫療工作，成為當地醫療體系重要一環，事件恐令加國醫院鬧醫生荒。 加拿大政府計劃向阿聯酋和英國尋求協助，緩解與沙特阿拉伯之間的外交紛爭，盟友美國已表明拒絕介入。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/08/09/a19-0809.pdf
•  http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-08/09/c_137378920.htm Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that its oil supply to Canada would resume normally despite the political rifts between the two countries, Saudi Press Agency reported.The Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Khalid Al-Falih, clarified that the current diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and Canada will not, in any way, impact Saudi Aramco's relations with its customers in Canada.The minister reaffirmed the petroleum policy that the kingdom's petroleum supplies to countries around the world are not to be impacted by political considerations.

Uk
- relationship

• The Saudi ambassador to the UK has warned of an “alarming change” in Britain’s attitude towards Saudi Arabia following what he described as “breaches in mutual respect.” In an op-ed published in the Daily Telegraph on Monday, titled “How Saudi Arabia helps Britain keep the peace,” Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz said Saudi Arabia would “not be lectured to by anyone.” He referred to the leader of Britain’s Labor Party Jeremy Corbyn and the recent British government announcement that a multimillion-pound prisons deal with Saudi Arabia was being withdrawn. The contract was to provide a “training needs analysis” for Saudi prison service staff, according to the BBC. “One recent example of this mutual respect being breached was when Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Opposition, claimed that he had convinced Prime Minister David Cameron to cancel a prison consultancy contract with Saudi Arabia worth £5.9 million. This coincided with speculation linking the contract’s cancellation to a number of domestic events in the Kingdom.” At the time, Prime Minister David Cameron’s official spokeswoman said the move had reflected the government’s decision to focus on domestic priorities. But Corbyn hadrecently said the government had been “shamed” into a “U-turn on this terrible contract.” Prince Mohammed warned that “if the extensive trade links between the two countries are going to be subordinate to certain political ideologies, then this vital commercial exchange is going to be at risk.” http://saudigazette.com.sa/world/saudi-relationship-with-britain-is-under-threat-warns-ambassador/

- investors from uk

• http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6e2bec38-4d94-11e5-9b5d-89a026fda5c9.html Jaguar Land Rover has quietly scrapped an ambitious plan to build a factory in the desert in Saudi Arabia, according to people familiar with the matter. Codenamed Project Fern, the plan sought for the first time to place production of JLR’s premium vehicles in the Middle East — an important market for the UK-based carmaker. The plant would also have potentially given JLR the opportunity to use Saudi-produced aluminium in its lightweight cars.

- people with saudi links

• John Michael Flint (born June 1968) is a British banking businessman, who served as group chief executive (CEO) of HSBC Group from February 2018, having succeeded Stuart Gulliver. After serving for about 18 months, Flint announced on 5 August 2019 that he is stepping down from the position, after a mutual agreement with the board.John Flint was born in June 1968.^[4] He was educated at Dhahran Academy and Giggleswick School.^[5] Flint grew up in Yorkshire in the early 1970s before moving to Saudi Arabia at the age of 7 where he attended elementary school when his father was a university professor. He returned to Yorkshire to go to boarding school.^[6][7] He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the Portsmouth Polytechnic.

germany
- https://www.dw.com/en/germany-extends-ban-on-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia/a-48107734 German arms exports to Riyadh have been halted since October 2018, after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The weapons freeze has been criticized by France and the UK.The ban has divided Merkel's governing coalition, but it has also drawn criticism from France and Britain. Both countries have decried the fact that the Saudi weapons freeze also bars sales of arms manufactured in different countries that happen to have German components in them. France's Ambassador to Germany, Anne-Marie Descotes, said this week that Germany's arms export policy and cumbersome licensing rules threatened future bilateral defense projects. Descotes warned that this debate would leave companies preferring "German-free arms products" — in other words, weapons systems that did not include German components.


France
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20151015/00192_001.html 法國總理瓦爾斯率領政商代表團訪問中東，重頭戲是沙特阿拉伯這一站，兩國簽訂總值逾一百億歐元協議，範圍涵蓋能源、衞星、基建和防衞等，沙特外交變陣，與法國愈走愈近，全因對華府猜疑重重，造就法國有機可乘。沙美關係愈見冷淡，相反，沙特與法國愈見靠攏，法國雖也是與伊朗談判的六國之一，但對伊朗立場卻比華府強硬得多，亦與沙特一樣擔憂伊朗藉核協議而擴大地區影響力，提出需要步步設防，就沙特而言，法國更能反映沙特的心聲。沙特國王薩勒曼在今年一月登基後，一邊廂拒絕奧巴馬之邀出席大衞營海灣國家峰會，另邊廂邀請法國總統奧朗德到訪會晤海灣國家元首，正是對美冷對法熱的最好說明。對法國來說，與沙特加強合作也百利而無一害，沙特向來主要向美國購買軍備，法國正好趁機搶奪這個市場，從防衞通訊設施到軍機戰艦，一網打盡，沙特銳意擴展在地區的軍事角色，對軍備需求只會愈來愈多。沙特一擲千金購買法貨，除了自用，也替盟友付鈔，黎巴嫩軍隊三十億美元軍火由沙特出資，埃及執俄羅斯二攤買的價值逾十億歐元的兩艘西北風級戰艦，據報沙特也放發部分貸款。在軍火外，沙法在再生能源、醫療健保和食品等方面也大有合作空間，法國目前是沙特第三大投資國，共有八十多間公司在沙營運，僱用一萬一千多人，國際石油價格低迷，沙特收入銳減，亦急於打破單一依賴石油的經濟，正好借助法國之力。
- 法國軍方日前向國會呈交報告，顯示涉嫌介入也門戰爭的沙特阿拉伯，是法國去年第三大軍火購買國家，訂單接近十億歐元（約八十九億港元），包括總值五億歐元的巡航艦類別，合約數額一年增加了50%。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190610/00180_006.html 




Finland
- sibelius monument in jeddah

Africans

- An estimated 10 percent of the Saudi population is of African descent, living mainly in the Western Region, and particularly in Makkah. Their roots lie in the annual Hajj pilgrimage and the British colonization of Africa in the 19th century. For hundreds of years, pilgrims and oppressed Muslims from that continent traveled to Makkah and Madinah, and chose to make those cities their home. They came mainly from Chad, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mali, Senegal and especially Nigeria. “My family arrived in Hijaz in 1903, from Nigeria. The main reason for their emigration was British colonization,” Dr. Mohammed Faheem, 70, professor of comparative education at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, told Arab News. The British colonized Africa to exploit its natural resources, bringing with them Western education, the English language and Christianity. There was resistance, particularly among Muslims in the north, but with no organized army or modern weapons they were no match for the might of the British Empire. Many chose to journey east, where they knew they could feel safe in lands that would be forever Muslim. “They passed through Chad and Sudan, and then the final destination was the Hijazi lands of the Arabian peninsula,” Dr. Faheem said. “Some of the immigrants already had knowledge of the Arabic languages, and Islamic studies, and they worked as judges, scholars and teachers in the holy mosque. My grandfather was one of those. Others were laborers. “Western education, or modern education, arrived in Nigeria with British colonization. For that reason, Nigerians believed that modern education should be forbidden from a religious perspective. That idea remained with many of them, even when they came to Hijaz. Very few people would accept sending their children to modern schools, even in Saudi Arabia. They would only send their children to traditional Islamic schools.” There is a legacy of that mistrust in Nigeria to this day. The literal meaning of Boko Haram, the Nigerian extremist militia, is “Western education is forbidden.” The best known Saudi families of African descent are Fallatah, Hausawi and Barnawi. They all used to live in one area near to each other in Makkah.Not all black Saudis, however, trace their origins to West Africa. While there has been no official survey of the country’s ethnic diversity, many Saudis are Afro-Arabs who came from places such as Sudan and Djibouti.http://www.arabnews.com/node/1256666/saudi-arabia

egypt
- Saudi Arabia and Egypt have set up a $10bn (£7.2bn) joint fund to develop a planned mega-city, committing more than 1,000 square kilometres in the south Sinai, as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo. Plans for the high-tech mega-city emerged last week, with overall costs estimated at $500bn and the total final area for the settlement expected to measure 10,230 square miles. Contracts for buildings in the development, named NEOM, have already begun to be awarded, and the Crown Prince said the government will aim to make it run on 100 per cent renewable energy.http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/neom-saudi-arabia-egypt-jordan-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-president-abdel-fattah-alsisi-a8241491.html

• hkej 18apr18 shum article

qatar
- Saudi Arabia has been accused of attempting to cut off former British protectorate Qatar from international trade with plans for a new military base and nuclear-waste burial site close to its border. Riyadh is said to want to build a new industrial and economic hub and excavate a waterway along Qatar’s sole land border, allowing shipping to bypass the emirate. News of the plan has prompted fears that Qatar, which has large natural reserves of oil and gas, could be cut off and effectively turned into an island. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-qatar-latest-updates-military-base-nuclear-dump-oil-gas-uae-a8296026.html
- A senior Saudi official has fuelled speculation the kingdom intends to dig a canal between itself and Qatar amidst an on-going feud between the Gulf nations. The project, which would turn the tiny peninsula into an island, is already being seen as an attempt to tighten the blockade placed on it by Saudi Arabia and other regional rivals.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-qatar-canal-island-building-saud-al-qahtani-middle-east-a8518516.html


iraq
- https://www.ft.com/content/b4cb47b4-2d1c-11e8-9b4b-bc4b9f08f381 Beneath the golden dome of the Imam Ali shrine spreads the ramshackle expanse of Najaf, the Iraqi holy city for Shia Muslims, who flock to it in their thousands. Arab visitors bow as they pass the shrine, Iranians sitting beneath it recite lilting chants and Pakistani worshippers rhythmically beat their chests.  With little in the way of wealth or resources, Najaf might seem an unlikely place for anyone but Shia pilgrims to seek out. Yet the city, 160km south of Baghdad, has an unusual new suitor — the oil-rich power on the other side of Islam’s sectarian divide, Saudi Arabia. The Sunni Gulf kingdom’s courting of Iraq’s Shia clerical elite over the past year could mark a transformational shift in Riyadh’s regional strategy.

• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-04/saudi-arabia-makes-inroads-in-iraq-to-curb-iranian-influence Saudi Arabia intends to invest $1 billion in development projects in Iraq and open a consulate in the capital, reversing a longstanding policy of disengagement there as it seeks to curb rival Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East. A Saudi ministerial and business delegation is in Iraq this week to discuss investment ideas for some of the kingdom’s biggest companies, including oil giant Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corp. and the Maaden mining corporation, Saudi Commerce and Investment Minister Majid Al-Qasabi said in Baghdad. Memorandums of understandings will be signed in the near future, he said. Riyadh will open a consulate in the Iraqi capital on Thursday and three others in different provinces at a later time to facilitate visa procedures, Qasabi said. It will also build a sports city as a “gift to Iraqis,” he said at a joint news conference with Iraq’s oil minister, Thamir Al-Ghadhban.

Iran
- http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21659759-kingdom-fears-resurgent-iran-sanctions-come-proxies-and-paranoia
- http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/30/middleeast/iran-saudi-hajj/ Iran has barred its pilgrims from traveling to Mecca to take part in the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage after accusing Saudi Arabia of failing to guarantee the safety of its citizens. Tensions between the two Middle East rivals have been particularly strained recently after Riyadh broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran when its embassy was stormed following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia.

• http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2017-08/30/content_31306947.htmIn a diplomatic icebreaker between political foes, tens of thousands of Muslims from Iran have flocked to Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites.

Lebanon
- http://saudigazette.com.sa/opinion/local-viewpoint/racism-against-the-lebanese/ Political tension between countries may leave its negative impact on their citizens, encouraging some to make unbecoming or racist statements against the other country and its people. Intellectuals in every country should know that people in a country as a whole should not be blamed for the decision of its government or a group of politicians, especially when they are Arabs. During the recent extraordinary meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers, Lebanon abstained from voting while expressing its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and condemning the Iranian aggression against the Kingdom’s embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Activists on social media then called for the deportation of all Lebanese nationals from Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries. They highlighted the generosity shown by Saudi Arabia toward the Lebanese by opening its doors for them to work and make money but they did not reciprocate by expressing solidarity with the Kingdom. It was followed by several racist statements against the Lebanese people. Even though the Lebanese government was not right in taking this unexpected decision, I am sure that many Lebanese would not support that. So it is not fair to make such racist remarks against the Lebanese who live and work among us for the wrong decision of their government.

India
- ties

• The establishment of diplomatic relations in 1947 was followed by high-level visits from both the sides. The historic visit of King Abdullah to India in 2006 and a reciprocal visit by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2010 raised the level of bilateral engagement to ‘Strategic Partnership’ and captured the spirit of enhanced cooperation in political, economic, security and defense realms. Saudi-Indo partnership has improved tremendously during recent years. The economic complementarities are helping this relationship to grow stronger. In February 2014, the visit by King Salman, the then Crown Prince and Minister of Defense, has imparted fresh momentum to ties between India and Saudi Arabia. The high-profile visit of the Saudi dignitaries has built on the foundations of two earlier game-changing outings. The signing of a defense pact during the Saudi royal’s visit implies that the focus imparted to military ties, during Defense Minister A.K. Antony’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2012, has been emphatically retained. An acknowledgement that a new thrust on promoting investments is required augurs well for the evolution of a substantial, multi-faceted relationship. In November 2014, on the sidelines of G20 meeting in Brisbane, Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. King Salman congratulated Prime Minister Modi for assuming charge and stressed on improving bilateral relations between the two countries. Trade and cultural links between ancient India and Arabia date back to third millennium BC. By 1000 AD, the trade relations between southern India and Arabia flourished and became the backbone of the Arabian economy. Arab traders held a monopoly over the spice trade between India and Europe until the rise of European imperialist empires. India was one of the first nations to establish ties with the Third Saudi State. Formal diplomatic relations between contemporary India and Saudi Arabia were established soon after India gained independence in 1947. Relations between the two countries have strengthened considerably owing to collaboration in regional affairs and trade. Saudi Arabia is one of the largest suppliers of oil to India, which is one of the top seven trading partners and the fifth biggest investor in Saudi Arabia. In history there have been three visits to Saudi Arabia by an Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru (1955), Indira Gandhi (1982) and Manmohan Singh (2010). The two countries share similar views on combating terrorism. http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/indo-saudi-ties-nurturing-strong-legacy/

- The IISR, formerly known as Embassy of India School, Riyadh/First International Indian School, is an English-medium Indian school located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest Indian schools with close to 9500 students. The students are locally known as "iisrians" (meaning a student of IISR). The School is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (C.B.S.E), New Delhi, India and is licensed under the Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The School endeavors to move towards fulfillment of above goals under the kind patronage and able guidance of His Excellency Ahmad Javed, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom, and the Patron of the school. The school was founded on 9 October 1982 as Embassy of India School, Riyadh (EISR) to cater to the educational requirements of the children of Indian expatriate community working in and around Riyadh city.

• http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/530322/SAUDI-ARABIA/Private-schools-hike-fee-to-cushion-Ajeer-levy-impact

pakistan
- ft 24may19 saudis allow pakistan to delay oil payments


Japan
-  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-13/saudi-king-visits-japan-seeks-help-on-diversifying-economy King Salman and hundreds of business leaders from Saudi Arabia are in Japan for talks Monday mainly expected to focus on economic ties. The visit is the first by a Saudi king in 46 years, though Salman visited more recently as crown prince.
- http://www.reuters.com/article/us-softbank-visionfund-launch-idUSKCN18G0NP The world's largest private equity fund, backed by Japan's Softbank Group and Saudi Arabia's main sovereign wealth fund, said on Saturday it had raised over $93 billion to invest in technology sectors such as artificial intelligence and robotics. "The next stage of the Information Revolution is under way, and building the businesses that will make this possible will require unprecedented large-scale, long-term investment," the Softbank Vision Fund said in a statement. Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, chairman of Softbank, a telecommunications and tech investment group, revealed plans for the fund last October and since then it has obtained commitments from some of the world's most deep-pocketed investors. In addition to Softbank and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), the new fund's investors include Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment, which has committed $15 billion, Apple Inc, Qualcomm, Taiwan's Foxconn Technology and Japan's Sharp Corp. The new fund made its announcement during the visit of President Donald Trump to Riyadh and the signing of tens of billions of dollars worth of business deals between U.S. and Saudi companies. Son was also in Riyadh on Saturday.


malaysia
- http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-rolls-out-red-carpet-for-visiting-saudi-king-salman-and-his-600-strong
- The deferred visit  of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
 to Kuala Lumpur should be welcomed as an opportunity for Malaysians to evaluate just how warmly they want to welcome the kingdom’s touted moderniser – or if they should do at all.https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2187300/after-postponed-visit-malaysia-should-think-twice-welcoming-saudi

chinese
- 在沙特阿拉伯王儲本．薩勒曼結束訪華之際，沙特 23日宣布將漢語納入沙特所有教育階段的課程之中，增加該國教育多元性。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20190226/PDF/a23_screen.pdf

China
- leaders' visit

• http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20160120/PDF/a7_screen.pdf當地時間19日，在沙 特進行國事訪問的中國國家主席習近平 ，在利雅得同國王薩勒曼舉行會談。兩 國元首共同宣布建立中沙全面戰略夥伴 關係，同意重啟中國─海合會自由貿易 區談判。會談後，薩勒曼國王向習近平 授予沙特最高級別勳章。兩國元首達成多項重要共識，一致決定建立 中沙全面戰略夥伴關係，推動兩國關係在更高水 平、更寬領域、更深層次不斷發展。雙方同意加 強戰略溝通，密切戰略合作，鞏固戰略互信，相 互理解和照顧對方重大關切，支持對方維護核心 利益。 雙方同意加強發展戰略對接，在共同推進絲 綢之路經濟帶和21世紀海上絲綢之路建設的框架 內深入合作，加強在鐵路、港口、電站、通信、 工業園區、住房、投資、金融、航天、和平利用核 能、可再生能源等領域合作。雙方同意將亞投行 打造成互利共贏的融資平台，促進區域互聯互通 。雙方高度評價並歡迎重啟中國─海灣合作委員 會自由貿易區談判，並對談判取得實質性進展感 到高興，同意盡早建成中國─海合會自由貿易區。 雙方同意加強能源政策協調，提高能源合作 水平，構建長期穩定的中沙能源戰略合作關係。 雙方同意推動文明對話，加強不同宗教和不同文 化包容互鑒，擴大兩國文化、教育、衛生、新聞 、智庫、青年等領域交流，密切安全合作，加強 在聯合國和二十國集團等重要多邊機制中的溝通 和協調。 習獲頒沙特最高級別勳章 會談後，薩勒曼國王向習近平授予阿卜杜勒 阿齊茲勳章。這是沙特最高級別的勳章。 兩國元首共同見證了《中華人民共和國政府 與沙特阿拉伯王國政府關於共同推進絲綢之路經 濟帶和21世紀海上絲綢之路以及開展產能合作的 諒解備忘錄》以及能源、通信、環境、文化、航 天、科技等領域雙邊合作文件的簽署。http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1903516/china-saudi-arabia-upgrade-diplomatic-ties-riyadh-seeksDuring Xi’s two-day stay in Riyadh, China and Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil importer and producer respectively, signed 14 agreements and memoranda of understanding, including massive oil deals and pacts to speed up China-Gulf region free-trade talks and build a nuclear reactor. A joint statement by the two states said China supported Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism efforts and would step up cultural and religious exchanges. They would also set up a high-level committee to guide bilateral cooperation. In another agreement on Tuesday, Beijing signalled its support for Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, which is fighting Iran-allied Houthi militia. Saudi Arabia weighs significantly in China’s energy security. In 2014, Beijing bought nearly 50 million tonnes of crude oil from it – 16 per cent of its oil imports and the most from a single country. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1903393/key-facts-behind-chinas-warming-ties-saudi-arabia-iran
• http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-asia-china-idUSKBN16N0G9 Saudi Arabia's King Salman oversaw the signing of deals worth as much as $65 billion on the first day of a visit to Beijing on Thursday, as the world's largest oil exporter looks to cement ties with the world's second-largest economy. The deals included a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between giant state oil firm Saudi Aramco [IPO-ARMO.SE] and China North Industries Group Corp (Norinco) [CNIGC.UL], to look into building refining and chemical plants in China. Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) and Sinopec, which already jointly run a chemical complex in Tinajin, also agreed to develop petrochemical projects in both China and Saudi Arabia.

• 16日晚，中国商务部长钟山陪同萨勒曼出席沙特─中国投资论坛闭幕式并会见中国企业家。钟山致辞时称，2016年中沙贸易额达到424亿美元。这次签署的协议包括中核集团将在两年内对沙特9片潜力地区开展铀钍矿资源勘查工作，及中国核工业建设集团与沙方联合研製高温气冷堆。除工业投资和基建，中沙合作协议还涵盖航天、无人机和核能领域，据悉，沙特参与中国嫦娥四号的合作备忘录由沙特阿卜杜勒─阿齐兹国王科技城主席图尔基．阿勒沙特亲王与中国国家航天局副局长签署，无人机製造合作协议也由阿勒沙特亲王与中方代表签署。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170319/PDF/a2_screen.pdf

• Saudi Arabia signed US$28 billion worth of economic cooperation agreements with China on Friday as its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, met top Chinese leaders in Beijing.According to SPA, 35 economic cooperation agreements were signed at a joint investment forum held by Saudi Arabia’s investment agency during the visit.Among them was a deal between Aramco and Chinese defence conglomerate Norinco to develop a US$10 billion refining and petrochemical complex in the northeastern Chinese city of Panjin.https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2187374/china-and-saudi-arabia-seal-us28-billion-deals

- fund

•  Saudi Arabia and China plan to establish and operate jointly a $20 billion investment fund, sharing costs and profits on a 50:50 basis, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told Reuters on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-china-funds-idUSKCN1B40KO

- military

• http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2081869/chinese-drone-factory-saudi-arabia-first-middle-east Saudi Arabia’s key science and technology organisation has confirmed that one of the deals sealed during Saudi King Salman’s visit to China this month was an agreement to set up the first factory for Chinese hunter-killer aerial drones in the Middle East. IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly reported on Thursday that the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) had signed a partnership agreement on March 16 with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), which makes China’s CH-4 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a model with similar capabilities to the American Air Force’s MQ-1 Predator.

- nuclear

• China National Nuclear Corp, one of the country's largest nuclear companies, signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia last week to further explore and assess uranium and thorium resources in the country. The two countries also vowed to further continuously cooperate on nuclear energy projects following discussions between the two sides to support Saudi Arabia's nuclear energy program. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2017-08/28/content_31237282.htm
• 美媒日前報道，沙特阿拉伯在中國協助下，興建鈾礦加工設施，被視為推進核計劃，引起沙特傳統盟友美國關注。美媒周三指出，美國情報部門正調查沙特生產核燃料的能力，以及此舉是否為鋪路發展核武。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20200807/00180_017.html

- oil

• Negotiations are underway for Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco to secure a more than 30 per cent stake in PetroChina's Anning refinery. In late 2017, Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser confirmed that discussions with the Chinese mainland’s largest oil producer were now at an advanced stage. Located in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province, the refinery – one of China's largest oil-processing facilities – came on line last October and currently has a throughput capacity of 260,000 barrels per day (bpd). At present, the Anning facility solely focuses on supplying domestic demand. In the longer term, however, the facility is expected to play an intrinsic role in meeting China's future energy demands, with the country estimated to require at least 2.2 million bpd of refining capacity by 2022. In addition to its throughput, however, the site also holds strategic importance. Set close to the Myanmar border, the refinery is set for a key role in the Belt and Road Initiative, China's ambitious international infrastructure development and trade facilitation programme. http://hkmb.hktdc.com/en/1X0ADD2V/market-spotlight/More-than-a-Pipe-Dream
• yanbu aramco sinopec refining company china daily 18aug18

- bus

• A total of 800 buses started their engines in Hefei, Anhui province, on Tuesday morning, readying for export to Saudi Arabia. Produced by Anhui Ankai Automobile Co, an automaker headquartered in Hefei's Baohe district, the deal was concluded at a combined contract value of about 400 million yuan ($63.6 million). Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp, or JAC, a State-owned automaker also headquartered in Hefei, holds the largest stake in Ankai.http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2018-04/11/content_36009249.htm

• 去年600台安凱A9高端客車交付沙特哈菲爾運輸公司，成為內地高端車型大批量出口的一大創舉http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/04/22/a12-0422.pdf

- investors from china

• http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2017-05/15/content_29344983.htm Pan-Asia Pet Resin (Guangzhou) is set to construct a chemical fiber production base in SaudiArabia with an annual output value of $4.8 billion. The base is expected to improve thecountry's capacity to produce its own plastics and fiber. "Saudi Arabia mainly imports these products from East Asia, which costs time and freightexpenses," said Lin Wencai, vice-president of the company. "When the project is completed, the country may no longer rely on imports, and may even be able to export these products." As a subsidiary of Singapore-listed enterprise Full Apex (Holdings), whose plastic bottleproducts make up 20 percent of the domestic market, Pan-Asia Pet Resin has establishedcooperation with major beverage brands, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Watsons.

- religion

• 據新華社報道，從國家宗教局獲悉，2016年中國將有14,500名穆斯林群眾赴沙特麥加參加朝覲活動。其中，參加朝覲的河南、內蒙古、河北等地穆斯林群眾昨日從北京首都國際機場出發。國家宗教事務局副局長張彥通在機場送行時說，黨和國家十分重視伊斯蘭教朝覲工作，國家宗教局認真貫徹宗教信仰自由政策，協調有關部門做好朝覲醫療防疫、安全防範、教務指導、包機起降、供餐住宿、交通運輸等組織服務工作，為朝覲群眾提供各項便利。希望廣大朝覲人員做好防暑降溫準備，注意活動安全，通過自身的言行展示偉大祖國和中國穆斯林的良好形象。據介紹，截至本月19日，已有37架包機、11,000名中國朝覲人員抵達沙特麥地那。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2016/08/21/a12-0821.pdf

- library

• http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2016xivisitmiddleeast/2016-01/20/content_23165450.htm The groundbreaking for a Chinese branch of the King Abdulaziz Public Library, held at Peking University last November, is being heralded as an example of growing cultural ties between China and Saudi Arabia. The branch library is expected to further promote communications and cooperation in culture and education between the two countries, said Li Yansong, vice-president of the university, at the ceremony. Abdulkareem Al-Zaid, deputy director of the public library, said he hoped the branch library could serve both the Chinese and Saudi people by providing more chances for the exchange of ideas. The PKU branch library is the first of its kind that the King Abdulaziz Public Library has established in a non-Arab country. Representatives of the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding for the project in 2009 during then-Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit in Saudi Arabia. An agreement on the branch library's construction, operation and management was signed in 2012. On March 16, 2015, a delegation from the public library visited Peking University in Beijing to confirm details about the library's construction. During the meeting, Lin Jianhua, president of the university, said although many obstacles existed, he was optimistic about the future of the project and believed it would be of great benefit in the long term. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of September. When finished, lectures and academic seminars will be held by the two sides in the branch library. The King Abdulaziz Public Library, located in Riyadh, was founded in 1999 and cost $40 million to construct.

- youth

• http://www.chinadailyasia.com/nation/2016-01/21/content_15375857.html Saudi Arabian government's scholarship program back in 2006, according to Mohammed A. Alshraim, of Saudi Arabia's culture administration in China.  The Middle Eastern country has since sent about 1,600 students to China, most of them majoring in engineering and medical sciences, business administration and finance.  "China, to Arab countries, is especially important since the Silk Road initiative," said Alshraim, adding that many students come to explore Chinese culture and customs and understand Chinese people, in addition to studying.  The country's cultural mission has signed 18 education and science cooperative agreements with 18 Chinese universities, he said.  

Hong Kong
- official visit

•  行政长官林郑月娥前日结束访问沙特阿拉伯前，在傍晚与沙特阿拉伯王储穆罕默德．本．萨勒曼会面。林太在会面中欣悉沙特阿拉伯希望与香港加强在不同领域的合作，她表示相信香港提供的服务有助沙特阿拉伯推展其“2030愿景”，并鼓励更多沙特阿拉伯企业来港发展业务，与香港共拓商机。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20171205/PDF/a8_screen.pdf

- supplement

• national day scmp 29sep15, 23sep16, 25sep17
• singtao 25sep17

- trade ties

• SCMP 23sept14 c11

- port development

• 沙特媒體《Alwatan》引述兩家公司的高管報道，沙特薩勒曼國王能源公園(King Salman Energy Park)所有者Energy City Development，與總部位於香港的和記港口簽署諒解備忘錄，在園區建設並運營物流園區和乾港。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2019/09/09/b01-0909.pdf

- construction and engineering

• 惠生工程(02236)公布，公司的全資附屬惠生工程(中國)沙地分公司最近獲Saudi Basic Industries Corporation(SABIC)批出一項有關Utilities Park & Pilot Plants項目的設計、採購及施工(EPC)承包合同，該項目是於沙地阿拉伯朱拜勒(Jubail)進行中的SABIC Technology Center (STC)擴建計劃的其中一環。該合同總金額約為1.5億美元。該合同項下工程預期於2021年初完竣。 自2012年起，集團已順利向SABIC交付7個EPC項目。http://hd.stheadline.com/news/realtime/fin/1335255/

- ip event in hk

• http://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/2075892/saudi-arabia-woos-hong-kong-institutional-investors-its-equity

- investors from HK

• hk electric

• CT昨日在一个校企合作工作坊上，与30位来自“一带一路”国家的业界人士及学者，分享自己在七、八十年代已亲身去“一带一路”国家“开荒”的经验，他说上世纪七十年代入行不久，被公司派驻中东的沙特阿拉伯，参与多个能源基建项目，包括在首都利雅得（Riyadh）建设全市的高压电网。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20180427/PDF/a10_screen.pdf

• PCCW (source: Saudi Arabia and HK Oct 2008 issue)
• Huawei (source: Saudi Arabia and HK Oct 2008 issue)
• Singtao 29sep15 a17 supplement
• Aaron shum jewellery (tvb obor series)