Saudi Arabia

Set to the stunning backdrop of AlUla, Norah by Tawfiq Al-Zaidi has broken new ground for Saudi cinema with a story about two people who inspire one another.

Deterring Iran and bolstering regional security will be the obvious and immediate goal of a US-Saudi defence treaty

Whenever Israel's devastating war in Gaza concludes or drastically subsides, Saudi Arabia will be eager to restart the US-led process of signing a strategic bilateral defence pact

Ahead of a possible US-Saudi defence agreement, it is worth remembering Roosevelt reassured the Saudi king over Palestine, only for Truman to renege on it two years later.

The enormous potential for military cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States

The Saudis have outlined their conditions for a true and binding pact. Such a pact is highly unlikely, not least because of the current US political atmosphere and the issue of US-Saudi mistrust.

News of a $40bn fund in collaboration with Silicon Valley and Wall Street will places Riyadh among the leading riders in the race for dominance in an AI-driven future.

The Kingdom has seen visitor numbers grow but its ambitions are much bigger and broader. Plans to open its doors and sites come with a massive $800bn investment set to boost the sector.

Saudi Arabia's new approach that looks after its own interests seems to be paying off. China has been pivotal in getting regional players to cooperate peacefully in a way that benefits all.

Opening up shares in the state oil firm to domestic and global investors has helped its $3tn valuation, leaving it in the top three firms by market capitalisation, behind only US tech giants