RIYADH — Saudi Arabia climbed to 13th place among the world’s largest recipients of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2025, up from 17th in 2024, according to the latest World Investment Report issued by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The report showed that net FDI inflows into the Kingdom reached $32.6 billion in 2025, compared with $21.3 billion in 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of nearly 53%. Saudi Arabia’s total inward FDI stock also rose to $293.3 billion, reflecting continued investor confidence and the growing attractiveness of the Kingdom’s strategic sectors. UNCTAD attributed the strong performance…
Author: Editorial Team
ZURICH, 18th July, 2026 (WAM) — The 104th match at the FIFA World Cup 2026 pits European champions Spain against defending world and South American champions Argentina. Argentina have taken a hard, albeit thrilling, road to their second World Cup final in succession and seventh overall. The defending champions opened their campaign with three successive group stage victories, led by the extraordinary Lionel Messi, who now has eight goals in this tournament and 21 across his long World Cup career. Spain reached the final after outclassing favourites France in the semi-finals. Luis de la Fuente’s side controlled the match from…
The UAE expresses its deep concern over the developments that the region has witnessed over the past few days, and has called for an immediate halt to the escalation and to avoid exacerbating tensions and instability in the region. The UAE called for exercising the utmost restraint in order to avoid dangerous repercussions, and the region being pulled into new levels of violence and instability. The UAE called for an immediate end to hostilities and a swift return to negotiations and stressed the importance of ensuring safe, uninterrupted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, calling it vital to the global…
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia renewed its categorical rejection of Iran’s attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure, including a power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait. In a statement on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms Iran’s continued attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, reaffirming the Kingdom’s full support for the three countries in the measures they take in response to the Iranian attacks, which violate international law and the principles of good neighborliness. The Kingdom stressed the need for an immediate halt to all forms of military escalation to preserve the security and stability of the…
MAKKAH — Saudi Arabia recorded a 22.5% increase in Umrah visa arrivals at the start of the 1448H Umrah season, with 931,500 pilgrims entering the Kingdom on Umrah visas between Dhul Hijjah 15 and the end of Muharram, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Pilgrim Experience Program announced. The two entities also said more than 1.27 million pilgrims arrived from abroad during the same period, reflecting continued growth in the Kingdom’s Umrah sector as part of the goals of Vision 2030 and the Pilgrim Experience Program. The ministry said the figures underscore the leadership’s continued support for serving…
TEHRAN — Iran said on Saturday it has suspended its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, accusing the United States of violating the agreement as military hostilities between the two countries continue. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Washington had failed to uphold its obligations under the Pakistan-brokered memorandum. “The US has violated and suspended all its commitments within the framework of the Islamabad MoU,” Gharibabadi said in remarks carried by Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency. “We have also suspended our commitments, we are not implementing them, and we are busy defending the country,” he added. The Islamabad memorandum,…
A two-year-old Filipino girl who was abandoned as an infant has returned to the Philippines after spending most of her young life in the care of a shelter in Dubai. The child arrived safely on July 9, 2026, via a commercial flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), through the coordinated efforts of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and authorities in the UAE. She was accompanied by a Migrant Workers Office, Dubai Social Welfare Attache, Cherrylene G. Girado. Since she was four months old, the girl had been under the care of the Family Village in Al Warqa, Dubai.…
ASUNCIÓN, 18th July, 2026 (WAM) — Santiago Peña, President of the Republic of Paraguay, received Humaid Obaid Abushibs, Chairman of the UAE Accountability Authority, and the accompanying delegation during an official visit to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Paraguay and advancing bilateral cooperation in the fields of oversight, governance, integrity, and anti-corruption. During the meeting, President Peña praised the distinguished relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Paraguay, reaffirming the shared commitment of both countries to further strengthen cooperation and expand collaboration in areas of…
DRAMMEN, Norway — More than 100 homes were destroyed after a massive blaze swept through a residential neighborhood in the Norwegian city of Drammen, in what authorities described as the country’s largest residential fire in modern history. The fire broke out in a townhouse at around 3:30 p.m. on Friday before rapidly spreading to neighboring homes and nearby forested areas, police said. Firefighters continued working on Saturday to bring the blaze under control, while hundreds of residents were evacuated from the affected area. The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection described the incident as the largest residential fire of its kind…
ASIR — Three Ethiopian nationals were arrested by the Saudi Border Guard in the Asir Region for attempting to smuggle 17 kilograms of hashish and 7,500 amphetamine tablets. Border Guard patrols in the Raboua Sector of the Asir Region arrested the suspects for violating the Border Security Law after they were caught attempting to smuggle the narcotics. Authorities said the necessary preliminary legal procedures were completed, and the suspects, along with the seized narcotics, were referred to the competent authority. The Border Guard urged the public to report any information related to drug smuggling or trafficking by calling 911 in…