LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister met his Omani counterpart during a visit to the Gulf state on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Sayyed Badr Al-Busaidi discussed the importance of joint Gulf action within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and following up on the results of the AlUla summit hosted by the Kingdom in January.
They also discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen cooperation in various fields that would lead to mutual benefits.
The foreign ministers reviewed ways to support trade, investment and tourism opportunities and developing scientific cooperation in the areas of energy, technology, transportation, cybersecurity, health and agriculture.
Prince Faisal arrived in Muscat earlier on Wednesday and has left the sultanate.
Saudi and Omani foreign ministers meet in Muscat
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Saudi and Omani foreign ministers meet in Muscat
- The foreign ministers reviewed ways to support trade, investment and tourism opportunities
- Prince Faisal arrived in Muscat earlier on Wednesday and has left the sultanate
Shoura Council calls for metro systems in major Saudi cities
- Council urged the Public Transport Authority to expand the training programs offered by the Saudi Logistics Academy
- Council members also emphasized the importance of improving the standards used to evaluate the quality of shuttle transport services for pilgrims
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council has called for studies into developing metro systems in the Kingdom’s major cities, Asharq Al-Awsat has reported.
On Tuesday, the council urged the Public Transport Authority to expand the training programs offered by the Saudi Logistics Academy.
Council members also emphasized the importance of improving the standards used to evaluate the quality of shuttle transport services for pilgrims to ensure efficiency.
They stressed the need to increase the passenger capacity of the Kingdom’s railway network and to raise train speeds to match those of the Haramain High-Speed Railway, which spans the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and offers transport for pilgrims.
Riyadh’s metro network opened in December last year and became fully operational in January.
The Kingdom also has a passenger railway network connecting Riyadh with the Eastern Province and Northern Borders regions.
One of the country’s goals under Vision 2030 is to improve the public transport network with the aims of easing traffic congestion in cities and lowering carbon emissions.
Inaugural Middle East Fortune women’s summit brings together female leaders
- Vision 2030 goals to increase female workforce participation in spotlight
- Business, government, investment, tech, policy leaders represented
RIYADH: The first Fortune Most Powerful Women International summit in the Middle East convened in Riyadh this week.
The event brought together a global network of female leaders from business, government, investment, tech and policy sectors.
“As women, we often find ourselves needing to prove our capabilities more when it comes to our careers,” said Dr. Giovanna Carnevali, executive director of master planning at ROSHN Group.
“At the same time, we bring deep passion to our work and put our heart and soul into everything we do. I always say that what truly matters is letting your work speak for you.”
Speaking to Arab News during the event, Carnevali said her career in Saudi Arabia reflected the country’s transformation.
“The experiences I have had here are unique. Living and working in the Kingdom has been a continuous journey of growth, and I am truly grateful for what the country has offered me and to women more broadly,” she said.
From geopolitics and sustainability to artificial intelligence and banking, the forum’s sessions highlighted how Saudi Arabia — and its women — are reshaping the global conversation on leadership.
Lubna Olayan, chair of Saudi Awwal Bank, talked about how Vision 2030 had already surpassed its workforce target for women and called for greater ambitions.
“We need to set a new benchmark,” she told moderator Diane Brady. “In my company, we now have 36 percent women. When we started hiring women in 2001, there was just one.”
Olayan, the first Saudi woman to chair a bank and join a public board, said real progress depended on investment in leadership.
“We need to bring more women into decision-making roles. If the candidates are equal, I’ll back the woman — because we’re still behind,” she added.
Technology was another recurring topic. Prof. Lilac Al-Safadi, CEO of IKONIC Educational Holding, outlined Saudi Arabia’s position as an emerging AI powerhouse.
“The Kingdom has trained more than 60,000 AI professionals and launched the world’s first cognitive city — not just smart, but fully AI-integrated,” she said.
And Ellie Rubenstein, co-founder of Manna Tree and one of the first US food investors to enter the Saudi market, said demand in her sector was shifting fast: “Seven years ago, we were seen as a food security fund. Today, it’s about wellness. The consumers here — especially women — are driving that shift.”
She emphasized the importance of understanding what women wanted: “It’s not just about selling products. Brands need to speak to values — wellness, empowerment, sustainability. Women here are not just shaping their families. They’re shaping their country.”
Saudi FM receives phone call from North Macedonian counterpart
DUBAI: The Kingdom’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Faisal bin Farhan recently received a phone call from his North Macedonian counterpart Timcho Mucunski, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The two officials discussed bilateral relations and issues of common interest.
Saudi minister inspects Hajj readiness in Jeddah
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh Al-Jasser reviewed the transport and logistics sector’s readiness for the Hajj season in Jeddah, following earlier inspections in Makkah, Madinah, and the holy sites.
At King Abdulaziz International Airport, he inspected the Hajj and Umrah Terminal Complex and Saudia airline operations, assessing preparations to handle more than 7,000 pilgrim flights and ensure smooth passenger flow.
He also visited the complex’s media center, which supports local and international press coverage by providing a coordinated workspace with essential resources, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Al-Jasser evaluated the center’s technical and staffing readiness and emphasized full media preparedness for the event.
He then toured Jeddah Islamic Port to inspect Saudi Ports Authority operations supporting pilgrims arriving by sea, the SPA reported.
He reviewed arrival and departure halls equipped with 100 passport counters, 300 luggage carts, a health center offering vaccinations and medical services, and specialized equipment for the elderly and those with medical needs.
Airbnb sued by parents of murdered Saudi student
- Al-Waleed Al-Gheraibi was stabbed to death in 2023 by a fellow tenant at Philadelphia property
- Parents accuse booking platform of failing to properly screen killer
LONDON: The parents of a Saudi student stabbed to death at an Airbnb property in the US are suing the rental company over allegations it failed to properly screen his killer.
Al-Waleed Al-Gheraibi, 25, was killed in Pennsylvania in January 2023 by fellow guest Nicole Marie Rodgers, aged 19 at the time of the crime, reported The Independent.
She pleaded guilty in December to third-degree murder, burglary, theft and a weapons charge, and is now serving a prison sentence of 15 to 40 years at SCI Muncy in Pennsylvania.
Al-Gheraibi, describe as a “sweet and lovely young man” was studying computer science at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia and was renting a room in the city’s Germantown neighborhood for six months.
The room was part of a five-bed investment property operated by Gardith Edouard, a Cornell graduate. At the time she lived down the street and looked after the building for its tenants, many of whom were students.
Edouard screened Al-Gheraibi thoroughly before accepting his tenancy agreement. Vetting involved a phone interview, background check, educational status report, passport copies and emergency contact details.
Al-Gheraibi was a “model tenant” who “paid his rent on time and was pleasant to be around,” the suit filed by the deceased’s parents, Abdullah and Eiman, said.
In December 2022, Al-Gheraibi told Edouard he was extending his stay after requiring an additional course to graduate from college. He was said to be disappointed, the lawsuit said, because he had been excited to return to his family and fiancee in Saudi Arabia.
During that period, Rodgers, a resident of Georgia, applied for a short-term booking at Edouard’s home through Airbnb. The 19-year-old’s profile on the platform was marked “identity verified.”
Edouard, however, was reluctant to rent a room to someone of Rodgers’ age after a previous tenant aged 18 had caused extensive damage to the property.
In response to Rodgers’ booking request, the Airbnb host contacted the platform and said she did not want to rent to anyone younger than 21, the suit said.
But Airbnb told Edouard she could be flagged for discrimination and removed from the platform if she refused tenants based on their age.
As a result, the host agreed to rent a room to Rodgers from Jan. 5-23 in 2023.
On the final day of her stay, Rodgers encountered Al-Gheraibi in the building’s hallway and “induced him to enter her room.”
Subsequent news reports have suggested Rodgers requested the Saudi student’s help to move heavy furniture.
After Al-Gheraibi entered the room, Rodgers stabbed him “multiple times,” piercing his neck and puncturing his lungs, the lawsuit said.
“He was stabbed multiple times in the neck and lungs, was dragged into a shower, and was left to die alone,” it added.
Edouard was alerted after another tenant complained of strange noises in the property. She described the scene upon entering the room as “the most horrific sight” and said the walls were covered in blood.
“My whole body just shook,” Edouard told The Independent. “I tried to resuscitate him, but by the time 911 got there, I knew he was dead … I’m still not well, it’s just been horrible.”
Rodgers had tried to use bleach to cover up the killing, causing an “overpowering” smell, Edouard said.
Al-Gheraibi was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rodgers fled the property and logged back into Airbnb to change her name to “Nicole Jenkins.” The motive for the killing remains “unclear,” said the attorney representing Al-Gheraibi’s parents.
Philadelphia police arrested Rodgers a week later.
The lawsuit filed by Al-Gheraibi’s parents said the Saudi student suffered an “obviously painful and terrifying” death. It accused Airbnb of negligence “in numerous ways, including not limiting the ability of persons under age 21 from renting a property through Airbnb” and “not conducting sufficient screening of potential guests to make it safer for other people staying in an Airbnb property to be free from violent crimes committed by Airbnb renters.”
The platform was aware that “younger renters such as Rodgers have less self-control and are more prone to commit criminal and other destructive acts, including physical harm to other persons who are staying or residing in Airbnb properties,” the suit said.
Attorney for the Al-Gheraibi family, Steven Harvey, described the grief of parents Abdullah and Eiman as “extreme” and said they hoped their son’s death would cause Airbnb to change its business practices.
Harvey said: “His parents do want justice, though what does justice mean? What does justice look like? Nothing is going to bring their son back.
“They would like to see Airbnb take some responsibility for its policy that led to this horrific situation.”
