ADMA: Lebanon-based businessmen who lost enterprises through dealings with members of Saudi Arabia’s business community are closely watching a new campaign led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman targeting officials, princes and tycoons in the Kingdom, hoping it will help them win back what they lost over the years.
Many in the Kingdom welcome efforts to fight rampant corruption and abuse of power, and many outside it hope the move will encourage people to invest in the Kingdom without fear.
Since the first week of November, some 201 people have been taken into custody by Saudi authorities in a sweep that investigators say has uncovered at least $100 billion in corruption.
The crackdown that began on Nov. 4 initially targeted 11 princes, 38 officials, military officers as well as business leaders. An estimated 1,700 individual bank accounts have been frozen.
Pierre Daher, who founded the first private TV station in Lebanon in 1985 and turned it into one of the top media outlets in the Arab world, has been locked in court cases with detained Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the world’s richest men, since 2011. The prince, whose maternal grandfather Riad Solh was once Lebanon’s prime minister and also holds Lebanese citizenship, has investments that include Twitter, Apple, Citigroup and the Four Seasons hotel chain and was once a significant shareholder in Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, but sold much of those shares in 2015.
Their court battles are over Lebanon’s leading LBC and the affiliated Production and Acquisition Co., widely known as PAC, which filed for liquidation in 2012. Some 400 PAC employees lost their jobs and are still waiting for Prince Alwaleed to compensate them.
Prince Alwaleed and Daher, now chairman and CEO of LBC, were once allies when the prince pumped money into LBC TV before the two split over several issues and Daher was removed from his job as head of PAC. Prince Alwaleed ended up taking over the LBC SAT and PAC while Daher took LBC.
Lebanese media outlets reported this month that two Beirut hotels owned by Prince Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding are for sale. The Four Seasons and Movenpick Hotel are among Beirut’s most luxurious hotels and are located in two of the capital’s most posh neighborhoods.
“If the hotels are not in the person’s name, not in the name of the defendant himself in person, you cannot garnish them since they belong to a company,” said Paul Morcos, legal expert and founder and owner of Justicia Consulting Law firm in Beirut.
Attempts to reach a representative of Prince Alwaleed at Kingdom Holding were not immediately successful.
Another person who lost millions of dollars in the Kingdom as a result of alleged corruption is Lebanon-based US citizen Yahya Lotfi Khader who for more than 20 years ran petrochemical businesses along with his two partners in eastern Saudi Arabia.
The Syria-born, 57-year-old businessman said he left the Kingdom two years ago after he became the victim of interference by officials who worked in the office of a once powerful prince. Khader put forward documents that proves they have lost tens of millions of dollars in cases that he says were manipulated by powerful people in the Kingdom.
Khader said the first step by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is to fight corruption and people in the Kingdom have been waiting for an “awakening against corruption.” Khader said “Saudi Arabia has all the capabilities to become one of the most important countries in the world if we can fight corruption and it will not be an easy mission but we are very optimistic about what happened.”
Khader has sent documents listing all the injustice they were subjected to in the Kingdom to the office of King Salman and crown prince hoping that it could help them return to the Kingdom and get back their money that are worth tens of millions of dollars.
“Today there is a new Saudi Arabia that is totally different from what it used to be but it is still early to judge it,” said Daher of LBC.
Anti-corruption campaign in Saudi Arabia brings hope to businessmen
Anti-corruption campaign in Saudi Arabia brings hope to businessmen
Saudi Arabia extends condolences to Sudan after 11 die in mine collapse
- The collapse of the gold mine in the remote desert area of Howeid, northeast Sudan killed 11 miners and wounded seven others
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia extended its condolences and sympathy on Sunday after a traditional gold mine in Sudan partially collapsed and killed 11 miners.
The collapse of the gold mine in the remote desert area of Howeid, northeast Sudan also wounded seven others, the country’s mining company said on Sunday.
The Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom stands with Sudan during this tragedy and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.
Jeddah panel explores declining marriage rates among youth
- Discussion highlights changing views on commitment, societal pressures, search for meaningful connection
JEDDAH: Amid changing values, shifting priorities and growing alternatives to traditional partnerships, a panel titled “Why is there a decline in marriage today?” has explored evolving views on love, commitment and marriage.
Organized by Ta3mq, a platform focused on honest dialogue, the event at Hayy Jameel’s Rukn Space in Jeddah featured panelists from psychology, community leadership and youth engagement.
It was moderated by Tasneem Alshanqiti, Ta3mq founder, and Motaz Al-Safh, a Saudi engineer and entrepreneur. The session addressed generational concerns, fears and new definitions of partnership.
Reflecting on her role, Alshanqiti said: “I wasn’t just moderating — I was carrying the voice of younger women,” adding that she aimed to create a safe space that encouraged openness and reflection.
Panelist Rozana Albanawi, founder of Qeema and Jeddah_CM, said that the discussion explored marriage from societal, religious and psychological perspectives, focusing on self-understanding, compatibility over idealism, and the evolution of love.
Al-Safh said that he focused on creating a safe, judgment-free space for men to express vulnerability.
He described the conversation as “more like a talk between brothers than a formal panel,” aiming to help participants understand their fears and feelings about love and commitment.
The discussion highlighted recurring themes among Saudi youth. Al-Safh said that a few key issues kept emerging: Fear of failure, feeling unready, and pressure from expectations. Many question whether marriage today feels like love or a liability.
He added: “But beneath it all, there’s a real craving for connection, just done right, in a way that feels safe and meaningful.”
Dr. Khalid Sindi, a relationship and marriage psychotherapist, offered a broader national perspective by linking personal challenges to policy and social change.
Speaking to Arab News, he noted the ongoing transition in Saudi marriage values — from traditional to more modern — while emphasizing the preservation of core Islamic principles.
He highlighted government efforts under Vision 2030, such as the Saudi Marriage Fund and Sakani housing program, aimed at easing economic barriers for youth.
Sindi added: “Younger generations are seeking marriages that blend our cherished traditions with contemporary expectations of emotional connection and mutual growth. This represents not a rejection of our values but their natural adaptation to modern life.”
The panelists said that changing views on love and commitment reflected maturity rather than uncertainty.
Albanawi said: “There is high awareness among the generation now on marital topics, and many are seeking marriage with the right tools.”
She explained that conversation and dialogue help young people to commit while accepting uncertainty in relationships.
“The younger generation is looking for new ways to shape their marriage, such as avoiding unnecessary rules like high financial burdens or societal expectations that don’t match their reality.”
On the event’s outcome, Albanawi added: “A common theme was that marriages work best when couples marry early, are ready, and have family support.”
She noted that many believe delaying marriage increases fears and makes adaptation harder.
Sindi expressed a similar view on marriage’s evolving nature, saying that the changing views reflected progress and natural generational dynamics rather than fear or uncertainty.
“Rather than seeing shifting perspectives as problematic, the older generation should guide younger Saudis with wisdom and empathy.”
Highlighting the national context, Sindi noted the vital role of government initiatives in supporting Saudi Arabia’s vision for marriage and family life, demonstrating a commitment to making families society’s cornerstone.
Reflecting on the session’s emotional honesty, Al-Safh said that hearing men express concerns such as, “I don’t want to fail someone’s daughter,” revealed deep care often left unspoken.
Alshanqiti echoed the need for open, non-judgmental spaces, saying fears about failure and not being enough reminded her that many seek places where they can be truly seen and heard. She described the session as a step toward that openness.
Global sculptures at open-air museum in historic Jeddah
- The sculptures form a dynamic dialogue between the past and present, blending the site’s heritage with the language of contemporary art
JEDDAH: As part of a broader effort to revive the region’s visual identity through art, Al-Arbaeen Lake in historic Jeddah has been transformed into an open-air gallery featuring a curated collection of sculptures by international artists.
Led by the Ministry of Culture in cooperation with Jeddah Municipality, the initiative features 14 world-class artworks integrated into the city’s visual landscape, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The sculptures form a dynamic dialogue between the past and present, blending the site’s heritage with the language of contemporary art.
Notable works on display include “The Illusion of the Second Cube” by Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely; “Rouge” and “Flexibility of Balance” by Alexander Calder; “Circular Mass” by Arnaldo Pomodoro; “The Bird” by Spanish sculptor Joan Miro; and “Giving and Receiving Love” by Lorenzo Quinn — a powerful piece that reflects human values through striking aluminium forms.
FASTFACTS
• Led by the Ministry of Culture in cooperation with Jeddah Municipality, the urban art initiative features 14 world-class artworks integrated into the city’s visual landscape.
• Notable works on display include ‘The Illusion of the Second Cube’ by Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely and ‘Giving and Receiving Love’ by Lorenzo Quinn.
The installations are part of a wider artistic movement that reimagines public spaces as platforms for cultural engagement.
By transforming urban environments into art experiences, the project invites both residents and visitors to explore the intersection of architectural heritage and modern creativity.
It underscores the growing role of art in shaping urban identity and fostering public appreciation for visual beauty in shared spaces of the Kingdom.
Saudi FM receives Djiboutian counterpart
- The two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation in various fields
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received his Djiboutian counterpart, Abdul Kader Hussein Omar, in Riyadh on Sunday.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation in various fields, the Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X.
The two ministers also chaired a meeting of the Political Consultations Committee between the two countries, during which they discussed coordination on key regional and international issues.
Saud Al-Sati, deputy minister for political affairs, was among the officials in attendance.
Saudi FM receives written message from Russian counterpart
- Al-Khuraiji and Kozlov elaborated on relations between their countries and ways to enhance them in various fields
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a written message from his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
The message, regarding Saudi-Russian relations and ways to support and strengthen them in various fields, was received by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji in Riyadh during a meeting with Russia’s ambassador to the Kingdom Sergey Kozlov.
During the meeting, Al-Khuraiji and Kozlov elaborated on relations between their countries and ways to enhance them in various fields. Topics of common interest were also discussed, SPA added.
