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Meet Fahad Toonsi, Secretary-General of the Saudi Secretariat for the G20

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.
Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.
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Meet Fahad Toonsi, Secretary-General of the Saudi Secretariat for the G20

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.
Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi was chosen as secretary-general of the Saudi Secretariat for the G20 for his prestigious career in the Royal Court.

Coming from a background in economy, management and engineering, he has been tasked with organizing the G20 in Saudi Arabia, the world’s premier economic event that brings together the leaders of the globe’s top economies.

Toonsi has been an adviser at the Royal Court since December 2018. His appointment as secretary-general did not come out of the blue, but it is based on his experience in overseeing the implementation of various initiatives and programs that are part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

In 2011, he graduated with a bachelor’s in production engineering and mechanical systems design from the College of Engineering at King Abdul Aziz University. He then earned a master’s degree in international business management from London’s prestigious King’s College. He obtained a doctorate in financial economics and corporate governance from the same university in 2008.

Toonsi has presented several researches and studies on global governance. One tackled global governance in wake of the 2011 financial crisis and another in 2010 covered the application of governance systems in companies operating in the Middle East and North Africa. Toonsi has participated in numerous seminars and scientific conferences, including one on governance solutions held in the United States in 2014.

Toonsi has been the secretary-general of the Strategic Management Office of Vision 2030 and the secretary-general of the boards of directors for megaprojects which have been launched by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund: Qiddiya, Neom, AMAALA and the Red Sea Project.

From 2013 to 2015, Toonsi worked at the Saudi Crown Prince’s diwan as an advisor on governance in tackling affairs at councils and committees. He has been active in contributing to the development of projects chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, the MiSK Foundation and Ministry of Defense.

Toonsi’s work has not been limited to Saudi Arabia, but he has been involved as manager on international corporate governance projects in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Toonsi was the first to reveal Crown Prince Mohammed’s idea to develop a logo for Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the G20.

In February, he revealed that the general secretariat of the G20 had approached various global companies for the design and many proposals were rejected. He said that he then met with the Crown Prince to discuss what feature really represents Saudi Arabia and the idea to host a local competition in Saudi Arabia to come up with the design was born.

Ultimately, a design presented by Saudi Mohammed al-Hawas won and is now the G20 2020 logo. The logo features the al-Sadu, or an embroidery form common in the Arabian Peninsula.

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Sports

Messi Kicks Off MLS Season in Key World Cup Year

Argentine forward Lionel Messi won the MLS Cup for Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/File
Argentine forward Lionel Messi won the MLS Cup for Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/File
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Messi Kicks Off MLS Season in Key World Cup Year

Argentine forward Lionel Messi won the MLS Cup for Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/File
Argentine forward Lionel Messi won the MLS Cup for Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/File

Lionel Messi kicks off a critical season for Major League Soccer this weekend as the rapidly growing US domestic league seeks to cash in on a huge spike in interest from the upcoming World Cup.

Messi -- MLS's undisputed flagship star -- will lace up his boots for a fourth year with Inter Miami, who take on South Korean ace Son Heung-min's Los Angeles FC in Saturday's opener at the 70,000-capacity Memorial Coliseum.

It is a suitably splashy start for a season that will be split in two by the 2026 World Cup, which takes place across the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

World Cup host countries typically see boosts in attendance and interest for their domestic leagues, and MLS bosses are determined to keep US eyeballs on the planet's biggest sport long after national teams have returned home.

"This is a massive year for Major League Soccer," said league commissioner Don Garber, describing the season as "a seminal moment for our sport."

The MLS season will this year have a seven-week interruption for the World Cup in June and July.

Five MLS stadiums will host World Cup matches, while many more will be used as training facilities and fan zones.

An increased number of MLS players are expected to play in the World Cup, including Son -- and potentially Messi, though the Argentina great has not yet confirmed he will participate in a record sixth World Cup.

The league plans to use the season's bifurcation to its advantage in order to draw in new fans.

A rumored $15-30 million marketing spend throughout the international tournament will encourage viewers to embrace their local teams, and elevate the US domestic league's increasingly star-studded profile.

The MLS season resumes for its second half in the rest days between the World Cup semi-finals and final. An All-Star Game will quickly follow.

"MLS will be at the center of the soccer universe during the world's largest sporting event, and that creates an extraordinary opportunity for our league, our clubs, and our players," said Garber.

New stars

The decision to start the new MLS season with a game featuring the league's two biggest global stars, at a giant former Olympic stadium in the heart of Los Angeles, is no accident.

Garber is predicting "the largest opening weekend crowd in league history."

While MLS has been heavily dependent on eight-time Ballon d'Or-winner Messi's allure in recent years, the arrival of Son midway through 2025 has been transformative.

Signed by Los Angeles FC for $26.5 million -- reportedly the largest transfer in MLS history -- the 33-year-old's arrival has brought with it the support of thousands of South Koreans living in the United States.

Other marquee names to join MLS sides this year include Minnesota United's James Rodriguez, who penned an extendable six-month contract in a bid to find form before Colombia's World Cup campaign, after a difficult few domestic seasons.

Argentina-born Mexico striker German Berterame has joined Messi at reigning MLS champions Inter Miami, who are co-owned by David Beckham.

And Timo Werner, joining San Jose Earthquakes, becomes the latest German star to ply his trade in a league that already features Thomas Muller at the Vancouver Whitecaps and Marco Reus for Los Angeles Galaxy.

'Best leagues'

MLS is planning another major change that it hopes will entice even more big names.

Beginning July 2027, MLS will change from its current spring-to-fall schedule, to a summer-through-spring rota.

The switch will align MLS with the big European leagues like England's Premier League and Spain's La Liga.

The hope is this will allow US clubs to buy and sell global talent during simultaneous transfer windows, particularly during the summer break.

It would also avoid future clashes with international fixtures and major tournaments.

Garber said the move "reflects exactly where we see MLS going, not just aligning with the best leagues in the world but competing with them."

Critics say it is a gamble, as MLS will soon be directly competing for viewers with the similarly scheduled NFL, NBA and NHL leagues.

Technology

Report: Nvidia Nears Deal for Scaled-down Investment in OpenAI

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has insisted that the AI chip powerhouse is committed to a big investment in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has insisted that the AI chip powerhouse is committed to a big investment in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP
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Report: Nvidia Nears Deal for Scaled-down Investment in OpenAI

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has insisted that the AI chip powerhouse is committed to a big investment in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has insisted that the AI chip powerhouse is committed to a big investment in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP

Nvidia is on the cusp of investing $30 billion in OpenAI, scaling back a plan to pump $100 billion into the ChatGPT maker, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

The AI-chip powerhouse will be part of OpenAI's new funding round with an agreement that could be concluded as early as this weekend, according to the Times, which cited unnamed sources close to the matter.

Nvidia declined to comment on the report.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has insisted that the US tech giant will make a "huge" investment in OpenAI and dismissed as "nonsense" reports that he is unhappy with the generative AI star.

Huang made the remarks late in January after the Wall Street Journal reported that Nvidia's plan to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI had been put on ice.

Nvidia announced the plan in September, with the investment helping OpenAI build more infrastructure for next-generation artificial intelligence.

The funding round is reported to value OpenAI at some $850 billion.

Huang told journalists that the notion of Nvidia having doubts about a huge investment in OpenAI was "complete nonsense."

Huang insisted that Nvidia was going ahead with its investment in OpenAI, describing it as "one of the most consequential companies of our time".

"Sam is closing the round, and we will absolutely be involved in the round," Huang said, referring to OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.

"We will invest a great deal of money."

Nvidia has become the coveted supplier of processors needed for training and operating the large language models (LLM) behind chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

LLM developers like OpenAI are directing much of the mammoth investment they have received into Nvidia's products, rushing to build GPU-stuffed data centers to serve an anticipated flood of demand for AI services.

The AI rush, and its frenzy of investment in giant data centers and the massive purchase of energy-intensive chips, continues despite signs of concern in the markets.

World

Venezuela: Amnesty Law Excludes those who Promoted Military Action

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)
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Venezuela: Amnesty Law Excludes those who Promoted Military Action

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)

Venezuela's parliament unanimously approved an amnesty law on Thursday that could free political prisoners, almost two months after President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces.

“The law on democratic coexistence has been approved. It has been forwarded to acting president Delcy Rodriguez for announcement,” said National Assembly President, Jorge Rodriguez, before parliament.

Acting president Delcy Rodriguez signed the legislation after it was handed to her by Jorge Rodrigez, her brother.

The passage of the law led to the end of a hunger strike by relatives of political prisoners.

Ten women have participated in a hunger strike outside the Zona 7 police facility in the capital Caracas last Saturday, setting up camps outside the prison and demanding the release of their relatives, according to AFP.

Because they experienced health problems, nine of them stopped the protest on Wednesday evening. Only one woman continued until Thursday, ending “136 hours,” or more than five days, of strike.

But the amnesty law excludes those who have been prosecuted or convicted of promoting military action against the country – which could include opposition leaders like Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who has been accused by the ruling party of calling for international intervention like the one that ousted Maduro.

Article 9 of the bill lists those excluded from amnesty as “persons who are being prosecuted or may be convicted for promoting, instigating, soliciting, invoking, favoring, facilitating, financing or participating in armed actions or the use of force against the people, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” of Venezuela “by foreign states, corporations or individuals.”