NEOM Established as Closed Joint-Stock Company Owned by Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund

NEOM is established as a closed joint-stock company owned by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund. (SPA)
NEOM is established as a closed joint-stock company owned by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund. (SPA)
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NEOM Established as Closed Joint-Stock Company Owned by Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund

NEOM is established as a closed joint-stock company owned by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund. (SPA)
NEOM is established as a closed joint-stock company owned by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund. (SPA)

The world’s future destination for dreamers and innovators has obtained the necessary approvals from authorities in Saudi Arabia to establish a closed joint-stock company under the name NEOM to develop the project that is set to be the most ambitious on earth.

The newly-established entity is fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia and is responsible for achieving NEOM’s vision, which is to be the land of the future, where the greatest minds and best talents are empowered to embody pioneering ideas and exceed boundaries in a world inspired by imagination.

In order to achieve NEOM’s vision, the company will develop a new area in the Northwest of Saudi Arabia equipped with all elements to make it the best place to live and work; and a leading investment destination.

This area will be the land of the future that will incubate human genius in search for solutions key challenges facing humanity.

NEOM will have new cities with extensive infrastructure that includes a network of airports, an advanced seaport, industrial areas, as well as creative and innovation centers to unlock the potential of a knowledge-based economy, and a range of world-class tourist destinations.

It is designed as an eco-friendly environment that caters for sustainability and livability.

The significant change in the legal status of NEOM will also allow the company to create 16 key economic sectors that will put it on the global investment map, which includes the future of energy, water, tourism, media, health and well-being, sport, food, mobility, biotech, manufacturing and livability.

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, will serve as the CEO of NEOM, while the 16 sectors will be spearheaded by leading international executives and experts in their fields.

Al-Nasr is a leading Saudi executive with a track record of developing mega projects including Shaybah oilfield, a giant deposit located at the heart of the Empty Quarter desert, as well as King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST).

Commenting on this milestone, he said: “The new entity will have a unique and historical role to play as it will be responsible for developing a new global destination from scratch on a huge area, and a futuristic civilization that is based on sustainability and livability.”

He added: "All this aims to turn NEOM into a global center for attracting investment, knowledge, innovation and technology in order to compete with all economic capital cities.”



Macron Arrives in Kenya Ahead of Africa Summit

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with Kenyan President William Ruto (R) during a reception at State House ahead of the Africa Forward: Africa- France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth Summit in Nairobi, on May 10, 2026. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with Kenyan President William Ruto (R) during a reception at State House ahead of the Africa Forward: Africa- France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth Summit in Nairobi, on May 10, 2026. (AFP)
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Macron Arrives in Kenya Ahead of Africa Summit

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with Kenyan President William Ruto (R) during a reception at State House ahead of the Africa Forward: Africa- France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth Summit in Nairobi, on May 10, 2026. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with Kenyan President William Ruto (R) during a reception at State House ahead of the Africa Forward: Africa- France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth Summit in Nairobi, on May 10, 2026. (AFP)

President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday met with his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto in Nairobi as part of an African visit aimed at renewing France's engagement with the continent after years of strained ties with former colonies.

Macron is to co-host a two-day summit starting on Monday, bringing together African leaders and business executives, as he seeks to cement his legacy one year before the end of his term.

The meeting will focus on economic development and cross-border investment, among other themes, the French presidency said, stressing that it will be the first such forum held in an English-speaking country.

Macron hopes to highlight France's renewed relationship with the continent as a "report card on his Africa policy", said one diplomat.

Anti-French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing.

Once master of vast expanses of northern, central and western Africa, France has played a crucial role in the continent's post-colonial history, repeatedly intervening militarily since the early 1960s.

France has vowed to abandon the so-called "Francafrique" strategy, under which Paris sought to keep francophone Africa under its thumb through political collusion, exclusive access for French businesses and oblique financial deals, including graft.

Macron arrived in English-speaking Kenya from Egypt and is also due to travel to Ethiopia as part of his Africa tour.


China, US to Hold Trade Talks in South Korea Next Week

 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listens as President Donald Trump speaks at a charter school in The Villages, Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listens as President Donald Trump speaks at a charter school in The Villages, Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP)
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China, US to Hold Trade Talks in South Korea Next Week

 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listens as President Donald Trump speaks at a charter school in The Villages, Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listens as President Donald Trump speaks at a charter school in The Villages, Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP)

Senior Chinese and US officials will hold talks in South Korea next week, Beijing's commerce ministry and Washington's Treasury secretary said Sunday, ahead of an expected summit between leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump.

The Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement that Vice Premier He Lifeng, Beijing's top economic official, will attend "consultations on mutual economic and trade issues" on Tuesday and Wednesday.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X: "On Wednesday, I will stop in Seoul for a discussion with Vice Premier He Lifeng of China, before continuing on to Beijing for the Leaders' Summit between President Trump and President Xi."

Trump is set to visit China for a high-stakes summit with Xi, with the two leaders expected to focus on easing tensions over trade and Taiwan, with the war in the Middle East looming large over talks.

While Washington and Beijing slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's exports a year ago, Trump and Xi agreed on a year-long trade truce at their October meeting in South Korea.


Aramco CEO Warns 1 Billion Barrels Lost Will Slow Oil Market Recovery

President and CEO of Saudi's Aramco, Amin Nasser, speaks during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 29, 2024. (Reuters)
President and CEO of Saudi's Aramco, Amin Nasser, speaks during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 29, 2024. (Reuters)
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Aramco CEO Warns 1 Billion Barrels Lost Will Slow Oil Market Recovery

President and CEO of Saudi's Aramco, Amin Nasser, speaks during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 29, 2024. (Reuters)
President and CEO of Saudi's Aramco, Amin Nasser, speaks during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 29, 2024. (Reuters)

The world has lost about 1 billion barrels of oil over the past two months and energy markets will take time to stabilize even if ‌flows resume, ‌Saudi Aramco’s CEO said on ‌Sunday, ⁠as shipping disruptions ⁠choke traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Our objective is simple: keep energy flowing, even when the system is under strain," Amin Nasser told Reuters in a statement after Aramco reported a 25% ⁠jump in net profit in ‌its first-quarter.

Global energy supplies ‌have been sharply squeezed by Iran’s blockade of ‌the Strait of Hormuz, which ‌has curtailed shipping and driven prices higher following the US-Israeli war.

"Reopening routes is not the same as normalizing a market that has ‌been deprived of about one billion barrels of oil," Nasser said, ⁠adding ⁠that years of underinvestment have compounded the strain on already-low global inventories.

Aramco has used its East-West Pipeline to bypass Hormuz and transport crude to the Red Sea, an asset Nasser described as a "critical lifeline" to mitigate the global supply crisis.

Despite shifts in shipping routes, Nasser reiterated that Asia remained a key priority for the company and was central to global demand.