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Who's Who in the Saudi G20

Who's Who in the Saudi G20
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Who's Who in the Saudi G20

Who's Who in the Saudi G20

The G20 Leaders’ Summit kicked off Saturday, bringing together leaders from the world’s leading economies to address global pressing issues.

The G20 Saudi Presidency has demonstrated determined and effective leadership in not only gathering the world leaders but also taking collective action that benefits the world.

The Saudi Presidency is led by His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as the Head of State, with the agenda and direction of the presidency held under his direction, supported by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. Dr. Fahad Toonsi is the Secretary-General for the G20 Saudi Secretariat, tasked with the responsibility of overseeing and supporting the implementation of the G20 Presidency work this year.

The Sherpa Track is led by Dr. Fahad Al-Mubarak, who has been the G20 Saudi Sherpa since 2018. Under this track, ministers of the Kingdom chaired ministerial meetings related to socio-economic issues. The ministers include His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al Saud, who chaired the Energy Ministerial Meeting, Dr. Tawfiq Al Rabiah for Health, Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi, and Eng. Khaled AlFalih, who led the Trade & Investment Ministers Meeting. The Environment, Agriculture, and Water Ministers Meetings were chaired by Eng. Abdulrahman AlFadley, while Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha chaired the Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting. Dr. Hamad Alshaikh chaired the education ministerial meeting and Eng. Ahmed Al-Rajhi chaired the one on labor and employment. Ahmad Al-Khatib chaired the meeting for Tourism Ministers, and Mazin Al-Kahmous led the discussions on the first-ever Anti-Corruption Ministerial Meeting under the G20. Her Highness Princess Haifa AlMogrin chaired the Development Working Group.

The Finance Track is led by Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Minister of Finance, and Dr. Ahmed Alkholifey, the Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency. With their leadership, the working groups for the finance track focused on economic response to global pandemic including debt relief for developing nations, infrastructure, financial inclusion, economic growth, international financial architecture, and the global economy.

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Sports

Scaloni Running Out of Superlatives as Messi Continues to Break Records

Messi participated as a substitute against Jordan and succeeded in scoring Argentina's third goal (Reuters)
Messi participated as a substitute against Jordan and succeeded in scoring Argentina's third goal (Reuters)
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Scaloni Running Out of Superlatives as Messi Continues to Break Records

Messi participated as a substitute against Jordan and succeeded in scoring Argentina's third goal (Reuters)
Messi participated as a substitute against Jordan and succeeded in scoring Argentina's third goal (Reuters)

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said he is running out of ways to describe the performances of Lionel Messi after seeing his captain become the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches in their 3-1 win over Jordan on Saturday.

Messi was introduced from the bench on the hour mark at Dallas Stadium and netted an 80th-minute free kick to continue a scoring run that saw him surpass the mark he shared with France's Just Fontaine and Brazilian Jairzinho.

"It's a little bit of an uncomfortable situation when people ask me that and I don't know what to say," Scaloni said when quizzed once again about Messi's performance.

"Today he could've played 90 minutes and, without ⁠undermining our opponent, ⁠he wanted his team mates to have time on the pitch and to save himself for what's coming up.

"He doesn't think so much about the numbers that people are talking about. The only word that comes to mind is that I'm surprised."

Messi's strike put the seal on a largely comfortable win for the champions, who took a two-goal lead into the interval ⁠following a Giovani Lo Celso free kick and a penalty from Lautaro Martinez.

Those goals were the first not scored by Messi for Argentina at the current World Cup, before the 39-year-old took his total to a tournament-leading six.

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group J - Jordan v Argentina - Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas, US - June 27, 2026 Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni gives instructions to Lionel Messi during a hydration break REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Scaloni had made nine changes to his starting line-up and he was pleased with the performances of those who had featured little in the tournament so far.

"It's a very positive opinion that I have, especially as I was able to include all the players, this was a goal we always set for ourselves," Reuters quoted him as saying.

"I believe all of them deserve to enjoy ⁠coming to ⁠a World Cup and playing at a World Cup and we were able to give them minutes. I think they played quite well in a difficult match.

"They showed me today that I can count on them."

Argentina next take on Cape Verde in the round of 32 in Miami and Scaloni said he would not underestimate the debutants.

"Based on what I've seen, I'm not surprised," he said of their progress to the knockout rounds. "They're a good team, they have made it very difficult for the three opponents they have played.

"Spain couldn't beat them, Uruguay couldn't either. They're a fast team, they play well with a high caliber of play. I can guarantee you they're a team that's going to make it difficult for us."

Technology

Google Limits Meta’s Use of its Gemini AI Models, FT Reports

(FILES) A photo taken on May 19, 2026 shows the US multinational technology and Internet-related services company Google displayed on a smartphone (bottom) in front of the Google's logo on a laptop screen in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
(FILES) A photo taken on May 19, 2026 shows the US multinational technology and Internet-related services company Google displayed on a smartphone (bottom) in front of the Google's logo on a laptop screen in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
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Google Limits Meta’s Use of its Gemini AI Models, FT Reports

(FILES) A photo taken on May 19, 2026 shows the US multinational technology and Internet-related services company Google displayed on a smartphone (bottom) in front of the Google's logo on a laptop screen in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
(FILES) A photo taken on May 19, 2026 shows the US multinational technology and Internet-related services company Google displayed on a smartphone (bottom) in front of the Google's logo on a laptop screen in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

Google has put limits on Meta’s use of its Gemini AI models after the social media company sought more computing capacity than the rival tech group could provide, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

Google, owned by Alphabet, told Meta around March it could not meet the full Gemini capacity the company had sought to purchase, the newspaper said, adding ⁠that the shortfall disrupted ⁠and delayed some of Meta’s internal AI projects.

Several other Google clients have also been affected, though to a lesser extent, according to the report. Meta has been particularly impacted due to its exceptionally high ⁠demand for Google’s models, the FT said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report, which cited people familiar with the matter. Google and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours.

Due to the restrictions, Meta has encouraged staff to be more efficient with AI tokens, the units that measure AI usage, the FT report said.

Even as companies ⁠continue ⁠to spend billions on chips and data centers, they are still struggling to secure enough computing power to support the growing demand for AI services.

Revenue at Google Cloud grew to $20 billion in the first quarter ended March, but CEO Sundar Pichai said computing power constraints prevented even higher growth and contributed to the cloud unit's backlog nearly doubling quarter on quarter.

World

France Records 1,000 Excess Deaths During Record-breaking Heatwave

Tourists with umbrellas walk in Paris during a heat wave, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Tourists with umbrellas walk in Paris during a heat wave, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
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France Records 1,000 Excess Deaths During Record-breaking Heatwave

Tourists with umbrellas walk in Paris during a heat wave, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Tourists with umbrellas walk in Paris during a heat wave, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

France has recorded 1,000 excess deaths during the blistering heatwave sweeping Europe, the public health agency said on Sunday, warning that the true figure was likely to be higher.

Detailing its preliminary count of excess deaths, Sante Publique said most of the fatalities involved older people and that it expected the mortality rate to rise as more information became available about ⁠deaths in residential ⁠care and homes.

Europeans have been enduring blistering conditions during a heatwave that has been linked to dozens of deaths - shattering records, disrupting power generation and damaging infrastructure.

Scientists have said the heatwave, which ⁠began on June 20, was the worst recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than the global average.

The heatwave has been moving east. But while France's weather agency said the extreme heat had diminished in most parts of the country, some areas in the northeast were still under a ⁠heatwave ⁠advisory, Reuters reported.

Rooftops are seen during a heat wave in Lyon, central France, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Health Minister Stephanie Rist told La Tribune newspaper that the impact of the heatwave could linger for as long as 10 days after the weather had ebbed.

"The episode is not finished," she told broadcaster BFM.

Most of the deaths involved people aged 65 and older, though the health effects of the extreme heat affected all categories of the population, Sante Publique said.