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Saudi Arabia’s soccer spending spree reshapes Middle East sports sector

August 2023 Al-Monitor PRO Trend Report 

3,917 words

 

Introduction

A year ago, the soccer world’s center of gravity revolved around Qatar’s $300 billion FIFA World Cup, which culminated in Argentina’s thrilling victory over France — after which top stars were supposed to return to business as usual in Europe. Instead many went to Saudi Arabia.

Nassr's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo shoots during the AFC Champions League playoff football match between Saudi's Al-Nassr and UAE's Shabab Al-Ahli at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on August 22, 2023. (Photo by Yazid al-Duwihi / AFP) (Photo by YAZID AL-DUWIHI/AFP via Getty Images)

Middle East Water Security: Competition heats up as resources become scarcer

August 2023 Al-Monitor PRO Trend Report 

3,486 words


Introduction


In March this year, the United Nations (UN) held “the first UN water conference in a generation” in New York. Several UN officials used the opportunity to sound alarm bells about the deteriorating water security situation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

A worker performs a routine inspection of filters at the Hadera Desalination Facility, in the central Israeli coastal town of Hadera on April 3, 2002. - Israel, a leader in making seawater drinkable, plans to pump excess output from its desalination plants into the Sea of Galilee, depleted by overuse and threatened by climate change. Israel now plans to tackle the challenge by reversing the water flow through its vast network of pumps, pipes and tunnels dating to the 1960s, the National Water Carrier. (Phot

Regulations on Middle East renewable energy industry starting to take shape

May 2023 Al-Monitor PRO Trend Report 

4,173 words

 

Introduction 

In January 2023, the World Bank released a report on the state of energy policies and regulations globally. The Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) report ranks countries out of 100 depending on how advanced their renewable energy regulatory frameworks are.

A general view shows the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, on March 29, 2018. - On March 27, Saudi announced a deal with Japan's SoftBank to build the world's biggest solar plant. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)