KSA

LIV Golf CEO urges trust in Saudi PIF funding commitment.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told CNBC Tuesday that as a funding cliff approaches, the organization has to trust Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will back the golf venture through the rest of the season as it has promised.

“I can say they’ve been terrific partners so far, and you have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word,” O’Neil said. “They’ve been very public about funding us through the season, so we are full steam ahead.”

PIF is set to pull its funding from the golf league at the end of 2026 schedule, CNBC reported in late April. PIF Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan also stepped down from his position as LIV Golf chairman.

The organization began an investor roadshow last month, seeking to raise up to $350 million from stakeholders to continue its operations.

But recent media reports suggested PIF could pull its money earlier than planned, raising doubts about whether the league could even finish out its season.

When asked about those reports, O’Neil said the players, management and advisors are “locked in.”

Asked if he can guarantee that the four remaining tournaments on this year’s schedule will take place, O’Neil said that what he “can guarantee is a heck of a return if you come invest in this business.”

He added that the organization now needs to be “disciplined and very, very value-creative” in order to be sustainable.

“I think we have a very, very special opportunity to create tremendous value,” O’Neil said.

So far, O’Neil said, he’s had five formal meetings to discuss interest in funding the organization, with 18 more planned for this week. He said the response has “been positive” and that he hopes to end the fundraising process this summer.

“While we have incredible business momentum, what we don’t have is a lot of time, so we’re very urgently out there talking to those who are interested,” he said

CNBC

KSA

Saudi Arabia launches flexible working hours

Saudi Arabia has launched a flexible working hours initiative across six major business districts in Riyadh, aiming to ease traffic congestion, improve daily mobility and enhance quality of life in the capital.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), in cooperation with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, announced the start of the initiative, which introduces a four-hour flexible attendance window for employees at more than 50 government entities located within the designated work zones.

The six designated zones covered by the initiative are King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Digital City, the Diplomatic Quarter, Laysen Valley, Granada Business and Roshn Front.

Authorities said the scheme applies to administrative roles with fixed working hours and excludes sectors whose operational nature requires continuous staffing and service provision, including healthcare and public education.

The measure forms part of broader efforts to improve traffic flow in Riyadh, a rapidly growing metropolis that has witnessed a sharp increase in population and commuting demand in recent years.

Under the initiative, government entities operating under the Civil Service Law will allow employees to begin work at any time between 5:30am and 9:30am, while government bodies governed by the Labour Law will adopt attendance windows between 7am and 11am.

The commission said the initiative is designed to distribute travel demand more evenly throughout the morning, reducing pressure on road networks during peak hours and improving the efficiency of daily commuting across the city.

Authorities said the scheme would also provide greater flexibility for employees while supporting efforts to enhance residents’ overall quality of life.

Government entities located within the six designated districts have been instructed to comply with the initiative while ensuring business continuity and maintaining service levels.

The commission said the programme does not apply to certain sectors, including healthcare and public education, where operational requirements necessitate fixed working schedules.

The initiative is part of Riyadh’s wider urban development and transport strategy as the Saudi capital continues to expand under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 transformation programme.

KSA

Saudi Arabia witnesses first onager birth

Saudi Arabia has witnessed the first birth of an onager, one of the world’s rarest wild equids, on its soil in more than 100 years, marking a milestone in efforts to restore species that disappeared from the Arabian Peninsula.

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve said a male onager (Equus hemionus) was born in June 2025 as part of its Arabian rewilding programme, which aims to reintroduce 23 native species to their historic habitats.

The reserve announced the birth only after the animal successfully completed its first year, a period considered critical for survival, with mortality rates among young onagers often exceeding 50 per cent.

The birth represents the return of a species that vanished from Arabia’s deserts more than a century ago. The reserve said it expects two more onager births this winter, underscoring the success of ongoing breeding and conservation efforts.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, fewer than 600 onagers remain in the wild, and the species was upgraded to Critically Endangered status in 2025 amid projections of a steep population decline by mid-century.

The reserve is expanding its breeding programme to strengthen genetic diversity, including the planned introduction of a female onager from Jordan later this year. The initiative forms part of Saudi Arabia’s broader environmental strategy to restore biodiversity and revive native wildlife populations across the kingdom.