A striped hyena cub has been born at Saudi Arabia’s NEOM Nature Reserve, a small but telling milestone for a rewilding project that released four of the elusive scavengers into the northwest Saudi landscape less than a year ago.  Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife and NEOM announced the birth after camera monitoring recorded a female emerging from her den with the cub in August. The animals’ successful reproduction in the wild follows a carefully managed program that brought two breeding pairs to the reserve in November 2025.

Saudi Arabia has quietly scrapped its NEOM megaproject after sinking more than $50 billion into Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's vision of a sci-fi metropolis, and is now spending billions of dollars more to wind down contracts, leaving mammoth partially built structures abandoned in the desert, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has published its 2026 to 2030 strategy without naming THE LINE or TROJENA as standalone priorities. NEOM remains one of six core domestic investment areas under PIF’s revised allocation plan. PIF published the full strategy document on August 12, after Board approval in April. Capital allocation will focus on sustainable returns, investment efficiency, private sector participation and stronger strategic assets.

Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife, in collaboration with NEOM, has documented the birth of the first striped hyena cub since two breeding pairs were reintroduced to the NEOM Nature Reserve.  The birth is a positive sign that the hyenas have adapted successfully to the reserve and of their ability to reproduce in the wild, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.  It marks another milestone in NCW’s wildlife breeding and reintroduction programs, which include efforts to restore the natural roles of predator species within ecosystems.

Saudi Arabia-based game development studio Majestic Mind Games has raised $1.45 million in a funding round co-led by Merak Capital and Impact46 to support the development of original video games for international markets.

The 2.2GW NEOM green hydrogen and ammonia project in Saudi Arabia has completed construction and is currently being commissioned for a start of operations in 2027, according to one of its developers, Acwa.  “The plan is basically commercial operation will be next year,” said Acwa CEO Samir Serhan on a recent earnings call.  He added that construction is “finished”, and that the plant is currently being commissioned to meet the target of beginning operations in 2027.

Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has been developing into a sporting hub, and its biggest accomplishment would be hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034. Preparations for this premier soccer event have begun in Saudi Arabia, as this event will take place after eight years. Some reports suggest that Saudi Arabia will construct the most distinctive stadium in the world. Unlike other stadiums that exist on the ground, this particular stadium would be constructed 350 meters above the ground.

NEOM’s $4 billion luxury island resort Sindalah has faced operational and strategic challenges since it opened its doors in 2024. It opened to much fanfare, will celebrity guests such as Will Smith and NFL star Tom Brady in attendance at its official launch. Sindalah was not just another island, it was supposed to be a symbol.

Industrial gas firm Air Products has finalised an agreement with Scandinavian fertilizer producer Yara International regarding the sale of renewable ammonia from the NEOM plant in Saudi Arabia, as reported by Argus Media. Yara will market the renewable ammonia that Air Products does not sell as hydrogen.