Surprising no one, Aramco continued to take center stage in the conversation on Saudi in the foreign press, with the first trading day following its secondary share offering getting coverage from Reuters, AFP, and CNBC, among others. Meanwhile, progress on merger talks between PIF-backed Liv Golf and the PGA Tour is getting ink from Reuters and the Associated Press.

Separately, The Wall Street Journal is the latest to look into the prospects of a landmark bilateral defense pact between Saudi and the US amid stalling ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas. While the pact is within arm’s reach, it still remains dependent on Israel’s approval of a two-state solution with Palestine as a precondition for the agreement, the WSJ says. The agreement would make Saudi the only Arab country with a formal US defense treaty.

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