Arab News marked its Golden Jubilee on Sunday with a gala in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, honouring founders Mohammad and the late Hisham Ali Hafez. The event, hosted by The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Dya-Eddine Said Bamakhrama, Saudi Arabia’s Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, brought together diplomats, media leaders, and Saudi cultural figures to celebrate the newspaper’s five-decade journey. The event was held at the Cultural Palace in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter.
HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal reflected on the newspaper’s origins during the reign of his father, the late King Faisal, who recognized the importance of the idea. He shared the story of the newspaper creation, which he himself and Sheikh Kamal Adham and the Hafiz Brothers worked on at the time. “For fifty years, Arab News has been the moderate voice and shining image of Saudi Arabia in English,” he said, praising the dedication of its staff.
At the gala, Faisal Abbas, Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, announced a major development: Arab News will soon be available in 50 languages, in partnership with AI-driven speech and translation company CAMB.AI. “Our news, views, and analysis will reach over 6.5 billion people, or eighty percent of the world’s population,” he said, teasing an official announcement at the FIPP World Media Congress in Madrid on 22 October. On the occasion, Abbas also thanked the management of SRMG, owners of Arab News, the former Editor-in-Chief and the team who has led the newspaper to itd present day status.
The partnership with CAMB.AI, an organisation led by Avneesh Prakesh, underscores the region’s growing presence in global technology, following its showcase at IBM’s 2025 conference. Abbas described it as “a way to make the voice of a changing region everyone’s voice for their changing regions.”
Bamakhrama, who hosted the evening, lauded Arab News for turning multilingual journalism into a tool of diplomacy. “In our ever-changing digital world, media and diplomacy have become inseparable,” he said, adding that journalists now craft narratives that build bridges and foster mutual understanding between nations.
As Arab News steps into a new era of global reach, its half-century legacy of reporting, analysis, and diplomacy continues to set the tone for Saudi Arabia’s voice on the world stage.
The gala featured notable attendees, including Princess Lamia bint Majeed Al Saud, CEO of the Rotana Media Group and the Secretary General of AlWaleed Philanthropies, CNN VP and Arabic Editor-in-Chief Caroline Faraj, SRMG Chief Operating Officer Saleh Al Dowais, among many others, with Arab News’ Deputy Editor Noor Nugali as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
