Photo King Salman of Saudi Arabia, center, arriving at the presidential palace in Bogor, Indonesia, on Wednesday. Credit Achmad Ibrahim/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images LONDON — You could call it bling diplomacy. As part of a monthlong tour in Asia to promote economic ties, King Salman of Saudi Arabia arrived in Indonesia on Wednesday to great fanfare, accompanied, the news media said, by a retinue with a […]
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Wednesday landed at a military airbase in the capital of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, to kick off the longest leg of a month-long trip across Asia. The visit is the first by a Saudi monarch in nearly five decades and will see the two nations sign a pact to combat terrorism, according to the Saudi envoy to Indonesia. Secular Indonesia […]
Social media conversation about ride-hailing app Uber is on the decline in the Middle East, while its local competitor Careem is gaining pace, according to a new report. US-based Crimson Hexagon, a social media analytics company, on Wednesday said in its “The Middle East Consumer Trends” report that Careem is gaining traction over Uber because it is perceived as a “local” brand as regional consumers now prefer […]
Address Hotels + Resorts, the premium luxury hotel brand of Emaar Hospitality Group, on Wednesday unveiled its new city lifestyle resort, Address Boulevard. Address Boulevard has 196 rooms including 116 deluxe rooms, 44 deluxe club Rooms, 28 one-bedroom suites, seven two-bedroom suites and a luxurious Presidential Suite. In addition, there are 532 serviced apartments including duplexes and two penthouses, with short-term guests at the residences also guaranteed […]
King Salman’s extravagant travel arrangements have captured the public imagination ahead of the Saudi monarch’s high-profile visit to Indonesia beginning Wednesday, but billions of dollars in oil and other investment deals are also at stake. The trade deals could be worth as much as $25 billion, including a $6 billion project between the two nation’s oil companies, according to Indonesian officials who briefed reporters on the scheduled […]
The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will discuss the likelihood of constructing a regional rail network by 2021 at a meeting of regional ministers in April, a United Arab Emirates minister said on Tuesday. The regional bloc made up of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar last year reached an agreement in principle to delay the 2018 completion date until 2021. “Commitment is there. […]
Though the big-name international authors appearing at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, such as Jeffery Archer and crime novelist Kathy Reichs, often get the most attention, it is worth remembering there are 140 writers attending the event. Among them are some of the biggest names in the Arab literary world. All Arabic sessions will be translated into English, so everyone can share their ideas on literature, […]
28 February 2017 Dubai, UAE – Gulfood 2017, the 22nd edition of the world’s largest food and beverage trade platform, has rubberstamped its standing as a true industry weathervane and innovation laboratory. Right across the 1,000,000 square foot show, which runs until Thursday 2 March at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), up to 90,000 food professionals from 150 countries are absorbing tens of thousands of products being […]
A voracious thirst for petroleum makes the US one of the largest importers of oil. But for the past two weeks it has also scaled the ranks of exporters. Outbound shipments of crude have surpassed 1.2m barrels a day, more than last month’s daily production of Algeria, Ecuador or Qatar, each a member of Opec. The foreign sales underscore how the US has become more integrated into […]
Pro-government lawmakers accused Mr. Sadat of leaking drafts of the law to foreign embassies, and of faking the signatures of 16 fellow lawmakers on another proposed law that he had drafted. Mr. Sadat denied the accusations, saying he had circulated his criticism only in a news release via email and his website. Continue reading the main story Mr. Sadat’s expulsion highlighted the lopsided balance of parliamentary power […]
Riyadh – Barcelona | 27 February 2017 Zain Saudi Arabia and Ericsson signed a Memorandum of understanding to collaborate in enabling next generation hyperscale data centers based on the latest technology available with the highest degree of automation in orchestration and management. The MoU was signed by Mr. Peter Kaliaropoulos , CEO of Zain Saudi Arabia and Ali Eid, Head of Ericsson Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan […]
Saudi Arabia may increase its domestic gasoline prices by 30 percent from July, industry sources said, part of a reform plan by the world’s top oil exporter to align its fuel prices with global benchmark levels. In December 2015 the kingdom raised the price of 95 octane gasoline to 0.90 riyal ($0.24) per litre from 0.60 riyal. However, that still kept Saudi Arabia among the countries with […]
o Food consumption in the GCC to expand at a 4.2 per cent from 48.1 million MT in 2016 to 59.2 million MT in 2021 o Consumers spending Dh250 worth of Prestige cookware/kitchenware products is guaranteed of winning something back! 26 February 2017o Food import bill is expected to have crossed US29.17 billion in 2016 o UAE’s packaged food import bill reached US$4.3 billion in […]
By Joseph Sipalan and Noah Browning | KUALA LUMPUR/DUBAI KUALA LUMPUR/DUBAI Malaysia welcomed Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Sunday for the start of a rare, month-long Asian tour, where the monarch will build ties and seek to draw more investments to the oil-rich gulf nation. The visit is the first by a Saudi king to Malaysia in more than a decade, as the Arab nation courts Asian […]
Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering (IPO) could encourage other Gulf countries to list their oil assets, a leading regional economist said, but the oil giant must clear uncertainties over taxation, OPEC policy and ownership of crude. Nasser Saidi, a former economy minister of Lebanon, told Dubai Eye Radio in an interview that Aramco has to address how the company will separate its assets and liabilities from those […]
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir told Iraqi officials in Baghdad on Saturday that the kingdom plans to appoint a new ambassador, an Iraqi foreign ministry official said. Iraq last year asked Saudi Arabia to replace its ambassador, Thamer al-Sabhan, after his comments about Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs and alleged persecution of Sunni Muslims angered local Shi’ite Muslim politicians and militia leaders. Jubeir’s visit to Baghdad […]
Saudi Arabia’s economy is forecast to continue slowing this year, dragged down by negative growth in the oil sector, according to Jadwa Investment. Its latest report said growth in the oil sector will turn negative due to the kingdom’s compliance with OPEC production cuts, while non-oil sector growth should rebound but “remain subdued” during 2017. Jadwa forecast that growth in the non-oil private sector will accelerate from […]
Yemen The funeral of Emirati serviceman Khalid Ali Gharib Al Beloushi, who was killed while on duty with the Saudi-led Arab coalition’s Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen, will take place Saturday after Al Duhur prayers at the Al Warqa Grand Mosque in Dubai. The General Command of the UAE Armed Forces announced the death of the serviceman on Friday, and offered its condolences to the family of […]
Anwar Ahmad ABU DHABI // More than 7,000 people descended on Al Ghazal Golf Club in Abu Dhabi to take part in the gruelling Spartan challenge or support friends and family in what is one of the toughest desert races of the year. An estimated 3,000 competitors took on the course. Adult and children’s challenges included rope climbing, burpees, spear throwing, atlas carrying, a barbed wire crawl […]
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman starts a month-long Asian tour on Sunday to build ties with the world’s fastest growing importers of Saudi oil and promote investment opportunities, including the sale of a stake in its giant state firm Saudi Aramco. The octogenarian monarch, who has overseen the launch of an ambitious economic reform plan since his accession two years ago, is expected to visit Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan […]
RIYADH Saudi Arabia’s King Salman starts a month-long Asian tour on Sunday to build ties with the world’s fastest growing importers of Saudi oil and promote investment opportunities, including the sale of a stake in its giant state firm Saudi Aramco. The octogenarian monarch, who has overseen the launch of an ambitious economic reform plan since his accession two years ago, is expected to visit Malaysia, Indonesia, […]
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), a developer of large-scale solar power plants and part of Saudi-based Abdul Latif Jameel Energy, has signed a power purchase agreement for the Lilyvale Solar Farm in Queensland, Australia. The deal with Ergon Energy, the Queensland Government-owned electricity retailer, will see Ergon Energy purchase 100 percent of the electricity and all large scale renewable energy certificates (LRECs) generated by FRV’s 100MW Lilyvale Solar […]
ADEN A suicide bomber killed at least eight soldiers in an attack on a military camp in Yemen’s southern city of Zinjibar at dawn on Friday, a local official and residents said. The bomber, wearing a military uniform, drove a car that exploded at the entrance of the camp. Ten others were wounded. Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since March 2015 between the internationally recognized […]
Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino is set to visit Saudi Arabia on May 11-12 as part of the General Entertainment Authority schedule for 2017, which aims to boost the kingdom’s entertainment and film sector. The event titled “An Evening with Pacino,” will take place in Riyadh and then Dammam. It will see Pacino share rare backstage stories and inner workings of his personal projects with a live audience […]
