ECONOMIC REFORMS

Saudi Announces New Benefits for Soldiers and Government Workers to Offset Fiscal Reform Measures

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Saudi Arabia announced new royal decrees to alleviate economic pain from new austerity measures taken as part of reforms meant to wean the Kingdom's economy off of oil.

Saudi Arabia

News, analysis, and more

Value-Added Tax

Saudi Arabia increases salaries and allowances to offset VAT impact

King Salman has ordered an increase in the salaries and allowances of Saudi Arabia's public sector employees and military personnel to help offset the introduction...

 

Vision 2030

Saudi royal handouts to cost about $13b: Minister

A package of handouts to Saudi Arabian citizens to compensate them for cost of living increases will cost the government about SR50 billion ($13.3 billion)...

 

Asset Management

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and its wealth of potential

World Finance spoke to Khaled Waleed Al Braikan, Head of Asset Management at NCB Capital, to find out his views on Vision 2030 and whether...

 

Women's Rights

Saudi Women to Attend Official Soccer Matches for First Time

Women can attend three matches this month, after the General Sports Authority said in October that three stadiums will no longer be male-only. The facilities...

 

Yemen Civil War

Saudi-led coalition warplane crashes in Yemen: Saudi statement

A warplane from Saudi Arabia’s air forces fighting the Houthi movement in Yemen crashed on Sunday due to a technical fault while conducting military operations,...

 

Power and Energy

Restructuring Saudi power market could generate $4bn

A new study published by the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) has claimed that restructuring Saudi Arabia’s power generation sector, in conjunction...

 

Entrepreneurship

Saudi Arabia launches new service to attract global entrepreneurs

SAGIA says committed to reducing obstacles that may face entrepreneurs in setting up their projects...

 

MERS

Saudi man becomes first MERS victim of 2018

A 57-year-old man died of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Riyadh last Wednesday, according to the Saudi Ministry of Health....

 

Freedom of Speech

Watchdog group calls on Saudi Arabia to release local journalist

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Saudi Arabia to release a local journalist who was reportedly arrested this week after criticizing the...

 

Vision 2030

Saudi Arabia detains 11 princes after protesting utility bills

Eleven princes in Saudi Arabia have been arrested for staging a sit-in protest at having to pay their own utility bills, after the kingdom announced...

 

Snow in Saudi

It Snowed In Saudi Arabia Over The Weekend And The Photos Are Amazing

This weekend, Jabal Al Lawz that lies to the north of Tabuk witnessed a considerable amount of snowfall. Twitter and Instagram seemed to love it...

 

Red Sea Tourism

Photos show a volcanic mountain in the middle of Red Sea in Saudi Arabia

An island alongide an island in the middle of the Red Sea on the Saudi Arabian side exists within the blue waves of the ocean...

 

Saudi-Kuwait

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia vow to upgrade ties through closer cooperation

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on Sunday vowed to boost the bilateral cooperation and lift their relations to a new level....

 

Saudi +

Regional and related topics

Iran Unrest

Iran says it has ended anti-government protests and blames US, Israel and Saudi Arabia for unrest

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said security forces have ended the unrest linked to anti-government protests which erupted last month....

 

Iran Unrest

Commentary: Why the Iranian Uprising Won’t Die

The raw anger, violence against security forces and government offices, and dispersed nature of the revolt make it much different from the 2009 Green Uprising....

 

Renewable Energy

Low Cost Renewables Are Creating A New Middle East

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman, to name a few, have set some ambitious goals to boost the construction of clean energy...

 

ME Oil and Gas

Perspective: How Will the Middle East Look in 2018?

The old order is changing rapidly. Different powers are emerging from the space left by prior powers. This will radically change the oil and gas...

 

Counter Terrorism

Why 2017 was a good year for counterterrorism

U.S. national security suffered in 2017. Russia is running amok, allies are losing faith in American security and prosperity commitments, and the liberal order is...

 

U.S.-Pakistan

Will Pakistan Close NATO’s Supply Routes into Afghanistan? Mattis Plays Down Possibility

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis played down the prospect that Pakistan might close NATO’s supply routes into Afghanistan after the Trump administration said it would...

 

U.S.-Iran

Commentary: Is Trump Stuck With an Iran Deal He Loathes?

But little progress has been made with either Congress or the Europeans, a broader policy review on how to counter Iran across the Middle East...

 

ME Peace

Nikki Haley Targets U.N. Relief Agency

The reversal reflects White House resentment over the Palestinians’ decision to put forward resolutions before the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly denouncing President Donald...

 

Jordan

Jordan says arrests 17 in foiled Islamic State attack plot: state media

Jordan said on Monday it had foiled an Islamic State plot that included plans for a series of attacks last November on security installations, shopping...

 

Syria

Car bomb kills 23 in Syrian rebel-held Idlib city

Idlib is the capital of a province by the same name that is controlled by several rebel factions, including an al-Qaida-linked group, vying for dominance...

 

Skyscrapers

Saudi Arabia, UAE claim some of the tallest skyscrapers completed in 2017

Cities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have featured among the top 144 for the tallest skyscrapers completed in 2017, according to a...

 

Cinema Bloggers

Cinema bloggers of the Middle East boast free, unbiased voice

“Recently, the number of blogs has clearly skyrocketed, as they provide an open space where bloggers or readers can express their opinions freely without restrictions by...

 

Oil

Oil tanker burning off China’s coast at risk of exploding

An oil tanker that caught fire after colliding with a freighter off China’s east coast is at risk of exploding and sinking, Chinese state media...

 

Russia in the Region

​USAF: Skies over Iraq and Syria are “treasure trove” for adversary eyes

Russia and China are studying American air power over Syria and Iraq, and US Air Force generals are worried they have already learned too much....

 

Iraq’s Abadi in high-stakes plan to rein in Iranian-backed militias

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Trump Foreign Policy

What Trump Got Right in Foreign Policy in 2017

That said, give Donald Trump some credit for keeping the Obama administration’s campaign plan and field commanders in place. Are you angry he’s now claiming...

 

Iran Unrest

More than 1,000 detained in crackdown against Iran protests, rights groups say

More than a thousand people have been rounded up and detained in Iran over the past week, rights groups and the State Department said Thursday,...

 

Iran Unrest

U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia Leading World to War With Iran, France Says

“The official line pursued by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, who are our allies in many ways, is almost one that would lead...

 

Religious Freedom Act

U.S. Targets North Korea, Saudi Arabia, China Over Religious Freedom Violations

The State Department has re-designated 10 nations as “countries of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act, including North Korea, Saudi Arabia and China....

 

Security

Four Russians, US citizen arrested on Saudi state security charges

Four Russians and one US citizen were arrested on state security charges, according to data from the Saudi Interior Ministry....

 

Iran Protests

How Obama may have helped spark Iran’s protests — in a good way

Obama might be responsible for the current riots — but not because he supported the regime. Rather, the riots are likely a result of Obama-era...

 

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