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QUOTED
Although the Saudi Ministry of Labour and Social Development, “has until now, stepped back from stating that mixed gender work environments are now permissible with integrated work spaces, we have seen over the past year an erosion within public spaces of gender segregation; notably in some government offices and in many public spaces including restaurants, airport lounges, train lounges, leisure activities, hotels, and accommodation centers.”
–Sara Khoja and Sarit Thomas, lawyers for Clyde & Company, examining recent Saudi regulations regarding women in the workplace.
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TOP STORY
The World Bank forecasted Saudi Arabia’s GDP growth will increase significantly in 2020, to 1.9%, compared with 0.4% in 2019, with further gains in subsequent years. [more]
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TOP STORY
Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry has issued a request for qualifications for the third round of the Kingdom’s National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), which comprises of “four Solar PV projects with a combined generation capacity of 1,200 MW,” the Saudi Press Agency said. [more]
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TOP STORY
As tensions soar between the United States and Iran, Saudi officials are keeping close tabs on emerging cybersecurity threats that may be emanating from the Islamic Republic, according to a report. [more]
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TOP STORY
Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held several meetings with top U.S. officials yesterday in Washington, D.C., including Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and President Donald Trump. [more]
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MORE TOP STORYLINES
Writing in The Guardian, Patrick Wintour offers his perspective on Saudi efforts to manage current tensions in the U.S.-Iran relationship. “… there has been a year-long trend in Riyadh to try slowly to dial down some of the conflicts in which it has embroiled itself including Yemen, with its Gulf neighbour Qatar, and, more broadly, with Iran. In the context of the Saudis chairing the G20 this year, Riyadh wants a less confrontational image. Female drivers, concerts by Swedish House Mafia and the promise of mass tourism is not enough.”
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Via David Jeans and Kathryn Brenzel in therealdeal.com : The Saudi Arabia contract, signed in recent weeks, is part of a larger, $40 billion non-binding agreement Katerra signed with the government in October 2018 to deliver hundreds of thousands of housing units in the country. As part of that broader agreement, Katerra signed its first contract in May 2019 to build 4,101 units in five regions of Saudi Arabia.
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Via Nasser Karimi and Joseph Krauss in apnews.com : U.S., Canadian and British officials said Thursday it is “highly likely” that Iran shot down the Boeing 737 that crashed near Tehran late Tuesday. U.S. officials said the jetliner might have been mistakenly identified as a threat.
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MORE ON THE KINGDOM AND BEYOND
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The first group of Iranian pilgrims in nine years made its way to Saudi Arabia on Monday...[via reuters.com]
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Experiential Dining: these days, with the rising competition, the fine dining restaurants are focusing on offering unique dining experiences that go beyond food and that includes...[By Sonia Majumder via campaignme.com]
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Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defense has issued weather warnings and safety instructions as the country braces for heavy rainfall.
...[By Tamara Abueish via alarabiya.net]
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Saudi Arabia has invested SAR140 million ($37 million) to support its nascent rural honey industry, the government said this week.
The country has raised subsidised production...[By Andrew Hammond via agbi.com]
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The UK and Saudi Arabia will hold a trade expo in Riyadh next month as Rishi Sunak launches an investment drive aimed at taking advantage...[By Alex Wickham via bnnbloomberg.ca]
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On a clear day in March, tourists in golf carts and jeeps bounce amid dunes and cliffs at Desert X AlUla, a biannual open-air exhibition...[By Sam Dagher via indiatimes.com]
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After seeing the major success of its mobile game Monopoly Go, Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group plans to invest more in...[via alarabiya.net]
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Dana Stroul, who until December was the most senior civilian official at the Pentagon with responsibility for the Middle East, insisted: “Whatever regional politicians may...[By Patrick Wintour via theguardian.com]
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Saudi Arabia's oil production is expected to reach 11 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2029, according to Amine Mati, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Mission Chief for...[via argaam.com]
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Inclement weather, which recently gripped the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, has sent prices of fish in the region going up by up to...[By Ramadan Al Sherbin via gulfnews.com]
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The Saudi badminton team dominated the medals on the second day of the badminton competition, held at the Sheikh Zayed Sports Complex in Fujairah.
This took...[via spa.gov]
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The Egyptian government denied on Sunday that any foreign investment deal in prime Red Sea coastal land in Ras Gamila has yet been officially...[By Nabila El-Gaafary via newarab.com]
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But the critical forum is the Senate, where Democrats are in the minority and will need the help of at least four Republicans to pass...[By Karoun Demirjian via washingtonpost.com]
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Iraqi military officers and politicians who fear growing Iranian proxy integration into the government, security services, and economy see a continued U.S. presence as the...[By DB Des Roches via agsiw.org]
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China’s hope is that another strategic diversion or distraction, such as a conflict with Iran, will suck the U.S. back into a quagmire in the...[By Yun Sun via brinknews.com]
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It’s not surprising that Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait were keen on avoiding the U.S.-Iranian escalation. But it is more noteworthy that Saudi Arabia, the UAE,...[By Hussein Ibish via agsiw.org]
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Despite growing geopolitical tension, the United States still has vital interests in the Gulf region. In this presentation, the CSIS Burke Chair outlines the benefits...[By Anthony H. Cordesman via csis.org]
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India’s oil demand growth is set to overtake China by mid-2020s, priming the country for more refinery investment but making it more vulnerable to supply...[By Nidhi Verma via reuters.com]
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To prove they are not bluffing, states sometimes send “costly signals” — ones that impose some cost on the sender. This is what the Trump...[By Mark Grzegorzewski via defenseone.com]
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The king’s latest approach, since he seems to be exasperated with the government’s lack of vision and drive to implement reforms to enhance governance and...[By Jean R. AbiNader via moroccoonthemove.com]
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The Prime Minister of Pakistan has directed his Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to undertake visits to Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States as...[via radiofarda.com]
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A six-year-long United Nations operation delivering aid across the Syrian border to millions of civilians will expire at midnight on Friday if a deadlocked U.N....[By Michelle Nichols via reuters.com]
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Abu Dhabi's clean energy company, Masdar, and Acwa Power, based in Saudi Arabia, have both signed agreements with Azerbaijan's Ministry of Energy to develop renewables...[via thenational.ae]
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