Recent stories from sustg

  • Jadwa: Inflation Report, April 2012
     

    Year-on-year inflation dipped to 5.3 percent in April from 5.4 percent in March. Lower food price inflation was the main reason for the decline. Rental inflation picked up.

     
  • Not a Drop to Drink: The Global Water Crisis
     

    In the next twenty years, global demand for fresh water will vastly outstrip reliable supply in many parts of the world. Thanks to population growth and agricultural intensification, humanity is drawing more heavily than ever on shared river basins and underground aquifers. Meanwhile, global warming is projected to exacerbate shortages in already water-stressed regions, even […]

     
  • Petchem projects lead Saudi industrialization drive
     

    The Saudi project market continues to thrive. Latest data from Meed put the value of projects “planned or underway” at $745 billion in mid-April, around 13 percent higher than a year earlier. These figures need to be treated with some caution: The topline number is some 30 percent larger than the nominal size of the […]

     
  • Journey of a lifetime
     

    To say that I was excited to be in the presence of such history would be an understatement. I had been looking forward to this trip for months and was absolutely beside myself. My purpose was to travel with my mother to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah, a mini version of the annual Hajj […]

     
  • Al-Qaida’s wretched utopia and the battle for hearts and minds
     

    Driving east out of Aden, we were just a few hundred metres past the last army checkpoint when we saw the black al-Qaida flag. It flew from the top of a concrete building that had been part-demolished by shelling. From here into the interior, all signs of control by the government of Yemen disappeared. This […]

     
  • Positive Steps: Interview with Saudi Minister of Finance Al Assaf
     

    The industrial sector is the real excitement for us, which is growing at a rate of 15 per­cent, which is not a joke. The other one is service sector, like the financial services or the restaurant and hotels or other services in the economy. A particular sector that we are excited about is the mineral […]

     
  • “Milestone” oil manipulation case unsettles traders
     

    U.S. regulators’ $14 million settlement with high-frequency trading firm Optiver over oil price manipulation in 2007 is a “milestone” victory in their toughening stance on market malfeasance which is being closely watched by traders. In its first major case against an algorithmic trader, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said late on Thursday that a court […]

     
  • Home boom aids Saudi Telecom profit surge
     

    Soaring demand for broadband helped Saudi Telecom Co (STC) post a 60 percent increase in first-quarter profit on Wednesday, with the former monopoly reporting rising revenues in its mobile, fixed line, corporate and wholesale units. The former monopoly, which will pay a quarterly dividend of 0.5 riyals per share, made a profit of 2.52 billion […]

     
  • Saudi tops in job creation in GCC
     

    The Gulf region continued to create jobs despite the impact of Arab Spring in 2011 with the regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia topping the list followed by Qatar and Oman, according to a new survey. The oil and gas industry, healthcare and retail sectors enjoyed the largest headcount expansion in 2011, while banking and construction fared the […]

     
  • Chart of the Day: A Short History of 200 Years of Global Energy Use
     

    If you want to tell the story of worldwide energy consumption over the past 200 years, you need three chapters. Chapter 1: The Coal Age. Chapter 2: The Oil Age. Chapter 3: The China Age. In the early days of industrialization, the use of biofuels such as wood declined as the West learned to live […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Weekly Briefing: Remembrance of Mahsa Jina Amini and calls for change remain strong, as Pezeshkian’s cabinet disappoints

    Two years on since the Sept. 16, 2022, killing of Mahsa Amini in police custody and the start of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, popular demands for social reforms will continue to shape the future of Iran, despite the window-dressing of Pezeshkian’s pseudo-progressive government

  • Iran’s Missile Delivery to Russia Triggers Western Backlash

    During a press briefing last week, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated: "The United States has confirmed reports that Iran has transferred shipments of Fath 360 close-range ballistic missiles to Russia, which we assess could employ them within weeks against Ukraine, leading to the deaths of even more Ukrainian civilians." He added that right now, U.S. officials have not determined how many missiles are involved, but some press reports claimed Iran might have delivered up to 200 of the weapons. Iran reportedly proceeded with the transfer by loading the weapons on a Russian ship that docked on Iran’s Caspian Sea coast.

  • On the Second Anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s Death, Where Do Women Stand in Iran?

    Large numbers of women are appearing in public without headscarves and a newly inaugurated government includes a woman cabinet minister, a female vice president in charge of the environment and a woman spokesperson.  Despite these efforts, the number of women in the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian is fewer than during the two terms of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013) and only slightly higher than during the tenure of Hassan Rouhani (2013-2021). There remains skepticism about the depth of these gestures, as Iranian women continue to face substantial structural barriers and cultural attitudes that hinder progress toward gender equality.

  • Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr fires another coach

    “Al-Nassr can announce that head coach Luis Castro has left the club,” the club said on social media. “Everyone at Al-Nassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months, wishing them the best of luck for the future.” The Riyadh club drew 1-1 against Al-Shorta of Iraq on Monday in the opening game of the AFC Champions League Elite.

  • Saudi’s Red Sea International Co. Subsidiary Signs $405.8 million MEP Works Contract

    Red Sea International Company, Saudi Arabia announces that its subsidiary, The Fundamental Installation for Electric Work Co. Ltd. has signed a contract with Modern Building Leaders Co. The value of the contract is SAR 1.52 billion. The contract is related to Supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), and infrastructure works in one of the projects. The duration of the contract is 19 months.

  • Saudi Arabia’s SURJ Sports Investment ‘enters race’ for EuroLeague investment

    The outlet reports that shareholders in EuroLeague Commercial Assets, the parent company of the EuroLeague and second-tier EuroCup competition, are aiming to sell about a third of the business. It is said to be aiming to sell a minority stake at a €1 billion (US$1.11 billion) valuation. According to the FT, the group is working with investment bank LionTree on the sale process.

  • Saudi Arabia’s Boeing 777 road trip: Epic journey from Jeddah to Riyadh’s 2024 Runway

    The journey by road of three retired Boeing 777 aircraft of Saudi Arabian airlines (Saudia) from Jeddah to Riyadh has captivated people’s attention throughout Saudi Arabia as onlookers share the aircraft voyage through the deserts and mountains by posting videos and pictures on social media platforms. The Boeing aircraft, which will be displayed at the Riyadh Season 2024 Boulevard Runway zone covered about 1,000 kilometers, from Jeddah airport to Riyadh, on big trucks. The bodies of the planes were transported after their wings, fuselages and other functional components were taken apart.

  • IMG teams up with Alamiya Media for Saudi soccer production

    IMG, the sports marketing agency giant, has enlisted Alamiya Media, the Saudi-based production facilities company, to provide additional facilities and resource services for its coverage of domestic soccer’s Saudi Pro League (SPL) competition and Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) games. The partnership follows IMG’s recent appointment by the SPL and SAFF to deliver production services for matches across the top-tier Saudi league, Saudi Super Cup, and King’s Cup.

  • Christie’s to open new franchise in Saudi Arabia

    The renowned auction house Christie’s is expanding its presence in the Middle East by opening a franchise in Riyadh, led by managing director Nour Kelani. This will be Christie’s second outpost in the region, following the 2005 opening of Christie’s Dubai, which has had a significant impact on the promotion of Arab art and creativity, both contemporary and modern.

  • Industry Minister launches Rafed Program for university-based factories

    Bandar Alkhorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, launched today, Sept. 16, the Rafed Program, which aims to establish innovative factories at universities and technical colleges across the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported.