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Recent stories from sustg

  • Saudis gear up for new academic year
     

    Saudi students, parents and educators are preparing for the new academic year, which begins September 1st. Shaher al-Jeddawi, programme director at a public school in Jeddah, said introducing English language courses in fourth grade is a major step “towards raising the level of education in general”. “The project this year applies to 4,200 schools out […]

     
  • Saudi banks most profitable in Middle East
     

    Out of the top 50 banks in the Middle East ranked by assets for the period H1 2011, Saudi banks lead the pack “having a good track record of maintaining strong asset quality and adapting adequate lending practices and underwriting standards,” Sheetal Kothari, research analyst, business and financial services practice, Frost & Sullivan, said. The […]

     
  • Beware the Siren Call of Jihad
     

    There’s a full-court press, likely at the instigation of Saudi Arabia’s government, to discourage would-be jihadis from traveling up to Syria. Saudi Gazette/Okaz report that a wide array of authority figures are warning enthusiastic youths of the potential dangers and about how their brothers and cousins fell into traps in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Iraq. Usefully, […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia breaks onto contemporary art scene
     

    Saudi Arabia is making its mark on the global contemporary art scene: works by Middle Eastern artists such as Talal Al Zeid and Mohammed Farea are available at Lam Art Gallery in Riyadh, the Empty Quarter photography gallery in Dubai was founded by the Saudi photographer Princess Reem Al-Faisal, while Message/Messenger, a 2010 installation incorporating […]

     
  • 42 Amazing Photos of Ramadan 2012
     

    Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, will come to a close this weekend with the observation of a festival called Eid al-Fitr. Throughout this ninth month on the Islamic calendar, devout Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sex from dawn until sunset. The fast, one of the five pillars of Islam, is seen as […]

     
  • For GCC, a Challenge Within Reach: The Gulf Rail Network
     

    Railways have never been the preferred mode of transportation in the Gulf, neither for passengers nor for goods, for geographic reasons and, mostly, due to the affordable prices of fuel for road transportation. But in the next few years, and in order to boost trade, Gulf countries are expected to spend more than $100 billion on rail […]

     
  • As Fasting Ends, the Lessons of Ramadan Linger
     

    Before we began our three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of Ramadan, I came across an article in a Saudi newspaper with a checklist of what makes a successful Ramadan. First on the list: Recognizing that one can change for the better and acquiring patience and strong will. This month my deficiencies have shone […]

     
  • What Islamic Advertising in Saudi Arabia Looks Like
     

    This image of McDonald’s famous Golden Arches — the ne plus ultra of a Western brand — looks jarring in Arabic script. But in the Middle East and parts of Asia, that’s McDonald’s all-American brand.

     
  • Saudis Back Syria Rebels, Mindful of Past
     

    Overcome by the suffering of civilians in warring Syria, a professor in Saudi Arabia’s capital strips off his watch on live television to give as aid. A Saudi bride on her wedding night offers up her entire dowry of $13,000. Parents bring their children to donation centers set up around the Saudi kingdom, watching proudly […]

     
  • Saudi: strongest passenger growth in a decade as market expands
     

    After several years of sagging performance, Saudi Arabia’s aviation market reported its strongest growth in passenger traffic in more than a decade in 2011, even against the background of the Middle East’s regional social unrest. Despite the Arab Spring uprisings in North Africa and some of the Gulf states, Saudi Arabian passenger traffic boomed in […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Saudi crown prince meets Pakistani premier, stresses India-Pakistan dialogue

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said dialogue was needed to resolve heightened friction between arch-rivals Pakistan and India during a meeting in Riyadh with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sharif was making his first overseas visit since winning power in elections in February. He met with bin Salman on Sunday. "The two sides stressed the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to ensure peace and stability in the region," a joint statement released by Pakistan's foreign office and the Saudi government said.

  • War in Middle East: Israel Has Responses Ready for Iran Scenarios

    Military officials said on Sunday that Israel is pulling some troops out of the city of Khan Younis in Gaza, saying it had ended its mission there as the war against Hamas reached the six-month mark. Israel said its 98th Commando Division had moved out of Khan Younis and the Gaza Strip “to recuperate and prepare for future operations.”

  • PBOC to Give $69 Billion in Loans to Boost Science, Technology

    The People’s Bank of China said it will set up a relending program of as much as 500 billion yuan ($69 billion) to support innovation and project upgrades in the science and technology sectors. The loans will have an interest rate of 1.75% and a tenor of one year, which can be extended twice for an additional year, according to a statement posted on the PBOC’s website Sunday. The loan quota will be allocated to 21 banks. The refinancing program is set to help small- and medium-sized technology firms in their initial startup and growth stages and provide credit support to high-end projects, it said.

  • PGA Tour — LIV Golf Uneasy Truce Looms Over 2024 Masters

    On the morning of March 18, 2024, a Cessna 750 Citation X departed from St. Augustine, Florida, carrying professional golfers from the PGA Tour to a summit in Nassau, Bahamas. This meeting was a key development in the battle between the Tour and its insurgent challenger, LIV Golf. The tour wars had spilled from the sports page to the business page to the front page because of a juicy mix of geopolitics, cartoonish money, courtroom battles, brand-name protagonists and high-profile trash-talking on Capitol Hill.

  • Wall Street Searches for AI Winners Across Emerging Markets

    Some of the world’s biggest money managers are searching for the next wave of artificial intelligence winners beyond the US. At a time when the global euphoria about AI has propelled a three-fold surge in Nvidia Corp. and a 50% jump in a key US index for semiconductor manufacturers in less than a year, investors are pointing toward emerging markets for better value and a bigger pool of options.

  • Abu Dhabi’s Lunate, Saudi Group Buy Into Iconic Dubai Tower

    An Abu Dhabi investment firm and a Saudi conglomerate have bought into the largest office tower in Dubai’s financial hub, securing a slice of one of the world’s few upbeat commercial property markets. The $105 billion fund Lunate and Saudi Arabia’s Olayan Financing Company have bought a 49% stake in ICD Brookfield Place in one of the largest commercial real estate transactions since the start of the pandemic, according to a statement. Financial details weren’t disclosed, though Bloomberg has previously reported the tower could be worth as much as $1.5 billion.

  • Saudi Arabia blocks 3,317 sites over intellectual property breaches, seizes over 41 million items

    Saudi Arabia blocked 3,317 websites last year for violating intellectual property rights rules in the kingdom, according to an official report.
    The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, a government agency, added that it seized more than 41 million items that had infringed intellectual property rights last year.

  • Saudi Arabia could lead this new and safer form of nuclear energy

    Saudi Arabia’s per capita fossil fuel consumption is the lowest among the Gulf states but still double that of Germany, representing a very significant financial opportunity cost in terms of revenue from exports. Moreover, a 2020 report from the Brookings Institute pointed out, “In the medium term, revenues from oil are expected to decline in the face of reductions in global demand starting around 2040, if not sooner.”

  • Saudi low-cost airline flyadeal’s vision to be a pioneer and innovator “investing in disruptive technology to make the passenger experience simple, efficient and user-friendly”

    Steven Greenway was appointed CEO of Saudi low-cost airline flyadeal in January 2024. “The pace at which the Kingdom is growing with mass investment in infrastructure, including aviation and tourism, is just staggering,” Greenway begins. “So for me, it was about taking a deep breath and a holistic overview of what’s happening.

  • Dengue outbreak raises concerns in Saudi Arabia as mosquito numbers surge

    Saudi Arabia is grappling with a surge in dengue fever cases, leading to growing concerns among health authorities who say intensified efforts are needed to control outbreaks and raise awareness on preventative measures.

    The virus is spread from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, primarily the Aedes aegypti species, which thrives in tropical and subtropical climates. It spreads dengue and other viruses, including Zika, making it one of the top three mosquitoes in the world in terms of the number of diseases it can spread.