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  • Biden takes on Trump and Republicans in fiery State of the Union speech

    President Joe Biden on Thursday laid out his case for re-election in a fiery State of the Union speech that accused Donald Trump of threatening democracy, kowtowing to Russia and torpedoing a bill to tackle U.S. immigration woes. In a 68-minute address to Congress, Biden, a Democrat, drew sharp contrasts with his Republican rival and gamely challenged Trump's supporters in the chamber during a speech that was watched as much for the 81-year-old president's performance as it was for his policy proposals.

  • How Long Do Muslims Fast For Ramadan Around the World?

    Ramadan starts on Sunday evening, with the first day of fasting on Monday, March 11 this year. The holy month is based on the Islamic lunar calendar which is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian solar year, and so its start shifts earlier each year. While the number of days of Ramadan are equal for all Muslims observing it around the world, the length of the daily fast is not. During Ramadan, observers vow to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activities through daylight hours. This means that those living further north have to fast for much longer than their counterparts living closer to the equator or even to those in the Southern hemisphere, which is currently tilted away from the sun. This chart, based on data from website islamicfinder.com, shows how Muslims fasting for Ramadan in Oslo theoretically will have to do so for 15 hours and 15 minutes, while those living in Jakarta, Indonesia, will only need to fast for approximately 13 hours and 13 minutes. Meanwhile, those living in Melbourne will have just 13 hours and 25 minutes of daylight, depending on the exact day of the Ramadan month.

  • Transitioning to Countercyclical Fiscal Policy in the Gulf

    Economists widely advise against procyclical fiscal policies. Nonetheless, evidence suggests many countries, especially emerging economies, commonly undertake such policies. For example, during an economic expansion, governments tend to increase spending and reduce taxes instead of saving the extra revenue. The most plausible explanation for this is related to political economy. Pressure from interest groups to spend more following a recession may be too high to resist, spurring increased public spending, even if it leads to economic overheating and inflation.

  • After March vote, Turks to feel brunt of Erdogan’s inflation fight

    Turkey is expected to take more policy steps to cool stubbornly high inflation after this month's local elections, setting the stage for more pain for Turks already struggling after years of soaring prices, according to data and some economists. Households and investors appear sceptical over whether the central bank's dramatic U-turn towards massive interest rate hikes - to 45% now from 8.5% last June - is sufficient on its own to rein in inflation that topped 67% last month.

  • Cyberterrorism, Iran’s Nuclear Gains Concern Americans Most

    More than three-quarters of Americans view cyberterrorism (79%) and the development of nuclear weapons by Iran (77%) as critical threats to U.S. vital interests, making these the top concerns of 13 global issues rated in Gallup’s annual World Affairs survey. Close behind, North Korea’s nuclear program is seen as a critical threat by 73% and international terrorism by 71%. At the other end of the spectrum, 40% of Americans consider the conflict between North and South Korea a critical threat. Global warming is the only other risk measured that less than half of Americans (49%) consider critical.

  • US to establish temporary port in Gaza to provide humanitarian aid

    The U.S. will launch an emergency military mission to establish a port to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza, a senior White House official told reporters on Thursday. The effort is to be formally announced by President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address on Thursday night, the official said. The port will be set up to receive “large ships carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters. And this is an initiative that will get underway here when the President makes the announcement and issues the orders,” the official said.

  • Saudi cement sales drop 3.6% to 4.2M tons in February

    The aggregate sales of 17 Saudi cement producers decreased by 3.6% to 4.2 million tons in February from 4.4 million tons a year earlier, according to recent data issued by Yamama Cement Co.

  • Saudi carriers boost O-RAN adoption with new agreements

    Saudi Arabian operators stc and Mobily have announced different deals for the implementation of Open RAN (O-RAN) technology in the country. In the first agreement, solutions by stc, announced an O-RAN deal with U.S. firm Mavenir to launch what it claims to be the first commercial O-RAN network in Saudi Arabia. The service is expected to be commercially available in 2024. This deal follows a successful initial deployment for multi-layer 4G and 5G NSA Access Network on the O-RAN platform to Saudi carrier stc, delivered in partnership with solutions by stc and Mavenir.

  • Debate: Will Emirati, Saudi accession to BRICS shift their alliances?

    The BRICS group of countries could soon include both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This trajectory partly stems from Gulf Arab aspirations to balance alliances with the west. It also appears driven by a desire for greater influence on the global stage, and bolstered commercial ties with BRICS members—primarily China.

  • Saudi Arabia unveils ‘Data Saudi’ platform to increase transparency

    Initially launched on a trial basis in September 2023, the Data Saudi platform, under the stewardship of the Ministry of Economy and Planning, has seen continuous enhancements and the addition of numerous features since its introduction. Designed as the central repository for economic and social data within the Kingdom, the platform seeks to improve data accessibility and bolster transparency regarding national economic information, aligning with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. It offers an array of key indicators and the capacity to analyze them throughout the Kingdom's regions via visual and interactive tools, making it easier for users to obtain detailed insights into the Saudi economy and social sectors.