“If you are going to take a look at any source of energy, you always will have some trade-offs. There is no magic solution.”
Sergey Paltsev, a senior research scientist at MIT. The underbelly of electric vehicles [Washington Post]
“A ship carrying another batch of evacuees from Sudan arrived in Jeddah early on Wednesday as the Saudi Arabian government continues efforts to move its citizens, as well as foreign nationals, into safety. The ship transported 1,687 people from 58 nationalities from Port Sudan on east coast of Sudan on the Red Sea.” Saudi Naval Base In Jeddah Receives Largest Evacuation Yet From Sudan [Eurasia Review]
“Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer, will expand 3.2% this year, less than half 2022’s decade-high pace of 8.7%, according to the April 6-25 Reuters poll of 16 economists.”
Gulf economies to grow at much slower pace in 2023 on lower oil revenues – Reuters poll [Reuters]
“According to international management consultancy Roland Berger, Saudi Arabia’s population of over 50 years of age is estimated to reach approximately 10 million people by 2030. A growing elderly population increases the prevalence of chronic health conditions, especially cardiovascular diseases, which also happens to be one of the leading causes of death in the country.”
How health-tech solutions are shaping primary care in Saudi Arabia [Omnia Health]
“I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety. And I thank Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia, which were critical to the success of our operation.”
-President Joe Biden, in a statement issued by the White House on the assistance provided by Saudi Arabia and others in aiding the U.S. to extract personnel from Khartoum. [White House]
“The decade-long transformation of all aspects of the Saudi ADR practice, profession and industry outlined in this article has been profound, comprehensive and likely to endure. Importantly, the Saudi judiciary has a solid record of skilfully and consistently adjudicating matters related to arbitration, and providing the judicial support required for a consistent record of successful enforcement of local and foreign arbitral awards. With its now well-established local, regional and international reputation as a first-rate ADR institution, SCCA benefits from operating in an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction – reflected in its rapidly increasing caseloads.”
James MacPherson and Fatima Balfaqeeh, A progress report on Saudi Arabia’s arbitration-friendliness [Global Arbitration Review]
“We didn’t go for the wonderful Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool. Why spend X billion when you can spend three-hundred-some million?”
Amanda Stavely, Newcastle United Director, The Saudi Rebuild That Has Newcastle Chasing a Champions League Payday [Wall Street Journal]
“The crown prince ultimately wants to transform Riyadh into a greener, more hospitable city with twice its current population of around 8 million by 2030. Given the short timeframe to reach the ambitious demographic target, expatriates are likely to constitute the bulk of any rapid population growth.”
Robert Mogielnicki, Senior Resident Scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW), Major Initiatives Fuel Riyadh’s Development Ambitions [AGSIW]
“The Gulf has become comfortable with the position it has in Arab and MENA politics. There’s really a shift in the center of gravity, at least in the Arab world, away from North Africa and the Levant and towards the Gulf. These countries have become much more comfortable assuming that leadership role.”
Ayham Kamel, Head, Middle East and North Africa Practice, Eurasia Group. The Gulf’s Regional Diplomacy [Babel Podcast, CSIS]
“The OPEC+ decision signals that Saudi Arabia sees $80 a barrel as a preferred floor for oil prices. Higher public spending — partially to offset rising interest rates — will trigger action when oil slumps.”
Ziad Daoud, Chief Emerging Markets economist, Bloomberg Economics. IMF Says Saudi Budget to Win From OPEC Cuts With Oil Price Boost [Bloomberg]
