Saudi-News-2013-01-22

January 22, 2013

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC

Climate Change Prominent in Obama’s Inaugural Address

President Obama made addressing climate change the most prominent policy vow of his second Inaugural Address, setting in motion what Democrats say will be a deliberately paced but aggressive campaign built around the use of his executive powers to sidestep Congressional opposition. ‘We will …

Trade, Job Creation Focus Of Economic and Social Development Summit in Saudi

Issues on the agenda include ways to promote investment flows across all Arab nations, develop sources of renewable energy from 2010 to 2030, fulfill the 2000 to 2015 millennium development goals, fight noncommunicable diseases (NCD) and set up a youth forum in the Arab …

OPEC predicts weaker oil demand for 2013

Opec expects demand for its crude to be lower than expected in 2013 because of higher supply from rival producers, indicating inventories could build up substantially even after a cut in output by top exporter Saudi Arabia. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ monthly …

Renewable energy major topic at Riyadh Economic Summit

One of the major items on the agenda to be discussed at the Riyadh Economic Summit that kicked off here yesterday is the launch of the ‘Borderless Energy’ initiative, according to a draft prepared by Arab Strategy for developing uses of renewable energy for 2010-2020.The strategy focuses on …

Saudi inflation set to dip this year

Saudi Arabia’s inflation this year is expected to reach 4.3 percent year-on-year down from 4.5 percent in 2012, say economic analysts. ‘For 2013, we expect inflation to be mainly driven by rent and housing related services as well as food prices,’ Fahad Alturki, senior economist at Jadwa …

Saudi Binladin Group ready to fund proposed Egypt-Saudi bridge

The biggest construction firm in Saudi Arabia, the Binladin Group, has responded to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s call to build a bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported Monday.The Yehia Binladin Group announced it was willing to fund the project in …

Saudi women in the Shoura!

The recent move to involve women in the public sphere followed the announcement of King Abdullah on September 25, 2011, in which he said: ‘We made this decision because we refuse to marginalize women in Saudi society in their roles that comply with the Islamic Shariah and following …

Saudi private schools warned not to increase fees

Private schools in Saudi Arabia have been warned that they would be shut down if they increased fees without the education ministry’s approval.Under a new set of rules, the ministry will support the increase only when the school presents a proven record of high scores in the official annual …

Dubai-GCC exports booming

The export and re-export sector in Dubai with other GCC countries rose by 51 per cent in 2012. Saudi Arabia proved to be the largest export market for Dubai, a study released yesterday by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry said. Exports and re-exports of the Dubai-Chamber members to GCC …

At least 37 hostages killed in Algeria gas plant standoff, prime minister says

At least 37 hostages died in the terrorist seizure of a natural gas facility in eastern Algeria and the subsequent special forces assaults on it, the country’s prime minister said Monday.Five other hostages are missing from the In Amenas complex and could be dead, Prime Minister Abdul Malek …

French Airstrikes Push Back Islamists in Central Mali

French soldiers in armored vehicles rolled through the town of Diabaly, about 275 miles from the capital, Bamako, to cheers from residents, who flew French and Malian flags to welcome them. ‘I want to thank the French people,’ said Mamadou Traor, a Diabaly resident. He said French airstrikes …

Arab aid to Egypt tops $9 billion

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have given Egypt $9 billion in financial aids, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ashraf al-Arabi said on Sunday. Qatar gave Egypt $5 billion, $1 billion of which is a grant and the other $4 billion is in the form of deposits, al-Arabi said in a …

Netanyahu Seeks New Term in Israel Election as Settlers Gain

Israelis vote today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu probably headed for a third term and a dilemma whether to expand West Bank settlements or choose allies backing new peace efforts with the Palestinians.Netanyahu’s Likud-Beitenu ticket has been the clear favorite in all pre-election …

Opinion: Israel’s two tribes: which will Netanyahu choose?

Moscow begins evacuation of Russians from Syria

The Russian government has said it is sending two planes to Lebanon to evacuate Russians from Syria, the first such effort since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011. The emergency situations ministry said two of its planes would fly to Beirut on Tuesday to bring home …

West Point center cites dangers of far right in U.S.

A West Point think tank has issued a paper warning America about ‘far right’ groups such as the ‘anti-federalist’ movement, which supports ‘civil activism, individual freedoms and self-government.’The report issued this week by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West …

Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah hotel occupancy rises

Hotels in Saudi Arabia experienced noticeable increases in occupancy rates, with Jeddah increasing by 7.0 percent year-to-date, and Madinah increasing 2.0 percent year-to-date, Ernst and Young Middle East said in its latest Hotel Benchmark Survey. Compared to November 2011, Riyadh’s …

France offers proposals for Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy programme

The CEA’s chairman said that Ka-Care is currently looking at all proposals from French companies and others before it launches its tender. ‘What Ka-Care is doing now is like a call of interest for potential bidders,’ he said. Saudi Arabia hopes to generate 50 per cent of its electricity from …

Saudi Gazette and Al Arabiya English sign cooperation agreement

Saudi Arabia’s long-established English-language daily, The Saudi Gazette and Al Arabiya English, the English online portal of the region’s leading news channel, Al Arabiya, have entered a general cooperation agreement. The agreement will see The Saudi Gazette and Al Arabiya English …

Saudi innovator designs ‘smart’ school bag

Thirty-one-year-old Saudi Khalid al Jabal has come up with an innovative approach to education. He has designed a comprehensive and compact system contained in a ‘Smart Bag’, which he says will make students’, parents’ and teachers’ lives easier. ‘This Smart Bag is part of the system. The …

Saudi Spendthrifts

The typical Saudi doesn’t know how to budget, an article in the Arabic Al-Riyadh newspaper claims. The piece (translated by Saudi Gazette) notes that consumer debt now represents 84% of banks’ portfolios, a ridiculously high number. The extension of loans to consumers living beyond their means …

Remains of ancient castle found

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) unearthed recently an ancient castle dating to the first century of Hijra (7th-8th centuries) in the Madinah province.SCTA’s archaeological excavation division came across the remnants of the ancient castle in the Wadi Al-Aqiq area.There …

TASI – 1/22/13 – up .33%

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Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC

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