Author: Steven Sahiounie

Russia considers the return of its jailed citizens a top priority, Anatoly Antonov has said The US should put an end to its long-standing practice of going after Russian nationals in third countries, Anatoly Antonov, Moscow’s ambassador to Washington has said, adding that Russia has always done its best to secure the release of its citizens in American custody. In a statement on Telegram on Wednesday, the envoy pushed back against a Wall Street Journal report claiming that Russia has shown “scant interest” in negotiating prisoner swaps with the US to free dozens of its detained citizens. Antonov emphasized that “we stand for…

RIYADH: Engineering operations involved in the design of electric vehicles in Saudi Arabia will receive a boost thanks to a specialized software that will collect, analyze and visualize data. Ceer, the Kingdom’s first EV brand, has announced a partnership with American firm Siemens Digital Industries Software to propel EV manufacturing in the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported. This collaboration falls in line with the company’s commitment to partner with the appropriate technological firm and implement suitable digital solutions throughout every stage of vehicle design, manufacturing, sales and service, according to James DeLuca, the CEO of Ceer. Under the partnership,…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is the largest Islamic finance market, with total assets exceeding SR3.1 trillion ($830 billion), revealed the chief of the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA. Speaking at the Islamic Financial Services Board symposium in Riyadh, SAMA Gov. Ayman Al-Sayari said that the global Islamic finance sector has been witnessing robust growth over the past few years. According to Al-Sayari, also the chairman of the IFSB Council, the total value of the Islamic finance sector currently stands at SR11.2 trillion, displaying an average growth of 9.6 percent over the last three years, reported the Saudi Press Agency. …

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia announce raising the level of cooperation between the two countries in various fields ranging from security to trade. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, heading a high-ranking delegation, and held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan. The foreign ministers discussed various issues pertaining to their bilateral relations, as well as regional, international, and Islamic world issues. During a press briefing, the Iranian FM confirmed that the meeting comes in the context of previously held meetings and urged “the idea of ​​conducting a regional dialogue at the level…

RIYADH: Qatar’s consumer price index experienced a modest uptick in July, with the index reaching 106.8 points, marking a 0.37 percent rise compared to the previous month, the latest data from the Planning and Statistics Authority showed. In contrast, the year-on-year CPI figures for this July displayed a more noticeable escalation, registering a 3.11 percent increase compared to the corresponding period last year. According to the report, the month-on-month shift between June and July in the current year showcased an upward trend in five categories, a decline in an additional five categories, while two other categories remained unaffected. Prices for recreation and culture increased by 3.25 percent, food and beverages…

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has decided to promote its diplomatic representation to the State of Palestine from a representative office to an embassy. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad al-Malki, welcomed this historic decision, which builds on the historical relations that bind the two friendly countries and their peoples, stressing that Venezuela always stands by the Palestinian people and considers the Palestinian cause to be at the core of its interests. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also commended the decision describing it a translation of Venezuela’s recognition of the State of Palestine in 2009, and a…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia Railways experienced an annual increase of 84 percent in passenger traffic during the first half of the current year, with 4.4 million passengers using the rail network. Train trips also saw an annual uptick of 46 percent in the first half, totaling 16,404 trips collectively on the East Train, North Train, and Haramain High-Speed Railway networks, according to SAR. The firm’s CEO Bashar Al-Malik said that the positive performance of the Kingdom’s rail network was mainly driven by the successful Hajj season. The Haramain Express route facilitated 3,627 journeys, offering 750,000 seats for pilgrims in 2023. Additionally, the Al-Mashaaer Al-Mugaddassah Metro Line transported 2.13 million pilgrims over 2,208 trips. During Ramadan, the Haramain Express…

According to the Belarusian leader, the response will be overwhelming Belarus will instantly respond if Ukraine, the Baltics or Poland act aggressively against it, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said. “There can only be one threat: aggression against our country. If aggression begins even on the part of Ukraine, on the part of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, we will respond instantly with everything that we have,” he said replying to a question on the matter in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Diana Panchenko published on her YouTube channel. According to the Belarusian leader, the response will be overwhelming. “We are not competing…

RIYADH: King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah has once again been ranked top among international airports in Saudi Arabia for overall performance thanks to offering improved services to passengers amid the Kingdom’s efforts to attract 100 million visitors by 2030. The latest monthly report by the General Authority for Civil Aviation evaluates the country’s airports’ commitment to implementing improvements based on 14 performance criteria including time spent in travel procedures, passports, customs areas and disability services. With a compliance rate of 91 percent in July, up from 82 percent the previous month, King Abdulaziz International Airport, also known as Jeddah International Airport, topped…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is working toward improving disclosure practices for consumers and standardizing the mechanism of calculating annual percentage rates for financing products, according to its apex bank. In a press statement issued on Wednesday, Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, called for a public consultation on the draft rules governing the calculation of the APR. The APR is a fixed interest rate for an entire year and offers a complete picture of what consumers will pay for a loan. The apex bank has invited its stakeholders and the public to send suggestions and observations on the proposal via its…