Author: Steven Sahiounie

RIYADH: Egypt’s tourism revenues surged 4.7 percent year on year during the first half of 2024 to reach $6.6 billion, according to a new report.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is set to process approximately 3 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually to produce refuse-derived fuels in six governorates following a new agreement. 

RIYADH: Middle Eastern airlines witnessed a 15.3 percent year-on-year demand growth for cargo in May, driven by growing e-commerce and maritime issues, an analysis showed.

RIYADH: Tourism spending in Saudi Arabia saw an annual increase of 23 percent in the first three months of the year, hitting SR45 billion ($12 billion), according to new figures.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s point-of-sale spending increased by 48 percent to reach SR12.34 billion ($3.29 billion) from June 23 to 29, with the education sector registering the largest surge.

Japan began circulating its first new banknotes in 20 years on Wednesday, featuring three-dimensional portraits of the founders of financial and female education institutions in an attempt to frustrate counterfeiters.

Turkey has been battling a cost-of-living crisis that prompted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to drop his opposition to interest-rate hikes to combat inflation.

Former US President Donald Trump, who is running again for the country’s presidential post, is unlikely to resolve the conflict in Ukraine within a 24 hours period even if he wins the election, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin said in an interview with British broadcaster Sky News. Asked whether Trump would be able to negotiate the Ukrainian conflict settlement within 24 hours, Kelin replied “Hardly.” “First of all, he should become a president. Secondly, a lot of efforts should be applied to do this and that depends on what kind of terms it is going to happen,” he said. “You…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has embarked on an official visit to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which hosts the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit this week. In addition to the July 4 General Meeting, the Russian leader has a series of scheduled bilateral meetings on Wednesday as he will be present at talks with at least seven heads of state in Astana. The Kremlin’s press office announced earlier that President Putin had already arrived in Astana in the early hours of Wednesday. Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov stated on Tuesday that Putin was set to hold a series of bilateral…

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to meet in Washington D.C. later this month, a White House official stated on Tuesday, amid tensions between the Biden Administration and the Israeli government concerning the occupations’ war on Gaza. “President Biden has known Prime Minister Netanyahu for three decades,” a White House official told Axios. “They will likely see each other when the prime minister is here over the course of that week.” During his visit to Washington D.C., Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of the US Congress on July 24, which US Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said…