Author: Steven Sahiounie

Middle Eastern countries face unique challenges that compound the urgency of tackling this environmental crisis

RIYADH: Investors eyeing environmental opportunities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province stand to benefit from a forum held on May 5, amidst efforts to preserve natural resources. Organized by the Eastern Chamber under the theme “Restoration and Sustainability,” the Environmental Investment Forum 2024 aims to underscore the importance of ecological preservation. The event, patronized by Prince Saud bin Naif, Gov. of the region, also delves into the effects of environmental regulations and legislation on the business sector, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Badr bin Suleiman Al-Ruzaiza, chairman of the regional chamber, emphasized the importance of environmental protection within the framework of…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s non-oil revenues rose by 9 percent to reach SR111.51 billion ($29.73 billion) in the first quarter of 2024 as compared to the same period in 2023, the Ministry of Finance said. In its quarterly budget performance report, the ministry said the Kingdom posted total revenues of SR293.43 billion in the same quarter, while its public spending amounted to SR305.82 billion. According to official data, total revenues increased 4 percent as compared to Q1 of 2023. In the first quarter of the current year, the Kingdom posted a budget deficit of SR12.39 billion with oil revenues reaching SR181.92…

Mohamed’s disappearance adds to the deepening despair in El Hencha, situated just 150 kilometres (90 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa

Kuwait – The decrease in oil prices led to a 10% decline in Kuwait’s trade surplus value in January compared to the same period last year, dropping from 1.2 billion dinars to 1.1 billion dinars, reports Al- Qabas daily.

The Saudi car market has solidified its position as a leading automotive market, making it one of the top 20 car markets globally.

Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have reportedly been raising concerns over their own reserves held in the West The confiscation of frozen Russian assets could set a dangerous precedent in international law, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia warned the EU at a recent meeting of G20 finance ministers, the Financial Times reported on Friday. The US and its allies have blocked around $300 billion in Russian central bank assets as part of sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. Most of the funds are held in the EU and, while Washington has insisted that international law allows for the appropriation of…

A group of foreign bondholders have taken steps to force Ukraine to begin repaying its debts as soon as next year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. If they succeed, Kiev could hemorrhage $500 million every year on interest payments alone.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says the Israeli regime’s decision to ban Al Jazeera is a bid to avenge the international news network’s coverage of the war in Gaza and its campaign to expose Israel’s crimes in the territory. Hamas issued a statement on Sunday saying that the decision by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet earlier in the day to shut down local activities of Al Jazeera was a flagrant violation of freedom of press. It said Netanyahu’s decision represents a war on those journalists who have been subject to Israel’s systematic terrorism and its efforts to cover up the…

At least three civilians have been killed and five others sustained injuries when Israeli military aircraft carried out an airstrike against a village in southern Lebanon close to the border with the northern flank of the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories. Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television news channel reported that the aerial assault targeted Meiss Ej Jabal village on Sunday. The Meiss Ej Jabal municipality chief, Abdelmoneim Chukair, said the fatalities included a couple and their child, the latest deadly incident in the border region. Back on March 27, at least seven people were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed an emergency center in southern Lebanon. Two…