Author: Steven Sahiounie

The Palestinian economy is estimated to shrink by 26.9 percent after seven months of war, with the poverty rate surging, said a new United Nations Development Program (UNDP) assessment released Thursday.

RIYADH: Underscoring international confidence in the Saudi economy, global consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal has become yet another company to have opened its regional headquarters in Riyadh. In a press statement, the US firm stated that the inauguration of the new regional headquarters underscores its commitment to contributing to the country’s transformation agenda. “As the company continues to deepen its roots in the country, with expertise across various sectors — from banking and tax to healthcare and disputes and investigations — this strategic move aims to leverage local insights in the Kingdom to drive sustainable growth and innovation.” the company…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority slapped fines to the tune of SR42.9 million ($11.4 million) on 13 investors and others found in violation of the law.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expects continued visits by high-level business delegations from Saudi Arabia in the upcoming weeks to further explore investment opportunities facilitated under the Special Investment Facilitation Council, the Foreign Office announced on Thursday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran imposed sanctions on a number of American and British individuals and institutions for their complicity with the Israeli regime in the brutal onslaught against the Gaza Strip. In two statements released on Thursday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the sanctions have been imposed in conformity with the “Law on Countering the Violation of Human Rights and Adventurous and Terrorist Activities of the United States in the Region” (2017). It said the designated persons and institutions have been sanctioned for supporting and financing the Zionist regime’s terrorist acts, glorification and supporting terrorism and gross…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia aims to enhance its stock exchange appeal to foreign investors, targeting 17 percent ownership of free float shares by 2024, a new report has revealed.

President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed the decision of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to recognize the State of Palestine, saying it contributes to achieving the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination on their land and in taking actual steps to support the implementation of the two-state solution. The President affirmed that the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has steadfastly supported the rights of the Palestinian people over the past years and voted in favor of these rights in international forums. He pointed out that this decision is consistent with the principles of international law that recognize the right…

Modern Europe is facing a triple existential threat; a new paradigm is needed to counter it, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with the British weekly The Economist. “It’s this triple existential risk for our Europe: a military and security risk; an economic risk for our prosperity; an existential risk of internal incoherence and disruption to the functioning of our democracies,” the French president said. “So these are the three risks that have accelerated in recent years, very strongly no doubt. Moreover, after the pandemic, we underestimated these tensions, even though Europe began to respond to them, but too…

The Israeli occupation forces bombard the Syrian capital of Damascus, wounding eight Syrian Arab Army soldiers in the process. Eight Syrian soldiers were injured on Thursday evening after an Israeli air strike targeted a site in the vicinity of the capital, Damascus, Syrian news agency SANA reported. The Israeli occupation “launched an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a site in the vicinity of Damascus,” the agency said SANA reported that the attack resulted in the injury of eight military personnel, in addition to some material losses, without mentioning the nature of the targeted site, or any other…

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has taken the decision to formally recognisze the State of Palestine. As recommended by the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, the country’s Cabinet has determined that the formal recognition of Palestine by the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago will assist in the achievement of a lasting peace by strengthening the growing international consensus on the issue of Palestinian statehood. Trinidad and Tobago has a long history of principled support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. The Government’s consistent position is that a two-State solution is the only…