Author: Steven Sahiounie

RIYADH: Qatar’s long-term foreign currency issuer default rating has been upgraded to ‘AA’ with a stable outlook by Fitch Ratings, driven by the country strengthening its external balance sheet. 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s naval industry will receive a technological boost as SAMI Navantia launches a new facility to enhance defense sector capabilities.

SINGAPORE: Oil prices rebounded on Thursday as US crude and gasoline stock drawdowns lent support despite signs that the US Federal Reserve may keep interest rates higher for longer, according to Reuters.

The company obtained “Managing Investments and Operating Funds” and “Advising” licenses from Saudi Capital Market Authority

The arrangement is designed to protect Turkish firms against facing secondary penalties for working with Russia, Hürriyet reports

The General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, met with the US Special Envoy to Sudan, Tom Perillo, in Riyadh on Wednesday, During the meeting, they discussed various relief and humanitarian topics. They also talked about Sudan relief projects implemented by Saudi aid agency KSrelief to help those most in need, Saudi Press Agency reported. Perillo also held talks with Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El-Khereiji at the ministry’s office in the capital. The two discussed the latest developments in Sudan, ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation and issues of common interest. Source: Arab…

Siege, hunger, and diseases will soon become the main killer in Gaza, says commissioner- general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Philippe Lazzarini, who heads the UNRWA for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, took to X on Wednesday to vent his concern for the growing hunger and spread of diseases as a result of the Israeli siege on the besieged strip. He said starvation and illness may soon be the main killer in Gaza. “This fabricated and catastrophic level of hunger can still be reversed by flooding Gaza with food and life-saving assistance,” Lazzarini said. “More than…

Pro-Palestinian protesters heckled and interrupted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday as he tried to give a speech at the opening of the Leipzig Book Fair.Several loud cries could be heard as Scholz began his speech at Germany’s second-largest book fair after Frankfurt.The Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper said the protesters appeared to be pro-Palestinian activists and one person could be heard calling, “It’s not a humanitarian disaster, it’s a genocide.”Scholz stopped his speech to address the protesters, telling them: “Stop shouting, that’s enough.”“The power of the word brings us all together here in Leipzig, not the power of shouting,” he added,…

US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson says he’s considering inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress. “It’s one of the things that we have in mind, and we may try to arrange for that,” Johnson told reporters. He said it’s “very important” for the United States to show solidarity and support for Israel “right now in their time of great struggle”. Johnson said he held a “lengthy conversation this morning” with Netanyahu and reiterated House Republicans’ “strong support for Israel”. Last week by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel and criticised Netanyahu’s leadership. Johnson…

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan this week. He will also have discussions with the United Arab Emirates international cooperation minister and secretary-general of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, according to an Egyptian foreign ministry statement. It did not give details but Egyptian security sources say Arab nations will present plans for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Source: AlJazeera