Author: Steven Sahiounie

The two sides discussed strengthening industrial and commercial cooperation between the two Kingdoms LONDON — Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al Khorayef met in London with UK Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade and the Minister of State responsible for the Investment Security Unit at the UK Cabinet Office, Nusrat Ghani. The two sides discussed strengthening industrial and commercial cooperation between the two Kingdoms. The meeting also confirmed the strength of the economic and trade relations between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. It also discussed ways to enhance the ties especially…

Saudi Arabia’s international trade reached $43.70bln in September Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s trade balance achieved a surplus of SAR43.735 billion in September 2023, according to Saudi Arabia’s recent preliminary international trade data, making it the third largest monthly surplus of the year; it had reached its highest level in April and its second highest in February.Saudi Arabia’s international trade reached SAR163.911 billion in September, with commodity exports accounting for SAR103.823 billion and commodity imports for SAR60.088 billion.The group of Asian countries, excluding Arab and Islamic countries, topped the countries that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia exports to, receiving 55.03% of the…

Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara, says he believes US Secretary of State Blinken will tell Israeli leaders during his visit to Tel Aviv tomorrow that Washington cannot continue to support its war on Gaza “unconditionally”. The US, which has provided staunch support for Israel throughout the war, has outlined a series of “red lines” for Israel, Bishara explained, including no Israeli “reoccupation” of Gaza, no ethnic cleansing in Gaza and no shrinking of the territory of Gaza. Yet Israel “still rejects American advice, American red lines, when it comes to the management of the war”, Bishara said. “I think…

It is time to hold an international peace conference, impose international will and recognize our people’s right to exist, the president said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an international conference to protect the rights of the Palestinians. He made the appeal on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. “The Gaza Strip is under existential threat as its civilian population is facing deliberate and systematic attacks. We call for an end to tacit annexation, settlement practices and racial discrimination throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” Abbas was quoted as saying by the Palestinian news…

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has called on the UN Security Council to “live up to its responsibilities” and enforce a lasting ceasefire in Gaza. He said the aid that is currently trickling into the enclave is “by far less than is needed”. “The danger is that if this … truce expires, that we will return to the killing at the scale that we have seen, which is unbearable,” he told reporters at UN headquarters. “We are here to make a clear statement – that a truce is not enough. What is needed is a…

“We will not rest until all hostages held by Hamas and other groups are released – every single one,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council. “To that end, we want to see this humanitarian pause extended. Israel has been very clear that it is prepared to continue the pause in fighting for every day that Hamas releases an additional 10 hostages,” she said. The Biden administration has faced widespread public pressure to pressure Israel to agree to a long-term ceasefire in Gaza. So far, Washington has not called for a ceasefire, saying ending the war would benefit Hamas. source:…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The events in Gaza and Israel have captured the world’s attention. With so many factors and moving parts to the situation, it is necessary to take a step back and look at the whole scene. Dr. Ahmad Alderzi, the noted microbiologist and activist, has been interviewed by Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse, and his sweeping assessment is enlightening and thought provoking. 1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): Many people have wondered if Hezbollah will open a war front against Israel in response to the situation in Gaza since October 7. In your opinion, will the war expand,…

Tinkoff will reportedly only allow staff to be based in three foreign countries due to security concerns Tinkoff, one of Russia’s largest private banks, has banned its staff from working remotely from abroad, except for three countries, business daily RBK reported on Tuesday, citing a representative of the bank. Starting as soon as next year, remote work will be allowed only from Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan, the countries where the lender has development centers, the outlet reports. The centers develop fintech services such as internet banking and apps and employ 3,500 people. According to RBK, there are two reasons for…

Savings in non-ruble accounts are at their lowest level in a decade, according to the central bank Non-ruble savings of Russian households have dropped to their lowest level in more than a decade, according to the country’s central bank. The share of foreign currency in savings on Russian private accounts has been declining since last year, and amounted to $63.4 billion at the beginning of October. By early November, the share of such deposits had fallen by a further $3.7 billion, and accounted for just 9.4% of household savings, according to the regulator. The level is the lowest since…

Skyrocketing energy prices in light of a Russian gas supply shortfall boosted Norway’s revenues in 2022 Norway raked in record oil and gas revenues last year after the conflict in Ukraine sent energy prices soaring, broadcaster NRK reported on Tuesday. According to the channel, citing research institution NHH, Norway earned 334 billion kroner ($31.3 billion) in 2022 in revenues from natural gas exports, amid a major disruption in supplies of Russian pipeline gas. “We find the price of coal and Russian supply shortfall to explain the majority of the fluctuations in the natural gas price over 2022,” NHH researchers wrote. The…