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The Class of 2013 Saudi Students Celebrates

SUSRIS | Pat Ryan | 5.22.13

The United States' top diplomat in Riyadh, James Smith, shared his praise today for the success of the King Abdullah Scholarship Program and congratulated this year's class of Saudi Arabian students graduating from American universities. "One of ... Continue Reading the greatest pleasures of my work as the American ambassador to Saudi Arabia is to celebrate the many successes of the US-Saudi relationship. This month, I am particularly thrilled to congratulate the approximately 8,000 Saudi King Abdullah Scholarship Program students who will graduate from US colleges and universities this year." hide

U.S. Senate Advances Call to Arm Syrians

Wall Street Journal | 5.22.13

U.S. Senate Advances Call to Arm Syrians A key Senate committee overwhelmingly approved legislation that calls on the U.S. to provide small arms to moderate Syrian opposition groups, underscoring growing sentiment among lawmakers for a change in the U.S. approach to the ... Continue Reading conflict. The 15-3 vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee showed broad support from both Democrats and Republicans for arming the rebels, though the legislation has to go through many more votes to be adopted, and even then wouldn't compel the administration to provide arms. Some lawmakers from each party voiced concern over the difficulty of ensuring weapons aren't misused and won't slip into the hands of radical Islamists aligned with al Qaeda. hide

Female Saudi Everest Climber Happy to Change Views

ABC News | AP | 5.21.13

The first woman from Saudi Arabia to scale Mount Everest said she doesn't intend to inspire a movement, but would be happy to change people's opinions of Saudi women and Saudi women's opinions of themselves. Raha Mobarak told reporters in ... Continue Reading Katmandu on Tuesday after returning from the mountain that her next goal is to climb the highest peaks in all seven continents. She said she has already scaled five of them. Mobarak, 27, was among hundreds of climbers who reached Everest's 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) summit in recent days because of favorable weather conditions on the mountain. hide

Rent up 30% in Saudi Arabia

Al Bawaba | 5.22.13

Experts say the rent hikes were due to rising costs of building and renovation, and the increase in the wages of workers in the construction and management of building. In Jeddah, for example, it is the central area that is the highest in rent ... Continue Reading rates. It is expected that the rents of apartments in the south and east of Jeddah to drop because the south is no longer desirable as it was in the past, especially due to frequent demolitions of buildings. Real estate experts expect apartment construction for low-income families to stop because of this unstable situation, as well at the volatile prices of building materials, rising wages in construction and high land prices. The price of construction has increased from SR 95 to SAR 130 per meter. hide

SACM Career Fair: U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia says ‘Future is Full of Opportunity’

Al Arabiya | James Smith | 5.21.13

The SACM Career Fair connected opportunities with top Saudi students in the US. The U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, James Smith, wrote in Al Arabiya today a  congratulatory letter for the roughly 8,000 Saudi students who are graduating this week at the SACM Career Fair and Graduation Ceremony. "More than 70,000 ... Continue Reading young Saudis and their families have chosen to study in the United States. Their presence on our campuses has greatly increased mutual understanding and respect between our two countries," Smith wrote. "Graduation is a time to celebrate achievement and look to the future. For Saudi students completing their studies this year, in the U.S., in the kingdom, or elsewhere, their future is full of opportunity. They are the entrepreneurs who will turn ideas into jobs. They are the professors and the teachers who will educate the next generation of Saudi citizens.They are the scientists and lawyers who will serve in government or the private sector fulfilling the needs of their fellow citizens. This is their time to forge ahead and make their most ambitious dreams a reality."         hide

Saudi Arabia Approves $1.6 Billion for Water Projects

Bloomberg | Deema Almashabi | 5.22.13

Saudi Arabia's Water and Electricity Ministry approved more than 5.9 billion riyals ($1.6 billion) in spending for water and sanitation projects in Jazan on the Red Sea coast, state-owned Saudi Press Agency reported.The ministry has 254 water ... Continue Reading projects pending across the kingdom for 2013, according to SPA's official website. hide

Saudi-Turkey rapport bodes well for global influence

Arab News | Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi | 5.22.13

The current political rapport between Riyadh and Ankara is an exciting development. If harmonized, it could completely result in the two countries achieving significant influence at regional and international levels.The economies of the two ... Continue Reading countries stand at $ 5.1 trillion, with high growth rates. This will surely make their collective voice heard loud and clear.In addition, the special status of Saudi Arabia in the Muslim world, together with its political and economic weight, when combined with the newly transformed modern Turkey, will give the two countries a powerful political role in the region. hide

Sectarian, Political Rifts Plunge Iraq Into Deadly Spiral of Violence

TIME.com | Nate Rawlings | 5.22.13

On Monday in Basra, a predominantly Shi‘ite city 420 km south of Baghdad, a bomb ripped through a group of day laborers gathered around a sandwich kiosk. A witness describing the carnage told Reuters, “One of the dead bodies was still grabbing a ... Continue Reading blood-soaked sandwich in his hand.” The bomb was one of two in that city and a dozen across Iraq in one of the deadliest days since U.S. troops left the country in late 2011. According to reports, more than a dozen bombs detonated in markets, bus stations and mosques, killing 95 people and wounding more than 250. hide

Samba Seen as Top Bank Pick in Saudi Arabia by Dubai’s Arqaam

Bloomberg | Deema Almashabi | 5.22.13

Arqaam Capital said it "strongly" reiterated its "buy" recommendation on Samba Financial Group and that the lender is it's top Saudi Arabian bank pick.Samba will likely post a 7 percent increase in earnings per share this year and is well ... Continue Reading positioned for future demand for corporate lending, Dubai-based Arqaam analyst Jaap Meijer and colleague Michael Malkoun wrote in a note to investors. hide

New Petition Calls for End to Animal Cruelty in Saudi Arabia

Green Prophet | Joseph Mayton | 5.22.13

A new online petition has been created to curtail animal cruelty in Saudi Arabia. It calls for ending the use of violence against animals for human pleasure and currently needs around 1200 signatures in order for the petition and letter to be ... Continue Reading sent to the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture. “In this country some ignorant individuals torture and abuse stray animals, they use violence against animals for their own amusement and with no mercy. Our goal is to create a law that will prevent them from harming any animal,” reads the beginning of the petition put forward by “Nyan.” An example of this cruelty was seen in a June 2012 report by Green Prophet that detailed how a black bear in Jeddah had been trapped in a pet shop cage for five years. hide

Bahra Cables opens new plant for manufacturing of PVC conduits

Saudi Gazette | 5.22.13

Bahra Cables Co, a subsidiary of Construction Products Holding Company (CPC), has opened a new plant for manufacturing of PVC conduits and fittings for electrical use with an annual production capacity of 18,000 tons of PVC conduits, fittings ... Continue Reading and couplings of different diameters. The new factory is named 'BC Conduit'. The company has already set up a factory for the production of poly vinyl chloride (PVC), which is a plastic substance used in packaging and insulation of cables, electrical wires, as well as in manufacturing of conduits in order to meet the company's PVC consumption, where the annual production capacity of this plant is 36,000 tons. hide

Forget peak oil—start worrying about peak water

Quartz | 5.22.13

Climate change likely contributed to the spike as droughts reduce rainfall and snowmelt. In California, for instance, a falloff in Sierra Nevada mountain snow that supplies water to the state’s multibillion-dollar agriculture industry led to ... Continue Reading increased pumping of groundwater in the Central Valley. And in a scary feedback loop, sinking aquifers are contributing, albeit only slightly, to a rise in sea levels. Much of the agricultural water pumped from aquifers ends up as runoff transported by streams and rivers into the ocean. (Depleted aquifers also result in the land sinking relative to ocean levels.)  “Groundwater depletion in the US in the years 2000-2008 can explain more than 2% of the observed global sea-level rise during that period,” the study states.  hide

Iran’s Ahmadinejad to contest ally’s ‘unjust’ vote ban

AFP | 5.22.13

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday he will ask supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to reverse what he branded the unjust disqualification of a close aide from next month's presidential election.The conservative-dominated ... Continue Reading Guardians Council on Tuesday eliminated both the aide, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, and ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from a list of eight candidates for the June 14 election.It gave no explanation, and those ruled out have no right to appeal the decision by the vetting body whose members are directly or indirectly appointed by Khamenei. hide

More Roadblocks for Saudi Women Who Want to Drive

Riyadh Bureau | Ahmed Al Omran | 5.22.13

Saudi Arabia is the only GCC country that bans women from driving. In the past, Saudi women could easily obtain a driving license from other GCC countries, but some restrictions have been put in place to stop that in recent years. The latest of ... Continue Reading these restrictions come from Kuwait, which now bans Saudi women from obtaining a driving license without the permission of their male guardian, according to al-Hayat daily. hide

Saudi Arabia accredits 10 ‘mega-recruitment’ agencies

GNA Network Online | 5.21.13

Saudi Arabian labor officials have accredited 10 "mega" recruitment agencies that can recruit and deploy overseas Filipino workers to Saudi Arabia "in bulk," the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said on Tuesday. The POEA said ... Continue Reading these recruitment agencies can deploy foreign manpower to private and public sector companies and individual employers, in accordance with Saudi labor laws. "The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that the Ministry of Labor will normally issue to the 10 'mega' recruitment companies group working visas in bulk. This will facilitate the recruitment process to the benefit of our OFWs," said Philippine Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz in a post on the POEA Facebook page. hide

May 22nd, 2013 Edition

IMF: Inflation a Potential Risk for Strong Saudi Economy

The Daily Star | Reuters | 5.21.13

IMF: Inflation a Potential Risk for Strong Saudi Economy Saudi Arabia faces a possible inflation risk due to buoyant growth that may warrant policy action to prevent the economy from over-heating, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday. In a regular assessment of the oil-rich kingdom's ... Continue Reading economic health, the IMF also urged it to take advantage of large budget surpluses as insurance against future oil price uncertainty. "Macroeconomic policies need to remain vigilant for signs that continued strong economic growth is leading to increased inflationary pressures," the IMF said in a statement at the end of a staff mission to Saudi Arabia for the review. hide

5 Things to Know About the 2013 SACM Career Fair and Graduation Ceremony This Week

SUSTG.org | Lucien Zeigler | 5.20.13

5 Things to Know About the 2013 SACM Career Fair and Graduation Ceremony This Week The 2013 SACM Career Fair and Graduation Ceremony begins this week at the Gaylord National Harbor in the Washington, D.C. area. Thousands of Saudi students will descend on the nation's capital to participate in this impressive event, which ... Continue Reading celebrates the achievements of Saudi students on the King Abdullah Scholarship Program and matches them with real job prospects and opportunities. Ministry-of-health-and-aramco-at-the-SACM-career-fair SUSTG has put together 5 things to know about the SACM Career Fair and Graduation Ceremony that begins this week in Washington. hide

Saudi Arabia arrests more ‘Iran spy ring’ suspects

BBC News | 5.21.13

Saudi Arabia has arrested 10 more suspects in what it says is a spy ring linked to Iran, state media report. Those detained include eight Saudis, a Turk, and a Lebanese citizen. Eighteen people were arrested in the same case in ... Continue Reading March. Saudi Arabia, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim, has recently repeatedly found itself at odds with Iran, a hide

Saudi reportedly executes Yemeni gang members

Al Jazeera | 5.21.13

Saudi Arabia has executed five Yemenis and displayed their bodies in public for killing a national and forming a gang that committed robberies across several towns in the kingdom, the interior ministry said. The men were executed on Tuesday ... Continue Reading in the town of Jizan in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) slammed the punishment as "outrageous". The ministry later also announced, in statements carried by the official SPA news agency, that a Saudi was beheaded in the southwestern region of Assir for the murder of a fellow citizen. The beheadings bring the number of people executed in the kingdom this year to 47, according to an AFP news agency tally. hide

First Saudi women trained to assemble trucks

Arabian Business | Courtney Trenwith | 5.21.13

Saudi women have broken into yet another male-dominated industry, with 13 women trained to assemble trucks for luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz.The Juffali Automotive Company in Jeddah has taken on the women to help build 5,000 trucks annually in a ... Continue Reading joint venture with Mercedes-Benz, according to local media.Women have been making numerous breakthroughs in employment recent under a push by King Abdullah to see more women working. hide

Syria top priority as Saudi crown prince visits Turkey

Al Arabiya | 5.21.13

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz will visit Turkey on Tuesday with the Syrian conflict at the top of his agenda, according to Al Arabiya.The planned two-day visit comes as violence rages in Syria between Syrian government forces ... Continue Reading and rebels. The Crown Prince Salman is set to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and a number of other Turkish officials. They are looking to discuss the two-year Syrian conflict and Iran's nuclear program. hide

Saudi Arabia to import near record high diesel this summer

Al Arabiya | 5.20.13

Saudi Arabia will import near record high diesel volumes this summer, as it gears up to beat the sweltering heat and meet rising travel needs during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, trade sources said.State oil giant Saudi Aramco will import ... Continue Reading up to 8.9 million barrels of diesel in June, up from an estimated 6.7m to 7.5m barrels in May, according to the sources, who expect at least the same volume or higher to be booked for July.Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia shipped in record diesel volumes of 8.99m barrels in July, 2011, up from 8.13m in June that year, government data published from 2002 through the Joint Organizations Data Initiative showed. hide
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