Recent stories from sustg

  • Saudi youth, the issue of unemployment and work ethic
     

    Abdulateef Al-Mulhim is a well-known Saudi commentator who is appreciated – at least here at SUSTG – for his willingness to take on sensitive topics and provide his particular perspective.  In this item he addresses the work ethic of young Saudis, a subject of much debate.  Not surprisingly, there are numerous facets to the discussion […]

     
  • Instagramming Riyadh
     

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is a beautiful city – one that is growing and changing at an impressive speed. Yet much of the Kingdom’s capital remains as it has for years. Traditional style housing and buildings, most of which are no higher than two stories, still dominate this sprawling city, but the gargantuan and glitzy new […]

     
  • Women Transforming the Middle East
     

    In this thoughtful interview with SUSRIS, Dr. Isobel Coleman, Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow, characterizes King Abdullah as a ‘committed incrementalist.’ An accurate description based on his steady push of reforms that are meaningful but are not, as some critics point out, decisive. Why doesn’t the King just declare that it is legal for […]

     
  • New President for KAUST in Saudi Arabia
     

    In a press release today, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, announced a new president in Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau, who will be the second to serve in that post since the university’s inception. Dr. Chameau previously served as President of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

     
  • 5 More Years for Booming King Abdullah Scholarship
     

    Al Arabiya reports that the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, which has sent thousands of Saudi students to the United States and elsewhere, has been renewed for another five years in an important step that will strengthen US-Saudi cultural and economic ties. According to Al Arabiya, Minister of Higher Education Khalid Al Angari said the move was “clear […]

     
  • Drone Revelation Underscores Defense/Security Bonds
     

    The recent news reports that American remotely operated aircraft are operating against Al Qaeda targets in Yemen should come as no surprise to those who have followed the close collaboration between the United States and Saudi Arabia over the course of the historic relationship. The revelations may be uncomfortable to those who seek to keep […]

     
  • Samsung and Galaxy chocolate top brands in Kingdom in 2012
     

    Samsung ranked first in the 2012 BrandIndex Buzz Rankings for Saudi Arabia, scoring 54.9 points, YouGov market research agency said Tuesday. Galaxy Chocolate, produced by Mars Inc and Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem, a channel owned by the Saudi government, ranked second and third, scoring 53.7 and 47.4 points respectively. Sony, which ranked sixth, dropping from second place in […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia Strong Market for U.S. Companies, Ex-Im Head Says
     

    Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s biggest economy, represents an “exceedingly” strong market for U.S. companies, Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg said. “Part of that has been driven by in this part of the world a diversification of economies,” Hochberg said in an interview yesterday in Riyadh. “We see a lot of opportunity here. U.S. companies […]

     
  • Saudi Chartbook – February 2013
     

    Jadwa Investment’s recently released Saudi Chartbook for the month of February 2013 assesses a number of key aspects of the Saudi economy including the real economy, bank lending, banking indicators, inflation, trade, oil, exchange rates, the TASI (Saudi Stock Market), sectoral performance, and more. [The full report from Jadwa Investment can be read here.]

     
  • MENA solar to exceed 3GW annually by 2015: Saudi leads
     

    GTM Research’s report states that Saudi Arabia and Turkey will have the highest demand, with Saudi Arabia looking to be the region’s first gigawatt-scale market by 2015. Nearly 70% of the demand is expected to come from Saudi Arabia and its K.A. CARE program and secondly, Turkey.

     

MUST-READS

  • Saudi Arabia strongly condemns targeting unarmed civilians in northern Gaza

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Saudi Arabia's strong condemnation and denunciation of the targeting of defenseless civilians in the northern Gaza Strip. The ministry affirmed the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of violations of international humanitarian law by any party and under any pretext, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

  • Saudi Arabia Aims for 150k New Jobs in Chemical Plants and Renewable Energy, says Minister

    Saudi Arabia is poised to create 150,000 new jobs in chemical plants and renewable energy facilities with a commitment to achieving 75 percent localization, said a top official. During the Human Capability Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman emphasized that the energy sector has the biggest chance to achieve the target of Saudi workers compared to any other sector. The minister said: “We see somewhere around 150,000 jobs being created, including not only working in chemical plants and with heavy wind or renewable facilities but also we see a lot of jobs are coming through the localization programs. We also are committed to a localization program which is 75 percent.”

  • Anthony Kim struggles in return to golf at LIV event in Saudi Arabia

    Turns out that when you take more than a decade off from professional golf, re-entry can be a little tricky. Anthony Kim played his first professional round since 2012 on Friday at LIV Golf's Jeddah event, and if the moment was memorable, the score wasn't. Kim, who left the PGA Tour following injury in 2012, finished his first round at Jeddah with a seven-bogey, one-birdie round of 76, 14 strokes behind leaders Jon Rahm and Adrian Meronk. Joaquin Niemann, Charl Schwartzel and Bryson DeChambeau are one stroke off the lead at -7.

  • The UAE and Saudi Arabia Lead the Way on Central Asian Energy Pivot

    Masdar, the United Arab Emirates’ renewables developer, and its Saudi peer, ACWA Power, are leading the two OPEC members’ clean energy projects in energy-rich Central Asia, a new frontier for petrostates looking to advance their net-zero agendas in the wake of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, in Dubai.

  • Saudi Arabia Sets New Visitor Record, Aims Higher for 2030

    Saudi Arabia witnessed a remarkable surge in tourism in 2023, welcoming 106.2 million visitors, the Saudi Ministry of Tourism announced on Tuesday. This figure marks a 56% increase compared to 2019 and a 12% rise from 2022. The kingdom’s international tourist arrivals also saw a significant jump, reaching 27.4 million, which is a 65% increase from the previous year. These statistics underscore Saudi Arabia’s growing stature as a leading destination in the global tourism sector.

  • Saudi Arabia’s PIF, ATP announce strategic partnership to enhance global tennis

    Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the governing body of men’s professional tennis, ATP Tour, announced on Wednesday a new multi-year strategic partnership, in a move that further elevates the Kingdom’s position in the global sports scene. The partnership marks a “significant shared commitment to enhancing global tennis for players, fans, tournament organizers and stakeholders at all levels of the sport,” both PIF and ATP said in a statement.

  • Saudi Arabia makes $38m contribution to global education fund

    Investments in the education sector of lower-income countries will receive a boost as Saudi Arabia officially joins the Global Partnership for Education with a $38 million contribution. Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the Human Capability Initiative in Riyadh, Laura Frigenti, the fund’s CEO, outlined that the contribution will be utilized for the body’s mission of transforming the education sector in underdeveloped countries and preparing young generations for the modern job market.

  • ATP signs multi-year strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia’s PIF

    The ATP Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) have signed a multi-year strategic partnership, the governing body of men's tennis said on Wednesday in a move highlighting the growing influence of the Gulf nation on global sport. The PIF will now become the official naming partner of the men's rankings as well as partner ATP tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing, the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin and the Next Gen ATP Finals staged in Jeddah.

  • Saudi Arabia May Be Taking Center Stage in Post-Gaza Peace

    While Saudi leaders have in the past engaged in efforts to secure a fair resolution of Palestinian-Israeli issues, such as the Fahd Plan in 1981 and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, the current moment feels different. The kingdom holds greater leverage with regional and international partners, including the Biden administration which continues to push for a Saudi-Israeli deal before the US presidential election in November. With influence comes responsibility, and the question of how, when, and where to play the cards in the Saudi hand.

  • Saudi Arabia unveils program to localize 75% of jobs in energy sector

    Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that the ministry is working on a program to Saudize 75 percent of jobs in the energy sector. In his speech at the Human Capacity Initiative, Prince Abdulaziz said that that the Saudi energy sector has better opportunities to achieve high rate of Saudization compared to other sectors. “The energy sector at the global level is struggling with difficulties. According to global statistics, women’s participation in the energy sector represents 15 percent,” he said.