Recent stories from sustg

  • Sulaiman Al-Rajhi’s life a rags to riches story
     

    Al-Rajhi is a billionaire who chose last year to become a poor man at his own will without having any cash or real estates or stocks that he owned earlier. He became penniless after transferring all his assets among his children and set aside the rest for endowments. In recognition of his outstanding work to […]

     
  • How Oil Has Driven Global Conflict For The Past 100 Years
     

    Michael T. Klare recently gave a presentation titled “The Geopolitics of Oil: Old and New” at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil conference in Vienna, in which he speaks about how no other substance in the world is as closely aligned with geopolitics as oil is. Klare describes the geopolitics of oil — the intersection […]

     
  • Hoteliers Expand in Saudi Arabia as Mecca Goes Upscale
     

    “I wish I could have more hotels in Mecca,” said Jan Smits, InterContinental’s chief executive officer for Asia, Middle East and Africa. “In four months, you make 70 percent of your income. It’s a really strong market and it’s one of the most unique in the world.” The company has been in the country since […]

     
  • The problem with taxing foreign-earned income
     

    Eritrea is one of only two countries in the world that applies citizenship-based taxation in addition to residence-based taxation.  The other? The United States of America. In fact, the US is the ONLY industrialized country in the world to impose citizenship-based taxation. The immediate result for American expatriates is a blizzard of confusing and complex […]

     
  • Saudis allow women to compete
     

    Saudi Arabia is to allow its women athletes to compete in the Olympics for the first time. Officials say the country’s Olympic Committee will “oversee participation of women athletes who can qualify”. The decision will end recent speculation as to whether the entire Saudi team could have been disqualified on grounds of gender discrimination.

     
  • Education, Women’s Empowerment and Change
     

    There has been a significant investment in education, which is great. In the last eight or nine years the number of Saudi Universities has more than quadrupled from about seven to over 30. Some of that increase has been through splitting up existing, very large universities, like King Abdul Aziz University, into more manageable sizes. […]

     
  • Saudi car sector to accelerate
     

    Strong fundamentals coupled with a rapidly growing young population made Saudi Arabia the largest importer of vehicles and automotive parts in the Middle East in 2011, with the pace seen accelerating in the medium term, the National Commercial Bank said in its report on the Kingdom’s automotive sector released Wednesday. It noted that rising income […]

     
  • The Importance of Economic Diversification for Saudi Arabia
     

    In a clear break from past trends, Saudi Arabia’s private sector is growing. This trend can be in part explained by the increase in bank lending to private sector. In year-on-year terms, lending growth was at its highest since March 2009. More specifically, bank lending to private sector rose by 1.1 percent in April to […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia names Defense Minister Prince Salman new heir to throne
     

    Saudi Arabia’s ruler named Defense Minister Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz is the country’s new crown prince Monday — an expected nod that leaves power still within an aging and shrinking circle of leaders in one of the West’s most critical Middle East allies.

     
  • Saudi Arabia mourns death of Crown Prince Naif
     

    The funeral prayers for the Saudi Crown Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz will be held at the Haram Mosque in Makkah following the Maghreb prayer today. The body will then be buried at the graveyard in the holy city. Muslim leaders from across the world started arriving in Jeddah on their way to Makkah to […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Saudi Arabia Ranks Second Among G20 in ICT Development for Second Year

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has secured the second position among the Group of Twenty (G20) countries for the second consecutive time in the 2024 ICT Development Index published by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The index tracks the digital development and progress of 170 countries in information and communication technology (ICT) services through sub-indicators divided into two axes: inclusive and effective communication.

  • Saudi Arabia Announces Carbon Capture And Utilization Challenge For Startups

    Saudi Arabia appears to be doubling down on carbon capture as part of its plans to create a circular economy. Last week the country’s Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP) and Ministry of Energy (MoEnergy) unveiled the Carbon Capture and Utilization Challenge. The challenge invites startups from across the globe to present innovative approaches to reduce carbon emissions through sustainable system transformations. This includes advancements in carbon capture technologies, novel applications for carbon utilization, and industrial integration.

  • ‘Magic Rounds’: Saudi Pro League 2024-25 fixtures announced with revamped approach

    The 306-match campaign kicks off on the weekend of August 22, when reigning champions Al Hilal will visit Al Akhdoud, which only secured its Pro League survival on the final day of the 2023-24 campaign – an achievement that sparked memorable scenes as coach Noureddine Zekri danced across the pitch.

  • A who’s who guide to the Saudi Arabia 2024 Paris Olympic team

    After sending a record-breaking delegation to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics of 33 athletes, 22 of whom made up the men’s football squad, Saudi Arabia has confirmed that only nine competitors across four different sports will be heading to Paris for the 2024 Games.

  • Saudi Arabia investing $180 billion to develop green economy, says minister

    Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al-Ibrahim said that Saudi Arabia plays a pivotal role in achieving global climate-related goals, with more than 80 initiatives and investments exceeding $180 billion to develop the country's green economy, in addition to establishing its position as a leader in renewable energy.

  • PIF strengthens renewable energy localization in Saudi Arabia with three new joint ventures

    PIF has today announced the signing of three new agreements to localize in Saudi Arabia the manufacturing and assembly of equipment and components needed for solar and wind power. These agreements have been entered into by the Renewable Energy Localization Company (RELC) – a fully owned PIF company. They are in line with the Saudi Ministry of Energy’s drive to localize production of renewable energy components.

  • IMF revises Saudi GDP growth down on oil cuts

    The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday revised downwards Saudi Arabia's economic growth by nearly one percentage point, mainly due to oil production cuts. The revision was the biggest among major economies and dragged down the rest of the Middle East and North Africa region, which is projected to grow 2.2% this year, a downward revision of half a percentage point from three months ago, IMF projections in its World Economic Outlook showed.

  • Saudi Arabia updates requirements for construction of residential buildings

    The updated specifications included a number of provisions related to facilitating various types of construction work for the beneficiaries. These provisions aimed to preserve safety of buildings and protect them from risks, in addition to providing the best standards in construction work such as increasing the proportion of built area in residential buildings and villas, and buildings for commercial, administrative and residential purposes. It also aims to reduce setback, which is the minimum open space required around any building or structure, in residential villas.

  • Global Growth Steady Amid Slowing Disinflation and Rising Policy Uncertainty

    Our global growth projections are unchanged at 3.2 percent this year and slightly higher at 3.3 percent for next year, but there have been notable developments beneath the surface since the April World Economic Outlook. Growth in major advanced economies is becoming more aligned as output gaps are closing. The United States shows increasing signs of cooling, especially in the labor market, after a strong 2023. The euro area, meanwhile, is poised to pick up after a nearly flat performance last year.

  • Al-Hilal SFC named Saudi Arabia’s strongest football club brand as nation bolsters financial commitment to the sport

    Al-Hilal SFC is Saudi Arabia’s strongest football club brand with a brand strength index (BSI) score of 74.6, and an equivalent AA+ rating, according to new data from Brand Finance. Al-Hilal's strategic investments, including the signings of Neymar, Ruben Neves, and Milinković-Savić, have solidified the club’s dominance in the Saudi Pro League and reinforced its status as a top football brand in the region.