Recent stories from sustg

  • Wamda’s Tawaref Series Provides Blueprint for Expanding in KSA
     

    Wamda has partnered up with Tawaref, a Saudi Arabia-based tech investment community that also provides startup advisory, legal consultancy and due diligence support, to publish a series of articles to help entrepreneurs navigate the Saudi market.

     
  • Johnson Controls Arabia Announces Export of 300 Saudi-Made Scroll Chillers to the United States from KAEC Manufacturing Plant
     

    Johnson Controls Arabia (JCA) hosted an export milestone event at its YORK Manufacturing Complex at the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) to mark the company’s latest export achievement of more than 300 Saudi-made YORK Scroll Chillers to the American market during this year, with a total market value of 100 million Riyals in the initial phase, the […]

     
  • Saudi Aramco Expects to Pay Full Dividends Despite Lower Earnings – Report
     

    Saudi Arabia’s Aramco said it expects to pay full dividends to its shareholders, including the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, “despite reporting lower earnings for the first quarter on Tuesday, hit by lower oil prices and volumes sold,” Reuters reports.

     
  • Saudi Internet Penetration Reaches 99%
     

    According to the “Internet Saudi Arabia” report for 2023, published by the Communications, Space, and Technology Commission, both men and women demonstrated high levels of internet usage, with rates of 99.3 percent and 98.5 percent respectively. The report also says that 52.3% of users spend more than seven hours online each day.  

     
  • Saudi Car Market: Tops GCC, women purchase 30% of cars sold in 2023
     

    In 2023, Saudi Arabia sold 729,466 cars, a 17% increase from the previous year. The Toyota Yaris was the best-selling car, accounting for 37% of the sales. Car sales are expected to surge to 870,000 this year.

     
  • Nusuk pilgrim card launched
     

    With the 2024 Hajj expected to begin June 14, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah released the Nusuk card by presenting its copy to Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas in Jakarta on Tuesday, April 30, during his official visit to Indonesia.

     
  • 10th Saudi Film Festival Underway
     

    The 10th Saudi Film Festival runs May 2-9 at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran.  Debuting in 2008 this year’s edition has two main themes: Indian cinema and sci-fi films.

     
  • PIF and BlackRock Launch $5bn Investment Fund
     

    BlackRock and Public Investment Fund signed a non-binding MOU that calls for the sovereign fund to invest up to $5bn in stages as the new firm hits agreed milestones. Investments will provide capital for a variety of funds invested in public equities and bonds as well as alternative assets.

     
  • Saudi Space Agency and WEF Establish Space C4IR Center
     

    The World Economic Forum has signed an agreement with the Saudi Space Agency to establish a Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR)  focused on space. The Centre for Space Futures, set to open in autumn 2024, will be hosted by the Saudi Space Agency.

     
  • Special World Economic Forum Convenes in Riyadh
     

    The World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development in Riyadh convenes 1,000 global leaders from 92 countries on 28-29 April, to support global dialogue and find actionable, collaborative and sustainable solutions to shared global challenges.

     

MUST-READS

  • Jeddah Historic District, Cruise Saudi team on sustainability strategies

    Jeddah Historic District Program and Cruise Saudi plan to cooperate on how to handle more international cruise visitors while preserving historic sites and benefiting the community.

  • Saudi Arabia executes two Syrian nationals for smuggling narcotics

    Saudi Arabia has executed two Syrians over their alleged involvement in drug smuggling within the Kingdom, as the trafficking of narcotics from Syria continues to plague the region. According to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Ministry of Interior released a statement announcing the execution of two criminals of Syrian nationality on Saturday, 11 May, in the Kingdom’s north-western Tabuk region.

  • Navigating Marriage Laws in Saudi Arabia for Foreigners: What You Need to Know

    Saudi Arabia's marriage laws are steeped in Islamic tradition and reflect the country's unique cultural norms. Understanding these laws is crucial for foreigners considering marriage in Saudi Arabia, as there are specific requirements for both men and women.

  • OPEC sticks to oil demand view, shifts key forecast to OPEC+

    OPEC stuck to its forecast for strong growth in global oil demand in 2024 on Tuesday and said it would switch to focus on projected demand for OPEC+ crude, reflecting that the wider group is now the main forum for cooperation in the market.
    The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, in a monthly report, said it expected world oil demand to rise by 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024 and by 1.85 million bpd in 2025. Both forecasts were unchanged from last month.

  • Number of nurses up 23% in Saudi Arabia during 7 years, reaching over 235,000

    The number of nursing staff in Saudi Arabia, who are registered with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, has increased to more than 235,000 during the year 2023. The total number of male and female nurses recorded an increase of more than 23 percent during the period between 2016 and 2023, according to a report released by the Ministry of Health on the occasion of International Nurses Day that was celebrated on May 12.

  • US gives Saudis green light to try to revive peace deal with Houthis

    US determination to keep Saudi Arabia engaged in a peace process with Israel has led Washington to give Riyadh an informal green light to try to revive a peace deal with the Houthis, the Yemen-based rebels who have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea since November.

  • Saudi Mega Projects Seek Partners in Bid to Hit Goals

    Executives from The Line, New Murabba and Diriyah Company — complex developments ranging from a futuristic mega city on the Red Sea to an urban development housing a cube-shaped skyscraper set to be the tallest in the Saudi capital — discussed challenges with supply chains, costs and finding skilled workers as they underscored the urgent need for experienced partners to assist in completing projects.

  • UK launches major trade push in Saudi Arabia at Riyadh talks

    Five UK ministers will be at the head of a huge British delegation visiting Saudi Arabia this week, as Britain seeks to strengthen trade and cultural ties with the kingdom. Oliver Dowden, the UK's Deputy Prime Minister, Lucy Frazer, the Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Dominic Johnson, the Investment Minister and Nick Markham, minister at the Department of Health and Social Care, have taken a British delegation of more than 450 business and cultural leaders to Riyadh, where the UK is hosting an event called Great Futures, aimed at highlighting the co-operation and partnerships between British companies and institutions, and their Saudi counterparts.

  • Saudi dates exports jump by 13.7% in Q1 of 2024

    The National Center for Palms and Dates announced that the value of Saudi Arabia’s exports of dates during the first quarter of 2024 rose to reach SR644 million, an increase of 13.7% compared to the same period in 2023 when the value of its exports reached SR566 million.

  • Ministry of Interior joins hands with SDAIA in providing high tech services for pilgrims

    During the sixth year after the launch of the initiative in 2017, with the exemption of two years during which there was a restriction for the Hajj of foreign pilgrims due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Interior and SDAIA launched the highly advanced system, which allowed beneficiaries to complete procedures automatically, by taking biometrics, reading pilgrims’ passport data, and facilitating procedures for the elderly and people with disabilities, using the latest technologies to achieve the highest levels of safety and reliability.