RIYADH: The UAE’s gross domestic product is set to expand by 4 percent this year, driven by robust domestic activities and relatively high oil prices, an International Monetary Fund has forecast. In its latest Article IV end of mission statement, the IMF noted that the Emirates is experiencing strong growth in domestic sectors, including tourism, construction, and financial services. … Read more
Frankly Speaking: Saudi Human Rights Commission chief outlines mandate, ambitions DUBAI: Saudi Arabia is undergoing a “huge transformation” in relation to women’s empowerment thanks to comprehensive reforms to legal, civil, and social rights, Hala Al-Tuwaijri, the first woman to lead the the country’s Human Rights Commission, has said. The Kingdom has seen rapid advances in … Read more
UNITED NATIONS: A United Nations Security Council committee considering an application by the Palestinian Authority to become a full UN member “was unable to make a unanimous recommendation” on whether it met the criteria, according to the committee report seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The Palestinian Authority is still expected to push the 15-member Security … Read more
BRASILIA: French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that members of the G20 would have to agree before Russian leader Vladimir Putin is invited to attend the group’s summit in Brazil in November. “The meaning of this club is that there must be consensus with the 19 others. That will be a job for Brazilian diplomacy,” he … Read more
MADRID: Spain has agreed with the leaders of Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to take the first steps toward recognizing a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Friday following a meeting of the European Council in Brussels. Speaking for Spain, Sanchez expected the recognition to happen during the current four-year legislature that began last … Read more
SYDNEY: Asian shares were subdued on Friday as the escalating conflict in the Red Sea region sent oil prices surging, while slightly higher-than-expected US inflation data did not dent investors’ views on early and aggressive rate cuts in the US and Europe, according to Reuters. The rally in rates may have been helped by dovish … Read more
AI will help find high-potential mining targets in world’s first Geoscience Data Analytics Center RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is set for a groundbreaking technological venture in the mining sector with the launch of the Geoscience Data Analytics Center. Commissioned by the Saudi government, the facility is expected to commence operations later this year. Speaking to Arab … Read more
Sustainable future for mining industry requires value chain integration, experts say RIYADH: A sustainable future for the value chain within the mining industry hinges on an integrated system that involves connectivity, acceleration and technology, experts affirmed. A panel at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh saw the Kingdom’s leading governmental entities in the sector outlining … Read more
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia has struck a “historic” agreement to use the main port in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, as the landlocked country seeks more access to sea channels for shipping, officials said Monday. The deal on Somaliland’s Berbera port comes months after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his country, Africa’s second most populous, … Read more
DUBAI: Yemen’s warring parties have committed to a new ceasefire and agreed to engage in a UN-led peace process to end the war, the UN envoy for Yemen said Saturday. The announcement by UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, marks the latest step to end the deadly nine-year war that has killed hundreds of … Read more