WASHINGTON: Economies in the Middle East and North Africa face a “shadow of uncertainty” from ongoing tensions in the region, a senior IMF official said. “We are in a context where the overall outlook is cast into shadows,” Jihad Azour, the International Monetary Fund’s director for the Middle East and Central Asia department, said in … Read more
Call to close UNRWA is attempt to strip Palestinians of refugee status — agency chief NEW YORK CITY: Disbanding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees would have lasting repercussions for millions of Palestinians because it would result in them being stripped of their refugee status, the head of the agency told the … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s crude production reached a seven-month high of 9.01 million barrels per day in February, data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative showed. This represented a rise of 55,000 bpd or 0.61 percent compared to the previous month. Furthermore, the data indicated that the Kingdom’s crude exports rose to 6.32 million bpd, reflecting … Read more
RIYADH: The World Bank has raised its expectations for Saudi Arabia’s economic growth to 5.9 percent in 2025 from 4.2 percent predicted earlier in January. In its latest report the bank, however, revised its 2024 forecast for the Kingdom’s gross domestic product growth downward to 2.5 percent from an earlier forecast of 4.1 percent. Concurrently, … Read more
AUGUSTA, Georgia: Scottie Scheffler was in the lead and seemingly in control of his game Saturday in the Masters until realizing there was no such thing at Augusta National. He posed over another beautiful shot at the flag on the 10th hole and was stunned to see it take a hard hop over the green … Read more
NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are increasingly wielding strong-arm tactics to subdue political opponents and critics of the ruling Hindu-nationalist party. A decade into power, and on the cusp of securing five more years, the Modi government is reversing India’s decadeslong commitment to multiparty democracy and secularism. The ruling Bharatiya … Read more
At UNSC meeting, Iran and US swap threats while Israel urges ‘all possible sanctions’ over attack NEW YORK: Iran has on Sunday said that it has no intention of engaging militarily with the US in the region, but if the latter initiates a military operation against it, its citizens, or security interests “Iran will use … Read more
JEDDAH: Ali Alhammadi, a Saudi 32-year-old visual artist from Aldawadmi in Riyadh, has carved out a remarkable pathway in the world of art since his professional debut in 2017. Passionate about visual arts since childhood, Alhammadi’s artistic inspiration was ignited by the “Saudi renaissance” in line with Vision 2030, prompting him to embark on a … Read more
Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Aboudi, CEO of Thakher Development Company, reaffirmed his confidence in the Vision 2030 goal of attracting 30 million Umrah pilgrims annually by 2030, or even before that. “The government has made huge efforts and provided comprehensive support to achieve the objectives of Vision 2030, aiming to accommodate 30 million Umrah performers and … Read more
SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose on Friday as heightened tensions in the Middle East raised the risk of supply disruptions from the oil-producing region, though prices are set for weekly losses amid expectations of fewer US interest rate cuts this year, according to Reuters. Brent crude futures climbed 75 cents, or 0.84 percent, to $90.49 a barrel … Read more