~~~~~~~~ [ Aug 1]~~~~~~~~~

No Incremental Steps To Peace, Saudi Says [Aug 1]
"Saudi Arabia praised the Obama administration Friday for its "early and robust focus" on the Middle East while rebuffing its efforts to push Riyadh to take confidence-building steps toward Israel. 'Incrementalism and the step-by-step approach has not, and we believe will not, achieve peace,' said the visiting Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at his side. 'Temporary security, confidence-building measures will also not bring peace.' Former Senate majority leader George J. Mitchell, President Obama's special envoy for Middle East peace, has traveled almost monthly to the region, seeking to coax the Israelis and Palestinians into peace talks while also encouraging Arab states to offer incentives to Israel to take bold steps, such as a freeze on settlement growth in the Palestinian territories.." [more]

Saudi Man Arrested Over TV Boasts [Aug 1]
"Jeddah police have detained Mazen Abdul Jawad, a Saudi man who bragged about his sex life on popular Lebanese television channel LBC two weeks ago from his apartment. In an early morning swoop on Friday, two other men who had appeared with Mazen in the weekly TV programme Bold Red Line were also detained for interrogation.. ..In the programme, Mazen detailed his sexual adventures, beginning with when he had sex with a neighbour at the age of 14. After triggering public outrage and protest at the programme, the Lebanese channel announced plans to stop the controversial programme. Several Saudis acted swiftly with calls to punish Abdul Jawad for such a grave crime, alien to Saudi society. About 200 Saudis filed a lawsuit in a Jeddah court. Several Saudis have been demanding in the local press and websites that he get an exemplary punishment.." [more]

Saudi Deaths From H1N1 Reach Four [Aug 1]
"Saudi Arabia said two more people have died of swine flu in the kingdom, raising the deaths so far to four, while Qatar has reported its first swine flu death. Saudi health official Khalid Al Mir Galani said the two new victims died on Friday. He didn't reveal their nationalities. Saudi Arabia's earlier swine flu deaths were a 30-year-old Saudi man and a 28-year-old Indonesian woman. Both died earlier this week. The kingdom has registered 230 cases of swine flu - the most in the Arab world. The July 19 death of an Egyptian woman, who had returned from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, prompted Arab health ministers to ban children, the elderly and chronically ill from attending this year's Haj pilgrimage to the kingdom.." [more]

Saudi Woman Selected For Yale World Fellow Program [Aug 1]
"Yale University selected Muna Abu Sulayman, general secretary of the charitable foundation of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, as a world fellow for 2009. The Yale World Fellow Program seeks to build a network of global decision makers who have a fundamental, mutual understanding born of common experience and information. The model naturally fosters collaboration and a commitment to shared success. Yale University President Richard C. Levin, said it is extremely useful to have an international team working on their leadership skills. Candidates for 2009 were selected from different sectors, like government, business, non-government rganizations, the military, art and media. Participants from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, China and Russia, will be sharing their experiences and forging bridges among each other.." [more]

Giant Leap for Riyadh Varsity [Aug 1]
" King Saud University has achieved the 197th position among the top universities in the world, according to the latest ranking of universities posted on www.webometrics.info This achievement is spectacular as the university had a 3,259th rank in 2007. But between 2008 and 2009, the ranking grew to 380. Academicians in the Kingdom have termed it a big achievement. The university occupies the first position in the group of universities in the Arab and Islamic world. It took the giant leap to the rank of top 200 universities with ceaseless efforts over the past two years by stressing academic excellence and research in nanotechnology, improving faculties, attracting Nobel laureates, launching the Riyadh Valley for Technology and advanced laboratories, according to the Saudi Press Agency.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Jul 31]~~~~~~~~~

Cayman Court Freezes $9.2 Billion of Sanea's Assets [Jul 31]
"The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands has ordered a world-wide freeze of $9.2 billion in assets belonging to Saudi billionaire Maan Al Sanea, according to court documents. The court decision, which heaps more pressure on the struggling businessman, is in response to a complaint filed with the Cayman court by Ahmad Hamad Al Gosaibi & Brothers Co., or Ahab, as part of a protracted dispute between Mr. Sanea's Saad Group and the Gosaibi family. The claim is for sums that Ahab alleges were raised from third-party financial institutions and misappropriated by Mr. Sanea and Saad Group. The Cayman court issued a world-wide freezing of assets and appointed a receiver over Mr. Sanea and Saad Group Cayman companies. The Cayman court's order follows a separate law suit Ahab filed July 15 at the New York State Supreme Court.." [more]

Riyadh Eyes SR4bn Initiative [Jul 31]
"Saudi Arabia has finalized plans to launch an ambitious public-private partnership initiative to generate SR4 billion funds within next four years to support municipal projects. 'The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has agreed to set up a holding firm to generate the money to finance the development projects in Riyadh, the fastest growing Gulf city; which has reported an 8.1 percent annual population growth and a massive increase in the number of vehicles on its roads,' said Ibrahim Al-Quaiyid, a municipal councilor, here on Thursday. Al-Quaiyid, who won the 2005 municipal elections with the highest number of votes, said that the 14-member Riyadh Municipal Council was closely working with Prince Miteb Ibn Abdulaziz, minister of municipal and rural affairs, on the initiative to ensure better municipal facilities for people in Riyadh. He said that the capital city would undergo massive demographic and infrastructural changes in near future.." [more]

BACB Seeks Unpaid Debt From Algosaibi [Jul 31]
"The British Arab Commercial Bank (BACB) is seeking a claim of SR75 million with accrued interest of three percent annually against Algosaibi Group, a source told Arab News on Thursday. London-based BACB is a wholesale banking institution providing trade and project finance for Arab markets. The bank has empowered the law office of Khalid Al-Nowaiser to deal with Algosaibi Group and recover its defaulted debts. According to the source, the law firm has started legal proceedings in the Kingdom to seek payment on the bank’s defaulted debt with the group. Many international and regional creditor institutions have instituted similar action against the group.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Jul 30]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Arabia to Fund World Summit on Food Security in Rome in November [Jul 30]
" A U.N. agency says Saudi Arabia has offered to fund a world summit on food security to be held in Rome in November. The cost of the meeting at the Food and Agriculture Organization's headquarters is estimated at $2.5 million (C1.7 million). Such summits are considered extraordinary events not covered by the FAO's operating budget, and countries can volunteer to fund them - as Italy did at last year's. The FAO said Thursday that Saudi Arabia's offer to fund the Nov. 16-18 summit was made during a visit by the agency's secretary general, Jacques Diouf, to Riyadh earlier this month.." [more]

KSA: Israel Gives Peace No Chance [Jul 30]
"Saudi Arabia on Wednesday said in response to US calls for diplomatic overtures toward Israel that the Jewish state’s settlement expansion is jeopardizing efforts to revive peace talks. 'It is Israel that has to move seriously toward the peace process,' Saudi foreign ministry spokesman Osama Nugali said. 'As we all know, Israel is continuing to take unilateral measures by changing the geographic and demographic facts on the ground, by building settlements and expanding the existing ones,'.. ..'We have been seeing a schizophrenic Israeli policy. On one hand you talk about peace and their interest to achieve peace,' he said. 'On the other hand they take actions against the peace process that complicate it and put it in jeopardy.'.." [more]

Saudi Security Policy Under Fire [Jul 30]
"In a damning report released last week, Amnesty International roundly condemns Saudi Arabia's treatment of detainees, directly linking an alleged deterioration in the kingdom's rights record to security measures taken in response to a spike in militant violence. Under pressure due to the preponderance of Saudi nationals in the al-Qaida attacks on the US in 2001, the Saudi security forces launched a major crackdown on Islamic militant groups. The frequency of militant attacks and reported raids and shootouts reached a crescendo from 2003-2005. Militant attacks have included shootings, abductions, attacks on government forces, and energy facilities and assaults on housing complexes in which dozens died. Al-Qaida is a key movement within the Saudi militancy, but the provenance of attacks is extremely difficult to verify. This problem is magnified by the clear interest of both the Saudi authorities and al-Qaida in magnifying the latter's threat to the kingdom and foreign interests therein.." [more]

Swine Flu Death Raising Concerns [Jul 30]
"The death of a 30-year-old Saudi man at Al-Mouwasat Hospital in Dammam on Saturday because of swine flu has created alarm among citizens and expatriates alike. Although people have not pressed the panic button yet, there is definitely a sense of unease. The private and government medical fraternity here in the Eastern Province is doing all it can to calm the frayed nerves of the population. Understandably, hospitals are refusing to reveal any new cases. Officials of at least three major hospitals and two prominent polyclinics in Dammam and Alkhobar refused to either confirm or deny existence of new swine flu cases. The standard reply by hospital administrators these days is 'no comment.'.." [more]

Kingdom’s Real GDP is Forecast to Increase by 3% in 2010 [Jul 30]
"Saudi Arabia’s real GDP (gross domestic product) growth is expected to fall by around 1 percent in 2009 as a contraction in the oil sector is projected to offset moderating growth in the non-oil sector. But real GDP growth is forecast to increase by 3 percent in 2010 based on a recovery in global demand conditions and a higher oil production level. According to the Jeddah-based National Commercial Bank’s (NCB’s) Saudi Economic Perspectives, July 2009, Saudi Arabia’s economic performance has been exceptional in recent years.. ..Saudi Arabia is still dominated by the oil sector. In 2008, the oil sector accounted for about 32 percent of real GDP. Oil export revenues represented about 90 percent of total exports and government revenues. Oil also plays an important role in supporting other major industries, such as petrochemicals, steel, aluminum, power generation, water desalination and other energy-intensive industries.." [more]

Iran May Ban Mecca Pilgrimages Over Flu Scare [Jul 30]
"Iran might ban pilgrimages to Mecca during the holy month of Ramadan because of swine flu fears as the number of Iranians infected with the virus topped 60, the health minister said on Thursday. 'The umrah during Ramadan will either be very restricted or even cancelled if necessary,' Kamran Bagheri Lankarani told the ILNA news agency about the Muslim fasting month which begins around August 22. As well as the annual hajj, which all Muslims are required to make once in a lifetime if they have the means, the faithful can also make a lesser pilgrimage or umrah to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia at any time of year. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians make the pilgrimage every year.." [more]

OIC Member States Launch Cultural Exhibition In Saudi Arabia [Jul 30]
"The Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs at the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ambassador Abdullah Alem, has inaugurated the cultural exhibition for the OIC Member States, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Thursday. The opening ceremony on Monday was attended by the Undersecretary of Saudi Culture and Information Ministry for International Cultural Relations, Dr. Abu Bakr Bakader, the deputy mayor of Jeddah, Engineer Khaled Aqeel, along with several members of the diplomatic corps and high-ranking officials representing Jeddah Municipality. The exhibition is held at the OIC pavilion as part of the 'Jeddah Ghair Festival' in southern Abhur, Jeddah.." [more]

Gilani Vows to Strengthen Ties With Saudi Arabia [Jul 30]
"Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy good relations and share common views on major international issues, Prime Minister (PM) Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday. The prime minister was talking to new Saudi Ambassador Abdul Aziz Bin Ibrahim Bin Salih Al-Ghadir, who called on Gilani at the Prime Minister’s House. Gilani hoped that ties between the two countries would be further strengthened. The ambassador conveyed best wishes on behalf of the Saudi king to the president, the PM and the people of Pakistan. He said the king had ordered him to work hard to further improve bilateral relations.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Jul 29]~~~~~~~~~

Israel Must Withdraw From Arab Land: Saudi Official [Jul 29]
"Saudi Arabia will not recognise Israel until it withdraws from occupied Arab land and makes committed steps toward a lasting two-state solution, a senior official said on Wednesday. Foreign ministry spokesman Osama Nugali also called Israeli policy 'schizophrenic' and said it was jeopardising attempts to revive Middle East peace talks aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state. 'Our position is well known. It is Israel that has to move seriously towards the peace process,'.. ..'As we all know, Israel is continuing to take unilateral measures by changing the geographic and demographic facts on the ground, by building settlements and expanding the existing ones,' he said. 'The Arab peace initiative is very clear,' he said, referring to a 2002 Saudi-inspired Middle East peace blueprint.." [more]

KSA Gives Darfur SR70m Urgent Aid [Jul 29]
"Saudi Arabia has allocated SR70 million to provide urgent relief aid to the Darfur region, a senior Saudi official said. The aid will be provided directly by the Saudi Red Crescent. The aid is in implementation of the recent Doha Summit decision to support peace and unity in Sudan, said Ahmed Abdulaziz Qattan, the Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the Arab League.." [more]

Saudis Scramble to Stop Hajj Swine Flu Crisis [Jul 29]
"Saudi Arabia has launched an investigation into its first fatality from the H1N1 Virus as it tries to head off a swine flu epidemic before millions descend for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, health officials said. The patient -- a 30-year-old man who lived in the country's Eastern Province -- was admitted to a hospital in the city of Dammam last week. He died Saturday. The man had never traveled outside the country and had no communicable diseases, said Saudi Ministry of Health spokesman Khalid Al-Marghalani. 'There were odd circumstances about him contracting the disease. We want to find out more information about his case,' Al-Marghalani added. A committee had been formed to determine how the patient was treated and the 'direct reason leading to his death,' according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency, citing the health ministry. Saudi Arabia has diagnosed more than 230 cases of the H1N1 virus this year and is bracing for more.." [more]

S.Korea's Hanwha Wins $750 Mln Saudi Power Order [Jul 29]
"South Korea's Hanwha Engineering & Construction Corp said on Wednesday it had won a $750 million power-generating plant order from Saudi Arabia's Marafiq, a power and water utility company. Under the deal, Hanwha will set up two steam turbine generator plants in Yanbu, on the Red Sea coast. Each plant will have a generation capacity of 250 megawatts and will expand the current power output from the existing four plants to 1,500 megawatts from 1,000 MW, Marafiq said in a statement. The power units will be completed in 3 years, with the first unit to start commercial operations by May 2012 and the second to be commissioned by July 2012, the statement said. South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction and Germany's Siemens AG have won contracts to supply the turbines and other parts needed for the expansion.." [more]

Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank Files Suits Against Algosaibi Units [Jul 29]
" Deutsche Bank AG and Commerzbank AG have filed separate lawsuits against subsidiaries of Saudi Arabia’s Algosaibi Group, seeking a total of $218.2 million over alleged failures to meet its financial obligations.. ..The Commerzbank suit claims Algosaibi Investment broke a repurchase agreement. Additional details of the complaint would be available in later filings, the court document said. The Saudi firm is involved in a series of lawsuits in New York stemming from its failure to repay its debts. Mashreqbank PSC, a United Arab Emirates-based lender, also filed a suit against the Algosaibi group over a failed $75 million currency exchange in May.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Jul 28]~~~~~~~~~

Saudis Move to Dispel Crown Prince Health Rumours [Jul 28]
"Saudi Arabia's Cabinet was reassured Monday about the condition of its crown prince, according to state-run media, amid mounting speculation about his health.. ..The crown prince has been convalescing at his residence in the Moroccan city of Agadir, where he arrived in May, after undergoing surgery and treatment in New York for an undisclosed illness. Speculation has mounted since he arrived in New York in February.. ..In April, King Abdullah named the interior minister, Prince Nayef -- the powerful brother of the crown prince and half-brother to the king -- to the post of second deputy prime minister. While many Saudis took the appointment to mean that Nayef is now the country's crown prince in waiting and second in line to be king, others interpreted it as a simple administrative move, ensuring leadership at home if Abdullah and Sultan are abroad at the same time.." [more]

US Pressure on Arab States Grows [Jul 28]
"Amid a flurry of US diplomatic activity in the Middle East, the Obama administration is increasing the pressure on Arab countries to do more to help kick-start the peace process. This follows months of pressure on Israel to freeze settlement activity. The Obama administration has been frustrated by the lack of movement on all sides but has reportedly been particularly disappointed by how little Arab countries have been willing to do or even promise. Wary from past experience of negotiating with the Israelis, the official Arab position has been one of 'show us the goods, then we will talk'.. ..A US official also said the meeting in May in Riyadh between President Barack Obama and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia did not go as expected. 'President Obama went to Saudi Arabia and got nothing,' said the official with close knowledge of the talks.." [more]

Cabinet Adopts New Job Strategy [Jul 28]
"The Council of Ministers on Monday decided to adopt a new strategy focusing on the total employment of the Saudi national work force. This is in line with the recommendation of the Supreme Economic Council. The decision was taken at the weekly meeting of the council, presided over by Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah. The strategy aims at the sustained increase in the participation of the national work force and growth in the productivity of the national work force to a level comparable to advanced countries. 'The short-term goal (two years) of the employment strategy is to bring the unemployment rate among Saudis under control and its medium-term goal (three years) is to reduce their unemployment rate. The long-term goal of the strategy is to achieve the competitiveness of the national economy with reliance on national human resources,'.." [more]

Saudi Short-Term Rates to Remain at 20-Year Lows [Jul 28]
"Saudi short-term money market rates are likely to remain at 20-year lows because banks are awash with liquidity and reluctant to lend after two family conglomerates unveiled huge debt restructurings, analysts said. Overnight rates have even touched negative territory several times in recent days, reflecting banks' reluctance to receive more deposits after the central bank halved the rate it pays banks for deposits in June.  'Rates for short-term deposits are down as the banking system has ample liquidity,' said Monica Malik, regional economist at EFG-Hermes in Dubai.." [more]

207,000 Indonesians Due For Haj [Jul 28]
"Indonesia is sending 207,000 pilgrims for this year’s Haj, the same number as last year. “But this time we are taking precautions not to include children, the sick and the pregnant due to the pandemic swine flu,' Indonesian Consul General Gatot Abdullah Mansyur told Arab News on Monday. He added that his country was not considering excluding elderly pilgrims, meaning those aged above 70 years, who constitute 20 percent of the total coming for the annual pilgrimage, “as we don’t have any official directive from the Kingdom to that effect. Asked about the decision taken by Arab health ministers in Cairo last week to restrict the elderly and children from performing Haj this year, the consul general said: 'We have read this in the media but so far we have not learned it officially.'.." [more]

Saudi Arabia May Avert Deficit on Higher Oil [Jul 28]
"Saudi Arabia may avert its first budget deficit in eight years thanks to an increase in prices that could peg the kingdom's average price for oil at $50 a barrel in 2009, according to a study on Tuesday. The Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a report that the finance ministry was 'conservative' in basing its budget outlook on oil at less than $40 a barrel last December amid a price slump. "The ministry of finance based their projections on the price of oil for less than $40 per barrel, while it is expected that the average price of oil in 2009 will reach $50, and according to optimistic expectations it will exceed $60 a barrel," the study said. The world's top oil exporter projects a budget deficit of 65 billion riyals ($17.3 billion) for 2009, its first since 2001.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Jul 27]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Arabia Reports First Death From H1N1 Flu [Jul 27]
"A Saudi man has died from H1N1 flu, the health ministry said on Monday, the first death in the kingdom which is gearing up to welcome hundreds of thousands of in September. The man was admitted to a private hospital in Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia last Wednesday with a fever and pneumonia. He died on Saturday from despite taking antibiotics and the anti-flu drug Tamiflu, it said. The ministry announced last week that it would stop publishing updates on the number of infections after they neared 300, but did not explain the move. It was the second reported swine flu death in the region.." [more]

Iran to Summon Saudi Arabian Ambassador [Jul 27]
"Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said Monday that Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Tehran would soon be summoned to Iran's Foreign Ministry, the satellite Press TV reported. 'Due to Saudi police's misbehavior with Iranian pilgrims, the country's ambassador to Tehran will soon be summoned to Iran's Foreign Ministry,' Qashqavi said at his weekly press conference. 'The order was issued by Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki last night following the report of the supreme leader's representative for Hajj affairs Mohammad Mohammadi Reishahri about the misconduct,' he was quoted as saying by Press TV. Iran's protest to Saudi Arabia came after the Saudi customs officials urged Iranian pilgrims to be fingerprinted amid concerns that Iran is raising anti-U.S. and anti-Israel sentiments among Muslim pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.." [more]

France Signs Contract With Saudi Arabia for 3 More A330 MRTT Military Planes [Jul 27]
"French Defense Minister Herve Morin and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Crown Prince Sultan bin Adulazziz last week signed a contract on the sale of three additional A330-MRTT military refueling planes for the Saudi Air Force, announced French Defense Ministry on Monday. As a unit of European Aeronautic and Defense Space company (EADS), Airbus will assemble the aircraft in the southern French city Toulouse. Then the aircraft will be modified to military specifications by Airbus Military and Saudi companies, the ministry said. This contract brings the total order to six aircraft for the Saudi Air Force.." [more]

Saudi Burns More Crude for Power, Halts Fuel Oil Import [Jul 27]
"Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, is burning more crude in domestic power plants to keep new wells pumping and produce cleaner electricity, likely eliminating demand for imported fuel this summer. The use of even more crude oil to generate electricity allows the kingdom to put to use fresh output from a major new oilfield while holding firm to its OPEC commitment to curb exports. It also helps the kingdom meet stricter environmental rules. Estimates on how much crude it is burning differ, but the kingdom's own data show it has risen in recent years, and it could be as high as 470,000 bpd of crude this year, up 62 percent from 2008.. ..Burning crude instead of fuel oil is less of a loss to Saudi Arabia now than it has been historically, as fuel oil prices have strengthened. Fuel oil now trades at a discount of $5 to benchmark crude, about half the discount on average in 2008.." [more]

First Phase of GCC Power Grid Complete [Jul 27]
"The first phase of a joint power grid for Gulf Cooperation Council countries was completed Sunday with the linking of the grids of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. The United Arab Emirates and Oman will link to the grid in 2011, Yusuf Janahi, chairman of the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA), which is supervising the project, told Arab News. The six GCC countries, which gave the go-ahead for the power grid in 2004 after the project was declared technically feasible, hope that the $1.4 billion venture will help them meet rapidly rising power demand and avoid power outages. 'With the successful linking of the electricity grids of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, the member countries are close to achieving their goal of having a joint power grid for all six member states. The grid aims at guaranteeing an adequate supply of power even in emergencies and also reducing the cost of power generation in member countries. There will of course be other economic gains,'.." [more]

Saudi Inflation Retreats on Cheaper Food, Rent [Jul 27]
"Annual inflation in Saudi Arabia fell to 5.2 percent in June from 5.5 percent in May after the rate of increase for rent and food prices eased, official data showed on Sunday. Saudi Arabia’s cost of living index was 121.5 points in June, up from 115.5 points a year earlier, state news agency SPA said. The index rose 0.2 percent from May 2009, it added. The annual rise in rental index — which includes rents, fuel and water — eased to 15 percent in June down from 17.7 percent in May, SPA said. For food and beverages it was 1.7 percent, down from 2.4 percent in May. 'Inflationary pressures look even more subdued than the headline figure suggests. Most of the annual gain came in the second half of last year — over the first six months of 2009 prices are up by just 1 percent,' said Simon Williams, economist at HSBC in Dubai. Inflation in May was 5.5 percent, and 5.2 percent in April.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Jul 26]~~~~~~~~~

Despite Obama's Appeal, Saudis Unlikely to Push Mideast Talks [Jul 26]
"President Barack Obama's strategy for rejuvenating Arab-Israeli peace talks is running into resistance from Saudi Arabia, which has rebuffed the American leader's appeals for the influential Middle East ally to play a more active role in his plans. Saudi officials have expressed skepticism about Obama's attempts to secure concessions from the Arab world in exchange for a commitment from Israel to stop building Jewish homes in the Palestinian-dominated West Bank.. ..'It is clear that the road leads through Riyadh for the Israelis - and whoever is their backer - if they want the wider Arab and Muslim world to recognize them,' said the adviser to the Saudi government, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so he could offer candid views on the political developments. 'We will not move an inch if the Americans don't get the Israelis to stop immediately all settlement construction.' With Israel refusing to make a major gesture, Obama has been unable so far to secure Arab assurances that could jump-start regional peace talks.." [more]

Chinese Firm Gets SR2 Billion Deal to Build Schools in KSA [Jul 26]
"The Saudi Ministry of Education has signed a 2-billion-riyal contract with the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to build 200 schools in different cities and provinces in the Kingdom. Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad, Minister of Education, signed the contract for the constructing work which has to be completed in 14 months. CRCC was selected from among several companies that had bid for the work.. ..The schools to be built by CRCC represent only 6 percent of the ministry’s on-going projects. In all, 3,500 schools of different sizes will be built all over the country at a total cost of SR20 billion and to accommodate about 1,700,000 male and female pupils.." [more]

Kingdom’s Foreign Assets Drop SR 190 Billion [Jul 26]
"Saudi Arabia’s foreign assets dropped by about SR190 billion in the first half of this year amid heavy public spending in a bid to boost economy dampened by global fiscal woes, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), the Kingdom’s central bank, said in its June statistical bulletin.. ..The Kingdom’s decision to withdraw from foreign assets has been prompted by a sharp decline in its oil export earnings, which were estimated by the US Energy Information Administration at around $61 billion in the first half of 2009, below half its income of $140 billion in the same period of 2008. Saudi Arabia has assumed a price of around $50 for its crude in its 2009 record budget but the price of Opec’s basket averaged nearly $57 in May and around $50.2 in April. It was below the kingdom’s forecasts at around $45.7 in March and nearly $41.4 in February and January.." [more]

Jeddah Court Accelerates Legal Action Against Jawad For Boasting About Sex [Jul 26]
"A Jeddah court started legal proceedings against a Saudi young man, who has been accused of bragging about his sex life on a popular Arab television channel. This was in line with the directives issued to the court by the Ministry of Justice to expedite the case filed by a number of citizens against 23-year-old Jeddah resident Mazen Abdul Jawad.. ..Mazen Abdul Jawad, an employee of the national carrier - Saudi Arabian Airlines - was arrested for 'exceeding all red lines' when he appeared last week on a show called 'Red Line,' on the Lebanese channel LBC, where he went into 'graphic details about his sexual conquests.'. On the programme, Jawad said he first had sex with a neighbour when he was 14, and he described in detail some of his later adventures.. ..Meanwhile, Shaikh Abdullah Al Othaim told Al Madinah Arabic daily that the accused may be sentenced to capital punishment in case of his conviction.." [more]

Beijing Courts Middle East With Arabic TV Channel [Jul 26]
"China Central Television (CCTV) launched an Arabic-language channel for the Middle East and Africa on Saturday as part of the government’s efforts to expand its relations with the Arab and Muslim world, the Chinese Embassy announced here. The 24-hour channel will air in 22 Arabic-speaking countries, reaching a total population of nearly 300 million people, CCTV said in a statement at the launch of the new service. The new channel is available through Nilesat and Arabsat services for viewers in the Middle East. 'This is the fourth foreign-language channel we are introducing, after English, French and Spanish,'.. ..Musad Al-Zayani, a Saudi journalist who watched the new channel, described it as a comprehensive stream that enables Arab viewers to learn about Chinese culture and heritage.." [more]

Country Prepared For Any Radiological Emergency [Jul 26]
"Saudi Arabia, which will send a delegation to the meeting of the Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA) in Tunis on Monday, says it is prepared to respond to radiological emergencies with a national emergency plan. 'The plan gets activated in case of any radiological disaster,' said Abdulrahman Mohammed Alarfaj, a prominent energy expert working at the Atomic Energy Research Institute of the Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology.. ..the Kingdom has a broad range of specialties needed in a radiological emergency, including health and safety specialists, laboratory technicians, protective equipment, and decontamination experts.  'That is why the task force set up under the national plan is fully prepared to respond quickly to incidents of radiological contamination, wherever they may occur,'.." [more]

Saudi SEC Extends Rabigh Power Plant Tender [Jul 26]
"Saudi Electricity Co (SEC) 5110.SE has extended a deadline for bids to build a 2,400 megawatt power plant by more than three months at the request of potential bidders, industry sources said on Sunday. SEC was looking to save money after the fall in the price of commodities, energy services and labour costs in the past year, contractors said. An SEC executive estimated the cost of the plant at around $4 billion, down from an initial estimate of around $5 billion. The new price tag for the plant was in line with the 20 percent savings SEC's Chief Executive Ali Saleh al-Barrak said earlier this month that he wanted to make on 2008 projects.." [more]

Saudi Private Import Demand Falls Heavily [Jul 26]
"Saudi Arabian import demand, as measured by banks' financing of private sector imports, fell 34.7 percent in the first half of 2009, with building material and motor vehicles bearing the brunt of the drop, official data showed. New letters of credit opened by commercial banks for private firms' imports stood at 61.19 billion riyals ($16.32 billion) in the six months to June 30, down from 93.68 billion riyals a year earlier, according to central bank data published this week. The data indicates the magnitude of the slowdown that has been affecting private sector activity in Saudi Arabia because of the global crisis. There was, however, a noticeable improvement in June. At 12.69 billion riyals, new letters of credit last month recorded their highest level since September.." [more]