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Weekend Protest to Support Jailed Saudi Blogger [Feb 9]
"Supporters of a Saudi Arabian blogger who has been held in jail for the past two months are planning a rally today in Washington, D.C. to draw attention to his cause.. ..The American Islamic Congress (AIC), a nonprofit civil rights organization, is calling for a vigil at 1 p.m. Eastern Time today in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington. To date, more than 1,200 people have participated in the group's online letter-writing campaign, asking the Saudi government to release Al-Farhan. His arrest has rallied bloggers in the region, who have republished his work and held an international day of blogging silence to draw attention to his cause.." [more]

Saudi Aircraft Join in Air Force Exercise [Feb 9]
"Red Flag is underway at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., this time with the Saudi Arabian air force flying in tandem with U.S. Air Force and Navy warplanes. This Red Flag, which continues through Feb. 14, marks the third time the Saudi Arabian air force has participated. On this visit, the Saudis Arabians are flying the F-15S, a version of the F-15E Strike Eagle.. ..Red Flag is staged several times a year and is the Air Force’s largest air combat exercise. The idea is to replicate the opening days of large-scale air campaign over the Air Force’s training ranges north of Nellis.." [more]

Saudi Bourse Continues Volatile Performance [Feb 9]
"Arab stocks retained their steady performance last week, buoyed by annual profits as well as easing of US economic fears, financial analysts said yesterday. With the exception of Saudi stocks, regional shares gained fresh ground last week as more listed firms announced their 2007 balance sheets and dividends. The Saudi stock market continued its volatile performance for the second week in a row with speculation emerging again as the dominant factor, according to the weekly report of the Riyadh-based Bakheet Investment Group (BIG). The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) shed 1.97 percent last week, closing at 9,484.41 points from 9,675.02 points in the previous week. TASI is currently 15.1 percent lower than the year’s start.." [more]

Saudi Arabia to Deposit an Extra US$1 Billion with Lebanon's Central Bank [Feb 9]
"Saudi Arabia is planning to deposit US$1 billion with Lebanon's central bank in the coming days as part of the kingdom's support for the country's economy, An Nahar newspaper reported Friday. The new move will increase the Saudi deposits to US$2 billion as King Abdullah granted the Lebanese Central Bank US$1 billion to shore up its currency and US$500 million in aid to help rebuild the country after the Israeli offensive in the summer of 2006. However Lebanon's financial community is split over the real motives of the Saudi gesture which has received mixed reactions from Lebanese bankers and economists.." [more]

Riyadh University Initiates Program on Nanotechnology [Feb 9]
"Dr. Mohammed Nashai, a renowned nanotechnologist from Egypt, has been appointed dean of King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology (KAIN), which will be up and running at King Saud University’s Department of Physics here in six months.. ..As for the students, Al-Omar said undergraduate and postgraduate students would be enrolled. Initially, admission will be limited to Saudi students before extending it to others from around the world. This intermingling of students should help young Saudis a great deal in cultivating scientific ethos among them. The thrust of the research program will be on harnessing the benefits of nanotechnology on the socio-economic side.." [more]

OPEC May Switch to Euro [Feb 9]
"OPEC may abandon the dollar for pricing oil and adopt the euro but any such switch will “take time”, OPEC Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Badri was quoted as saying by a weekly magazine. A decline in the dollar has eroded oil exporters’ purchasing power, prompting some members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to call for a switch away from the US currency. Badri’s remarks sent the dollar lower against the euro yesterday.. ..Reuters obtained an advance copy of the interview which will be published in the London-based magazine’s next issue.." [more]

German, Saudi Ministers Press Syria to Contribute to Lebanese Presidential Solution [Feb 8]
"The German and Saudi foreign ministers called on Syria Friday to help clear the way for the election of a new Lebanese president, the German Foreign Ministry said. Lebanon has been without a president since November.. ..German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Saudi counterpart, Saud al-Faisal, discussed their common concern over Lebanon during a meeting in Berlin, a ministry statement said. Both ministers stressed that all parties in Lebanon and the region are urgently called upon to make possible the election of a new president and the formation of a government on the basis of the initiative of the Arab League, it said. They stressed that «Syria must also make a contribution to this now,»the statement added.." [more]

Volatile Trend Continues in Saudi Arabia [Feb 8]
"The Saudi stock market continued its volatile trend for the second consecutive week as trading value dropped by more than 20 per cent compared with last week. Insurance sector stocks witnessed gains this week following its weak performance in the past five weeks. On the other hand, prices of blue chips are still relatively low with price earning ratio varying between 12 to 17 times.. ..Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) registered 9484.41 points on Wednesday, 15.1 per cent lower than the start of the year. As for trading value, it reached 63.7 billion riyals compared to last week's 78.5 billion.." [more]

Al-Dabbagh Gets 4-Year Extension as SAGIA Chief [Feb 8]
"Amr Al-Dabbagh has received a four-year extension as governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), it was announced yesterday. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah issued a royal decree extending Al-Dabbagh’s term.. ..Al-Dabbagh, who was first appointed SAGIA governor in March 2004, is the main architect of Saudi Arabia’s mega economic cities in Rabigh, Hail, Madinah and Jizan, that are expected to draw investments worth SR300 billion and create more than a million jobs. A leading Saudi businessman and former president and CEO of the Jeddah-based Dabbagh Group of Companies, he has played an important role in promoting SAGIA as a gateway to investment in Saudi Arabia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School.." [more]

Gulf Automobile to Build Pickups in Saudi Arabia [Feb 8]
"Abu Dhabi-based Gulf Automobile Industry Corp (GAIC), the first UAE producer of an indigenously developed double cabin pick-up, will now also manufacture the 150-horsepower vehicle in Saudi Arabia through a 375 million Saudi riyal joint venture with a Saudi industrial investor. "With the support of the Saudi government, we are setting up a factory in Dammam Industrial City 2, which will have a capacity to produce 15,000 pick-up units annually," Nasser Hamad Al Hajeri, chairman of the Gulf Automobile, told Gulf News in an interview. "The production at the 109,000 square metre factory will start by the beginning of 2009,".." [more]

No Update on Detained Saudi Blogger Fouad Al-Farhan [Feb 8]
" Today would mark the 60th day of imprisonment for Saudi blogger Fouad Al-Farhan, a 32-year-old father of two who runs a web journal that discusses Saudi social and political issues. He has been in Jeddah’s Dahban Prison since he was arrested from his office on Dec. 10. A family member had been able to visit Al-Farhan once, on Jan. 5, and the family told Arab News yesterday that requests to visit him since have been denied. “We know nothing about him since the brief visit last month,” said a family member on condition of anonymity. Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, the spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, told Arab News yesterday that the ministry has no update on the case.." [more]

Saudi Cops Grab U.S. Woman In Starbucks [Feb 7]
"An American businesswoman was carted off to jail by religious police in Saudi Arabia for sitting with a male colleague at a Starbucks in Riyadh, the Times of London reported. The woman, who spent a day behind bars, was strip-searched and forced to sign a false confession before being released, the newspaper said. The Times declined to publish her name at her request.. ..The newspaper said the woman had received a visit from officials at the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia. A U.S. official told The Times that it was being treated as “an internal Saudi matter” and refused to comment on her case.." [more]

France, Saudi in Fresh Bid to Salvage Lebanon Elections [Feb 7]
"Saudi Arabia and France were reportedly engaged in a new effort to salvage the ongoing Lebanese presidential crisis, press reports said Thursday. The pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, citing well-informed sources, said Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal held talks in Paris on Tuesday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The sources said Faisal's visit comes within the framework of a global tour to rally support for Lebanon in a bid to free the country from its prolonged political impasse.. ..They said both leaders also discussed ways to help strengthen Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government as well as the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces.." [more]

Release Our Loved Ones or Bring Them to Trial [Feb 7]
"The families of several imprisoned pro-reform activists in Saudi Arabia have drafted a letter to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz asking him to either release their loved ones, jailed for over a year without charges, or bring them to trial. The draft, made available on Tuesday, reminded King Abdullah of his pledge on becoming king in 2005 to set free all "prisoners of conscience" and also of the kingdom's international commitment to abide by universal human rights. The letter, expected to be sent to the King on Saturday, listed 11 activists, including human rights advocates, lawyers and university
professors.." [more]

Editorial: A Disturbing Picture [Feb 7]
"The World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) report on education deserves close study. Even though the majority of the statistics gathered date from no later than 2004, the picture it paints of the way young people are being educated in the Arab world rings certain alarm bells, which are well characterized in the 399-page report’s doleful title “The Road Not Traveled”. One of the principal findings is that Arab education is falling behind the rest of the world.. ..Education is the solemn duty of governments, families and young people themselves. The World Bank report, despite data shortcomings delivers in many ways a disturbing situation that must not be ignored.." [more]

IMF Urges GCC to Cut Money Supply to Curb Inflation [Feb 7]
"Gulf Arab states must apply strict fiscal policies by tightening money supply to curb inflation, which has soared because of supply constraints in housing and commodities, an International Monetary Fund official said yesterday.. ..GCC partners Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates should “reduce the amount of money available to spend,” Leon said. The IMF expects overall GCC inflation to rise to six percent in 2008, but consumer prices in some member states, like the UAE and Qatar, have run at higher levels, registering 9.3 percent and 11.8 percent respectively in 2006.." [more]

Foreign Minister to Visit the Middle East [Feb 7]
"The Brazilian Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, is going to begin, tomorrow (8), a new trip around the Middle East. The Foreign Minister has been to the region several times since the beginning of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's term in office, in 2003. According to information disclosed by the Itamaraty, the objective is to strengthen the Brazilian presence in the region.. ..The first stop should be Saudi Arabia, after which Amorim should go to Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Israel. The agenda had not been completely finalised up to yesterday evening (6), but meetings have been scheduled with Saudi king Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz Al-Saud, with king Abdullah II, of Jordan, with Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, with the president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas, and with Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert.." [more]

Whatever Happened to Saudi Reform? [Feb 6]
"In February 2007 the Saudi secret police stormed the Jeddah villa of lawyer Issam Basrawi and arrested him and five other prominent reformists. Four others were arrested in Jeddah and nearby Medina. The 10 men were professional people - lawyers, doctors, academics, a former judge. A year on, although Mr Basrawi has been released on health grounds, the rest are still in jail - even though none has been formally charged. A lawyer representing some of the men says he has been denied access to them.. ..Both Saudi and international human-rights activists believe 2007 witnessed an intensification of pressure on political dissent. The current climate is in marked contrast to that in 2005, when King Abdullah came to the throne promising change. Having pinned their hopes on him, reformists now feel he has failed to deliver.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Closes Down Embassy in N'djamena [Feb 6]
"The Foreign Ministry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday evening the closedown of the Saudi Embassy in the Chadian capital city of N'djamena and evacuation of all staffers of the embassy. The move is in line with the instructions of the Saudi leaders to ensure the safety of all staffers and the other Saudi nationals in Chad, the Saudi Press Agency quoted a statement issued by the ministry as saying. The staffers have flown by a private plane to the Kingdom, the ministry disclosed.." [more]

Saudi Seized Over 800 Smugglers Carrying Weapons and Drugs at End of Last Year [Feb 6]
"Saudi Arabian authorities arrested 880 alleged smugglers attempting to transport weapons, ammunition, explosives and drugs across borders between October and December last year, a newspaper reported Wednesday.. ..Okaz, which is deemed close to the government, said that many of the smugglers were of Yemeni nationality, according to unnamed Yemeni security officials. Saudi's southern border with Yemen stretches 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) and consists of rough terrain often used by smugglers.." [more]

Saudi Power Project in Prequalification Stage [Feb 6]
"Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has issued a request for qualification from interested parties to build, own and operate the new independent power plant planned for Rabigh on the Kingdom's west coast, around 140 km north of Jeddah. Statements of qualification have to be presented by 18 February. Some 45 companies and consortia previously submitted expressions of interest for the project.. ..The project company will sell electricity to SEC under a power purchase agreement, while SEC will supply the fuel oil. Citigroup is the financial consultant for the project and Germany's Fichtner is acting as
technical advisor.." [more]

Luxury Car Show Attracts Hordes of Saudi Women [Feb 6]
"Although banned from driving, large numbers of women flocked to the third luxury car exhibition which opened in Jeddah on Sunday.. ..There is heated debate in the Saudi press and on internet sites regarding the banning of Saudi women from driving. There are calls for an official decision allowing Saudi woman to drive. Some Saudis believe that within the reform package initiated by the King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, the lifting of this ban, at any time, will not be surprising.." [more]

BMG Saudi Index Up by 0.5% [Feb 6]
"The BMG Saudi Index continued to go up for the second day in a row in its third trading session this week. The index went up by 0.5 percent to 517.7 points. The market turnover, reversed its performance from Sunday’s session and increased by 10.3 percent to SR3.8 billion ($1.0 billion), up from SR3.4 billion ($918 million) registered in Sunday’s session. All sectors appreciated except for the electricity sector, which declined by a marginal 0.04 percent and the banking sector, which witnessed no change.." [more]

Pranab Mukherjee's Visit to Saudi Arabia Cancelled [Feb 5]
"Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's three-day visit to Saudi Arabia beginning Feb 8 has been cancelled. 'The visit of the external affairs minister to Saudi Arabia has been cancelled as of now,' Rajiv Shahare, deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia, told IANS over phone from Riyadh Tuesday. Asked the reason for the cancellation, he said, 'I am not in a position to tell you the reason now. All I can say is that the minister will not be visiting the region in this period of time.. ..This is the second time since 2007 that his visit to Riyadh has been cancelled.He was set to go to Riyadh in April last year.." [more]

Saudi Energy Investments to Top $119bn [Feb 5]
"Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure investments will exceed $119 billion during 2007-2009, says a study. The massive investment will provide considerable opportunities for all players involved in financing, delivering or supporting these projects, said the study titled 'Saudi Arabian Paradox: Opportunities & Challenges in the KSA Energy Infrastructure Market, 2008’, launched by energy management consultancy Contax Group. 'The biggest growth opportunities will be for refining and petrochemical projects, reflecting the kingdom’s desire to diversify from a strong dependence on pure crude exports,'.." [more]

Starbucks Leads to Strip-Search for Saudi Woman [Feb 5]
"Saudi Arabia's religious police detained and strip-searched a woman for sitting in a Starbucks coffeeshop with a male work colleague who is not a member of her family, Arab News reported on Tuesday. The 40-year-old financial consultant, named only as Yara, told the paper she was arrested on Monday by members of the powerful Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. She was holding a business meeting with the man in a branch of Starbucks in Riyadh.. ..She said the religious police, known as the Muttawa, released her several hours later after her husband, Hatim, intervened. 'I look at this as if she had been kidnapped by thugs,' said Hatim. The paper said the man with whom Yara had coffee, an unnamed Syrian financial analyst, was also arrested and remains in custody.." [more]

Arab Education Falling Behind [Feb 5]
"The World Bank has said the quality of education in the Arab world is falling behind other regions and needs urgent reform if it is to tackle unemployment. In a report, bank officials said Arab states had to make improving education their top priority, because it went hand-in-hand with economic development. The region had not seen the increasing literacy and school enrolment witnessed in Asia and Latin America.. ..A senior World Bank official, Marwan Muasher, told the BBC that educational reform had to take top priority if the region's youth were to be better equipped in a fast-changing world and high unemployment combated.." [more]

New TV Channel to Cover Shoura Discussions Live [Feb 5]
"Saudi TV will soon have a fifth channel, Iyad Amin Madani, Minister of Culture and Information revealed. The channel will have "serious" programming such as live transmissions of Shoura Council sessions and municipal councils' meetings, and documentaries. Madani revealed the plan on Sunday during a closed-door discussion in the Shoura Council.. ..Madani, in explaining his ministry's firm stand against satellite channels that promote tribalism and regionalism, said, 'We will never allow it because the media is the forefront of confronting whatever threatens the county's national unity.' He said it is the Saudi media's duty to even confront any Arab channel that promotes matters like regionalism or encourages nepotism.." [more]

Embassy Staff in Chad Flown Out to Gabon [Feb 5]
" A group of 10 diplomats and employees, including the ambassador, from the Saudi Embassy in the Chadian capital N’Djamena was expected to arrive here in the next 24 hours after they were airlifted by a French military aircraft from an airbase in the war-torn African country yesterday.. ..Guepratte said a special Saudi plane had already landed in Gabon to bring the Saudi diplomats and citizens home. The move to quickly evacuate the Saudi Embassy officials came after a bomb hit the residence of the Saudi ambassador to Chad, killing two relatives of an embassy employee.." [more]

Arabia Insurance Makes Strong Debut on Tadawul [Feb 5]
"The new Arabia Insurance Cooperative Company made a strong debut on the Tadawul yesterday. The SR10 Arabia Insurance’s shares opened at SR59.75 and reached a high of SR104.75 and a low of SR59.50 before closing at SR78 on the first day of trading. It is the 111th company to be traded on Tadawul and 16th in the insurance sector. The Capital Market Authority (CMA) also announced yesterday that the listing and trading of Trade Union Cooperative Insurance Company will take place on Feb. 9. The Tadawul All-Shares Index (TASI) surged 93.45 points to close at 9,747.27 yesterday.." [more]

German Firms Seek Saudi Partners in Health Sector [Feb 5]
"A 16-member medical technology and health care delegation from Bavaria, Germany, is in the Kingdom to explore possibilities to join hands with local health care companies. 'Bavaria is well known for its hospitals and health care facilities and some of the members of the delegation have been meeting local heads of hospitals and health care providers to reach cooperation deals,' he told Arab News. 'Our delegates are seeking cooperation with local hospitals for management, technical know-how and exchange programs involving specialists, doctors and nurses,'.. ..Bayern International, represented by Wager, is a service enterprise of the Bavarian state government. Its tasks include promotion and intensification of international activities of Bavarian firms worldwide.." [more]

Saudi Mobily Founders Can Sell Shares to Foreigners [Feb 5]
"Founding shareholders of Saudi Arabian mobile telephone operator Etihad Etisalat 7020.SE (Mobily) will offer to sell 20 percent of the company to local and foreign investors, the company's CEO said on Tuesday. 'They are free to sell to whoever they want,' Chief Executive Khaled al-Kaf told Reuters.. ..Six Saudi institutional investors including the state-run Public Pension Agency and the General Organisation for Social Insurance (GOSI) have 45 percent of the firm's shares. 'Of course we want strategic investors, preferably in Saudi Arabia ... But we will not hesitate to look elsewhere depending on price offers and the quality of investors that are bidding,'.." [more]

France to Help Evacuate Saudis Trapped in Chad [Feb 4]
"Saudi Arabia and France are working closely to evacuate Saudi citizens in Chad amid reports that fierce fighting was continuing between rebels and government forces in the former French colony. The Saudi and French foreign ministries are coordinating their efforts for immediate evacuation of Saudi nationals, senior Saudi and French officials said here yesterday.. ..Eight diplomats and employees of the Saudi Embassy in Ndjamena are holed up at the Saudi ambassador’s house, said the source, adding there are some Saudi citizens, who need urgent help to fly out of that country. The situation, he said, has become very serious after two members of a Saudi Embassy employee’s family were killed on Saturday.." [more]

Kuwait, Saudi to Increase Neutral Zone Oil Capacity [Feb 4]
"Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are on track to boost oil output capacity in the shared Neutral Zone between the two countries by 50,000 barrels a day by 2009, a Kuwaiti official said on Monday. The capacity boost would come entirely from the offshore area, taking the total capacity for the zone to around 624,000 bpd, said Bader al-Khashti, managing director of Kuwait Gulf Oil Company. Current output capacity at the onshore area was around 274,000 barrels per day.. ..Saudi Arabia and Kuwait share an estimated 550,000 barrels per day of output from the Neutral Zone, a region between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that dates back to 1920s treaties to establish regional borders. Kuwait also hopes to have a development plan in place for the Kuwait and Saudi sectors of the massive Dorra gas field by the end of the year after it completes a seismic survey.." [more]

Cisco Wins Saudi Economic City Infrastructure Contract [Feb 4]
"US-based Cisco has won the contract to design the information and communications technology infrastructure for Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). The company will also provide network consultancy and advisory services to the city's master developers, Emaar, the Economic City (EEC).. ..Cisco is already developing the communications network for the kingdom's Knowledge Economic City (KEC). KEC is expected to spend $266m on building the communications infrastructure to connect its 4.8 million square metre development, and a total of $6.6bn on information technology and telecommunications over 12 years.." [more]

Sharia Protects Rights of Women [Feb 4]
"Saudis rejected the gloomy picture of status of women in the country as drawn by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discriminations against Women. The Geneva-based committee, in a report released on Friday, said women in Saudi Arabia are the victims of systematic and pervasive discrimination across all aspects of social life.. ..Dr Misfer Al Qah'tani, deputy chairman of the Saudi National Human Rights Society (NHRS), an independent Saudi human rights body, said the status of women in Saudi Arabia is progressing remarkably.. ..Al Qah'tani admitted, however, that there are some obstacles in the implementation of some laws.." [more]

Journalists Shut Out From Madani's Shoura Session [Feb 4]
"Minister of Culture and Information Iyad Madani has reportedly given orders to the Shoura Council to ban Saudi journalists from attending the Shoura session in which he was to appear yesterday. Saudi journalists who made their way to attend the session were turned away.. ..Banning journalists from sessions involving ministers is not uncommon, but in this case journalists were shut out of a session involving the minister in charge of media communications in Saudi Arabia. Even the official Saudi Press Agency did not post any information on Madani's address to the Shoura as of yesterday evening.." [more]

Kingdom to Set Up First Car Manufacturing Plant [Feb 4]
"Saudi Arabia intends to establish its first car manufacturing plant in the eastern city of Dammam. The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technological Regions (SACTR) has reached an agreement with the Gulf Automobile Manufacturing Company to set up the plant with a capital of SR375 million. Toufique Al-Rabeea, director general of SACTR, said the factory would be shifted to the new industrial city in Sudair, where three million square meters would be allocated for the facility. It will produce 300,000 cars in the second phase. Rabeea said there is good prospect for car manufacturing factories in the Kingdom, which currently imports vehicles worth more than SR22 billion annually. Car sales in 2008 are expected to rise by 27 percent compared to last year.." [more]

World Islamic Body Urges More U.N. Action Over Gaza [Feb 3]
"The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which comprises 57 Muslim countries, said on Sunday it would step up action at the United Nations to stop Israel's blockade of Palestinians in Gaza.. ..A slight dampener on the meeting was that few OIC foreign ministers actually took up an OIC call to attend, including Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, suggesting little desire among Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies to rally international action over the issue.Last month the U.N. Human Rights Council last month criticised "grave violations" by Israel in Gaza, which it has blockaded for several weeks in what it says is a response to rocket attacks by Gaza-based Palestinian militants.." [more]

Stocks Key to Opec's March Decision [Feb 3]
"Opec's output policy decision in March will depend on how much crude oil stocks have been drawn down during the winter, influential Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al Nuaimi told Al Arabiya television. Al Nuaimi said predictions of output decisions at the Opec meeting in March were premature, but inventories were currently at the low end of the five-year average range. 'I believe that by the second quarter, stocks will be near the mid-point of the five-year range,' Al Nuaimi told the station on the sidelines of the latest Opec meeting in Vienna.. ..Al Nuaimi said the second quarter was usually used to build up stocks drawn down during the winter, and how much leeway Opec would allow for stock build-ups in the spring would depend on how much fuel was used during the winter.." [more]

Two Saudi Embassy Staff Killed in Blast [Feb 3]
"The wife and daughter of a Saudi employee at the Saudi embassy in N’Djamena were killed yesterday when a bomb hit the ambassador’s residence, the Saudi foreign ministry announced.. ..The incident occurred as rebels seized Chad’s capital after intense fighting with government forces, and as President Idriss Deby Itno remained holed up in the presidential palace, a military source said. At the time of the explosion, all of the mission’s staff and their families were gathered in the residence in preparation for being evacuated.." [more]

King: Health Care Needs Will Be Met Regardless of Cost [Feb 3]
"Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah stated yesterday that the government would leave no stone unturned to strengthen the health sector. “Nothing is expensive when it comes to people’s health,” the king said, emphasizing the government’s readiness to meet the requirements of the health sector regardless of cost. King Abdullah made this comment after receiving World Health Organization’s (WHO) shield in appreciation of his efforts to combat smoking and for declaring Makkah and Madinah as tobacco-free cities.. ..“There is nothing impossible and nothing expensive for you,” the king told the health officials. “You can tell me anything you want (for the betterment of this sector) and I will accept it with an open mind for the welfare of the Saudi people,”.." [more]

Foreign Minister Receives Foreign Minister of Cyprus [Feb 3]
"Prince Saud Alfaisal, the foreign minister, received here today foreign minister of Cyprus Dr. Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis and the accompanying delegation currently visiting the kingdom. During the meeting, they discussed ways of boosting bilateral relations between the two countries and reviewed regional and international issues of common interest.." [more]

5,000 National Guards Help Secure Oil Facilities [Feb 3]
"A total of 5, 000 National Guard soldiers are supporting security forces guarding oil facilities and foreign consulates in the Eastern Province, said Prince Meshari Bin Saud Bin Abdul Aziz, undersecretary at the National Guard in the Eastern Sector. Prince Meshari said that while that Ministry of Interior is solely responsible for security, the National Guard, just like the other Saudi security divisions, have a supportive role in protecting the country's vital interests and strategic facilities. The Ministry of Interior through the Facilities Protection Administration has trained 7,000 recruits for protecting oil installations and other vital facilities, particularly in the Eastern Province. The ministry plans to train as many as 30,000 recruits to safeguard national and strategic facilities.." [more]

Home Away From Home [Feb 3]
"They are Americans yet they call Saudi Arabia their home. They were born and brought up here. They have a membership of 4,500 Americans. They call themselves Aramco brats. Three of these Aramco brats took upon themselves to rectify the image of their Home, Saudi Arabia. So Todd Nims, Mathew Miller and Zach Nims produced a 90-minute feature length documentary, "HOME - The Aramco Brats' Story." It is about the Kingdom as seen through the eyes of over 100 of expatriate children that grew up here. "The movie is called ‘Home' because this is the way people who lived in the Kingdom and grew up here feel," explained Todd to the Saudi Gazette.." [more]

Grand Mufti Asks Govt to Fix Price Problem [Feb 3]
"Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, the Kingdom’s grand mufti and top religious authority, yesterday urged the government to fix prices of essential commodities in order to control rising prices. “Every effort should be made to contain rising prices of goods all over the Kingdom,” the mufti said in comments published yesterday. “When we check prices of goods we can clearly see the greediness of traders who increase prices without any justification.” He said increasing prices without any genuine reason was against the teachings of Islam. “There is nothing wrong in making profit but it should be within a reasonable limit and it should not harm others.”.." [more]

BMG Index Turnover Up 6.9% [Feb 3]
"The BMG Saudi Index started this week on a negative note, declining by 1.4 percent, to close yesterday’s trading session at 513.63 points. The market turnover advanced by 6.9 percent to reach SR6.3 billion ($1.7 billion), with most of the investments directed toward selling, forcing most of the stocks to depreciate in value.. ..The two leading shares, Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) and Al-Rajhi Bank, were among the session’s losers, pulling the BMG Saudi Index down due to the decline in their share prices by 2.1 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively.." [more]

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