Author: Ramalaan Nasser

Indonesian President Jokowi met with Saudi Arabia PM Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Thursday, October 19. Both leaders agreed to form the Indonesia-Saudi Arabia Supreme Coordination Council to strengthen the working relationship between both countries. “Amidst the increasingly polarized world, the relationship bridged between two countries is needed,” Jokowi said in his opening remarks as quoted by the Presidential Press Bureau on October 20. Jokowi and the Crown Prince inked a number of MoUs between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. In addition to the coordination council, several cooperation agreements were signed, namely between the National Standardization Agency…

After successfully concluding its visit to Oman, the 44th Chinese naval escort taskforce arrived at Shuwaikh Port, Kuwait, as planned, on the morning of October 18, for a five-day goodwill visit. Guided by Kuwaiti naval patrol craft Failaka, warships of the Chinese taskforce including ship Zibo, ship Jingzhou and ship Qiandaohu docked at Shuwaikh Port, Kuwait, at around 9:00 in the morning. They were welcomed by more than 200 people including representatives of the Kuwaiti military, staff of the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait, and overseas Chinese. After that, participants in the ceremony boarded the ships Zibo and Jingzhou for visit…

Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has signed contracts worth $1.73bn linked to rehabilitating the soil of oilfields damaged during Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, according to a document seen by Reuters. The contracts are for “rehabilitation, treatment, drilling, transportation, and backfilling, covering all affected areas and areas to be rehabilitated within the oilfields”, oil minister Saad Al-Barrak said in response to a parliamentary query, according to the document dated October 4. The document did not name the entities KOC signed the contracts with. Iraq in February last year completed the payment of $52.4bn to compensate individuals, companies and governments who…

Iraq has launched three energy contracts with UAE-based Crescent Petroleum to develop three oil and gas fields in Iraq, the oil ministry said on Sunday. United Arab Emirates-based Crescent Petroleum signed in February three 20-year contracts to develop oil and natural gas fields in Iraq’s Basra and Diyala provinces in northeastern Baghdad. Iraq to leverage existing reserves The Crescent Petroleum contracts are expected to begin producing 400 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas within 18 months, the oil ministry statement quoted Iraq’s oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani as saying. Abdel-Ghani, who attended the launch at the oil ministry…

The final phase of registration for candidates who want to run in Iran’s parliamentary election next year opened Thursday, state media reported. Nearly 49,000 people filed initial paperwork in August seeking to run for the 290-seat parliament in the election, set for March 1, 2024. The elections will be the first since nationwide protests rocked the country last year. That is a record number and more than three times the 16,000 registrations filed in the last election in 2020, when voter turnout was its lowest since 1979. Just over 42% of eligible voters cast ballots at the time. Candidates have…

His Majesty King Hamad yesterday met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, as part of his visit to Italy. His Majesty and the Italian Prime Minister reviewed ways of consolidating the strong relations between the two countries, as well as various aspects of co-operation and joint action that achieve their common interests. They discussed the latest regional and international developments, and in particular, developments in the Gaza Strip. His Majesty reaffirmed Bahrain’s keenness to continue its approach to strengthen security and stability and consolidate peace in the region. He reaffirmed that the kingdom supports the co-ordination of all efforts towards…

Addressing the increasing demand for logistics solutions in Saudi Arabia, Kuehne+Nagel partnered exclusively with Tamer Logistics for the provision of contract logistics and to supplement the existing freight forwarding activities Kuehne+Nagel already operates in the country. “Thanks to the partnership, Kuehne+Nagel’s globally recognised contract logistics expertise, advanced digital solutions, and flexible approach are complemented by a vast local network of state-of-the-art warehousing facilities and a robust fleet provided by the Tamer Group,” reads the release. Since its inception in Saudi Arabia in 1977, Kuehne+Nagel Saudi Arabia has been providing air, sea, road, and project logistics solutions. The partnership enhances the…

LinkedIn owner Microsoft has announced a fresh round of job cuts, with around 670 roles set to go. The social network company says the jobs affected are across its engineering, talent and finance teams. It comes after LinkedIn axed 716 jobs in May and follows cuts at other big tech firms. “Talent changes are a difficult, but necessary and regular part of managing our business,” the firm wrote in a post on the LinkedIn website. The latest job cuts represent about 3% of the company’s workforce of 20,000 staff. LinkedIn makes its money through job ad listings and premium subscriptions…

The Executive Committee overseeing the development of the Integrated Economic Zone at Al Dhahirah Governorate (EZAD) yesterday held its second meeting in 2023 under the chairmanship of Eng. Ahmed Hassan Al Dheeb, Deputy Chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) and Chairman of the committee. During the meeting, the Committee discussed the status of the establishment of the Omani-Saudi Company, which will manage and operate EZAD. It also addressed the development plan for EZAD infrastructure facilities, the In-Country Value, and how to identify investment opportunities for EZAD targeted sectors. It also highlighted the most…

The first ever seaplane company launched in Saudia Arabia, Fly Red Sea, has celebrated the take-off of its first seaplane flight. A subsidiary of Red Sea Global, described as ‘the visionary company behind some of the world’s most ambitious development ventures, including luxury regenerative tourism destinations such as The Red Sea and Amaala,’ Fly Red Sea is the first seaplane company launched in the kingdom. It operates a fleet of four Cessna Caravan 208 seaplanes, each equipped with luxury interiors, capable of transporting up to nine guests for scenic tours or six passengers (and their luggage) for transfers to water-based…