Middle East

Jeddah, Mar 3: Top private sector developers yesterday at Cityscape Jeddah called on the government to work with them to streamline several processes that cause delays, making it nearly impossible to develop affordable housing projects to solve the housing crisis. “Among the limits and challenges facing Saudi developers, is for example the regulations concerning the Municipality’s issuance of

Jeddah, Mar 2: Total investments in real estates across Saudi Arabia have reached more than SR 2 trillion, making the country one of the top real estate markets in the world. “The Kingdom’s housing need in 2020 is estimated at 4.5 million units at an estimated cost of SR 117 billion annually and it would need 110 million square meters of housing plots,” said Khaled Al-Ghamdi, chairman of Taifah Al

Feb 28: Dubai’s RTA will adopt a new electronic system in the second quarter of this year for recording driving test results to reduce human errors, the Al Roeya newspaper has reported. This could reduce complaints of bias by driving licence applicants, said Ahmed Bahrouzyan, Chief Executive Officer, RTA Licensing Agency. Inspectors will be provided with the electronic devices to record the result

Jeddah, Feb 27: About 34 percent of foreign workers in the Kingdom seek to return home due to several reasons including rising cost of living. An HSBC survey has confirmed that most expats in Saudi Arabia find integration difficult and raising children expensive. “Despite the strong economy and the pull of job opportunities, it is unhealthy for the Saudi economy to let expats leave,” said

Tehran, Feb 26: The granting of the Best Picture Oscar to the Iranophobic movie Argo has long been foreseeable as the Machiavellian maneuvering of Hollywood propaganda harbors a much more elaborate imperialistic scheme, political analysts say. “I put my money on this film to win the Best Picture Oscar (even though there is nothing remotely “best” about it) especially if Obama can pull off winning

Jeddah, Feb 25: Thirty women Shoura members took part in the discussions of the Saudi consultative body for the first time yesterday. “It was a historic day for Saudi women,” said one female member. The meeting appointed three women as deputy chairpersons of subsidiary panels. Zainab Abutaleb said yesterday’s Shoura session that began at 10 a.m. was well organized, adding that it discussed a

Dubai, Feb 24: As a host country for more than 200 different nationalities and a vibrant hub of international commerce, trade and tourism, the UAE today is one of the most connected nations on the planet. Dubai, the bustling nerve centre of the Arab world’s second largest economy and one of the most sought-after shopping, conference and exhibition destinations in the world — well-connected to the

Riaydh, Feb 24: The Ministry of Justice has finalized the schedule to fill the jobs at the reconciliation centers, which was approved last week by the Council of Ministers. According to Muhammad Fu’aym, assistant deputy minister of justice for judicial referral, said the cases will be promptly referred to the centers, but the step will not be mandatory. No deadline was given for the time period

Riyadh, Feb 23: Saudi Arabia’s per capita income rose 27.2 percent from 2010 to 2011 following an increase of 17.1 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to a report by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA). Preliminary figures indicate that expenditure on GDP increased by 31 percent to SR 2.239 billion, “including import duties,” during 2011, said the report. This compares to SR 1.709 billion

Riyadh, Feb 20: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Tuesday swore in the country’s first female members of the Shoura Council, along with their male counterparts, and urged them to carry out the job with responsibility. “I am happy to meet you at the opening of the sixth Shoura session in which women are taking part for the first time. May Allah bless you all with good vision and