http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/countries/saudi-arabiaen-usCopyright 2012 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved.Tue, 15 May 2012 04:09:00 GMT5014476http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/countries/saudi-arabiahttp://www.zawya.com/images/newsletter_zawya_logo.gifhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Indian_Company_for_Cooperative_Insurance_adopts_Brand_name_as_WAFA_Insurance-ZAWYA20120516040945/Saudi Indian Company for Cooperative Insurance announces that it has received approval from the Board of Directors, its shareholder and the relevant governmental agencies to adopt the Brand name WAFA Insurance.Wed, 16 May 2012 07:28:08 GMTTadawul ZAWYA20120516040945Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/UAE_accounts_for_31_of_GCC_banking_assets-ZAWYA20120516040329/The UAE banks have the largest share of banking assets in the GCC that rose by 8.9% in 2011 to USD 1.46 trillion, equivalent to 106% of regional gross domestic product, or GDP. Wed, 16 May 2012 06:58:05 GMTKhaleej Times ZAWYA20120516040329Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Gitex_Saudi_Arabia_attracts_global_exhibitors-ZAWYA20120516034307/Gitex Saudi Arabia 2012, the 11th international information and communications technology exhibition for Saudi Arabia, has already confirmed the participation of over 250 local and international exhibitors from 16 countries ahead of its opening on May 21.Wed, 16 May 2012 06:40:25 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120516034307Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Aviation_Horizons_scaling_new_heights-ZAWYA20120516034356/Further to the cooperation agreement signed between Saudia Private Aviation (SPA) and Aviation Horizons limited in Jeddah, SPA and Aviation Horizons continue their efforts of cooperation in the private aviation industry. Wed, 16 May 2012 06:05:09 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120516034356Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Jeddah_port_to_become_metals_shipping_hub-ZAWYA20120516032619/The port of Jeddah may list as a delivery point for London Metal Exchange metals as soon as early next year, Steven Spencer of UK-based metals trading company Ambro Limited said. Wed, 16 May 2012 05:40:22 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120516032619Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Hafiz_Inspiration_for_job_seekers_in_Saudi_Kingdom-ZAWYA20120516031803/More than a million Saudis are benefiting from the Hafiz unemployment program launched in 2011.Wed, 16 May 2012 05:39:15 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120516031803Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Rising_number_of_Saudi_graduates_evidence_of_kings_support_concern-ZAWYA20120516031123/The fact that the number of Saudi graduates from universities in 46 countries has reached 130,000 shows Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's support and concern for education in Saudi Arabia, according to local educationalists and students.Wed, 16 May 2012 05:37:20 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120516031123Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Mishari_affirms_success_of_Baha_investment_projects-ZAWYA20120516031028/Baha Gov. Prince Mishari bin Saud highlighted investment opportunities in the region. "All economic indicators prove the success of investment projects in Baha." he said while opening the first investment forum in the region.Wed, 16 May 2012 05:34:55 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120516031028Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Makkah_smart_city_project_gathers_pace-ZAWYA20120516030747/The King Abdullah development project will make Makkah the first smart city in the Kingdom, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled said.Wed, 16 May 2012 05:32:14 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120516030747Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_to_further_discuss_union_proposal-ZAWYA20120515050433/Leaders agreed to allow more time for further discussions over a proposal to turn the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council into a union, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said after a GCC leaders' summit.Tue, 15 May 2012 10:47:12 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120515050433Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Sabic_funds_research_at_KFUPM-ZAWYA20120515050234/The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) and the Dhahran-based King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) are exploring new avenues for future collaborative research in multi-disciplinary fields of technology and innovation and knowledge development.Tue, 15 May 2012 10:45:56 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120515050234Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Labor_Ministry_to_redefine_Kafeel_system_ease_transfers-ZAWYA20120515050105/The Ministry of Labor has begun steps to redefine some of the terms linked to the 'Kafeel' (sponsorship) system such as the regulation governing the process of the transfer of the services, said Ahmed Al-Hemaidan, Undersecretary for Labor Affairs.Tue, 15 May 2012 10:45:22 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120515050105Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Bahra_Cables__to_launch_automated_warehousing_facility_on_an_area_of_10000_square_meters-ZAWYA20120515063407/Within its general strategy to keep abreast of latest global business development, Bahra Cables Co. Ltd., a CPC affiliated company, is getting ready to open a new automated storage facility uses latest technologies in the areas of storage and products classifications.Tue, 15 May 2012 10:34:41 GMTPress Release ZAWYA20120515063407Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Notice_of_merger_of_Bahraini_Saudi_Bank_BSC_with_AlSalam_BankBahrain_BSC-ZAWYA20120515063221/Pursuant to the resolution of Bahraini Saudi Bank BSC shareholders in their Extraordinary General Assembly meeting to merge its business with Al-Salam Bank-Bahrain BSC, and the resolution of ASBB's Extraordinary General Assembly meeting approving the merger with BSB, ASBB notifies that the merger has been completed. Tue, 15 May 2012 10:31:02 GMTPress Release ZAWYA20120515063221Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/BMI_Saudi_Arabia_Real_Estate_Report_Apr12-pdf_150512095251/The Saudi Arabia Real Estate report examines the Commercial Office, Retail and Industrial segments throughout the Kingdom in the context of our bullish outlook for the economy and buoyant construction sector.With a focus on the two principal cities of Riyadh and Jeddah, the report covers the rental market performance in terms of rates and yields over the past 18 months and examines how best to maximise returns in the commercial real estate market, while minimising investment risk and exploring the impact of the government fed construction boom on a market already characterized by oversupply. The key growth areas driven by increasing activity on the part of international investors and the potential of the domestic consumer market are also explored with corporate growth strategies looking to the Kingdom for expansionary opportunities.Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia’s various real estate sectors are developing in different directions and at varying rates. The commercial market in general suffers from oversupply and is forecast to undergo limited growth in the short term; the data from H211 does not contradict this long-held view in light of the dynamic supply pipeline. Of the three sub-sectors that we survey there are pockets of growth opportunity, particularly in the retail and industrial segments.There are, however, some positive fundamentals which will serve to support the real estate sector in the medium term, including the buoyant construction sector. The transport segment is also booming, especially in terms of rail infrastructure, with US$24bn of projects currently under way or in the pipeline. Positive infrastructure and pipeline developments, combined with a strengthening macroeconomic backdrop will insulate the economy somewhat from global economic headwinds.Key Points:- Riyadh's announcement that it will implement another expansionary budget in 2012 highlights the government's ongoing concerns about the need to shore up its key bases of support, givenTue, 15 May 2012 09:48:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_150512095251Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/BMI_Middle_East_and_Africa_Food_and_Drink_May12-pdf_150512090206/BMI’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) ratings assess a market’s attractiveness to industry investors in comparison with its peers. The reward part of the rating takes into account market size, current consumption levels, future industry growth prospects (based on our five-year industry forecasts), market fragmentation (with greater fragmentation indicating higher opportunities) and the size of the youth population. Meanwhile, the risk part of the rating takes into account the legislative environment, the level of development of the organised retail sector (with higher development leading to lower risks), as well as relevant aspects of the economic and political environment.Tue, 15 May 2012 08:58:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_150512090206Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/BMI_Middle_East_and_Africa_Telecommunications_May12-pdf_150512084547/Mobile content in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is evolving rapidly as a result of strong uptake of smartphones and mobile data services, as well as operators' moves to expand their revenue streams through value-added services (VAS) amid declining revenue growth from basic services. BMI notes that the development of mobile content in region is mainly homogenous, with a mixture of telecoms crossovers such as m-health and m-banking, and internet-based mobile applications, apart from a handful of markets where 3G network services have not been launched. Meanwhile, there are clear signs that VAS are also becoming increasingly important to businesses. BMI believes this development is the main driver growing investments in corporate mobile content such as machine-to-machine (M2M).Tue, 15 May 2012 08:41:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_150512084547Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Kingdom_regions_leader_in_healthcare_services-ZAWYA20120515045605/The rapidly growing health sector in the GCC countries, which a recent study estimated to expand at 11% annually and attract USD 160 billion by 2015, augurs well for all businesses in the market, including the e-health solutions providers.Tue, 15 May 2012 08:39:08 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120515045605Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Access_to_liquidity_main_snag_facing_Saudi_SMEs-ZAWYA20120515045411/Although Saudi Arabia is among the most competitive countries in the G20 group of nations and the most competitive rapid-growth market in the group, SMEs are not playing their perceived role and are still facing many challenges, according to Richard Banks, Director of Euromoney Saudi Arabia Conference.Tue, 15 May 2012 08:36:53 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120515045411Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/مدير_إدارة_الطرق__السعودية_دراسة_وتنفيذ_131_مشروعا_بـ_35_مليارات_ريال-ZAWYA20120515065827/لم يقتصر دور الوزارة والإدارة على التنفيذ بل تقوم كذلك بالإشراف والمتابعة للمشاريع تحت التنفيذ وصيانة المشاريع المنفذة. Tue, 15 May 2012 08:32:48 GMTAl Watan ZAWYA20120515065827Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/إندماج_البنك_البحريني_السعودي_في_مصرف_السلامالبحرين-ZAWYA20120515070920/اعتبارا من تاريخ 25 ابريل 2012 أصبح مصرف السلام-البحرين المالك المطلق لأصول البنك البحريني السعودي بالكامل وحل محله في جميع الحقوق والالتزامات. Tue, 15 May 2012 08:27:05 GMTPress Release ZAWYA20120515070920Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Oil_falls_near_5month_low_on_Saudi_price_call-ZAWYA20120515044801/Crude-oil futures fell 1.4% to a fresh 2012 low below USD 95 a barrel as Saudi Arabia's oil minister said prices should decline further and amid mounting worries about the state of Greece's economy.Tue, 15 May 2012 08:25:00 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120515044801Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_business_confidence_top_in_Middle_East-ZAWYA20120515044455/Saudi Arabia and the UAE displayed a high level of business confidence, with 42% and 38.5% of respondents respectively reporting confidence gains, the latest edition of the Global Economic Conditions Survey conducted by ACCA and IMA.Tue, 15 May 2012 07:14:03 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120515044455Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Pure_Gold_revenue_climbs_20_in_Q1-ZAWYA20120515043337/Pure Gold Jewellers announced that its first-quarter revenue increased 20% compared to the corresponding period last year, with 28% due to higher volume sales in diamond jewellery and around 19% attributed to gold jewellery sales. Tue, 15 May 2012 07:11:41 GMTKhaleej Times ZAWYA20120515043337Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Arabian_Cooperative_Insurance_obtained_the_final_approval_from_SAMA_for_the_sale_of_the_Group_Life_Insurance_Policy-ZAWYA20120515040252/Saudi Arabian Cooperative Insurance Company announced that it had obtained the final approval from SAMA for the sale of the Group Life Insurance Policy .Tue, 15 May 2012 06:56:15 GMTTadawul ZAWYA20120515040252Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Zamil_Industrial_subsidiary_awarded_a_contract_from_the_Ministry_of_Education_worth_SAR341m-ZAWYA20120515040223/Zamil Industrial Investment Company (Zamil Industrial) announces that Zamil Air Conditioners has been awarded a contract to supply its brand of air conditioning units to numerous Ministry of Education schools in various provinces and regions of Saudi Arabia. Tue, 15 May 2012 06:51:45 GMTTadawul ZAWYA20120515040223Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Gulf_Union_Cooperative_Insurance_announces_obtaining_the_renewal_of_requalification_from_CCHI-ZAWYA20120515040115/Gulf Union Cooperative Insurance obtained renewal of requalification from CCHI by a correspondence letter number Q/T2/33/780 dated 23/6/1433H, which received on 23/6/1433H corresponding to 14/5/2012 that obtained the renewal of company requalification from CCHI starting from 19/5/1433H for one year and ending on 18/5/1434 H. Tue, 15 May 2012 06:50:14 GMTTadawul ZAWYA20120515040115Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Arabian_Cooperative_Insurance_obtained_renewal_of_SAMA_temporary_approvals_for_sale_of_26_insurance_products-ZAWYA20120515040124/The Saudi Arabian Cooperative Insurance Company announced that it had obtained the renewal of the temporary approvals from SAMA for the sale of (26) insurance products.Tue, 15 May 2012 06:40:48 GMTTadawul ZAWYA20120515040124Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Iranian_parliament_condemns_idea_of_BahrainSaudi_union-ZAWYA20120515035031/TEHRAN - One hundred and ninety Iranian MPs issued a statement on Sunday strongly condemning the decision made by Persian Gulf Arab states to discuss a proposal for a closer political union that could begin with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Tue, 15 May 2012 06:38:10 GMTTehran Times ZAWYA20120515035031Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Struggling_with_Nitaqat_implementation_say_employers-ZAWYA20120515032044/Private sector employers are struggling to keep up with the pace of reform as they grapple with the implementation of Nitaqat, according to a new report from Hay Group.Tue, 15 May 2012 06:29:05 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120515032044Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/CMA_luring_family_firms_to_Saudi_stock_market-ZAWYA20120515031859/Saudi Capital market authority (CMA) is conducting talks with some of family-owned companies to have them listed on local Saudi stock exchange (Tadawul), according to financial sources.Tue, 15 May 2012 06:27:45 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120515031859Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Schools_hike_fees_parents_call_for_urgent_regulation_in_KSA-ZAWYA20120515050611/In response to the decision calling for raising the salaries of Saudi teachers in the private sector, many private schools in Makkah recently sent parents letters and SMS messages notifying them of a 30 percent hike in tuition fees for the next academic year.Tue, 15 May 2012 06:09:14 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120515050611Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Air_India_cancels_13_Saudi_flights-ZAWYA20120515032020/Air India has canceled 13 flights to and from Saudi Arabia amid an ongoing pilots strike that has left thousands of passengers stranded at several Gulf and Indian airports.Tue, 15 May 2012 06:04:46 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120515032020Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Syrian_crisis_will_not_wreck_SinoSaudi_ties_says_Beijing-ZAWYA20120515031606/The situation in Syria will not affect the excellent Sino-Saudi relations, a senior Chinese official said.Tue, 15 May 2012 05:59:34 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120515031606Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Arabia_GACA_extends_RFP_deadline_for_airline_licenses-ZAWYA20120515032654/Aviation companies and foreign airlines will get another two months to present their proposals to secure licenses for operating both domestic and international services from Saudi Arabia.Tue, 15 May 2012 05:58:16 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120515032654Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Panel_reviews_Riyadh_transport_project-ZAWYA20120515032453/The high committee for supervising the implementation of the public transport project in Riyadh has held its first meeting. Tue, 15 May 2012 05:52:15 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120515032453Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Expats_find_supply_of_critical_drugs_limited_in_pharmacies_in_KSA-ZAWYA20120515051055/Expats face significant challenges buying drugs for certain illnesses in Saudi Arabia. Drugs for thyroid gland, heart and high blood pressure have limited availability at pharmacies that are not attached to public hospitals, a source told Saudi Gazette.Tue, 15 May 2012 05:47:38 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120515051055Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/NCB_Market_Review__Outlook_14May12-pdf_150512054834/This is a PDF report. Tue, 15 May 2012 05:47:00 GMTNational Commercial Bank pdf_150512054834Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Arabia_Sponsorship_system_on_its_way_out-ZAWYA20120515031040/Deputy Labor Minister for workers affairs Ahmad Al-Humaidan said that the ministry had started taking practical steps aimed at scrapping the individual sponsorship (kafala) system.Tue, 15 May 2012 05:38:00 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120515031040Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_warns_Iran_against_meddling-ZAWYA20120515031111/A consultative meeting of GCC leaders chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah agreed to give more time to work out details of the proposed Gulf Union. Tue, 15 May 2012 05:35:48 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120515031111Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Arabia_Naif_orders_moves_to_contain_rising_prices-ZAWYA20120515030911/Crown Prince Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, has issued directives to several authorities to take effective measures to contain price rises and check counterfeit goods flooding the local market.Tue, 15 May 2012 05:34:15 GMTArab News ZAWYA20120515030911Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_to_see_stable_growth_report-ZAWYA20120515030851/Saudi Arabia's economy recorded high growth in 2011 and is expected to maintain good performance through 2012 unless tension escalates in the Gulf because of Iran's nuclear programmes.Tue, 15 May 2012 05:31:27 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20120515030851Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_assets_surge_USD456bn_in_2011-ZAWYA20120515030757/A surge in oil prices and region's crude production boosted the net foreign assets of Gulf hydrocarbon producers by a whopping USD456 billion in 2011 to record their biggest asset increase since they began exporting oil.Tue, 15 May 2012 05:28:34 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20120515030757Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_FM_tells_Iran_to_keep_out_of_SaudiBahrain_affairs-ANA20120514T171033ZTYS98/Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Monday that Iran should keep out of the kingdom's relations with Shiite-majority Bahrain, even if the two states decide to form a union.Tue, 15 May 2012 04:36:39 GMTAFP ANA20120514T171033ZTYS98Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/جامعة_نجران_في_السعودية_تنتهي_من_42_مشروعا_تعليميا_بقيمة_5_مليار_ريال_العام_2015-ZAWYA20120514083900/تسعى جامعة نجران السعودية إلى الانتهاء من 42 مشروعاً تعلميّاً بقيمة 5 مليار ريال سعودي (1.333 مليار دولار)، حتى 2015، وفقاً لما صرّح به مدير إدارة المشاريع بجامعة نجران لزاوية.Mon, 14 May 2012 08:45:49 GMTZawya ZAWYA20120514083900Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Madina_Best_performing_city_for_hotel_investments-ZAWYA20120514042802/The city of Madina is the best performing city in the Middle East for hotel investment, Ernst & Young said in a new study.Madina had the highest growth in average room rate in the first quarter of 2012, increasing 14.9 percent to $170, while occupancy was also up 15 percent to an average of 72 percent in the same period.Mon, 14 May 2012 07:39:11 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120514042802Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_nonoil_sector_to_ease_Study-ZAWYA20120514043136/The growth in the Saudi non-oil sector will ease due to high base effects in 2012, the National Commercial Bank said in its "Saudi Economic Perspectives 2012-2013" report .Mon, 14 May 2012 07:38:17 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120514043136Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/STC_picks_Huawei_for_WDM_networks_in_Saudi_Arabia-ZAWYA20120514043443/Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has selected leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider Huawei to supply new solutions to the company's next-generation metro optical wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) networks in the Kingdom.Mon, 14 May 2012 07:37:38 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20120514043443Open