http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/countries/saudi-arabiaen-usCopyright 2013 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved.Wed, 22 May 2013 03:35:00 GMT5014476http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/countries/saudi-arabiahttp://www.zawya.com/images/newsletter_zawya_logo.gifhttp://www.zawya.com/story/IMF_sees_Saudi_economic_slowdown_warns_of_inflation-ZAWYA20130522033515/Saudi economic growth will slow to 4.4% in 2013 from 6.8% last year due to an expected fall in oil production, and cuts in government spending, the International Monetary Fund said.Wed, 22 May 2013 05:01:59 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130522033515Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/KSA_heading_for_76_nonoil_growth_in_2013-ZAWYA20130522033713/Inflationary pressure is likely to continue to remain subdued in the Kingdom this year in the absence of external shocks to food prices, says a top Riyadh-based economist.Wed, 22 May 2013 05:00:55 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130522033713Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Arabia_leads_equity_issuances_with_listings_over_USD100m-ZAWYA20130522033920/With another relatively slow 12 months for actual equity issuances in the GCC, and with Saudi Arabia leading the league table with five listings over USD 100 million, a number of factors are responsible for the low volume of initial public offerings (IPOs), according to experts from Deloitte in the Middle East.Wed, 22 May 2013 04:59:10 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130522033920Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Australia_seeks_to_raise_dairy_exports_to_Saudi_Arabia-ZAWYA20130522034559/Australia aims to increase its dairy exports to Saudi Arabia from 28,000 tons (USD 80 million) to 50,000 tons in the next five years, according to Peter Myers, Dairy Australia's international trade development manager.Wed, 22 May 2013 04:57:39 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130522034559Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/KSA_Turkey_boost_ties-ZAWYA20130522035110/Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed on Tuesday key industrial and defense pacts.Wed, 22 May 2013 04:57:16 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130522035110Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/201000_illegal_workers_deported_in_past_3_months-ZAWYA20130522035115/The Passport Department has deported 201,000 illegal workers, including Syrians, in the past three months.Wed, 22 May 2013 04:56:18 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130522035115Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Ten_more_arrested_in_KSA_in_Iranian_espionage_case-ZAWYA20130522044532/An official spokesman from the Saudi government has confirmed the arrest of 10 people involved in an Iranian espionage cell who were allegedly associated with the same spy network that was dismantled in March of this year by Saudi security officials.Wed, 22 May 2013 04:51:44 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130522044532Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Markaz_Sector_Report__GCC_Water_Sector_04Mar13-pdf_210513103615/The Middle East is one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. The region's challenge is twofold. On one hand, natural water resources are close to zero, and on the other, water consumption rates in the GCC region are one of the highest in the world. Freshwater resources available in the region are lower than 1% of the total available global freshwater. However, the region is home to almost 6% of the world's population. Furthermore, its population growth is one of the highest in the world.Tue, 21 May 2013 10:32:00 GMTKuwait Financial Centre - Markaz pdf_210513103615Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Markaz_Sector_Report__GCC_Water_Sector_04Mar13-pdf_210513103201/This is a PDF report. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:00 GMTKuwait Financial Centre - Markaz pdf_210513103201Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Markaz_Sector_Report__Saudi_Power_09May13-pdf_210513101910/Among the GCC economies, Saudi Arabia can be addressed as the most aggressive nation with respect to investments in the Power sector. Reasons are multifold. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia struggles to keep pace with the increasing demand for electricity. Factors, which drive the rapid growth in demand of energy, in the Kingdom, are the population growth and high level of urbanization.Tue, 21 May 2013 10:18:00 GMTKuwait Financial Centre - Markaz pdf_210513101910Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Markaz_Sector_Report__Saudi_Power_09May13-pdf_210513101539/This is a PDF report. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:14:00 GMTKuwait Financial Centre - Markaz pdf_210513101539Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Dubai_DSI_wins_construction_deal_worth_USD460m_in_Saudi_Arabia-ZW20130521000017/Dubai's Drake & Scull International said its general contracting unit has won a SAR 1.73 billion(USD 460 million) contract from Lamar Investment and Real Estate Development Co. in Saudi Arabia. Tue, 21 May 2013 06:25:30 GMTZawya Dow Jones News ZW20130521000017Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_private_sector_seeks_bigger_say_in_decisions-ZAWYA20130521031416/The private sector in six Gulf hydrocarbon producers is demanding a bigger say in government economic decisions as part of a long term strategy to expand its role in development and become a strategic partner with the public sector.Tue, 21 May 2013 06:05:51 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130521031416Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Fifth_of_firms_in_Saudi_Arabia_still_in_red_zone-ZAWYA20130521031104/25% of Saudi firms are still in the red zone two years after the implementation of Nitaqat program, said Ahmed Al-Hemaidan, undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor, stressing the fact that they are bound to move to the green zone once penalties are imposed on them.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:42:43 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521031104Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/MMG_appoints_GIB_Capital_as_financial_adviser-ZAWYA20130521032253/Mohammad Al-Mojil Group (MMG) signed an agreement with GIB Capital to act as a financial adviser in the financial restructuring program with all the debt holders, creditors and stakeholders.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:18:54 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130521032253Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Malaysia_seeks_new_channels_for_KSA_trade-ZAWYA20130521030159/The Consulate General of Malaysia Commercial section (MATRADE Jeddah) in collaboration with Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) and Jeddah Chamber of Commerce (JCCI) organized a meeting between Saudi businessmen and their Malaysian counterparts in Jeddah yesterday.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:09:26 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521030159Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/National_Water_Company_to_invest_SR50bn_in_new_projects-ZAWYA20130521025710/The power and water sectors are experiencing a massive boom in Saudi Arabia, according to Abdulrahman Almutari, head of privatization at the National Water Company (NWC).Tue, 21 May 2013 05:08:31 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521025710Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GIB_Capital_to_advise_MMG_on_financial_restructuring-ZAWYA20130521030656/Mohammad Al-Mojil Group (MMG) has announced that its board of directors approved the signing of an agreement with GIB Capital, the investment banking arm of Gulf International Bank (GIB) in Saudi Arabia, to act as a financial adviser in its financial restructuring program with all debt holders, creditors and stakeholders.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:07:41 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521030656Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Call_for_authority_to_regulate_Saudi_real_estate_market-ZAWYA20130521030122/The two-day Saudi International Real Estate Conference (SIRC 3), organized by the National Real Estate Commission of Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) in collaboration with a group of economists and businessmen, ended in Riyadh yesterday.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:06:30 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521030122Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/KACST_Saudi_Aramco_to_discuss_model_incubator_in_Eastern_Province-ZAWYA20130521030249/The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Saudi Aramco will jointly hold a workshop in Dhahran June 6 to discuss development of a specialized incubator for advanced manufacturing in the Eastern Province.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:06:01 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521030249Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/APICORP_posts_record_profits_seeks_new_ventures-ZAWYA20130521030705/The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP) has announced net profits of USD 109 million for 2012, the highest in the organization's 37-year history.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:05:27 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521030705Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Food_inflation_in_Saudi_Arabia_hits_62-ZAWYA20130521031123/Food prices are the single largest contributor to overall inflation in Saudi Arabia, according to a recent report issued by Jadwa Investment.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:03:33 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521031123Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Visaonarrival_for_Saudis_in_India-ZAWYA20130521031502/The Indian Tourism Ministry has announced that Saudis traveling in tours arranged by a tour operator can now obtain their visa on arrival at any airport in India.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:02:47 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521031502Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_GOSI_eases_burden_on_employers-ZAWYA20130521031542/The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) is beneficial for and helpful to both workers and employers, according to experts in the insurance field.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:02:17 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521031542Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Salmans_Turkey_talks_to_focus_on_key_issues-ZAWYA20130521031724/Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, begins a two-day visit to Turkey today where he will hold talks with Turkish President Abdullah Gul on a wide range of bilateral and regional issues.Tue, 21 May 2013 05:01:41 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130521031724Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Expatriates_in_GCC_vulnerable_to_HIVAids_risk-GN_20052013_210516/A group of expatriates, especially labourers, are considered a high risk group for contracting HIV/Aids in GCC countries, according to Asr Ahmad Toson, a United Nations Population fund (UNFPA) Representative.Tue, 21 May 2013 04:39:46 GMTGulf News GN_20052013_210516Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Middle_East_construction_dispute_values_fall_42_yoy-ZAWYA20130521031607/Even though construction disputes in the Middle East have dropped by 42% to USD 65 million in 2012 from USD 112.5 million in 2011, the value remains the highest in the world.Tue, 21 May 2013 04:34:27 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130521031607Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/SAIREC_set_to_create_real_estate_authority_in_Saudi_Arabia-ZAWYA20130520035318/The 3rd Saudi International Real Estate Conference (SAIREC) opened Sunday, by the Minister of Commerce and Industry Tawfeeq Al Rabiah, with the aim of creating a higher authority for real estate sector in the Kingdom.Mon, 20 May 2013 09:52:33 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130520035318Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/KSA_Philippines_sign_watershed_labor_pact-ZAWYA20130520034632/Philippine Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz and Saudi Deputy Labor Minister Mufarrej bin Saad Al-Haqbani signed a labor agreement Sunday on the hiring of Filipino household service workers (HSWs). Mon, 20 May 2013 07:47:12 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130520034632Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/AlHaqbani_Illegals_can_return_on_new_visas-ZAWYA20130520034810/Expats who leave the Kingdom on an exit visa will be able to return the moment they get a new work visa, said Deputy Minister of Labor Mufarrej bin Saad Al-Haqbani.Mon, 20 May 2013 07:44:19 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130520034810Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Foreign_missions_complain_of_slow_deportation_work-ZAWYA20130520034409/Foreign consulates expressed disappointment at the pace at which immigration authorities at the deportation center process exit visas of workers who want to return home before the end of the grace period. Mon, 20 May 2013 07:42:30 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130520034409Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/MoH_recruits_2323_foreign_doctors-ZAWYA20130520034058/The Kingdom has hired 2,323 doctors from seven countries to ensure health care services accross the Kingdom, a senior official from the Ministry of Health announced.Mon, 20 May 2013 07:41:10 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130520034058Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/SaudiMalay_firm_sign_SAR600m_deal-ZAWYA20130520031908/The Modern Healthcare Solutions Company concluded a cooperative partnership deal with Pharmaniagia Behard, a majority-owned Malaysian government Industrial Company for pharmaceuticals and medical resources.Mon, 20 May 2013 07:37:17 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130520031908Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_interior_spending_to_grow_28_to_USD92bn-ZAWYA20130520031256/GCC projects spent USD 7.2 billion on interiors and fit-outs in 2012 and expects spends to increase by more than a quarter (28 per cent) to USD 9.2 billion in 2013, said Index International Design Exhibition and The Office Exhibition.Mon, 20 May 2013 06:39:14 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130520031256Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Boeing_marks_Saudi_milestone_with_delivery_of_new_plane-ZAWYA20130520030957/Boeing has delivered a 777-300ER (Extended Range) plane to Saudia, marking the latest milestone in its longstanding relationship with the airline and the Kingdom.Mon, 20 May 2013 06:33:55 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130520030957Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_is_13th_largest_world_economy-ZAWYA20130520031519/Gulf hydrocarbon producers emerged as the 13th most powerful economy in the world in 2011 while strong oil prices allowed them to become the fifth largest exporter with the highest trade surplus, according to a Bahraini minister.Mon, 20 May 2013 04:58:25 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130520031519Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/18m_SMEs_operating_in_Kingdom_48_are_said_to_be_in_trading-ZAWYA20130520035320/There are 1.8 million small and medium businesses in the Kingdom yet only 71% of which are actually operating.Mon, 20 May 2013 04:03:59 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130520035320Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/BMI_Saudi_Arabia_Infrastructure_Report_Apr13-pdf_190513120932/Includes 3 FREE Quarterly Updates.BMI View: Saudi Arabia's construction sector is experiencing a boom period driven by all sectors of the infrastructure and non-residential building industries. Over the near term we have revised up our growth outlook for the construction sector, driven by continued strong activity anticipated in the energy sector. We also expect a pick-up in investment into residential construction, as the mortgage law moves closer to approval and commitment is reiterated to the SAR250bn housing plan through policies to enable the release of land. Risks remain in terms  of costs, labour shortages and public institutional inertia which threaten to delay the project pipeline.We have upgraded our outlook for construction industry growth over the near term based on the strength of construction contract awards, and revised historic data showing a stronger growth trend than previously. We are now anticipating 10.4% and 9.4% real growth in construction industry value in 2013 and 2014 respectively.Factors Underpinning Growth:- Transport Upgrade: The transport sector is receiving preferential treatment, especially rail infrastructure, with projects worth US$24bn under way or in the pipeline. To support this flurry of transport contracts and to ease layers of red tape, the government set up a Public Transport Commission in October 2012. - Strong Chemical Integration: A growing number of petrochemicals projects are also boosting construction activity, as the country attempts to diversify its industrial sector away from oil and gas. In fact, we are seeing a rapid expansion of downstream capacity to meet the growing economic needs of the region, with operators rushing to capture an increasing slice of the market.- Electricity Revamp: Another dynamic sub-sector in Saudi Arabia continues to be power plants and transmission and distribution (T&D). The US$80bn (excluding nuclear), 10-year investment plan for electricity infrastructure (Sun, 19 May 2013 12:00:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_190513120932Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/BMI_Saudi_Arabia_Water_Report_Apr13-pdf_190513115717/Includes 3 FREE Quarterly Updates.BMI View: The plans for further expansion in the Saudi water market are well underway, creating opportunities across all sectors and regions as privatization plans and government investment continue. Further increases in government investment and long term security in fund liquidity in the market were seen when the Minister of Water and Electricity, Abdullah Al- Hussayen, announced in January 2013 that the government has allocated US$6.4bn for water and sanitation projects in 2013 alone and committed over $66 billion to long-term capital investments over the next 10 years.Saudi Arabia has solidified its place as a major player in the world water market as the pressure on the existing water system continues to mount, prompting large investment from Saudi government. In addition to the basic provision of water services to the public, an expansionary economic policy, active construction sector and water intensive operational developments in the oil and gas industry create an increased urgency in Q2 2013.Marked by a rapid rate of investment and an aggressive project completion schedule, the Saudi water market continued to present opportunity for both national and international companies during Q3 2013. Despite the improvement within the water market seen by the completion of the key Jeddah desalination plant, the mounting market pressure means that the pace of development must continue at this rate.BMI is confident that the measures undertaken to date are sufficient to ensure that that equilibrium will be maintained beyond our five-year forecast period to 2017 and existing water resource needs will be met. Yet with growth in population continuing to burden the existing system the question remains as to whether the Saudi government's capital commitments will be liquid enough to support the water intensive economies of construction and oil and gas to reach their full potential.The key themes in Saudi Arabia's water sector are:-&nSun, 19 May 2013 11:51:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_190513115717Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/World_Bank_Global_Development_Horizons__Capital_for_the_Future__Saving_and_Investment_in_an_Interdependent_World_2013-pdf_190513093245/The aim of this edition of Global Development Horizons is to build scenarios for the global economy over, roughly, the next two decades, with special focus given to saving and investment. Developing countries' share in global investment has grown from less than 20 percent to almost one-half in the past 15 years. A similar pattern is observed for saving, yet only a minor part of these trends in saving and investment is due to the consequences of the 2008 global financial crisis. This report discusses the entrenched economic and demographic forces that have contributed to an acceleration of growth and increases in investment and saving rates in many developing countries.Sun, 19 May 2013 09:25:00 GMTWorld Bank pdf_190513093245Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Jadwa_April_Inflation_Update__Food_Inflation_Continues_to_Accelerate_May13-pdf_190513073911/The Central Department for Statistic and Information released Consumer Price Index inflation data for April, showing prices slightly rising to 4 percent year-on-year compared with 3.9 percent in the previous three months. This level of inflation remains among the highest inflation rates relative to the Kingdom’s main trading partners. Our estimate of Saudi core inflation, which excludes food and housing-related services, also eased to 3.4 percent year-on-year in April compared with 3.5 percent in March. A major highlight of April inflation print is the food prices acceleration to 6.2 percent year-on-year compared with 5.3 percent in March.Sun, 19 May 2013 07:37:00 GMTJadwa Investment pdf_190513073911Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Byblos_Bank_Country_Risk_Weekly_Bulletin_16May13-pdf_190513070932/This is a PDF report. Sun, 19 May 2013 06:59:00 GMTByblos Bank pdf_190513070932Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/KAEC_sees_big_expansion_of_businesses_and_investments-ZAWYA20130519034610/Fahd Al-Rasheed, Managing Director and CEO of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), stressed the growing number of businesses and investments in the city, both from local and international companies.Sun, 19 May 2013 06:58:15 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130519034610Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Food_market_in_Kingdom_put_at_USD20bn-ZAWYA20130519034940/Over 400 food and catering companies will present their products at the food, hotels and catering exhibition that will kick off at the Jeddah Exhibition and Forum center between May 19-22. Sun, 19 May 2013 06:30:27 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130519034940Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/OneOnly_resort_planned_in_Jeddah-ZAWYA20130519034850/KERZNER International Holdings Limited has entered into an agreement with Al Khozama Management Company to develop and operate a new One&Only resort in Jeddah on the Red Sea.Sun, 19 May 2013 06:29:14 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130519034850Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudia_Cargo_transports_630000_juvenile_fish-ZAWYA20130519034852/Saudi Airlines Cargo has successfully transported 630,000 juvenile sea bream fish from Larnaca (Cyprus) to Tabuk (Saudi Arabia).Sun, 19 May 2013 06:28:11 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130519034852Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Leading_Muslim_architect_tapped_for_metro_project-ZAWYA20130519031717/The ArRiyadh Development Authority has tapped the world's leading Muslim architect Zaha Hadid to design its metro station at the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. Sun, 19 May 2013 06:24:03 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130519031717Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_April_inflation_inches_up_to_4_as_food_prices_rise-ZW20130519000003/Saudi Arabia's annual inflation rose slightly to 4% in April compared with 3.9% in March on higher food prices, the Central Department for Statistic and Information said in a statement. Sun, 19 May 2013 05:48:58 GMTZawya Dow Jones News ZW20130519000003Open