Age wearied them: King Abdulaziz, (top left) was in a wheelchair when he met President Roosevelt in 1945; King Saudi (on right in top right photograph) was regularly absent due to to health problems. His successor King…
Qatar must meet 13 conditions for embargo to end
On the spot. Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim will find it hard to satisfy Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies Kuwait has presented Qatar a list of demands from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt, the four Arab nations that…
Saudi Arabia keeps Interior Ministry in the Bin Naif family
All in the Bin Naif family The late crown prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz (left) was interior minister from 1975 until his death in 2012; his eldest son Prince Saud Bin Naif is now governor of the Eastern province and his…
The GCC split was inevitable, it won’t last and Saudi Arabia will come out on top
Three things can be said about the extraordinary action taken this week against Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain. The confrontation — which has been brewing for more than two decades and involves dozens of points of friction…
IMF calls for Saudi Arabia to ease austerity measures
Saudi Arabia is making progress with its fiscal adjustment programme designed to deal with lower oil prices since 2014 but does not need to meet its self-imposed target of eliminating the budget deficit by 2020, the IMF says in a…
IMF says UAE non-oil growth to quicken on fiscal measures, trade and increasing Expo 2020 investment
The UAE’s large financial buffers, diversified economy and robust policy responses are facilitating adjustment to the new oil-market realities while safeguarding the economy and the financial system, the IMF said today following the completion of its annual Article IV consultations…