Saudi Arabia Financial News

Antony Blinken called on Saturday for protection for civilians in both the Gaza Strip and Israel as the Israeli military ordered half of the Palestinian territory's population to evacuate in advance of an expected ground assault. Blinken met his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Riyadh as he began a third day of intense Middle East diplomacy aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a regional conflict and fuelling a humanitarian crisis.

Also read: Israel-Hamas war: Putin backs Israel's self-defence, calls for 'independent' Palestinian state "The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may disrupt the project's timelines and outcomes, marking a pivotal juncture in the development of this ambitious economic corridor. While the war's direct impact remains regional, the geopolitical consequences reverberate far beyond, with potential consequences for the proposed corridor," he added.

oil prices held steady near $85 a barrel, but traders remain cautious following the eruption of violence between Israel and Hamas, which could potentially disturb the oil supply chain in the Middle East. Prices clocked one-year highs at the end of September, driven by worries about supply shortages after a surprise extension of voluntary supply cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia, but the momentum was short-lived. An unexpected buildup in US crude inventories and concerns over demand adversely hit the sentiments. However, extreme uncertainty prevails in the global oil market as the ongoing clash between Israel and Hamas sparks fears that the turmoil could spread across West Asia and threaten the world’s oil supply. The direct impact on oil prices is limited, as neither Israel nor Gaza produces significant amounts of oil.

Saudi Arabia has suspended talks on potentially normalising ties with Israel, a source told AFP on Saturday, amid the war raging between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel on October 7 which killed 1,300 people, sparking a retaliatory bombing campaign that has killed at least 1,900 in the Gaza Strip ahead of a potential Israeli ground invasion of the territory. «Saudi Arabia has decided to pause discussion on possible normalisation and has informed US officials,» a source familiar with the discussions told AFP. Saudi Arabia in the weeks before the attacks had spoken of progress in US-led diplomacy to normalise relations with Israel — which would be a landmark step for the conservative kingdom that is guardian of Islam's two holiest sites. But Riyadh has voiced increasing disquiet about the fate of Palestinians in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where Israel has launched thousands of strikes and ordered the evacuation of the territory's north, prompting thousands to flee. On Friday, Saudi Arabia denounced the displacement of Palestinians within Gaza and attacks on «defenceless civilians», its strongest language criticising Israel since the war broke out. Riyadh «affirms its categorical rejection of calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza, and its condemnation of the continued targeting of defenceless civilians there,» the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Investing.com — “Never a dull moment in the oilfield,” oil services firm Panther says on its website. By that extension, of course, are the oil markets, which seldom go a day, or even hours, without drama.

social media influencers have taken center stage. Tommy Fury, 24, will face KSI in a brand-new battle this Saturday night in Manchester as he seeks to establish his fighting credentials. With a remarkable ability to captivate fight fans, Fury's previous bout against social media influencer Jake Paul in Saudi Arabia generated a whopping 800,000 pay-per-view purchases, making it one of the year's most popular fights. The purse for this showdown exceeded £8 million, roughly translating to a million pounds per round spent inside the ring. This time, as always, pay-per-views take precedence, with both Fury and KSI's camps intensifying the pre-fight banter to entice a predominantly new audience of boxing enthusiasts to invest in the spectacle. In a week filled with theatricals, John Fury, Tommy's father, joined the two fighters inside a cage, engaging in a display of punches and headbutts against the partition separating them.

Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea that is positioned to grow into a significant center for film and television production, has recently partnered strategically with the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Establishing training programs for young Saudi content creators is the goal of this partnership, which represents an important step in Saudi Arabia's efforts to develop its film and television industry. These training sessions will be held in partnership with The Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), South Korea's leading national film school, at Neom, a full-service production hub in Saudi Arabia.

The United States government is considering additional measures to curb Chinese developers from gaining access to artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor chips made in the U.S. via third parties.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India has asked Canada to withdraw the diplomats after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged the involvement of Indian agents in the Nijjar killing. However, the claim has been vehemently rejected by India.

Blinken on Friday began a tour of Arab capitals as he seeks to build pressure on Hamas while Israel readies a likely massive offensive on the Gaza Strip following the militants' attacks. The top US diplomat will meet Jordan's King Abdullah II, a longtime US partner, and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Amman and will then visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Blinken spent Thursday in Tel Aviv where he promised unwavering solidarity to US ally Israel after the surprise October 7 offensive by Hamas, who killed over 1,200 people and took about 150 more hostage. The United States has publicly blessed reprisals by Israel, which on Friday called for the immediate relocation of 1.1 million people in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, which is already under an Israeli blockade. Israel has killed more than 1,400 people in strikes in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack and has cut off food, water and electricity. Qatar, where Blinken will head immediately after Jordan, has longstanding ties with Hamas and has been seen as an intermediary in freeing the hostages. «We'll continue pressing countries to help prevent the conflict from spreading, and to use their leverage with Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages,» Blinken said late Thursday in Tel Aviv. «We'll also discuss how we can continue to make real our affirmative vision for a region that's more peaceful, more prosperous, more secure, more integrated. »In fact, that is the choice, and the choice in some ways has been made even more stark by the actions of Hamas." Saudi Arabia in the weeks before the attacks had spoken of progress in US-led diplomacy to normalise relations with Israel — a landmark step for the

(Reuters) — China's exports and imports shrank at a slower pace for a second month in September, customs data showed on Friday, adding to the recent signs of a gradual stabilisation in the world's second-biggest economy thanks to a raft of policy support measures.

Portugal will take on Slovakia in Euro 2024 Qualifiers on Friday. While Ronaldo has set his eyes in the FIFA World Cup 2026, Euro 2024 will tell whether the former Manchester United and Real Madrid legend will add to more glory to his illustrious footballing career. Portugal will play Slovakia on Friday, October 13. The kick off is scheduled at 2.45 pm (ET). Portugal vs Slovakia Euro 2024 Qualifier will be live streamed on fuboTV for soccer fans in the US. A win against Slovakia on Friday will guarantee qualification and, if Ronaldo is selected, the chance for him to repeat his 2016 triumph with Portugal at the tournament. It wasn't clear what the future held for the five-time Champions League winner when he walked away from Manchester United last November and was then dropped by his country as it made an early exit from the World Cup in Qatar last year. His move to Saudi Arabia wasn't exactly a guarantee of success, but Ronaldo has proven he is far from done. On Friday, Portugal can secure its place at next year's European Championship in Germany. It will be a personal triumph for Ronaldo, who insisted his career wasn't over after leaving European club soccer behind to join Al-Nassr last December. Not only has he been the catalyst for a slew of soccer's biggest names, such as Neymar and Karim Benzema, following him to the Saudi league, but he has helped Portugal to its best-ever performance in a European qualifying campaign with six wins from six matches in Group J.

Bitcoin (BTC) failed to hit $100,000 during the 2021 bull market because defunct exchange FTX kept selling BTC, analysis claims.

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Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was investigating reports of grim conditions for migrant workers at Amazon warehouses in the kingdom, denouncing all labour abuse and exploitation as «unacceptable». The human resources and social development ministry said in a statement to AFP that the investigation began before Amnesty International this week reported that Nepalese Amazon workers in Saudi Arabia had suffered «appalling» living conditions, on-the-job safety risks and wage theft. «Any form of labour abuse or exploitation is unacceptable and is comprehensively investigated by the relevant Saudi authorities,» the statement said. «The distressing reports outlined in this case are already the subject of an ongoing investigation.» The Amnesty report published on Tuesday drew from the accounts of 22 men who had worked in warehouses in Riyadh or the Red Sea city of Jeddah going back to 2021. The London-based human rights group accused recruitment agents and two Saudi labour supply companies of deceiving migrant workers who thought they would be employed directly by Amazon and took out steep loans to pay recruitment fees. Upon arrival in Saudi Arabia they encountered «dirty and overcrowded accommodation, sometimes infested with bed bugs» as well as «gruelling» working conditions marked by constant monitoring and inadequate rest, sometimes resulting in injury, Amnesty said. The abuses were so severe they likely amounted to "human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation", Amnesty said. The kingdom's «kafala» sponsorship system for foreign workers meant the labourers struggled to leave the warehouse jobs and risked possible arrest for «absconding», Amnesty said, adding that «a few contemplated suicide». Saudi

IEA) on Thursday lowered its forecast for growth in oil demand in 2024, suggesting harsher global economic conditions and progress on energy efficiency will weigh on consumption. In its monthly report, the IEA forecast demand for oil will rise by 880,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, down from its previous forecast of 1 million bpd, based on broader economic concerns and a faster adoption of electric vehicles among other energy efficiency measures. However, the Paris-based agency that advises the United States and other industrialised countries, raised its 2023 demand forecast to 2.3 million bpd, from a previous estimate of 2.2 million. OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, began limiting supplies in 2022 to support prices. In September, global benchmark Brent hit 10-month highs after Saudi Arabia and Russia extended their combined 1.3 million bpd cuts until the end of the year. «If extra cuts are unwound in January, the balance could shift to surplus, which would go some way to help replenish depleted inventories,» the agency said. Although Russia pledged to cut crude exports until the end of 2023, according to the IEA's estimates Moscow's total exports of crude oil and products in September rose by 460,000 bpd to 7.6 million bpd, with crude accounting for 250,000 bpd of the increase. The jump in exports highlights the difficulty the West has faced in trying to reduce Russian exports and revenue to Moscow amid its war with Ukraine. Last year, the IEA predicted harsh Western sanctions would lead to a collapse in Russian energy exports. ECONOMIC HEADWINDS, GEOPOLITICAL RISK Oil prices fell sharply last week as a darkening economic outlook intensified fears of slower growth in demand, eclipsing supply concerns.

IEA) on Thursday lowered its forecast for growth in oil demand in 2024, suggesting harsher global economic conditions and progress on energy efficiency will weigh on consumption. In its monthly report, the IEA forecast demand for oil will rise by 880,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, down from its previous forecast of 1 million bpd, based on broader economic concerns and a faster adoption of electric vehicles among other energy efficiency measures. However, the Paris-based agency that advises the United States and other industrialised countries, raised its 2023 demand forecast to 2.3 million bpd, from a previous estimate of 2.2 million. OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, began limiting supplies in 2022 to support prices. In September, global benchmark Brent hit 10-month highs after Saudi Arabia and Russia extended their combined 1.3 million bpd cuts until the end of the year. «If extra cuts are unwound in January, the balance could shift to surplus, which would go some way to help replenish depleted inventories,» the agency said. Although Russia pledged to cut crude exports until the end of 2023, according to the IEA's estimates Moscow's total exports of crude oil and products in September rose by 460,000 bpd to 7.6 million bpd, with crude accounting for 250,000 bpd of the increase. The jump in exports highlights the difficulty the West has faced in trying to reduce Russian exports and revenue to Moscow amid its war with Ukraine. Last year, the IEA predicted harsh Western sanctions would lead to a collapse in Russian energy exports. ECONOMIC HEADWINDS, GEOPOLITICAL RISK Oil prices fell sharply last week as a darkening economic outlook intensified fears of slower growth in demand, eclipsing supply concerns.

By Ahmad Ghaddar

Israel-Hamas war dragged on to the sixth day, many countries, including India, are making arrangements to repatriate their citizens from Israel. In a show of solidarity, US Secretary of State has arrived in Israel.

Investing.com — Crude prices fell for a third day in a row as trading began in Asia Thursday, responding to a report by industry group API that the largest weekly crude stockpile build in eight months may have taken place in the United States last week.

Weeks and months before the collapse of crypto exchange FTX, former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was “freaking out” about Alameda, buying shares in Snapchat, raising capital from Saudi royalty, and getting regulators to crack down on rival crypto exchange Binance.