SAUDI GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]
King Abdullah Discusses Global Issues With Obama [Sep 1]
“Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and US President Barack Obama discussed Tuesday major international issues on telephone, the Saudi Press Agency reported. It said the US president telephoned the king to convey Ramadan greetings, adding that King Abdullah thanked Obama for the gesture. During the telephone conversation, the two leaders also discussed bilateral relations. During King Abdullah’s visit to the United States in June, he discussed with Obama security issues, Afghanistan and their shared desire to see Israelis and Palestinians live in peace during their meeting at the White House..” [Complete Report]
Key Political Risks to Watch in Saudi Arabia [Sep 1]
“Saudi Arabia, under the rule of an ageing King Abdullah, has the dilemma of making reforms that keep the austere clerical establishment that opposes change on side and violent Islamist militants at bay. Any instability at the helm of Saudi Arabia, which controls more than a fifth of the world’s crude oil reserves and is a regional linchpin of U.S. policy in the Middle East, would be a concern for the rest of the Arab Gulf region. The absolute monarchy is ruled by the Al Saud family with influence from clerics who follow the austere Wahhabi school of Islam and have sometimes stood in the way of political and social reforms and modernisation efforts..” [Complete Report]
Video Plea to Obama to Pardon Saudi Launched [Sep 1]
“A number of Saudi youths launched a film on Tuesday appealing to US President Barack Obama to use his constitutional power of presidential pardon to set free a Saudi man jailed for sexual assault. Humaidan Al-Turki is currently serving 28 years in a US prison. The five-minute film is supported by top Saudi religious, media and sports figures and is the culmination of a campaign supporting Al-Turki on Twitter and Facebook, which has attracted more than 11,000 followers.. .. The film also contains a presentation based on a report written by Abdullah Al-Almi on the history of presidential pardons in the United States..” [Complete Report]
Saudi Arabia and China: More Than a Hint of Steel [Sep 1]
“Saudi Arabia only established diplomatic ties with China in 20 years ago but, now according to SABB bank, there are more than 70 Chinese companies operating in the Middle East’s largest economy. Among them are 62 construction groups employing close to 16,moogies31000 people. Projects captured by Chinese contractors include an expansion of King Khalid University, the Mecca-Medina high-speed rail link, and a scheme to build 200 schools in the kingdom. But, according to Silk Road Economy, a blog, commercial relations between the two heavyweights may be about to get trickier. Ben Simpfendorfer, the chief China economist at RBS who runs Silk Road Economy, has been reading Al-Hayat, a major pan-Arab newspaper. Mr Simpfendorfer finds that Saudi traders are worried by the prospect of cheap Chinese steel flooding the local market..” [Complete Report]
S.Korea’s Doosan in $1.46 bln Saudi Water Plant Deal [Sep 1]
“South Korea‘s Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co Ltd (034020.KS) said on Wednesday it has won a $1.46 billion contract to build a new desalination plant in Saudi Arabia. The plant will produce 1.025 million cubic metres of desalinated water per day and will be integrated with a 2,400 megawatts (MW) power plant, in Ras Azzour, on the Gulf coast. The plant, expected to be the world’s largest would be completed in January 2014, Doosan said in a statement on the Korea Stock Exchange. State-owned Saline Water Conversion Corp (SWCC) has notified the company of winning the deal, Doosan added. Doosan had submitted the third lowest offer in the bidding process which closed on May 8. [ID:nLDE64A0WL] The contract was lower than its $1.937 billion original bid..” [Complete Report]
Petchems Lead Saudi Bourse to 2-wk High [Sep 1]
“Petrochemicals led Saudi Arabia‘s index .TASI to a two-week high on Wednesday, tracking rising oil prices, but volumes may be too low for these gains to signal the start of a more sustained rally.. .. Saudi Basic Industries Corp (2010.SE) (SABIC) rose 1.5 percent as Saudi Arabia’s petrochemicals index .TPISI gained 1.4 percent. “This is purely linked to oil,” said Saleh al-Onazi, vice-president of principal investment at Swicorp in Riyadh..” [Complete Report]
Saudi Official Denies Sri Lankan Maid Was Abused [Sep 1]
“A Saudi official has denied a Sri Lankan maid’s allegations that the couple she worked for in the Gulf kingdom hammered nails and needles into her body. Doctors in Sri Lanka have said they removed 13 nails and five needles from L.G. Ariyawathi after she returned from Saudi Arabia last month. The items had been driven into Ariyawathi’s legs and forehead. But Sa’ad Al Badah, the head of a Saudi government department responsible for foreign workers, told state television Tuesday night that Ariyawathi’s allegations are baseless and amount to blackmail..” [Complete Report]
