[:en]JEDDAH: Local bottled water consumption during the summer, Umrah and Haj seasons this year will increase by 10 percent.
“This translates into an annual growth rate of between 4 percent and 5 percent,” Rashed Bin-Zouma, a water industry expert, was quoted as saying in a local publication.
According to Bin-Zouma, ... Read More
31
Jul2015
30
Jul2015
[:en]Hotels in the Middle East/Africa region reported mixed results in the three key performance metrics when reported in U.S. dollar constant currency, according to June 2015 data compiled by STR Global.
Compared to June 2014, the Middle East/Africa region reported an 8.2% decrease in occupancy to 56.1%, ... Read More
30
Jul2015
[:en]The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) may witness the advent of value-added tax (VAT) in the next two to three years with its impact likely on the end-consumers but the levy may not be a "deterrent" for businesses, according to Ernst and Young (EY), a multinational professional services firm.
Highlighting that the ... Read More
27
Jul2015
[:en]In one hand is a pair of large white underpants, in the other a pair of leopard-print skimpies. The senior executive of a new startup bank is attempting to demonstrate the difference between the incumbent high street banks (the boring Y-fronts) and the “speed not comfort” approach of Atom, a ... Read More
25
Jul2015
[:en]Goodbye, Chicago boys. Hello, M.I.T. gang.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, the term “Chicago boys” was originally used to refer to Latin American economists, trained at the University of Chicago, who took radical free-market ideology back to their home ... Read More
20
Jul2015
JEDDAH: The government lending institutions, specializing in the provision of loans that contribute to the achievement of Saudi Arabia's development goals, have provided SR454.4 billion since their inception until the end of 2014.
Also, while their total assets reached SR615.4 billion, up 9.1 percent compared to ... Read More
18
Jul2015
Shaheen II supercomputer
Wiring up a supercomputer such as the Shaheen II is a formidable task
For the first time a supercomputer based in the Middle East has entered the top ten list of the most powerful computers on the planet.
The Shaheen II is ... Read More
09
Jul2015
If size does indeed matter for you, start planning your trip to Mecca, Saudi Arabia for 2017, when the world's largest hotel is set to open.
At almost 686,000 square feet, the $3.5-billion Abraj Kudai will be home to 10,000 rooms, 70 restaurants, a ... Read More
09
Jul2015
Set upon 70 square miles, the new city will eventually be a metropolis that is larger than Washington DC and at a cost of £67 billion, most of which comes from private funding, the King Abdullah Economic City has grand plans.
With 65% of the Kingdom's population under 30, many of ... Read More
09
Jul2015
[:en]GREECE is moving steadily closer to leaving the euro, it seems. The country’s financial woes should, on the face of it, be good news for the places with which it competes for tourists. Last week, the British government advised travellers to stock up with all the cash they might need ... Read More