conference hall the boss of a $100bn tech fund spoke to rows of empty chairs. Then he briefly fell asleep. Outside the hall Anthony Scaramucci, the colourful financier who lasted ten days as Donald Trump’s communications director, dispensed questionable political analysis. An American company hawked jetpacks. A robot urged passers-by to tickle her head. “It will make you feel better,” she said.
This was the third Future Investment Initiative , Saudi Arabia’s flagship business conference. The event, which wrapped up in Riyadh on October 31st, attracted some 6,000 guests. That made Saudi officials feel better. The first, in 2017, was a coming-out party for the economic-reform programme of Muhammad bin Salman, the crown prince . But the second, last year, was overshadowed by the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist, by Saudi agents. Top executives stayed away.
To be sure, there are positive signs. Non-oil growth has ticked up and unemployment down. Officials at thewere eager to talk about the kingdom’s jump in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index . Riyadh, the dour capital, has loosened up in ways unthinkable five years ago. A cultural festival hosted performances of the “Wizard of Oz”, a remarkable sight in a place that long prosecuted people for “witchcraft”.
On the kingdom’s most important priority, creating jobs for citizens, progress is both visible and slow. Young Saudis welcome guests to hotels and brew lattes in cafés, unimaginable sights in most Gulf countries. But unemployment among nationals remains above 12%. Executives grumble about ever-higher fees for employing foreign labour. In September the cabinet waived such fees for five years in the manufacturing sector, which employs 645,000 migrants, 10% of the total foreign workforce.
Many Saudis are eager to buy shares, seeing it as both a lucrative opportunity and a patriotic duty. Yet this could turn Aramco into a political problem for Prince Muhammad. He believes it should be valued at $2trn. Banks working on thethink it is worth much less. There could be a backlash if locals pile into an overpriced offering and get burned. But few Saudis dare raise such concerns in public. An economist who questioned thewas jailed last year.
KSA is progressing by all measures, we're sure that Crown Prince MBS has capable advisers, giving him valuable input on the reformist path the kingdom is witnessing.
Saudi development of its fields There is propaganda against this development
uh, yeah. bold in what way, exactly? enforced disappearances and intimidation seems to be up, not down, since MBS came in.
These are unsuccessful attempts to discredit Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom has more importing things than silencing critics, but ofcourse anyone that Saudi Arabia find him guilty or traitors who plan to harm the country will indeed be held accountable
Yeah, those Saudis..... Always monitoring peaceful people who try to express their sympathy with terrorists. Moreover, I heard they monitored a guy who threatened to bomb public locations in the kingdom!!!
Saudi Arabia has demonstrated the ability to make changes necessary to ensure the success of Vision2030 programs. Critics are one thing, those who wish to destabilize the security of the country are quite another.
Haha
Saudi womwn are now allowed to driif cars. What magnificent and extraordinary social achievcement!
BRTT?
This is the real evil in the Middle East.
It should lock up the CrownPrince guilty of orchestrating JK's murder. HM the King forgot up to now to designate a capable, not-murdering Crown Prince for SA.
Their understanding of reform is limited to legalizing women wrestling and these sort of stuff With Saudi monarch dictators in power, Arabia will never prosper
Autocracies undermine themselves from within.
What about Khashoggi?
Why use a photo of a known murderer?
Hey son😁
one should focus on the progress and reforms
Slicing not used as a metaphor
I thought this was Donnie Jr in this pic. 😂
Of course, they are deprived of inputs....no wonder this place still lives in the early nineteenth century, the thinking they have got.......they are so discriminatory that they don’t have equality laws even on paper!
It has not deprived itself of anything, it is a single minded dictatorship for God’s sake.
lol. guys they literally cut them up with a bonesaw. we're a little past 'well, they oughta hear 'em out some.'
Its not your busnes 👎
Hi MBS .... sniff , sniff!!!!!
Is “prickly” a new synonym for “murderous?”
This guy is a criminal and the US and Israel have a criminal connection with him
Only if his ready, he will surely learn.
How much money do you get from Iran?
FF
Our mission at is to build the social news network that ends fake news. Follow us Overlooked_Inc
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: Forbes - 🏆 394. / 53 Read more »
Source: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Read more »
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »
Source: THR - 🏆 411. / 53 Read more »
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »