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Saudi Arabia Re-Elected President of UNWTO Executive Council

A landmark is lit up in the colors of the national flag in Diriyah on the occasion of Saudi National Day. (SPA file photo)
A landmark is lit up in the colors of the national flag in Diriyah on the occasion of Saudi National Day. (SPA file photo)
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Saudi Arabia Re-Elected President of UNWTO Executive Council

A landmark is lit up in the colors of the national flag in Diriyah on the occasion of Saudi National Day. (SPA file photo)
A landmark is lit up in the colors of the national flag in Diriyah on the occasion of Saudi National Day. (SPA file photo)

The Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) approved the re-election of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as president of the council for the year 2024, at the 120th Executive Council meeting held in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Executive Council of UNWTO Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khateeb, said: “During the period of the first presidency of the Kingdom in 2023, plenty of initiatives that comprised partnership, innovation, and progress were launched. The achievements during that period were based on the common vision, cooperation and firm commitment among all members of the organization.”

“We have all paved the way to build a vision for a resilient tourism sector, and we look forward to continuing our leadership role in 2024,” he added.

“We recall the aspirations and hopes of all member states, and we will strive to implement the goals in a way that ensures that the tourism sector continues to achieve economic exchange and cultural and humanitarian rapprochement between world countries,” Al-Khateeb said.

He noted the unlimited support granted by the Kingdom’s leadership for the tourism sector, which is not confined to local efforts but includes the provision of important international initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable development, including the establishment of the Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC). The center was announced by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, during the Saudi Green Initiative in October 2021.

Al- Khateeb stressed that the center will provide best practices to meet the sector needs, including major multinational companies that have clear objectives and distinct experiences, in addition to micro, small and medium enterprises that constitute 80% of the sector.

It recently announced the launch of an international research center that will work as a high-level reference body for research with the purpose of accelerating the travel and tourism sector’s transition to climate neutrality.

The minister noted that in alignment with the Kingdom’s vision and commitment to shaping the future of global travel, Saudi Arabia during its presidency of the Executive Council in 2023 achieved a pioneering role in the tourism sector and exceptional achievements, based on a carefully implemented plan. This vision gave priority to global cooperation and formed the basis for pioneering initiatives that aim to reimagine the sector.

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Syria Signs Landmark Offshore Oil Field Deal

Caption: A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Caption: A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
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Syria Signs Landmark Offshore Oil Field Deal

Caption: A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Caption: A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Syria ’s state-owned petroleum company signed a memorandum of understanding with the US and Qatar on Wednesday for the development of the country’s first offshore oil and gas field.

Syrian Petroleum Company's deal with US energy giant Chevron and the Qatar-based Power International Holding was signed in Damascus in the presence of the US's special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, The AP news reported.

Syria's state news agency, SANA, said that the agreement aims to strengthen strategic partnerships in the energy sector and will cover cooperation in offshore exploration and the development of oil and gas resources in Syria’s territorial waters, as well as broader efforts to support investment and energy-sector development.

The deal marks Syria’s first formal step toward offshore energy exploration as the government seeks to expand hydrocarbon production and attract foreign partners.

Syria’s oil and gas sectors were adversely impacted by the country’s nearly 15-year conflict that killed half a million people and caused wide destruction.

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Gold Extends Gains as Renewed US-Iran Tensions Fuel safe-haven Bid

A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
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Gold Extends Gains as Renewed US-Iran Tensions Fuel safe-haven Bid

A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk

Gold rose further on Wednesday after logging its biggest daily gain in 17 years in the previous session, as investors flocked to the safe-haven asset amid fresh US-Iran tensions.

Spot gold was up 2.2% at $5,046.47 per ounce, as of 1218 GMT, building on a 5.9% rise on Tuesday.

US gold futures for April delivery climbed 2.7% to $5,068.90 per ounce.

"It is a confluence of risk factors that's really driving the demand. One, there is that central bank independence question, and two, there's all the geopolitical risk aspects," said WisdomTree commodities strategist Nitesh Shah, Reuters reported.

The US military said on Tuesday it shot down an Iranian drone that "aggressively" approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. The incident came as diplomats sought to arrange nuclear talks between Iran and the United States.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell should be taken to the end, raising fresh concerns about the central bank's independence.

Gold is rebounding after tumbling nearly 10% on Monday, extending losses from Friday, in the sharpest two-day sell-off in decades. The rout was triggered by Trump's announcement of Kevin Warsh as his pick to lead the Fed and compounded by CME margin hikes. The metal is currently up over 17% for the year.

Market attention will be on the ADP private payrolls report, due later in the day, for clues into the Fed's policy path. Investors currently expect at least two rate cuts in 2026.

"With the Fed still expected to cut further rates this year, this should allow gold to reach $6,200/oz later this year," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

Non-yielding bullion tends to perform better in low-interest-rate environments.

Meanwhile, spot silver rose 5.7% to $90 an ounce on Wednesday. The white metal hit a month-low of $71.33 on Monday following a record high of $121.64 on Thursday last week.

Spot platinum added 4% to $2,297.58 per ounce, while palladium gained 5.3% to $1,825.

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Turkish Treasury Says Sold 2 Bln Euro of Eurobond, Lowest Spread in 15 Years

General view of the Istanbul Finance Center (Reuters)
General view of the Istanbul Finance Center (Reuters)
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Turkish Treasury Says Sold 2 Bln Euro of Eurobond, Lowest Spread in 15 Years

General view of the Istanbul Finance Center (Reuters)
General view of the Istanbul Finance Center (Reuters)

The Turkish Treasury said on Wednesday it sold 2 billion euros ($2.37 billion) worth of its latest 8-year eurobond at a yield of ‌5.20%, adding ‌that ‌it ⁠had the lowest ‌spread among euro-denominated issuances over the past 15 years.

The bond will mature on March ⁠10, 2034, Reuters quoted it as saying, ‌adding that the ‍yield ‍was below the ‍fair value implied by the dollar yield curve and was priced at approximately MS +242 basis points.

With this ⁠transaction, the total amount of funds raised from international capital markets in 2026 has reached approximately $5.9 billion, the Treasury said.