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Saudi Arabia to Organize Int'l Forum on Afforestation Techniques

Saudi Arabia will host the International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies from May 29-31. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia will host the International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies from May 29-31. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia to Organize Int'l Forum on Afforestation Techniques

Saudi Arabia will host the International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies from May 29-31. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia will host the International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies from May 29-31. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia will host the International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies in Riyadh from May 29-31, under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The Forum is organized by the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) in coordination and cooperation with the Ministry of Environment. It will be held at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.

The Forum seeks to develop, protect, and sustain the vegetation cover according to Vision 2030.

Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of NCVC Abdulrahman al-Fadhli extended his appreciation to the Crown Prince for patronizing the event.

The Minister stressed that organizing this event is important to Saudi Arabia for its intensified efforts and increasing attention to the vegetation cover.

He noted that it is also the central pillar of the National Environment Strategy that represents a roadmap to realize the goals of Vision 2030 in protecting and developing the environment.

The forum confirms the Kingdom’s international pioneering role in the environmental field and its announcements of global ecological initiatives that seek to establish vegetation cover.

NCVC CEO Khaled Al-Abdulkader explained that the exhibition and Forum include several comprehensive and integral aspects of forestry and technologies for combating desertification.

These include afforestation, combating desertification, irrigation techniques, water sources and technologies, nurseries, environmental waste recycling, soils, environmental monitoring and protection, development and investment of forests and parks, and plant pest control.

He added that the exhibition seeks to provide a platform to encourage government and semi-government institutions, non-profit commissions, companies, and organizations to become targeted stakeholders to combat desertification and increase vegetation cover area.

It will welcome local and international companies to display the latest technology and innovation in combating desertification, mitigating its effects, and developing and protecting vegetation.

It will also build bridges of communication between experts, significant investors, company heads, decision-makers, technical solution providers and academics, researchers specializing in the environment sector, and climate experts.

The expo welcomes experts in climate and participants getting acquainted with models for success worldwide to benefit from them and attract international expertise suitable for the environment.

The International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies aims to achieve a set of investment objectives, including highlighting investment opportunities in the environmental sector.

It also seeks to conclude several agreements and memoranda of understanding and launch local and research partnerships with local, regional, and international universities with research centers.

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Business

Morgan Stanley Turns More Hawkish, Forecasts Two Fed Hikes and ECB Move

The Federal Reserve Board building in Washington, DC, US, November 14, 2025. (Reuters)
The Federal Reserve Board building in Washington, DC, US, November 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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Morgan Stanley Turns More Hawkish, Forecasts Two Fed Hikes and ECB Move

The Federal Reserve Board building in Washington, DC, US, November 14, 2025. (Reuters)
The Federal Reserve Board building in Washington, DC, US, November 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Morgan Stanley has joined other major Wall Street banks in adopting a more hawkish outlook on interest rates, forecasting US Federal Reserve rate hikes and another European Central Bank increase later this year as inflationary pressures persist.

The forecasts come ahead of policy decisions from the US Fed and the Bank of Japan this week, days after the ‌ECB resumed its tightening ‌cycle, keeping global markets focused on ‌the outlook ⁠for interest rates.

Morgan ⁠Stanley expects the Fed to raise interest rates by 25 basis points at its September 15-16 meeting and deliver another quarter-point increase in December after recent inflation readings came in above expectations.

In a note on Monday, the brokerage said the disinflation process has been "slower and less convincing" than policymakers are likely to require, prompting it ⁠to forecast two rate hikes this year.

It also expects ‌the US central bank to ‌signal further tightening before officials pause as inflation moderates.

"We see arguments for ‌both a hike and a hold, but signs of second-round ‌effects from energy prices, strong demand tied to AI-related investment, a neutral rate that is possibly temporarily higher, and concerns about credibility mean the balance of risks now argues for a somewhat more restrictive policy," the brokerage ‌added.

Kevin Warsh, who took over as Fed chair in May, has repeatedly avoided offering guidance on ⁠the likely ⁠path of US interest rates.

But with inflation running above target, oil prices trading above $100 a barrel and financial markets overwhelmingly pricing in a rate increase, investors see this week's meeting as likely to deliver the first rate hike of his tenure.

In Europe, Morgan Stanley revised its ECB outlook to forecast an additional 25-basis-point increase in December, lifting the deposit rate to 2.75%, reversing its previous expectation that the central bank's tightening cycle had ended.

The brokerage cited resilient euro zone growth and higher energy prices in forecasting another ECB rate hike in December, and now expects just one rate cut in 2027, in December.

Business

Gold Slips as Oil Gains Strengthen Case for Elevated Interest Rates

04 April 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars of various sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. (dpa)
04 April 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars of various sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. (dpa)
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Gold Slips as Oil Gains Strengthen Case for Elevated Interest Rates

04 April 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars of various sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. (dpa)
04 April 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars of various sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. (dpa)

Gold slipped on Tuesday as rising crude oil prices heightened inflation worries and reinforced US rate-hike expectations ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting.

Spot gold was down 0.2% at $4,287.69 per ounce, as of 0713 GMT, after hitting its lowest point since August 7 on Monday. US gold futures fell 0.5% to $4,328.10.

The US ‌central bank will ‌announce its policy decision at 1800 GMT ‌on ⁠Wednesday following the ⁠end of a two-day meeting. Financial markets are betting heavily that Fed policymakers will lift their benchmark rate a quarter of a percentage point to a 3.75%-4.00% range.

"How Fed Chair Kevin Warsh frames that hike will matter more than the hike itself for gold... If he casts ⁠it as the start of a meeting-by-meeting tightening ‌cycle, that would be a ‌hit to gold and to risk assets overall," IG market ‌analyst Tony Sycamore said.

"If instead he signals a preference for ‌a more measured pace, that would prove somewhat supportive for risk sentiment and for gold."

Though seen as a hedge against inflation and geopolitical risks, gold often loses appeal when rates rise ‌as they increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.

Data on Friday showed US consumer ⁠prices accelerated ⁠in August, while a key measure of underlying inflation posted its largest increase in four months.

On the geopolitical front, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched a fresh wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia and were digging into positions on the western coast of Yemen along the Red Sea.

Oil prices rose as concerns over supply disruptions lingered. Higher energy costs can fuel inflationary pressures across the economy.

Meanwhile, bonds slumped, sending benchmark 10-year US Treasury yields to their highest since 2007.

Spot silver fell 0.4% to $62.98, platinum gained 0.1% to $1,761.12 and palladium fell 0.8% to $1,282.79.

Business

Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit Opens with Participants from More than 70 Countries

First-day sessions examined opportunities for cooperation among universities, research centers and global companies in biotechnology. (SPA)
First-day sessions examined opportunities for cooperation among universities, research centers and global companies in biotechnology. (SPA)
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Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit Opens with Participants from More than 70 Countries

First-day sessions examined opportunities for cooperation among universities, research centers and global companies in biotechnology. (SPA)
First-day sessions examined opportunities for cooperation among universities, research centers and global companies in biotechnology. (SPA)

The Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit 2026 opened on Monday with participants from more than 70 countries, over 100 speakers and more than 10,000 registered attendees.

The summit features 36 scientific sessions and the unveiling of more than 40 agreements, initiatives and declarations, reflecting the range of cooperation and partnership on offer and the expansion of the biotechnology ecosystem into health, investment, industry, research, data and artificial intelligence.

Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs Dr. Bandar Al Knawy said support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's research, innovation and biotechnology sectors was vital, and that the summit comes at a time of rapid and far-reaching discoveries in biotechnology and the development of unprecedented technologies.

Al Knawy said the summit is a platform for advancing the objectives of the National Biotechnology Strategy, launched by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in January 2024.

First-day sessions examined opportunities for cooperation among universities, research centers and global companies in biotechnology, and the role of such partnerships in supporting innovation and developing biotechnology applications.

They also addressed the role of artificial intelligence in advancing medical biotechnology, from computational biology to drug development and clinical trials, and its potential to support scientific research and accelerate innovation, with experts from Saudi Arabia, the United States and China taking part.

The summit also widens the link between research and investment through the Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF 2026), a three-day event that brings together specialized biotechnology investment funds and connects investors with promising companies through five competitive investment rounds.