Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty visited Riyadh on Monday for talks with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on strengthening bilateral ties and co-ordinating on critical regional issues, including the war in Gaza.
Mr Abdelatty and Prince Faisal later chaired the annual meeting of the Egypt-Saudi Political Consultation and Follow-Up Committee.
Both sides highlighted the growing ties between the two countries and their commitment to advancing economic, political and cultural co-operation in line with the directives of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement.
The discussions centred on increasing economic and investment ties. Mr Abdelatty stressed the importance of maximising institutional frameworks and facilitating high-level exchanges between officials and business leaders from both countries. He referenced the visit of the Saudi-Egyptian Business Council and the Federation of Saudi Chambers to Cairo this month to explore investment opportunities in Egypt.
Both sides announced plans to launch an Egyptian-Saudi Investment Forum and activate the "High Co-ordination Council" for bilateral co-operation, the statement said.
Mr Abdelatty also outlined Egypt’s efforts to attract Saudi investment, citing financial and tax reforms as well as incentives for foreign investors, and stressed the importance of economic integration, particularly in industrial development. He proposed aligning Egypt's Vision 2030 with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to enhance their collaboration.
On regional issues, the ministers discussed the war in Gaza and underscored the urgent need for a ceasefire and to address the deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
They rejected the forced displacement of Palestinians and reviewed plans for reconstruction efforts in Gaza, including an international conference to be co-hosted by Egypt, the Palestinian government and the United Nations.
The talks also covered developments in Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and the Horn of Africa, with both sides reaffirming their shared commitment to regional security and stability.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said maritime security in the Red Sea − where commercial vessels face the threat of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels − was also addressed as part of broader discussions on ensuring safe navigation in the region.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
