Princess Reema Bandar, Saudi ambassador to the US, at the annual Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh in October 2022. AFP
Princess Reema Bandar, Saudi ambassador to the US, at the annual Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh in October 2022. AFP
Princess Reema Bandar, Saudi ambassador to the US, at the annual Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh in October 2022. AFP
Princess Reema Bandar, Saudi ambassador to the US, at the annual Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh in October 2022. AFP

Saudi ambassador to US Princess Reema named to new IMF advisory council


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Princess Reema Bandar, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US, was named on Thursday to a newly created entrepreneurship and growth council at the International Monetary Fund, the Washington-based lender announced.

Princess Reema and eight others were confirmed as members of the fund's Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth, the IMF said. The council's primary goal is to identify policies to create innovation, improve resource allocation and support economic growth through the private sector.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva convened the inaugural meeting with the newly established council on Thursday.

“The medium-term outlook for world economic growth is at its lowest in several decades,” Ms Georgieva said in a news release. “Much of the slowdown can be attributed to declining productivity growth.”

Princess Reema has been the kingdom's ambassador to the US since 2019.

Members on the council will share their views on how entrepreneurship can be promoted by macroeconomic and financial policies, the Washington-based fund said. The advisory council will meet about every quarter in discussions under Chatham House rules.

Other members of the council are: Ufuk Akcigit, an economics professor at the University of Chicago; Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff; Banco Santander executive chairwoman Ana Botin; Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of the Tata Group; Vodafone chief executive Margherita Della Valle; Heirs Holdings founder Tony O Elumelu; Vista Equity Partners founder Robert Smith; and Federico Sturzenegger, Argentina's Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation.

“The Council brings together a group of leading thinkers and practitioners in business, finance, academia and policymaking to share their views and experiences on how macroeconomic and financial policies can provide a supportive environment for innovation, entrepreneurship and productivity – key ingredients for a thriving private sector and strong economic growth,” Ms Georgieva said.

RESULTS

Main card

Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision

Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision

Lightweight 60kg:  Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3

Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision

Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision

Light heavyweight 81.4kg:  Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League last 16, second leg
Liverpool (0) v Atletico Madrid (1)
Venue: Anfield
Kick-off: Thursday, March 12, midnight
Live: On beIN Sports HD

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War and the virus

Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks

Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes. 

The trip

From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

Updated: March 27, 2025, 9:54 PM`