RIYADH / Reuters Saudi Arabia’s L’azurde Company for Jewellery, which surged on its trading debut in Riyadh on Wednesday, plans to almost double the number of its branches in the MENA by 2018. Chief Executive Selim Chidiac told Reuters that market conditions in Saudi Arabia were very challenging as consumers have been hit by the slide in oil prices, …

  Jeddah / Emirates Business The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has moved up the rankings to finish in the ‘Semi-Transparent’ category for the first time in the JLL and LaSalle Investment Management’s 2016 Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI). Strong advances over the past two years have seen Saudi Arabia (63rd) and Egypt (65th) move into the dynamic ‘Semi-Transparent’ …

  Jeddah / TNS Young Saudis who recently joined the sale and maintenance of mobile phone market are raving about their experience and high financial returns, which they attribute to the decision to nationalize the sector and allow many young Saudis access to job opportunities and ownership of such shops. Seller Abdullah Ani, who works at a mobile shop, says …

  Jordan / TNS Plans are in place to set up new stations to monitor air pollution in industrial areas in Jordan, officials at the Ministry of Environment said. The ministry will also enhance the performance of the 14 stations currently set up in Amman, Irbid and Zarqa, which are electronically linked to the ministry to test air pollution levels, …

  TNS Women’s wages are higher than men in the private sector, according to figures released by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA). Their monthly salary average is SR3,497 whereas for men it is SR2,417, while the gross average for both is SR2,417. However the percentage of average wage growth for men in 2015 was higher than women, increasing by …

  Bloomberg The U.S., Canada and Mexico put climate change at the center of efforts to deepen the North American alliance, pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector, boost the development of clean power and build new cross-border transmission lines. President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto completed …

  Bloomberg Argentina unveiled the results of revised growth numbers for the past decade as the government of President Mauricio Macri seeks to restore investor confidence undermined by the previous administration. The data confirmed that the new president inherited an economy in recession. Gross domestic product shrank 0.7 percent in the first quarter from the last three months of 2015, …

  Bloomberg California is warning of natural gas shortages and potential blackouts this summer after a historic leak near Los Angeles. Meanwhile, it’s sending increasing volumes of the power-plant fuel to Mexico. Deliveries to the North Baja pipeline system in Mexico from California jumped 45 percent to 441 million cubic feet compared with two weeks ago, according to data compiled …

  Bloomberg The world is running short on sugar and the tighter supplies are driving prices to the highest in almost four years. Supplies from Brazil’s Center-South, the country’s top growing region, probably fell 26 percent in the first half of June from a year earlier after rains hindered harvesting, a Bloomberg survey showed. Industry group Unica is set to …

  Bloomberg Intel Corp. is working with Mobileye NV to develop self-driving car technology for BMW AG, said people familiar with the matter. Senior executives from each company will hold an event on Friday to discuss the driverless-vehicle initiative, said the people, who asked not to be named because the details are private. Jerusalem-based Mobileye has been an early leader …