Frankly Speaking

Mon, 2024-11-04 00:06

DUBAI: Sindalah Island, NEOM’s new luxury tourism destination under construction on ��Ƶ’s Red Sea coast, represents a critical milestone in the Kingdom’s economic transformation and proves many of its early doubters wrong, Saudi commentator Ali Shihabi has said.

Appearing on Arab News’ current affairs program “Frankly Speaking,” Shihabi highlighted the significance of Sindalah, saying its launch marked an important shift in global perceptions of the Kingdom as a holiday destination and as an investment opportunity.

Main category:

Tags:

Special

Frankly Speaking: Does Riyadh prefer Trump or Harris?

romulo — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 20:05:27 +0000

article author:

US Election 2024 Spotlight

Sun, 2024-11-03 22:08

DUBAI: ��Ƶ does not have a favorite in the US presidential race, and would enjoy strong relations with either Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris, Saudi political commentator Ali Shihabi has said.

According to him, the Kingdom’s priority is to use its relationship with Washington to address pressing regional issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Main category:

��Ƶ

Tags:

Trump Returns

Ali Shihabi

Special

Frankly Speaking: What to expect from this year’s FII?

daniel.fountain — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 17:47:38 +0000

article author:

Sun, 2024-10-27 20:40

DUBAI: Artificial intelligence and new technologies will top the agenda when the Future Investment Initiative (FII) holds its eighth conference in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, from Oct. 29 to 31, CEO of the FII Institute Richard Attias has said.

Dubbed “Davos in the Desert,” FII is a platform where global leaders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and policymakers gather to shape the future of industries, governance, and humanity.

Main category:

��Ƶ

Tags:

FII8

Future Investment Initiative (FII)

FII 2024

Special

Frankly Speaking: Does the Arab American vote matter?

rbksa — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 20:00:01 +0000

article author:

US Election 2024 Spotlight

Author:

Arab News

ID:

1729541210661381000

Mon, 2024-10-21 23:06

DUBAI: As the US presidential election looms, a YouGov poll commissioned by Arab News has revealed a near-even split between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris among Arab American voters. This result may surprise some, but according to a prominent Arab American analyst of Middle East affairs, it reflects the general sentiment among the US public, where key constituencies in swing states will determine the next occupant of the White House.

Main category:

World

Tags:

Trump Returns

US Election 2024 YouGov

Special

Frankly Speaking: Is it over for Hezbollah?

daniel.fountain — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 13:12:46 +0000

article author:

Sun, 2024-10-20 15:52

DUBAI: Lebanon is heading for an extended conflict as Israel’s ground invasion enters its fourth week, raising concerns of deeper regional instability. Sounding this warning on the Arab News current affairs show “Frankly Speaking,” Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said the fighting could last far longer than initially anticipated.

“Unfortunately, we are looking at weeks, maybe months, of conflict ahead,” he said.

Main category:

Tags:

Frankly Speaking: Can a new global coalition achieve Palestinian statehood?

daniel.fountain — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 15:27:15 +0000

article author:

Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour

Sun, 2024-10-13 18:21

DUBAI: Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s permanent observer to the UN, has commended ��Ƶ’s leadership in advancing the two-state solution, stressing that the Kingdom’s efforts, led by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, are pivotal for the future of the Palestinian people.

Appearing on the Arab News current affairs program “Frankly Speaking,” Mansour said the international coalition spearheaded by ��Ƶ is a vital step toward realizing Palestinian statehood and enforcing international law.

Main category:

Tags:

Frankly Speaking: Fareed Zakaria on Israel, Gaza and the region post-Oct. 7

romulo — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 20:36:10 +0000

article author:

Sat, 2024-10-05 22:07

RIYADH: No matter who becomes the next US president, they will have very little ability to rein in Israeli excesses in Gaza, Lebanon, and the wider Middle East, CNN journalist, author and political analyst Fareed Zakaria has said.

Although Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris may be willing to adjust the Biden administration’s stance on Gaza if she is elected, Zakaria believes the nature of US politics will leave her hands effectively tied.

Main category:

Tags:

Special

Frankly Speaking: How Fareed Zakaria views change in ��Ƶ

daniel.fountain — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 13:23:29 +0000

article author:

Sat, 2024-10-05 16:17

DUBAI: The changes taking place in ��Ƶ will be viewed in the long run as nothing short of a revolution, but one that happened in an “incremental” and “organic way,” according to CNN journalist, author and political analyst Fareed Zakaria.

He made the comments during an appearance on the Arab News show “Frankly Speaking” from the Saudi capital, which he visited last week and where he participated in a talk at the Riyadh International Book Fair around his latest book, “The Age of Revolutions.”

Main category:

Tags:

Frankly Speaking: Is a new civil war inevitable in Lebanon?

romulo — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 20:09:03 +0000

article author:

Sun, 2024-09-29 23:00

DUBAI: Hassan Nasrallah, the longstanding Hezbollah leader who was killed in an Israeli strike on his Beirut stronghold over the weekend, was the author of deep divisions in Lebanon, which have long threatened to drag the nation back into the mire of civil war.

Since the latest hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah suddenly escalated in mid-September, reports have circulated on social media about flare-ups in sectarian tensions in different parts of Lebanon as a result of mass displacement of people from the south.

Main category:

Tags:

Special

Frankly Speaking: Has Britain lost its tolerance?

Mahad — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 03:33:57 +0000

article author:

Sat, 2024-09-21 18:30

DUBAI: Britain is still the most tolerant place on earth, but it must tackle head on both the scourge of racism in society and those who are intent upon taking the law into their own hands, former Conservative MP and minister Nadhim Zahawi said.

His remarks follow a summer of unrest in the UK, where a knife attack in the town of Southport that killed three children and injured 10 sparked nationwide riots, exploited by far-right fringe groups to whip up hatred against immigrants.

Main category:

Tags:

Special

Frankly Speaking: Is the health situation in Gaza beyond saving?

daniel.fountain — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 16:39:30 +0000

article author:

World Health Organization (WHO)

Sun, 2024-07-07 19:35

DUBAI: The devastation of Gaza’s health system and the magnitude and complexity of the trauma endured by the Palestinian people are difficult for aid workers to wrap their heads around, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, the World Health Organization’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, has said.

Appearing on the Arab News current affairs program “Frankly Speaking,” the Saudi-born WHO official described the reality facing Palestinians and aid workers operating under Israeli bombardment in the embattled enclave.

Main category:

Tags:

Frankly Speaking: The Arab verdict on the US election debate

daniel.fountain — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 13:33:55 +0000

article author:

Sun, 2024-06-30 16:32

DUBAI: If the statements made by US President Joe Biden and his rival Donald Trump during Thursday’s election debate are anything to go by, it will be bad news for the Palestinian people no matter who wins the White House race in November.

Indeed, in the first televised head to head of the US election campaign, Biden reiterated his commitment to siding with Israel in the war in Gaza and accused Hamas of resisting efforts to end the conflict.

Main category:

Tags:

Frankly Speaking: Is the Biden plan still the best deal to stop Gaza bloodshed?

daniel.fountain — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 14:50:32 +0000

article author:

Sun, 2024-06-23 17:48

DUBAI: The fact that Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are both uncomfortable with the Gaza peace plan presented by US President Joe Biden means that “the deal is a good one,” said Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia’s representative to the UN Security Council.

On June 10, the council adopted Resolution 2735 — a ceasefire proposal to end the conflict in Gaza. However, according to reports, Hamas has refused to accept the plan without amendments, which Israel has rejected.

Main category:

Tags:

Special

Frankly Speaking: Can Lebanon ever have an ‘independent’ president?

daniel.fountain — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 15:56:44 +0000

article author: