Tue, 21-Oct-2025

KU’s HCTRS receives accreditation certificate from GCC Center

KU

KARACHI: The Halal Certification, Testing, and Research Services (HCTRS), a part of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at the University of Karachi, has reached a significant milestone by earning an accreditation certificate from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Accreditation Center. This achievement was celebrated during an official meeting at the HEJ … Read more

GCC and Indonesia begin negotiations for free trade agreement

GCC and Indonesia begin negotiations for free trade agreement

The agreement aims to boost Indonesia’s commercial presence in the Middle East. Indonesia has been working to strengthen trade ties with other GCC members since the pact came into force last September. The first round of talks is scheduled for September. On Wednesday, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Indonesia signed a deal to commence long-awaited … Read more

Commerce Minister hails finalization of Pakistan-GCC FTA

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement (Pak-GCC FTA) has initiated a promising era for trade liberalization and economic ties with GCC countries. In a historic moment, the Pakistan-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement (Pak-GCC FTA) was inked at the GCC Headquarters in Riyadh. The Ministry of Commerce said this ushers in a promising … Read more

Pakistan signs Free Trade Agreement with GCC

Pakistan GCC

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have concluded the final round of negotiations on the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement. Federal Minister for Commerce Dr Gohar Ejaz and Secretary General GCC Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi signed the joint statement on the successful conclusion and finalization of the FTA negotiations. The final round of the Pakistan-GCC … Read more

GCC denounce Quran burning in Stockholm

GCC
  • An extremist burned of the Holy book Quran in Stockholm in front of the Turkish consulate.
  • UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar make up the GCC.
  • Al Hajraf pleaded with the world community to take action.

Cairo: The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has denounced the extremist’s burning of a Holy Quran in Stockholm, Sweden, and issued a caution against upsetting Muslims.

The GCC claimed that Nayef Al Hajraf, the organization’s secretary general, had denounced the Swedish government for permitting an extremist to burn the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm since this would inflame and antagonize Muslims all over the world.

Al Hajraf reaffirmed the GCC’s unwavering stance, emphasizing the need to “promote the ideals of discussion, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence as well as rejecting intolerance and extremism.”

He pleaded with the world community to take action to stop “such rejected acts”.

UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar make up the GCC.

The burning of the Quran in Stockholm in front of the Turkish consulate by an extremist was vehemently condemned by the UAE.

Additionally, the ministry emphasized the need of promoting tolerance and coexistence.

Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar all denounced the act of burning.

Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Secretary General, Hissein Brahim Taha, stated that he strongly condemned “the heinous deed” of burning the Holy Quran and referred to it as a “provocative action.”

During demonstrations against Turkey and Sweden’s bids to join NATO, an anti-immigrant lawmaker from the far-right fringe on Saturday set fire to a copy of the Quran next to the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

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Netflix: Saudi Arabia and the GCC issue a warning for going against “Islamic values”

Netflix

Netflix has reportedly been told to remove any content that they deem to go against “Islamic and societal values and principles,” according to Saudi media. Media watchdogs from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council issued a statement warning that recent content especially that meant for children broke legal restrictions. Although there are no laws … Read more

GCC undergoing technology boom; women feel left out

technology

Technology is one of the world’s fastest expanding businesses, and the Arab Gulf is widely seen as one of its worldwide hubs. Dubai, called the “tech metropolis of the Arab world,” is at the epicenter of the region’s innovation landscape. The UAE’s commercial capital grew throughout the COVID-19 epidemic, possibly due to its choice to … Read more

UAE: Sheikh Mohammed discusses the plan to integrate payment systems across GCC

Sheikh Mohammad links payment systems across GCC. The resolution is adopted by the UAE cabinet on Monday. The UAE Cabinet has approved a deal to integrate the Gulf Cooperation Council members’ financial systems. This was one of numerous resolutions passed at the Cabinet meeting on Monday, which was led by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin … Read more

Egypt, GCC sign MoU on political consultations mechanism

Egypt, GCC sign MoU on political consultations mechanism

CAIRO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) — Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Al-Hajraf signed Thursday a memo of understanding on the mechanism of political consultations between the two sides, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez tweeted. Earlier, Shoukry and Al-Hajraf discussed means of boosting relations between Egypt and … Read more

Gulf ministers visit China amid energy fears

Gulf

BEIJING: Foreign ministers from oil-rich Gulf states arrived in Beijing on Monday for a five-day visit as turmoil in neighbouring Kazakhstan raises concerns about China’s energy security. The officials from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, as well as secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef bin Falah al-Hajrah, will be in China … Read more

GCC secretary general to arrive in Pakistan tomorrow for day-long visit

Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) Secretary General Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf will arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday for a day-long visit, announced the Foreign Office spokesperson on Tuesday. “The secretary general is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, extended during the secretary general’s visit to Pakistan, to attend the 17th Extraordinary … Read more

Saudi Arabia boosts pandemic measures at Makkah’s Grand Mosque

Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Thursday re-imposed social distancing measures at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, after recording the highest number of infections in months. Workers have returned floor markings removed on October 17 to guide people to social distance in and around the Grand Mosque, which is built around the Kaaba. The Saudi authorities said they … Read more

GCC members record 3.3% rise in bank deposits

GCC

RIYADH: Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council witnessed an improvement in their banking sector, as the total bank deposits increased by 3.3 per cent in the first half of 2021, compared to the end of 2020, Arab News reported. The GCC countries’ total bank deposits reached $1.6 trillion, according to a report released by the GCC … Read more

Gulf economies see 3.1% growth in 2021 on higher oil production

Gulf economies

RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council countries’ economies are expected to have grown by a cumulative 3.1 per cent in 2021, reversing a 5.2 per cent decline last year, Arab News quoted a recent report by the GCC Statistical Centre. The predicted expansion in output is attributed to higher oil output, particularly in the fourth quarter. The elimination of … Read more

Shared vision, commitment to integration underlie Gulf trade deals

Gulf trade

DUBAI: The signing of new investment deals reportedly worth $30 billion between Saudi Arabia and Oman is no doubt a positive development for solidifying cooperation between the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab News reported. Yet the first questions that spring to mind are: Why Oman and why now? From a geopolitical perspective, Saudi Arabia’s … Read more

Dubai-based cloud kitchen invests in five virtual restaurant groups in GCC

kitchen

RIYADH: Kitopi, the world’s leading managed cloud kitchen platform, has invested in multiple regional food and beverage groups as part of its next phase of growth, according to a company statement. The Dubai-based company has begun initial investments in Cloud Restaurants (famous for Go! Greek and Go! Healthy), Leap Nation (famous for Tawook Nation and … Read more

Pakistan’s remittances grow 26% in 2021: World Bank

Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Remittances in Pakistan grows 26 per cent in 2021, compared with the overall growth of 8 per cent in South Asia, according to the estimates from the World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief. “Pakistan had another year of record remittances with [the] growth at 26 per cent and levels reaching $33 billion in 2021,” … Read more

GCC banks push on with funding; customer deposits remain main source

MOSCOW/CAIRO: The Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) banking sector continues to show signs of strengths with core customer deposits remaining the main source of funding for the regional banks, Arab News quoted a report by S&P Global rating, as saying. The ratings firm said Saudi Arabia led the region in lending, which grew 7.9 per cent. … Read more

GCC’s GDP growth to soar next year

GCC Summit Qatar

DUBAI: The GCC countries’ GDP growth will more than double next year, as higher oil income after the surge in the crude prices will result in a rise in the budget spending and propel the diversification of the regional economies, Khaleej Times quoted economists, as saying. The UAE will lead the region’s uneven economic recovery, … Read more

GCC, Europe to revive free trade deal talks: envoy

GCC Summit Qatar

RIYADH: The European Union has tentatively reopened talks with the Gulf Cooperation Council regarding a free trade deal, Arab News quoted EU Ambassador Patrick Simonet, as saying. Simonet said that the potential agreement between the two parties was discussed during the high-level dialogue on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on September … Read more

Pakistan to seek individual trade deals with Saudi, UAE, Oman: Razak Dawood

Pakistan to seek individual trade deals with Saudi, UAE, Oman: Razak Dawood

Pakistan will pursue individual trade deals with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood said. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes the mentioned countries along with Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, started talks about free trades with Pakistan in 2004. However, since 2015 the … Read more

Growth in ESG investments support stronger asset inflows in GCC: Moody’s

Dubai tourism

DUBAI: The growing demand in Islamic and environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-compliant investments is expected to increases asset inflows over the next 12 months, Arab News reported. This is according to the asset managers in Gulf countries, based on Moody’s 2021 survey of chief investment officers (CIOs) from eight leading fund firms. “Half of CIO … Read more

GCC food consumption to grow at moderate pace

China has decided to reduce the use of plastic across the country.

DUBAI: Food consumption in the GCC is expected to grow at a moderate pace on the back of growing population, economic recovery and reopening of the hospitality and tourism sectors, Khaleej Times reported. The GCC has remained relatively conservative, growing at a slower pace amid economic and geo-political concerns in recent years. While demand has been supported by growing … Read more

Emirates appoints Alnahari Alhashmi as Pakistan vice president

KARACHI: Emirates has announced the appointment of Mohammad Alnahari Alhashmi as Vice President for Pakistan, effective September 1, 2021, a statement said on Wednesday. Alhashmi will be responsible for leading the airline’s operations and strengthening Emirates’ presence in the market. Mohammed Sarhan, who was previously vice president of Emirates for Pakistan, will now take on … Read more

Murabaha: UAE banks raise $350 million for Pakistan

Pakistan UAE

DUBAI: The Ajman Bank and the Commercial Bank of Dubai have raised $350 million (Dh1.28 billion) in Murabaha syndicated financing for the government of Pakistan, Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday. The two UAE banks acted as mandated lead arrangers and book-runners for the facility on behalf of Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance. The Shariah-compliant Ajman Bank also acted … Read more

A train connecting UAE to Saudi Arabia is in the works

A train connecting all of the seven emirates to Saudi Arabia is in the works

Trains having a long-standing records of connecting people through a continuing technique of transportation, Etihad Rail’s modern state-of-the-art network is prepared to connect the seven emirates of the UAE with Saudi Arabia, through an efficient railway network. As the network is being developed and implemented in the main stages, a stage which is currently in … Read more

We are ready to address any threat: GCC

Gulf Cooperation Council

The chiefs of staff of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states said that Gulf countries are militarily ready to address any threats or terrorist attacks. According to the GCC statement issued after an extraordinary meeting was held in Riyadh on Thursday morning at Saudi Arabia’s request, the head of the Gulf States has said that … Read more