DUBAI: Mustafa Ali knows the buzz of performing in front of a WrestleMania crowd all too well.
It’s a feeling that he has been chasing ever since he experienced it for the first time in 2018.
But when WWE’s showpiece event returns next weekend, it looks like Ali - just like the homebound crowds - will be watching from his family home’s sofa - and he’s completely at ease with it.
“WrestleMania has been something that turned into an obsession and it has its ebbs and flows for me,” the American wrestler, born to a Pakistani father and an Indian mother, said.
Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) has selected HSBC and Morgan Stanley to work on the planned initial public offering (IPO) of its specialty chemicals business, two sources familiar with the matter said.
SABIC, the world’s fourth-biggest petrochemicals firm, hired Saudi investment bank NCB Capital earlier this year to work on the public share sale, which sources said could raise several hundred million dollars.
The specialty chemicals business brings in about $2 billion in sales each year for SABIC, which is controlled by state oil company Aramco, one of the sources, and a third source, said.
The unit produces speciality engineering thermoplastic resins and compounds, composites, thermosets and additives, according to its website.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has come a long way in diversifying its economy and forging partnership with the private sector, Ferid BelHajj, World Bank group vice president for Middle East and North Africa, told Al Arabiya.
The World bank is ready to support regional countries technically and financially on their economic reform journeys, he added.
There will be 300 million young people in the region that will need to be absorbed by the labor market, BelHajj said.
The private sector’s contribution must therefore be prioritized as it alone is capable of absorbing these new young workers, he said.
The World Bank VP stressed the importance of further opening the economies of the Middle East and North Africa to the private sector.
DUBAI: The UAE said it was investing $3 billion in Iraq to explore new partnerships and accelerate the growth of the conflict-ridden country.
Iraqi premier Mustafa Al-Khadimi visited the UAE on Sunday, where he discussed partnership prospects between the two countries.
Al-Khadimi met with UAE leaders, including Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan during his visit.
Both countries agreed to grow economic cooperation and accelerate trade and investment exchanges.
The pair also announced the formation of the Iraqi-UAE Business Council to boost cooperation.
Among the common interests for Iraq and the UAE were security and defense, as well as cooperation in the field of sustainable energy.
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in court Monday for his corruption trial, which resumes as the veteran premier seeks to form a coalition to extend his record 12-year tenure. Wearing a black mask and dark suit, Netanyahu was seated in the Jerusalem District Court following an order from judges to attend opening arguments in the case, in which he is