AT THE END of January 2012, the Ministry of Commerce issued a decision to abolish the service charge imposed by restaurants in addition to the prices of items on the menu, and the ministry gave a two months’ notice to the food industry providers to remove the extra fees from the menus.
Certainly this decision is in the interest of the consumer and in line with global customs, which leaves the customers to assess the level of service themselves, and reward the waiter to the rate of 10% to 20% maximum. Some countries including the United States and the United Arab Emirates consider these added fees to be illegal, while other countries such as the United Kingdom recognize the service charges, but ensure the right of the consumer of non-payment or reducing it in the event of dissatisfaction with service. But the current situation in Saudi Arabia makes us wonder: Have we benefited from the cancellation of the service charges in restaurants?
Saudi newspapers’ review of the overall situation since the launching of the decision to cancel the service charge after the deadline of 60 days indicates that the restaurants not only canceled service charges, which were estimated previously in the range of 15%, but actually doubled the value of those charges within the new menu prices.
A week before the deadline, specifically on March 22, Asharq Alawsat newspaper published a statement by Nasser Atawaim, president of the Consumer Protection Association about the “near the release of a list of penalties and fines on restaurants and cafes in Saudi Arabia that have not committed to implementing the decision of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry regarding the cancellation of the service charges imposed.” He further explained that the ministry has asked the municipalities to keep copies of price lists before the implementation of the new law, and to be vigilant of raising prices after the deadline.
After the deadline Asharq Alawsat newspaper published on April 12, a story with the title: “Trade: Leaves the consumer the choice to accept restaurant menu prices” stating that the Consumer Protection Association has denied any move to impose prices on the providers of such services, leaving the option for the consumer as there are many alternatives!
In fact, people soon realized that the decision to cancel service charges led to the increase in the price menus in excess of the value of service charges. An investigation conducted by Al-Madinah newspaper. In the report, which was published on April 24, under the title: “The increase offsets the cancellation of the service charges from menus.. And citizens are demanding price control,” the report also pointed out that the deletion of service charges have raised the prices of meals in the city of Jeddah by 25 percent.
In the past month I made a number of observations in several restaurants, where I saw my favorite restaurant offer a new menu poor in quality and free from images and there are no changes in terms of meals other than the prices which have increased by as much as 25%. I also visited another restaurant that canceled the service charges while reducing the number of employees, thus providing slow service by surly waiters and it took almost an hour for our meals to be served. In yet another restaurant they replaced high quality butter provided with appetizers with lower quality butter and added more water and sugar to fresh juices. A world-famous restaurant adopted by creating new dishes at a higher cost.
The bottom line is, there is no doubt that the decision of the Ministry of Commerce not to impose any additional charges to the prices of food and beverages was intended to protect the consumer, but the way of dealing with the resolution reflected negatively on the consumer, increased restaurant prices and made service worse, all of which happen before the eyes of the Consumer Protection Association that seems to stand idly by after confirmation by its chief executive recently that they only have twenty employees most of them collaborators, and that the budget allocated to it does not exceed five million riyals!
Saudi restaurants: Hot new menus, flaming prices
Saudi restaurants: Hot new menus, flaming prices
Saudi industrial, mining sectors offering lucrative opportunities for entrepreneurs, minister says
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s industrial and mining sectors are harboring promising opportunities for youth and entrepreneurs, the Kingdom’s industry minister has insisted.
Speaking during the Misk Global Forum 2024 in Riyadh, Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef said that these opportunities go beyond direct investment to include the development of innovative ideas to improve production efficiency, manufacturing quality, and energy conservation in industrial facilities.
He explained that institutions working in industrial and mineral resources have introduced a range of enablers and initiatives to support the growth of entrepreneurial ventures and facilitate investment for young innovators in both sectors, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The Kingdom ranked third in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report for 2023-2024 – a study which assesses the ecosystems of countries worldwide.
Saudi Arabia showed significant progress, with its National Entrepreneurship Context Index score increasing from 5 in 2019 to 6.3 in 2022 and 2023.
The analysis highlighted that this reflects the country’s successful efforts to diversify its economy and foster a supportive climate for business owners. The report also underlined female entrepreneurship, with eight women starting new companies for every 10 men in 2023.
Alkhorayef added that the introduced programs include financial solutions, including the 1K Miles program, designed to help entrepreneurs turn ideas into projects, and the Industrial Hackathon, which allows young innovators to present creative solutions to challenges faced by industrial facilities.
The minister further highlighted that the Kingdom has become a global hub for entrepreneurs, offering them the opportunity to pitch innovative ideas and test their success. He emphasized that the government’s unwavering support for youth creates vast opportunities for the success of their projects.
He emphasized that Saudi Arabia has recently focused on leveraging its strategic assets to develop its industrial sector and boost competitiveness. This includes utilizing its natural resources and technological advancements to compete globally in emerging industries and establish itself as a key player in international supply chains.
During the previous day’s event, the Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, highlighted the crucial role of innovation in addressing global development challenges and improving the quality of life for vulnerable populations.
Gates emphasized the importance of investing in technology and education as the foundation for a sustainable future, underlining that such investments empower future generations to positively impact their communities.
He praised Saudi Arabia’s leadership in empowering youth, highlighting initiatives like MGF 2024, which focuses on developing young people’s skills and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. He called the forum a global model worthy of emulation.
Gates also called for strengthened international cooperation to develop joint solutions addressing current challenges.
The co-chair underscored the importance of fostering creativity, teamwork, and collective thinking to build a more sustainable future, highlighting that global collaboration could drive transformative advancements that improve the lives of millions.
The MGF 2024 announced the launch of the “Misk Grand Challenges” initiative in partnership with the Gates Foundation, aiming to inspire young people to propose innovative solutions to global education and citizenship issues, fostering creativity and engaging brilliant minds to address pressing development challenges.
During a panel discussion at the forum, Abdullah Al-Saleem, CEO and co-founder of Mushtari, offered valuable insights on when and how entrepreneurs should seek guidance for their ventures.
“Every time is the right time to seek help,” Al-Saleem said, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and consultation in business development.
He advocated for a two-pronged approach to seeking advice, distinguishing between general business consultants and industry-specific experts.
“There are two people you have to seek help from: People that know generally about the industry, and people that know specifically about the industry,” he added.
Erdogan says Turkiye prepared if US withdraws from Syria
ISTANBUL: President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkiye is prepared if the United States decides to withdraw troops from northern Syria, broadcaster CNN Turk and other media cited him as saying on Wednesday.
In an interview with reporters on his way back from the G20 summit in Brazil, Erdogan said Turkiye’s security is paramount and it is holding talks with Russia on the issue of Syria.
Trump names former wrestling executive as Education Secretary
- Linda McMahon, former CEO of WWE, will lead Department of Education that Trump has pledged to abolish
- McMahon is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team ahead of his return to the White House in January
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump nominated Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, on Tuesday to lead the Department of Education, which he has pledged to abolish.
Describing McMahon as a “fierce advocate for Parents’ Rights,” Trump said in a statement: “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.”
McMahon is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team ahead of his return to the White House in January. It is tasked with filling some 4,000 positions in the government.
Regarding McMahon’s experience in education, Trump cited her two-year stint on the Connecticut Board of Education and 16 years on the board of trustees at Sacred Heart University, a private Catholic school.
McMahon left WWE in 2009 to run in vain for US Senate, and has been a major donor to Trump.
Since 2021, she has chaired the Center For The American Worker at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute.
During the election campaign Trump promised to do away with the federal education department when he returns to the White House.
“I say it all the time. I’m dying to get back to do this. We will ultimately eliminate the federal Department of Education,” he said in September during a rally in Wisconsin.
At the Republican convention in Milwaukee, McMahon said she was “privileged to call Donald Trump a colleague and a boss,” as well as “a friend.”
Her ties with Trump go back to her years in the professional wrestling industry — she said she first met him as chief executive at WWE.
At the culmination of a staged feud, Trump once body-slammed her husband, legendary wrestling promoter Vince McMahon, and shaved his head in the middle of a wrestling ring on live television.
In 2017, she was confirmed as the head of the Small Business Administration, which is responsible for supporting America’s millions of small businesses, which employ around half the country’s private-sector workforce.
In nominating her, Trump pointed to her experience in business, helping to grow the WWE.
After leaving the administration, she served as chair of the pro-Trump America First Action SuperPAC, or political action committee.
Elections in two Indian states test of Prime Minister Modi’s popularity
- Millions are voting in elections in Maharashtra, western industrial hub and mineral-rich eastern province of Jharkhand
- Election surveys on the eve of polling put the opposition alliance comprising Congress party and two others ahead of the BJP
NEW DELHI: Millions of people are voting in state elections in Maharashtra, India’s western industrial hub, and the mineral-rich eastern province of Jharkhand on Wednesday, in a test of the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party and its regional partners.
Politically significant Maharashtra is India’s wealthiest state and home to the financial and entertainment capital, Mumbai. It is currently ruled by a coalition of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and a Hindu nationalist ally. An opposition alliance, including the Congress party, is in power in eastern Jharkhand state.
Modi has held big rallies in the two states. The challenge comes barely four months after his party suffered a setback and returned to power in national elections for a third term without a parliamentary majority. He formed the government with the help of regional partners.
Modi, in a post on social platform X ahead of the state elections, wrote: “On this occasion, I appeal to all the youth and women voters to vote in large numbers.”
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst who wrote a Modi biography, said a reversal in these state elections would negatively impact Modi’s leadership style.
“It will have repercussions for the BJP in coming elections in Delhi and Bihar states next year,” he said.
Votes in the two states will be counted on Saturday.
After suffering a setback in national elections, the BJP regained momentum in October as it won Haryana state elections, where pollsters had predicted an easy victory for the opposition Congress party.
Rahul Gandhi’s Congress party won a consolation victory in alliance with the regional National Conference party in local elections in India’s insurgency-wracked Jammu and Kashmir after a 10-year gap.
The BJP is trying to wrest power from the Congress party and its allies in Jharkhand, a state rich in iron ore, coal and other minerals.
The BJP’s use of slogans like “If you divide, then you will die” and “If we are united, then we are safe” to attract Hindu votes has prompted opposition parties to accuse the BJP of trying to polarize the voters along Hindu-Muslim religious lines.
Hindus constitute nearly 80 percent and Muslims 11.5 percent of Maharashtra state’s estimated 131 million people.
Mukhopadhyay saw a tendency from top BJP leaders to communalize the elections, saying, “It shows the growing desperation of the party, and it looks like their reading is they are not doing very well in Maharashtra and Jharkhand states.”
Election surveys on the eve of polling put the opposition alliance comprising the Congress party and two truncated regional groups, the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress party, ahead of the BJP and its allies currently governing the state. The Congress party defeated the BJP and its allies in the June national elections by winning 30 out of 48 seats in the state. The BJP and its regional partners won 17 seats.
The Congress party and its allies hope to capitalize on the simmering disaffection with high youth unemployment, inflation and low crop prices during the BJP’s rule.
The BJP hopes to attract women voters with a scheme that provides 1,500 rupees ($18) a month to over 20 million women aged 21-65 whose annual family income is less than 250,000 ($3,010). If the Congress party is voted to power in the state, it has promised women double that amount and free transportation in government buses.
UN moves to unlock stuck climate financing for Afghanistan
- UN agencies drawing up proposals for climate projects
- Initial projects expected to be worth around $19 million
KABUL/BAKU: United Nations agencies are trying to unlock key climate financing for Afghanistan, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change which has not received approval for any fresh such funds since the 2021 Taliban takeover, two UN officials told Reuters.
Plagued by drought and deadly floods, Afghanistan has been unable to access UN climate funds due to political and procedural issues since the former insurgents came to power.
But with the population growing more desperate as climate woes stack up, UN agencies are hoping to unseal project financing for the fragile country to boost its resilience.
If successful, this would be the first time new international climate finance would flow into the arid, mountainous nation in three years.
“There are no climate skeptics in Afghanistan,” said Dick Trenchard, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) country director for Afghanistan. “You see the impact of climate change and its environmental effects everywhere you go.”
Two UN agencies are currently drawing together proposals they hope to submit next year to shore up nearly $19 million in financing from the UN’s Global Environment Facility (GEF), part of the financial mechanism of the 2015 UN Paris Agreement on climate change.
These include the FAO, which hopes to get support for a project costing $10 million that would improve rangeland, forest and watershed management across up to four provinces in Afghanistan, while avoiding giving money directly to Taliban authorities.
That’s according to diplomatic sources, who say that the world’s 20 major economies have reached a consensus — but a fragile one.
The UN Development Program, meanwhile, hopes to secure $8.9 million to improve the resilience of rural communities where livelihoods are threatened by increasingly erratic weather patterns, the agency told Reuters. If that goes ahead, it plans to seek another $20 million project.
“We’re in conversations with the GEF, the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund — all these major climate financing bodies — to reopen the pipeline and get resources into the country, again, bypassing the de facto authorities,” said Stephen Rodriques, UNDP resident representative for Afghanistan.
National governments often work alongside accredited agencies to implement projects that have received UN climate funds. But because the Taliban government is not recognized by UN member states, UN agencies would both make the request and serve as the on-the-ground partner to carry out the project.
A Taliban administration spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
FLOODS, DROUGHT
“If one of the countries most impacted by climate change in the world cannot have access to (international climate funds), it means something isn’t working,” Rodriques said, adding that any funds should come alongside continued dialogue on human and women’s rights.
Flash floods have killed hundreds in Afghanistan this year, and the heavily agriculture-dependent country suffered through one of the worst droughts in decades that ended last year. Many subsistence farmers, who make up much of the population, face deepening food insecurity in one of the world’s poorest countries.
The FAO and UNDP will need to receive initial approvals by the GEF secretariat before they can submit their full proposals for a final decision from the GEF Council, which comprises representatives from 32 member states.
If the agencies get that first green light, Trenchard said, they would aim to submit their proposals in early 2025.
We “are awaiting guidance as to whether it would be possible to proceed,” Trenchard said.
No foreign capital has formally recognized the Taliban government, and many of its members are subject to sanctions. The United States has frozen billions in central bank funds since the former insurgents took over and barred girls and women over the age of 12 from schools and universities.
Many human rights activists have condemned the Taliban’s policies and some have questioned whether interaction with the Taliban and funnelling funds into the country could undermine foreign governments’ calls for a reversal on women’s rights restrictions.
The Taliban says it respects women’s rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law.
Countries mired in conflict and its aftermath say they have struggled to access private investment, as they are seen as too risky. That means UN funds are even more critical to their populations, many of whom have been displaced by war and weather.
Taliban members are attending the ongoing annual UN climate negotiations COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan as observers for the first time, Reuters has reported.
The Taliban’s presence could build trust between Afghanistan and international donors, said Abdulhadi Achakzai, founder of the Afghanistan climate nonprofit Environmental Protection Trainings and Development Organization, on the sidelines of COP29.
“It will be a safer world for the future to include Afghanistan officially in the agenda,” he said. “We see this is an opportunity. There are funds for Afghanistan, we just need to secure it.”
