Saudi newspapers highlighted in their editorials today a number of issues at local, regional and international levels. Among other issues, their front pages carried the following titles: Saudi forthcoming sensus is in fact a national task to draw the development map; Faisal bin Salman introduces 4309 graduates to the labor market; Saudi ports among the world's most efficient; Saudi Arabia ranks first as dates leading exporter; Saudi Arabia wins 13 international prizes at the invention and innovation's expo; and the WHO calls for prompt move to contain monkeybox disease. In its editorial titled "future forecast skills', Al-Eqtisadiya (the economist) gave an account on the devastating repercusssions coronavirus pandemic has inflicted the world economy, particularly the already-fragile underdeveloped and developing countries. Despite the expected government and giant conglomerate assistance to the least powerful sectors, the coronavirus repercussions are expected to impact the economies for longer time to come, the paper said, citing considerable personnel lay offs and business closures. This situation resulted in acute recess, sustainable repercussions on the prospected product through reducing investment rates, innovation, trimming of the unemployed human capital, withdrawal from the global trade circle, cut offs of the supplying chaines toghether with severe harms expected to hit the crisis-stricken economies, the paper added. Amid this economically-retreating situation, the future expectation task has emerged as among the important issues that should attract decision-makers around the world, it said. Such a situation requires a number of approaches, including analysis of threats and opportunities, and potentials of force and weakness, which itself needs a strong boost from the risk management, the paper concluded. Al-Riyadh newspaper reported in its editorial entitled "proxy war", in reference to the current tense situation between Russia and Ukraine. The paper said that following three months of the war between the two Asian neighbors, Russia has yet to achieve its military objective of controlling the Ukranian capital of Kiiv and bringing its political regime down. This failure could be attributed to the contribution of the US in intervening in Ukraine's defense strategy in addition to offering sensitive intelligence information to put additional costs to the strategic and economic losses incurred from US sanctions, said the paper. The Russian accusation to the US that it is envolved in the conflict meant to stir its concern that a direct confrontation might come out between the two world nuke powers despite Washington's attemtpt to keep a difficult equilibrium between the flow of support for Ukraine and reassuring Russia that its assumption is false. The US strategy towards the Russian-Ukraine war aimed at scoring a balance between two important issues: beware being dragged into a direct military conflict with Russia and raising the political, military and economic cost on Russia to an unprecedented level through imposing a series of sanctions to isolate it globally, a source of surprise to Russia which mortgaged its position to the west's refraining from imposing such sanctions as they largely depend on Russian oil and gas. Al-Youm newspaper raised the question "who is responsible from controlling prices from hiking". The paper urged all enterprises and the public not to wait for governments to work on their behalf in this matter, citing that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has done unprecedented measures to keep commodities prices controlled during the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. Hence, the question arises: where is the role of the social and cultural awareness which should contribute to forging the aspects of solution, the paper stated. Instead, they wait to see the government interferes to solve matters which are not of its business, citing the price hikes of food and consumable commodities.
