Among the giftsfrom the Royal Family and UK PM David Cameron to US President Barack Obama in 2011 were a china tea set, an eagle tapestry and a dog toy, the US state department has revealed.
Some home buyers have tapped into the bank of mom and dad, receiving gifts or loans fromfamily members. (A 2012 National Association of Realtors survey found that 30% of first-time home buyers received funding from relatives for downpayments.) Many others have pooled together funds to pay all-cash, fueling about 30% of all home sales in the past year compared to about 10% a decade ago, according to NAR.
There's no better way to gauge the Saudi effort than by reading off the names of prominent Middle Eastern studies departments and the gifts they have received from the Saudi royal family.
The streets teem with shoppers keenly stocking up on everything from fancy new clothes and festive household decorations, to gifts for family, friends and business acquaintances.