• Saudi Arabia’s economy to grow 3.2% from 2023-2026: Moody’s

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia’s economy is expected to grow by 3.2 percent on average between 2023 and 2026, while the non-oil sector will likely contribute 3.5 percent on average to the Kingdom’s growth in the same period, Moody’s Investors Service said in a recent report. The National Debt Management...
  • GCC poised to help MENA in global trade integration

    With MENA accounting for just 7.4% of global trade in 2022, GCC's strategic initiatives and resources can pave the way for regional trade integration and global prominence.
  • Lack of Lebanon reforms threatens stability, says IMF

    The International Monetary Fund warned in a report that Lebanon's failure to implement reforms could have "irreversible" consequences for the crisis-hit country and risks jeopardizing economic and social stability. Lebanon has been mired since 2019 in an economic collapse that has seen the local currency lose around 98 percent of...
  • Mitsotakis wins second term with clear majority in Greece polls

    Conservative leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis won Greece's national elections on Sunday with a clear majority, securing a second term during which he vowed to bring about major reforms to transform the country. With nearly all the votes counted, Mitsotakis's New Democracy party obtained a score of over 40.5 percent.
  • Netanyahu vows to continue with controversial judicial reforms

    JERUSALEM- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to advance the government's controversial judicial reforms, which have seen his premiership marred by mass protest against the proposed overhaul. "We will come together this week and begin the practical measures," Netanyahu said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting...
  • Which country leads Arab world in business ease?

    Arab nations have implemented several reforms to improve the ease of doing business. TRENDS take a look to determine the most business-friendly country in the region.
  • Kuwait heads to polls yet again to break political deadlock

    Polls opened on Tuesday in Kuwait's seventh general election in just over a decade, following repeated political crises that have undermined parliament and stalled reforms. More than 793,000 eligible voters will have the chance to determine the make-up of the 50-seat legislature in the Gulf state.
  • Protests in Israel carry on for 18th week against judicial reforms

    Thousands of Israelis protested for an 18th straight week against the hard-right government's controversial judicial reforms, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shelving the overhaul more than a month ago. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the central city of Rehovot, waving Israeli flags and blocking a major road junction.
  • Tunisia’s main workers union criticizes IMF loan talks

    TUNIS, TUNISIA - Tunisia's largest union on Monday attacked the government's handling of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a loan to bail out the North African country as it slides deeper into debt. Tunisia is seeking a bailout package worth nearly $2 billion from the IMF, which conditions...
  • World Bank could lend $50bn more over decade with reform: Yellen

    Central bankers, finance ministers and participants from more than 180 member countries are expected to gather in the US capital for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's spring meetings in the coming week. A key topic of discussion will be the World Bank's evolution, amid a push for lenders...
  • IMF warns ‘inaction will leave Lebanon in never-ending crisis’

    Lebanon and the IMF reached a conditional agreement in April 2022 on a $3-billion-dollar loan needed to save the country's economy, in free fall since 2019. But nearly a year after Beirut signed the agreement, officials have yet to enact the substantial changes required to kickstart the 46-month financing program.
  • Israel lawmakers inch closer to pass judicial reform law

    JERUSALEM- Israel's parliament took another step Tuesday to push forward a legal reform package that has sparked mass protests against the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lawmakers in a 3:00 am (0100 GMT) vote approved a bill in first reading that would, among other things, allow the Knesset...
  • Israeli Air Force reservists protest over legal reforms

    Dozens of Israeli Air Force pilots have said they will boycott military training in protest at government legal reforms that critics see as threatening democracy. In a letter sent to the chief of staff, 37 pilots threatened to not attend a training day due on Wednesday. The pilots' statement was...
  • Qatar eyes 1.5 million Saudi tourists in 2023 after thaw in bilateral relations

    Sports, social and marketing events, including various global activities and competitions, are likely to bring in more Saudi tourists, Qatar Tourism's data suggest.
  • Israeli government approves 2023-2024 budget

    Israel's government approved the 2023-2024 budget against the backdrop of economic uncertainty linked to controversial judicial reforms advanced by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The government had been expected to adopt the budget during a cabinet meeting Thursday, but talks ran late into the night and also took...
  • Israelis rally for fifth week against govt reform plan

    Carrying signs reading "Save Israel's democracy from Netanyahu", thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday against controversial legal reforms touted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government. The demonstrators also held up signs labelling the new government a "threat to world peace."
  • Jordan, EU sign two financing agreements worth US$69m

    AMMAN, JORDAN  - Confirming its role as one of Jordan’s main supporters, the European Union (EU) on Sunday signed two financing agreements with the Kingdom's Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation providing up to US$69 million (€64 million).The first agreement is financing a US$42 million (€39-million) program: "EU support to...
  • Macron urges Lebanon to ‘get rid’ of leaders blocking reforms

    "The problem with Lebanon is that we must solve people's problems and get rid of those who cannot do it," Macron said, referring to the country's entrenched political class -- widely blamed for the country's financial collapse since late 2019.
  • UAE reaffirms commitment to uphold multilateral system; urges UN to expand response to terrorism

    "Reform will not be easy; a serious results-oriented process will require us to make deep concessions and agree to difficult compromises. Many past efforts have failed or stalled for precisely that reason,” she adds while representing the UAE in high-level UNSC meetings.
  • Workers’ welfare key focus as GCC states strengthen, expand social protection systems, says Saudi minister

    The participating Gulf countries highlight labor reforms to ensure protection of workers at the 17th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting of ILO in Singapore.
  • IMF, Egypt finalize work to reach staff-level agreement soon

    Washington, US-- International Monetary Fund and Egyptian authorities have agreed to finalize their work to reach a Staff-Level Agreement very soon, the IMF has said. Director of Communications at the IMF Gerry Rice said in a statement that "IMF staff and the Egyptian authorities have held very productive in-person discussions...
  • Iraq economic growth hampered in absence of government, budget

    It remains without not only a new government but a budget too, obstructing much-needed reforms and infrastructure projects in the oil-rich but war-ravaged country. Iraq has raked in huge revenues from oil exports this year, but the profits are locked up in the central bank's coffers, which have amassed $87...
  • Saudi women DJs strum a new tune

    Standing behind her control tower with headphones around her neck, Saudi DJ Leen Naif segues smoothly between pop hits and club tracks for a crowd of business school graduates noshing on sushi.
  • UAE delegation highlights good governance initiative

    The UAE delegation to the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, presented the second edition of the UAE’s National Voluntary Review Report.
  • Iranian teachers demonstrate in several cities against pension reforms

    Hundreds of teachers on Thursday rallied in several Iranian cities to denounce the slow implementation of salary and pension reforms, state media reported. In Gilan province on the Caspian Sea coast, around 150 teachers marched in the city of Rasht, while another 70 did so in Lahijan, the state broadcaster...
  • UAE shares its proposals with IMO for strategic reforms

    The United Arab Emirates has given three proposals to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), supporting the reforms undertaken by IMO on the development and improvement of the work system.
  • Lebanon reforms will get foreign aid flowing: UNSC

    The common belief in the international community is that the reason behind Lebanon’s economic crisis is corruption and misgovernance. Thus, most foreign powers have promised to provide aid only after Lebanon enacts reforms to curb corruption and make governance more transparent.
  • After Brussels dialogue, European Union welcomes reforms in Saudi Arabia

    DUBAI: The European Union Tuesday welcomed the reforms taking place in Saudi Arabia and noted that "significant steps" have been taken to advance womenآ’s rights. In a statement, European Action External Service, the EU's diplomatic arm, the first-ever Human Rights Dialogue between the EU and the Kingdom held in Brussels...
  • Saudi handouts, to poor, leap to $27bn

    Saudi Arabia has paid nearly $27 billion, since 2017, in monthly handouts to low-income families, facing the unintended effects of reforms.
  • Saudi Arabia allows businesses to remain open during prayers

    Saudi Arabia has officially allowed businesses to remain open during the five daily Muslim prayers. The decision is said to be part of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. 
  • Foreign envoys in Lebanon seek reforms for bailout cash, get no response

    Donors want the establishment of a new government to enact urgently needed reforms  Foreign donors have over the past year pledged millions of dollars in humanitarian aid As Lebanon's economy tanks, foreign envoys are resorting to increasingly undiplomatic language to make clear their exasperation with politicians who demand bailout cash...