The introduction of new laws regarding the ownership structure of mainland companies may boost the Gulf country's economy in 2023 as it is expected to attract more investors.

AL-MAHRA, YEMEN - The second batch of the new Saudi oil derivatives grant of 4,491,000 metric tons of diesel was delivered in Al Mahrah. The grant comes as part of the Kingdom's support for the Yemeni people under the directives of King Salman and the Crown Prince to help Yemen...

Saudi market's primary index fell for the eighth week in a row. Abu Dhabi index fell for four of five days. Dubai's main index fell three days out of five this week.

DUBAI, UAE - The UAE Council for Environmental and Municipal Work held its second meeting, chaired by Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment. The meeting saw the roll-out of the Waste-free Schools project that aims to promote the adoption of circular economy principles in schools....

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- Egypt’s economic growth is expected to decline to 4.5 percent in the fiscal year 2022-23 from 6.6 percent in 2021-22, affected by the Russia-Ukraine war overlapped with persisting COVID19-related disruptions, according to the World Bank’s Egypt Economic Monitor report. But the growth is forecast to inch up...

Kyiv, Ukraine--Ukraine estimates its grain harvest fell by around 40 percent year on year due to the Russian invasion, a representative for the country's industry told AFP Friday. "We expect a grain harvest of 65-66 million tonnes" by the end of the year, the head of the Ukrainian Grain Association Sergiy...

The bill requires Boeing to make some enhancements to the jets, but allows the Federal Aviation Administration to approve both the 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 10 without mandating an overhaul of the crew alerting systems. The bill requires the enhancements to be installed on other MAX models within...

In order to achieve the Vision 2030 goals, the PIF and its portfolio companies seek to help the kingdom grow its annual non-oil GDP by about seven percent.

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- The UAE Public Prosecution has ordered the arrest of a private company director who was proven to have faked the employment of Emirati citizens. The suspect allegedly forged e-documents, faked employment contracts, and falsely stated that his company had hired Emirati citizens, with the aim of obtaining...

A key indicator of US inflation edged down from a year ago in November, according to government data, in welcome news to households grappling with soaring costs while spending slowed. This extends a downward inflation trend in recent months, though it is unlikely to bring quick relief from an aggressive...

"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.

Iraq's prime minister appealed to visiting Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni for closer economic ties with his oil-rich country suffering from power cuts and decaying infrastructure. Meloni, who leads the eurozone's third-largest economy, is on her first bilateral trip outside Europe. She is on a pre-Christmas visit to Italian troops posted...

The move will help Dubai in becoming a cashless economy.

Complicating matters has been the loss of EU workers in sectors such as health, hospitality and agriculture, even if some of those returning home have been replaced by staff from non-EU countries. Witnessing the fallout, some high-profile bosses who voted for Brexit are calling on the government to relax the...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--The UAE-led ‘Beyond2020’ humanitarian initiative has provided a safe source of water for about 20,000 residents of the villages of ‘Tawit’ and ‘Tahjr’ in Kassala State, eastern Sudan. Under the initiative, two small solar-powered water basins were erected in accordance with a groundwater pumping system to provide 20...

The new 5-year agreement, which commences on December 23, succeeds the development and production sharing agreement signed in December 1997.

Cairo, Egypt-- The Central Bank of Egypt has raised the overnight interest rates by 300 basis points, exceeding expectations. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Egypt raised the overnight deposit rate, overnight lending rate, and the rate of the main operation to 16.25 percent, 17.25 percent, and...

High growth rates in the UAE and Saudi Arabia economies are positive indicators for consultancies, says Vijay Valecha, Chief Investment Officer, Century Financial.

Allaying fears over the future of the Suez Canal, its chairman said the waterway 'is not for sale. The fear was stocked over a draft law in parliament seeking to establish a sovereign wealth fund to "carry out all economic and investment activities" for the Suez Canal Authority.

The November figure is well below the sky-high levels that have sparked concern in the United States, Britain and elsewhere, but far exceeds the Bank of Japan's long-term goal of 2.0 percent. Even excluding fresh food and energy, the index was up 2.8 percent. "Although low by international standards, Japanese...

With 283 deals worth $23.8 billion in the first three quarters of 2022, the region’s M&A activity has returned to pre-pandemic levels, a BCG report has highlighted.

Turkey's latest economic crisis started when Erdogan -- a lifelong opponent of high interest rates -- pressured the central bank to bring down chronically high consumer prices by lowering borrowing costs.

The firm must stand trial to face US$12 billion damages claim

Muscat, Oman - Saeed bin Hamoud Al Maawali, Omani Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, has said that the digital economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is advancing at a rapid and significant pace, noting its major importance to GDP. He noted the importance of promoting cooperation...

Mikati said the economy had grown by nearly two percent in 2022 after two straight years of severe recession that saw Gross Domestic Product fall by 25.9 percent in 2020 and by 10.5 percent in 2021.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- Saudi Arabia's merchandise exports increased by 13.9 percent in October 2022 to SAR 120.7 billion ($32.10 billion), compared to SAR 106.0 billion in October 2021, according to the International Trade Report for October 2022 released today by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).The rise was mainly due...

ABU DHABI, UAE  - UAE's Ministry of Finance (MoF) has launched a Corporate Tax Public Awareness Program following the issuance of the Federal Decree-Law on Taxation of Corporations and Businesses. The launch of the program was announced during a media briefing held Thursday by the ministry to raise public awareness...

MONTREAL, CANADA -  UAE Minister of Climate Change and the Environment  Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri participated in the High-Level Segment (HLS), the second part of the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), that took place in Montreal, Canada. The HLS, which took place from December 15-17, 2022, aimed to enable participating...

DUBAI, UAE -   MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)    Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer has launched the construction work for the Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project. The  US$12 million (AED 46 million) project was recently awarded to DEWA and is part of the company's social and investment responsibility...

With dust settling after the Bank of Japan's surprise shift from ultra-loose monetary policy, investors embarked on a mini Santa rally ahead of the Christmas break, while the yen stabilised following its biggest jump in 24 years.

Mumbai, India - India's central bank governor warned Wednesday that cryptocurrency markets risked causing the next global financial crisis, saying the recent collapse of FTX was proof of the sector's "inherent risks". The comments close out a challenging year for India's millions of crypto owners, who are already reeling from a...

Rabat, Morocco - UAE and Morocco discussed ways of boosting their cooperation and investment opportunities in industry, economy, investments, culture, and tourism. The discussion occurred between Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, in Morocco. The visit is a...

Rabat, Morocco--Morocco is hoping its unprecedented World Cup exploits can help it win friends and influence people, especially among an Arab public opposed to its 2020 rapprochement with Israel. Support for the Atlas Lions surged as they battled their way to the semi-final of the football World Cup in Qatar --...

Iraq has been caught for years in a delicate balancing act between its two main allies, the United States and Iran, and Baghdad only recently arrived at a fragile compromise government after a year of political stalemate. The conference was a test for Iraq's new Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani,...

Algeria "doesn't support the idea of limiting prices", Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab said, speaking a day after EU energy ministers agreed a temporary ceiling to mitigate a severe energy crunch following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Energy markets must stay free so upstream" investments can continue, he told a press conference,...

Businesses in the region are working closely with their governments to get cloud security solutions implemented to reduce the success rates of phishing attempts.

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - The United States plans a meeting early in 2023 between Israel and Arab nations that recognize it as it pushes the incoming right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint, a US official said Tuesday. Netanyahu is set to take office with the most right-wing government in...

Doha, Qatar – Qatar’s Industrial Production Index (IPI) rose by 2.5 percent in October 2022, compared to the corresponding month in 2021, reaching 99 points, a 3.3 percent decline compared to September 2022. The index, issued by the Planning and Statistics Authority on Tuesday, showed a decrease in the mining...

DUBAI, UAE  - Nearly 2,000 global business executives and investors attended the World Corporate Summit in Dubai to share in the vision of improving the world through business. Held in Dubai from November 21 till December 15 2022 at the Palace Downtown Hotel, this summit which was supported by Dubai’s...

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - US lawmakers early Tuesday released the text of a US$1.7 trillion funding bill which Congress hopes to pass within days to avert a government shutdown. The bill includes $858 billion in defense funding and will also provide $44.9 billion in emergency assistance for Ukraine. It also includes...

SWEIMEH, JORDAN - Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met Tuesday with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on the sidelines of a summit in Jordan, an Iranian diplomatic source said. The meeting, which was confirmed by Iran's official news agency IRNA, comes at a time when negotiations in Vienna aimed at...

The 15 new projects approved reflect the OPEC Fund’s launch of a US$1 billion Food Security Action Plan and the adoption of its first dedicated Climate Action Plan earlier this year.

Dubai, UAE--The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has held a meeting with a number of recruitment agencies in the UAE to discuss the latest developments and ways to benefit from the Nafis platform, helping companies with 50 employees or more achieve the Emiratisation targets of 2% for skilled...

In a statement, the World Bank slashed its forecast to 2.7 percent from 4.3 percent predicted in June. It also revised its forecast for next year from 8.1 percent down to 4.3 percent.

The announcement on December 5 that the bookshop will close at the end of this month prompted an avalanche of messages. UK-based Algerian journalist and academic Ouissal Harize wrote on Twitter: "You will definitely be missed. Thank you for giving us a home away from home." The editor-in-chief of Esquire...

As the Gulf nations look to deepen economic partnership with China, the US, the region's dominant security force, watches with concern the GCC tilt toward its rival.

The agreements included the establishment of the Saudi-Azerbaijan Joint Business Council.

In Afghanistan, hundreds of earthquake-resilient concrete homes, many built by local laborers with the support of the United Nations refugee agency, have now been handed over to survivors who were until now living in makeshift tent cities.

In its Q3 review, the apex bank attributed the upward review to the robust performance of some non-oil sectors, including tourism, hospitality, real estate and manufacturing.

Dubai real estate market recorded 476 sales transactions worth AED1.17 billion, in addition to 92 mortgage deals of AED181.95 million.