A worldwide improvement in students’ capacity for problem-solving to the average level of today’s top 10 scoring countries could add an additional $2.54 trillion to the global economy, World Economic Forum (WEF) said in its latest report. The compound effects of the pandemic, pre-existing inequalities, and the rapid technological change...

Saudi Arabia has rejected claims that its planned futuristic megacity known as NEOM will have different rules from the rest of the kingdom and function like a "country within a country". Media reports said that in an interview published last week by the UAE's The National newspaper, Andrew McEvoy, head...

Investors remain cautious as to whether China will ease its zero-Covid policy, which has added to the disruption of the world's supply chains.

The UAE accomplished many achievements under the rule of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, including being ranked among the top 10 globally in 20 key indicators of global competitiveness related to the energy and infrastructure sector for the year 2021, according to reports issued by a number...

Wheat prices surged to a new record high on Monday after India decided to ban exports of the commodity as a heatwave hit production. The price jumped to 435 euros ($453) per tonne as the European market opened. Global wheat prices have soared on supply fears since Russia's February invasion...

Asian equities were up on Monday after a rally on Wall Street last week, but analysts say fears of a recession due to surging inflation and Covid-driven supply chain woes still have investors worried. World markets have been volatile for much of 2022, fueled by uncertainty over supply chain snarls

For many voters, the election was a chance to vent their anger at the entire ruling elite.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli announced Sunday a string of planned privatisations of state-owned companies, as Cairo grapples with an economic crisis and inflation at almost 15 percent. Following years of accusations of state companies crowding out private investments, the government announced a roadmap on Sunday to more than double...

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) today announced the launch of the Saudi Coffee Company. The company is established to enable Saudi Arabia’s coffee bean to be a global product in the future.

Annual inflation in Saudi Arabia has spiked to 2.3 percent in April, up from 2 percent in March. According to the General Authority for Statistics, also known as GASTAT, the consumer price index, or CPI, in April 2022 has surged 2 percent when compared to the corresponding period a year...

Drought is threatening the Iraqi tradition of growing amber rice, the aromatic basis of rich lamb and other dishes, and a key element in a struggling economy. The long-grained variety of rice takes its name from its distinctive scent, which is similar to that of amber resin. It is used...

Lebanon headed to the polls today for its first election since multiple crises dragged it to the brink of failed statehood, with the ruling elite expected to comfortably weather public anger. The parliamentary election is the first test for opposition movements spawned by an unprecedented anti-establishment uprising in 2019 that...

There has been a 94.8% increase in the number of Indian businesses registering with Oman MoCIIP’s Invest Easy portal, up from 450 in 2019 to 877 in 2021.

Lebanese writer, journalist, and human rights activist Joumana Haddad tells TRENDS why she is unperturbed despite being one of the ‘most hated’ persons in her country.

The UAE and Saudi stock exchanges posted losses this week, taking cue from the world markets that fell in reaction to galloping inflation, and rate hikes by central banks in many countries.

World-class infrastructure, successful pandemic response and visa and labor reforms have made the city an ideal destination for expats. Also, the UAE’s stable economy persuades foreigners to make Dubai their second home.

The locals, residents, and visitors have once again started flocking to museums, historical and heritage sites, and public libraries, according to DCAA data. Trips to these locations totaled 521,753 during 2021, with heritage sites accounting for half of those visits, followed by libraries at 39 percent and museums at 11...

Ukraine is a major supply route for Russian gas to Europe and the two sides have kept flows going even after the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24

World food prices hit an all-time high in March following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which accounted for 20 percent of global wheat and maize exports over the past three years

The official unemployment rate in crisis-hit Lebanon jumped almost three-fold to reach 29.6 percent at the start of the year, a joint survey by the UN and the government said Thursday. "Lebanon's unemployment rate increased from 11.4 percent in 2018-2019 to 29.6 percent in January 2022, indicating that almost one...

Here’s a look at the challenges that await incoming lawmakers in a country where there is little consensus on a roadmap for financial recovery.

With the lira's value tumbles to historic lows and annual inflation runs at nearly 70 percent, the refugee question regularly pops up in political debates in Turkey.

The UK Home Office affirmed that “an electronic visa waiver allows the holder to travel to the UK without obtaining a visa provided they complete an online waiver for each visit.

America recorded its first coronavirus death, on the West Coast, in early February 2020. By the next month, the virus was ravaging New York and the White House was predicting up to 240,000 deaths nationwide. But those projections were way off.

The sanctions include a ban on transactions and the entry into Russian ports of vessels linked to the affected companies.

Abu Dhabi’s non-oil foreign trade in the first quarter (Q1) of 2022 amounted to AED61.522 billion ($16.74 billion), a 15 percent increase compared to the same period of 2021. Exports grew by 35 percent in the first three months of the year compared to the same period of last year ...

The world will set a new record for renewable power capacity this year led by solar energy in China and Europe, but growth could lose steam in 2023, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday. A record 295 gigawatts of new renewable power capacity was added in 2021 despite supply chain...

With surging prices undermining wage gains and hurting American families, US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that fighting inflation is his top priority, but he may have limited tools to tackle the issue. Biden, whose popularity has taken a hit amid the highest inflation in four decades, spoke on the...

Lebanon is going through a severe economic crisis, described by the World Bank as one of the world's worst since the 1850s.

ADQ will work with the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB), the national development bank of Greece, and Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (HDBI), the Sovereign Fund of Funds of Greece.

Under the $125.23m contracts, a residential district will be built at Masaar.

The rise is also attributed to the popularity of the Switch.

Food delivery drivers in the UAE went on strike Tuesday to demand better pay, the second such incident this month in a country where industrial action is uncommon. Many workers for Talabat, part of Germany's Delivery Hero, did not show up for their shifts, calling for a pay increase amid...

The UAE has proactively invested in proven clean energy and within a decade, solar and peaceful nuclear energy have delivered a transformation of the UAE’s energy sector, ensuring the nation is ahead of the curve on achieving Net Zero by 2050, said Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief...

The embargo on Russian oil, which is part of a sixth package of EU sanctions under discussion, is being resisted by some member states that rely on Russian oil to keep their economies running and are seeking guarantees of alternative sources.

In many industries, working from home is the way of the future and a better working and mental lifestyle, Quartz Communications Managing Partner Khaled Almaeena tells TRENDS.

NAFIS, the federal program aims to increase the competitiveness of the Emirati workforce and to facilitate the private sector.

Saudi Arabia on Monday pitched aviation industry leaders on its plans to become a global travel hub, drawing scepticism from analysts who questioned how it could compete against regional heavyweights. The kingdom's aviation goals, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's wide-ranging "Vision 2030" reforms, include more than tripling annual...

The Chairman of Dubai World Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, inaugurated the 29th edition of the Middle East’s largest travel and tourism exhibition Arabian Travel Market (ATM) on 9 May 2022.

After the Fed Reserve raised interest rates to rein in the 40-year-high inflation, GCC members followed the suit as most of the region's currencies are pegged to the dollar.

Dubai has announced the establishment of a Debt Management Office that would be responsible for government's financing requirements, managing the sovereign debt portfolio and setting strategic objectives and policies. It will also be responsible for pursuing risks to ensure government financial sustainability, as well as maintaining high levels of transparency...

World stock markets mostly sank Monday on stubborn fears over the impact of rising US interest rates, surging inflation and China's Covid lockdowns. Stock markets had dived last week after the Federal Reserve ramped up interest rates by a half-percentage point and flagged more hikes to tackle decades-high inflation.

Dubai Future Foundation said Monday that the jury has finished evaluating the projects that qualified for the final stage of the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ challenge. Launched last year by Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the challenge has provided participants from around the world with the opportunity...

The Indian rupee plunged to an all-time low against the greenback on Monday, as US monetary policy tightening roiled sentiment and foreign investors continued to dump domestic stocks. The rupee fell past its previous record low of 76.98 against the US dollar in March to 77.56 on Monday.

At least 44 migrants drowned on Sunday when their boat capsized off the coast of the Western Sahara, migrant aid agency Caminando Fronteras said. Twelve others survived the tragedy, which happened when the boat sunk off the coast of Cap Boujdour, the agency's Helena Maleno tweeted. The bodies of seven...

"Lockdowns in large cities like Shanghai and rising input costs are major reasons" behind the underwhelming trade figures, analyst Zhaopeng Xing of ANZ Research said.

Russia will celebrate its 1945 victory over Nazi Germany Monday with a show of military might as its army battles Kyiv's forces in the east of Ukraine, where 60 people were killed in an air strike on a school sheltering civilians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that 60 were killed...

Earlier this year, the UAE rose to the top of Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, outperforming European countries in terms of containing the spread of the pandemic

The emirate attracted 418 greenfield FDI projects, Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said. It ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa region and third globally, up from fourth place last year, in FDI capital inflows.

Medium- and low-income Jordanian families spend 45 per cent of their income on food, and are the most impacted group by high prices