• UAE’s e-commerce sector projected to earn $9bn revenue in 2024

    Dubai, UAE - The UAE's online shopping market is gearing up for unprecedented growth, with revenue projections hitting $9 billion by the end of 2024 and an impressive $17 billion forecasted for 2025. The trajectory is emblematic of the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's e-commerce landscape, poised...
  • IMF, World Bank say Gaza and Red Sea attacks risk to world economy

    World Bank President Ajay Banga said that "what's going on Gaza, but also the challenges of Ukraine... and the Red Sea" are among the top challenges to the global economic outlook. "When you add variables to what is turning out to be probably the lowest growth of the last 55...
  • Morocco law reform offers hope for women’s rights

    Rabat, Morocco - Two decades after a landmark but limited revision of Morocco's family law marked a breakthrough for women, activists hope new reforms will defy objections and provide greater equality. The reform of the legal code was ordered directly by King Mohammed VI, who is expected to have the final...
  • Tunisian villages grapple with severe water scarcity

    Ouled Omar, Tunisia - Tunisian villager Ounissa Mazhoud ties two empty jerry cans to a donkey and cautiously descends a stony hill towards the last local source of water. The North African country, in its fourth year of drought, is grappling with its worst water scarcity in years. Mazhoud -- like...
  • World Bank to expand climate funding in MENA by $10 billion

    Brhane said the World Bank integrated climate into all its work across the MENA region and is on track to align 100 percent of new operations with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
  • Water stress levels vary in Arab countries

    Some countries face more intense competition for water resources, leading to potentially severe environmental impacts. The contrast underscores the diverse challenges they face in water resource management.
  • Endangered sea turtles get second life at Tunisian centre

    The facility, one of two in North Africa, is run by the EU-funded Life Med Turtles project, which looks after endangered species.
  • Americana Restaurants reports $1,897m revenue

    The company's adjusted EBITDA reaching $446.5 million.
  • Libya resumes flights to Italy after nearly 10 years of EU ban

    Tripoli, Libya - A Rome-bound aircraft departed on Saturday from Libya's capital, restarting flights to Italy after a nearly decade-long suspension due to an EU ban, authorities in Tripoli said. The European Union in 2014 halted flights operated by Libyan airlines and banned them from entering member states' airspace, as the...
  • Climate change to be discussed in Dubai COP28 meet, says Egypt minister

    Cairo, Egypt - Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania Al Mashat, said the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) is likely to address climate change issue and its effects on countries and people, local media reports said. The UAE will host...
  • Libya’s militia chief released after ceasefire pact with government

    Videos circulated on social media on Wednesday night showed Mahmoud Hamza dressed in military fatigues and surrounded by his fighters at the Tekbali barracks south of the Libyan capital.
  • Two dead as Europe bound migrant ship capsizes off Tunisia

    Tunis, Tunisia - At least two Tunisians including a baby died when their Europe-bound boat sank Saturday off the North African country's southeastern shores, the coastguard said, adding five others were missing. The vessel carrying 20 Tunisians went down at 2:00 am (0100 GMT) 120 meters (395 feet) from the beach...
  • More Arab youth prefer entrepreneurship over govt job

    Almost half of Arab youth are keen on starting their own businesses in the next five years, signaling a significant preference shift from government to private sector jobs.
  • Chinese president vows solid ties with Algeria, eyes energy supply

    China's President Xi Jinping has pledged stronger ties with Algeria, highlighting the importance of their comprehensive strategic partnership. Algeria, Africa's largest natural gas exporter, has been seeking to join the BRICS economic group, and China has shown support for this goal.
  • Libyan rival leaders to work together for oil income

    TRIPOLI, LIBYA- Rivals in politically divided Libya have agreed to form a committee on sharing oil revenues, a move welcomed on Saturday by the UN, after military strongman Khalifa Haftar sought a "fair" split. Haftar, who backs the country's eastern administration, had last Monday called for a committee to address the...
  • Libya court imposes prison terms on three for human trafficking

    One of the three, whose identities and nationalities were not given, was sentenced to life in prison and the other two to 20 years each. Considered to be the first convictions in Libya in human trafficking cases, the court found the three guilty of "trafficking in human beings" and having...
  • Saudi population expands one third in last 13 years

    "The 2022 Saudi census marks the "most comprehensive and precise population survey conducted in the Kingdom's history," the General Authority of Statistics said. It set the total population of the country at 32.2 million: 58.4 per cent Saudi nationals and most others from South Asia or elsewhere in the MENA...
  • 15 Tunisian migrants missing after Europe bound boat capsizes

    Tunis, Tunisia - Fifteen Tunisian migrants are missing after their boat sank in the Mediterranean during an attempt to reach Europe, authorities said Wednesday. The boat carrying 19 Tunisians sank Monday night, said a statement by Tunisia's National Guard, which oversees the coastguard. Four migrants were rescued by a fisherman after...
  • Tunisia farmers stare at poor harvest as drought imperils food security

    Even before the roasting summer months, the soil is dry and dusty in the small Mediterranean country, whose water resources are steadily depleting as climate change intensifies. With some Tunisian water reservoirs almost completely dry, authorities imposed emergency measures last month, rationing household supplies and banning water use for washing...
  • Young Libyans take to e-gaming in a big way as tech revolution sweeps the region

    Tripoli's mushrooming arcades have driven rapid growth in Libya's nascent gaming community, Mattouss says. The increasingly organized community is "motivating players and pushing other young people without experience to start training". He predicts that the sector will continue developing quickly.
  • Borouge supplies ‘made in UAE’ materials worth $32m in MENA

    Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Borouge is supplying sustainable “Made in UAE” polyethylene materials worth AED120 million ($32 million) that are used in several development projects across the Middle East and Africa region. Borouge’s contribution to these mega projects is driven by collaboration with the local manufacturing companies who selected quality...
  • SEWA discusses water desalination technologies for sustainability

    SHARJAH, UAE - Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) participated in a discussion on modern and innovative technologies in water desalination and their contribution to achieving sustainability. The discussion was a part of the Water Desalination Projects Forum in the Middle East and North Africa, held in Abu Dhabi....
  • Reforms help UAE, KSA lead M&A activities in MENA

    Local deals account for 51% of total M&A volume with technology sector at 25% as improved market conditions and pro-business reforms boost investor confidence in the region.
  • Tunisia President moves to dissolve elected municipal councils

    The councils were seen as a key democratic gain after the 2011 revolt that sparked the Arab Spring. Saied sacked the government in a 2021 power grab, and has since scrapped the post-revolution constitution, neutered parliament and seized far-reaching executive powers.
  • Tunisians defy protest ban, rally to demand release of Saied critics

    Denouncing Saied's power grab as a "coup", the protesters defied a ban on demonstrations imposed by Tunis authorities. Initially dozens gathered by a key bus and tramway station in central Tunis before charging police barricades to then march towards Habib Bourguiba Avenue, where the crowd soon swelled to more than...
  • At Jordan talks, Israel and Palestinians vow to prevent escalation

    Jordanian state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka said the meeting, which kicked off in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba, was "the first of its kind in years between Palestinians and Israelis with regional and international participation" and would address "the situation in the Palestinian territories". Palestinian intelligence chief Majed Faraj and the...
  • Tunisian trade union protest against plunging economy

    SFAX, TUNISIA - Thousands of Tunisian trade unionists held protests across the country on Saturday over worsening economic woes and the arrest of a top union official. The North African country is in drawn-out talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout loan, which the powerful UGTT workers' federation has...
  • Lawyers protest in Tunisia against new taxes on legal services

    Tunis, Tunisia - Dozens of Tunisian lawyers protested on Thursday against newly imposed taxes on legal services, part of a 2023 budget that seeks to boost revenues to the cash-strapped treasury. Led by Bar Association head Hatem Mziou, lawyers gathered outside the Palais de Justice in Tunis as well as other...
  • France and Morocco mend ties after visa spat

    RABAT, MOROCCO  -  France and Morocco announced Friday they were mending fences after months of tensions over visas, and said President Emmanuel Macron would visit the North African kingdom in early 2023. Speaking in Rabat alongside her Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said it was time to...
  • China-Arab summit: Chinese President Xi to visit KSA tomorrow

    Chinese President Xi Jinping will reach Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a three-day visit, his first to the world's biggest crude oil exporter since 2016, Saudi media reported on Tuesday. The visit will include a bilateral summit chaired by Saudi King Salman and attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin...
  • Saudi Arabia extends term of $5 billion deposit for Central Bank of Egypt

    The Egyptian economy has been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
  • Americana UAE IPO share price is $0.75

    The company is the largest quick service restaurant operator in MENA.
  • Most non-oil economies in MENA region seeing ‘gradual slowdown’: IMF

    Despite soaring inflation and murky economic prospects worldwide, the IMF maintained its projection of 5.0 percent growth for the region in 2022, dropping to 3.6 percent in 2023. But the figures, although higher than elsewhere in the world, don't reflect the region's "challenges", Middle East and Central Asia director Jihad...
  • Egypt agrees $3 billion loan with IMF as pound hits new low

    The IMF had demanded the devaluation as a condition of the loan and the North African nation is among the top five countries in the world most at risk of defaulting on its foreign debt, according to the international credit rating agency Moody's.
  • Fossil fuels make up 90 percent of Middle East air pollution: Study

    In 2017, an international team of researchers set off on an epic voyage across the eastern Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal and around the Gulf. They found that the vast majority of small particles -- which can penetrate deep into the lungs -- came mainly from the production and use...
  • Emirates NBD joins fight against illegal wildlife trade

    The banking group is supporting efforts to combat global wildlife trafficking by joining the United for Wildlife financial task force.
  • Israel planning renewable energy projects in MENA region

    The companies are also developing projects in Morocco, the UAE and Bahrain, along with Egypt and Jordan.
  • WPS Index: Poor show by most MENA countries

    Only the GCC countries score high on the Index that measures women’s inclusion, justice and security in 170 countries. UAE was the highest ranked country in the MENA region.
  • Closing the gender gap in MENA may take 115 years

    Closing gender gaps remains a critical driver of national prosperity. Countries that invest in all of their human capital and make it easier for their populations to balance work and family life tend to be more prosperous. It may help overcome the current crises and accelerate a strong recovery, the...
  • UAE set to lead MENA metaverse

    Firms in the region are now offering better participation, levels of cooperation and communication to their staff through productive workspaces in virtual offices. TRENDS takes a look at the some of the UAE's metaverse initiatives.
  • Etihad Rail signs expertise-exchange MoUs with Spanish, UK firms

    Etihad Rail has signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Renfe, Spain’s national railway operator; High Speed 1, the first high-speed railway in United Kingdom (UK) and GB Railfreight, the British rail freight company. The MoUs are based on exchanging knowledge, expertise, and best practices in freight and passenger rail...
  • Nigeria says seeking funding for gas pipeline to Morocco

    Nigeria and Morocco are still securing funding for a huge pipeline project that aims to carry Nigeria's gas to North Africa and onto European markets, the country's petroleum minister said on Monday. Africa's gas supplies are increasingly in the spotlight as the European Union looks to wean itself off Russia's...
  • MENA region saw $2.88bn startup investment in 2021: Report

    The report also claimed that the value of early-stage deals for startups in the region doubled from 2020 to 2021.
  • Jordan is regional hub for trade, investment: Minister

    Jordan Minister of Investment, Khairy Amr, said the government seeks to turn Jordan into a destination for foreign and Arab investments.
  • How do MENA oil prices compare with the world?

    Prices of crude oil have skyrocketed across the world, thanks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions placed on Moscow.
  • Dangerous stray dogs pose culling dilemma in North African cities

    Authorities opened an inquest Friday into the death of a 16-year-old girl after she was mauled as she walked to school in Tunisia.
  • ADNEC’s hall 40 percent complete

    It would be the biggest exhibition hall in the MENA region.
  • Two migrants drown off Morocco coast, more than 200 arrested

    In total, 236 migrants were arrested by Moroccan authorities during operations in Tarfaya, located 100 kilometers from the Canary Islands.
  • Ship rescues 128 migrants, finds two dead In Mediterranean

    Migrants from African countries ravaged by war and poverty, make desperate bids to reach Europe through Mediterranean sea which is the world's deadliest migration route.
  • Blinken to travel to Israel, West Bank, Morocco, Algeria

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel, the West Bank, Morocco, and Algeria over March 26-30 to discuss the Ukraine war, Israeli-Palestinian relations, the Iran nuclear deal, and gas from Algeria, among other things, the US State Department has announced.
  • Rising food prices shake North Africa as Ukraine war rages

    Tunisia, Morocco, and Libya, along with several other Arab countries, import much of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia.