Development Saudi Arabia mulls new mining index to boost sector performance Saudi Arabia is considering setting up a new metals and mining stock exchange index as it looks to expand its resources sector to diversify away from hydrocarbons, a senior government official said on Friday. Mining minister Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef told Reuters in an interview in Sydney that his team met with Australian counterparts to […] November 6, 2022
Opinion Development The UAE’s new visa rules explained To make your visa decision-making as straightforward as possible, here's what the UAE's new visa regulations changes mean November 5, 2022
Development Egypt’s ‘Golden License’ bonanza aims to plug ailing private sector Egyptian President Abdel Fateh Al-Sisi has announced that Egypt will accept all applications from investors for “Golden Licenses” for the next three months, in a bid to spur private investment in the Arab world’s most populated country. The Golden Licenses allow foreign investors to buy or rent land, operate and manage projects, and allocate the […] November 4, 2022
Development Saudi to auction five mining exploration licences in 2023 Saudi Arabia is set to auction five new mining exploration licences next year, state news agency SPA has reported, citing Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef, the minister of industry and mineral resources. The licences, aimed at international and local investors, will include copper, zinc, lead and iron deposits and will be auctioned for sites in Bir […] October 31, 2022
Opinion Development Truss’s exit has battered Britain’s global image Next week the UK will get its third prime minister in four months, who has the unenviable job of getting it back on track domestically and internationally October 20, 2022
Development UAE and UK partner to support women entrepreneurs The UAE-UK Business Council announced a new partnership with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women on Monday as it rallies business leaders to mentor more female entrepreneurs in the least developed countries. The 100,000 Women Programme has already secured the participation of over 100 business leaders in the UAE but it plans to turbo-charge the […] October 17, 2022
Analysis Development The Golden Triangle: treasures of the Eastern Desert In Ancient Egypt, real wealth was measured in grain. Temple granaries were the reserve banks of their day, with gold and silver seen as lesser commodities. “In my brother’s country, gold is as plentiful as dirt,” marvelled one foreign king in a begging letter to Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Even so, mining was a serious business. […] October 17, 2022
Development UAE president to meet Vladimir Putin in Russia on Tuesday UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will visit Russia on Tuesday for a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, amid growing escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war. During his visit, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will discuss UAE-Russia relations with Putin, along with a number of regional and international issues and developments of […] October 10, 2022
Analysis Development 2,000 Kuwaitis applied for EU asylum in last five years The European Union has received almost 2,000 asylum applications from Kuwait over the last five years, with academics speculating the majority of the applicants are from the Gulf state’s Bidoon tribes. The EU Agency for Asylum reported that 1,925 Kuwaitis applied for asylum between 2017 and 2021, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the 2,630 nationals […] October 4, 2022
Opinion Development Ukraine prisoner swap highlights growing Russia-Saudi alliance Saudi Arabia’s relations with Moscow have warmed significantly. But its involvement in the prisoner swap suggests that Riyadh is also leveraging this relationship to mend its own links with the US September 23, 2022
Analysis Employment Young Arabs want action on wasta, lack of jobs and rising costs Nearly two thirds of young adults in the Levant are struggling financially and a sizeable minority have fallen into debt, according to this year’s Arab Youth Survey. The report also highlights spiralling living costs and scarce job opportunities for much of the Middle East and North Africa’s Generation Z. The 14th Arab Youth Survey interviewed […] September 21, 2022
Analysis Development Accountability ‘crucial’ for success of Saudi Vision 2030 Saudi Arabia is entering a “crucial” part of its ambitious Vision 2030 programme as the kingdom begins to deliver on its promises, described by a leading expert as the “moment of accountability”. Pedro Ribeiro, the recently appointed general manager for commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE in Saudi Arabia, told AGBI that the […] September 1, 2022
How I got to the top Development Shrook Mansour Bin Sultan, head of government affairs for Saudi Arabia, 3M Shrook Mansour Bin Sultan is the new head of government affairs in Saudi Arabia for US multinational conglomerate 3M, which operates in the fields of industry, worker safety, US healthcare and consumer goods. Her responsibilities include leading the company’s public policy initiatives, such as engagement opportunities with government entities to support the kingdom’s policymakers on […] August 26, 2022
Analysis Development Western views on Arabs ‘outdated’, says Blair think tank Western perceptions of the Arab world are out of synch with the modern reality, argues a new 73-page report published by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. “On average, less than a quarter of those polled in Western countries believe that people in the Middle East share all or most of the same values […] August 2, 2022
Development Lloyd’s insurers preparing to cover Ukraine grain Lloyd’s of London insurers and brokers are preparing to provide cover for grain shipments from Ukraine and are likely to announce their plans shortly, the commercial insurance market’s chairman said on Wednesday. Russia and Ukraine signed a deal on Friday, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, to reopen grain and fertiliser exports that have […] July 28, 2022
Analysis Development Middle East nets half of China’s Belt and Road funding The Middle East received the largest share of China’s $28.4 billion investments through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during the first half of 2022, with Saudi Arabia the single biggest recipient. The BRI was launched by Chinese president Xi Jinping in October 2013. Over the last nine years a total of $932 billion has […] July 27, 2022
Development Kuwaiti emir’s son named prime minister Kuwait named the emir’s son as prime minister on Sunday, replacing caretaker premier Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid who faced a combative parliament amid a feud between the government and elected assembly that has hindered fiscal reform. Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who took over most of the ruling emir’s duties late last year, named Sheikh […] July 25, 2022
Analysis Economy Sheikh Mohamed underlines ties with France on first foreign trip The Louvre Abu Dhabi is perhaps the most visible symbol of the flourishing relationship between the UAE and France. The museum on Saadiyat Island, which opened in 2017 under an agreement between the two governments, is said to be France’s largest cultural project abroad. Given this backdrop of cultural and commercial ties, France was a […] July 19, 2022
Analysis Development I2U2: America’s answer to curbing China and upping food security Israel, India, the US and the United Arab Emirates came together on Thursday for an historic meeting as the “I2U2” collective. The futuristic name refers to the first letters of the four countries. US president Joe Biden and Israel’s prime minister, Yair Lapid, lent the initiative a maiden boost, joining a four-way call in Jerusalem […] July 14, 2022
Analysis Development Closing the MENA gender gap could take 115 years It will take 115 years to close the gender gap in the Middle East and North Africa according to the latest World Economic Forum report. The analysis, which benchmarks the difference between women and men as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes, reveals that women’s employment has suffered as the […] July 13, 2022
Development Russia attends G20 meeting set to be dominated by Ukraine conflict Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has flown into Indonesia’s resort island of Bali for a meeting of G20 foreign ministers, which is set to be overshadowed by tensions triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The G20 gathering runs until Friday in host country Indonesia, which this year has grappled with the balancing act of running a […] July 7, 2022
Development Prince Charles charity files report over $3m Qatari donations A charity linked to the UK’s Prince Charles has submitted a serious incident report to the government’s charity regulator, after it was reported that the royal had received payments of €3 million ($3.08 million) from a Qatari politician. The Sunday Times reported on June 25 that the heir to the British throne had received three […] July 6, 2022
