The Carnegie Endowment has published forecasts of trends in the Middle East written by its scholars. Lebanon. “Since 2005, Lebanon has turned “muddling through” into an art of governance. However, the perpetual balancing act that the Lebanese are now so…
Month: December 2014
Saudi Arabia’s 2015 budget and its implications for business
Saudi government revenue to fall 32 per cent in 2015; spending down 22 per cent
Saudi Arabia’s Finance Ministry announced on 25 December that government revenue is projected to fall by 32 per cent and public spending by 22 per cent in 2015, confirming that Saudi Arabia is anticipating a lengthy period of lower oil…
Year of disasters, disappointment and drama for the Middle East
For the people of the Middle East, it’s been a year dominated by disasters, disappointment and drama. The disasters were numerous and included the fall of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, to the Islamic State (IS) in June, continuing humanitarian…
IMF report calls for limits on GCC public sector jobs and wages
An IMF staff discussion note published on 23 December praises the economic progress of the GCC but calls for action to reduce the number and attractiveness of government jobs. “Firm limits need to be placed on public sector jobs and…
UAE’s built assets worth $1 trillion
The UAE’s built assets are worth $1 trillion, a figure that is more than 22 per cent higher than Singapore’s, according to a report released by local real estate firm The H Holding Enterprise. This finding is based on the…
GCC projects market to remain robust despite oil price crash
Co-production wins Dubai film festival’s Muhr Feature award
Khadija Al-Salami’s I Am Nojoom, Age 10 And Divorced was awarded best fiction film in the Muhr Feature competition at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). Nujoom Al Ghanem’s Nearby Sky won the award for best non-fiction film. Al-Salami’s Yemen-UAE-France co-production…
UAE to approve green economy strategy that will create 160,000 new jobs
The UAE will soon approve a green growth plan that will create 160,000 jobs in different parts of the emirates and boost the economy by up to 5 per cent by 2030, the Green Economy & Green Jobs briefing in…
Kuwaiti wins IWC film award at Dubai festival
Kuwaiti filmmaker Abdullah Boushahri was named yesterday as winner of the $100,000 IWC Filmmaker Award for his feature project The Water. The award is one of the highlights of the annual Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). Boushahri received with award from…