Search results

The Central Bank of Yemen announced in mid-February that its first sukuk had been issued. The government is looking to benefit from the surplus liquidity of Islamic banks to finance investments and help boost the economy. The issuance is part of a

Ethiopian publisher and blogger Elias Kifle has failed to meet a deadline for filing a defence in the libel case brought by Ethiopian-Saudi investor

Judge agrees to postponement after defendants claim Cayman Islands case has hindered preparations

Pro and anti-government demonstrations were due to be held in Tehran as GSN went to press. The former will celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian revolution on 11 February, while the latter will be a march in support of Tunisia’s Jasmine revolution and the anti-Mubarak protesters in Egypt.

With Bahrain’s ‘Day of Rage’ scheduled for 14 February, a political opposition that has generally been contained by the state since the intifadas of the mid-90s could now present a real challenge to Al- Khalifa rule.

Even Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal felt the effects of the global downturn. But 2010 profits show that his 95%-owned KHC is back on track despite warnings of over-valuation

Five people appeared before the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance in early January charged with corruption-related offences at the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea). One of the five, an Emirati woman (MGH) who had been with Adwea

Ethiopian-Saudi investor Mohammed Hussein Al-Amoudi has filed a libel claim in the UK’s high court against Ethiopian publisher and blogger Elias Kifle. The claim by Al-Amoudi, represented by DLA Piper,

Even if stories of widely detested presidential wife Leila Trabelsi spiriting out 1.5 tonnes of gold as the president departed are apocryphal – and French and other sources give the report some credence – the extended family has huge holdings abroad, including property in Dubai, Europe

Foreign and local construction firms are preparing for a decade of intense infrastructure development in preparation for the World Cup. There has already been considerable work on Doha’s roads and amenities. The $14bn New Doha International Airport, which will eventually handle 24m passengers annually, should see its first phases open next year.

Unresolved differences between Erbil and Baghdad are likely to define the major fault lines in the new Iraqi administration which parliament voted into power at the end of 2010. Although the Kurdish parties included the resolution of the status of Kirkuk according to article 140 of the constitution as one of their 19 conditions for supporting the new government, there are no signs that this issue will be resolved.

Four senior royals (King Abdullah, interior minister and second deputy premier Nayef, Riyadh governor Prince Salman and Crown Prince Sultan) have long-standing health problems, highlighted by their various absences from Saudi Arabia in the past two years.

The political environment has deteriorated. King Hamad seems to believe that his regime can survive only if it recovers popular consent. But he is troubled by deteriorating communal politics, and faces opposition from within Al- Khalifa ranks.

Violent episodes continue to threaten the good running of the economy and society, and the government remains dependent on strong US support to maintain security, despite the formal withdrawal of US forces on 1 September 2010.

Yemen is in a fragile state. The regime, headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, is besieged on several fronts, with a Houthi rebellion in the north, a secession movement in the south, and increased jihadi activity by groups such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) pushing the country on a downward trajectory.