Search results

General

Type

Publication types

Sector

Regions

Sort options

10,000 results found for your search

Issue 838 - 11 October 2008

Sheikha Latifa: New horse

Subscriber

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum’s daughters, Sheikha Latifa; Yorkshire press; purchase of champion Arab gelding

United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Subscriber

Governments in the Middle East increased their defence spending by 6.2% in 2017, according to the latest analysis of expenditure trends by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), released on 2 May. Saudi Arabia continues to overshadow other countries in the region, with an outlay last year of $69.4bn, up 9.2% on 2016. Worldwide, total military expenditure was $1.74trn in 2017, an increase of 1.1% in real terms from 2016 and equivalent to 2.2% of global GDP.

Subscriber

Despite international condemnation, continued street protests and sanctions, combined with escalating economic problems, Bashar Al-Assad’s government has dug in as the Syrian uprising pushes on into its sixth month. But the signs are that Assad’s hold on power is tenuous and Gulf states have revised their policies as a consequence

Saudi Arabia | United Arab Emirates (UAE) | Qatar | Syria
Issue 850 - 27 March 2009

Syria edges closer to the fold

Subscriber

The past month has seen the Syrian government busy with meetings with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and US officials - meetings that could help bring Syria back in from the cold. In early March, US envoys Jeffrey Feltman and Daniel Shapiro were in Damascus for talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem and President Bashar Al-Assad's advisor .....

Syria
Subscriber

Members of the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), the body set up at the behest of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in December 2015, held their inaugural council meeting in Riyadh on 3 March.

Subscriber

In a widely-expected move, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on 22 June that this year’s Hajj – which is due to start in late July – will be restricted to “a very limited number of pilgrims” due to the risk presented by the coronavirus pandemic. The precise number of devotees who will be allowed to perform the week-long pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina has not been announced, but there have been suggestions the figure may be as low as 1,000 people.

Saudi Arabia
Issue 976 - 05 September 2014

Qatar: Mediating

Free

Qatar has been involved in securing the release of 45-year-old US journalist Peter Theo Curtis, who was being held by Jabhat Al-Nusra, which captured him in Syria. His release after two years came just days after the gruesome murder of US journalist James Foley, who was also captured in Syria in 2012 and ended up in the hands of the Islamic State extremist group (see View). Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar has also claimed Qatar is involved in negotiations with Jabhat Al-Nusra to secure the release of Lebanese soldiers captured during fighting in the Lebanese town of Ersal.

Qatar
Issue 1077 - 21 March 2019

Saudi Arabia: Red Sea gas

Free

Energy, industry and mineral resources minister Khalid Al-Falih has claimed that “large quantities” of natural gas have been discovered in the Red Sea. However, he did not give any specific details of how much natural gas has been found. Saudi Aramco has natural gas reserves of around 320 tcf and has been pushing to develop its position in the international gas market, not least through potential investments in liquified natural gas projects in the US.

Saudi Arabia
Subscriber

From the evaporation of lakes and rivers to the extinction of rare species in its ravaged forests, the extent of environmental damage in Iran could, if left unchecked, pose a threat to the country arguably greater than that of any external adversary. Problems are particularly severe in urban areas, where vehicle emissions and industrial pollution are causing thousands of deaths from respiratory and heart disease each year. The capital Tehran, where 4.2m cars a day pump exhaust fumes into the haze above the city, bears most of the toll; in 2013, the health ministry said that more than 4,500 residents of the city of almost 9m had died as a result of air pollution that year.

Iran
Issue 849 - 13 March 2009

RBS stays in PF, advises Dolphin deal

Subscriber

Former boss Sir Fred Goodwin is vilified in the British press, and the UK government effectively controls 68% of its equity, but credit crunch victim Royal Bank of Scotland retains some significant businesses, notably a project finance arm which has acted as advisor to major GCC project sponsors including Qatar Petroleum, Saudi Aramco, Total, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Occidental Petroleum Corp (Oxy). Rumour has it that, as it refocuses its investment banking operations, a contrite RBS is set to exit project, leveraged and real estate lending.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) | Saudi Arabia | Oman | Qatar
Issue 981 - 14 November 2014

Kuwait: Bids in for airport expansion

Subscriber

The Central Tender Committee (CTC) announced on 3 November that a consortium of Kuwait-based Kharafi National (KN) and Turkish conglomerate Limak Holding had submitted the lowest bid – worth KD1.39bn ($4.76bn) – for a contract to build a new terminal at Kuwait International Airport. Other bids ranged up to KD1.7bn; the CTC said they had been referred to the Ministry of Public Works for a final recommendation. The news was a positive step for the terminal project, which was delayed in June after companies bidding for the construction contract pulled out of the tender process.

Kuwait
Issue 966 - 24 March 2014

Saudi Arabia: Ban on baby names

Subscriber

The Saudi interior ministry has issued a list banning 50 names on the basis that they offend the culture or religion of the kingdom, are foreign, or inappropriate. According to the Gulf News, the ban – which has been widely covered by the international press – includes western names such as Alice and Linda, names such as Abdul Nabi and Abdul Hussein – opposed by some who suggest Abdul means ‘worshipper of’, and therefore implies worship of someone other than God – and those that are associated with royalty, such as Malika (queen), Mamlaka (kingdom) and Amir (prince).

Saudi Arabia
Subscriber

Tehran has reacted angrily to a speech by Prince Turki Al-Faisal, in which the prominent Saudi commentator, former intelligence chief and ambassador backed calls for regime change at a ‘Free Iran’ rally held in Paris on 9 July. The event was organised by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a coalition of opposition groups including the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MKO), which Iran regards as a terrorist group.

Saudi Arabia
Issue 926 - 22 June 2012

BAHRAIN: Banking merger vote

Free

Shareholders at Bahrain-based Islamic banks Capivest, Elaf Bank and Capital Management House will vote on a proposed merger this month.

Bahrain
Subscriber

Prime minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah’s government resigned on 14 November, following rising tensions with the National Assembly (parliament) that included the earlier resignation of public works minister Jenan Mohsin Ramadan Boushehri and a no-confidence motion against interior minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah. It is the seventh time since 2007 the government has resigned following grillings or no-confidence motions. This has sometimes been followed by new elections, as in November 2011, but Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is not expected to dissolve the assembly this time.

Kuwait