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After less than a year of exceptional Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement, the events of June 30, 2013 ruptured this relationship. Similarly, when Egyptian and Iranian statesmen began to decrease tensions and a thaw in relations resulted, events evolved to return things to square one. As these scenes, by and large, have been […]
Middle East & Africa IT Infrastructure Spending will Reach $3.5 Billion in 2014 Towards the end of the 20th century – the 1900’s so to speak – there emerged this new fad to call the new millennium as ‘Y2K.’ It was a technological reference that eluded many except for those […]
In the wake of the Second World War, the presence of powerful international and regional organizations, which can preserve peace and play effective mediatory roles between nations, emerged as an imperative requirement to all nations. To address that global need, international organizations and regional leagues, such as the United Nations (UN), the League of […]
If you intend to visit any Arab country, you are likely going to come across many indignant people criticizing the so-called international community for being a mere self-serving interest group. No matter where you are, whether at street corners, cafes, recreational facilities, social clubs or at any political gathering, you […]
Over the past weeks, I’ve been dismayed at the degree of intolerance and rigidity in the positions of quarreling parties within Egypt, with both taking defensive attitudes as they continue to not listen to each other. Hearts stiffened and minds sealed, resulting in further deterioration. In our article today, we […]
As centuries ago as now, we find many policy makers, politicians and political analysts who still consider the abstract idea of double standard is a shrewd political craft. They simply justify and identify this double play as a mean to attain goals of interest. Apart from the far-flung stigmatization […]
To analyse a revolution is like analysing an earthquake. Both are unpredictable and tumultuous and are an outburst of unexpected expression which overturns the status-quo dramatically. That one is naturally occurring, while the other is manmade, does dampen the analogy a little, but political scientists would join in the consensus […]
The End of History and the Arab Awakening What shall we call the era that we are now entering? The Arab Spring? The Age of Democracy? The Era of Islamist Renaissance? The Decline of the Arab State and Revival of Tribal Identity? A New Sikes-Picot Agreement? Although the motivation for […]
Factors that have contributed to the spike in the illegal cigarette brands include a deteriorating security situation across the country and a series of sudden and sharp taxes increases on legitimate cigarettes. The Government of Egypt is still struggling to rebuild its economy which was negatively affected by the Arab Spring. […]
Nile dams. The Nile River Basin Initiative can provide clean power to 375 million East African citizens. East Africa population may exceed 760 million people by 2030 (currently it is 375 million) – while Egypt’s population could exceed 140 million by 2030. Survival in this age necessitates working together for […]
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam – A Green Energy Paradox “Egypt is truly a gift of the Nile” said Herodotus; and if he visited modern-day East Africa, he would add; “The Nile is the lifeblood of Ethiopia, too.” A long-standing controversy over who has rights to the waters of the […]
A new USD 1.6 billion agreement has been signed between Saudi Arabia and Egypt to link electricity grids between the two countries. Initially, an international tender for the project was planned in 2010. After facing a delay of several years due to political turmoil and social unrest in Egypt, an […]
Global market research company Euromonitor International announced today the launch of a new eBook – Top 5 Beauty and Personal Care Trends by Country in the Middle East and North Africa, which identifies how the beauty market in the Middle East and North Africa is changing and which trends are shaping […]
After a long busy day, many people search the web or switch on their cable television, to know what is coming about in this uncertain world. On every international news channel and portal website, they see guiltless people being deliberately harmed, tortured or killed, every day. Around the world, from […]
The Egyptian Railways is one of the most popular modes of public transportation in Egypt with around 800 million passenger miles annually. Most of this network connects the Nile Delta with Cairo and Alexandria. The train fares in commuter trains are kept low so that large volumes of people can […]
One of Egypt’s largest supermarket chains is reportedly in talks with Dubai retail giant for a potential sale of assets. According to Gulf Business, sources close to the deal reveal that Dubai-based firm Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) is in the advanced stages of negotiations to buy the family-owned Mansour […]
The leading construction company in the MENA region, Arabtec Holding PJSC, announced on Sunday that it has signed a Dh500 million contract to build the Nile Towers, in Maadi, Cairo. Arabtec was awarded the project in July, 2012 with a local joint venture partner, SIAC Industrial Construction and Engineering Company. The Nile Towers […]
There is a clear divide between what Egypt wants in order to address its economic woes and the options it has in order to make it happen. On one hand, it wants to achieve economic stability and political certainties in order to kick start its economic growth and development To […]
US secretary of state, John Kerry, has emphasised that in order to get any sort of aid from the IMF, Egypt needs to get its tattered economy back on track. Even though it seems like the first priority for Egypt would be to get its political house in order, there […]
Jobseekers and employers can access Bayt.com’s Virtual Job Fair online from January 6 – 10, 2013 Cairo, Egypt, 26 December 2012: After several incredibly successful events across the region, Bayt.com, the region’s number one job site, announced that it will be hosting its third Virtual Job Fair (VJF) in Egypt […]
Even better, slap me…. And call yourself a GOOD Muslim! Or in this case, beat the living daylights and burn the hair off of an anti-government-decision activist in a public gathering just because you claim to have an upper hand on Islam, and call yourself more Muslim! This is the […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: UAE invests $200 million in Azerbaijan projects The UAE Deputy Economy Minister Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shihhi said during a joint business forum in Baku on Wednesday his country’s investments in Azerbaijan’s economy exceeded $200 million. […]
The European Union announced on Wednesday it has approved a €5 billion ($6.3 billion) ‘support package’ to Egypt over a two year period to be disbursed through the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), each providing €2 billion ($2.54 billion). Egypt will receive […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: UAE’s First Gulf Bank inks $900m loan deal First Gulf Bank, the second-largest lender by market value in the UAE, has signed a three-year $900m loan with a group of international lenders, the bank said in a […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Dubai sees no need to recapitalise support fund Dubai sees no need to recapitalise the financial support fund which provides aid to indebted state-linked companies, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, the head of the emirate’s Supreme Fiscal […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: ADNOC to retain current UAE oil concession structure Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) director general announced on Sunday the company will present the current structure of its oil and gas concessions in the United Arab Emirates […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Emirates to buy 100 777s if Boeing builds new model Emirates, the world’s largest airline by international passenger traffic, is likely to order 100 planes or more from Boeing if the plane manufacturer upgrades the design of […]
Egypt has granted its first post-revolution exploration licences to Royal Dutch Shell, RWE and TransGlobe Energy, a Reuters report said on Thursday. The country’s government is struggling to make payments to its foreign energy producers to which it owes at least $3 billion in September. Canada’s TransGlobe emerged as the biggest […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Emirates inks deal for 2014 Glasgow Games Emirates Airline was unveiled on Wednesday as an Official Partner of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Official Airline of the Queen’s Baton Relay. The partnership strengthens the Dubai-based […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Guinea, UAE seal bauxite deal Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee (CBG) and Mubadala Development Company have signed a long-term supply agreement to supply bauxite, the main raw material in aluminium, the UAE’s state news agency reported on […]
Covering 250 km of scorching desert heat in the Egyptian desert over just seven days, Hermoine Macura meets one humanitarian entrepreneur and discovers her unique challenge – all for a good cause. UAE-based Australian lawyer Doris Matlok – has successfully completed the Racing The Planet’s 2012 Sahara Race. The gruelling […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Dubai posts strong visitor numbers Dubai has once again emerged as one of the most popular holiday destinations on the planet as new figures suggesting that tourists continued to flock to the emirate in September. According to Dubai Airports statistics, […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: UAE govt approves deficit-less 2013 federal budget The United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced on Tuesday the government has approved a deficit-less 2013 federal budget with an expenditure of AED44.6 billion ($12.1 […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Top UAE banker says Islamic finance ethical model for global banking A top UAE banker said on Sunday Islamic finance can be an ethical and sustainable business model in the global financial landscape in order to avoid a […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: UAE top Middle East country in terms of starting business The UAE has been ranked as the top Arab country and 22nd globally in terms of starting a business, compared to 46 in 2012, a report said on […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Fujairah oil port to become fully operational by year end The Abu-Dhabi – Fujairah pipeline, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year and will carry Abu Dhabi’s […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Global Ports purchases DP World stake in Far East port DP World, the world’s third-largest port operator, said on Monday it has sold its 25% stake in container terminal Vostochnaya Stevedoring Co to Russia’s Global Ports Investment […]
An unnamed Egyptian government official said Prime Minister Hisham Kandil will hold talks with Algerian government to seek aid worth $2 billion during a visit to Algeria, an Egyptian newspaper reported on Monday. Egypt is struggling for funds to bring down its budget deficit and avert a defaulting on its payments […]
A United Arab Emirates gas company announced on Monday it had discovered natural gas in Egypt’s Nile Delta, estimating the deposit at between 4 billion and 6 billion cubic feet. The Sharjah-based company, which is also the Middle East’s first and largest regional private sector natural gas company, said it has […]
Egypt’s inbound tourism is coming back to normal despite the 5 August attack on Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip and the recent clashes in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. About one million tourists were reported to have visited Egypt in 2011. It is slightly less than the number visited during the […]
