January 1st, 2018 marked the day Saudi Arabia raised their price for a barrel in their first baby step to begin taking their economy off energy subsidies, as well as to reduce the amount of oil the Saudis consume. The prices went up substantially to achieve the kingdom’s goals, by 82 percent. The Ministry of… Continue Reading
Category Archives: News
S&P Appoints New Managing Director
Hadi Melki, former regional business leader at Thomson Reuters, was appointed to head the independent credit ratings provider S&P Global Ratings. He will act as the new managing director and regional head for the company’s Middle East business, which is headquartered at the Dubai International Financial Center. Melki spent 20 years at Thomson Reuters, before… Continue Reading
Facebook Launching Platform to Help Women in the Middle East Build On-line Businesses
Facebook recently launched a new initiative designed to empower women in the Middle East to more easily start and grow their own businesses. SheMeansBusiness will bring together Facebook tools such as training videos and other resources to help women develop online businesses. The initiative is a partnership with three other organizations: Egypt based Ahead of… Continue Reading
US Companies Planning Trade Mission to Middle East
The Mississippi Development Authority is planning a trade mission to the Middle East at the end of March for a at least 15 companies looking to expand their businesses to countries in the region ready to establish new partnerships. The mission will be visiting Jordan and Dubai, said MDA Executive Director Glenn McCullough Jr. He… Continue Reading
Despite Ban, Indonesian Women Heading for Middle East
Indonesian women have not been convinced that working as domestic help in Middle Eastern countries is a bad idea, and are defying their county’s ban on travel to these countries in large numbers. In response to several high-profile cases of Indonesian women subjected to abuse in Gulf states, Indonesia enacted a ban on women traveling… Continue Reading
Climate Change Could Force Millions to Flee Middle East
Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany and the Cyprus Institute in Nicosia have found that limiting global warming to just 2 degrees Celsius will not be sufficient to prevent uninhabitable conditions from developing in the Middle East and North Africa. The 2-degree limit is the compromise target temperature that was reached… Continue Reading
Foreigners First on Chopping Block as Middle East Cuts Bankers Jobs
Oil prices plunging below the $30 a barrel mark has sent many oil companies reeling, as well the banking industry, which is critically supported with oil money. According to financial recruiters and Bloomberg analysts, over 1,500 banking jobs have already been cut, with more layoffs on the horizon. Many of these firings have happened at… Continue Reading
Candidate Carson Visits Syrian Refugee Camps in Jordan
In order to better acquaint himself with foreign policy, Ben Carson, retired pediatric neurosurgeon and Republican candidate for US president, toured refugee camps in Jordan. Carson was impressed with the camps, suggesting that these refuges be better funded so that they can support additional refugees until the conflict in Syria subsides and they can return… Continue Reading
Look to Qatar for New Middle East Economic Model
The founder and chairman of Colony Capital, Tom Barrack, discusses in the video below how Qatar can be an example for the rest of the Middle East, as well as the ray of hope the Tunisian group that won the Nobel Peace Prize has afforded the world. To see the video go to: Bloomberg Business. Continue Reading
Education of Youth at Risk in Middle East
According to the United Nations as many as 21 million school-aged children are at risk for growing up without a basic elementary level education. A report published jointly by the united Nations Children’s Fund and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Institute of Statistics states that about 25 percent of children in the Middle… Continue Reading