MENA Insight

Going green has advantages for the North African nation as it looks to tie its established mining and automobile sectors to battery production Morocco is hoping to move beyond its established mining sector and develop its electric vehicle industry, as …

The launch of a national payments system has allowed Somalia to centralise its digital payments. The country is on the cusp of a digital revolution, with opportunity ripe for the picking.   Mogadishu famously only installed its first ATM in …

Shillings, gods and runes: clues in language suggest a Semitic superpower in ancient northern Europe   Remember when Australians paid in shillings and pence? New research suggests the words for these coins and other culturally important items and concepts are the …

Two in five young Arabs have considered emigrating because of poor economic prospects, a survey shows, as regional economies tank in the wake of coronavirus. This year’s Arab Youth Survey found that 15 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds were …

DUBAI, Oct 19, 2021 – Countries in the Middle East and Central Asia have emerged from the COVID-19 shock but the path to full recovery remains uneven and fragile, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday, pointing to rising inflation …

Coronavirus and plunging oil prices may force new leader to turn to Gulf neighbours for help   Sandwiched between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Oman has long prized its neutrality, garnering a reputation as the Middle East’s Switzerland. But the Gulf …

While conflicts and crises have battered Arab cultural capitals, Saudi Arabia is hosting film festivals and bankrolling new movies. JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — A pregnant Saudi woman, far from home, finds herself stalked by inner and outer demons. A wannabe …

Exhausted from conflict and eager for growth, Middle Eastern rivals try talking IT WAS A surprising choice for a summer holiday. On August 18th Tahnoon bin Zayed, the national-security adviser of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), turned up in Ankara …

Expansion in Egypt, growth in the Gulf, and looking forward to Saudi Arabia   At an unprecedented pace, Egypt has expanded decisions to build and restore churches during the past few years, while Christian places of worship are increasing in …

With less cash to bribe the people, some strongmen will resort to repression “In the history of any nation there are special moments and seminal events,” said President Uhuru Kenyatta in August. He was celebrating Kenya’s entry to the club …