First Independent Mena Newspaper
The sovereign debt crisis is often being called the mother of all problems, especially those with no-win solutions (or double-win of any sort for that matter). The consequences of the European sovereign debt crisis, touched off by Europe’s weakest economies in 2011, have been piecemeal yet deep and noticeable far beyond the EU’s borders. As […]
The IMF Deputy Managing Director, Naoyuki Shinohara, pointed out last year that “the most striking trend in Asia’s rise as the world’s leading source of exports has been the growth in intraregional trade. While global trade and Asia’s trade with economies outside the region have doubled since 2000, intra-Asian trade has tripled, and regional trade […]
Doing business in North Africa seems to be very challenging and still largely for the intrepid. The World Bank’s annual survey ‘Doing Business’ provides data on the relative easiness (or difficulty) of running a business around the world. A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is more conducive […]
The upshots of the global financial crisis are long to list. In a catchy word, they are condensed in the phrase “shift to the East”. Driven by the increasing power and strength of emerging market economies, the timing and extent of the shift raise questions over what real objectives the new players are set to […]
After its crucial role in the uprisings in the Arab world, internet and facebook occupy a growing ground in MENA region. Tunisia’s Jasmine revolution, which forced President Ben Ali to step down, proved that internet and facebook were the fastest way to communicate and spread news (videos, photos, tweetts articles and even political comments.) A […]
Cyber attacks are becoming rampant in the MENA region after another discovery of a related program to the flame named as “miniflame”. The software is capable of executing more precise attacks on targets and has already affected almost 50 “high-value” machines according to a Kaspersky Lab research report. The behavior of Miniflame is described as […]
The United States has reportedly deployed a dozen aircraft in the Middle East-North Africa region probably as a precaution, in case conflicts there necessitate quick action. According to Stratfor, a news outlet specialized in geopolitical analysis and intelligence news, at least a dozen military transport planes and gunships, typically used for a variety of special […]
According to a report published by Ernst & Young’s Global Islamic Banker of Excellence, global demand for Islamic bonds could triple to $900bn by 2017. This expected rise is partly driven by the fact that conventional investors look to securities backed by tangible assets. South East Asian economies, especially Malaysia is pushing to play the […]
Arab Interior ministers have pledged to tighten borders security and control to prevent arms smuggling in the Arab world at the current turbulent and fragile regional and international juncture. At the end of their meeting held lately in Tunis, top Arab security officials stressed the need to enhance coordination and information sharing between Arab counter-terrorism […]
Tunisia Amen bank, the 2nd largest private bank in the North African country, has received backing from the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank, to boost the company’s efforts to improve governance and modernize management practices. The IFC backing comes at a time when Tunisian banks are implementing new central bank regulations […]