Search Results for: saudi arabia

BY RAHIMULLAH YUSUFZAI, IN PESHAWAR

Steel First has been told by Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) Chief Executive Officer Major General Mohammad Javed that there are no plans to sell off the ailing state-owned industrial giant, backing up recent comments from Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, IN BEIRUT

LEGISLATIVE change and the setting up of green building councils is pushing demand for environment-friendly coatings in the Gulf, but the lack of enforcement of eco-laws in the region and the ongoing recession has hampered potential growth.…

BY ROBERT STOKES IN MÁLAGA

THIS year I have abandoned my premium brand sun screen in favour of a Deliplus private label product sold by the Spanish supermarket group Mercadona for around EUR 5.00, saving around EUR 12.00 into the bargain.…

BY DAVID HAYHURST, IN PARIS

CHANTAL Ronceray is targeting fast growth in turnover at Jamal Paris, a small but ambitious halal cosmetics products company she co-founded in 2007. It is an act of faith in the long-term potential for sales among France’s 4.7 million Muslims, Europe’s largest such population.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS AND PAUL COCHRANE

THE ARAB Spring has brought many unlikely changes and not all have been welcome, but one development that is certainly positive for the printing industry is its encouragement of publishing and advertising. Saudi Arabia is a case in point, with the government last year ordering a print run of 1.5 million religious edicts banning protests, which helped drive sales at printing presses.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, IN BEIRUT; AND MARK GAO, IN ISTANBUL

MOST states in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) have mulled developing nuclear power over the past decade, from Morocco to Egypt, and Jordan to Saudi Arabia, but only the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is coming close to embarking on the nuclear option thus far.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, IN BEIRUT

THE FINANCIAL crisis, international regulations and the ‘Arab Spring’ have prompted Gulf countries to set up or expand the mandates of public watchdogs to curb corruption and financial malpractice. There have been some notable progress, but enforcement is still lagging.…

BY RAHIMULLAH YUSUFZAI, IN PESHAWAR

THE PAKISTAN government has shied away from selling off Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) in its latest privatisation announcement, with court proceedings and opposition within the company deterring a sale. PSM was not among the 23 public sector banks, insurance firms, electricity supply companies, postal services, hotels, railways, and other concerns listed for inclusion by the government’s Privatisation Commission in a new round of sell-offs beginning in April.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, IN BEIRUT

AS the poorest country in the Middle East, with annual gross national income per capita just exceeding USD1,000, Yemen is plagued with chronic economic problems, corruption, smuggling, links to East African piracy, separatist movements and host to militant groups.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, IN BEIRUT

THE REAL estate market in the Gulf has started to bottom out, with prices stabilising in the commercial and residential categories. However, empty properties still abound, there is more supply than demand and few new projects are being undertaken.…