I read an article today in the UK's Daily Mail which states: "Hackers from the UAE targeted number 10 with spyware that can allow 24-hour surveillance of messages, photos and calls in alarming security breach." A report in the UK's Guardian also says: "No 10 suspected of being target of NSO spyware attack, Boris Johnson 'told'" This is followed by ...
New Zealand PM bows out
Here's an article from The Economist which, while talking about John Key's resignation, states that NZ is "one of the most successful countries in the world. While this is debatable, there is no doubt that Key has had successes- namely international recognition- along with failures, housing, immigration and the environment. We have yet to see whether the new Prime Minister, John English, will have the same success.
The Egyptian economy overcomes the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic and continues to grow, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. Egypt was one of the few emerging economies that saw a positive growth rate in 2020. This is a result of the government's quick and cautious policy response to Covid which included a short period of general lockdowns, coupled with sup...
Energy investments in the Arab region will reach USD 1 trillion in 2023, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. This includes developing nuclear energy. Dr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the League of Arab States (AL), affirmed that there is complete coordination among the Arab bodies concerned with atomic energy. The aim is for the AL to encourage a...
By Lucia Dore Nowadays, viewers and readers of the media are subject to sanitised programming. Programmes are censored, especially the news. And although censorship is annoying, it is not new. However, not all censorship is endorsed or carried out by governments. Self-censorship is common, especially in societies that believe they allow "freedom of...
Why has the IMF raised its estimates for the growth of the Egyptian economy during in 2022? Ahmad Abdul-Rahman gives some likely reasons. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its estimates for the growth of the Egyptian economy to 5.6 per cent for the current fiscal year 2022/2021, exceeding the recent estimates of the World Bank (WB)...
In this article Ahmad Abdul-Rahman assesses what the rise in wheat prices might mean for the Middle East. Bread prices in the Middle East are rising rapidly due to concerns about wheat supplies from Ukraine and Russia. Such price increases have in the past led to violent protests and political unrest. The protests have already begun, with hundreds ...
Over recent weeks we, at LDC Consultancy, have been looking at Ukraine and the impact of grain supplies on the Middle East. One of the alternatives to the import of grain from Ukraine and Russia is Ito import wheat from India. Egypt specifically is looking at India to as an alternative supplier of wheat. A possible scenario is outlined here. by Ahm...
Ahmad Abdul-Rahman writes about the risks that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis poses to Arab countries. As the world's eyes turn to Ukraine because of Russia's war there, the escalating crisis between the two countries has repercussions beyond the European continent. They will be felt thousands of miles away in the Arab region. What are the poten...
The Gulf oil and gas producing countries may be the biggest winners in the war between Russia and Ukraine, writes Ahmed Abdul-Rahman. There is a consensus among observers and analysts of Gulf affairs that if the sanctions imposed by world leaders on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine include the energy sector, this may benefit the Gulf States. Ge...
Bahrain's banks are not only set to recover after the negative impact of the Corona pandemic but are embarking on greater digitalisation of its services, writes Ahmed Abdul-Rahman The Corona pandemic had a significant negative impact on banks around the world, as they witnessed a contraction in their revenues and growth. Although Bahrain's banks al...
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised questions about the future of the Middle East, writes Ahmed Abdel -Rahman Russia's invasion of Ukraine will have severe repercussions for the whole world, the Middle East included. Several Middle Eastern countries are looking to balance their relations with the US and Russia, and many are stuck in the middle ...
Is the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, set to become one of the most sought-after places in the world for supplying oil? One would think so, after the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, visited both countries over the last few days to encourage them to increase oil supply. Although the budgets in these...
The Russian invasion of Ukraine seems to have dragged on for many days, yet it has only been three weeks since it started. Certainly, it seems longer than that. The impact on the Middle East has been significant, both in terms of increasing the price of staple foods such as wheat, along with the price of oil. As Russian oil becomes more expensive w...
The Egyptian government wants to increase the country's exports to Africa, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. Egypt is aiming to increase its exports to the African continent so that it reaches USD10 billion by 2025. It is doing so because the continent has special geographic importance to Egypt. The most prominent features of the plan are reviewed in this...
In this article, Ahmad Abdel-Rahman looks at how the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens food security in several Arab countries . The continuing war in Ukraine after the Russian invasion raises fears of a food crisis in several Arab countries. Even though Ukraine is geographically far from the Arab world, the impact of the Russian attack on Ukra...
In this article Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains what some of the geopolitical effects of the Russia-Ukraine war might be on the Middle East. The international conflict between Russia and Ukraine highlights the intensity of conflict between the US and Russia. Russia wants to end American hegemony in the world and shift towards a multipolar system with C...
The Russian-Ukrainian war is a headache for the world as well as for MENA economies specifically. Ahmed Abdel-Rahman explains how the war might impact them in terms of food supply. The Russian invasion of Ukraine looms large over the world and has prompted the largest number of countries to evacuate their nationals from Ukraine since World War II. ...
The petrochemical industry in Egypt is seeking to become more important globally, capturing the increase in global demand, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. He explains how this will be done. The petrochemicals, chemicals and fertilizer industries in Egypt have witnessed a huge leap in exports over the past year. As well as the fact that they are added va...
The nightmare of war haunts the Arab communities in Ukraine, and calls for immediate measures to mitigate the crisis, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. A war in Europe is looming. The chances of a Russian invasion of Ukraine seems likely, despite diplomatic efforts led by several European countries to defuse it. Such a dangerous situation is putting ...
The Gulf countries are grappling with several issues now - from the Houthis attacking the UAE to how these countries will deal with the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine- which seems to be happening as I write this. The question now is how far will Russia encroach on Ukrainian territory? These issues too apply to other Arab speaking countri...