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Economics and Policy
Qatar's emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani confirmed on Tuesday he was transferring power to his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, taking the rare step for a Gulf Arab ruler of voluntarily ceding power to try to ensure a smooth succesion.
The cost of doing business in Saudi Arabia for multinational companies could be cut as much as half by the kingdom's weekend change, an economist has estimated.
Regional bourses fell Monday as renewed selling pressure on global shares sparked a profit-taking spree.
