Economics
U.S. President Barack Obama met Saudi Arabia’s new interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, on Monday to discuss security and regional issues, the White House said.
The Heritage Foundation 2013 Index of Economic Freedom rated the Lebanon at 91st in terms of economic freedoms, out of 177 countries included in this year’s report.
The Iraqi government released more than 300 prisoners held under anti-terrorism laws on Monday as a goodwill gesture to Sunni Muslim demonstrators staging protests against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Companies
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA) plans to increase lending to businesses in the Middle East as oil-rich Gulf investors show more appetite for acquisitions, a senior banker at the U.S. financial services firm said.
Savola Group is set to close an Islamic Bond issue valued at 1.5 billion Saudi riyals ($400 million) on Monday, two sources said, the company's debut sukuk and the first local currency debt offering in Saudi Arabia this year.
Shares in Qatar National Bank made their largest one-day drop in 12 months on Monday as investors reacted to flat profit growth in the fourth quarter and no share option in its dividend, while other regional markets closed mixed.
The Lebanese Shipping Agents Syndicate (LSAS) and the Port of Beirut authority have approved a 12 percent increase in the fees paid by maritime agencies to the port after mediation from the public works and transportation ministry.
