JANUARY 2007

Tailoring a dream

Smooth as silk
China increasing investment in developing world

Myth busting n Beirut
Reporting on the Middle East for Brazil proves difficult

War is not the answer
A bad name for oursleves

Hariri’s legacy continues
Two years after his assassination, former prime minister still dominates

Learning a thing or two from Qatar
Little state making a big play for world influence

Bush’s Middle East mission
Myth busting in Beirut

Death of a shopping district – BCD retailers cry SOS
Protests continue to usurp the city center, squeezing the life out of businesses

BoB: a new Frontier
Bank of Beirut goes where no Lebanese bank has gone before

SMEs get some help
NGO Bader works to build up entrepreneurship in Lebanon with a new fund

Extra Virgin
Lebanon’s olive oil industry faces challenging times

Pioneering Real Estate
Bassil Real Estate Developers step up construction of Convivium VII

Ecological disaster area
Lebanon's environment suffers $400 million loss after war with Israel

Syria: the gloves come off
Syria struggles to boost textile sector

Opportunity knocks Jordan’s ICT sector booms
Information and communications technology is growing 50% per year

Turkey fishing for property buyers Home-seekers not biting
Spike in interest rates and upcoming elections put lull in real estate sector

Bonding with China & India
GCC improves ties with Asia

Dubai’s ICT project Propelling the sector further
GITEX and GULF-COMMS exhibtions highlight the industry’s growing success

Shopping festival season
The super malls struggle to get inventive in light of rising competition

Abu Dhabi initiative Energy surge
The Emirate diversifies its energy portfolio by investing abroad

UAE Labor Laws
The government works to protect workers’ rights while appeasing investors

Oman witnesses banking sector boost
Benefiting from higher public investment levels in industry and infrastructure

The on-line initiative
Oman develops its own e-government program

Qatari real estate Unfazed
Regional downswing hits a miss

Game over Monopoly no more for QTel
Qatar’s telecom giant welcomes incoming competition – if it comes

Much ado about Plastic
KSA focuses on the burgeoning sector

Matter of unity: GCC Summit
Calling for an end to regional conflicts

Striving for diversity
Drawing in international investments and creating international brands

Egypt pumps up FDI market
Government policies open up the economy to attract foreign investors

Gaining Momentum
Algeria steps up its energy production, becoming a key global player

Enterprising Solutions
Morocco’s SMEs get some help

Italy woos Tunisia
Prime minister Romano Prodi looks to North Africa for investment opportunities

Saudi arabia – Just say ’no’
Freeze put on licenses for new foreign banks

Stock market games – The big bull stirs
Is recovery or new risk raising its head in Arab bourses?

Wanted: Alternative investments
Middle East institutional investors are dumping excess cash into hedge funds

Planning ahead – IFQ venture
Growing appeal of Islamic banking leads to a global qualification program

Money Matters BLOMINVEST Bank

New city in the making The Dubai effect
The real estate revolution in the MENA region

Disappointing performances Oh-Gero
Lebanon’s telecom companies delay going public

Regional retail boom counting on luxury
MELG banks on diversified approach to selling brands

Company bulletin

Regional equity markets
A look at Arab-world indices in November

Global economic data
Taxes, connectivity and trade

Battling Over Beirut
Wealth doesn’t make the downtown area worse