MAY 2007

An honest man, badly drawn

The so-called ‘peace process’
The so-called ‘peace process’

Wolfowitz at the exit door?
World Bank chief on the way out

Inter Arab Trade" no longer a joke
The new Arab trading bloc?

Lessons of a hostage crisis
The Persian Gulf

Dubai and Halliburton hardly an ideal match, business is business
International Business Dubai and Halliburton

Chapter 7 and the tribunal
STL struggling to move forward

Flashes in the neo-con pan!
Geert Wilders is the latest colorful, racist Dutch politician

Region needs real journalism
Middle Eastern media lacking in independence

The Blonde on the Billboard
Plastic surgery loans present new trend in Lebanon

Ruffing it, Bahrain style
Ruf cars are not well-known but they are worth the money

A Farewell to Cairo

Inside Intel‘s brain: A talk with the boss
Chairman Craig Barrett talks with Executive

Regional trade for China awakens dragon
Middle East courts Middle Kingdom’s business

Time to invest in Arabia Felix?
Its economy is ‘pristine’ and open; Yemen is ready to do business

Fake or Real? :Counterfeits major issue
Gulf countries wrestle with fake goods, but it’s an uphill battle

A global network in the making: Nokia and Siemens teaming up for mobile web of data
But ME-Africa region presents as many challenges as opportunities

Letter from the Gulf: A (boring) day at the races
In the Gulf, Norbert Schiller prefers horses to cars

Lebanon’s ports zones for free trade
Aramex and Net Logistics Lead

French shipping firm with Lebanese roots boosts Beirut’s port activity
CMA CGM bases itself in Beirut and plans to expand its services

Incubating success: For Lebanon’s small firms
Entrepreneurs find help from the EU, but the money runs out in October

A woman‘s work is needed in Lebanon
NGO hopes to bring more women into the workforce

Hard assets: Region relies on cement
But glut of production could devastate Levant’s industry

Turkey’s AKP prepares for presidential contest
But fears remain that the military may step in once again

Telecom boost Numbers for Syria’s STE Skyrocket
But reforms still needed

Syria’s olive oil production attracts Europe’s attention
Biggest customer Italy pumps $2.7 million into Damascus’ industry

Egypt hopes to contain cement, steel prices
New duties imposed

Tunisia and Italy to form ring of power
But high costs could derail project

Morocco’s banks come on strongly
2006 a very good year for Maghreb

Gas power: Algeria flexes its muscles
Proposes OPEC-style gas cartel

Bonds… Corporate Bonds – Debt trading comes on strong in region
But the real growth is in Islamic sukuk trading

Long in the shadow of Islamic banking, Islamic trade finance plan start to grow
With such small shares of the market, the only direction is up

GCC governments hope to boost stock listings
But new IPOs face more scrutiny than in the past as investors big and small grow more discerning

Debt vulnerability and risks for solvency
Lebanon surprisingly robust in the face of public debt

Money Matters by BLOMINVEST Bank

Destination: Dubai: Emirate looks to expand tourism
But standing out from the crowd will be a challenge

Plastic makes perfect: Beirut banks boost
Incentive schemes, loyalty programs and points, points, points all aim to snare the Lebanese buyer

Company bulletin

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

Global economic data
Hotel nights and trade-to-GDP ratios

Like everywhere, Money talks in Lebanon
But the opposition doesn't have a coherent economic plan