NOVEMBER 2008

The game we never win

Measuring business‘ burden
Levant's obstacles to commerce

India‘s fusion with US power
New Delhi’s nuclear handshake

President Palin? God help us
A fate worse than bush

Dire straits for food & finance
Dual crisis shake the globe

Too much to flush
Dubai’s sewers overflowing

Putting the ‘I‘ and ‘T‘ of the region‘s ICT development
The ‘I‘ and ‘T‘ of ICT

Women in politics and the media double standard
Women, politics & the media

A higher lowest wage
The impact of the increase in minimum salaries

Frayed circuits, crossed wires
A look at why Lebanon’s power grid cannot carry its charge

Mêlée on the menu
Lebanese launch lawsuit to resist Zionist threat to traditional dishes

Mobile craze
Number auction rings in the money

On solid oil
Amman’s hydrocarbon potential

Baited by fool’s gold
Thousands lose life savings to scourge of pyramid schemes

Energy in the air
Wind farms central to Ankara’s power strategy

A Gulf of accountability
A look at corporate regard for society, environment and employees

Raising work and living conditions for the Gulf’s migrant labor
Raising work and living conditions for the Gulf’s migrant labor

Islam’s teachings hand-in-hand with CSR
Islam’s teachings hand-in-hand with CSR

Educating the Emiratis of tomorrow
Educating the Emiratis of tomorrow

Obstacles to responsibility
Why more corporations are not willing or able to see beyond short-term gain

Sovereign wealth funds and CSR
Gulf’s financing houses lack structures to oversee ethical and transparent investments

Future prospects
Corporate ideas for moving CSR forward in the region

Positive social actors
How major companies are giving back to the region’s people

The Arab gift for graft
The time-honored tradition of dealing from the bottom of the deck

Foundation check
What’s behind the scene at DAMAC properties?

Fraud - Thieves dupe UAE banks for millions
Fraud & Banking

Cityscape 2008
Conference showcases rousing realty to an elite audience

Growth by another means
Alternative market aims to fuel future economic prosperity

Africa’s wild wild west
Welcome to a land of political upheaval, extreme poverty, oil and terrorism

Small loans for big dreams
Microfinancing has turned millions of poor into entrepreneurs

Rough ride from A to B
By land or by air, many are the bumps in the cargo transport business

Riding high
All lights appear green for region’s vehicle markets

Sales acceleration
Car dealers’ profession tune-up keeps luxury vehicles and SUVs rolling off the lot

Swerving currencies
Importers using yens, euros and sterling chase an erratic US dollar

Unlocking the hybrid
The long road from gas guzzling to green loving

Big wheels keep on turning
Luxury vehicle sales gain momentum even as rest of market hits the brakes

A pre-driven business
Gauging the used car market in the Levant and GCC

Nadim Mehanna – Q&A
Ins-and-outs of the automotive sector from an industry expert

Fueled with optimism
Post-Doha, Lebanon sees surge in automobile sales

A Levantine fork in the road
Where Jordan’s markets turn up, Syria’s head down

The tariff toll
Vehicle imports face layer upon layer of government levies

Capitalism – The new world economy
In wake of crisis, GCC may reshape balance of power with West

Better to trust astrologist than economists with Nobel Prizes
Astrologist than economists

Private equity‘s cash and courage in these times of crisis
Private equity‘s cash and courage

Private equity – Liquidity flows
Region still has room to move in global credit crisis

Egypt country report & outlook: Executive summary
BLOMINVEST BANK Economic Research Department

IPO Watch – Easy does it
Cautious markets slow activity

Money Matters by BLOMINVEST Bank

Food – Making the cheddar
Kraft keeps profits cooking in the Middle East

Cyprus – History distilled
Ancient grapes for the contemporary palate

Al Taameer – Najeeb al Saleh (Q&A)
Ramada hotels arrive in the Middle East

Company bulletin

Regional equity markets
A look at Arab World indices

Global economic data
Vehicles, R&D expense, water and population growth

USA – A storied campaign
Narrative, not credentials, won the White House