Risk Watch
There were some signs that the Romanian economy has finally reached the bottom of the recession, but the majority of the news was still very negative. The coalition break-up also fuels fears....
Political parties are busy positioning themselves before the presidential elections. Contradicting national interests, the socialists decided to quit the government in the middle of the crisis....
The 2010 public budget deficit is expected to be at 5.5% of GDP on revenues of €23.97 bln and expenditure of €27.68 bln, according to the budget plan published by the Finance Ministry....
The refusal of the visit of the Hungarian President László Sólyom to Slovakia after the passing of the Slovak Language Act brought Slovakian-Hungarian relations to a deep-point....
Kuwait is considering investments in Iraq as a way of resolving a dispute over billions of dollars of war reparations owed by Baghdad for its 1990 invasion, according to the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister....
Fighting in the Sa’ada region of Yemen resumes after short ceasefire attempts. At the same time, clashes have erupted in the south of the country....
The UAE Central Bank has announced that thirteen UAE banks are exposed to the collapse of the Saad and Algosaibi family groups. This puts further strain on the UAE banking sector....
Dubai’s Nakheel and Emaar have both said they will participate in Cityscape Dubai, after initially saying they will not participate....
The announcement that the GCC-wide rail like will start operating in 2017 is a welcome move for all GCC states....
Protests by construction workers in Dubai employed by major contractor Al Habtoor Leighton is an unusual show of protest about underlying the troubles facing major Dubai construction companies....
The UAE authorities have expelled tens of Palestinian, Shiite-Lebanese and Iranian expatriates, giving little explanation. The expulsions may reflect security concerns....
The UAE indicated that it plans to move ahead with a foreign investor protection law, in an effort to attract foreign investors to the country....
The opening of Dubai Metro is expected to gradually provide a long-term solution to the traffic problems as well as help boost the image of Dubai at a time when it is badly needed....
Tensions are rising between the Kuwaiti parliament and government as opposition MP’s accuse government ministers of an inadequate response to the Mishref sewage environmental disaster....
Kuwait signed a contract to build the Subiyya power plant, which is expected to generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity by 2012. This will help alleviate severe power shortages....
Plans to construct “Gas City” by a UAE-based consortium will likely help fill the gaps in the country’s finances in the long-term, but more immediate political and economic solutions are needed....
Conflict in the Sa’ada region of Yemen is still ongoing as mediation efforts fail. There are increasing calls for turning Yemen into a federation...
Kuwait’s parliament has overwhelmingly passed in first reading an amended labour law....
There are indications that Al Qaeda may be planning to carry out attacks in Kuwait. US authorities have warned their citizens of possible attacks against western civilians....
The attempted assassination of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef by Al Qaeda confirms that Al Qaeda and the traditionalist camp within the regime have more differences than there is common between them....
