Main headlines
December 19, 2012
Tunisia is seeking help from the European Union to lift its ailing economy, which has seen little improvement in the two years since the start of the Arab uprisings.
Instagram's decision yesterday to alter their user policy to enable them to use an image without the owners knowledge caused a Twitter-storm an d a mass exodus, but the Facebook-owned app appears to have offered a partial U-turn.
Despite plans for so-called 'Saudization' of the Kingdom's workforce, unemployment is on the rise, reaching almost two million, a half a million increase on 2011 figures.
The Government of Japan and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have signed a new agreement in Rome that will provide US$7.1 million in emergency food assistance for almost half a million Yemenis.
Consumers in the UAE have the lowest sales and consumption taxes in the world. Perfect news in time for the inevitable pre-festive spending spree.
The United States urged Egypt and International Monetary Fund to reach an agreement on the $4.8 billion loan that was postponed on 11 December "as quickly as possible."
The popular smartphone app Instagram, recently bought by social-network behemoth Facebook, has aletered its terms and conditions, allowing the company to use photographs without the creators permission.
December 18, 2012
Work on the first phase of GCC Development Programme–funded projects is set to start in Bahrain next month.
In a statement to the Tadawul, Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) announced the signing of a revolving Murabaha finance facility with a tenor of five year.
The Iranian government has conceded that it is losing half of its oil revenues due to international sanctions imposed over its disputed nuclear programme.
The governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) will resign from his position by the end of December for health reasons, a CBE source who preferred anonymity told Ahram Online Monday.
The deficit value of the Palestinian Current Account amounted to $2,192.6 million (21.5% of the GDP in current prices), compared with a deficit in year 2010 which amounted to $690.9 million.
Share prices for Apple have dipped below $500 for the first time, after a high of over $700 a share since the company's flotation on the stock market earlier this year.
Iran has been targeted by a cyber attack which is similar to a malicious virus that severely disrupted the country's oil industry earlier this year.
The European Investment Bank has agreed to fund development in Morocco, in a deal worth almost $600 million.
