Saudi Arabia oil minister Ali al-Naimi said that stability in the oil market will be attained only through the cooperation amid major manufacturers and this would take time. Ali al-Naimi added that although the worldwide oil market has been experiencing an instability for over 12 months, he is hopeful regarding the return and future of the oil market.
Middle East
With the lifting of international sanctions from Tehran, India would be able to recommence its unobstructed oil import from the Persian Gulf country. Iran is anticipated to boost its oil export of 1.1 million barrels per day by 500,000, according to the Indian Oil Cooperation.
The United Nations (UN) has received funding of $250million and needs additional $500 million for education programs for over one million Syrian children. Gordon Brown, the former UK Prime Minister and UN envoy for global education, is committed to mobilize money in next month. Brown has decided to raise money from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos and other international conferences.
State-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (ARAMCO) is possibly going for an IPO aiming to raise funds for $1 trillion to $10 trillion. Some shares of the IPO may be awarded among the local banks and investors following ARAMCO’s action plan. However, experience in banking operations in the kingdom is believed to play the key role for selection which put HSBC and JPMorgan well ahead in the IPO grabbing race.
Opium production has been one of Afghanistan source of economy. Since 1950's in the area known as Golden Crescent is a well-known opium and heroin production in the world.
After struggling a bitter civil war for four years, Syria's government imposes tax on shawarma, restaurants, and other businesses in everyday life as new revenue source.
ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) has begun selling Iraqi crude oil to Syria, against which the Islamic militant group has been fighting to take over the country.
The indications are strong such that mighty Middle East (ME) region also may not sustain cheaper oil prices for long. If oil price continues to hover at $50 per barrel, the majority of Gulf nations will run out of cash in the next five years, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF). There's no exception to Saudi Arabia, the leader of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), Oman and Bahrain. The oil price drop is expected to pull $350bn out of the ME region this year alone. The current account deficit of Saudi Arabia may touch 20 percent of its GDP this year.
By the end of this year and next year, the global oil market will be in a fair and sensible condition. This is according to the expectation of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries secretary-general on Sunday.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG invested €3 billion to support its new premium service in the Middle East as it sees potential growth in the region.
The long-haul aircraft requirement of Dubai for positioning itself as a major global hub in the Middle East (ME) Region has been mostly fulfilled by Boeing. Dubai-based Emirates Airlines is banking on Boeing 777 as its top priority and followed by Airbus A380. Emirates Airlines has emerged as the largest airline in the world operating both aircrafts. Emirates Airline has been working on its business strategy to transform Dubai into a global hub in the Region. It aims at becoming an unavoidable destination for passengers from Asia to Europe and the US. This makes the requirement of long-haul aircraft for the Emirates Airlines.
StoreDot, a startup nanotechnology company in Israel, had come up with a battery charger that could fully charge drained phone batteries in a minute. Doron Myersdorf, the co-founder and CEO of StoreDot, and his team introduce a charger that fully loads up phone batteries within 60 seconds.
Kuwait telecom major Zain has decided to invest in technology firms that boost the weakening margins following the sluggish subscriber numbers and drop in revenues. As part of its investment strategy to boost margins, Zain will invest in two digital advertising companies. Zain is also focusing on smart city projects, online advertising, and television services.
With sanction being waived off, Iran's underdeveloped oil and gas sector is now open to global investors. Six global powers- the US, the UK, Germany, Russia, France, and China- have agreed on a deal to lift sanctions on Iran with conditions.
Media reports on Sunday reveal Iran's plans to buy up to 300 units of Boeing and Airbus planes to replace its antiquated fleet by purchasing at least 90 planes annually. An official of Iran's civil aviation agency projected that Iran would need between 400 and 500 planes in the next ten years.