MEED Middle East Economic Digest articles from April 2005

MEED Middle East Economic Digest archives from April 2005

Finding a common language.(COMMENT)
April 1, 2005... A decade and a half after Iran and Iraq called an end to their devastating war, MEED reports from both sides of the often-disputed border. To many Sunni regimes in the region, the eastern frontier of the Arab world is also seen as a symbolic...

On the record.(Lebanese Premier Omar Karami ready to resign)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... "I have informed Mr Lahoud that I am preparing to announce my decision to stand down because of the impossibility of forming a government of national unity" Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami announces that he is preparing to announce his...

Looking back ...(SEVEN DAYS)
April 1, 2005... 2 April 1965 Qatar declares a state of emergency as popular unrest spreads across the region, with anti-government demonstrations and general strikes also affecting Bahrain, Algeria and Morocco 6 April 1990 The UN urges Iran and...

UN calls Sudan to account: international community turns spotlight on Khartoum's role in Darfur.(United Nations)
April 1, 2005... The UN was set to vote on 31 March whether war crimes committed in the Darfur region of Sudan should be referred to the International Criminal Court. Paris has been pushing a resolution to give the court jurisdiction over atrocities inflicted...

Tempers rise in Cairo.(EGYPT)
April 1, 2005... Spring usually heralds the onset of demonstration season in Egypt, and this year has been no exception. Protestors took to the streets of several cities in late March to demonstrate against the prospect of a fifth term in office for President...

Third bomb explodes in Beirut: 26 March.(NEWS DIGEST)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A bomb explodes in a Christian suburb of Beirut, wounding six people. The blast and resulting fire destroy factories and workshops in Sad al-Boushrieh, a key industrial zone. The area is home to 150 businesses including machine shops, furniture...

Larijani claims conservative backing in Iranian election: 28 March.(Ali Larijani)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Supreme National Security Council member Ali Larijani announces that he will be the conservatives' candidate in presidential elections on 17 June.

Knesset backs disengagement: 28 March.(NEWS DIGEST)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Israeli parliament rejects a bill calling for a referendum on the Gaza disengagement plan. The 72-39 defeat of the Basic Law, which would have allowed for a national poll on the withdrawal, removes the last major obstacle to Prime Minister...

Syrian military to withdraw completely from Lebanon: 29 March.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Damascus says that it will withdraw all military and intelligence units before Lebanon's May elections. Foreign Affairs Minister Farouq al-Shara makes the declaration in a letter to the UN Security Council as it meets to discuss a US-French...

Thirty-three killed in government clashes with rebels: 29 March.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Yemeni security forces and supporters of slain rebel preacher Shaikh Hussain al-Huthi clash for the second day running. Twenty-three rebels and 10 government troops are killed in fighting after villages in Saada province, close to the border...

Hamas skips PLO meeting: 29 March.(Palestine Liberation Organization)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Hamas representatives fail to attend a meeting of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) executive in Gaza. The group is invited along with Islamic Jihad in preparation for their joining the organisation. Hamas is in dispute with the...

Annan cleared of wrongdoing: 29 March.(Kofi Annan)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... An Independent Inquiry Committee (ICC), headed by former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, clears UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan of inappropriate dealings in Iraq's oil-for-food programme. In its most recent report, the ICC says there...

Child malnutrition in new Iraq on the rise: 31 March.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A UN Human Rights Commission Report says increasing numbers of children in Iraq do not have enough food to eat and that more than a quarter are undernourished. The findings reveal that malnutrition rates in children under five have almost...

Bargaining power: Washington has finally joined European efforts to strike an agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme, but the Islamic republic is giving out mixed messages about a possible rapprochement with the West.
April 1, 2005... The air was thick with gunpowder smoke. Larger explosions triggered car alarms up and down neighbouring streets as Iranians celebrated the last night of the Persian year in traditional style, with firecrackers and high spirits. Tehran sounded...

To dream and dare: Larsen & Toubro's engineering, construction and contracts (ECC) division promises a long-term commitment to the Gulf.
April 1, 2005... In 1934, two Danish engineers went to India on behalf of Copenhagen-based FL Smidth & Company to commission a cement plant. Little did they realise that their careers were about to take a dramatic turn. Within a few years Henning Holck-Larsen...

New platforms planned at offshore fields: work slated for Safaniya, Zuluf and Marjan.(SAUDI ARABIA)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Saudi Aramco has invited six companies to submit bids by 21 May for two separate contracts covering fabrication and installation of pipelines, platforms and associated infrastructure at the three offshore oil fields of Safaniya, Zuluf and...

Hawiyah pipeline programme progresses.(SAUDI ARABIA)
April 1, 2005... Local and international contractors submitted bids on 26 March to Saudi Aramco for the lump-sum turnkey (LSTK) contract to build two pipelines under the Hawiyah natural gas liquids (NGL) recovery programme. The bid submission was followed a day...

Hyundai wins ERU job.(ethane recovery unit, Kuwait National Petroleum Company KSC)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company has been formally awarded the contract, worth KD 117 million ($403 million), to build an ethane recovery unit (ERU) at the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery in Shuaiba. Hyundai was low bidder for...

Zueitina pipeline project attracts five.(Zueitina Oil Co.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Five international contractors submitted bids in late March for the contract to build the Zueitina gas pipeline. The bidders for the estimated $70 million-80 million contract are: Italy's Bonatti; Athens-based Joannou & Paraskevaides...

Two called for E&M negotiations.(engineering and maintenance)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Two groups--Canada's MEG Worley with the local Al-Hassan Engineering, and the UK's Mott MacDonald with the local Special Technical Services--are understood to have been called for negotiations by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) for one of two...

MEED conference: premier networking events.(Middle East economic development)(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... Arabian Hotel Investment Conference 30 April-2 May 2005, Dubai 2nd Major New Project Opportunities in Kuwait 17-18 May 2005, Kuwait Gulf Petrochemicals 2005 7-8 June 2005, Bahrain Middle East Retail 2005 14-15...

RasGas platform work attracts fabricators.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Technical bids are due to be submitted by fabricators in mid-May for the main upstream package on the RasGas III integrated project. At least three international companies are expected to bid for the estimated $300 million engineering,...

Subcontract awards begin to flow on OGD-3/AGD-2 programme.(onshore gas development)
April 1, 2005... With four out of the five engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts now awarded on the third phase of the onshore gas development (OGD 3) and phase 2 of the Asab gas development (AGD-2) programme in Abu Dhabi, major subcontract...

PMC appointed for Abu Dhabi OAG.(provide project management consultancy, offshore associated gas)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Company (Gasco) has awarded a contract to Shaw Stone & Webster, part of the US' Shaw Group, to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services for the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase of the proposed...

Prices ease as stocks build.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Oil prices subsided as March drew to a close, falling back just below the $50-a-barrel mark after the release of weekly US stock data. However, the drop was rather counterintuitive as OPEC backtracked on plans for a further output rise and a...

Sulphur project bids due.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Technical bids are now due to be submitted on 18 April for the estimated $150 million contract to expand the sulphur handling facilities at Ras Laffan, to serve both the Qatar Liquefied Gas Company II (Qatargas II) and the Ras Laffan Liquefied...

Tatneft to develop block 27.(SYRIA)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Russia's Tatneft on 20 March signed an agreement with Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) to develop block 27 in the south. Tatneft was one of three international oil companies to land oil and gas exploration licences in November 2003 for three new...

Irish circle block 49.(Circle Oil signs exploration and production sharing agreement in Oman)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Ireland's Circle Oil has been awarded a six-year exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) for offshore block 49, covering an area of 15,400 square kilometres in the south. The concession is adjacent to blocks 36 and 38, for which...

Contractors eye East-West pipeline tender.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Local and international contractors are awaiting the release of invitation to bid (ITB) documents in the second quarter by Saudi Aramco for the project to convert the East-West crude pipeline to transport gas. US-based Bechtel is close to...

Dodsal wins Takreer IRP.(Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Co., inter-refineries pipeline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer) has issued a letter of intent to Dubai-based Dodsal for the award of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract on the inter-refineries pipeline (IRP) project in the emirate. Dodsal was...

Bids studied for Habshan gas expansion project.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Evaluation of technical bids is under way at Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Company (Gasco) for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract covering the first phase of the proposed Habshan gas expansion project. Only two of the six...

Takreer takes RSHT FEED bids.(Ruwais sulphur handling terminal, front-end engineering and design)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Technical bids were submitted on 26 March to Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer) for the contract to provide front-end engineering and design (FEED) services on the Ruwais sulphur handling terminal (RSHT) expansion project. The bidders...

Eni, BP sign MoU for second LNG train.(memorandum of understanding, liquefied natural gas,)(BP Egypt)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Italy's Eni, BP Egypt and Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of a second 5 million-tonne-a-year (t/y) liquefied natural gas (LNG) train at Damietta. Under the...

OGI wins Hamrin.(OGI Group gets Hamrin oil field development contract in Iraq)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Canada's OGI Group has been formally awarded the contract to develop the Hamrin oil field, the second major field development contract awarded in Iraq since the end of combat operations almost two years ago. "The contract was signed at the...

Bids in for Sharq as other awards near: kingdom builds up its cracker capacity.(SAUDI ARABIA)
April 1, 2005... Four teams of technology providers and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors submitted technical offers to Jubail-based Eastern Petrochemical Company (Sharq) on 28 March for the contract to build a large-scale cracker as...

Seven invited for styrene unit tender.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Seven international contractors have been invited to bid by 24-June for the estimated $150 million contract to build the 450,000-tonne-a-year (t/y) styrene unit on the planned Olefins II petrochemical complex. The client, The Kuwait Styrene...

Maunsell takes Abu Shuoom contract: UK firm to consult on island project.(UAE)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The UK's Maunsell Consultancy Services has been awarded the main consultancy contract on the estimated $9,500 million Emirates Pearl project on Abu Shuoom island in Abu Dhabi. The contract covers design work, preparation of tender documents and...

Awards awaited on Burj Dubai project.(UAE)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A series of major awards are expected over the coming months on the $20,000 million Burj Dubai development. A contractor has been selected for the commercial island package, while awards are pending for two more packages on the Old Town. Bids...

Al-Hamad wins Marriott apartments job.(Al Hamidi Contracting Establishment contracts with Marriott International Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Sharjah-based Al-Hamad Contracting Company has been awarded the main construction contract on a 20-storey twin-tower luxury apartment complex in Juffair, to be managed by US-based Marriott International. The facility will comprise 94 apartments...

Salalah port bids in.(Oman)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Technical bids were opened on 28 March for the two main contracts on the project to rehabilitate and expand Salalah port. Six bids were submitted for the contract to carry out dredging and reclamation for two new container berths and build a...

Bids in for Ritz substructure.(Ritz Carlton hotel)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Bids were submitted in late March for the substructure package on the proposed AED 600 million ($185 million) Ritz Carlton hotel and apartment project at Dubai International Financial Centre. Bidders for the package include the local/UK...

Consultants gather at the Start line.(Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority receivec bids to carry out overall infrastructure works in Saadiyat island)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has received bids from international consultants for the engineering consultancy contract to carry out overall infrastructure works on the Start project, which covers the development of Saadiyat island. The...

New Dubailand resort revisits Islam's golden age.(Dotcom Real Estate signs deal with Dubai Tourism & Development Company to develop new resort)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The local Dotcom Real Estate signed on 28 March an estimated $135 million deal with Dubai Tourism & Development Company (DTDC) to develop a new educational and entertainment resort within the Dubailand development. The scheme, named Astrolab...

Fairmont tender out.(UAE)
April 1, 2005... National Investment Corporation (NIC) has invited about 10 companies to submit bids by 28 May for the contract to build the Abu Dhabi Fairmont hotel, villas and promenade. The estimated $100 million project will be located in the Abu Dhabi...

Eols near for Hexagon.(expressions of interest)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... About 10 contractors are expected to be invited in early April to submit expressions of interest (Eols) for the construction of the Hexagon development at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The 30-month contract will include the...

Voyager Wheel planned.(Bin Salem Group and Allied Investment Advisors Inc. to build observation wheel)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A joint venture between Abu Dhabi-based Bin Salem Group and US investment bank Allied Investment House has unveiled plans to build a 600-feet observation wheel in the federation. Similar in scope to the London Eye project, the Voyager Wheel...

Al-Fouzan picked for Imam Islamic university expansion.(Al-Fouzan Trading & General Construction Company)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The local Al-Fouzan Trading & General Construction Company has been awarded the main contract on the Imam Muhammad bin Sand Islamic University expansion project in Riyadh. The contract, valued at about SR 500 million ($133 million), was awarded...

Big plans for RAK Properties.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Local real estate developer RAK Properties is gearing up to begin work on several new projects in Ras al-Khaimah emirate. The most advanced is the estimated $800 million Mangrove Island creek-side development. Covering 72 hectares, the project...

TangMed contracts awarded: container, ro-ro and service quay work let.(Tangier Mediterranean Special Agency gives contract to Somagec)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Tangier Mediterranean Special Agency (TMSA) has awarded two contracts for work on the Tangier-Mediterranean (TangMed) port development. A team of Belgium's Besix and the local Somagec has won the MD 665 million ($79 million) contract...

Doha reviews transport masterplan.(QATAR)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... International consultants are preparing to submit bids in early April for a comprehensive national transport master-plan. The 18-month contract centres on reviewing an existing transport development plan prepared by the US' Louis Berger Group...

NSCSA buys Bermudan.(National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia acquires Petredec Limited)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (NSCSA) has completed the acquisition of a $50 million. 30.3 per cent stake in Bermuda-based liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) trading and shipping firm Petredec Limited. NSCSA owns a fleet of 27 ships...

Usco moves to Hidd from UAE: AA Nass to work on the new steel mill.(United Arab Emirates, AA Nass Contracting)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The local AA Nass Contracting has been selected for an estimated $20 million civils subcontract on the proposed stainless steel mill project at Hidd. Under the original plan, the project was to be built at Abu Dhabi's Mussafah industrial area,...

New cement firm selects Sinoma.(Riyadh Cement Company)
April 1, 2005... The newly established Riyadh Cement Company (RCC) has awarded a major turnkey contract to China's Sinoma for the construction of a greenfield cement plant near the capital. It is Sinoma's second turnkey contract award in the kingdom (MEED...

Arabian Bemco in front for Najran expansion: Qurrayat project gets an extension; PP9 bids still being evaluated.(Arabian Bemco Contracting)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The local Arabian Bemco Contracting is the low bidder on the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) project to expand the existing Najran power station in the south. The bid deadline for another expansion project, at Qurrayat power plant, has been...

DEWA mulls H station bids.(Dubai Electricity & Water Authority)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) opened in late March the consultancy bids for the phase 3 extension of H station at Al-Aweer. Seven local and international consultants submitted bids for the project, which involves the addition of...

Financial close nears for Fujairah sewerage project.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Financial close is due in early April for the Fujairah sewage treatment plant (STP). The developer, the regional ICG/ Tanqia consortium, has signed a 30-year build-operate-transfer (BOT) concession with the Fujairah government estimated at...

MoE tenders substation.(Ministry of Energy)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Ministry of Energy (MoE) has invited 13 international contractors to submit bids by 15 May for a contract to supply and install four 132/11-kV substations in Kuwait. An award for the estimated KD 13 million ($45 million) contract is...

Kahramaa contract let.(Qatar General Electricity & Water Corp., Power Transmission )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A group of Europe's ABB with India's Power Transmission (PTL) has started work on a contract to supply and install three substations and a 132-kilometre-long transmission line from Ras Laffan to Dukhan. Placed by Qatar General Electricity &...

MTC heads into Africa: UBS is advising on the deal.(Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, Celtel )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) announced on 29 March the acquisition of Amsterdam-based telco Celtel in a cash deal worth $3,400 million. Under the terms of the acquisition, one of the biggest in the sector over recent years,...

Resorts multiply: tourist sites set for Yiti and Sawadi.(Dubai International Properties)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The government's plans to develop the tourism sector are accelerating, with a host of investors signing up for new resort projects and awards close for several contracts on the sultanate's flagship development, The Wave. Dubai...

Spending up, again: but Doha strikes a more balanced stance.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Finance Minister Yousef Hussain Kamal announced on 30 March another expansionary budget for fiscal 2005/06, which begins on 1 April. In keeping with recent years, capital spending has been significantly hiked, receiving a 32 per cent increase...

Dubai spends on apartments.(Dubai Investment Group)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Dubai Investment Group (DIG), formerly known as the Investment House and now a subsidiary of Dubai Holding (DH), has acquired US-based Olympus Real Estate Partners, a major property owner in the US. The $1,000 million deal will see DIG acquire...

Mashreqbank EMTN priced: second oversubscribed issue comes with tighter pricing.(euro medium-term note)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Mashreqbank has closed the second issue of its $750 million euro medium-term note (EMTN) programme, which attracted heavy oversubscription and was priced considerably more tightly than the first drawdown, staged in the first quarter of 2004...

RAK Properties launches IPO.(initial public offering)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Subscription is due to close on 12 April for the initial public offering (IPO) of shares in Ras al-Khaimah-based RAK Properties (see Construction). The offering, which is open to UAE and GCC nationals, covers 55 per cent -equivalent to AED...

Closure nears on SIUCI debt.(Sohar International Urea & Chemical Industries)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Financial close is due by the end of April of the debt package for the Sohar International Urea & Chemical Industries (SIUCI) project in the Sohar port and industrial area. HSBC is acting as financial adviser (MEED 24:9:04). The $430...

MLAs selected for GIB loan.(mandated lead arrangers, Gulf International Bank )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A 10-strong group of mandated lead arrangers (MLAs) has been appointed on a $750 million borrowing for Gulf International Bank and general syndication has been launched. The loan has a tenor of five years (MEED 11:3:05). The MLAs are Bank...

Methanex finance moves.(EGYPT)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Structuring is under way on the financing package for the $500 million methanol plant planned by Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company (ECHEM) and Canada's Methanex Corporation. HSBC is acting as financial adviser and Slaughter & May has been...

ECAs sounded out on NIOC LNG finance.(economic cooperation agreement, National Iranian Oil Company, liquefied natural gas)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Presentations have been made to export credit agencies about Participating in a Eur 2.200 million ($2.800 million) financing for the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. HSBC is acting as financial adviser on...

IPO advisers appointed.(initial public offer)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have been appointed to advise Kuwait Projects Company (Kipco) on the proposed initial public offering (IPO) of shares in one of its major subsidiaries. Showtime Arabia--a joint venture with the US' Viacom....

Search for lost hope: it has been two bloody years since the US-led invasion and there is still no sign of an improvement in the security situation. The challenges facing the new Iraq are tougher than ever.(SPECIAL REPORT: IRAQ)
April 1, 2005... Easter Sunday, 27 March, was just another day in the life of the new Iraq. Two US soldiers were killed by bomb attacks in Mosul and a suburb of Baghdad; the northern export pipeline was sabotaged, halting vital oil exports; a roadside bomb in...

Success in trying circumstances: the trends are encouraging, but anything approaching a full recovery depends on a vast improvement in security.(ECONOMY)
April 1, 2005... The recovery of the Iraqi economy is one of the more positive stories to come out of the war-torn country in recent months. Displaying the entrepreneurial spirit for which they are famous, Iraqis have embraced the free market with enthusiasm....

Waiting for the driver to recover: economic recovery hinges on Iraq's ability to pump oil. However, the Oil Ministry is finding it a difficult task.(OIL & GAS)
April 1, 2005... Almost two years after the fall of Saddam Hussain's regime, it has become brutally clear that Iraq's hydrocarbons sector, far from being the catalyst that would lead the country into a new age of prosperity, is still in intensive care. Monthly...

Generating quality of life: the US reconstruction effort is largely focused on restoring sufficient electricity supplies to the Iraqi people. Despite continuing attacks from insurgents, contractors report that progress is being made.(POWER)
April 1, 2005... Of all the sectors to benefit from the $18,600 million US reconstruction effort, only security has received as much funding as power. It is not hard to see why. Iraqis view electricity supply or rather the absence of it, as a major indicator of...

A positive charge: on the sidelines of PB Power's Iraq Electricity Sector Investment Forum in Amman in March, Electricity Minister Ayham al-Samaraie talked to MEED about his efforts to bring private sector investment into the country to rebuild the sector.(Interview)
April 1, 2005... What efforts are you making to attract foreign investment to Iraq? We are trying to encourage and persuade investors that Iraq is going in the right direction by showing them facts on the ground. In addition, we are writing and issuing the...

A pivotal role beyond reconstruction: for the Iraq Ports Authority, bringing the southern ports up to scratch has been no easy task.(ports)
April 1, 2005... Ports are the lifeblood of any sea-bordering nation. Iraq is no exception. With a small and geographically limited coastline, the country is particularly reliant on its four southern ports of Umm Qasr, Khor al-Zubair, Mina Maqal and Abu Falus...

Tenders.(business opportunities )
April 1, 2005... MEED Tenders is the most comprehensive weekly listing of business opportunities in Middle East countries. To promote your business opportunity to more than 50,000 business people who read MEED every week, send details to MEED Editor, 33-39...

Contracts: March.(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... More than $10,900 million worth of contracts was awarded in the Middle East in March, according to this selected checklist compiled from MEED reports. If you want details of your organisation to be included, please send information to the MEED...

DSM romps ahead of regional rivals: Qatar's strong 2004 performance has been surpassed in the year to date.(capital markets)
April 1, 2005... Given the stunning growth of the local economy, it is little surprise that the Doha Securities Market (DSM) has been doing well. But the extent of its rise remains impressive--by late March, the benchmark DSM index was up by more than 60 per...

Databank.(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... DATABANK: ECONOMIC INDICATORS, 2002 ($ MILLION, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATE) GDP GDP Population per capita growth ...

Composing a symphony for the eighth wonder of the world: one of the great engineering feats of our time, Palm Jumeirah is due to open in less than 18 months. It's a challenge for everyone.(THE LAST WORD)
April 1, 2005... On 17 November 1869, kings, queens, princes and prime ministers gathered for the opening ceremony of the Suez Canal, an engineering masterpiece that was to transform Egypt and the Arab world. Italian maestro Giuseppe Verdi had been commissioned...

Competition time.(COMMENT)
April 8, 2005... With so much attention focused on the Gulf states recently; and on the feverish level of growth and speculation that has resulted from the latest oil revenue glut, it has been easy to take an eye off the poorer Arab relations on the...

On the record.(SEVEN DAYS)
April 8, 2005... "Our dream is a year from now, we will have 5,000, no, 20,000 Gandhis. Young Gandhis. Palestinian Gandhis" Businessman Kamran Elahian, who sponsored the translation of the 1982 film of Ghandi, which is being released across the West Bank...

Looking back ...(SEVEN DAYS)
April 8, 2005... 9 April 1965 The Algerian minister of industry travels to Madrid to discuss the possible sale of natural gas to Spain, as competition from Europe rises following the discovery of gas in Holland 13 April 1990 Iraqi President Saddam...

Reports point to reform: three reports criticise failures in political and economic development.(REGIONAL)
April 8, 2005... The Arab world came under scrutiny in early April as a trio of reports levelled criticism at regional states for failing to develop economically politically and socially The Arab World Competitiveness Report issued on 2 April by the World...