Country Risk Rating

Labour unrest and riots by South Asian workers continue to plague the UAE's construction sector. Low pay and poor living conditions are common themes for complainants, and with around... 2008-07-25

Bahrain has lifted the ban on granting visas to Bangladeshi workers. The ban was imposed two months ago in the wake of an alleged murder of a Bahraini national by a Bangladeshi mechanic,... 2008-07-25

The Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping visited Yemen in June on a trip aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries. Xi talked of encouraging Chinese companies to invest... 2008-07-24

We welcome the recent news that Saudi Arabia and Qatar have agreed to fix their maritime borders, and also set up a high level council intended to address security, trade and political... 2008-07-22

The US recently sent Under Secretary of State William Burns to talks in Geneva between Iran and major world powers in order to receive Iran's response to a recent offer of economic... 2008-07-22

Comments by Dubai's real estate regulator have thrown the link between property ownership and residency into doubt. Foreigners have been allowed to buy property in Dubai since 2002... 2008-06-27

Iranian police have launched a more extensive crackdown on 'social corruption' according to the Farhang-e Ashti newspaper, confronting individuals who appear in public dressed in... 2008-06-20

In mid-June, the Omani authorities announced that they would deport almost 3,500 Indian workers who had overstayed their visas. The Ministry of Manpower published a list of names... 2008-06-12

Only a few weeks after brokering a critical deal between opposing Lebanese factions to end the six-month presidential crisis, Qatar is now working with the Arab League in leading... 2008-06-10

The UAE's Federal National Council (FNC) has recommended that a GCC-wide residency cap on expatriate workers, first proposed by Bahrain, be approved. The FNC's Interior and Defence... 2008-05-30