Country Risk Rating

Saudi Arabia arrested five users of Islamist chatrooms on September 10, accusing them of 'spreading misleading propaganda on the internet' and 'playing with young people's religious... 2008-09-26

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently gave his public backing to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, telling him in late August to 'work as if you will stay in charge for... 2008-09-24

The International Working Group of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IWG) on September 2 reached a preliminary agreement on a draft set of voluntary principles to guide their investment practices,... 2008-09-16

Oman's Minister of Labour Dr Juma bin Ali bin Juma and his Qatari opposite number Dr Sultan bin Hassan al-Dosari signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labour co-operation... 2008-09-12

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