http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/countries/bahrainen-usCopyright 2013 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved.Thu, 23 May 2013 03:02:00 GMT2314476http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/countries/bahrainhttp://www.zawya.com/images/newsletter_zawya_logo.gifhttp://www.zawya.com/story/New_GCC_tobacco_tax_could_fuel_growth_of_illicit_trade-ZAWYA20130523030204/The dilemma facing GCC finance ministers as they deliberate over a 100% increase in duty on tobacco products is underlined by a White Paper published yesterday which spotlights growth in illicit trade, beyond the control of police and customs authorities, as an inevitable consequence of a sharp overnight rise in the cost of cigarettes.Thu, 23 May 2013 06:48:50 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130523030204Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/KSA_plans_Gulf_egovt_network-ZAWYA20130523032505/The government is planning to build an electronic governance network that will link the Gulf Cooperation Council members to one another and also include a unified traffic system.Thu, 23 May 2013 05:36:15 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130523032505Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Mena_power_projects_threatened_by_poor_funding-ZAWYA20130523043020/Power generation projects in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) are facing obstacles because of poor funding resources given the huge costs of such ventures, according to an Arab government group.Thu, 23 May 2013 04:31:57 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130523043020Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/QAR12bn_to_be_earmarked_for_lending_to_highpotential_GCC_clients-ZAWYA20130522041503/Doha Bank will earmark QR12bn for lending to high-potential clients in Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait, Group CEO Dr Seetharaman said.Wed, 22 May 2013 15:05:43 GMTGulf Times ZAWYA20130522041503Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Gulf_NRIs_investing_more_in_insurance_pensions_than_in_cash_deposits_study-ZAWYA20130522041606/NRI investors in the Gulf region have opted to invest more in life and pensions products this year, moving away from cash deposits in India, according to a study by Invesco.Wed, 22 May 2013 15:04:51 GMTGulf Times ZAWYA20130522041606Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Middle_East_struggling_to_provide_work_for_youth_says_IMF_report-ZAWYA20130522045706/The Middle East has hit a brick wall in its efforts to provide jobs for its rapidly expanding number of young unemployed.Wed, 22 May 2013 15:02:06 GMT7Days ZAWYA20130522045706Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Markaz_Sector_Report__GCC_Water_Sector_04Mar13-pdf_210513103615/The Middle East is one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. The region's challenge is twofold. On one hand, natural water resources are close to zero, and on the other, water consumption rates in the GCC region are one of the highest in the world. Freshwater resources available in the region are lower than 1% of the total available global freshwater. However, the region is home to almost 6% of the world's population. Furthermore, its population growth is one of the highest in the world.Tue, 21 May 2013 10:32:00 GMTKuwait Financial Centre - Markaz pdf_210513103615Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Markaz_Sector_Report__GCC_Water_Sector_04Mar13-pdf_210513103201/This is a PDF report. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:00 GMTKuwait Financial Centre - Markaz pdf_210513103201Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_private_sector_seeks_bigger_say_in_decisions-ZAWYA20130521031416/The private sector in six Gulf hydrocarbon producers is demanding a bigger say in government economic decisions as part of a long term strategy to expand its role in development and become a strategic partner with the public sector.Tue, 21 May 2013 06:05:51 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130521031416Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Expatriates_in_GCC_vulnerable_to_HIVAids_risk-GN_20052013_210516/A group of expatriates, especially labourers, are considered a high risk group for contracting HIV/Aids in GCC countries, according to Asr Ahmad Toson, a United Nations Population fund (UNFPA) Representative.Tue, 21 May 2013 04:39:46 GMTGulf News GN_20052013_210516Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Middle_East_construction_dispute_values_fall_42_yoy-ZAWYA20130521031607/Even though construction disputes in the Middle East have dropped by 42% to USD 65 million in 2012 from USD 112.5 million in 2011, the value remains the highest in the world.Tue, 21 May 2013 04:34:27 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130521031607Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_interior_spending_to_grow_28_to_USD92bn-ZAWYA20130520031256/GCC projects spent USD 7.2 billion on interiors and fit-outs in 2012 and expects spends to increase by more than a quarter (28 per cent) to USD 9.2 billion in 2013, said Index International Design Exhibition and The Office Exhibition.Mon, 20 May 2013 06:39:14 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130520031256Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_is_13th_largest_world_economy-ZAWYA20130520031519/Gulf hydrocarbon producers emerged as the 13th most powerful economy in the world in 2011 while strong oil prices allowed them to become the fifth largest exporter with the highest trade surplus, according to a Bahraini minister.Mon, 20 May 2013 04:58:25 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130520031519Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Bahrain_nonoil_trade_grows_20-ZAWYA20130520031728/Bahrain's real GDP is estimated to have expanded 3.9% in 2012 from the 1.9% growth seen in 2011.Mon, 20 May 2013 04:06:06 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130520031728Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/BMI_Bahrain_Consumer_Electronics_Report_Apr13-pdf_190513122229/Includes 3 FREE Quarterly Updates.BMI View: Bahrain's consumer electronics market is limited by the small size of the population, which means that devices are mostly distributed via regional hubs. Despite its small size there are considerable opportunities in Bahrain due to high incomes in the country and the propensity of the local population to spend on consumer electronics equipment. In 2012 the market received an additional boost from increases in public sector salaries. This was a government response to public unrest, which we expect to benefit the market in 2013. Smartphones and tablets are the fastest-growing device categories in the market, although big-ticket items such as LED and 3G TV sets will also provide strong impetus to the market's expected expansion. While there are many positive features to Bahrain's market, it should be noted that civil unrest and the political outlook remain downside risks to our outlook.Headline Expenditure ProjectionsComputer Sales: The market will increase from US$221mn in 2012 to US$251mn in 2013. Over our forecast period to 2017 we expect that tablets and notebook hybrids will dominate the consumer market, while demand from SMEs will also support growth.AV Sales: The largest sector of the consumer electronics market will be driven by demand for flat-screenTV sets, taking the value of the overall market to US$446mn by 2017 from US$349mn in 2012. The launch of next-generation games consoles in Q4 2013 could result in a small boost to sales.Handset Sales: We predict a rise from US$97mn in 2012 to US$86mn in 2013. The smartphone market is the fastest-developing segment of Bahrain's consumer electronics market, with vendors such as Samsung and Nokia vying for supremacy while global challengers such as Apple and Huawei maintain a strong presence.Key Trends And DevelopmentsThe mobile handset market is booming and attracting the attention of a range of vendors. Since 2011 Nokia has lost its position of dominance, whicSun, 19 May 2013 12:18:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_190513122229Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/World_Bank_Global_Development_Horizons__Capital_for_the_Future__Saving_and_Investment_in_an_Interdependent_World_2013-pdf_190513093245/The aim of this edition of Global Development Horizons is to build scenarios for the global economy over, roughly, the next two decades, with special focus given to saving and investment. Developing countries' share in global investment has grown from less than 20 percent to almost one-half in the past 15 years. A similar pattern is observed for saving, yet only a minor part of these trends in saving and investment is due to the consequences of the 2008 global financial crisis. This report discusses the entrenched economic and demographic forces that have contributed to an acceleration of growth and increases in investment and saving rates in many developing countries.Sun, 19 May 2013 09:25:00 GMTWorld Bank pdf_190513093245Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Byblos_Bank_Country_Risk_Weekly_Bulletin_16May13-pdf_190513070932/This is a PDF report. Sun, 19 May 2013 06:59:00 GMTByblos Bank pdf_190513070932Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Mobile_advertising_must_catch_up_in_region-GN_18052013_190536/We are stepping into a world where smartphones and tablets outsell PCs. While regional advertisers are aware that the industry is going ‘mobile’, spend on digital advertising is still low, according to a recent report by global consulting firm Deloitte.Sun, 19 May 2013 04:56:13 GMTGulf News GN_18052013_190536Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Lulu_ranked_third_most_impactful_company_in_Arab_world_by_Forbes-ZAWYA20130519034347/LULU Hypermarket Group has been ranked 3rd in the prestigious "Forbes Top 100 companies" making an Impact in the Arab World. Lulu is the only Indian company to be featured in the Top 10.Sun, 19 May 2013 04:19:07 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130519034347Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_investments_in_digital_education_programs_rising-ZAWYA20130518050416/Digital education programs being introduced to schools in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE will have a positive long-term effect on students, says the regional president of Pearson, the world's leading education company.Sat, 18 May 2013 05:24:22 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130518050416Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/GCC_concerned_over_rise_in_use_of_Twitter-ZAWYA20130517043853/Increasing use of Twitter and other social media forums by their citizens has authorities in some GCC countries worried, prompting them to mull ways to impose restrictions, media reports suggest.Fri, 17 May 2013 11:54:15 GMTThe Peninsula ZAWYA20130517043853Open