On Friday, the South Korean government removed tariffs on some food imports and increased welfare support for low-income earners announcing measures valued at $873 million to ease people's living costs. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called the current economic conditions an emergency and ordered his administration to take all feasible measures to reduce the strain on people's means of subsistence. The government is reaffirming its bet on the central bank to raise the policy rate by 50 basis points at its next meeting. These measures will include the removal of tariffs on beef and
The Indian services sector grew at its fastest pace in more than eleven years in June, according to the S&P Global India services PMI. Despite strong demand, persistent inflation remains a concern as prices soared at their most rapid rate in almost five years. During the month of June, the S&P Global India Services Purchasing Managers' Index increased from 58.9 to 59.2, reaching its highest level since April 2011. The difference between expansion and contraction is 50 points or more. Stronger than expected, the S&P Global India Composite PMI Output Index was at 58.2, down fr
On Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated the Adly Mansour Transportation Hub in east Cairo. Kamel al-Wazir, Minister of Transport, provided President Abdel Fattah with a detailed explanation of the station and inspected an electric train at the Adly Mansour station. The Adly Mansour Transportation Hub is the largest in the Middle East and is designed as a central interchange station. It will include an integrated service transportation complex along with a commercial investment area on 15 acres. In terms of accomplishment, Adly Mansour station is the first metro st
Indonesian officials claim that they are hopeful of boosting the country’s exports to the Middle East after the signing of a new economic pact with the UAE. Indonesia’s Trade Minister Zulfikli Hasan and UAE Economy Minister Abdullah bin Touq Al-Marri signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement on Friday in Abu Dhabi. This is Indonesia’s first such agreement with a Gulf country and the UAE’s first with a Southeast Asian nation. In September 2021, both countries had discussed ways to eliminate tariffs and boost bilateral investment. According to data from Indonesia’s
France and Australia, India's main partners in the Indo-Pacific region, have suggested restoring the trilateral involving New Delhi to secure and maintain the Indian Ocean Region at a time of worries over China's assertive behavior. This happened on Friday during the new Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Paris. Earlier this year, the trilateral did not get active consideration or development after France got frightened following Australia's decision to dump the submarine deal and launch AUKUS to obtain nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the US and UK. Aust
The board of the World Bank on Thursday approved the creation of a fund intending to finance investments in building the fight against pandemics. The fund will support prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR), with the focal point being on low- and middle-income countries, the bank said in a statement. "The devastating human, economic, and social cost of Covid-19 has highlighted the urgent need for coordinated action to build stronger health systems and mobilize additional resources," it said. The World Bank also said that the fund, which they plan to start later this year, was d
On Thursday, on the second and last day of OPEC+ meetings, the top sources suggest it is doubtful that the group would vote soon to continue pumping barrels into the market after August. OPEC+ increased its monthly output target for July and August from 432,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 648,000 bpd at its most recent meeting in early June. An advisory Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee will meet at 1100 GMT, followed by a full OPEC+ meeting. Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch issued a report stating, “Confirmation of this is likely to be more formality today. What is more importan
On Sunday, India and Bangladesh explored their cooperation in their partnership to develop areas of Artificial intelligence, Cyber Security, startups, and Fintech. They further aim to expand their ties in the railway sector along with cross-border river management and conservation. India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met with his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen at the 7th Joint Consultative Commission meeting where the decision was taken. Mr. Jaishankar said that the nations are looking forward to working together and taking ties to new domains in AI, cyber security, and sta
In a quest to look for an alternative source of energy, the European Union signed an agreement with Egypt and Israel. The trilateral Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Wednesday with the aim to export natural gas to European nations. The deal was signed in Cairo in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It will help reduce the bloc’s energy dependence on Russian supplies and will aim to build infrastructure among the three parties. During a joint briefing, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “What a special moment, fit for renewable-the energy of th
A report by US online education company Coursera stated that The UAE has been ranked first internationally in terms of the business skills of its workforce The Emirates also scores high and leads in business skills such as entrepreneurship, strategy and operations, leadership and management, and communication, as revealed by the Global Skills Report 2022, which evaluated the skills of over 100 million learners across 102 countries in the past year. With regards to overall skills, the UAE was the top country in the Mena region and 23rd internationally. Coursera said in the report, "The UAE