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Oman's state-society relations may slowly change

Location:

OMAN

Many welcomed the decision, believing it reflected the authorities’ acknowledgement of social realities. The decision also builds on other changes to state-society relations, such…

Expats and Gulf state locals will compete for jobs

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GULF STATES

As the era of high oil revenues comes to an end, the two states are planning for different economies -- with profound impacts on state-society relations and the social contract…

Iranian government faces severe economic challenges

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IRAN

Subsidies on basic goods and services account for around 12% of total government spending, imposing pressure on the budget without necessarily reaching those Iranians who need…

Clientelism will not avail Greek ruling party in 2019

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GREECE

The agreement settles the Macedonian ‘name dispute' that has bedevilled bilateral relations since the mid-1990s. Foreign, not social, issues have taken centre stage in politics…

Beleaguered Jordan will squeeze opposition space

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JORDAN

This comes following high tensions with teachers, who engaged in a series of widespread protests after the Attorney-General ordered the closure of the Teachers' Union and forcible…

Technical standards firm up China's AI priorities

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CHINA

In regulatory terms, this standard intends to implement a key provision in the formal GenAI regulations published in July, which impose a range of obligations on AI developers…

Gulf states will boost oil output to varying degrees

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GULF STATES

International decarbonisation calls have prompted the countries to maximise extraction as quickly as possible while demand and prices remain relatively high. Variations in the…

Hezbollah's fight will hamper Lebanese secularists

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LEBANON

This followed a cyberattack at the airport that promulgated a warning against Shia political-military movement Hezbollah and its escalation against Israel. The Forces of Change…

Omani fiscal plans will depend on social impact

Location:

OMAN

Leading international credit ratings agencies had upgraded their outlook for Oman in early 2023. Positive reviews reflect the sultanate’s improved financial performance in 2022…

Migration will be the focus of Austria’s EU presidency

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AUSTRIA

Austria aspires to set the EU's agenda for the second half of the year but has little room for manoeuvre when it comes to major reforms.