COMMUNICATIONS HUB
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PAPERS AND GUIDES
Please browse our selection of professional papers and guides, which we hope will prove informative and useful.
NEWS | BLOG | INTERNATIONAL INTEREST
We Are Seeking Professional Talent
We are seeking international professional talent to expand our SME lists. We are particularly interested in connecting with and forming relationships with: GCC nationals educated in UK with fluent bi-lingual English / Arabic who can deliver...
Business and Economic Intelligence and Insight
Two premier British organisations we always strongly recommend to our readers on business and economic, as well as wider affairs, are The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and Institute of Financial Studies (IFS). The following articles may be of...
Latest Government Borrowing
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that HMG’s borrowing reached over £300 Bn in the year to March 2021, the highest levels of debt and deficit since the ned of Word War Two. With tumbling tax receipts and NI contributions...
Vaccine Rollout and SME Business Confidence
A mixed but somewhat worrying picture has emerged from the most recent SME business confidence research. Whilst the vaccine rollout has encouraged immediate confidence, almost 25% of SME’s do not expect to survive 2021. The vaccine rollout has had...
Corporate and Business Debt
As we continue the phased coming out of lockdown and business of all shapes and sizes can take the further tentative post lockdown steps to ‘normal’ business, it is worth reflecting sombrely on the damage to the UK economy, businesses and the...
OF POSSIBLE INTEREST
New Sectors Added To 100% Foreign Ownership in UAE
It is excellent news that The United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to add ten new sectors to the list of companies which can be 100% owned.
The sectors, seen as of strategic importance, are due to be announced soon.
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Suez and Ever Given Consequences
The impact of the ‘grounding’ of the Ever Given, the container ships which was ‘grounded’ in the Suez Canal for five days is still being felt as the reverberations on trade and imports continue to impact The UK and may well do for weeks to come.
Further, with those vessels now out of the canal and those sought to avoid the congestion by going round Africa due to arrive in short order at UK ports this week, there is the risk of ports being overwhelmed, reflected in the The British Ports Association and UK Major Ports Group (UKMPG) having jointly written to The British Retail Consortium and MakeUK, ex-pressing their significant concerns.
Some 25% of the vessels caught up in the Suez incident were container vessels which make multiple port calls across Northern Europe, which will likewise face similar challenges due to a surge. Despite best efforts from all stakeholders, there is a physical reality which means that such supply, logistical and other impact factors are exacerbate by such delays; as well the physical capability and capacity of offloading and loading such bulk.
Further, thee has been high demand for goods shipped form the Far East over the last six months, which could further increase the detrimental impact on global container shipping market for some months to come yet.
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Grounding of The Ever Given
The grounding of The Ever Given in the Suez Canal is a serious issue which could have a big impact on global trade.
On her way from China to Rotterdam, at 200,000 tonnes and 400m long she is not a wee lass.
Already there are some 50 vessels backlogged and the operation to refloat her may take days and the disruption may get worse depending on how quickly and if they can refloat her. In a worst case scenario they may have to offload cargo in situ.
Apart from the physical and immediate short term disruption, the grounding has already resulted in a rise in crude prices.
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Mobile COVID Testing –UAE.
How refreshing to see an innovative and practical approach to Covid-19 testing and vaccination, as a mobile centre open in Ajman, UAE.
The operation comprises 12 mobile units being operated under the auspices of The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) and the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP).
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Ghana and UK Sign Trade Deal
But Kenya Fires a Warning
Good and positive news that The UK and Ghana have signed a trade deal worth $1.6 billion. This now brings the total number of post Brexit bilateral traded deals signed to 65 with non-EU countries, worth a total of slightly over £200 billion, as of 2019. This accounts for 97% of the value of trade deals with non-EU countries targeted as part of the post Brexit trade continuity strategy.
Readers who wish to explore the UK deals in greater detail can visit
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-trade-agreements-with-non-eu-countries
Against this backdrop, the situation in Kenya surrounding the recently signed UK-Kenyan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is very worrying. A growing number of Kenyan lawmakers have opposed the deals’ ratification calling it illegal; whilst simultaneously and a collective of farmers are filing a court case demanding that quotas and tariffs are not lifted for British exporters into Kenya, worried about competition and market disruption.
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Saudi Oil Attack
Saudi Arabia is once again in the news, this time for attacks on the Ras Tanura terminal and Dhahran by drones and missiles. Fortunately, both attacks were intercepted, but there was a resultant impact on oil prices, rising to $71 a barrel.
The attack on the Ras Tanura terminal is the most serious since 2019, when production was disrupted for a couple of days.
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Deeply disappointing that China has denied entry to a World Health Organisation team wishing to study the origins of the Covid-19 virus. Let us hope that this is a simple bureaucratic issue and not reflective of a deeper, darker agenda. To successfully fight and overcome this virus which has brought so much harm to nations, their people and businesses as quickly as possible, we must work globally together; and learn and understand as much about it as possible.
As an aside, we wonder, what are people’s thoughts on China’s ‘handling’ of the COVID-19 pandemic its impact and their responsibility? Should China be ‘punished’ and made to pay global reparations for the damage wrought, especially if she has been, deliberately, culpable? Interestingly, back in Spring and mid-2020, there were some loud calls for such action.
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A change from our oft GCC region focus here. This is an article on UK African business and the UK Africa Initiative.
https://www.theafricareport.com/22217/can-uk-companies-find-new-partners-across-the-continent/
Further UK Africa initiative articles can be found at:
https://www.theafricareport.com/in-depth/uk-africa-towards-a-new-partnership/
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An interesting article on the UK and GCC diplomacy. Ahmed Al-Rawi conducted his Ph.D at University of Leicester, entitled “TV coverage of the 2010 elections in Iraq: A study of the evening newscasts of four Iraqi satellite channels”.
https://www.arabmediasociety.com/the-development-of-british-public-diplomacy-in-the-arab-world/
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An article on the importance of and benefits from two-way knowledge sharing and partnership, in this case between the UK and UAE.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1760616/middle-east
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An article on UK GCC Regional relations, which may be of some interest. Are Anglo-Arab relations really so awkward?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54694440
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Stay positive! How despite what some may say about Brexit, there is huge potential for UK inbound business from the GCC Region.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1761261/world
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An interesting article in Arabian Business on how the UK and Saudi Arabia can partner to help deliver KSA’s Vision 2030.
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An interesting article in Business Live, in partnership with the Department for International Trade, on potential opportunities in KSA for British companies.
Some more interesting news on Oman’ and the challenges and issues facing the new Sultan, HRH Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-51112191
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An interesting little snippet on education reform in Saudi Arabia here.
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