Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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A fishmonger works on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in a market downtown Tunis, June 29, 2014. (REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi)

Tunisia slashes budget by $319 mn in bid to trim deficit

by Monji Saidani | Jul 7, 2014 | Business

Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Tunisian government has cut the state budget for the current financial year through a supplementary bill expected to be ratified in the coming weeks by the Tunisian Constituent Assembly. In legislation announced at the end of last week,...

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An Iranian man fills his car in a gas station in central Tehran, Iran, on Friday, April 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Opinion: Subsidy Reform, from Cairo to Tehran

by Ali Ibrahim | Apr 30, 2014 | Opinion

Contrary to what happened in previous years, fuel price hikes—or more accurately, the partial reduction of fuel subsidies—announced by the Iranian government a few days ago passed without major protests or palpable social unrest. This means that the general public in...

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People queue for subsidized bread in front of a bakery in Alexandria, in this June 2, 2013 file picture. (Reuters/Asmaa Waguih)

Egypt says food subsidy bill to be $4.31 bn—report

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Mar 17, 2014 | Business

Cairo, Reuters—Egypt’s food subsidy bill will be 30 billion Egyptian pounds (4.31 billion US dollars) this year, an amount that is expected to remain stable in the next fiscal year that begins in July, the new supplies minister said, pledging to tackle a...

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Construction of the Jubail III combined electricity-water desalination plant, which will be the world’s largest when complete (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia: The Desalination Nation

by Ubaid Al-Suhaimy | Jul 2, 2013 | Features

Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia is facing a water crisis. Despite the kingdom’s massive investments in desalination plants, demand is growing at a rate that threatens to outstrip supply, leading to the formulation of ambitious plans for the expansion of its...

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In this Sunday, May 27, 2012, file photo, former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, right, smiles, as he sits next to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in an inauguration ceremony of the parliament in Tehran, Iran (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Ahmadinejad determined to continue controversial economic policies

by Asharq Al-Awsat | May 7, 2013 | Middle East

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended his economic record and reasserted his determination to press ahead with his subsidy reform program on Sunday. The announcement comes in the run up to presidential elections next month. On a trip...