THE HOT STORY

Europe braces for surge of migration from Middle East

Europe is preparing for a potential increase in immigration from the Middle East due to ongoing conflict in the region, according to Amy Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration. European governments are keen to adopt a proactive approach to manage the situation, especially given rising anti-immigrant sentiment. Pope said it was too soon to estimate how many people would flee from the region. “Right now people are primarily moving inside their countries - within Iran, within Lebanon, which is probably the place we're the most concerned about,” she said. Pope also drew attention to the “often forgotten” foreign workers that constitute large parts of the population in many Gulf countries and whom she said “are often not provided with the same level of support and attention and information as the nationals of a country.”

Luxembourg Times

RISK

Chinese firms' Iranian business in limbo

Chinese exporters are grappling with uncertainty following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. For example, David Xie, an executive from Shenzhen, reported losing contact with an Iranian client after securing a contract worth over 5m yuan ($726,000). “We couldn't reach them,” Xie said. “Messages are not answered. We don't know whether the project is postponed or cancelled.” Meanwhile, Yeno Yan, an agricultural machinery manufacturer from the eastern province of Shandong, said: “We can hardly contact our Iranian customers right now . . . Orders for this year are unlikely to move forward.”

South China Morning Post

Kuwait supports stranded employees abroad

Kuwait has exempted government employees stranded abroad from work duties due to regional airspace closures. The Civil Service Commission announced that the absence will be counted as official working time until employees can return. The decision aims to support those affected by disruptions amid conflict in the Gulf region. Employees must provide documentation proving their presence outside Kuwait to have the period recognised as working time. The duration of the exemption will be assessed after the employee's authorised leave ends, with supervisors determining the situation before referral to the relevant department.

Gulfnews.com

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Saudi Arabia trains 666,000 women in data and AI

Saudi Arabia has made significant strides in empowering women in data and artificial intelligence, training over 666,000 women in just one year. The initiative, led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), aims to enhance the Kingdom's global competitiveness and support digital transformation. The AI Index Report 2025 from Stanford University ranks Saudi Arabia first globally for women's empowerment in AI, highlighting the highest female participation in AI jobs. SDAIA's initiatives include partnerships with Microsoft and NVIDIA, focusing on building national capabilities and expanding women's roles in these sectors.

Saudi Gazette

WORKPLACE

DIFC delivers office space ahead of schedule

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has successfully completed the phased handover of DIFC Square, adding 600,000 sq ft of Grade A office space ahead of schedule. The project, which took 24 months to complete, is nearly fully pre-leased, with a pre-leasing rate of 98.45%. This new space aims to meet the rising demand from global and regional firms. Saleh Al Akrabi, chief real estate officer at DIFC Investments, said: "Financial centres of the future focus on innovation, being sustainable, digitally inclusive and customer centric." The development is part of a larger plan to deliver 1.6m sq ft of commercial space by 2027.

Zawya EN

Gulfnews.com

Khaleej Times Online

LEGAL

Qatar warns of fraud attempts targeting the public

The General Tax Authority in Qatar has issued a warning about fraudsters impersonating the Authority. The scammers use phone calls, messages, and emails to solicit personal and banking information from the public. The Authority said that it never requests passwords or personal data through these channels. It advised taxpayers to avoid opening suspicious messages and to refrain from clicking on links. Taxpayers should contact the Authority through official channels and use the Dhareeba platform for notifications and tax account procedures.

The Peninsula

CORPORATE

WH Smith warns Middle East conflict could hit travel store sales

WH Smith has cautioned that escalating conflict involving Iran could impact its travel retail operations in the Middle East, saying it is “mindful” of geopolitical uncertainty and its effect on passenger numbers across key markets. The UK-headquartered company operates around 40 stores in the region across Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where international flight disruption following recent attacks has reduced travel activity. The firm's warning came alongside a trading update for the six months to February 28th, showing a 5% rise in total revenues, including a 1% increase in the UK, and growth of 10% in North America.

Reuters

The Standard

INTERNATIONAL

European Commission reveals 'Made in EU' proposals

The European Union is introducing procurement requirements to bolster its manufacturing sectors and reduce dependence on inexpensive Chinese imports. The "Made in EU" proposals, part of the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), aim to set minimum standards for public procurement in key industries such as steel and cement. European Commission Vice President Stephane Sejourne said the aim of the proposals was "to boost demand and guarantee resilient supply chains in strategic sectors" amid "unprecedented global uncertainty and unfair competition." He added: "It will create jobs by directing taxpayers' money to European production, decreasing our dependencies and enhancing our economic security and sovereignty . . . If we do nothing, then it's quite clear that very soon, 100% of clean tech technology will be produced in China . . . It's quite possible that our cement, steel industries will be offshored completely in the next few years."

Deutsche Welle (EN)

Trump plan seeks to tie federal employee layoffs to performance

The Trump administration has proposed a change to employee retention rules. The new proposed rule would substitute job performance for seniority in deciding who is fired when an agency institutes layoffs. The proposal would rank employees primarily by a numerical "performance credit" based on their three most recent ratings of record, with veterans' preference points added on top. The proposal would make reduction-in-force regulations "more streamlined, efficient, and merit-based," the Office of Personnel Management said. Everett Kelley, the President of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, said: “This proposal is part of a coordinated campaign . . . these proposed rules represent a blueprint for faster, less accountable mass firings and another step in the administration’s effort to dismantle the nonpartisan civil service.”

Bloomberg

Australian firms duped into hiring remote North Korean workers

Australian companies face warnings about breaching sanctions laws by hiring North Korean IT workers based in China and Russia. These workers are reportedly part of schemes that funnel money to Kim Jong-un's regime, rather than engaging in cyber espionage. Hamish Krebs, executive director of digital forensics at CyberCX, said such operations are automated by AI to generate hard currency for the regime in Pyongyang.

Financial Review

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