Lebanon's central bank governor leaves office after three decades, leaving depositors and the fate of their life savings in the hands of a crude ruling elite

The Kingdom wants to unlock the enormous competitive advantages it has – not least a geographical location linking three continents – to become a dynamic destination for investment

The demise of debt talks with the IMF made the country's finances a national talking point. A Saudi package has provided wriggle room, but political action is needed for proper progress.

As Spain reckons with the aftermath of the ended fishing agreement between Europe and Morocco, Rabat demands better terms.

The land of frankincense has been trading with its neighbours around the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea for millennia. It now has cutting-edge ambitions for its future.

Politics, as well as economics, are at work as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve hits a 40-year low

The Banque du Liban's reputation at home and abroad is in tatters. To restore it, the next governor should be exceptional – independently minded, able to say 'no' and perhaps even a foreigner.

In its capital, once famed as the City of Light, it is now much darker. Paris is unable to achieve social and economic equality for millions of its citizens, sparking riots and disorder.

The first set of results are out from the Kingdom's ambitious, modernised census and the numbers show a growing, young and urban population, with transparent demographics a vital part of Vision 2023.

There is a long-standing nationwide sense of helplessness, stoked by government inaction over a series of crises. It shows up in various ways, from spending patterns to a rise in homelessness.