Vietnam’s small and medium-sized businesses just got a major financial lifeline. A Hanoi-based non-bank lender called EVF secured a US$25 million loan from an international fund to expand its services. The money comes from the OPEC Fund for International Development, a group that typically supports
Vietnam is stepping up its fight against digital piracy and fake goods, aiming to spot more violations before the United States threatens new trade barriers. The government announced a plan that should raise detection rates by 20% in the next month, with customs officials expected to halt more shipm
Saudi Arabia offers a unique setting to study headaches because its population is deeply religious. Researchers wanted to know how common headaches are there and whether they connect to mental health issues. They also wondered if a person’s level of faith changes that connection. The team ran a nat
Saudi Arabia isn’t giving up on sports investments. After spending heavily on golf, football, and Formula 1, the country is now turning to cricket—but with a twist. A proposed T20 league, inspired by tennis’s Grand Slam events, is back on the table. Last year’s idea faded, but now the Public Investm
Saudi Arabia has bounced back from recent disruptions to its oil operations, confirming that its massive East-West pipeline is now running at full speed again. The line, which typically carries around seven million barrels each day, had faced temporary slowdowns after unexpected strikes. The country
Vietnam has moved fast from a war‑torn, poor nation to a growing middle‑income country. This change has flipped the kinds of illnesses people face. In the past, many sick people suffered from lack of food and clean water. Now, even though better jobs and nutrition help fight those old probl
Saudi Aramco recently told its buyers that it did not know which port would handle April shipments. The message showed a new fact: Iran, not the United States, can decide when the global oil market opens again. A buyer in Saudi Arabia laughed that he would call Iran to find out when the war ends
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are pushing their own agendas in the Horn of Africa, turning a regional summit into a stage for their competition. What started as a fight in Yemen has now spread across the Red Sea, touching places like Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Libya. The
Vietnam is drafting a rule that will treat cryptocurrency moves like stock trades, adding a small tax to every transfer. The proposed law says anyone who sends crypto through an approved service will owe 0. 1% of the transfer value as personal income tax, just like traders pay when they buy or sell
Saudi Arabia is thinking about making its premium residency program bigger. This program is meant to bring in more money and visitors. The goal is to make the country less dependent on oil and more open to different kinds of people. Right now, the program is for certain high-earning professionals.
