EGYPT

Egypt's Communications Ministry said Thursday it had launched the first Internet domain name using Arabic letters to try to boost e-services and the number of people online in the most populous Arab nation.

In its quest to ensure enough oil for its vibrant economy, China on Monday signed an MoU with Egypt to build a $2 billion refinery in the Arab nation. According to sources, two Chinese companies, Rongsheng Holding Group and China National Chemical Engineering Co. Ltd., will build the refinery, the largest such plant in the Arab nation.

More banks in the Gulf Arab region may convert to Islamic finance in a bid to tap rising demand for sharia-compliant products and to avoid the heavy investment required to launch new banks.

The further integration of Arabic language capabilities in internet and other technological architecture will grant millions access to the digital world, Microsoft and Google executives said.

U.S. exports to Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa are forecast to grow almost 20 percent this year to a record $75 billion, fueled by big infrastructure projects and resurgent consumer demand, according to a new private sector report.

(Reuters) - Deaths of women in and around childbirth have gone down by an average of 35 percent globally, according to a study using new methods, but are surprisingly high in the United States, Canada and Norway.

British mobile telecoms group Vodafone said it will launch the Opera Mini browser on low-cost handsets so its millions of users in emerging markets can easily access the Internet, lifting Opera's shares.

German car and truck maker Daimler AG was charged on Tuesday with violating U.S. bribery laws by showering foreign officials with millions of dollars and gifts of luxury cars to win business deals.

Internet telephony firm Skype has questioned Egypt's move to ban international calls made through mobile Internet connections and said markets should be left open for consumers to choose.

Egypt has begun enforcing a ban on international calls made through mobile internet connections, the head of the telcoms regulator told Reuters on Tuesday, potentially boosting voice revenues at landline monopoly Telecom Egypt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political standing is perilous because of divisions within his coalition over efforts to pursue peace with the Palestinians, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.

The Obama administration has boosted U.S. defense ties to Israel and will close ranks with its ally against any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran, Vice President Joe Biden said on Monday ahead of a trip to Israel.

The European Union's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, has had a tough time since taking on the job four months ago, but will try to turn things around this week as she sets out her foreign policy goals.

A blogger, who had faced a military trial for an article critical of Egypt's armed forces, has been released without bail after apologizing and on condition he removes the posting, his lawyer said Sunday.

Technology companies that fail to make reasonable steps to safeguard human rights in foreign countries could face civil or criminal liabilities, lawmakers said Tuesday.

The latest failure by CSN to take control of Cimpor threw the focus of the battle for the Portuguese cement maker on to the rival Brazilian companies that thwarted CSN.

BYD Co Ltd, a Chinese car and battery maker founded by China's wealthiest man and backed by U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett, aims to boost its car exports this year as it feeds what it hopes will be improving demand in a recovering global economy.

Iraq is the country most at risk from terrorist attacks for the second straight year, according to a ranking by global analysts Maplecroft, while Thailand has joined the nine countries most in danger for the first time.

Philip Morris International Inc posted higher-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on Thursday and announced a new $12 billion share repurchase program, sending its shares up more than 4 percent.

PepsiCo Inc posted higher-than-expected quarterly sales on Thursday, helped by strong demand in international markets such as India, while soft drink volumes fell in the Americas.

International Dairy Queen, the ice cream retailer owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, said on Tuesday that it planned in 2010 to open its first stores in Egypt and Macau.