Catherine Putz SPECIAL TO EMIRATES BUSINESS Afghan refugees have returned to the headlines as European countries pursue avenues to send many of those waiting for asylum back to Afghanistan. A larger number reside in Pakistan and Iran, where they are stuck in the limbo of refugee camps. Meanwhile, many of those who have already returned remain in a difficult situation, ...

Markets had a predictable immediate reaction to comments by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Tuesday that they interpreted as relatively dovish signals about the thinking of the world’s most important central bank. Within minutes of her remarks, risk assets rose, government bond yields fell, the dollar weakened and the VIX declined. Sustaining this trend will require two policy signals, ...

On March 24, Singapore unveiled an expansionary fiscal budget as part of the city-state’s ongoing drive to increase productivity, cope with economic headwinds, and ready itself for future disruptive technologies such as robotics and information and communications technology (ICT). A sizable part of the budget is also aimed at building a “caring and resilient society.” In other words, there is ...