A REPORT PUBLISHED by the World Economic Forum (WEF) concluded that Bahrain has the fourth most favourable tax regime in the world, out of the 55 leading economies surveyed. The Financial Development Report ranked Bahrain 27th, overall, in terms of its financial system, up from 28th in 2008. It concluded that Bahrain ?shows competitive advantages in the quality of its institutional environment, including a substantially liberalized financial sector and solid corporate governance.?

MANPOWER, A GLOBAL leader in employment services, has released an insight paper highlighting the need for reforms in labour policies and practices throughout the world, particularly those involving female work participation. Titled ?The Underworked Solution: Women and the Talent Crunch,? the Manpower study affirms that the rate of female participation in the labour force is significantly lower than that of men, not only in the Middle East but throughout the world.

A RESEARCH TOOL which tracks travel trends quarterly has revealed that a sharp decline in air travel is expected, with many passengers switching to economy class. YouGovSiraj?s Travel Tracker result of answers from 844 travellers from the UAE who responded to the survey during January 2009. The amount of people flying from the UAE remained stable in 2008 compared to 2007 but this fell far short of the expected rise in travel.

GULF AIR, THE national carrier of Bahrain, has signed an agreement to lease four new Boeing 777 ER aircraft as part of the airline?s re-fleeting and product-enhancement strategy. Three of the new aircraft joined the airline during March 2009 while the fourth one will join in May. The aircraft, leased from Jet Airways, will be used on a number of routes including London, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and intra Gulf Routes, gradually replacing the Airbus 340s.