Qatar PM arrives in Venezuela on first trip since Maduro’s ouster: What to know Qatar is moving to shore up ties with Venezuela as the US seeks greater control over the South American country’s oil revenues. Qatar
Analysis Egyptians in for another expensive Ramadan despite recovering economy Egyptians tend to spend more during the Islamic holy month relative to the rest of the year, but high inflation and low wages have reduced their purchasing power. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Exclusive Direct Turkey-Armenia land trade to begin amid US-led Caucasus peace push New transit arrangement via Georgia cuts re-export costs, marking accelerating normalization between Ankara and Yerevan amid broader US-led peace efforts. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Meet Fahad Al-Saif, PIF exec and Saudi Arabia's new investment minister Saif previously led investment strategy at the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund and has held senior roles at the Saudi Awwal Bank and HSBC Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Analysis Why Algeria's nixing of UAE air deal is more diplomatic than economic By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Houthi missile hits Norwegian-flagged tanker in latest Red Sea attack Iran-backed rebels hit a Norwegian-owned chemical tanker with a cruise missile, but the ship had no clear connection to Israel, signaling the Houthis may be widening the aperture of their attacks. Legacy: Gulf
With 32% trade boost, Turkey eyes Saudi investments amid domestic downturn Trade between the two countries reached $5.86 billion in 2022, a 32.6% increase over the previous year. Turkey
Kuwait, Qatar, UAE telecoms merge assets into $2.2B tower company Three Gulf companies will create a new entity, which has not yet been publicly named, combining around 30,000 tower assets in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Tunisia. Legacy: Gulf
What is behind Turkey’s inflation spike to 61.9% in November? November's consumer prices also rose by 3.28%, data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute showed on Monday. Turkey
IMF chief urges governments to increase carbon prices, reduce fossil fuel subsidies Kristalina Georgieva was addressing an audience of business leaders and philanthropists at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. United Arab Emirates
UAE-China ink multibillion-dollar deals as ties grow The United Arab Emirates and China are major trade partners and have strengthened cooperation in both finance and energy in recent months. Legacy: Gulf
What does Saudi Arabia hosting of Expo 2030 mean for its economy? Winning the rights to host the world fair follows news that the kingdom will likely host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, among several other major events. Legacy: Gulf
Italy and Saudi Arabia in talks for major deals as ties grow under Meloni The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which came into power in October 2022, has been working to deepen ties with energy- and cash-rich states in the Middle East and North Africa. Saudi Arabia
As Israel’s economy slows, investors ask how long will Hamas war go on Despite fears, previous periods of violence in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank showed the Israeli economy emerging stronger on the other side. Israel
Why is Turkey securing trade with Israel as Erdogan cheers on Hamas? The Turkish president may be the loudest leader speaking up for the Palestinians, but he has paid no heed to calls for sanctions that could really bite Israel. Turkey
Business & Tech Briefing: Dubai gears up for COP28 By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
What $6.9B China-Saudi currency swap means for Beijing’s efforts to globalize yuan China’s increasing economic influence and the high price of the US dollar, which has increased amid increasing interest rates to tame inflation, have led some economies to switch to cheaper yuan-denominated transactions. Saudi Arabia
