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Economy & Business

Saudi Arabia football supporters wave flags

China-Saudi stadium deal puts Saudi World Cup ambitions in focus amid attacks

The project is a vote of confidence to Saudi Arabia's ambitious Vision 2030 agenda to diversify the economy away from oil, despite an uptick in attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on the kingdom in recent weeks.

The Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah east of the UAE, on Oct. 13, 2026.

Gulf oil exports surpass prewar levels despite escalating tanker attacks

According to data from Kpler, oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and alternative routes across the Middle East averaged more than 24 million barrels a day last week, surpassing prewar levels of 23.3 million.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Benoit Tessier / AFP via Getty Images

Macron secures Gulf diesel supplies as France grapples with fuel costs, unrest

France now has commitments for 295,000 metric tons of diesel per month from the Gulf, accounting for just over 10% of the European country’s consumption.

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Explainer

Indonesia first foreign country to own property in Saudi Arabia's Mecca

Vehicles move along a main street in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on Sept. 16, 2026.

Saudi Arabia postpones 'Davos in the Desert' until 2027 amid Houthi attacks

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Iran’s oil lifeline runs dry, can it outlast Trump's economic siege?

shoppers walking through the Tajrish Bazaar, a traditional market in Tehran

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

How much oil can cushion another Middle East supply shock?

A vessel transits the Gulf of Oman

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Morgan Stanley lowers Israel’s sovereign credit as Moody's issues warning

Protests are mounting over the controversial judicial reforms, and the leading credit agency downgraded Israel earlier this year.

Hind Omar, an Egyptian woman metro train driver, poses through the entrance of a life-size train simulator at Adly Mansour station in the capital Cairo's northeastern neighbourhood of Heliopolis on May 31, 2022. - As it prepares to expand to serve a population now exceeding 20 million, the Cairo metro has recruited Egypt's first female train drivers, a novelty in a country where few women have formal jobs. Since April, commuters on the network's newest line have seen women take the controls in the driver's

Egypt’s bid to develop rail sector put to test by dire economic headwinds

The mission ahead to revamp Egypt's train network is daunting, especially at a time when the country faces serious economic woes.

Marc Español

Ursula von der Leyen

EU commission sees Tunisia's migration deal as 'blueprint' for region

On July 16, the bloc agreed to spend 100 million euros on Tunisia to combat human trafficking and illegal crossings of the Mediterranean Sea.

Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain in action during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Clermont Foot at Parc des Princes, Paris, France, June 3, 2023.

Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal makes record $332 million bid for soccer star Mbappe

Mbappe’s current club Paris Saint-Germain confirmed that the formal offer for its player took place.

The Vladimir Rusanov, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) Russian tanker ship.

Dampened China demand driving up Middle East purchases of Russian oil

China's appetite for fuel oil has been slowly increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic when the country implemented some of the strictest lockdowns in the world.

A Royal Moroccan Air Force CH-47 Chinook military helicopter takes off during the second annual "African Lion" military exercise in the Tan-Tan region in southwestern Morocco on June 30, 2022. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Supply and demand: North African military expenditures raise stakes for global defense suppliers

North Africa features three countries that rank among the world’s top 30 arms importers, but the region currently lacks any significant arms exporters.

A Sinopec employee looks at a group of jounalists visiting Polypropylene Plant No3 of the Sinopec Yanshan Petrochemical Company (SYPC) during a tour arranged by the State Council Information Office in Beijing on May 25, 2018. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP) (Photo credit should read WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Aramco acquires $3.4 billion stake in a China petrochemical firm

The world’s biggest oil exporter is making further inroads in China, Saudi Arabia’s top customer for crude.

Tunisian demonstrators raise national flags and protest placards as they take to the streets of the capital Tunis, on January 14, 2023, to protest against their president. - In July 2021, President Kais Saied sacked the government, froze parliament and seized far-reaching executive powers, later grabbing control of the judiciary -- moves opponents said aimed to install a new dictatorship in the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings. (Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP) (Photo by FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia to give Tunisia $500 million amid economic crisis

Tunisia is seeking help from the kingdom as well as the EU and the IMF as it battles debt and inflation.

Man Utd

Manchester United takeover ‘paused’ amid Qatari frustration: reports

The club's owners the Glazer family reported they want around 6 billion pounds ($7.72 billion) for the soccer club, but the two bids value Manchester United at around 5 billion pounds.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 10: A Chipotle store signage is seen on August 10, 2022 in New York City. NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday that Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that they will be paying $20 million dollars to current and former workers in their NYC restaurants for violating city labor laws. The settlement will cover about 13,000 employees who worked at the chain's NYC stores between 2017 and this year. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Popular Mexican food chain Chipotle coming to UAE, Kuwait

The fast-food giant that specializes in Mexican food is one of the biggest in the United States.

Xi Jinping Abdulmajid Tebboune

Algeria, China sign 19 agreements during Tebboune's visit, including energy, technology

Xi Jinping received Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his delegation at Beijing's Great Hall of the People to discuss bilateral relations.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prepares before a roundtable meeting during the 29th EU-Japan Summit at the European Union building, Brussels, Belgium, July 13, 2023.

Analysis

On Gulf tour, Japan's PM secures energy ties as China’s influence grows

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s three-day trip that began Sunday to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — its key energy suppliers — is seen as a crucial move to secure Japan’s energy future.

By Salim A. Essaid