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Economy & Business

An aerial view shows port of the western Syrian port city of Latakia, on Dec. 18, 2024.

Analysis

Can a UAE-backed Syria-Iraq corridor become Gulf's next trade route?

On June 26, Emirati and Syrian officials discussed plans for a logistics corridor connecting Syrian ports to Gulf markets via Iraq.

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

Oil drilling near Dakhiliyah in the desert region of Hasakah, Syria, Jan. 25, 2026.

Syria launches gas project with Saudi firm in latest Gulf energy partnership

The project is the latest in a series of Gulf-backed investments aimed at rebuilding Syria's energy sector after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026, in Muscat, Oman.

Oil falls below $71 as US-Iran talks continue, Gulf exports rebound

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an X post on Wednesday that Iran and the United States had made "positive progress."

Latest News

Trump earns $810M from UAE-backed crypto firm: What to know

People walk past a cryptocurrency exchange office with a screen featuring US President Donald Trump holding cryptocurrency coins in Hong Kong on March 12, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Kuwait's Zain eyes $1.5B mobile network in postwar Syria: What to know

Omar Albaw / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Here's what to know about Iraq's corruption as Zaidi launches crackdown

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

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

Tunisians line up with their vehicles outside a gas station, Tunis, Tunisia, Oct. 13, 2022.

Fuel shortage, long queues anger Tunisians

Tunisians are growing angry amid successive crises, most recently a fuel shortage, while the government sits idle.

Israel gas

Lebanon asks TotalEnergies to start gas exploration 'quickly'

The move follows Israel and Lebanon finally reaching an agreement on their disputed sea border.

A man walks in front of a screen showing rates against Turkish lira near a currency exchange agency at Kaarakoy in Istanbul on Dec. 16, 2021 in Istanbul.

Erdogan’s staunchest backers 'tired' of interest rate debate

The Turkish president’s controversial economic policies have led to rare public criticism by a business group that has long backed his party.

The national flag of Algeria flies near the Bay of Algiers with the old town of the capital known as the "Kasbah" (L) and cargo containers (R) in Algiers, Algeria, Aug. 25, 2022.

Algeria relaxes rules for foreign investors

Following years of social and political uncertainty triggered by popular uprisings in 2019, Algeria has updated laws to attract investment.

A Japanese and an Emirati man in traditional clothes check their phones at the Arabian Travel Market.

UAE and Japan agree to visa-free travel

The two countries also recently pledged to boost economic, industrial and energy cooperation.

United Arab Emirates

Palestinian men gather to apply for work permits in Israel.

Gazan workers fall prey to brokers claiming to offer work permits

Amid the poor economic conditions and as thousands of Gazans seek to obtain work permits inside Israel, fraudulent brokers have spread in the besieged enclave claiming to be able to secure permits.

RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia, South Africa sign agreements worth $15 billion

Saudi Arabia is increasing its economic footprint on the African continent, in part because of its rivalry with Iran.

VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP via Getty Images

OPEC members back Saudi Arabia in dispute with US

The oil cartel and Russia recently agreed to a significant oil production cut, leading to public criticism from the United States.

A worker prepares an order at a cafe after authorities relaxed the coronavirus lockdown measures, Cairo, Egypt, June 27, 2020.

Can coffee be grown in Egypt?

Decades of experiments have proven that coffee crops can be grown on Egyptian soil.

beekeeper

Lebanese women find sweet success with beekeeping

Beekeeping, once a niche hobby, is flourishing in Lebanon, providing women with a means of surviving the financial crisis.

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) provided a soft loan to light roads using solar energy in the Central African Republic.

Saudi economic relations with sub-Saharan Africa continue to grow

South Africa's president will soon visit the Saudi kingdom, and the Saudi Fund for Development recently agreed to help the Central African Republic develop solar energy.

Plastic Coca-Cola bottles.

Coca-Cola to sponsor COP27 in Egypt, sparking criticism

The company has been ranked as the world’s top corporate plastic polluter for years and is blamed for spending millions of dollars greenwashing its brand and lobbying to derail regulations.