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Economy & Business

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2026, and was warmly received by the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the airport. The PM is shown being accorded a Guard of Honor upon his arrival.

UAE unveils $5B India investment push during Modi visit: What to know

India and the UAE signed deals related to energy supplies and maritime security, further strengthening ties amid the war in the region.

United Arab Emirates

A Syrian citizen exchanges old banknotes for new notes released and distributed by the central bank, at a bank in the capital, Damascus, on Jan. 3, 2026.

Interview

UK fintech brings foreign currency accounts to Syrians at home

The launch comes as Syria’s new government attempts to stabilize the country’s shattered economy following the January 2025 rise to power of President Ahmed al-Sharaa after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Jag Vasant, an Indian-flagged tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that transited through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Middle East war, remains docked at an offloading terminal along the coast in Mumbai on April 1, 2026.

Uptick in Chinese tankers transiting Hormuz amid Trump-Xi summit

President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, a meeting closely watched in Iran.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know

Pictured in this undated image is the Al-Thawra oil field in Raqqa governorate, as rehabilitation works continue to restore production capacity.

Aramco profits jump 26% as Hormuz disruption chokes supply

Guests stand at the Aramco booth during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 3, 2025.

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

EU restores economic pact to pursue fuller trade ties with Syria

Kaja Kallas

China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

CN-STR / 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

Turkish pharmacy

UAE-Turkey economic relations continue to tighten with pharma deal

The Emirati investment firm ADQ has acquired Birgi Mefar Group.

Tourists stroll at a holy site in the Iraqi city of Najaf on Aug. 14, 2018.

Iran and Iraq sign tourism deal

The agreement follows protests of Iranian “interference” after a drone attack targeted an alleged Israeli spy base in northern Iraq.

Syria wheat farmers

Syrian farmers get much-needed support to confront wheat crisis

Several organizations in northern Syria have launched programs to support farmers amid new concerns over flour and wheat supplies in the war-torn country.

People shop in a street around Istanbul's famous Grand Bazaar on May 05, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey’s growing current account gap exacerbates lira weakness

A widening current account deficit, coupled with $181 billion in short-term external debt liabilities and plunging foreign investments, portend further currency woes for Turkey.

A military vessel of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is pictured off the coast of the southern Lebanese town of Naqura, on the border with Israel, where delegations from the two countries were meeting, Nov. 11, 2020.

Maritime dispute with Lebanon threatens Israeli natural gas drilling

Israel hopes that a solution can be found to the maritime border dispute with Lebanon so Energean can start drilling in the Karish field in the third quarter of 2022.

An Egyptian worker holds a mineral sample from the gold mine at Marsa Alam, in the Red Sea hills, Sept. 14, 2006.

Egypt to invest in gold, mineral mining

Egypt is working to increase the exploration of gold and minerals in the Eastern Desert with the aim of attracting investments in the mining sector.

A farmer harvests wheat with a combine machine, in the countryside of the northwestern city of Afrin in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province, Syria, June 8, 2022.

Syrian opposition bans wheat exports in response to food crisis

The Syrian opposition’s interim government is trying to prevent the smuggling of strategic crops, namely wheat, from its areas of control, amid a global food crisis resulting from the Ukraine war.

SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt looks to India for wheat to make up losses from Ukraine war

A potential deal between Egypt and India to import 500,000 tons of Indian wheat in exchange for Egyptian fertilizers is in the works amid ongoing global wheat shortages.

This photo taken on May 11, 2019, shows a Chinese employee holding a self-developed chip at an industrial park in Jinan in China's eastern Shandong province.

Abu Dhabi to cooperate with Chinese province on industry

China's Shandong province has signed an MOU with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.

Morocco refinery

Calls rise to reactivate Morocco’s only refinery as oil prices soar

Activists and opposition parties are calling for Morocco’s SAMIR oil plant to be brought back online after a seven-year hiatus to alleviate fossil fuel import pressure and enhance energy sovereignty.

A general view of Al-Reesa Seawater Desalination Plant in El-Arish city, in the northern Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, March 20, 2022.

Egypt expands water desalination projects as Nile dam talks hit new snag

The Egyptian government is seeking to expand seawater desalination projects in the upcoming period, especially in coastal and border cities, by establishing 14 new plants.

Cyprus' Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides (R) holds a joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud.

Saudi Arabia, Cyprus set up joint business council

Cyprus has important relationships with several Middle Eastern states, including Egypt.