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Economy & Business

UAE Foreign Trade Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi (L) and Lebanese Economy Minister Amr al-Bisat after signing a memorandum of understanding, Beirut, Aug. 27, 2026.

Lebanon, UAE ink deals, deepen economic ties on Emirati Beirut visit

An Emirati business delegation signed the agreements in Beirut and met with President Joseph Aoun, indicating the UAE's interest in deepening economic ties with Lebanon.

cards

Sharaa taps Visa as Syria reconnects to global finance: What to know

Visa and Mastercard announced Wednesday that their networks can now be used to make international card payments in Syria.

gas station in Cairo, Egypt

Eni presses ahead with Egypt gas projects as war raises investment risks

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi on Tuesday, with the Italian energy giant revealing it could make a crucial investment decision in coming months.

Latest News

Syrian Airlines expands Europe comeback with Vienna, Copenhagen flights

A Syrian Air passenger jet lands at Aleppo airport on March 18, 2025, the first aircraft to land after it was shut during the offensive that toppled former President Bashar al-Assad.

China warns US not to interfere with Iran trade: What to know

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

Large UAE delegation set to arrive in Lebanon in major investment push

Lebanese Presidency

France, Saudi Arabia announce more than $10B in deals on MBS visit

France's President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands

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

Roger Anis/Getty Images

Egypt revokes ration cards of half-million citizens

The ration cards of hundreds of thousands of Egyptians have been revoked to lighten the state's subsidy bill in response to the International Monetary Fund conditions and the rising cost of wheat imports.

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.