Newsletter: Gulf Gulf states step up China diplomacy as Trump’s lame-duck session nears Oman and Saudi Arabia are deepening diplomatic outreach to Beijing as the outcome of Tuesday’s US midterm elections introduces fresh uncertainty over Washington’s Iran policy. By Francesco Schiavi In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance
Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Turkey
Culture What’s next for Cristiano Ronaldo after retirement from Portugal team? The Portuguese superstar is signed to the Saudi side Al Nassr until 2027, but the Yemen war is impacting the sport in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia
Newsletter: City Pulse Riyadh Dana Awartani revives lost mosaics Also this week: Lebanese dining, a new Arab art prize and ‘Girls of Riyadh.’ By Rebecca Anne Proctor In Dubai, reporting on culture
Newsletter: Business & Tech Democrats’ win: What’s at stake for Gulf business By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse US elections spotlight Gulf tech risks By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis Israel's security brass advocates Saudi deal as way to calm tensions with Palestinians Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears trapped between security establishment advice to proceed with a Saudi deal plus concessions to the Palestinians and allied hardliners' rejection of any compromise with Ramallah. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 will benefit Islamic finance sector, says Moody’s The kingdom has the largest Islamic banking market in the world, and roughly 83% of its total assets are Sharia-compliant. Saudi Arabia
Spain investigates Saudi Arabia’s 9.9% acquisition of Telefonica Saudi Arabia’s STC Group announced a 9.9% purchase in the $2.1 billion telecom company, but the Spanish government must approve the plan. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, Iran exchange ambassadors as thaw continues The exchange of ambassadors between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the first since 2016 and follows the resumption of relations between the two countries in March. Iran
Oil prices surge as Saudi Arabia, Russia extend 1.3 million barrel cut through December The production cuts by Saudi Arabia, Russia and the OPEC+ alliance have succeeded in keeping oil prices up but have also had some negative effects on the Saudi economy. Legacy: Gulf
Saudi-China cooperation strengthens with stock exchange deal China is growing closer to Saudi Arabia politically and economically as business deals pile up. Legacy: Gulf
China’s Huawei opens cloud data center in Riyadh to grow MENA footprint The Chinese telecoms giant said in February it would invest $400 million in Saudi Arabia's cloud region over the next five years. Saudi Arabia
Analysis US-Saudi diplomacy gives lifeline to Palestinian leadership, two-state solution How big is Assad’s Suwayda problem? By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti
Brazil set to capitalize on Saudi-UAE competition as investments take shape South America’s largest economy has been actively engaging with the UAE and Saudi Arabia under newly reelected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Saudi sovereign wealth fund invests in US mixed martial arts league The new area of sports investment follows major Saudi investments in golf and soccer. Legacy: Gulf
Israel’s Netanyahu thanks Saudi Arabia for plane landing amid normalization push A plane carrying Israelis made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The United States has been pushing for normalization between the two countries, but the kingdom remains publicly committed to Palestinian statehood as a pre-condition. Israel
Saudi Arabia’s foreign reserves shrink by $16B in July amid oil cuts The kingdom’s net foreign assets declined to 1.53 trillion riyals ($407 billion), according to the central bank’s monthly report published on Monday. Saudi Arabia