Analysis Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan The proposed framework faces major hurdles and fault lines, ranging from NATO constraints to Israeli opposition and weak military integration. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia pursues quiet diplomacy as Trump pushes Israel normalization Saudi Arabia has been engaged in intense diplomacy in Lebanon in recent days, leading up to the extension of a ceasefire with Israel. Lebanon
Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal? The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years. Saudi Arabia
Newsletter: City Pulse Riyadh Ithra brings MENA design to Milan Also this week: Lana Khayat at Art Dubai and Najdi dining in Diriyah By Rebecca Anne Proctor In Dubai, reporting on culture
Analysis Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse NEOM’s new logistics look By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Saudi Arabia invests $51 billion in first wave of Shareek diversification The Shareek investment and diversification strategy is set to create more than 64,000 jobs by 2040. Saudi Arabia
UAE sends second astronaut to space on longest Arab mission Sultan Saif AlNeyadi will collaborate with NASA and other international space agencies to conduct 19 scientific studies in a wide array of fields. Legacy: Gulf
UAE busts 4.5 million Captagon pills in food cans after smuggler arrest Amphetamine fenethylline, known by its brand name Captagon, has increasingly become the drug of choice among youth in Gulf Arab states. United Arab Emirates
Analysis Ukraine war at year 1: Has Gulf's neutrality on Russia invasion paid off? Gulf countries — mainly the United Arab Emirates, then Qatar — as well as Turkey have been major recipients of Russian real estate investment in addition to direct financial injections. By Salim A. Essaid
China, US deals and robots headline Saudi Arabia's LEAP tech event China's Huawei, Hectar, Lenovo were among major deals reached at Saudi's flagship technology event. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia announces vertical farming venture with US AeroFarms Vertical farming is on the rise in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Legacy: Gulf
Qatar stays put after US, Saudi Arabia, UAE raise interest rates The Gulf central banks’ moves followed the US Federal Reserve raising its rates. Inflation increased in both Qatar and Saudi Arabia at the end of 2022. Legacy: Gulf
OPEC+ likely to maintain oil output at meeting, in gesture to US While the OPEC+ group is expected to maintain oil production at its virtual meeting set for Feb. 1, global demand for oil is estimated to reach a record high in 2023. Legacy: Gulf
Saudi GDP grows 8.7% in 2022 due to oil, non-oil growth One credit-rating agency said Saudi Arabia’s GDP growth will slow down in 2023. Legacy: Gulf
South Korea’s Samsung to help Saudi Public Investment Fund with construction projects Saudi Aramco has also strengthened its ties to South Korean companies recently. Legacy: Gulf
Washington Post blasts Pompeo's 'vile falsehoods' on Jamal Khashoggi The former secretary of state called the slain Saudi columnist an “activist,” which led to condemnation from The Washington Post. Legacy: Gulf
Culture Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf gets TV deal; Norman says kingdom ‘learned from its mistakes’ The deal with CW could enable the Saudi Public Investment Fund-backed league to finally secure sizable advertising revenue. Legacy: Gulf