Newsletter: City Pulse Riyadh

Alia Ahmad brings Riyadh's landscapes to Hong Kong

Also this week: Cannes spotlights, Persian flavors and Red Sea journeys

By Rebecca Anne Proctor

In Dubai, reporting on culture

Newsletter: Business & Tech

Building beyond Hormuz

Gulf states adapt to prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, Israel's defense exports hit a record high, and a proposed $300 billion investment fund offers a new angle on US-Iran diplomacy.

By Jack Dutton

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

Newsletter: FutureVerse

Gulf AI bets near payoff

A wave of US tech IPOs could deliver major windfalls for Gulf sovereign wealth funds.

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Interview

Saudi Arabia eyes state-backed stablecoin amid digital finance push

Tokenization in Saudi Arabia has rapidly evolved from concept to early-stage execution since the early 2020s.

Analysis

How Iran war is prompting Saudi Arabia to pursue its own Shahed drones

Saudi Arabia is moving to domestically produce a long-range attack drone modeled on Iran’s Shahed-136, signaling a major shift toward scalable, low-cost offensive deterrence.

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Container rates climb as logistic firms scale up Hormuz alternatives

The Drewry World Container Index measuring container shipping prices has soared by more than 40% since the start of the US-Israel-Iran war.

United Arab Emirates

Newsletter: Business & Tech

Gulf marks Eid amid war

Eid al-Adha celebrations continue across the Gulf amid volatile oil markets and conflicting reports of a US-Iran maritime deal, as Iran eases a months-long internet blackout.

By Jack Dutton

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

Newsletter: Daily Briefing

Iran’s Bagheri: No deal on Hormuz yet

US-Iran negotiations drag on as Israel escalates operations in Lebanon and Gaza and Gulf states prepare for Eid under wartime strain.

By Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Gulf celebrates Eid al-Adha under shadow of war

The holiday marks the first time in decades that Gulf states are observing one of Islam’s holiest celebrations against the backdrop of a regional conflict.

United Arab Emirates

Between heat and war, Saudi Arabia seeks incident-free Hajj

Mecca's temperature reached a high of 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 degrees Celsius) on Tuesday and is expected to hit 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius) on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia

Explainer

UAE nuclear plant strike clouds Gulf's atomic ambitions: What to know

The US-Israel-Iran war is complicating momentum in the Middle East for civilian nuclear power, which heading into 2026 had been growing in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and elsewhere.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Cheap drones, costly threats: Why Gulf states are looking to Turkey for defense deals

Iran’s drone and missile attacks have exposed gaps in Gulf and Iraqi air defenses, giving Turkey an opening for Turkish defense sales, but Ankara has a narrow window before South Korean and European competitors gain ground.

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security