Interview Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO Around 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is 35 years old or younger, according to the kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics, providing ample opportunity for an educated and technology-savvy national workforce in the coming decades. Olivier Badard CEO of Armada Holding
Explainer Gulf states push incentives for investors, expats after war dents image Several Gulf states are working to recover their images as global havens of stability in the wake of the Iran war. United Arab Emirates
Newsletter: Business & Tech Oil falls to prewar levels as Hormuz reopens Oil prices retreat as Gulf shipping stabilizes, Qatar moves to restore LNG output, and regional governments roll out new investment and residency incentives. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Interview Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says French investors are reallocating capital toward strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and technology rather than pulling out of the region altogether. Axel Baroux France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East
Newsletter: Gulf Gulf defense giants head to Europe By Francesco Schiavi In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance
Newsletter: City Pulse Riyadh Saudi contemporary art lands at Art Basel By Rebecca Anne Proctor In Dubai, reporting on culture
Why Iraqi-Saudi ties are backsliding yet again After Iraq’s foreign affairs minister defended Hezbollah, which is considered a terrorist group by the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League, Gulf-Iraqi ties may worsen. Saudi Arabia
Will Saudi block Iranians from hajj this year? Iran claims that Saudi officials have refused to issue visas for Iranian officials in order to conduct preparatory talks for Iranian pilgrims. Saudi Arabia
How united is the GCC? While Gulf states may all be united under the Gulf Cooperation Council name, their individual policies on foreign intervention vary greatly. Saudi Arabia
What Saudi Arabia is doing to save water Saudi Arabia’s self-sufficiency policy has led to the overconsumption of water, a resource that Saudi Arabia critically needs. Countries
Will the Russians be able to help Lebanon get a new president? Russia’s withdrawal from Syria and the goodwill it generated in Arab circles, may allow it to play the role of mediator in Geneva and to help Lebanon fill its presidential vacuum. Saudi Arabia
Is this the man who will replace Abbas? It seems dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan is expanding his regional and international influence to become the potential successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Saudi Arabia
Iran officials defend Rouhani's Pakistan trip After criticism suggesting that President Hassan Rouhani’s trip to Pakistan did not achieve anything, officials from the administration and media linked to the administration have fired back. Saudi Arabia
After 10 years of war, are Yemenis hopeless? The war in Yemen has added a new group of internally displaced persons to that previously created during a decade of conflict between Houthis and the state. Legacy: Gulf
MP says Iran shuttered embassies over lack of funding According to one Iranian parliamentarian, financial issues were behind Iran's closing of a number of embassies, for which the Foreign Ministry has long complained of a lack of funding. Saudi Arabia
Can Hezbollah withstand Saudis' wrath? Hezbollah's actions are isolating Lebanon from the Arab states and exacerbating the country's already fractured and paralyzed politics. Legacy: Gulf
Erdogan takes authoritarian rule to new heights in war on PKK Terrorist bombing in Turkey kills two Americans as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan resurrects "thought crimes" in confronting critics; Is Iran a spoiler in Palestinian politics? Israel cool to feelers from Sudan. Saudi Arabia
What Russia's Syria shift means for Moscow-Riyadh ties Russia’s likely gradual and partial military withdrawal from Syria may minimize one of the irritants in the Russian-Saudi relationship, but it won’t address their fundamental differences. Saudi Arabia