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
Saudis ready for kingdom’s first women’s soccer league Saudi female soccer players are eagerly waiting for Saudi Arabia’s first women’s soccer league to be launched in October, after being delayed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia
OPEC+ pressures Iraq, UAE to further cut oil production Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members held a virtual meeting with Russia and other allied oil producers today to discuss the continuing low price of oil amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Saudi Arabia
Stakes high in Yemen's Marib province for Houthis, Saudis Yemen’s Houthi rebels face fierce resistance from the Saudi-backed government forces in the oil-rich province of Marib. Saudi Arabia
The Takeaway: Trump scores diplomatic win with eye on November election Iran deal coming after elections, Trump says; Qatar says normalization not the answer; Netanyahu returns home to COVID-19, political crises. Saudi Arabia
State Department officials testify before Congress on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said the May 2019 sale did not warrant an emergency certification, but a State official cited the threat from Iran. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia to resume some international flights Sept. 15 The Interior Ministry said a limited number of citizens and nonresidents will be eligible for flights entering and exiting the kingdom. Saudi Arabia
Saudi women entrepreneurs fight cultural conditioning The Saudi government has changed many practices that were discriminatory against women, but really empowering women requires a profound change of mentality. Saudi Arabia
Khashoggi murder trial in Riyadh lacked accountability, UN rights office says A court in Riyadh Monday jailed eight people over the 2018 murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia
Intel: House Democrats want answers from Saudi ambassador over jailed female activists A group of seven congressional Democrats laid into Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States on Wednesday for failing to respond to their repeated requests to discuss the kingdom’s continued detention of female rights activists. Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu calls opening of Saudi skies 'huge breakthrough’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi hailed Saudi Arabia's decision to open its airspace to "all countries" following the UAE-Israel deal. Saudi Arabia
Gulf citizens powerless in face of megaprojects Local communities in Saudi Arabia often have no say in the strategic infrastructure projects and long-term economic reforms that directly impact them. Saudi Arabia
Democratic Party platform criticizes possible Israeli annexation of West Bank, Saudi role in Yemen Parts of the platform approved at the Democratic National Convention this week have been both praised and criticized by Israel- and Iran-focused groups in Washington. Saudi Arabia